Psst, you know you don’t have to be Catholic to partake in meat-free dining on Fridays throughout Lent, right? There is a wealth of fresh seafood and vegetarian fare available at local eateries and one such place is Good Catch Thai Urban Bistro at 828 Gravier St. in the Central Business District. It’s one of those IYKYK places owned by Executive Chef Aom Srisuk and her husband and business partner Frankie Weinberg, who also own the diminutive Uptown eatery Pomelo. In January, Good Catch celebrated its one-year anniversary with a veritable feast for friends and supporters. During the party, Chef Srisuk rolled out a sampling of the new menu offerings, such as the hearty and flavorful pineapple fried rice with Gulf shrimp, which is one of several tasty options for Friday meat abstention. The spicy clams with basil, garlic and chili paste or the Panang curry packed with veggies, including sweet peppers, pea eggplant, broccoli and kaffir lime leaves, are also solid choices. Did you give up booze for Lent? Good Catch has three mocktails available to pair with your meal. Try the passionfruit-lychee spritz, a butterfly strawberry tea or the chrysanthemum honey bee with chrysanthemum tea, lemon juice and honey syrup. Pro-tip: Nearly every dish on the menu can be made meat-free. 828 Gravier St., 504-581-2205, goodcatchnola.com
Late Night Noshing
This spring, the Warehouse District is getting a new bar, lounge and courtyard hangout catering to the late-night crowd. According to Junebug’s minimal, splash page-style website, snacks and sandwiches by chef and pitmaster Shannon Bingham will populate the “French and Creole-inflected” food menu and the bar program, by Sophie Burton who many know from Bar Tonique and Holy Diver, will feature craft cocktails, “farm-forward wines and small production beer and spirits.” The concept is by D.C.-based Neighborhood Restaurant Group, which also owns Devil Moon and Brewery Saint X, where Bingham is also chef. The building’s second floor was once, according to the website, “home to legendary recording engineer Cosimo Matassa’s Jazz City Studio from 1966 to 1978, where he recorded with Allen Toussaint and the Meters.” In homage to that history, patrons can expect to hear funk classics of the time period spinning on vinyl while they socialize, sip and nosh into the wee hours. Junebug was slated to open in March. 744 Camp St., junebugnola.com
Primo Pasta
Speaking of meatless dishes, devotees of the 2020 James Beard Foundation Best New Restaurant nominee Gianna can anticipate more vegetable-forward dishes and a greater seafood selection under the direction of new Chef de Cuisine Justin Koslowsky. The appointment of Koslowsky was announced earlier this year, along with the news of a new general manager, 10-year hospitality pro Madelyn Sarola. Koslowsky brings bonafides from both national and local entities, including Le Cordon Bleu credentials and stints at Chemin à la Mer, as executive chef, and Josephine Estelle, as part of the now shuttered restaurant’s launch team. 700 Magazine St., 504-399-0816, giannarestaurant.com
Iconic Accolades
At the end of February, the James Beard Foundation announced its American Classics Award-winners, which of the six restaurants includes New Orleans’ iconic Dooky Chase. In its announcement the foundation cited that “Dooky Chase’s restaurant has been a cornerstone of Creole cuisine and Black American culture for over eight decades,” highlighted the restaurant’s important role in the civil rights movement during the 1960s, and hailed the late Leah Chase “as the ‘Queen of Creole Cuisine’” and a “trailblazer in the culinary world.” The award will be presented at the foundation’s June 16 gala in Chicago.
Pie Oh My
In case you missed it, there’s a new pizza purveyor in town. Husband-and-wife real estate developers Beau and Nicole Baudier have gotten into the pie game. The couple’s pizzas are Brooklyn-style, crafted with a thin and crispy crust using five flours imported from Italy and the sauce is made — get this — sans garlic. Forbidden Pizza is in the Central Business District at 604 Baronne St. Don’t skip on the seasonal gelato for dessert. (Read more on p. 62.) forbiddenpizza.com
