Déjeuner de Fête
If you waited too long to get Carnival season Mardi Gras luncheon reservations at old-school establishments like Galatoire’s, Antoine’s and Commander’s Palace (where you and your fun time friends can nosh while donning your finest fascinators and most glimmering glitter jackets), it’s time to think outside the parade box. In Uptown, you can’t go wrong at Atchafalaya, with its festive atmosphere, cozy Creole cottage vibes and delectable twists on local (and locally sourced) fare. In the Central Business District, Pêche Seafood Grill will feed your posse with panache and, who doesn’t want oysters and champagne during Carnival season? Nearby at Saint John on St. Charles Avenue, a $250 Mardi Gras grandstand pass provides access to chic private rooms upstairs with Chef de Cuisine Darren Chabert providing daily selections for the open buffet; four drink tickets to the private bar; balcony and restroom access; plus entry to the grandstand in front of the restaurant. The French Quarter is always a good time during Carnival and the team at Justine is serving healthy sides of bon temps with its French food and crafty cocktails in an art-filled setting. You can’t go wrong at the bijou Café Amelie on Royal Street, where they will treat you like the VIPs you are while stuffing you full of gumbo, smoked salmon tartar and other delights. Mid-City’s stalwart Cafe Degas is as romantic a setting as it gets, but they won’t mind you and your besties being a little boisterous. The escargot is incroyable, but we all know it’s really a vehicle for the garlic butter and toast points, non?
Nikkei Izakaya at Broadside
In November of 2024, chefs Wataru Saeki, Dana Honn and Christina Honn — the culinary team from the lamentably closed downtown hotspot Carmo — opened a restaurant inside the Broadside on Broad Street in Mid-City. The concept is outlined in the eatery’s name, Nikkei Izakaya. Nikkei refers to “Japanese emigrants and their descendants who have created communities throughout the world,” (discoveringnikkei.org) and izakayas are Japanese pubs. Get fresh, locally sourced ceviche and Peruvian Nikkei sashimi with sea salt and lime, aji amarillo yuzu sauce and other delectable toppings, as well as new twists on traditional pub fair, such as Kuroge Washu Wagyu beef burgers and crispy nori tacos. Be right back, we’re hungry now. nikkeiizakaya.com
Season of Giving
At the end of last year during its fall grant cycle, the Emeril Lagasse Foundation — founded in 2002 by the celebrity chef and restauranteur and his wife Alden — awarded more than $650,000 in grants. According to a press release, beneficiaries of the grands include Covenant House New Orleans, Edible Education Experience, New Orleans Culinary & Hospitality Institute, Son of a Saint, Youth Empowerment Project, Café Hope, Pilot Light and Troy Andrews (Trombone Shorty) Foundation. Since its inception, the foundation reports more than $22 million donated to children’s charities to support culinary, nutrition and arts programs.
More is More: King Cake Edition
Every year we think king cake innovation has hit a tipping point and every year, we’re proven wrong. Enter: The Hubig’s King Cake. We envisioned a Hubig’s pie crust and brioche mashup, but the hand pie gods surprised us by going traditional with a Ziggy Cichowski collab. (Cichowski is the baker who co-founded the now-shuttered Maple Street Patisserie.) Flavors include traditional cinnamon or cream cheese, plus Dutch apple (topped with brown sugar streusel) or custard filled. The latter two are based on Hubig’s pie flavors but are still made with brioche. Meanwhile, the chefs at Palm & Pine on North Rampart in the French Quarter brought back their foie gras king cake after a two-year hiatus. Available only by the slice during the last couple of weeks of Carnival, the cult favorite was featured in the 2021 “The Big Book of King Cake” by Matt Haines. For a more altruistic, albeit less experimental, take on the king of cakes, NOCCA’s Culinary Arts students and faculty are slinging limited-edition flavors, such as salted caramel apple. Sales proceeds support the school’s Culinary Arts department. Get the cakes online at noccamarketplace.com or in person at NOCCA, King Cake Hub and other retailers.
