Mosquito Supper Club Chef Expands With Quaint New Restaurant

Eater

a day ago

is an award-winning food and travel writer living in New Orleans. Her work has appeared in Atlas Obscura, The Local Palate, and the Los Angeles Times.
Saint Claire, from chef Melissa Martin, opens in Algiers Point
Chef Melissa Martin, best known for her Uptown tasting menu-centric Mosquito Supper Club and a duo of James Beard Award-winning cookbooks, has expanded with the June 26 opening of the country French-themed Saint Claire in Algiers Point. Martin partnered with her friend Cassi Dymond to open Saint Claire. Dymond is co-founder of Maple Street's Satsuma Cafe and co-owner of Kalimera Construction, which specializes in dynamic restaurant build-outs, including Dakar NOLA, the Tell Me Bar, and N7.
Located across the river, 15 minutes from the CBD, Saint Claire is situated in a historic 1920s home at the center of a cul-de-sac, surrounded by live oak trees, just steps from the Mississippi River levee. The restored building at 1300 Richland Road was once the medical officer's home on the site of Camp Algiers, an immigration center, and a WWII-era internment camp.
Unlike Mosquito Supper Club, Saint Claire doesn't feature a prix fixe menu or communal dining. The opening menu features nods to seasonal vegetables and local seafood, including eggplant fritters with powdered sugar, smoked beets with trout roe, and farmed Brightside oysters from Grand Isle. There's a duck and andouille gumbo, gnocchi with crabmeat in a lemon beurre blanc sauce, and grouper with fried okra.
Inside, the space is warm and inviting, with a palette of buttery yellow and soft blues, rustic French antiques, and mismatched porcelain plates and silverware. Candlelight flickers at Saint Claire, the welcoming country mouse to Mosquito Supper Club's city setting.
Spicy Mango is now open on Frenchmen Street
Larry Morrow, whose goal is to have 'the largest Black-owned restaurant group in the country,' opened Morrow Hospitality's fifth restaurant in New Orleans on July 5. Morrow premiered Spicy Mango, a Creole-Caribbean fusion restaurant on the corner of Frenchmen Street and Esplanade Avenue during Essence Fest.
The 200-seat restaurant exudes an island vibe, with its creative use of thatching, a dining room mango tree, and an expansive patio featuring a central fountain. Jordan Lindsey, the company's culinary director, created an irie menu with specialties like jerked chicken, crawfish beignets, and a mango-fueled island salad. Since he and his mother, Lenora Chong, opened their first restaurant, Morrow's, in 2018, the company's portfolio has grown to include Morrow Steak, Monday Restaurant and Bar, Sun Chong, and Spicy Mango, as well as two nightclubs, Hide/Seek and Treehouse.
Thaihey has a stall at St. Roch Market
Chef Orawin's 'Nim' Yimchalam now has a Thaihey presence at the St. Roch Market. Yimchalam, who operates Thaihey at 308 Decatur Street with her husband Nathan Greene, now serves a menu of not the usual Thai dishes, like nam khoa tod, a crispy rice ball spiced with red curry, Thai herbs, and chunks of salami. The Thai sloppy Joe, a loose meat sandwich on a bun, bright with Thai basil, is a craveable new classic. Her expansion into the St. Roch Market brings her full circle— the chef's first location was at the now-shuttered White Star Market in Baton Rouge.
Cajun Flames becomes the second LUFU
The short-lived Cajun Flames restaurant from the team behind LUFU in the CBD, is now the Indian restaurant's second location. The Cajun concept didn't fly, opening and closing within a year. Led by chefs Sachin Darade, Aman Kota, and Shan Samantray, the location that was formerly Saint John at 1117 Decatur Street will drill deeper into the regional Indian dishes popular at the original restaurant. LUFU, which stands for Let Us Feed U, opened July 3.
Fur Bébe Café is perfect for the dog days of summer
Fur Bébe Café is New Orleans's first dog cafe, located at 4826 Magazine Street, Uptown. When it comes to a theme, owner Barrett Cooper is like a dog with a bone. He knows how to create a mood — Cooper operated the atmospheric Double Dealer lounge at the Orpheum. This cafe's theme is ever-present, from the bone-shaped door handle to the menu of dog treats and hilarious AI-generated dog art hung at pooch level. Of course, there's a menu for humans too, a deep coffee program along with doggy named bites like the Corgi Cobb salad and the Catahoula toast topped with blueberry compote, lemon ricotta, and mint. The dog- and family-friendly spot includes a shaded side patio with plans for an off-leash play area in the near future.