There’s a lot cooking at sister restaurants Briquette and New Orleans Creole Cookery this fall, and the excitement kicks off Thursday, October 22 at 7 p.m. with Briquette’s highly anticipated Rum Dinner. Originally scheduled for September, the five-course event featuring Appleton Estate Jamaican rum was postponed (due to a tumultuous hurricane season), giving even more food and drink enthusiasts an opportunity to indulge in the delightful Caribbean flavors of this highly acclaimed spirit.
Hosted by the Campari Group’s Adrienne Crumpton, the Appleton Estate Rum Dinner will include five original dishes prepared by Briquette Executive Chef Peter Isaac and Executive Sous Chef John Trinh, and each course will be accompanied by a different Appleton Estate rum cocktail. A few dishes guests can expect include sea scallops with dark rum citrus butter, St. Joe’s duck breast with a cherry spiced rum reduction, and a chocolate panna cotta. The Rum Dinner is the latest installment of Briquette’s successful food and drink dinner series, which highlighted various Italian wines over the summer.
Both Briquette and New Orleans Creole Cookery are gearing up for fall and the upcoming holiday season, and Proprietor Anna Tusa is excited to announce plans for a traditional Thanksgiving feast at each restaurant.
“Families have been doing a lot of dining-in over the past few months, so we’re excited to do the work for them this Thanksgiving,” she says. “We offer socially distanced, large dining rooms as well as available courtyard dining at New Orleans Creole Cookery.”
Open on Thanksgiving from 11 a.m. – 8 p.m., both Briquette and New Orleans Creole Cookery will offer the traditional turkey feast ($45 per person) alongside their regular menu offerings. Those opting for the three-course Creole Thanksgiving menu will start with a cup of steaming gumbo before receiving the main course: oven-roasted turkey and gravy, seafood cornbread dressing, Cajun dirty rice, pecan sweet potato casserole with a hint of bourbon, and homemade cranberry sauce. As expected, the dessert course features a decadent cinnamon-spiced pumpkin pie.
The dining atmospheres of both restaurants offer guests a variety of festive environments for celebrating the holidays with friends and family this year, from the relaxed courtyard or traditional dining room of French Quarter-based New Orleans Creole Cookery (508 Toulouse St.) to the contemporary liveliness of downtown Briquette (701 S. Peters St.). According to Tusa, now’s the time to begin making your holiday celebration plans and reservations.
