That bliss-inducing extended spring is over and the heat is definitely on. With the departure of cool temperatures comes the departure of most tourists leaving those of us who do not leave for the summer with a bit more room and a slew of enticing summer dinning and cocktail specials.
Executive Chef Mike Brewer and Chef de Cuisine Amy Mehrtens of Copper Vine (1001 Poydras St., 208-9535, coppervinewine.com) just rolled out a power lunch deal with a pick-two option priced at $13. Customize your meal by picking any two dishes: baby herbs salad (seasonal fruit, candied pecans, house cheese, citrus vinaigrette); chicken & boudin gumbo; tomato basil soup (egg, Serrano ham, micro basil); half smoked chicken salad club sandwich (Chisesi ham, bacon provolone, butter lettuce, heirloom tomato; half Copper Vine Cuban (Chisesi ham, house smoked pork loin, pickled peppers, provolone, yellow mustard); and half of a fried shrimp poor-boy (fried white Gulf shrimp, pepper jelly, Tasso ham, pickled okra).
Happy Hour is also a winner at Copper Vine. Offered Monday through Friday, from 3:30-5:30 p.m., the menu features $5 glasses of Copper Vine red and white blends, half off bottles of wine on tap, and an array of snacks. Popcorn is always complimentary.
Located Uptown, Avo (5908 Magazine St, 509.6550, restaurantavo.com) has already kicked off its summer special with spritz cocktails, a selection of classic cocktails, and wines by the glass offered all summer long, Mondays-Thursdays from 4-6 p.m. for $6 each. Peroni lager is offered for $4. With options like the Sicilian Cooler (Solerno blood orange liqueur, Campari, lemon, soda), Honeysuckle Spritz (Cathead honeysuckle, blood orange, Prosecco rosé) and Lavender French 75 (gin, lemon, lavender, Prosecco), those spritz cocktails have my attention.
Savory snacks are also be offered at easily digestible prices. Check out the honey goat cheese balls with cherry tomato salad and torn herbs for $7 or the fried cauliflower with Romesco sauce for $5.
Broussard’s (819 Conti St., 581.3866, broussards.com) annual summer menu kicks off on June 13 with a special $19.20 (honoring the year in which the restaurant was founded) three-course, pre-fixe menu. The restaurant’s Empire Bar will offer $1.92 featured cocktail specials that will change weekly. First course choices include Creole tomato gazpacho, Caesar salad, and cochon de lait rillette. Entrees options are rosemary rubbed chicken breast, with moules frites; and grilled pork tenderloin; and Creole tomato ratatouille. Desserts include almond bread pudding, blueberry mint cobbler, and raspberry gâteau Basque.
On June 12 the Audubon Institute’s on-going Supper Club Dinner (audubonnatureinstitute.org) series will continue with a journey from the Savanna to the Swamp. You don’t want to miss this.
The evening begins at 6 p.m. with a quick zoo train ride to the African Savanna for cocktails in front of the new lion habitat where guests will learn about the care and feeding of the powerful big cats and what they can do to help them in the wild. The next stop will be the Louisiana Swamp exhibit to explore the wildlife of a south Louisiana swamp and the culture of the Cajun people who inhabit it. Guests will enjoy a farm-to-table three-course dinner (including a vegetarian option) with wine service in the Cajun Ballroom surrounded by native wildlife including alligators, black bears, and cougars.
Tickets for the dinner are $115 each for Audubon Members or $125 each for non-Members and support the institute’s conservation efforts.
Have a great weekend, everyone. Use it to celebrate the people and the community you love.
