Cavan Announces New Menu, Names Eric Vollono as New Executive Chef and Michael Morley as Bar Director

NEW ORLEANS (press release) – Cavan, the Garden District restaurant and bar from New Orleans-based hospitality group LeBLANC + SMITH, unveiled its revamped food and beverage program from newly appointed Executive Chef Eric Vollono and Bar Director Michael Morley. Set in a 19th-century beautifully deteriorating mansion in New Orleans’ Garden District, Cavan’s seasonal-driven cuisine is composed of fresh local ingredients and refined flavors.

“Eric’s menu showcases inventive takes on classics while honoring our preference for local ingredients. He creates dishes that are rich in flavor yet not heavy that speak to the way Cavan’s guests prefer to dine today: amongst groups of family and friends while enjoying inventive cocktails and interesting wine,” said Robért LeBlanc, founder of the LeBLANC + SMITH hospitality group. “From staples like our whole fish, to his brilliant take on a simple but vivid Crab Salad, the new menu spotlights Eric’s talent and world-class experience while still being a decidedly New Orleans restaurant. We’re thrilled to have him at Cavan’s helm.”

The updated menu offers a variety of shareable plates, including New Orleans’ only Skate Wing dish, which uses vibrant, clean, and complex flavors served with crowder peas, pickled pearl onions, and spinach. Additional large plates include the Gulf Shrimp, a colorful seafood dish that incorporates a complex broth made with coconut curry and Calabrian chili sambal, served with charred cabbage, and head-on shrimp, and the Cavan Double Burger, which features house-made bacon made with local pork belly and takes four days to create.

“We wanted to create a menu that lets diners share their experience and explore new flavors together,” said Vollono. “From the unique combination of spicy and sweet of the coconut curry in our Gulf Shrimp to our playful take on Salmon Tartare using a giardiniera garnish, we weren’t shy about spinning classic Southern flavors and introducing new dishes that guests can only find at Cavan.”

Chef Eric Vollono joins Cavan with more than 18 years of culinary and fine dining experience. Most recently, Chef Vollono served as executive sous chef at New Orleans’ Comp è re Lapin under Chef Nina Compton. Prior to his role at Comp è re Lapin, Chef Vollono worked alongside highly acclaimed chefs in Chicago, including serving as executive sous chef at Michelin-starred restaurant Band of Bohemia, under Chef Ian Davis, sous chef at Primehouse at the James Hotel, and sous chef at Belly Q and Urbanbelly under Chef Bill Kim. With the mantra to “move with purpose,” Chef Vollono’s technique ranges from the refined methods of his professional career to flavor choices inspired by his travels and Asia.

In tandem with the revamped food menu, newly appointed Bar Director Michael Morley has also led the relaunch of Cavan’s new beverage program. Focusing on introducing a variety of new flavors, Morley built a program of unique cocktails that are accessible to everyone. Maintaining an eco-friendly bar, the new beverage program features a variety of distinctive and fun cocktails, including the Disco Warehouse, which features tequila blanco, Amoro Ciociaro, lemon, star anise syrup, bitters, and Herbsaint; and the Last Word, which features angostura amaro, green chartreuse, Luxardo Maraschino, and lime.

“Michael leads the bar at Cavan, which serves as the heartbeat of our restaurant,” said LeBlanc. “With unique techniques and unparalleled flavors, his cocktails are designed to be fun, made excellently yet quickly, and fuel the raucous dinner parties we graciously host on most nights.”

Cavan is located at 3607 Magazine St., New Orleans, LA 70115. To learn more about Cavan and view the new menu, please visit www.cavannola.com and follow Cavan on Instagram at @cavannola and Facebook at @CavanNOLA . Reservations for dinner can be made by calling (504) 509-7655.

 

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