For New Orleans gourmands, the news of a local celebrity chef opening a new restaurant is always an exciting affair. As the rumors swirl, we wait with bated breath for more details on the space, its menu, the vibes, and whether it will live up to the creative ambitions of its team. So, when Alon Shaya announced another addition to his growing Pomegranate Hospitality business, it’s safe to say that it more than piqued our attention. Would it be another fine dining affair like Saba, its sister restaurant in Denver, Safta, or the elegant Miss River? And more importantly, could this new spot live up to the expectations we have of an acclaimed chef whose laurels include two James Beard awards, a beautiful and deeply personal cookbook, and a continuous presence in the national culinary spotlight?
The answer, we came to learn earlier this year, was not another white tablecloth affair Uptown or in the French Quarter, but rather the opposite. The newly opened Safta’s Table is a casual, family-friendly outpost offering the same outstanding modern Israeli cuisine that remains the hallmark of Shaya’s career, only in a more relaxed environment in the cozy Lakeview neighborhood featuring breakfast and brunch as well as the more familiar dinner service, and even takeout. What prompted this unexpected but much appreciated shift for the chef and his wife and partner Emily? “It’s something that Emily and I have talked about for many, many years as something that we really wanted,” he said, “a place where people felt they can get the Pomegranate Hospitality experience with a very crave-worthy neighborhood Mediterranean restaurant, something that you’d feel comfortable coming to regularly with your friends and your family. Emily worked so hard with our architect, and it really is something that we built for that type of neighborhood experience.”
The bright, modern space near the Lakefront feels sleek but still inviting, made more so by the ample, carefully curated menu that surely has something for almost all diners, no matter their age or gustatory proclivities. According to Shaya, “the menu was really built around having healthy, homemade, well-balanced options. In a world of fast-casual options from national mega-chain restaurants, having a local option run by an acclaimed chef and team featuring an a la carte menu that offers the same healthy, satisfying dishes and flavors that we’ve grown to love, Safta’s Table feels like a welcome breath of fresh air, especially for busy families with big appetites and crowded schedules.
As for what you can expect on a visit to Safta’s Table, the menu is rife with Shaya’s signature flavors and techniques, starting with that ever-important pita bread we’ve come to adore and crave at Saba. “People love our pita so much that it’s become the backbone of Saba and Safta,” said the chef. “It’s just unlike any other bread. We really seek out beautiful, fresh milled wheat that’s grown on farms that care about growing varieties of wheat for the seasons, and then we have that big, beautiful oven that cooks them in two minutes on that stone deck. So it really builds the basis, not just for dipping in hummus, but also for sandwiches as well.” Speaking of which, if you’ve ever sampled the incomparable golden-fried chicken schnitzel sandwich at Saba, loaded with tzatziki fennel slaw, pickles, green goddess aioli, tomatoes and sesame, you’re in luck. You’ll find that standout on the menu here, as well as another sporting roasted lamb with marinated peppers, arugula and red onion, and of course one featuring Shaya’s “bright green falafel,” too. Be prepared, though; the portions are more than ample, so you might have a difficult time deciding on sides to pair with it, should you happen to have room. Definitely get the thick, spiral cut french fries with harissa aioli, though, if only to share with a friend or lunch date.
One of the best things on offer at Safta’s Table is the daily breakfast menu, on which you’ll find everything from an overstuffed pita breakfast sandwich with eggs, cheese, and the option to add bacon, turkey sausage, or our favorite, pastrami, to a lighter yogurt parfait with orange blossom granola, berries and honey, as well as overnight oats, fluffy buttermilk pancakes, avocado toast, or their dill-cured salmon and cream cheese served on a Flour Moon bagel. And of course, there are the obligatory pastries for those of us with a sweet tooth in the early hours, most notably Shaya’s famous chocolate and hazelnut babka, not to mention carrot cake, baklava, or a variety of decadent cookies (the tahini chocolate chip version is a must-have). If you want tiramisu at seven in the morning, they have you covered there as well.
In addition to the craveable sandwiches, the a la carte nature of Safta’s Table makes for highly customizable and varied lunch or dinner options. You’ll find the same luscious hummus from Saba here, both the classic tahini as well as the lamb ragu variant, or you can go all-in on the dips for your pita, as their mezze sampler includes Shaya’s signature labneh, ikra dip with salmon caviar, babaganoush, tzatziki, pickles, and more. And while more hefty plates might include slow-cooked lamb, roasted chicken or Atlantic salmon, you’d also be more than gratified with the big chopped salad with feta vinaigrette, roasted red peppers, cucumber, tomato, avocado, red onion and sunflower seeds. Naturally, there are also options for younger diners as well, so your kids can enjoy a pita pizza or chicken tenders while you indulge in more adult flavors of the Mediterranean.
According to Shaya, the decision to skew more casual for his latest outpost came organically. “We’re constantly looking for places we’d want to go and spend time with our two young kids and feel like we’re getting healthy, home cooked food,” he said. “We wanted to use the same level of quality and attention to detail that we do in our other restaurants, but make it feel a little bit more casual. Whether you’re on a date, or you’re coming in for an early dinner, picking up breakfast on your way to work, or placing a big to-go order for your office or your boat trip, we just wanted it to feel easy. For me, it felt like there should be something at all times that you can come and grab that’s really inspiring.”
If this is the kind of inspiration we can expect from Alon Shaya at this point in his career, we’re all for it. So long as it comes with a side of that pita bread, of course. And maybe a chocolate babka and some baklava for the road. You can never be too careful!
Celtica French Bakery
If you’re in the market for more continental bakery fare, you’d be amiss not to head in the direction of Celtica, also in Lakeview. While it might seem outwardly as just a cute neighborhood pastry spot, its offerings belie some magic behind the curtain. In this case, it’s acclaimed French pastry chef Dominique Rizzo, who sold his previous bakery, La Boulangerie in 2015, and in 2020 opened Celtica, much to the delight of Lakeview residents. If you haven’t been, you should – Rizzo’s traditional Parisian breads and pastries rival any baker in the Big Easy. But be warned, it’s easy to get a case of option paralysis when it comes to Celtica’s menu filled with tarts, croissants, eclairs, macaroons, madeleines…we get a sugar high just daydreaming about it!
The Backyard
There isn’t exactly a shortage of family-friendly restaurants in Lakeview, but among our favorites – or at least one that always makes us feel happy – is The Backyard, on Harrison Ave. There’s something just so darned wholesome about bringing the fam to a large, friendly space, where the kids can monkey around while you savor some hot American barbecue. From starters like their muffaletta deviled eggs and the luscious pimento cheese dip, to serious sandwiches sporting smoked brisket, pulled pork, hot sausage, and an absolutely killer burger, carnivorously inclined diners will never leave this yard hungry. And don’t miss the stellar bourbon list while you’re there, if you need something to cool out those smokey flavors.
About the Chef
Born in Israel and raised in Philadelphia, Chef Alon Shaya grew up cooking with his grandparents (“safta” and “saba,” in Hebrew), before attending the Culinary Institute of America and growing a career in hospitality that has spawned beloved restaurants in two cities, a pair of James Beard awards, an acclaimed cookbook, copious culinary philanthropy, and even a stint as a Top Chef judge. Following the CIA, Shaya cooked professionally in St. Louis and Italy before moving to New Orleans 23 years ago. His efforts garnered serious attention from local gourmands as the chef at Domenica and led in time to his namesake modern-Italian eatery, Shaya, which he left to open Saba on Magazine Street in 2018. A sister restaurant, Safta, in Denver, opened that same year, and then the elegant Miss River in 2021. Expanding to a more relaxed, family-focused environment, Chef Shaya and his wife Emily graced the Lakeview neighborhood with Safta’s Table this past March. While more relaxed than his other restaurants, Shaya’s passion for the new spot is equal to its fine dining cousins.
