When the beloved Mid-City restaurant MoPho announced that it would be closing shop last year, the news hit hard for many local diners. And then, as always, came the inevitable question: What would come next for that space? Much to our delight, the location’s home as a locally owned and operated restaurant would continue, this time in the form of an upscale/casual bistro named Charmant, courtesy of New Orleans natives and culinary veterans Chris and Bonnie Borges.
It all started with brunch, according to Chef Chris Borges. “Brunch, or breakfast and lunch, that was the original concept,” he said. “But it wouldn’t make much sense for the space to be idle at night, so we always sort of foresaw a wine bar with small plates in the evenings, so that we could step away and have time with our families.” Naturally, when local diners catch a taste of something they like, word spreads quickly, and not long after Charmant opened earlier this year, the Borgeses found themselves in the fortunate position of being busier than anticipated. Said Chef Borges, “Of course, the wine bar concept is what we’re going for, though we have more entrees than we originally intended now, because that’s been the demand.” Bonnie Borges, whose career focuses more on the management and beverage side of the industry, was quick to pivot to more substantial evening fare as well. “Ultimately,” she said, “it had to do with the aesthetic I started leaning into, because I designed the interior of the restaurant, and in terms of what I could envision, I was thinking more ‘contemporary Parisian bistro.’”
What you find when you enjoy a brunch or dinner at Charmant isn’t exactly a Parisian bistro, nor is it a refined Asian European fusion affair, a Southern brunch place or a burger pub, for that matter. Somehow, it’s all of these concepts, after one fashion or another, combined to make something both stimulating, unique and, cozily familiar. In essence, it’s exactly what an upscale-casual neighborhood eatery could and should be, at least for certain New Orleans gourmands.
Menu development came together organically for the married pair, according to Chef Borges, who developed his skills on the West Coast for years before moving back home to the Big Easy. “I consider myself fairly versatile and well versed in a lot of different cuisines,” he said. “I knew that I definitely didn’t want it to be straight up Southern, because I just think there’s plenty of that in this city when it comes to brunch. And it was always going to have some sort of contemporary European feel. I think we went a little bit more in the French direction, probably in that it was more of a collaboration between the two of us, because I think Bonnie would tend more towards the French bistro idea.”
The menu at Charmant is one of refined comfort, with a few cheeky, creative flourishes. A glance at the menu will immediately reveal a respectful nod to the space’s former occupant: “The Phomo” is a loving homage to the work of Chef Mike Gulotta, incorporating star anise-braised short rib “grillades” atop rice grits with bean sprouts and pickled Vietnamese veggies, topped with an organic, sunny-side farm egg. The playful combination of classic creole and Asian influences works brilliantly here, a clear sign that Charmant is the kind of place unafraid to incorporate both whimsy as well as classical technique and beautiful local ingredients. Though Chef Chris is quick to note that he’d been carrying that particular recipe in his back pocket for years, waiting for the right opportunity to trot it out. Luckily for us, that time is exactly now.
As for the Parisian bistro element the Borgeses envisioned, you’ll find that on the menu as well, with another cheeky and inventive appetizer of “chicken oysters en brochette,” which twists the classic oyster and bacon dish by substituting the prized coin-shaped nuggets of succulent poultry for briny bivalves. Flavored with Calabrian chilis and “Italian furikake,” it’s a fantastically savory hit to the senses, perfect to get your dinner motor running. Similarly, Charmant offers its version of arancini, and Borges’s take on the fried Italian rice balls folds in pork Osso Bucco and melty Comte cheese for a more sophisticated take on the street snack. “With Osso Bucco, the marrow bone cut yields an incredibly rich braising liquid,” said the chef. “So we use that braising liquid when we’re cooking the arborio rice for that dish, and it makes for more of an unctuous sort of risotto. It’s a bit over the top,” he chuckles. Another starter not to miss is called “Mom’s Crab Dip,” which, as you’d expect, is a recipe the chef cribbed from his mother’s kitchen. It’s a simple, buttery spread with just the right balance of necessary butter with a bright pop of lemon, perfectly shareable (though you might not want to).
For larger dishes, you’ll find everything from a perfect, pub-style Wagyu burger draped with melted white cheddar cheese, topped with caramelized onions and a horseradish beer mustard, which is always a gratifying option. On the slightly more elevated side, you might opt for the porcini-dusted trout atop celery root and hazelnuts, but if you’re looking for something significantly more substantial, you’d be remiss not to order the maple-glazed pork loin chop served with king trumpet mushrooms and chestnuts. “I’m particularly proud of that one,” said Chef Chris. “It was a dish that I had in my head, and we made it exactly like I envisioned it, no tweaks on it whatsoever. We all tasted it, and we were like, ‘This is a winner. The album’s done, this is what we’re doing.’”
Should you stop by for brunch at Charmant, which you should, you’ll find many of the items from the dinner menu in addition to traditional breakfast fare like avocado gravlax toast, an Italianized croque madame with tartufo salami and prosciutto, as well as a luscious duck confit and plenty of pastry options and sides, the kind of fare that perfect fuel for a lazy Sunday in nearby City Park or a stroll through the Bestoff Sculpture Garden.
More than anything, Chris and Bonnie Borges are simply happy to be back home together in their hometown, creating the kind of neighborhood culinary space that embraces and celebrates the Mid-City community. “There are casual restaurants here, and then a giant leap to special occasion places like Ralph’s on the Park,” said Bonnie. “So we wanted to do something kind of in the middle of that. It’s friendly, but a little bit nicer. You won’t feel like a schlub if you take someone here for their birthday.” Chef Borges concurs. “I think we’re definitely high end in concept and in our offerings,” he said. “But it’s very accessible. The prices are accessible, and that alone makes it casual. We do have a neighborhood vibe, and we’re straddling that line between neighborhood and special occasion. On any given night, you’re gonna see a variety of people who are dressed up, and we get people who are casual. But that’s the best part of New Orleans, right? That’s what makes this place special.”
Zasu
Mid-City might not be as jam-packed with upscale restaurants as other New Orleans hoods, but that doesn’t mean that there aren’t more than a few we absolutely adore there, and Zasu is definitely one of them. Chef Sue Zemanick rocketed to local and national acclaim as the head chef at Geatreau’s and continues to delight both local diners and visitors with her beautiful and creative menus, especially when it comes to seafood. In fact, the biggest problem is trying not to order the entire menu, which is loaded with winners like yellowfin tuna crudo with crispy fried capers, luscious sesame-soy glazed veal sweetbreads, seared scallops with caccio e pepe butter beans, and a gorgeous American snapper served with gnocchi, oyster mushrooms, and a truffle beurre blanc. It’s always an elegant and romantic choice for a nice evening out, and this being Mid-City, the vibe is considerably more low-key. It’s a perfectly executed balancing act between elegant and casual that will always keep us coming back.
Rosedale
In the pantheon of modern Creole fine dining in the Crescent City, you can’t deny Susan Spicer’s well-earned spot in that firmament. Though Chef Susan is retiring from daily kitchen life, the lauded and beloved Rosedale will fortunately continue to be in good hands with the torch passing to Chef Allison Birdsall. This is a huge relief, considering all the things diners have loved about the funky/cool Mid-City spot, including a luscious taramasalata dip, a classic chicken liver pate, a pitch-perfect burger, buttery BBQ shrimp and their killer cochon de lait po-boy. It’s always been a gratifying experience to sample Susan’s cuisine in a more relaxed room than its fancier sister, Spicer’s flagship French Quarter restaurant, Bayona. Hey, sometimes you just want fantastic cuisine without having to don a sportscoat or cocktail dress, right? And of course we’d be remiss not to mention the absolutely unmatched duck pastrami sandwich with “Creolaise” slaw, one of our favorite non-poboy sandwiches in the Big Easy.
About the Owners
Chef Chris Borges is a native New Orleanian and has been a fixture on the fine dining scene for many years, and at numerous vaunted culinary institutions. After leaving the Crescent City for San Francisco after graduating high school, Borges studied biology at Stanford and planned to attend medical school, however the siren’s call to the kitchen proved too enticing. Chef Borges honed his craft in the bay area for a quarter decade, including stints at Infusion Bar & Restaurant and Cindy Pawlcyn’s Roti, as well as serving as executive chef of Taste Catering. Moving back home in 2017, he took over the culinary operations at The Ace Hotel New Orleans and Maison de la Luz, and eventually opened Charmant his wife, Bonnie.
Bonnie Borges was born and raised in New Orleans and also started working in restaurants while in college in the Washington D.C. area. Her focus there was primarily bartending and management, and grew her hospitality skills at Clyde’s Restaurant Group, as well as the famed Tombs bar. After that, she moved to Chicago and then Denver, where she continued to work in restaurants as well as in culinary publishing. Unsurprisingly, she found her way back home to New Orleans in 2014, where she worked in corporate training at Domenica, followed by stints at Pearl Wine Co., Doris Metropolitan, Oxalis, the Audubon Tea Room, and eventually the Ace Hotel, where she met her now husband, and the pair teamed up to open Charmant.
