How’s 2022 treating you so far? I’m guessing a big serving of comfort food could be in order. It’s been on my mind at least, with the post holiday blahs, the ups and downs of our pandemic progress, -if we can call it that - and even the old reliable cold-weather snap driving me towards different notions of comfort food.
Restaurant doors are still open, people are working, wonderful meals are being had and changes arrive in rapid form -as people try to carry on and keep safe while doing it.
Through it all, I’ve been counting my blessings for different ways our increasingly diverse dining scene answers our cravings.
Maybe it’s comfort food fit for wine pairings at Rosedale, the neighborhood restaurant from chef Susan Spicer all but hidden away down a side street. Or maybe it’s the veritable holiday buffet they pack into takeout cartons for down home Louisiana cooking at Chicken‘s Kitchen in Gretna.
At El Pavo Real, at the Broadmoor end of Broad Street, it’s the way this kitchen feels like Mexican home cooking instead of just another place slinging tacos and tequila, though tacos and tequila here are plenty comforting too.
It’s the simple satisfaction of a good pizza and a cocktail at Tavolino in Algiers Point, the creative ways with po-boys and loaded fries at Banh Mi Boys , and breakfast that goes beyond the basics but always keeps you on solid ground at the deliciously-named Wakin’ Bakin’.
Maybe it’s the reassurance of a new place like Saint John in the French Quarter taking on old classics letting you know the Creole cornerstones are not being forgotten amid all the change. You can see my full report on all this at nola.com.
Whatever we get into when we dine out though, we have to remember how far we can get with a little patience and empathy in trying times.
The reward, of course, is on the plate, in your take-out box, and in the uplift and renewal we get from a resilient food scene we can call our own.
