It turns out I’ve been going to @herbsaint_nola for 25 years, because incredibly that is the anniversary they are marking this month.

I went last week and it was, as always, bustling, consistent, and also different, that unique ability to be the same restaurant you remember but always with something new and enticing coming through.

These days, chef Donald Link and chef de cuisine Tyler Spreen are working more Japanese dishes into the menu after what had to be a pretty inspirational eating trip over there.

So, chicken and sausage gumbo next to crudo with apple, ginger and ponzu.

Duck leg confit with the skin so crisp you can tap out a song with your knife tip before cutting into the tender dark meat , and also chawanmushi , the savory custard, with crab and pickled chanterelles and a smoky whiff in the dashi.

The spaghetti with fried egg had to be on the table.

And the meal had to end with the banana brown butter tart, which seemed even better than usual, although maybe that’s just the effect of again tasting a dish that has long lived in my memory, which is one of the things valued restaurants give us through their own longevity.

Continuing for the next few weeks, they are running specials that show the different pieces of this ongoing journey

Link in my bio has the full read on what it’s like to visit Herbsaint today and also a look back with our archive photos through the years.

Remember what Herbsaint first looked like? Check it out

#wherenolaeats #igersneworleans #nolaeats #nola #nolafoodie #nolafood #visitneworleans #visitnola #neworleans Less