Exciting New Flavors And An Atmospheric Inn Open In New Orleans

Forbes

5 days ago

A selection of dishes at the recently opened Brutto Americano in New Orleans highlighting modern Italian cuisine and Gulf seafood.
Sam Hanna - @samhannaphoto
It's really a food festival with music in the middle,' explained a regular at the famous New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival (aka JazzFest) which concluded its annual two week run in early May. (Calendar dates to hold for next year: April 23-May 6.)
One of the food stations at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. (Photo by Josh Brasted/WireImage)
WireImage
It's actually a very true statement. Apart from strategizing which stage to attend at different cubes (time slots) to see this year's headliners including Pearl Jam, Lenny Kravitz, Patti Labelle, Trombone Shorty, local favorite Robin Barnes and multiple acts spanning jazz, blues, zydeco, rock and roll and country, selecting food choices from different stations was just as important: crawfish strudel or remoulade; gumbo with seafood or quail and Andouille; shrimp and lump crab ravigote; cochon de lait, fried shrimp and fried oyster po-boys, crab beignets, muffulettas, etc. But the Fest ends at 7 every night so it's also a prelude to dinner. And there are some new, worthwhile choices to try around town.
A selection of dishes at the new Maria's Oyster & Wine Bar.
Randy Schmidt
There can never be enough oyster bars in the city and a new one opened in late April in the Warehouse District near another seafood favorites Seaworthy. Maria's Oyster & Wine Bar serves a local selection of Wild Gulf Oysters , Brightsides and Little Moons plus dishes such as Shrimp Escabeche, Ceviche, Tuna Crudo, Fried Oyster Salad and a pretty dense and delicious Shrimp and Oyster Gumbo. Next door, the team behind Maria's also opened LeMoyne Bistro this spring, dipping into the city's French heritage with classic dishes such as Beef Short Rib Carbonnade and Duck Confit.
The dining room of Brutto Americano.
Sam Hanna
In the same neighborhood, the makeover of the Ace Hotel into The Barnett also included a restaurant makeover: the grand Art Deco room that once housed Josephine Estelle is now the site of Brutto Americano, an Italian restaurant with New Orleans inflections and ingredients, particularly Gulf seafood. Among the highlights of their lunch/dinner menu: radiatori with Louisiana blue crab, basil and jalapeno , Roasted Gulf Oysters with smoked chiles, oregano and Parmesan and Seared Gulf Fish with roasted fennel, olives and leeks.
The Front Bar at Junebug
Randy Schmidt
Nearby, the building at 744 Camp Street was an important New Orleans R&B and Funk recording studio in the 1960's and 1970's, site of sessions by local stars such as Alan Toussaint and The Meters. Now, as Junebug which opened in March, it's a sultry, low-lit, brick walled space dotted with musical details-turntables, wall sconces made of cymbals and a pendant lighting display made of repurposed Victrola trumpets all under arches studded with more lights. It's also somewhat secret since you enter through an alley.
Hot Fried Oysters at Junebug.
Randy Schmidt
Once in, the drinks are creative and whimsical, some with music linked names (Little Old Money Maker, B Side); the dishes French inspired small plates such as Yellowfin Tuna Crudo with Gulf Tuna, sweet potato vinaigrette, coconut and habanero and Duck Rillettes with Preserved Satsuma Marmalade, pickled spring onions and toast. It's also open late.
The century old bar at Copper Vine Wine Pub & Inn.
Jacqueline Marque
On Poydras Street, on the edge of the Central Business District and a few blocks from Caesars Superdome, Copper Vine Wine Pub & Inn opened in 2018 as an all day gastropub with wines on tap. Its location: a late 1800's building that formerly housed long running (110 years) Wylie's Restaurant which closed in 1986. This restaurant is also a neighborhood favorite, serving dishes such as an award-winning Duck and Andouille Gumbo, Crawfish Beignets and Bourbon Glazed Pork Chops in its historic interiors and plant decked patio.
The award winning duck and Andouille gumbo at Copper Vine Wine Pub & Inn.
Copper Vine Wine Pub & Inn
Owner Kyle Brechtel was transfixed by the building and not content to stop with a restaurant so with an extension added to the original building, he opened an 11 room inn above the restaurant last September. The 10 spacious regular rooms have bespoke furniture, art and fabrics plus floor to ceiling windows that bring in plenty of light. The highlight, though, is room 11, The Terrace Suite, created from the attic of the original building and apart from the other design details featuring original brick chimneys, an ironwork fourposter, a complete kitchen and a sizeable terrace overlooking the street.
Room 11, The Terrace Suite, at Copper Vine Wine Pub & Inn.
Jacqueline Marque
The interior of Cane & Table in the French Quarter.
Laurie Werner
Another atmospheric space from the 1800's in the French Quarter is the setting for Cane & Table: a flickering candlelit room where you half expect to see ghosts peering out of the antique mirrors. It started out as a Polynesian-rum tiki bar but transformed into a Cuban-Cajun restaurant when New Orleans native Alfredo Nogueira signed on as chef/part owner creating dishes from his Cuban heritage.
Arroz Con Pollo at Cane & Table.
www.starchefs.com
They're all delicious: crunchy Sweet Plantains with Crema and Salsa Macha; Crab Croquetas with Louisiana Crab, Aioli and Lemon; Grilled Cauliflower with Smoky Guajillo Sauce, Pepitas and Mint; Arroz Con Pollo with Saffron Bomba Rice and Crispy Braised Pork Ribeye with Yucca Hash, Avocado and Mojo Verde. It's no wonder that other chefs come to dinner here and the New York Times named it one of 'The 25 Best Restaurants in New Orleans Right Now.' Nogueira has also recently introduced a Cuban Supper Club option giving diners several options in a four course dinner modeled on an annual dinner that his uncle used to give.
A Sweet And Savory Bakery
The interior of Ayu Bakehouse.
Alex Marks
Over on Frenchmen Street, a locale best known for its music clubs, a line is usually snaking out the door and onto the sidewalk at number 801. That's Ayu Bakehouse, the three year old nationally praised bakery that offers superlative breads like Roasted Corn Sourdough, pastries such as Chocolate Babka Knot and Blueberry Lemon Buns and locally influenced savory pastries such as Boudin Boy filled with boudin sausage and hard boiled eggs and Muffaletta Breadsticks dotted with bits of olives and salami. Sandwiches and salads are also offered and all are available to consume at one of the in-demand tables or to take across the street to leafy Washington Square.
One of the displays at JAMNOLA showing off the city's devotion to feasting and celebrating.
Laurie Werner
Also in the neighborhood, a few blocks north, is the expanded, relocated JAMNOLA, the somewhat hallucinogenic display of 29 exhibits by over 100 artists showing wild interpretations of the art, food, music and extravagance of New Orleans. The gallery's directors describe it as a cultural funhouse and they aren't exaggerating. But in this city, that makes perfect sense.
One of the JAMNOLA displays celebrating the city's musicians.
Laurie Werner