The seven-day celebration of New Orleans food known as Restaurant Week begins Monday (June 20) and runs through June 26.
Some of the best restaurants all over town are offering special menus, so diners can sample the various cuisines at the abundance of restaurants our city has to offer. There are 11 participating in Uptown neighborhoods, ranging from international to haute Creole cuisine.
In the decade this event has taken place (with a hiatus for 2020), it has taken place in September, after Coolinary month. Now the sponsors, Greater New Orleans Chapter of the Louisiana Restaurant Association and New Orleans & Co., have decided to move the 2022 Restaurant Week to June.
“Instead of waiting until September to give a ‘shot in the arm’ in the summer to the restaurants, it was moved to the third week of June,” said Wendy Waren, spokesperson for the Louisiana Restaurant Association. “Also it coincides with lovely seasonal vegetables and the bounty of the seafood industry.”
The chefs are encouraged to create their own and also to feature their signature dishes, Waren said.
Mark Romig, the chief marketing officer for New Orleans & Co., formerly known as the New Orleans Convention and Visitors’ Bureau, said how happy they are to be partnering with the Louisiana Restaurant Association.
“We are supporting restaurants earlier, and planting the seeds in the regional markets for current and future visitation,” he said.
Many of the participating citywide restaurants (64 and growing) will also create special menus. Visit www.neworleans.com/restaurantweek for the up-to-date list or to make reservations.
Diners can book a reservation at the following locally owned and operated Uptown restaurants for Restaurant Week.
Boucherie, 8115 Jeannette Street, 504-862-5514
This contemporary Southern restaurant, with both indoor and covered outdoor dining, is named for the south Louisiana tradition of reciprocal sharing after butchering hogs. Executive chef and owner of Boucherie, Nathanial Zimet, has launched Boucherie Feeds, a program dedicated to providing complete, nutritious and tasty meals to students in low-income areas throughout New Orleans.
Boucherie’s Restaurant Week menu has not been released. Check with the restaurant for updates.
Cho Thai, 3218 Magazine St., 504-381-4264
Chef and owner Jimmy Cho, a native of northeastern Thailand, presents traditional Thai dishes inspired by his family’s cooking and with his own contemporary flair.
Cho Thai’s Restaurant Week menu is $42 for a three-course meal. For the appetizer, diners have a choice of fried pork dumpling or stir-fried bok choy. The entrée is Night Market Steamed Mussels with lemongrass chili beer broth and roti or Chicken Drunken Noodles with squash and eggplant. The dessert is Toasted Sweet Brioche with condensed milk brûlée, maldon salt and Nutella.
Commander’s Palace, 1403 Washington Ave., 504-899-8221
Founded by the late and legendary Ella Brennan, this highly acclaimed haute Creole restaurant is still run by her family, with star chef power.
The Restaurant Week menu includes abundant choices of appetizer, entrée and dessert for $38 to $40, depending on the entrée. Appetizers include turtle soup, gumbo, blue crab bisque, the Commander’s Salad, heirloom tomato salad, rabbit “carbonara” or smoked redfish croquettes. Entrées include crispy striped bass, braised beef short rib and foie gras crépinette, or blue crab lasagna. For dessert, there’s crème brûlée, pecan pie à la mode, Lally’s praline parfait, chocolate coconut candy bar, bread pudding soufflé (additional $3) or limoncello flambéed cherry crêpes.
costerarestaurant.com
Costera’s seafood paella with Littleneck clams, mussels, Gulf shrimp and chorizo
Costera, 4938 Prytania St., 504-302-2332
Costera uses local produce and Gulf seafood to create classic dishes from coastal Spain. For Restaurant Week, the specific dishes and quantities in the four-course tasting menu will vary with the number of diners. Below is a sample Restaurant Week menu for four guests, at $65 per guest.
The first course features citrus and vermouth marinated olives, griddled sourdough with boquerones, and beef shank and potato bombas. For the second course, the offerings include mixed roasted mushrooms with warm egg yolk and sourdough; seared yellowfin tuna; and charred romaine with spring vegetables. The entrée course includes seafood paella, boneless ribeye, patatas bravas and wilted broccoli with savoy cabbage. The meal is topped off with a dark chocolate terrine or salted honey tart with buttermilk ice cream.
Jack Rose, 2031 St. Charles Ave., 504-323-1500
Located in the Pontchartrain Hotel, this restaurant with a name inspired by the Tennessee Williams’ play “The Rose Tattoo” is famous for its Mile High Pie.
Jack Rose’s Restaurant Week menu consists of three courses for $70: roasted heirloom tomatoes with asiago, pistou, toasted baguette; a petite filet with sauce vierge, crabmeat, watercress; and Summer Pavlova with lemon butter, berry medley and lavender.
La Petite Grocery, 4238 Magazine St., 504-891-3377
Chef Justin Devillier, 2016 James Beard Award winner for Best Chef: South, and his wife, Mia Devillier, operate the acclaimed restaurant housed in a century-old building with a storied history. The price of their three-course Restaurant Week dinner runs from $35 to $50, depending on the entrée.
For the first course, it offers a choice of chicken and andouille gumbo; sweet potato and pork cheek croquettes; or the soup of the day. Entrées include a fried chicken sandwich with hand cut fries ($35); grilled Gulf fish ($45); or pomegranate braised short rib ($50). The dessert choices are whipped ganache, goat cheese mousse, or ricotta ice cream with berry sauce and almond sponge cake.
Pizza Domenica, 4933 Magazine St., 504-301-4978
Pizza Domenica uses a custom-made oven imported from Italy to create traditional pizza, as well as those with unique, unexpected toppings, alongside a selection of antipasti, salad, desserts and craft drinks.
The two-course $25 Restaurant Week menu is served all day. The first course is prosciutto-wrapped jalapeño poppers with provolone pimento and balsamic. It’s followed by Pizza Domenica’s barbecue shrimp pizza, a NOLA-style shrimp with green onion and fresh mozzarella.
The Bower, 1320 Magazine St., 504-582-9738
This restaurant, whose name refers to a garden arch or trellis, highlights locally sourced ingredients for its American cuisine.
The three-course $45 Restaurant Week menu starts with scallop crudo, whipped feta or baby back ribs. Entrées are a choice of pappardelle Bolognese, Prince Edward Island mussels or confit chicken quarter. For dessert, you can get a Ruston peach handpie or the gelato of the day.
Paul Costello, courtesy of LeBlanc + Smith
The Chloe, 4125 St. Charles Ave.
The Chloe Hotel, 4125 St. Charles Ave., 504-541-5500
Chef Todd Pulsinelli is at the helm of this contemporary Creole restaurant inside a 19th-century mansion turned into a boutique hotel.
The $45 prix fixe dinner starts with beef tartare followed by a market fish entrée of potato-crusted flounder with malt aioli and house pickles and topped off with a seasonal snowball.
The Commissary, 634 Orange St., 504-274-1850
In addition to a market where folks can purchase popular Dickie Brennan & Co. restaurant items, The Commissary has a kitchen that serves up sandwiches, salads and family-style meals.
The Restaurant Week two-course $20 lunch special features a Bibb lettuce salad and house-made Kielbasa sausage on a bun with sauerkraut potato salad.
Tito’s Ceviche & Pisco, 5015 Magazine St., 504-267-7612
Tito’s serves an array of Peruvian signature dishes, with both indoor and outdoor seating options. Its Restaurant Week menu is not yet available. Check with the restaurant for updates.
