The Grill Room at The Windsor Court has introduced a new dinner and dessert menu with a number of standout dishes. For example, the Lobster Thermidor features lobster cream, tarragon oil and Parmesan crisps; the domestic Wagyu tartare has ginger, shoyu, quail egg and shaved-herb crostini; and the Chilean sea bass boasts spinach Roquefort cream, caviar and lemon foam. There’s also the double lamb chops with curry aioli and balsamic braised Cipollini, and the chai poached pear with brown butter diplomat cream, pear sorbet and caramel streusel. 300 Gravier St., 504-522-1994, thewindsorcourt.com
Rebirth of a Classic
After a brief pause for renovations and maintenance, Gautreau’s Restaurant reopened late last year. Bill Kearney and Jay Adams, part of the local investor group that recently acquired the classic New Orleans restaurant, have named Rob Mistry as executive chef and Katie Adams as general manager. Mistry has nearly a decade of food and beverage experience after working for several locations of Husk Restaurant and honing his culinary skills at Alinea, a Michelin 3-star restaurant in Chicago. He most recently served as sous chef for more than four years at Commander’s Palace. While classic menu items remain – such as local fish, duck confit, foie gras and roasted chicken – Mistry is infusing the menu with heightened culinary creations. Meanwhile, Adams has worked her way through multiple back-of-house positions as chef tournant and has an extensive background in menu creation, event planning and catering. 1728 Soniat St., 504-899-7397, gautreausrestaurant.com
Kanpai!
New Orleans-bred Vietnamese Chef Matthew Nguyen has teamed up with NFL wide receiver Malachi Dupre to open an omakase pop-up, dubbed Kenji, at International House Hotel. Guests can expect Nguyen to blend his precise capabilities as the only sushi chef in New Orleans with a tie to the esteemed Jiro Ono (considered by many to be the world’s best sushi master of the 20th century). The menu consists of 17 courses with a focus on fish sourced overnight from Japan’s acclaimed Toyosu market, including Madai, Shima Aji and Kanpachi, plus oysters from Kumamoto Bay. Vietnamese flavors also will be introduced in dishes such as lemongrass miso soup and Bo La Lot (beef wrapped in a betel leaf). Kenji also will offer an array of rare sakes, Japanese beer and unique cocktails (crafted by Abigail Gullo, creative director of the beverage program at loa bar within the hotel). There are only 14 coveted seats along the sleek, 40-foot sushi bar—plus four select tables reserved for International House Hotel guests – and reservations are required. 221 Camp St., 504-553-9550, kenjinola.com
Culinary Vision
Commons Club, the signature dining concept at Virgin Hotels New Orleans, has welcomed Chris Borges as executive chef. The Louisiana native has introduced a menu of seasonally inspired dishes rich with influences from the West Coast and the Mediterranean—all with a decidedly New Orleans touch. Borges previously worked at Roti in San Francisco, Taste Catering in the Bay Area (where he led the culinary vision for President Barack Obama’s Green Tech Dinner and Christina Aguilera’s wedding), The Ace Hotel New Orleans and Maison de la Luz (overseeing Josephine Estelle, Seaworthy, The Alto and Bar Marilou). Dishes to try at Commons Club include the duck confit hash with celery root, mushroom ragu, farm egg and salsa verde; barbecue shrimp with brown butter, fermented garlic, Espelette, lemon and bottarga breadcrumbs; Iberico pork flank with Louisiana crab dirty rice, chard, sherry jus and salsa verde; and stuffed squash with sunflower tahini, baby carrots, hearts of palm, quinoa, kale and brassica. 550 Baronne St., 504-603-8000, virginhotels.com/new-orleans
Restaurant R’evolution Refresh
Prior to opening Restaurant R’evolution at The Royal Sonesta New Orleans in the French Quarter in 2012, Chef John Folse owned Lafitte’s Landing in Donaldsonville. When the restaurant burned down in 1999, many patrons mourned the loss. Now, Folse has reintroduced some of the most popular dishes from Lafitte’s Landing on the Restaurant R’evolution menu. For example, the Crawfish Montegut features fried Louisiana crawfish tails, artichoke and smoked tomato rémoulade; the Shrimp Patterson includes black-eyed pea beer batter, red pepper coulis and herb oil; and the Redfish Bienville boasts seared scallop, sauce meunière and crispy capers. Other new dishes (not from Lafitte’s Landing) include butter-poached lobster and black gnocchi; pheasant “Coq au Vin”; Flounder Roulade; and a fine selection of dry-aged prime steaks and chops. Meanwhile, Sonesta International recently invested $1.5 million to refresh Restaurant R’evolution, including final kitchen touches coming this year. 777 Bienville St., 504-553-2277, revolutionnola.com
