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News for Restaurants in New Orleans
March 2015 Archive

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RESTAURANT NEWS

Openings

It was big news last year when Stella! closed its doors for good, leaving chef Scott Boswell with just one restaurant, Stanley. But now, Alex Harrell, formerly of Sylvain, is taking over the space that Boswell once occupied, with Angeline. Harrell describes his cuisine simply as "Southern." Unlike Stella! , Angeline's price point is described as "moderate," for items such as barbecued shrimp, ricotta fritters and fried quail. The interior of the building has been refashioned with leather banquettes, hardwood floors and lighter colors. Angeline, 1032 Chartres St., New Orleans, LA 70116, 504-308-3106.
 
SHAYA serves modern Israeli cuisine from chef Alon Shaya One would be hard pressed to remember an Israeli restaurant in New Orleans, but the recently opened SHAYA aims to change that. SHAYA gets its name from chef Alon Shaya, of the John Besh restaurant group, who says he grew up eating some of this food with his grandparents. Now, he endeavors to combine traditional Israeli cooking with foods and ingredients indiginous to Louisiana. Housed in the same elgant building formerly occupied by Dominique's on Magazine, SHAYA is a sleek, contemporary space that offers authentic Israeli recipes cooked in a wood-fired oven. The chef spent much of last year traveling in Israel working on ideas for his menu, which focuses on items that can be shared at the table. Look for such dishes as matzoh ball soup with slow cooked duck, falafel, lamb kebabs, baba ganoush and a few other items that may not be familiar to first timers, but well worth a try. Lunch & Dinner daily. SHAYA, 4213 Magazine St., New Orleans, LA 70115`, 504-891-4213.
 

News Bytes

Ralph Brennan Is the New Owner of Napoleon House
Restaurateur Ralph Brennan has purchased the venerable Napoleon House. Brennan, under whose direction Brennan's has been reborn, will reportedly assume ownership from the Impastato family on April 30, 2015. The Impastatos have owned Napoleon House since 1920. Brennan has no plans for renovation, and hopes to keep the same staff. No word yet on any possible bar or menu changes. Napoleon House, 500 Chartres St., New Orleans, LA 70116, 504-524-9752.
 
James Beard Award Finalists Announced
Upperline Restaurant proprietor Joanne Clevenger is among several New Orleans finalists for the 2015 James Beard Awards. Clevenger is a finalist for Best Restaurateur. Other New Orleans finalists include La Petite Grocery owner Justin Devillier, Domenica chef/owner Alon Shaya and Brennan's chef Slade Rushing, all nominated in the Best Chef: South category. Donald Link, owner of Herbsaint, is a finalist in the Outstanding Chef category, the most presigious of the Beard awards. A ceremony to announce the winners will take place in Chicago on May 4. Upperline, 1413 Upperline St., New Orleans, LA 70115, 504-891-9822.
 
James Beard Award 2015 Semi-finalists Announced
Several local restaurateurs and chefs have been nominated as semi-finalists for the prestigous 2015 James Beard Awards. Among them are five chefs nominated for "Best Chef South." They are: Justin Devillier, La Petite Grocery; Slade Rushing, Brennan's; Alon Shaya, Domenica; Michael Stoltzfus, Coquette; and, Isaac Toups, Toups' Meatery. In other categories, Donald Link of Herbsaint is nominated as Outstanding Chef, and Kelly Fields of the John Besh Restaurant Group is nominated as Outstanding Pastry Chef. Additionally, Arnaud's French 75 Bar is nominated for Outstanding Bar Program, while Brigtsen's and Restaurant August show up in the Outstanding Service Category. Finalists are expected to be named in March. Domenica, The Roosevelt New Orleans, 123 Baronne St., New Orleans, LA 70112, 504-648-6020.
 
Emeril's Celebrates 25 Years in Business
Although it seems like chef Emeril Lagasse's flagship restaurant has occupied its high profile warehouse district corner forever, it has actually been 25 years. In that quarter century Lagasse has opened a number of other high-profile eateries in and out of New Orleans, but Emeril's remains the star attraction. All during March, Emeril's will celebrate its milestone with menu items that are throwbacks to some of its past menus. Each week the restaurant will feature different items that will be familiar to longtime patrons, and surprisingly current to those who don't remember the full-flavored menu items. Check out Emeril's.com for full menus, but a few of the popular past favorites will include fried oyster salad, shrimp rémoulade parfait, pan-fried shrimp cakes and an irresistible cane syrup and pecan bread pudding. Also notable is Emeril's "Omagasse" special menus offered on the third Thursday of each month, featuring a five-course off-the-menu tasting series for $65, and $105 if paired with suggested wine. Emeril's, 800 Tchoupitoulas St., New Orleans, LA 70130, 504-528-9393.
 

Chef Shuffle

The two top chefs at Le Foret, an elegant downtown fine dining establishment, abruptly resigned. Executive chef Brandon Felder and chef de cuisine Adam Gianelloni surprised the local restaurant community when they left their posts rather suddenly. Le Foret has a history of internal struggles among management and culinary personnel, so while surprising, the resignations were somewhat predictable. The chef who opened the restaurant in 2011, Jimmy Corwell, left under questionable circumstances amid conflicts with upper management. The restaurant has not yet named replacements for Felder and Gianelloni. Le Foret, 129 Camp St., New Orleans, LA 70130, 504-553-6738.
 
Owners of the increasingly popular Kingfish in the French Quarter announced chef Greg Sonnier is no longer part of the culinary team. No reason was given by the owners, who also own Broussard's. Chef Nathan Richard, a veteran of Restaurant R'evolution, Cochon (in Lafayette, LA) and Commander's Palace, has been named as Sonnier's replacement. No plans have yet been announced as to changes in the menu or concept of the restaurant, and so far, no word on Sonnier's future plans. Kingfish, 337 Chartres St., New Orleans, LA 70130, 504-598-5005.
 
New Orleanians have been anxiously waiting to find out where one of their favorite culinarians, chef Dominique Macquet, would land next. Last year, Macquet's elegant Dominique's on Magazine closed, but now Macquet has taken up a post just one block away at the new Saveur Cuisine and Cocktails, which used to be Baie Rouge. Owned by the same team that brought Baie Rouge, Saveur is a full re-branding of the restaurant with a dressed up, white-tableclothed and contemporary art interior, and a hard-to-categorize new menu. Look for appetizers such as baked goat cheese drizzled with local honey, entrées such as seared duck breast with cracklin's and cherry essence. There are also several varieties of flatbreads. At this time Saveur serves dinner only.
 

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
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? Try new dishes? Meet a foodie friend for fun? Check out our compilation of culinary events in your area.


View our calendar of Wine Dinners & Tastings in New Orleans

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