Ian McNulty

Going out with a lamb.

If, like me, you will miss the Greek taverna @smokesmokehoneyhoney when it closes after this weekend, go check out the street corner lamb stand they’re running this weekend.

It’s happening right now till about 6 pm and Sunday also 1 pm to 6 pm (ish).

Roasted chicken, drinks, snacks, from 1 pm and lamb coming off the spit around 2:30 pm or so.

Pomegranate margaritas and yamas til next time Less

Curiouser and curiouser….but no spoilers because dishes on the @thatbilloakley #curiositydinner tour will never be same way that @thewrightrev and @turkeyandthewolf did it tonight. New interpretations with different chefs at each stop.

A couple courses among many more.

Love #thesimpsons ? Check out what’s coming your way next with an Americana food tour from one of its writers, bound for #austintexas next. Less

As road trips go, this one to @gonzosmokehouse was a short one, just 30 minutes upriver from my New Orleans home to in Luling.

But it entailed the logistics, timekeeping and excited anticipation of a much bigger journey.

We had a smorgasbord platter of barbecue in mind, an ice chest on hand to bring home a particular Cajun-meets-Texas brisket boudin from Gonzo’s freezer case, and a brewery taproom visit on the agenda, too.

Gonzo’s has earned a following around Louisiana for the best Central Texas-style barbecue this side of the Sabine River. But it serves this barbecue only at lunch on Fridays.

That’s made lunch at Gonzo’s into a happening, with people lining up outside before the doors open. Now, it’s more of a destination too since ti move upriver and next to @germancoastbeerco .

Barbecue, boudin and beer add up to the kind of eating adventure worth planning weeks in advance, like Friday lunch at Galatoire’s or Saturday night at Mosca’s.

So I recruited a few trusted trenchermen and set out to Luling for a feast.

As our lunch progressed, teeth got sticky with salty beef fat, chitchat fell away, and the napkin pile grew as fingers gleamed. A cold beer next door beckoned.

Is this barbecue heaven? Close. It’s Friday at Gonzo’s in Luling.

Link in my bio has the read on how it went, and how to do it up and some upcoming changes to the scheduled , including Gonzo’s own roadtrips for appearances in New Orleans

#wherenolaeats #igersneworleans #nolaeats #riverparishes #nolafoodie Less

Part of the experience of the French Quarter is the interplay of different energies. It’s the way timeless, Old World architecture frames the ephemeral social buzz, the way turning a corner can change the feel from languid to rollicking.

That’s a bit like what it feels to visit @holywater.nola .

This new restaurant and oyster bar is filled with New Orleans flavors and its own character across a progression of distinct spaces, all in a revived historic building in a particularly captivating part of the Quarter.

Holywater officially opens today (Sept. 23) after some test runs that packed its various spaces with curious visitors.

It’s meeting a need for more nice-casual restaurants in the Quarter, hitting that midrange between tavern and bistro, free of touristy cliché.

Here’s a look around, link in my bio has the full read on the New Orleans natives behind it, the local talent working with them (chef @chefalexharrell , cocktail maestro @nealbodie).

More to come on those Sailor Baby oysters

#wherenolaeats #igersneworleans #nolaeats #frenchquarter #oysterlover Less

Supposedly summer is officially over, but I don’t buy it. One of my summer tactics is a wine bar dinner, pairing with wonderful wines to lift out of a hot day.

I’m here to say the same appeal endures in early fall (and, really, winter for that matter).

At the stylish downtown gem @pluckwines , the “wine bar burger” is a sleeper hit.

Much more than a slider, though downright demure compared to a big fat bar burger, it could fit on a tea plate.

The cheese is a nutty, buttery Comté. That wine-dark layer under the double patties is a jam made with smoky Spanish chorizo.

Ask for a pairing from the always-changing wine list.

It is one of eight dishes in my latest column, see it all via the link in my bio

That’s the great @davidgrunfeld with the first photo

#wherenolaeats #igersneworleans #nolaeats #nolafood #burger Less

Individual chip nachos and Who Dat!(Corgi for scale)

It’s a game day food standby I call the Mrs.-Mary-McNulty-Is-Having-Company-Over-in-the-1980s Nachos — the exact type, down to requisite round chips, I watched my mother make when I was a kid while absorbing lessons about adult friendships and hospitality.

#wherenolaeats #igersneworleans #nolaeats Less

British pub @thebellnola when it first opened: “we don’t have a burger.”

Everyone: “we’d like you to have a burger.”

The Bell today: “we have a burger.”

And it’s a beaut! Everything I want from a bar burger - middleweight patty (not wimpy, not unwieldy), gushing juice, good bun, smoked cheddar and pork belly jam to finish it off.

And rise and shine with a “breakfast martini” from the drinks list, extra marmalade please. It drinks like a mimosa, hits like a martini.

#wherenolaeats #igersneworleans #nolaeats #nolafoodie #midcitynola Less

A little more on @origamisushinola (see proecious post and link in my bio).

Masu box sake, with the purposeful over pour, a ritualized gesture of generosity.

And then this steelhead trout, a swoon-worthy cut of fish not often seen on local menus.

This is the ocean-going trout, much different from the local trout familiar from Creole menus.

Buttery in flavor and supple in texture, it most closely resembles salmon, but the trout has its own distinct flavor and is luscious against the pad of sour sushi rice, with just a bit of chunky pickled wasabi on top.

The raw fish is frozen as a precautionary preparation (same as with raw salmon), as the question does come up around this fish.

It’s an utter delight.

See more on the relocated Origami in its new chapter via the link in my bio

#wherenolaeats #igersneworleans #nolaeats #uptownnola #nolafoodie Less

Loyalty runs strong in the sushi game. Once aficionados fix on a sushi bar they love or a sushi chef they trust, they have found their go-to.

So after many years on Freret Street, and a long hiatus this year, when @origamisushinola reopened in a new home on Maple Street, the regulars have been pouring in to welcome them back.

There’s a new chef from Japan, @kenichi_japanese_chef_singer , and an elevated style across the menu (and, I’m hearing good things about the ramen in the works for later).

But what hasn’t changed is refreshingly approachable prices (not cheap, also not a car payment).

No wonder Origami has inspired such loyalty; it’s a place where people can afford to become regulars.

Here’s a quick look, link in my bio has the full monty

#wherenolaeats #igersneworleans #uptownnola #nolaeats #nolafoodie

Origami was on Freret and now is on Maple in the former PJ’s Coffee (PJ’s is moving a block upriver)

The Marilyn roll has chopped snapper topped with salmon aburi with a Chilean chili sauce

Scallop sashimi is finished with torn shiso leaf

Origami in its new home on Maple

Broiled green mussels are topped with miso butter and masago

Salmon carpaccio is finished with pistachio oil and roe

Shima aji carpaccio, made with Japanese striped jack

Grilled skewers

English cucumbers with house “HSSS” marinade (hot, sweet, spicy, sour….don’t miss!) Less

When @commanderspalace invites other local chefs and visiting talent to collaborate on its Meg & Company series, these are don’t-miss occasions.

This time it was the acclaimed @eunji.leeee of @lysee.nyc joining @megbickford and crew for a tour de force of creative sweets ….and some not-so-sweets that still fit the bill.

Superb wine pairings à la @cpwineguy , and another night for the books in one of the great American houses of hospitality.

#wherenolaeats #nolaeats #igersneworleans #dessertlovers #nolafoodie

Melon and Creole spice

“Sweet blue crab stuffed blue crab,” with crab boil lemon curd, candied fennel and crab dressed with a kumquat sabayon

Pineapple & lime calamansi cream tart

Le coupe de milieu, a frozen shot in the middle

Chocolate & Caviar, with @pietydesirechoc dark chocolate ganache, sweet potato cashew cream, caramelized shallots and creole cream cheese crème fraiche

Baby banana cremeux, chicory cafe au lait ice cream

Lagniappe parfait, Commander’s crazy curiosity: gumbo rendered as a parfait , with bay leaf ice cream, rice pudding, a toasty roux, sassafras and black pepper cane syrup

Baby banana cremeux, chicory cafe au lait ice cream (another look) Less