New Orleans has never met a protein it couldn’t celebrate, and turkey is now part of the lineup. Wow Turkey recently opened at 401 Andrew Higgins Boulevard in the Central Business District, in the former Salty Dog space. The menu leans into comfort with Southern-inflected flair: crispy turkey wings or a stuffed turkey leg piled high with seafood pasta, as well as non-turkey options like redfish royale over corn maque choux or BBQ shrimp. Not far behind, Kandy’s, a Black-owned, woman-owned French-inspired fine dining experience by Chef Kandice Nicole at 514 South Rampart St. Nicole puts classic technique to work in an intimate room with a menu that moves from filet au poivre and duck confit to a garlic-crusted drum with beurre rouge sauce and a double wagyu cheeseburger. thewowturkey.com; kandysnola.com
Too Hot in the Kitchen
Every August, when the heat index climbs to unreasonable heights and the thought of turning on a stove becomes offensive, New Orleans does what it does best: turns a problem into a party. COOLinary, the city’s month-long dining event, returns Aug. 1 through 31, with prix-fixe deals at dozens of the city’s best restaurants. It’s the one month of the year when the question of “where should we eat?” is even harder to answer, because the options are so good and the prices so reasonable. COOLinary Cocktails also returns and offers imbibers something worth sipping with their doorbuster dinners (and lunches, too). Expect either the “2 Drinks + 2 Bites” deals for $35 (and less) or the establishment’s own COOLinary concoctions. Menus and participating restaurants are updated throughout the month, so check back often. neworleans.com/coolinary
Welcome Back, Old Friend
For generations, the Rib Room inside the Omni Royal Orleans has been one of the French Quarter’s anchors for birthdays, business deals and Sunday brunches that stretched well into the afternoon. Following a recent renovation, the restaurant is leaning into that nostalgia with a refreshed menu that brings back the dishes New Orleanians have missed most — starting with the popular Moss Salad, with rotisserie chicken, bibb lettuce, hard-boiled egg, olives, toasted almonds and Creole mustard vinaigrette, and the Debris Po’ Boy, loaded with slow-cooked roast beef and rich gravy. The signature 28-day prime rib — carved to order and served with au jus and horseradish crème — remains the heart of the menu. omniroyalorleans.com
Letter of Distinction
Less than two years after opening its doors in the Historic 7th Ward, Pulcinella! has earned its first Wine Spectator Restaurant Award, receiving the Award of Excellence — a distinction recognizing wine lists offering at least 75 selections with quality producers and a thematic match to the menu. “Our wine program was inspired by my Sicilian roots and the Italian immigrant story often overlooked in New Orleans,” co-owner and wine director Andrew Principe said in a press release. With more than 130 labels and over 1,000 bottles on site, Principe built the program across four acts: Italian wine benchmarks, North American wines shaped by Italian families, New World wines influenced by Italian winemaking and selections chosen to complement the Pulcinella! menu.dirtydimeproductions.com/pulcinella
Harvest Season
Farmer’s, a new “farmstop” at 519 Hagan Ave. on Bayou St. John in the former John R&S Auto Service building, was founded by Louisianians Caroline Rogers Mike Bertel (who also own Three Fires Farm in Mississippi), on a deceptively simple premise: a neighborhood-based grocery store that supports farmers and strengthens the community. The model cuts out the middlemen entirely — farmers set their prices and keep 70 percent of each sale — and the vendor list reads like a who’s who of local producers, such as Two Dog Farms, Bellegarde Bakery, Flour Moon Bagels, Mauthe’s Progress Milk Barn, Pearl River Pastures and Three Fires Farms and including wine and coffee vendors, as well as plants by Tiny Nest Botanicals, Bella Flora and Baby T-Rex Farms. Open Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Sunday 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. farmersnola.com
