1. Bar Frances. I’ve been back to Bar Frances twice in the last week! Why? Despite the minimalistic menu, it’s clear that they strive to focus on a few set items and execute them well. I love the brunch options on the weekends…especially the list of bottomless drinks! I’m looking forward to what else Bar Frances has in store. Order the Chicken Biscuit and the Lemon Compari to start your day!

2. Nomiya. This HOT and NEW ramen “bar” made its entrance to the New Orleans food scene and it’s here to stay. Nomiya’s authenticity steams from their homey broth to their sweetly balanced braised pork. This ramen bar does not currently serve liquor, but Geki-Kara (“too spicy”) ramen bowl is a great choice to kickstart your night!

3. Seaworthy. I am absolutely in love with Seaworthy right now. They are truly the “Best Bar” in NOLA this Fall. Why? It’s hard enough to find a great eatery and hangout spot open past 10 PM, but Seaworthy’s kitchen is open until 12 AM Sun-Wed and 1 AM Thurs-Sat! You won’t find your ordinary hot dog and nachos (which I still love from time to time). The menu consists of an array of oysters from coast to coast as well as some sophisticated items such as the Gulf Coast Roll or Blackened Redfish.  Seaworthy is a rare pearl in my book!

Check them out and let me know what you think! What other NOLA food bars would you recommend?

1. Cravings: Recipes for All the Food You Want to Eat by Chrissy Tiegen. Not only am I fan of this spunky lady, but I admire her for her passion for food. If you happen to follow her on SnapChat, you’ll see what I mean. One of my favorites in the book have to be her Creamy Potato Salad with Bacon!

2. Ad Hoc at Home by Thomas Keller. Thomas Keller is my Chef hubby’s idol. He’s world-renowned and deserves every bit of notoriety. I’ve been to 3 of his restaurants: 1. The French Laundry 2. Ad Hoc 3. Per Se. I remember every bite from each restaurant. Each restaurant has shared their own cookbook, however, we can’t always prepare a Michelin-rated dinner for the family, so this book shares more family-friendly meals very much like Ad Hoc’s menu.

3. Besh Big Easy: 101 Home Cooked New Orleans Recipes. Besides “The Chef” hubby himself, Chef John Besh is my next chef crush! Not only has he created a restaurants empire in New Orleans, but he’s philanthropic and has a great heart. For refined New Orleans’ homestyle recipes, this is your resource:

3. I’ve attached the links to check them out for yourself. What are your favorite books at the moment?
5. Stay tuned for some new, up-and-coming restaurant reviews in New Orleans!
8. Upcoming posts:
9. Bar Frances
10. Nomiya
11. Restaurant Des Familles

Stuffed Shells. House-made ‘Nduja Ricotta. Pancetta. Herbed Béchamel. Toasted Pine Nuts. 

Happy hour item: Bruschetta. Sundried Tomato Pesto. Goat Cheese. Fresh Basil. 

The Godfather. House-made Meatballs. Sicilian Red Gravy. Mozzarella. Sweet Peppers. Gracious Bakery Sesame. 

T.A.S.T.E. Sandwich. Fried Turkey. Avocado. ‘House of Greens’ Sprouts. Tomato. Fried Egg. Chipotle Aioli. Gracious Bakery Ciabatta.

Sneak Peek!

First, we ordered the Stuffed Shells, which appeared to be so delicate but turned out to be a wonderful surprise. The shells were al-dente but roasted which gave it a nice chewy texture and the stuffing had such an airy filling with a smooth finish. This dish surprised me the most! The Bruschetta came out next and what makes this great bruschetta is that every component was perfection from the airy lightly-crisped bread to the deep and flavorful Tomato Pesto atop it. 

Our sandwiches The Godfather and the T.A.S.T.E. came next and boy was I surprised! The Godfather was a solid meatball sandwich and is great but a little too heavy for me. The T.A.S.T.E. (turkey, avocado, sprouts, tomato, egg) was basically a California Club…on steroids! It has to be my all-time favorite Turkey sandwich EVER. When you turn something so simple into something so amazing, that’s when you know you’re great! Kudos Part & Parcel! You’ve changed the way I look at sandwiches! 

LOVES: Top notch ingredients and well thought out foods. One of the longest happy hours in NOLA 3-7 PM!!

What not to love: Nothing!

Rating: 5/5 spoons

Roasted Brussel Sprouts. 

Roti. 

Fried Rice with Fried Chicken. 

Pad Thai. 

YUM! Solid dishes all around and our waitress was so spunky and sweet! She had the best recommendations. We ordered the brussel sprouts as her suggestion and it was beautifully plated but equally as delicious. We also ordered our usual Roti and Pad Thai. Be sure to request for spice if you like a little kick. I forgot and was so sad! We opted for Fried Rice with Fried Chicken and it was actually amazing! If you’re in the Gretna area and are looking for a good Thai spot, try Banana Blossom!

LOVE: Solid Thai food. My fav was the Fried Chicken Fried Rice. Great fresh strawberry mojitos!

What NOT to LOVE: Pad Thai is a bit dry but still good. Signage is poor so it can be easily missed. Look for Yoga Krewe and Cafe Zen nearby.

Rating: 4/5 spoons

Fried Squid. (Like Calamari)

Rice Noodle with Shrimp. 

Pork Spare Ribs. Mushroom Sticky Rice. Shrimp and Pork Xiu Mai. Har Gow.

Xiu Mai. Tofu Skin. Chicken Feet. Beef Tripe.

I am so surprised! The preparation and flavors for some items were slightly different but still very delicious. The Chicken Feet had more of a Szechuan flavor or seasoning, but I enjoyed it! The main room is the Fine Dining Room at Panda King, however, they expand into the buffet room on the weekends. Next time, I’m craving dim sum I won’t let my food snobbery get in the way because I really enjoyed everything and the service was pretty good! It’s no Din Tai Fung (Michelin star-rated dim sum), but it definitely satiates the craving! (By the way, DTF (Seattle) review coming very soon!)

Rating: 4/5 spoons

The Halal Guys. 

Indoor Seating. 

Beef and Chicken Combo Bowl. 

What’s inside the Combo Bowl…

Beef gyro. 

Hummus. 

Fries…because I can’t say “no” to fries…

I definitely enjoyed the short wait time and delicious food here at the NOLA location. The gyro was delicious and the Combo bowl was good, BUT the chicken is consistently dry here. I would go easy on their HOT sauce. It’s deceivingly HOT but very flavorful!

The Halal Guys purists will say that “Nothing beats The Halal Guys in New York City!”, but until I try it, I’m still enjoying the Halal guys here in New Orleans. The location is quite small, but there’s a good amount of seats considering the location downtown. Service is hit or miss, but I’m usually in and out so no biggie.

Rating: 4/5 spoons

https://www.amexessentials.com/must-try-dishes-for-travellers/

House-smoked Salmon. Toast. Chef’s Dressing.

Hawaiian Rib-eye Steak. Pineapple Sesame Ginger Marinade. Rib-eye. Loaded Idaho Baked Potato.

Kale Salad. 

Jumbo Lump Crab Cake. Pan fried Blue Crab. Pommery mustard. French Fries (substituted for Kale Salad)

“The Chef” and I usually order the Smoked Salmon, Hawaiian Rib-eye, Lump Crab Cakes, and Kale Salad. I usually substitute the fries that come along with the crab cakes with the Kale Salad. Healthier? Maybe. Delicious? Yes! I’ve heard that certain locations don’t offer the Kale Salad as a side, but be sure to ask. What I love about this particular location is the LIVE jazz music they play every night. Houston’s is a touch of NOLA with a great company and excellent food! How could you not love it?

Dining tip: There’s usually a 40 minute wait especially closer to the weekend so be sure to call for a reservation at least two hours in advance! If not, try going on a weekday for easy, delicious, and comfortable dining!

‘

Rating: 5/5 spoons!

Huevos Rancheros. Corn tortillas. Black beans. Melted Cheddar. Two over medium eggs. Red peppers.Onions. Avocado, Pico de Gallo. Crema.

Breakfast Burrito. Scrambled eggs. Potatoes. Cheddar. Choice meat: chorizo (other options: applewood bacon, black forest ham, andouille sausage). Spicy Ranchero Sauce. Tomato Tortilla. Choice side: fruit

The restaurant was ridiculously clean with a modern minimalist decor. You wouldn’t even know it was a restaurant if it weren’t for the diners sitting down with their colorful and delicious looking plates. The restaurant is quite small and it setup to where you order first, then find a table. There’s very few places to stand and wait so definitely come early or come on a good weather day in case you have to wait outdoors. Luckily for us, we were able to find the last available table! We sat down and enjoyed the hustle and bustle of a Sunday morning at Refuel. It’s pretty loud and echoey, but we preferred the air conditioned room over the humidity so it was fine!

My cousin enjoyed her Breakfast Burrito, which was loaded with chorizo. I have a feeling they have a thing for high protein here. I ordered the Huevos Rancheros, which was definitely not-your-usual Huevos Rancheros. Usually there are a ton of potatoes, but Refuel replaced the usual “patatas” with a ton of beans. Funny thing is that I’m not in love with beans and I can’t really blame Refuel since I overlooked it on the menu. It was still good, but I really wished there were some potatoes, If you’re looking for a lighter and healthier take on the Huevos Rancheros, this is definitely it!

I’ve seen some other items on the menu that I would like to give a shot so I would definitely like to try it again!

Rating: 3.5/5

Oysters. Mignonette and Cocktail Sauce.

Scallop Crudo. Lime. Pistou. Pickled Red Onion.

Crab Deviled Eggs. 

Old Bay Fries. Malt Aioli.

Fried Oyster Caesar. Kale. Romaine. Pecorino. Crackers.

Clam Chowder. Baked Oyster Crackers.

Seared Scallops. Jalapeno-white cheddar grits. Sweet corn. Crab. Arugula.

Complimentary Cherry Meringue. 

The menu consists of a lot of small bites and small plates that are quite small in portion so be sure to order multiple dishes. We ordered Oysters, Crab Deviled Eggs, Waffle Fries, Salmon Crudo, Clam Chowder, Fried Oyster Caesar Salad, and the Seared Scallops for my husband and I. The dishes were light and appetizing but were a tease since they were in small portions. The Waffle Fries were more like a thin potato waffle wedge as opposed to fries, but were good and went well with the aioli. The Salmon Crudo was refreshing. My favorite was the Clam Chowder. It was more of a Clam Soup but was very flavorful. There was an herbiness with a delicious oniony finish. I loved it. Too bad I had to share it with my hubby. The Kale Caesar Salad with Fried Oysters was pretty good as well. I only wish the kale were chopped into smaller pieces for easier eating. The scallops were really good and laid atop a bed of homey corn grits. It was a very light entree and I somewhat wished it was loaded with cream or butter, but I won’t complain on reduced fat since it was still very good!

I would definitely like to try Cavan again. Service was super friendly and the food came out fast! I’d really like to see what else they have to offer since this was only their first few months of opening.

Rating: 4/5 spoons