Foodle

I am here for the clams… well, that and some family time.

At @providenceoysterbar__eg in Rhode Island, a big platter of meaty cherrystones, more demure little necks, and a mixed dozen of local oysters because those are great too.

I always try to get my fill when visiting New England because raw clams are a delight that’s proven highly elusive back home in New Orleans, despite all the other seafood brought in from other waters. Someone help!

Meanwhile, back to those clams.

#clams #rawbar #newenglandfood #newenglandseafood #rhodeisland #seafood #seafoodlove Less

Again with the clams, little necks on the half shell (plus some oysters), at @waterstreetkitchenbar

And clam casino and clams with nduja butter and linguine and Pt. Judith calamari, because it is the Official State Appetizer of Rhode Island and contrary to attempts on this trip one cannot sustain on raw clams alone.

#clams #rawbar #newenglandfood #newenglandseafood #rhodeisland #seafood #seafoodlove Less

I’ve been eating lately at @nolatuktuk like I’m making up for lost time, because, in fact, I am. And really I should have known better.

This family had wowed me before, at their old restaurant My Thai on the West Bank.

At first glance, the menu at this newer Metairie spot didn’t seem remarkably different from the Thai take out norm.

But flip past the “rice-and-noodles-add-protein” section to find the chef specials and regional signatures.

The kitchen has a particular love affair with pork - pork belly with Thai kale shows this beautifully, as does the kao moo dang, the red pork, with char siu and pork belly.

And….stuffed chicken wings! Reminiscent of what they long did at NOLA in the Quarter.

Boba tea to drink and yes they’ll spike these at the bar.

Tiny, affordable, full of surprises and deep flavor, this place is a real find.

Link in my bio has the full read.

#wherenolaeats #igersneworleans #metairie #nolaeats #nola #nolafoodie #nolafood #nolalife Less

Thai-style remora , anyone?

No, it isn’t on the menu, nor is it a special.

But when I was visiting @nolatuktuk recently, I was there between shifts, and this came out as the staff meal.

It was bycatch from a charter fishing trip the chefs and their staff took. This hitchhiker came along for the ride and ended up in the pot.

Good texture, very eel like, though the prime attribute was what a Thai kitchen can do with just about anything.

If you want to see some of the wonders of pork belly, stuffed chicken wings and noodles that actually are on this menu, see my earlier post.

Or better yet get the full story via the link in my bio, and thank you @nolanews subscribers.

#wherenolaeats #igersneworleans #metairie #nolaeats #nola #nolafoodie #nolafood #nolalife #seafood #bycatch #weirdfood Less

An institution on Canal Street and the New Orleans dining scene, going back to 1991 , @palacecafenola has closed....at least for now.

Nearing the end of a 35-year lease, with an option to buy, its operators say they were negotiating to to just that. A dispute over its value landed in court, and after a judge ruled for the property owners, the restaurant people say the numbers don’t add up to stay open.

But Dickie Brennan says: “Don’t count us out yet.”

Pending an appeal, Palace Café reopening at its original location is a possibility, and the operators are also “interested in reimagining and reopening Palace Café” elsewhere should the right location arise.

Link in my bio has the story with more detail and photos of Palace Cafe through the years and today at its closing by @davidgrunfeld (couple here showing the grand old place…and that crabmeat cheesecake)

#wherenolaeats #igersneworleans #nolaeats #neworleans #nolafoodie #nolafood #downtownnola #louisiana #nolalife Less

The last time I darkened these doors this waterfront spot in Madisonville was a rough and tumble dive bar.

Now, it’s @social.restaurant , and the old pool tables and beer signs have been replaced with a portal into Peruvian style and flavor.

It’s an impressive transformation, all the more so to find this in a small North Shore town.

Peruvian food, an organic fusion of Spanish, Andean and Asian, especially Japanese, is fascinating to me, and I especially crave its lighter spectrum of flavors in the hot summer.

Pair a classic ceviche with a pisco sour cocktail and it’s “Calgon, take me away” time.

Here’s a look around, and the classic ceviche, another that adds fied scallops (they get a little soggy) and tacos acevicados (in the style of ceviche) on a platter lined with polished black stone and moss ….really, in Madisonville.

The link in my bio has the full read

#wherenolaeats #igersneworleans #nolaeats #northshorela #madisonvillela #ceviche #peruvianfood #nolafoodie #nolafood Less

Welp. You have until the end of the month for your @ancoranola fix.

The Freret Street font of Neapolitan pizza will close July 31 after 14+ years.

Ancora set a new standard for New Orleans pizza with its artisan approach to Neapolitan pies, and it helped contribute to a new era of Freret Street as a restaurant row.

“One of our priorities was building a neighborhood and community; I think we did that,” proprietor Bryn Thompson told me.

“We’ll go out with a bang, feed everyone one last time, and then move on and let someone else take over the space.”

Unknown as of yet what will come next for this spot, but there seems a high likelihood. It will use the 6000 pound wood burning oven that’s been the heart of the restaurant.

Link in my bio has the story

#wherenolaeats #igersneworleans #nolaeats #uptownnola #freretstreet #nolafoodie #nolafood Less

Happy hour meatballs and martinis at @desivegasteaks .

A highlight from one stop on a heavyweight of a happy hour hop downtown, along with the generous deal at @saintjohnnola just across the avenue.

The original Desi Vega’s serves happy hour Tue-Fri, 4-6 pm.

Meatballs, a sleeper hit on the lunch menu, are on the HH menu with garlic bread ($9), terrific.

Pair with martini with blue cheese olives ($10) and a party food surf and turf flex, chunks of peppered steak with a spicy aïoli coated fried shrimp ($11).

Next, it’s on to Saint John….

Link in my bio has the full read on this fun pairing of generous, happy hour specials, another way to get a kick out of summer dining and throw some support to local business.

#wherenolaeats #igersneworleans #nolaeats #nola #nolafoodie #nolafood #nolatravel #louisianatravel #nolalife #nolalove #neworleans #nolarestaurant #visitneworleans #louisianafood Less

A heavyweight happy hour hop, continued downtown at the beautiful bar at @saintjohnnola

Happy hour is daily (closed Tues.) 3-6 pm, for that early start, and has a menu of interesting dishes well beyond snacks.

Daily crudo ($10), muffuletta bruschetta ($7), and mussels ($10) with fries that’s a meal unto itself.

Good deals in drinks too, starting with the $5 martini. Or Jameson & High Life for $5…decisions will be made.

This is right across the street from the good deals at @desivegasteaks too (see earlier post) for a two-course happy hour combo.

Link in my bio has the full read on this fun pairing of generous, happy hour specials, another way to get a kick out of summer dining and throw some support to local business.

#wherenolaeats #igersneworleans #nolaeats #nola #nolafoodie #nolafood #nolatravel #louisianatravel #nolalife #nolalove #neworleans #nolarestaurant #visitneworleans #louisianafood Less

Who would’ve thought witch restaurant with a speakeasy vibe right off Bourbon Street would feel absolutely genuine?

Cristina Quackenbush did, and she rolled her identity as a witch together with her reputation as a master of her native Filipino flavors for @tatlonola .

But now Tatlo is counting down its final days, set to close July 27.

The late-night restaurant and absinthe bar (tagline: “for the bewitched and hex curious’) has been popular, drawing a large local following.

But expenses of running the business in its current location have become untenable, the chef said. A future location elsewhere is a possibility she’s now exploring.

“Tatlo was born from a desire to create something sacred — a space that honored women, Filipino culture, spiritual curiosity and the art of gathering with intention,” the chef told me.

You have a week and change to try it in its current incarnation.

Meanwhile, her popup @milkfishnola and @kusinanola are collaborating on events, including communal kamayan dinners.

#wherenolaeats #igersneworleans #nolaeats #frenchquarter #nolafood #nolafoodie #nolalife #witchlife #absinthe #witchy #witchythings #neworleans Less