The New Orleans Super Bowl is in the books, and another Carnival season is behind us. Festival season will arrive soon enough.
So right now feels like a good time to catch up on that obsession of New Orleans that has no post-season: food, and the pursuit of the next great restaurant.
Here are a few that have been my top picks lately and should be on your list.
Portuguese food might not be the most familiar around here, but now the new 34 Restaurant and Bar is giving a deep dive into its delights courtesy of one of the best known chefs around.
That would be Emeril Lagasse, who has tapped into his own Portuguese heritage for this love letter to family and flavor. It’s a stylish package in downtown New Orleans creating a niche unlike any other in the whole region, maybe in the country. We’re lucky to have this one in our backyard.
Nearby, there’s a curious case of Bon Ton Prime Rib. It’s in what used to be the Bon Ton Café, an old school restaurant known in its day for Cajun food. While the old Bon Ton closed what has taken its place with a similar name is not exactly a steakhouse but a prime rib house, serving a specialty cut that made me a believer in the primacy of prime rib when done right.
Also, downtown is a return on different terms at Willie Mae’s Nola. You’ve heard of Willie Mae’s Scotch House, the Treme restaurant famous through generations for its fried chicken and hospitality. That restaurant remains closed since a fire ripped through almost 2 years ago. The family owners have vowed to rebuild, and in the meantime, they’ve opened this much more modern downtown outpost for Willie Mae’s. It has a different feel, with cocktails and a date night vibe. But you better believe the menu starts with Willie Mae’s fried chicken. You have to try the gumbo too.
So here I am talking about new restaurants and referencing three very well-known New Orleans names. I guess that’s how it goes in a city with rich with continuity, long relationships and a hunger always for what’s next.
