On our drive down to Baton Rouge for Thanksgiving this year, my husband and I decided to head down a night early and spend some time in the charming city of Covington, Louisiana.  Located in St. Tammany Parish (about an hour drive from Baton Rouge) the city is situated between three rivers and is a delightful area of boutiques, restaurants, quaint bed and breakfasts—all of which exude an irresistible Southern charm.  Covington is a showcase of Louisiana’s unique architecture—all of which is surrounded by mossy trees that seem to whisper their stories to you in the wind.  We stayed in a beautiful bed and breakfast named The Blue Willow (www.bluewillowbandb.com) , located right in the midst of the city’s central business district.  Owned and operated by a lovely couple named Maureen and Tom Chambless, this southern retreat is as charming as it is relaxing.  And we were tickled that our home for the night was in walking distance of our restaurant destination for the night.

An oh what a restaurant this was.  I had read about Del Porto Ristorante (www.delportoristorante.com) in a couple of national publications and could hardly wait to bring the tastes to life.  This was the authentic and contemporary Italian restaurant I have been searching for since my time in Italy.  A traditionally designed menu of antipasti, insalate, primi, secondi and contorni (and dolce of course)—this utterly remarkable destination was full blown Italian in spirit with a hint of that Louisiana charm.  We settled in with a couple of Negroni cocktails and perused the menus with eager eyes.  We ended up ordering a selection from each course and shared them all: a veal appetizer cooked identically to the most tender pork belly you could imagine; this dish  was created by braising, compressing and then grilling a piece of veal to create a layer of meat covered with a crunchy top.  Next we had their light and flavorful Arugula & Frisee Salad with perfectly cooked olive oil fried mushrooms.  Onto the pasta…ohhhh…the pasta.  We settled on the Artisanal Spaghetti which was perfectly al dente spaghetti Carbonara with plump Louisiana oysters throughout.  Rich just like a Carbonara should be, but made incredibly elegant by the addition of these local oysters.  Lastly, we couldn’t resist ordering the Braised Short Ribs with a Brussels Sprout Leaf Sauté.

Chefs Torre Bagalman and David Solazzo met during culinary school in California and during their reign at Del Porto, have been nominated for James Beard awards and frequently are listed as one of the best restaurants in New Orleans.  It isn’t hard to see why—their menu selections range from dishes you will find from around Italy, are based on the Italian ideals of the freshest and the highest quality of ingredients, and their creativity just oozes out of every dish that arrives from their kitchen.  All of these qualities in combination with Southern charm, Louisiana flare, and an appealing contemporary atmosphere.  Del Porto Ristorante is truly one the best restaurants out there right now; if you are in the area—heck, if you are in the southeast, make a pilgrimage to the lovely town of Covington and Del Porto Ristorante…and soon!

Tagged: Bed & Breakfast, Covington, del, Italian restaurant, Louisiana, Thanksgiving