Ian McNulty

Dry-aged sushi is a tradition with long roots in Japan, and one now getting more attention in the U.S.

The “Kenji omakase experience” at (you guessed it) @kenjinola is an exaltation of the technique.

Fish prepared this way gives a cleaner bite, a firmer texture, and often a richer flavor, accentuating the fattiness without actually adding fat. When dabbed with vinegar or a sauce at service, the fish absorbs it better. You taste the sauce within the fish, not just on it.

Kenji’s omakase follows the classic progression, starting with bright, lighter-flavored preparations, like a warm-up lap for the palate to more robust fish and preparations, and that’s where the aged examples start turning up.

You can try it by the piece off the regular menu, and there’s a smaller omakase served tableside.

But the full “experience” is served twice nightly at the sushi bar. I gave it a go, sake pairings and all.

Link in my bio has the full read on how it went, and what Kenji is all about.

Big plans ahead for chef Matt too, so you’ll be seeing more of this style of sushi soon.

#wherenolaeats #igersneworleans #nolaeats #nolafood #nolafoodie #omakase #dryaged #dryagedfish #dryagedsushi #downtownnola #neworleansrestaurants #nolarestaurants Less

Martini Monday? When at @hungryeyesnola , certainly.

The 80s motif sets te stage, but it’s the food that rocks me, Amadeus.

Fries with toum at the bar, add a martini and that might be enough right there. But also:

Smoked eggplant dip with miso sourdough

Wagyu coulotte skewer with romesco

Meat and cheese (and olives and pickles) over house chips

And more that the Tech Noir dance club scene neon foiled the photos of, but always love the tostada salad and the cobia special was nice too

#wherenolaeats #igersneworleans #nolaeats #nolafoodie #nolafood #uptownnola #80s #eighties #martini Less

I had my doubts about tapioca croquettes with Camembert, but it was at @drjonesrestaurant and I remembered past surprises here. I trust this kitchen.

The payoff was another delight, with the creamy cheese gently binding the savory-soft pop of the tiny tapioca bulbs under crisp fritter shells.

My early line on Dr. Jones was essentially that this is a chef-led diner, a great lunch spot run by a pair of fine dining chefs without the fine dining trappings.

It’s still a tiny spot, but it has grown into a fuller version of itself with extended evening hours for dinner. It’s all about elevated technique in a casual setting.

Heirloom tomato salad had XO breadcrumbs that functioned like a gratin without impinging on the summer freshness.

Steak au poivre felt like a summer-weight edition of the French classic, with the juicy bite of a tropical chile pepper sauce cutting through.

Gnocchi had just the right soft, wispy texture next to the woodsy chew of maitake mushrooms and a delicate truffle dashi, an umami-booster closer to broth than sauce.

Don’t forget to BYOB; this food pleads for pairings.

You can go big with New Orleans dining, from the high-end institutions to the latest new spots catching buzz. But there’s a special pleasure in finding that small, low-key restaurant cooking wonderful food and keeping things affordable.

This is one I revisited recently that could be easy to overlook but should definitely be on your list to try.

Link in my bio has the story with more examples

#wherenolaeats #igersneworleans #nolaeats #nolafoodie #metairie #nolafood #jeffersonparish Less

Well well Wellington.

The annual Steakhouse Summer Picnic at @dickiebrennanssteakhouse was a great time as usual.

It started years back as a way to showcase Louisiana grass fed beef, and has grown into an annual tradition — and a chance to get a giant beef Wellington, colossal beef shank pie (the big, big brother to a pot pie, femur for scale), a whole steamship round and lots of other preparations.

The ranchers themselves trek in from Acadiana — Chip with @coastalplainsmeatcompany , Raymond with Crescent Bar F and Shannon with @gonsoulinbeef , here with Dickie himself.

A one night event last night, but also a great display of the ethos behind this family of restaurants, connecting with local producers and foodways.

#wherenolaeats #igersneworleans #nolafood #nolafoodie #steakhouse #beefwellington #louisiana #louisianafood #neworleansrestaurants #grassfedbeef Less

A salvation of summer right here at @station6nola , a soft shell crab so swole it looks like it’s been pumping iron, covered with more crabmeat.

In Bucktown, on a piece of the lakefront famous for traditional seafood dishes, Station 6 has built a following by serving the local catch a bit differently — meaning it’s not all fried or boiled.

But when they do turn to the fryer ….mercy.

More highlights from a recent romp:
“Ali’s” wedge, named for the original co-founder (remember Vega Tapas? Same Ali), with little gem bundles as the base for all that bacon, bleu cheese dressing, fried onion straws and a dash of Crystal

The sizzling garlic shrimp, as if we’re in Spain for a course

The pampano with curried brown butter and cashews nicely augmenting the flavorful fish

And I love seeing northshore’s wild wine wizards @wildbushvineyard represented, terrific Chardonnay at a reasonable $50 on the list here

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

More about that pasta at @ilsupremopizza , which after all did start out as a pasta brand.

If you’ve had the garganelli at @barcar504 or twirled the fettuccine at @juniorsonharrison , that’s Il Supremo.

They also supply restaurants around New Orleans, and now down the Gulf Coast.

And it’s still in play at the new Il Supremo pizzeria.

In addition to a stack of pizzas, I brought home the canestri (“baskets” in Italian; a fat elbow shape in practice).

It has an echo-y pop to its bite and carries the white wine creamy sauce, thickened with fontina, all garlicky with chunks of sausage roughly hewn.

It was the perfect plate of pasta.

Link in my bio has the full read on Il Supremo, from pizza to pasta to @superwitchicecream soft serve on the way

#wherenolaeats #igersneworleans #nolaeats #nolafoodie #nolafood #metairie #oldmetairie #jeffersonparish #pasta #nolalife Less

Getting up close and personal with some tiradito , Creole-fish from the Gulf in this case.

Tuesday is $6 night at @broadsidenola , and last week I went for the $6 sushi from @nikkeiizakaya — nigiri and handrolls. Tuesday also has $6 movies next door at @thebroadnola , and lots of people were pairing with sushi with a flick.

But I stuck around for a platter of tiradito from the Peruvian-Japanese pub menu, and got an eyeful of the source fish too.

This tavern kitchen inside the Broadside (from the former Carmo crew) is a special place doing different things, and should be on your list.

#wherenolaeats #igersneworleans #nolaeats #nolafoodie #nolafood #midcitynola #visitnola #visitneworleans #neworleansrestaurants #neworleansfood Less

What had me talking about @lemoynebistronola after this meal is how it feels traditionally French but also has its own personality.

It felt like a portal to France on a quiet summer night in downtown New Orleans.

They have a very enticing #Coolinary menu in August (3 courses, $55) but there was too much else I wanted to try so we went for the regular menu.

Link in my bio has the full read , here are highlights

The house made bread and cultured butter to start.

Jimmy Nardello peppers, singing of summer, a special, mild, fruity, tasty red peppers - named for the guy who brought the seeds over, I learned.

Steak tartare with horseradish and chile oil

Pate de campagne , worth a visit over a glass of wine at the bar on its own

Tuna Niçoise, more a fish entree with salad accoutrements than a salad per se

Short rib carbonnade with a sauce that commanded more of the bread back to swipe

Black eyed pea cassoulet on the side, a subtle touch of the South, that still felt very French

Cake with black tea caramel and roasted pineapple ice cream

Deep wine list, excellent service. I was very happy to finally get back to this place. It should be on your list

Link in my bio has the full read

#wherenolaeats #igersneworleans #nolaeats #nolafoodie #nolafood #downtownnola #visitnola #visitneworleans #neworleansrestaurants #neworleansfood Less

Seriously, this special at @pechenola is one of the most magnificent servings of fish I can recount. Louisiana seafood at its highest and best.

Triple tail, spear caught a couple days ago, I’m told. Cooked scales on (“fisherman style”), with a chanterelle butter, crowned with tomatoes for some juicy acidity over the buttery fish.

I flinched at the $82 price tag, but this is a fish for two, and like splitting a large format steak, turned out to be a good value to quality to quantity ratio.

Magnificent in fact. We scrapped it down to get the dark fatty bits by the skin, and considered keeping the scales as a souvenir, but no.

Crab salad with buttermilk and dill, the shrimp salad with a very Southeast Asian via Deep South profile, and fried okra to complete the meal.

#wherenolaeats #igersneworleans #nolaeats #nola #nolafoodie #nolafood #gulfseafood #seafood #louisiana Less

There is a lot packed in from this Cajun banh mi at @thecommissary_nola .

It is their #Coolinary lunch offer, paired with a Vietnamese affogato (which I got to go and so of course had dessert first).

It shows off the in-house charcuterie program here, with tasso and rillettes.

It’s on @bellegardebakery bread, a reminder that the brand is part of the Commissary now and baking right here.

It’s dressed with carrot and mirliton because this is a Brennan place and they work in lots of local touches (plus fish sauce and jalapenos).

And the coffee is from @congregation_coffee (run by the cousin of the Commissary operators, local family coffee connection).

$16 for the Coolinary combo

#wherenolaeats #igersneworleans #nolaeats #nolafoodie #nolafood #nolalife #neworleansfood #visitnola #visitneworleans #coolinary Less