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Inside Northside, Nov.-Dec. 2011 So what are the chances that you meet someone from across an ocean and discover that you will be visiting his hometown in Tuscany that same month? And that he just happens to be a wine expert known in both his native region and here on the northshore? Luck was on my side, and that chance meeting involving food, wine and Italy was certainly a jackpot for me. In preparing for my trip to Italy with my sister-in-law and niece, I knew I wanted to write about the experience. I hoped I would find an interesting link between that country, so steeped in history, culture and tradition, and our relatively young and blooming community right here. Just two weeks prior to our departure, an e-mail from Jacmel Inn in Hammond arrived advertising a wine dinner with special guest Antonio Molesini, featuring wines of Tuscany. Since we planned to visit that region, this was a must-attend.
New Orleans City Business Jacmel Inn serves food from the familiar to the very adventuresome in premises with a rustic charm. The kitchen’s style is a mix of American and Creole with a specialty in the steak department. The owner is a wine buff who can always be counted on to provide a bottle you never heard of or one from the dim past. The Sunday brunch, particularly when the outdoor dining area is open, is pure pleasure. The Advocate It’s no surprise that Jacmel Inn scored an excellent rating in the Zagat Survey of New Orleans area restaurants. Jacmel continues, as it has for years to be one of Hammond’s culinary treasures. The restaurant, in a two-story house built in 1888, manages to be secluded. Live oaks, bamboo and assorted shrubbery form a noise-absorbing cacoon around the structure, which sits just a few yards from the street. The abundance of windows allows diners to enjoy the beauty of the gardens. Inside, the atmosphere is cozy and intimate. There are several smaller rooms for dining, as opposed to one or two large rooms, each filled with eclectic artwork, well-spaced tables, subdued lighting and more inner windows. The center room offered a warm, blazing fireplace on a recent chilly night. There’s also a bar area and a spacious patio for warmer occasions. It’s obvious that the owners love and respect things from the past, with the beautiful, restored millwork and old doors and plantation shutters used as decor harkening back to an earlier time.
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