Restaurant Insider: News from the Kitchen

Rockrose, Junior’s, Marie’s Bar & Kitchen

Rockrose

New Orleans finally has a first-rate Greek restaurant now that Rockrose has opened. Owner Nick Asprodites and chef Brian Doyle have a menu leaning more toward fine-dining than hummus and gyros, with dishes like ouzo and beet-cured cobia with orange and labneh, or local fish with roasted grapes, fried capers, fennel puree and roasted cauliflower. There’s souvlaki (chicken, pork or shrimp) on offer at lunch, along with a lamb burger and leek and spinach pie.

Rockrose
217 Camp St. / 369-3070 / Mon. to Fri., 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Dinner seven days starting at 5 p.m. until 10 Sun. to Thurs., and 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday
Rockrosenola.com

Junior’s

Lakeview has another restaurant on Harrison Avenue. Nick Hufft and Lon Marchand of Hufft and Marchand Hospitality have tapped chef Jacob Cureton to open Junior’s, a casual contemporary restaurant. Cureton is a veteran of Emeril’s Delmonico, Annunciation and Atchafalaya, and his menu will include roasted shrimp in Calabrian chile butter, steak frites, crab and corn fritters as well as a burger made with chuck, brisket and short rib.

Junior’s
789 Harrison Ave. / phone, t.b.d.; open daily 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Juniorsonharrison.com

Marie’s Bar & Kitchen

There is bar food, and then there is good bar food. Chef Tres Barnard is making the latter at Marie’s Bar & Kitchen, located in Marie’s Bar in the Marigny. Yes, there are cheese fries (with sour cream, green onions and pickled jalapenos) but there are also pork rind nachos, mac and cheese customizable with things like ham, black olives, bacon crumbles and broccoli, and the fat boy fried bologna and cheese sandwich, which includes chow chow and is served on Texas toast.

Marie’s Bar & Kitchen
2483 Burgundy St. / 267-5869 / kitchen open Thurs. to Sun., 5 p.m. to midnight
Bar, open daily from 10 a.m. “until.”
Mariesbarandkitchen.com