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News for Restaurants in New Orleans
June 2011 Archive

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RESTAURANT NEWS

Openings

Chef John Besh Chef John Besh, whose The American Sector is already a hit in New Orleans' World War II museum, now counts a nearby old fashioned soda shop among his collection of restaurants. Besh appropriately chose Independence Day for the opening of his new venture. One of the signature items at The American Sector are hand-crafted sodas, which will be front and center at The Soda Shop. At breakfast, Besh will offer patrons a chance to create their own biscuit and breakfast food combinations. Lunch will offer mostly sandwiches, but nothing ordinary.  Look for a Creole tomato sandwich, as well as a grilled cheese, ham and fig sandwich. Besh says while the new restaurant will not exactly replicate a 1940s soda shop, it will build on that theme. Meanwhile, never one to take too much time out to breathe, Besh is set to release his newest book, The Family Table, in November.  The new book is designed to help busy families maintain the tradition of family meals. All of this happens just as Besh is opening a second location of Luke, in San Antonio, TX.
 

News Bytes

New Dinner Special at Meson 923
Chef Baruch Rabasa has come up with a new dinner idea at Meson 923 in the Warhouse District. Rabasa offers a new three-course dinner menu for summer for $38.11. For an additional $15, add a paired wine with each course. Appetizer selections include offerings like Serrano wrapped shrimp with compressed watermelon.  Entrees include hearty fare such as a whole crispy duck leg with dirty rice and fresh sage and black pepper, complemented by fresh figs. For dessert, try the warm brown butter tartlet of almond and blueberry with bourbon crème fraîche. Dishes will change and rotate regularly, according to the chef. During the summer months the upstairs balcony is open for outdoor dining. Meson 923, 923 S. Peters St., New Orleans, LA 70130, 504-523-9200.
 
LRA Announced the Debut of Louisiana Restaurant Week
If ever there were a city that deserved a whole week devoted to its restaurants, surely it is New Orleans. The Louisiana Restaurant Association announced the inaugural New Orleans Restaurant Week will be held September 12-18, 2011. Prix-fixe menus will be offered at participating New Orleans restaurants offering patrons up to 25 percent off of regular prices. Two-course lunches will be featured for $20, while three-course dinners will be priced at $35.
 

Chef Shuffle

Ye Olde College Inn recently named Bradley McGehee as the restaurant's new executive chef. McGehee, who has worked in some of the city's best restaurant kitchens, including Commander's Palace and Wolfe's in the Warehouse, will oversee operations at the Inn and at the adjacent Rock 'n' Bowl. Most recently, McGehee worked under chef Matt Murphy at The Ritz-Carlton, New Orleans' M Bistro (Murphy has since left). McGehee plans to work the "farm-to-table" concept as much as possible, using ingredients he will grow at the nearby Farm on Fig Street, a beautiful plot of land that is a shining example of an innercity farm. There, he will grown fresh herbs and vegetables, and raise chickens. McGehee is also hoping to expand the farm with additional plots of land. Ye Olde College Inn, 3000 S. Carrollton Ave., New Orleans, LA 70118, 504-866-3683.
 

Closings

CLOSED FOR GOOD
Take your taste buds on a walk down memory lane! Check out our exclusive closed restaurant database for New Orleans to virtually visit your favorite dining spots from the past. Dominique's, R.I.P.

Check back soon for more news.

CULINARY EVENTS
Want to learn to cook
? Try new dishes? Meet a foodie friend for fun? Check out our compilation of culinary events in your area.


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