The menu is American classic with a New Orleans twist. The chef, Ken Wisneski, opened two restaurants in New Orleans for Emeril Lagasse, Friedman said, and he tweaks the menu to showcase this style.
An appetizer of New Orleans barbecued shrimp ($8) consisted of three fat shrimp with fennel and leek bathed in a brown sauce that was just spicy enough for us, but would probably not impress a fan of spicy food.
Lysander’s warm potato chips sprinkled with Himalayan pink salt ($4) was a huge basket of homemade chips served with a sour cream/Creole mustard/chive dip; the chips were well done and crisp. (The dish is named after the ghost said to haunt the restaurant.)
A “steakhouse wedge’’ salad ($8) topped iceberg lettuce with crisp smoked bacon, pickled onions, and cherry tomatoes; served with blue cheese dressing and garnished with chunks of blue cheese, it was fresh and tangy.
Entrees run the gamut from classic New England haddock with Ritz cracker crumbs ($20) to classic New Orleans seafood jambalaya ($20). Our favorite was pan-seared scallops with a maple-saffron cream sauce and butternut risotto ($22). The sweet scallops were crisp on the outside and soft on the inside. The dense, chewy rice was nicely suffused with maple and dotted with chunks of tender butternut squash; the cream sauce was pleasantly light and enhanced the milder flavors of scallop and rice.
A prime rib special ($22) was as traditional as it gets: a generous portion of tender, slow-roasted prime rib; a baked potato that, blissfully, had not been reheated in aluminum foil and had a crisp, salt-crusted skin; and Brussels sprouts sautéed with bacon. Prime rib is offered on Wednesdays and Sundays only.
