Let the good times roll … and on Mardi Gras (literally Fat Tuesday) that is exactly what members and their guests did. We gathered in the desert. Palm Desert, that is, where we were thrilled once again to experience Cuistot, a shining star that is one of the finest French restaurants in southern California.

Owner/Chef Rôtisseur Bernard Dervieux presented a delightful Mardi Gras themed evening, Chaîne style. At the reception on the starlit patio guests sipped flutes of champagne accompanied by Cajun style oysters with hollandaise sauce, lobster with tarragon, melon with blue cheese, and sausage in puff pastry.

The Mardi Gras theme continued in the dining room where tables were decorated with feathered masks, coins and strands of colourful beads.

Accompanied by a lovely chardonnay, the first course was a bowl of seafood and andouille sausage which gave off a tantalizing aroma. Just the right amount of heat to remind everyone that tonight they were dining Cajun style! New Orleans shrimp cocktail followed, featuring a vibrant cocktail sauce with a hint of parsley.

Main course was roasted beef fillet encrusted with a Cajun rub accompanied by shallot, wild mushroom and a sweet garlic sauce. Chef Dervieux ended the meal with New Orleans bread pudding plated with a coconut and praline sauce.

At the dinner’s conclusion, Bailli Annette Rakowitz gave accolades to the entire staff and presented Chef Dervieux with a pewter Chaîne plate.

Susan Berman
Vice-Chargée de Presse

Photographer: Ed Lee