Happy Accidents (Louie Louie Review)

November 9, 2023

Authored by Nina Wilson and Dynisha Murray

*Pictured above is the Creme Brulee French Toast ($16), Eggs Royale ($19), and Dry Aged Burger ($25).* *Photo Courtesy of the Brunch Besties.*

As someone that grew up in a structured household, doing things spontaneously was few and far in between. Playdates, dinners, even visits with family were always planned in advance. Carefully penned down on the family calendar, with continual reminders leading up to the day of the event. It’s in part the reason that as an adult I’ve grown to appreciate spontaneity especially when it comes to the things that I love.

Initially, Dynisha and I planned to review a different restaurant. It was a review that we were procrastinating on and decided that it was time to get it out of the way. However, upon arrival, we quickly realized they were booked for a sporting event. So, in a spur of the moment decision, we decided to pay a visit to Louie Louie.

Louie Louie is one of many restaurants that falls under the umbrella of the Fearless Restaurant group. A hospitality group owned and operated by father and daughter duo Sydney and Marty Grims. We have previously reviewed and visited another restaurant under the same group a couple months back, and you can read that review here. Having debuted on July 11th, 2018, It’s a concept that is under the helm of Sydney Grims. Sydney, who was born and raised in the restaurant industry, comes from three generations of restaurateurs. She was the first woman within her family to take on the family business (Main Line Today). Presently, her position at Fearless Restaurants is the director of Business Development, where she oversees multiple restaurants within the group. Such as Rosalie, White Dog Cafe, and Autograph Brasserie to name a few (Main Line Today).

One of the things that amazed us during our visit to Louie Louie was the striking interior design. Which appeared to be a contemporary twist on an older parisian aesthetic. We later came to find that the interior design was carefully curated to create a mix between studio 54 and Wes Anderson (Eater). This bold design choice was not only refreshing to see, but also led to Louie Louie to win a design award in 2018 (Eater).

Enough about interior design,and onto what you all are truly here for, the FOOD. To kick things off we ordered the Pomegranate Margarita ($14), White Cosmopolitan ($15), and Wagyu Beef Carpaccio ($22). Then for entrees we ordered the Creme Brulee French Toast ($16), Eggs Royale ($19), and Dry Aged Burger ($25).

Drinks

Pomegranate Margarita and White Cosmopolitan

*Pictured above is the Pomegranate Margarita ($14) and White Cosmopolitan ($15). Photo Courtesy of the Brunch Besties.*

You can’t have a good start to brunch, without a good strong drink. And that’s exactly what Louie Louie delivered. The drinks menu was inspired by various seasonal fruits and notes, such as pomegranate, cranberry, and apples. I’ve never had a pomegranate margarita, which is why I ordered one. Dynisha likes cosmopolitans and has tried a few different kinds with different visits that we’ve made to other restaurants. The white cosmopolitan had citrus vodka combier, lemon, lime agave, white cranberry, and sparkling wine. While the Pomegranate Margarita contained, tequila, combier, pomegranate, lime, agave, and scrappy’s firewater bitters. First impressions were that these were some of the prettiest drinks that we have ever ordered.

Starting off with the White Cosmopolitan, it was light and mildly sweet. It had a very cute presentation. The drink had a bit of a kick but wasn’t too strong, and was well balanced. If you’re looking for a light balanced drink, that will get the job done but won’t knock your socks off, this is the drink for you. Thus why we rated this drink 5 out of 5 stars.

Moving on to the Pomegranate Margarita. This drink was decently balanced, and leaned a bit more on the strong side. After the first sip, you’ll definitely feel it. You could pick off the deep fruity notes of the pomegranate and lime, which paired together well. It’s definitely a drink that you should just sip on, and if you’re looking for something a tad bit stronger than a cosmo, this is a very good option. For that we rate these fruity delights 5 out of 5 stars.

Appetizer

Wagyu Beef Carpaccio

Part of the adventure that comes with visiting and reviewing different restaurants, is sampling and trying some of the signature items. Even trying things that we’ve never had before. Both of us have never had Carpaccio before, especially with Wagyu Beef, and although it was an idea that scared Dynisha a bit, I pushed for us to try it.

It did not disappoint. Firstly, the presentation of this dish was akin to a work of art. It was beautifully plated. Which made it difficult to want to dig in. The ingredients in the dish are equally as appetizing as the appearance, composed of truffle aioli, horseradish, cured egg yolk, grana padano, and petite arugula. The slices of wagyu were thin, but buttery and tender. The aioli added to the rich, and subtle truffle flavor which balanced well with all the other elements. The arugula added a sprig of greenery, which broke up the texture of the beef and aioli, and the grana padano had a bit of a crisp finish which created an additional dimension of texture. Overall, this was another win in our eyes, and we gave it 5 out of 5 stars.

Entrees

Eggs Royale

The next dish, up to bat, was one that we ordered with caution. The eggs royale contained smoked salmon, toasted sourdough, pickled red onion, petite greens, lemon caper hollandaise, and home fries. Essentially a maritime eggs benedict. We love innovation when it comes to different dishes at restaurants, but the real question comes with the execution. Will it taste good? Or will it be a messy, disgusting, congealed mess?

Thankfully, we did not have to worry about that with the Eggs Royale. The smoked salmon was salty and fresh, and the umami flavor was intensified by the lemon caper hollandaise sauce. The bread was perfectly toasted. The pickled red onion added an acidic tangy dimension which brought out the salty and rich flavors from the hollandaise sauce. The arugula felt a bit misplaced, but was not unwelcomed. Everything had a subtle flavor, and tasted amazing individually as well as collectively. Even the home fries were crisp and crunchy, but soft on the interior and lightly seasoned. Dynisha doesn’t like eggs but loves this dish. All things considered it was a no brainer to give this dish 5 out of 5 stars.

Creme Brulee French Toast

Creme Brulee holds a special place in our hearts. A few years ago, Dynisha and I took a trip to Europe and spent a few days in Paris. It was there we got an authentic french creme brulee. Albeit it was not the best creme brulee that we’ve had, it was still very good. Since then, creme brulee inspired dishes have followed us back to the states and especially so within the roundhouse of brunch. We have come across several different interpretations of creme brulee french toast. But none have come close to perfectly executing the essence of a creme brulee quite like Louie Louie.

Now you might ask, what makes a good creme brulee? It’s just custard and burnt sugar, how hard can that be to make? It boils down to the execution and the ingredients. The kind of milk you use. How long your custard sets for. The kind of sugar you use. Whether or not you use vanilla in your creme brulee. All these things combine together to make a sweet, crunchy, creamy bowl of perfection that is creme brulee. A lot of times, when restaurants create a creme brulee french toast, they overcomplicate it. Dunking brioche bread in custard milk mixture and then trying to stack it sky high. Or even using creme brulee inspired ingredients but not incorporating the aesthetic pleasure that comes from cracking the sugar layer of a creme brulee. These interpretations are not bad, or even horrible, but they do not carry the essence of a creme brulee. However Louie Louie understood the assignment. Their creme brulee french toast was thick cut brioche, vanilla bean custard, car slider sugar, berry jam, and pure maple syrup. The berry jam was sandwiched in between the layers of thick cut brioche. Genius.

The top of the bread had a thin sugar layer that you could crack, and a thick dollop of vanilla custard. And in every bite you got a bit of vanilla custard, the crunchy sweetness of the sugar layer from the creme brulee in addition to the slight tart notes of the berry jam. Nothing was overly sweet, nor did it clash. It was heaven in a bite. And if someone can understand the assignment to this extent they deserve an A plus. So for that we’re giving the creme brulee french toast 5 out of 5 stars.

Dry Aged Burger

This next item menu, literally made us feel like we were going to ascend to another plane of existence. That’s how good it was. The Dry Aged Burger, contained cooper sharp american cheese, dijon aide, bread and butter pickles, brioche, and came with a side of truffle pomme frites. The presentation of the burger, was what you would expect of a burger at a restaurant of the the caliber of Louie Louie. It was presentable and clean.

Onto the flavors. The burger was tender and juicy. It melted on your tongue upon the first bite. The cheese was rich and did a good job at tying together the burger. The tomatoes, onion, and lettuce balanced the burger and made it proportional and added a fresh element. The pickles were perfectly sweet and savory. And everything about this burger was so goddamn good. If we weren’t full from the other items we ordered we would’ve ordered two burgers to go. The fries were equally as delicious. They were crisp, crunchy, and had a subtle truffle flavor which was not overwhelming. All in all, this burger took us over yonder and brought us back. Thus why we gave it 5 out of 5 stars.

In Conclusion..

This is probably one of the few times we have gone somewhere and all of the items we got were a 5 out of 5. I don’t think we’ve had this good of an experience since our visits to Cafe La Maude or Amina.

The service was nothing short of exceptional. Our server was personable, professional,communicative and attentive. She made sure to keep us in the loop about everything going on with our food.

This all contributed to an amazing dining experience. The atmosphere, food, and service were all exceptional on this visit, which is why this is one of our first fives across all of the boards restaurants, and our final rating is, you guessed it, a 5 out of 5.

What do ya’ll think? Would you go and visit Louie Louie? Let me know in the comments down below.

Until next time,

XOXO

The Brunch Besties