By the time this magazine reaches you, Dickie Brennan’s newest venture, Tableau, should be open for business. The restaurant is housed next to Le Petit Théâtre du Vieux Carré on Jackson Square and has dining rooms and bars spread over three floors, all connected by a grand staircase. Chef de cuisine Ben Thibodeaux will head the kitchen after spending the better part of a decade at Dickie Brennan’s Steakhouse and Palace Café. Thibodeaux will serve French Creole classics to which he’ll add his own spin. Oysters en brochette are on the menu, for example, but instead of being breaded and fried, the bivalves will be skewered on rosemary stems, wrapped in bacon and then broiled. There will be 10 house-made sauces available every day; although the menu will mostly be composed plates, items such as a grilled veal chop will give diners an opportunity to sample the saucier’s skill. Fresh seafood will also be an option – Thibodeaux will have three preparations of Gulf fish on the menu daily: pecan-crusted, à la meunière and amandine.
Tableau will be open daily for lunch and dinner from 11:30 a.m. until 10 p.m. with brunch on Saturday mornings starting at 10:30 a.m. The restaurant’s address is 616 St. Peter St., and the phone number is 934-3463.
Chef Ian Schnoebelen and partner and maître d’ Laurie Cassebone are, as I write, in the process of opening their second restaurant in New Orleans.
Mariza is an Italian restaurant located in the Rice Mill Lofts at 2900 Chartres St. in Bywater. The restaurant will have a small, focused menu weighted toward the antipasti, salad and pasta end of the spectrum. Nothing on the menu, at least as it appears at the moment, will cost more than $17.
The restaurant will be open Tuesday through Thursday from 5 p.m. until 10 p.m. and until 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. The restaurant doesn’t accept reservations, but you can call 598-5700 to learn more.
The building at 445 S. Rampart St. has been vacant for a long time. It is a historic space that played a significant role in the development of jazz in New Orleans, and with the recent opening of The Little Gem Saloon, it will once again play host to music. It will also feature the Creole cuisine of local chef Robert Bruce, whose step-grandfather, Willie Maylie, operated Maylie’s restaurant just across Rampart. Bruce won’t necessarily be duplicating the recipes from his family’s place; he’ll put his own interpretation on them. But the fact that he’ll be serving redfish vinaigrette and eggs rémoulade Maylie indicates the respect he’ll be showing the originals. Owners Nicholas Bazan and Charles and Tim Clark spent a great deal of effort and money renovating the building, which has the feel of a turn-of-the-century club.
If you’d like to learn more or make a reservation, call 267-4863.
