New Orleans Area Culinary EventsHungry? Need to fill your culinary calendar? Here is where you will find all the restaurant and culinary happenings in Greater New Orleans. We feature a calendar of special dinners, tasting menus, prix-fixe meals, food festivals and other Louisiana culinary events, including regularly occurring food events as well as special one-time-only events featuring top chefs. Keep checking back so you can know all that's going on in the world of restaurant and food events in New Orleans and the surrounding area. back
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March 21
What if you could enjoy specialties from more than two dozen New Orleans chef, all under one roof. Dream no more-it is actually happening on March 21, when top chefs unite to produce the food for a fundraiser benefitting the James Beard Foundation. Oysters, strawberries, crabmeat, shrimp, sweet potatoes, French bread, Tabasco hot sauce, Cajun caviar and rice, for starters. And it gets better: Purveyors will be on hand to teach guests about their industries, including Tabasco's Master Cooper, Hamilton Polk, who will demonstrate barrel making; and Popcorn rice farmer, Jimmy Hoppe will illustrate the process of growing his crops. This promises to be a fantastic evening featuring chefs who have either cooked at the James Beard House in New York or have been recognized through their awards program. The event will run from 3 p.m.-7p.m. at Kingsley House, 1600 Constance Street. Tickets in advance are $100 for regular admission, available at www.jamesbeard.org.
March 26–28
Save the dates, March 26–28, to be in the French Quarter and take part in the New Orleans Road Food Festival. This is a rare opportunity to taste signature dishes from 20 restaurants from New Orleans and all over Louisiana, and from as far away as Mobile, Minneapolis, Philadelphia and more. The festival features roadfood restaurants all across America serving affordable, sample-size portions of their favorite offerings. The festival will occupy five blocks of Royal Street. Profits from the New Orleans Roadfood Festival will benefit Cafe Reconcile, a non-profit enterprise located in the Central City neighborhood of New Orleans that provides job training in the hospitality and restaurant industries for the city's at-risk youth. Whatever you do, be sure to visit Bourbon Street on March 27, where the Louisiana Oyster Festival will be held concurrently. The highlight will be the creation of the world’s longest oyster po-boy, created by chefs from 20 New Orleans restaurants. Visit www.neworleansroadfoodfestival.com for full details. New Orleans Road Food Festival, 300-700 Royal Street, New Orleans, LA 70116, 504-293-2657.
Ongoing
The elegant downtown restaurant MiLa offers a nightly dinner tasting menu, six courses for $65. The only thing better may be their $20 prix fixe three-course lunch, offering such items as filo-crusted redfish or braised beef shortribs. And do not miss the vanilla bean rice pudding. The Rushings change the menu frequently, making repeat visits a must. MiLa, Renaissance Pere Marquette Hotel, 817 Common St., New Orleans, LA 70112, 504-412-2580.
Ongoing
The Oyster Bar at Dickie Brennan’s Bourbon House restaurant is one of the most happening places in the lower French Quarter. Now, Bourbon House is serving its new “Quick and Casual Lunch” at the bar. The no-fuss lunch offers sandwiches costing $8.50, among them muffalettas, pressed Cuban sandwiches and grilled veggie sandwiches with fresh mozzarella. Or, you can opt for a combo lunch, featuring the “Oyster Trifecta”---seafood gumbo, three freshly shucked oysters and a fried oyster po-boy. Also available is the “Shrimp Trifecta,” same as above, but with shrimp instead of oysters. Dickie Brennan’s happy hour is still happening every day from 4–6 p.m. The Oyster Bar serves oysters on the half-shell for $1/oyster, and the bar features specially priced wines and $3 Abita Amber drafts. Bourbon House, Astor Crowne Plaza, 144 Bourbon St., New Orleans, LA 70130, 504-522-0111.
Ongoing
As if the clubby, leathery bar at Dickie Brennan's Steakhouse were not reason enough to stop by after work, the restaurant just announced its new "$5 After 5PM" promotion, featuring small plates and specialty cocktails for just five bucks until 7 p.m. Try the “Spiked Arnold Palmer”---Firefly tea vodka with lemon sour and soda, garnished with fresh mint, and pair it with some prime rib chili, or andouille-stuffed fried olives. The other standout cocktail is a Sobieski dry martini with a hint of dry vermouth, which will go down easily with Louisiana crabmeat batons with pepper jelly glaze. It makes 5 p.m. seem so far away, doesn’t it? Dickie Brennan's Steakhouse, 716 Iberville St., New Orleans, LA 70130, 504-522-2467.
Wednesday through Friday
Bayona offers a Quick Fix Menu for lunch Wednesday through Friday. Guests can enjoy three courses for $22, excluding drinks, tax and tip. Bayona, 430 Dauphine St., New Orleans, LA 70130, 504-525-4455.
Fridays
FridaysWhat began as a one-time tasting event has now morphed into an every-Friday night gathering at St. James Cheese Company. Stop by between 6 p.m.-8 p.m. for a free cheese tasting featuring a selection of washed rind cheeses to taste and learn about from the store’s “cheesemongers.” Also offered are wine and beer specials every week. The owners invite you in to sample “delicious, creamy and sometimes stinky artisanal cheeses.” St. James Cheese Company, 5004 Prytania St., New Orleans, LA 70118, 504-899-4737. Savvy Gourmet’s culinary staff offers a $15 tasting every other week on Fridays from 5:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m. The offerings might include freshly baked bread, creative entrées or even a glass of bubbly. Visit Savvy Gourmet’s website for a detailed schedule. 4519 Magazine St., New Orleans, 504-895-2665, www.savvygourmet.com . |
RESTAURANT AWARDS
Just published! Our annual restaurant issue features the Best Cheap Eats and our Top 40 U.S. selections, including including Corton in New York and more!
DINING ON A BUDGET
Splurging at top-rated restaurants is fun for special events, but where can you go for a good quality meal that won't break the bank? Gather the change out of your piggy bank and sofa cushions and take it to one of our selections for the best cheap eats in your area. Also, check out our picks for the Top 40 Cheap Eats in the U.S.
