Public Service Awards

Public Service Restaurant Review:

About the restaurant: The majestic downtown building that houses Public Service was once the home to the New Orleans Public Service, Inc., or NOPSI, the city’s power company. The re-created NOPSI building is now the NOPSI Hotel, and Public Service is its sleek, contemporary, brightly lit restaurant. Huge two-story windows look out on the bustling Central Business District, while inside the staff keeps things at a comfortable pace in the open kitchen and at the table.

Likes: Upscale ambience; comfort food.
Dislikes: Noise level.

Food & Drinks: Chef Dustin Brien, a Boston import, turns out a menu he accurately refers to as comfort food. The ideal meal starts with a braised pork belly appetizer with pickled jalapeño and yucca mash. If that sounds more like an entrée, so be it, because you’re going to eat a hardy meal here. The jumbo crab gnocchi entrée with orange hearts is a standout choice, while a filet is best enjoyed by the addition of crawfish mac and cheese. Well-portioned, artfully prepared and yes, comfortable --- that’s Brien’s style, and it’s accented by a wine list that holds its own nicely against some of its downtown fine dining competitors. Expect sophisticated by the glass offerings. Dessert is similarly hefty, as evidenced by the peanut butter and banana pie with a chocolate crust.