New Orleans Watch: restaurant reopenings

[Gifted Gourmet]

article NYT

Owners of a handful of restaurants in the French Quarter and the Central Business District had managed to open with a limited menu as of Sept. 30, and a handful of the city's more notable chefs were working to get their restaurants into shape to be able to start serving by the next week... A selected list of New Orleans restaurants and their status as of Sept. 30:

Red Fish Grill, 115 Bourbon St. (504) 598-1200.

Bacco, 310 Charters Street, (504) 522-2426,

La Côte Brasserie, 700 Tchoupitoulas Street; (504) 613-2350. Expected to open on Oct. 4 with a limited menu.

Galatoire's, 209 Bourbon Street (504) 525-2021. Cleanup underway. Hoping to open by Jan. 1.

Looooooong list here ... read the link for details of many restaurants ... looking a little more normal each day ... thank goodness ...

[bavila]

Yay! File under carpe diem... I've never been to Galatoire's, and was truly saddened by the thought of never having experienced it. Next trip to NO I will not skip it!

[slbunge]

I went down to help an old friend demolish the finishes on the first floor of his home in New Orleans over the weekend. To get there, we had to drive through Metarie on Metarie Road. There is electricity and gas throughout Metarie although phone service isn't up and running yet.

What I did notice is that small players on the food scene at the edge of New Orleans are beginning to open. There was a few coffee shops open and a couple of small bar and grill (e.g. Metry Grill?) sorts of restaurants that were either open or had signs indicating they would be open in a week. Good signs for the food-economy I think.

Also, while watching the news in Baton Rouge we saw a reporter on Bourbon well after curfew and there was a smattering of people moving along the street getting to the watering holes. If I remember, it sure looked like power was available.

[slbunge]

Over on Chowhound there is a post indicating that Herbsaint is opening tomorrow. The post is from someone named Joe Briand and Google tells me he is the general manager of the restaurant. See the post here (note: bandwidth hog).

Edit: google result included.

Edited October 7, 2005 by slbunge (log)

[Gifted Gourmet]

The NYT article on the first post of this thread says October 7th so it may well be the case. Supposedly, Herbsaint sustained only wind damage ...

NewOrleansOnline

Over the last couple of days in the French Quarter, live music has been pouring into the streets from bars and clubs.  Favorite restaurants - such as the Red Fish Grill and the Desire Oyster Bar, among others - are welcoming patrons for delectable, though abbreviated, menus.

On St. Charles Avenue, Igor's, a long-time locals' favorite restaurant/bar haunt, opened the week after Katrina and hasn't closed since, even through Rita. Susan Spicer's popular restaurant Herbsaint in the Warehouse and Arts District prepared to re-open within the week.  More businesses are joining the list every day.

[Timh]

Just as a note, I consider Herbsaints success and reputation to Donald Link , the chef and co-owner.

[Gifted Gourmet]

article from the Wall Street Journal (free online edition)

But here's some good news: The cooks are coming back to New Orleans.

It's lunch time at the Desire Oyster Bar on Bourbon Street and in a town extremely burnt out on MREs and Salvation Army lunch boxes -- a town that takes its eating far more seriously than it takes its politics -- this is deliriously good news. It'll cost you $21 for the buffet (and $24 for dinner) and don't expect oysters on the half-shell. Katrina wrecked the reliable local supply over in St. Bernard and Plaquemines parishes (and Rita dumped bottom sludge on beds further to the west).  But the place is full and the buffet choices include an exquisitely rich seafood gumbo made with shrimp and crab in a dark roux; blackened prime rib; sautéed snapper topped with a savory but not overpowering crawfish sauce; and, the city's staple, red beans and rice with smoked sausage.

This is most definitely good, good news! Read the full article to find out about Bacco's grilled redfish ...

[ronnie_suburban]

I received the following message from Restaurant August this morning:

Restaurant August

NOW OPEN after brief closing do to Hurricane

Open for lunch

11am - 2pm

Dinner

5pm - 8:00 pm

Good news!

=R=

[Mayhaw Man]

I received the following message from Restaurant August this morning:

Restaurant August

NOW OPEN after brief closing do to Hurricane

Open for lunch

11am - 2pm

Dinner

5pm - 8:00 pm

Good news!

=R=

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Actually, my prediction is that August is where the Mayor and that guy from Washington who has been coming here so much this last month or so are having dinner this evening. It would basically be the perfect location (food and security wise) and it is one of the few, if not the only, full on fine dining experience in New Orleans right now. I'll let you know in the morning where they go-this has been a heavily guarded secret for a couple of days.

They couldn't have done better-it's a great place and John is great folks. Plus, he's got all of that military vet stuff going for him, so I think he is going to be the choice-but who knows, maybe they are going to Verti Mart.

[TAPrice]

Think they'll be eating on paper plates?

[Mayhaw Man]

Think they'll be eating on paper plates?

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Naah, gold leaf is more like it.

Anyway, I was wrong. Dinner last night was at Bacco. Our most frequent tourist dined on a Ceasar Salad, filet of beef, and bread pudding for dessert. His wife had a Ceasar Salad and a bowl of Gumbo.

This morning I was unable to leave my house as there was an army of security personnel of various ilks floating around Abita Springs. Turns out that Bush decided to visit a Habitat for Humanity house in Covington and used the Abita Airport as his landing zone. It's only about a 1/2 mile from the house and so I went down to the end of the street to watch the circus. The motorcade was pretty incredible. He didn't have his usual selection of vehicles, so it was pretty much a motly assortment of local and state police vehicles and some army guys mixed in for good measure. This one hour visit turned traffic in St Tammany, which is pretty horriffic by anyone's standards, to a total snarl for hours. Now he is off to Biloxi to go to an elementary school opening. He loves it here. He said that he would be back soon to see how it is going down here.

No word on what he is having for lunch.

[highchef]

Abita has an airport???

Shit, and he landed here at an airforce base....

just kidding, Brooks...I'm jealous bebe'

[Mayhaw Man]

Abita has an airport???

Shit, and he landed here at an airforce base....

just kidding, Brooks...I'm jealous bebe'

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When I first moved here, this was really a rural area, as opposed to suburban, and the strip outside of town was referred to by local wags as "The Abita International Airport" as there seemed to be some pretty regular traffic in and out of there (very fast turnaround times) on a regular basis. Most of these flights, judging from the few that ended up not making the return trip, seemed to originate in South America and were bringing in agricultural products of various sorts. With the coming of the blimps and AWACS, this trade seems to have moved away from the area, though the bayous of South Louisiana continue to be an illegal import center, just as they have been since the days of Jean Lafitte and his band of entrepreneurs and independent contractors.

It's not really an airport, it's a single strip with a hangar that is primarily a fueling station for seaplanes and helicopters working the area and a base for the mosquito patrol that sprays the parish.

It was kind of funny to think that's the one that they would pick, but the only other one in the parish is even smaller than that-though there is a strip that can land a 747 over at Stennis Space Center, but that's a bit more of a drive.

[bavila]

so it was pretty much a motly assortment of local and state police vehicles and some army guys mixed in for good measure.

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Actually, local folks are often used in motorcades for POTUS. The assortment may have just looked more motley than usual due to the circumstances.

[I_call_the_duck]

Ooh, I hope I linked this properly. An AP article about Cafe du Monde.

Landmark Cafe in New Orleans Set to Reopen

Edited October 14, 2005 by I_call_the_duck (log)

[Jason Perlow]

Excellent.

[Mayhaw Man]

Ooh, I hope I linked this properly.  An AP article about Cafe du Monde.

Landmark Cafe in New Orleans Set to Reopen

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I was there yesterday looking around (in fact, I was the only person within a block of the place at 6 pm on a Friday. It's very weird around there now.

It is all shiny clean and it looks like they have gutted the kitchens and put in new stuff. I am looking forward to being there. Frankly, if they get open before anywhere else, it will be the only coffee in the Quarter. Even the Starbucks in the Sheraton on Canal is closed. CC's, Royal Blend, and all of the little independents are closed-even most hotel coffee shops aren't open for business. They can't get anyone to work there and if they can, they can't get many of the supplies they need to operate.

Coffee, other than the convenience store kind, is in short supply. This is ironic as one of the first groups of businesses to get up and running in New Orleans were the coffee handlers and roasters. In fact, other that Martin Marietta they may have been the first to open in an otherwise completely devestated area. They have, even now, basically the only electricity line in The East.

[theabroma]

Herbsaint has been open about two weeks, and by reports is doing a very brisk business. Lilette reopened shortly thereafter and its business is steady as well. Amazing ... and so good to hear.

Regards,

Theabroma

[Gifted Gourmet]

This one hour visit turned traffic in St Tammany, which is pretty horriffic by anyone's standards, to a total snarl for hours. Now he is off to Biloxi to go to an elementary school opening. He loves it here. He said that he would be back soon to see how it is going down here.

No word on what he is having for lunch.

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Among the high-ranking officials who have given New Orleans dining a try after the hurricane is President Bush, who dined Monday on hickory-grilled rib-eye steak at Bacco on Bourbon Street.

USA Today

[Mayhaw Man]

I had to run down to see a client on Decatur for something this morning and parked on Chartres (parking situation in the Quarter is awesome-one plus for post Katrina life in New Orleans-no meter maids) and went by K-Paul's as I was in the neighborhood. It will be opening today at 5 for business. I believe that I will be forced to go have a snack. It might be fun to go by Peristyle and have one there, as well. I'll let you know how it went.

[I_call_the_duck]

Another update on restaurants: NY Times article. According to this article, Cafe du Monde is expected to open tomorrow. Brooks, can you confirm?

Things are looking up. Oh, and Brooks, when you're in K-Paul's, have a crab cake for me.

[Mayhaw Man]

Another update on restaurants:  NY Times article.  According to this article, Cafe du Monde is expected to open tomorrow.  Brooks, can you confirm? 

Things are looking up.  Oh, and Brooks, when you're in K-Paul's, have a crab cake for me. 

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That's what all of the signs say. It's pretty clean and stuff, with lots of shiny new stuff to see through the windows. It looks like they could have opened a week ago ( I walk by it every afternoon on my way to the Moonwalk for my daily "how few people will I pass today?" walk.

If it opens, it will be doing some quick business. Coffee shops are one of the things that are having a hard time getting going, as they have seemingly been hard hit by the employee shortage.

And as far as K Pauls go, I wonder how those many jars of Cajun Martinis held up? They are probably as hot as fire by now, as they start out pretty damn hot to begin with.