Modern American restaurants in New Orleans
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A
NOLA
It might seem easy to deride Emeril Lagasse, still the most famous celebrity chef in America. The cynic in you wants to think he’s overrated. But come visit NOLA, his French Quarter outpost, and your palette will say, ‘Hey, this is damn good.’ Of course, Emeril’s not in the kitchen ‘Bam!’-ing your food up, but whoever is does a great job with blackberry stout glazed ribs, buttermilk cornbread pudding and other sexed-up contemporary executions. This is one of the few top-end New Orleans restaurants that successfully whips some California-style fusion hip into Louisiana classics, but the top draw may be the waiters, who are enthusiastic and friendly as hell.
reviewed
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B
Wolfe’s
Formerly Peristyle’s, Wolfe’s is now named for its chef, Tom Wolfe, an alumnus of Emeril’s kitchens and popular stalwart of the New Orleans eating scene. The space is wonderful, all warm lighting and cozy accents, and has served as a restaurant space in one form or another for over 130 years. The food’s great, too; the lamb T-bones with lavender demi-glace are gorgeous, and while the menu isn’t as adventurous as we might have hoped, this is a dependable place for a sumptuous meal. If you want to push the limit of the kitchen’s skill, we recommend opting for the tasting menu (from $35 for three courses).
reviewed
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C
Gautreau’s
Chef Sue Zemanick has seemingly won every award a rising star can garner in American culinary circles (‘Top 10 Best New Chef’ in Food & Wine magazine and ‘Chef of the Year’ in New Orleans magazine, among others). Gautreau’s, her HQ, is unsigned and tucked away in a residential neighborhood. Inside, savvy diners dine on fresh, modern American fare – gnocchi with truffled parmesan cheese and grouper in a salsa verde, for example – content they’re enjoying a treasure of the local culinary landscape as yet undiscovered by tourists.
reviewed
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D
Boucherie
Can you improve upon a Krispy Kreme doughnut? We didn't think so, but along comes Boucherie's Krispy Kreme bread pudding. That heavy bread pudding becomes airy yet drool-tastically fattening when married to a honey glazed, drowning in syrup…oh man. For dinner, barbecued shrimp-and-grits cakes are darkly sweet and savory, garlic parmesan fries are gloriously stinky and gooey and duck confit with a truffled baby salad is just magic.
reviewed
