Dinner Menu at Etoile

Starters
Soup du Jour $6
Tomato, Andouille and Mushroom Soup $6
Moules Étoile $12
Steamed mussels in a spicy white wine dill cream broth with sweet
potato frites
Frog Legs $7
Flash fried frog legs tossed in garlic parsley butter
Served with garlic frites
Cheese Plate with Pate $13
Chef’s selection of 3 cheeses, homemade pate, red onion jam,caper
berries, cornichons, olives and toast.
Hummus $6
Puree of garbanzo beans, lemon juice, garlic and olive oil with grilled pita,
pepperoncinis and calamata olives
Crispy Calamari & Rock Shrimp $10
Served with caper remoulade
Sesame Tuna $9
Sesame crusted Ahi tuna served rare over Japanese seaweed salad
with wasabi aïoli, pickled ginger & fried wontons
Duck Turnover $9
Confit of duck, goat cheese & spinach in puff pastry with wild
mushroom cream
Almond Shrimp $10
Almond crusted jumbo shrimp over baby greens with red chili honey butter

Salads
Salad Étoile $6
Baby greens, oven dried tomatoes and crustini with a walnut
balsamic vinaigrette
Caesar Salad $8
Romaine lettuce with a crostini topped with shaved
parmesan & anchovies
Spinach & Tasso Salad $9
Baby Spinach tossed in warm tasso vinaigrette with hush puppies,
grilled red onions, spiced pecans & crumbled blue cheese
Red and Yellow Beet Salad $8
Arugula, lemon vinaigrette, goat cheese, ciabatta crostini


Main Course
Burger Etoile $10
Black Angus ground beef on sesame bun with bacon and cheddar cheese
Pan Seared Tilapia $19
Served with grilled shrimp, Yukon Gold mashed potatoes, haricot vert,
toasted almonds & citrus brown butter
Marinated Portabella Mushroom $10
Grilled vegetables, polenta cake and balsamic vinaigrette
Roasted Chicken $19
Half Chicken with Yukon Gold mashed potatoes and garlic scented
haricot vert
Grilled Shrimp Pasta $18
Roasted tomato & garlic, feta cheese, linguini pasta with olive tapenade
Coriander Crusted Tuna $20
Asparagus, roasted peppers, garlic spinach & roasted pine nuts with
sundried tomato oil
Grilled Pork Chop $21
Black-eyed pea ragout and fried okra with house made
Worcestershire sauce
Filet Mignon $30
Pommes Lyonnaise, asparagus and portabella demi glace
Hanger Steak $20
Roasted shallot sauce, garlic potato frites and asparagus

Sides
Haricot vert $4
Sweet potato frites $4
Garlic frites $4
Yukon Gold mashed potatoes $4
Asparagus $4
Parmigiano-Reggiano risotto Small $5
Large $10

Wine Tasting Tips

Have you ever considered hosting a wine tasting party? Ask a few friends over and have them all bring a bottle of the same style of wine (Pinot Party?). Here are some great wine tasting tips I learned from Wines.com; share them with your fellow wine lovers and have fun with it!

Start with a clear wine glass. The rim of the glass should bend inwards to help funnel aromas to the nose & allow you to swirl without spilling. Pour a little wine into your glass, an inch or less is best. If you are tasting several wines, begin with the lightest (sparkling wines, roses, then light whites followed by full-bodied whites) & progress to the heaviest (light reds to more full-bodied reds followed by dessert wines). This will help keep your taste buds more sensitive so you can better appreciate each wine in the series. A sip of water between wines can also help preserve your palate.

Notice the color of the wine...hold the glass up to light or hold it against a white background (a white napkin will do the trick.) The color can give you a clue as to the age of the wine...white wines generally gain color as they age, red wines tend to lose color (young red wines are more red/burgundy, while older reds tend to show a hint of tawny brown around the rim.)

Swirl the wine by moving the glass in a circular motion, holding the glass by its stem. Swirling is done to aerate the wine & release vapors for you to smell, evaporating from the sides of the glass. Put your nose over the rim of the wine glass & breathe in, taking note of the wine's aromas & bouquet.

Take a sip, letting the wine spread across the tongue from front to back & from side to side before swallowing. Notice the flavors and acidity of the wine. Swallow a small amount if you wish to note any lingering finish. If you are tasting a number of wines, your host will usually provide a large container for you to spit out the wine instead of swallowing.

Don't forget to compare how a wine tastes with or without food! Cheeses and other savories can make a huge difference in the way a wine tastes, so serve a variety of foods for your guests to experience.

Louisiana Star hosts wine tastings every 1st & 3rd Thursday of the month...please join us and share your wine stories!

Wine Goes Fine with Lobster

When one thinks of Cape Cod, the "arm" that juts out from eastern Massachusetts, visions of lobster and sandy beaches often come to mind. What you may not have considered is that there are grapes growing in that sandy soil on the outermost tip of Cape Cod...and there's a wonderful family making wine (and catching lobsters, but that's another story.)

My summer vacation was spent sipping some of their products, at Truro Vineyards of Cape Cod. Owned and operated by the Roberts family, Truro Vineyards produces award-winning wines and offers daily tastings and tours of the vineyard. Summer guests sample wines under a tent, yards from the grapevines, with fresh sea air drifting by.

Open from April - December, the vineyard is a unique place to visit on Cape Cod. If you can make it to their annual "Grape Stomp", you'll never forget it...visitors are encouraged to take off their shoes, jump into a giant wooden barrel and stomp grapes like they used to do it "in the old country." You can also take home a bottle of wine to drink with your lobster dinner.

Check them out online: http://www.trurovineyardsofcapecod.com/

Wine Tastings at Louisiana Star

If you're looking for something fun to do on a Thursday night, come to Louisana Star Wine Shop for one of our wine tastings. Every 1st and 3rd Thursday of the month we feature a special selection of wines from around the world and invite you to taste and explore the subtle differences that soil, climate, grape & age can make in a wine.

Wonderful hors d'oeuvres are served to compliment the wine, and bottle purchases during our tastings are at a 10% discount.

Come enjoy one of Covington's best casual parties...bring your friends, try some new wines, stay for dinner, bring home a bottle of your latest discovery! Cost is only $15 per person, and the tasting runs from 6:30-8:30pm.

The most colorful dining room in Covington

As you may have noticed, our dining room at Etoile is unique, a riot of colors, textures and shapes. New Orleans artist James Michalopoulos designed the restaurant, and his paintings create an ever-changing mood for our guests to enjoy while dining with us.

All of the art you see at Etoile is for sale, as well as copies of James' wonderful book, which is available at the bar. The Michalopoulos gallery has a BRAND NEW WEBSITE, so please check it out. It features new paintings, prints and news about Michalopoulos, who just had a great show in France!
www.michalopoulos.com