Food Krewe: Fried chicken, pizza and pastries (oh my)
One man's opinions on eating in New Orleans
I noticed that recently I've posted an awful lot of ice cream photos on Food Krewe's Instagram account. A soft serve from Belle Chase. A gelato from the Marigny. And a frozen custard from a recent trip to St. Louis. I guess that means it's still too hot for gumbos and etouffees. Complaining about the weather is boring, but ice cream is always interesting.
Where to Eat Now in New Orleans (and beyond)
Dunbar's Creole Cuisine
Some years, I hardly pause to remember the anniversary of Katrina, a date I once marked with personal rituals and observances. It has been 14 years. A lot has happened in my life. We've had two kids since then. Still, it probably wasn't a coincidence that at the start of September I ended up at Dunbar's. Before the Storm, the restaurant was a destination on then still-desolate Freret Street. As the years passed, we assumed it would never returned, but it finally did in 2017 -- although elsewhere and much-changed. The new space, on Earhart Boulevard, lacks the charm of the original and the clubby vibe. The fried chicken, though, is still cooked to order and arrives hot from the fryer.
7834 Earhart Blvd., New Orleans, 504.509.6287
Bonci
Straight from Rome, with a detour through Chicago, this newcomer turns pizza, that most prosaic of American dishes, into a novelty. The pizzas, built on a focaccia-like base, are long. You tell the staff a measure, and they cut you off a strip. Bonci is about choices, but not freedom. Dozens of different pizzas are spread out behind a glass, but the toppings depend on the season and workers' whims. Not all the combos won me over. Some, particularly those with potatoes, are bland. The best had a balance of acid or heat, like a spicy eggplant and octopus. Each strip, after being heated, is sliced into square, so you can swap bites with tablemates like kids in a cafeteria bartering their lunches.
726 Julia St., New Orleans, 504.766.6071
Bao & Noodle
When the topic of Chinese in New Orleans comes up (and it often does), why don't more people mention Bao & Noodle? Doug Crowell, who married into the cuisine, makes light, subtle dishes that appeal with textures as much as flavors. The fried bao dumplings are light, the Burmese salad crisp and bright and the meat braised lamb is threaded with tender, ragged ribbons of noodles (pictured). Now that Bao & Noodle has a more prominent spot on St. Claude Avenue, I hope more people start digging in.
2266 St. Claude Ave., New Orleans, 504.272.0004
The Tiger Bakery
Here in New Orleans, we are living in a Golden Age of baked goods. Nothing could make me happier. My latest favorite is Tiger Bakery in Broadmoor, named for a children's book and not LSU's mascot. The mood is decidedly European: bent wood chairs, booths in Provencal blue and antiques on display. As I ate a delicate, swirled pastry flavored with dates and caramel and listen to Cape Verde music on the stereo, I made the decision to become a regular.
3030 General Pershing St., New Orleans, 504.430.3812
Thalia
I'm not sure any chef in New Orleans thinks as hard about ethics as Kristen Essig, who runs Coquette with her partner and fellow chef Michael Stoltzfus. Thalia, where she takes the leads, embodies that preoccupation, but in a way that's the opposite of preaching. Here she reimagined the neighborhood restaurant, offering a gathering place to the city. The appetizers deliver a greatest hits of noshing, like chicken liver mousse, burrata or amped up onion dip (served in a hollowed out onion). The mains are approachable, like bolognese or roasted chicken, but never dumbed down. Each night is themed, with variations on specials like sausage, schnitzel or baked potatoes. And even the kids are taken care of with their own menu. (Full disclosure: I attended a preview dinner where food was covered for all guests. This review is based on a subsequent visit.)
1245 Constance St., New Orleans, 504.655.1338
Hot Links
Opening the Bonnet Carre Spillway this summer may have saved New Orleans from flooding, but it devastated the seafood industry of Mississippi. Boyce Upholt, an environmental writer who lives in New Orleans, tells the story for The New Food Economy.
Brett is back! My old Times-Picayune colleague Brett Anderson is now with The New York Times. For his first story as a staff writer, he went to Minneapolis, his hometown, to profile a Korean-American chef, known for her pizzas, who's about to open a Mexican restaurant.
Cash is no longer welcome at Miel Brewery, Bellegarde Bakery and Bonci (see above). In a story for Very Local, Chelsea Brasted, another Times-Picayune alum, looks at who feels unwelcome when businesses assume you carry plastic.
The Washington Post tasted leading potato chips, and our local Zapp's nabbed the No. 2 slot. It's not No. 1, but we'll take it.
Farm-fresh fellowship
Last month, I spent four days on a fellowship in St. Louis boning up on how our food gets grown, shipped, wasted and -- at times -- genetically modified. The program, sponsored by the National Press Foundation, had us meeting with everyone from the director of the CDC's center for food borne diseases to the CEO of the Soybean Board.
Again and again, we were urged to help our readers better understand how their food is produced. The journalists at the program came from many backgrounds, but the ones who worked for publications read by farmers stood out. It was clear that what matters most to them are the people who raise the food. It was a good reminder for me that for any changes, to be successful, they must consider the people who make their living within that system.
Bites from the Past
A columnist for the States-Item called the news “incredible but true" that Solari’s deli and grocery would close in 1965 after 101 years in business. The French Quarter institution, which opened at the corner of Royal and St. Louis streets and then moved to Royal and Iberville streets in the early 1960s, sold meats, cheeses, fish and food items that could be found nowhere else. In the summer, Solari’s had a cold watermelon bar. At Christmas time, it had dried fruits for fruitcake.
1940s photo of Solari’s lunch room from the Charles L. Franck Studio Collection at The Historic New Orleans Collection.
The Food Krewe newsletter goes out the first Wednesday of each month.
Follow the Food Krewe on Instagram or Facebook.Tell your friends to sign up for the newsletter.
Feed the Krewe!
The newsletter is free, but it costs money to make (meals, camera equipment and more). Become a monthly patron. Even a buck a month would be awesome.