new orleans
Cochon
930 Tchoupitoulas Street
New Orleans, LA 70130 USA
w www.cochonrestaurant.com good web site with images and biographies
e info@cochonrestaurant.com
t (504) 588-2123
open Monday to Friday 11.00 am till10.00 pm, Saturdays 5.30 pm to 10.00 pm
Upscale Cajun – rabbit pot pie, boudin balls, homemade moonshine, hogshead cheese, fried oyster and bacon sandwich. Chef owned.
Patois
6078 Laurel Street
New Orleans, LA 70118 USA
w www.patoisnola.com good website with images and biographies
e infor@patoisnola.com information only not for bookings
t (504) 895-9441
open Dinner Wednesday to Saturday 5.30 pm till 10.30 pm, Lunch Fridays only 11.30 am till 2.00 pm, Sunday brunch 10.30 am till 2.30 pm
Rather new, small and intimate. Contemporary Creole, French, Italian cuisine. Delish – one of my favorites. Located way uptown. Great cocktails. Chef owned.
Vizard’s
5015 Magazine Street
New Orleans, LA 70118 USA
w not available
e not available
t (504) 529 9912
OPEN we are going to ring the restaurant
One of the better contemporary Creole bistros. Very small! Chef owned. Try anything with crab meat.
Parkway Bakery & Tavern
538 Hagan Avenue
New Orleans, LA 70119 USA
w www.parkwaybakeryandtavernnola.com
e parkwaypoboy@aol.com
t (504) 482 3047
f (504) 488 1555
open Wednesday till Monday 11.00 am till 8.00 pm
One of the best Po–boys; sloppy roast beef (get it dressed), oyster loaf; fried shrimp po–boy or soft shell crab if available. Sweet potato fries are yummy! Great local neighborhood joint
Rio Mar Restaurant
800 S Peters Street
New Orleans, LA 70130
w
www.riomarseafood.com
e email the restaurant
t (504) 525 3474
open Monday to Thursday 11.30 am till10.00 pm, Friday and Saturday 6.00 pm till11.00 pm
Latin seafood using local ingredients. I love their tapas lunches. Chef owned
Our grateful thanks to
Mary B. Sonnier
The Uptowner Catering and Special Events
438 Henry Clay Avenue
NOLA 70118
e email Mary
t (504) 899 6500 business
f (504) 896 9005
Host of The Chef Show
WRBH till 88.3 FM
Reading Radio for the Blind and Print Handicapped
www.wrbh.org
Fridays 2.30 pm
Saturdays 5.00 pm
We especially love Mary because she is the founding member of the save water, drink champagne club which you can join by clicking here
food editor’s note
Grateful, grateful thanks to Mary for this brilliant list.
We met in 1983 when I did an estage at K–Paul’s Louisiana Kitchen in New Orleans with chef Paul Prudhomme. The generosity of this wonderful man, chef to me, was the start of my love of Cajun food and my friendship with the Sonniers, who at that time worked for chef Paul Prudhomme. Mary was the only female in the kitchen of some 30 men and during service was the controller. The most difficult job in the kitchen she ran the calls for the 300 or so a la carte covers they did in three hours(about 900 items in a single service). She was the most impressive kitchen chick I had ever seen and to this day holds that title. Greener than grass, it was Mary who showed me the ropes and we laugh at the menu description changed for my ineptitude from piroux to dinghies from downunder my nickname. When I returned to New Orleans for another estage at K–Paul’s in 1986 the Sonnier's were just starting out on their own.
Returning to New orleans for a brief visit to collect material in the early 2000s it was wonderful to see them in their own restaurant Gabrielle’s (named after their youngest daughter Gabby). “You know,” said Mary, “Oh my God, you know, Mick Jagger came here for dinner! And, chef, chef (Chef Paul Prudhomme) came for dinner.“ rea
It is always astounding to hear anyone say there is no food in America. No food! You have to be kidding there is fabulous food and amazing restaurants in America and like everywhere you have to do some research before you land in a city. Chefs love to show off and working in a city has been a fantastic way of finding a direct route to the best a city has to offer in terms of food and wine.
Some of the finest cooking in America can be found in the bayou in the restored plantations, now hotels of considerable style and luxury. It is mainly the domain of women in these kitchens but the food offer is exceptional and some also have cooking one–on–one cooking classes. In these kitchens the subtleties of Cajun food is refined to a balance that has a unique mastery.
Alex Patout in the French quarter of New Orleans city has one of America’s finest cellars and there is enormous temptation to be indulgent when confronted with their list. Equally Commander’'s Palace boasts and unbelievably good list. In both restaurants there is the opportunity to try Zinfandel with the food that it goes best with and to explore some of America’s finest examples of this elusive grape.
The best way to enjoy this amazing city is to stay away from the tourist areas, enjoy the diverse list of options provided by the Sonniers and try and make time to go to the bayou!
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girl’s note
there is fabulous shopping in New Orleans and trawling the antique shops even if you don’t have dosh to spend is a lovely thing to do. Clothes and fashion are big and the ball gown shops have some exquisite creations! |
