Sometimes you leave a restaurant ready to talk about the whole experience, and sometimes the story comes down to one dish you really want to have again, and think others should know about, too. Or maybe it was that one drink.
![NO.mrshrimp.adv_8009.JPG](https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/d/b8/db85c69c-1421-5261-80fe-3ca280d8e853/65d56d303fd0a.image.jpg?resize=150%2C100 150w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/d/b8/db85c69c-1421-5261-80fe-3ca280d8e853/65d56d303fd0a.image.jpg?resize=200%2C133 200w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/d/b8/db85c69c-1421-5261-80fe-3ca280d8e853/65d56d303fd0a.image.jpg?resize=225%2C150 225w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/d/b8/db85c69c-1421-5261-80fe-3ca280d8e853/65d56d303fd0a.image.jpg?resize=300%2C200 300w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/d/b8/db85c69c-1421-5261-80fe-3ca280d8e853/65d56d303fd0a.image.jpg?resize=400%2C267 400w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/d/b8/db85c69c-1421-5261-80fe-3ca280d8e853/65d56d303fd0a.image.jpg?resize=540%2C360 540w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/d/b8/db85c69c-1421-5261-80fe-3ca280d8e853/65d56d303fd0a.image.jpg?resize=640%2C427 640w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/d/b8/db85c69c-1421-5261-80fe-3ca280d8e853/65d56d303fd0a.image.jpg?resize=750%2C500 750w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/d/b8/db85c69c-1421-5261-80fe-3ca280d8e853/65d56d303fd0a.image.jpg?resize=990%2C660 990w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/d/b8/db85c69c-1421-5261-80fe-3ca280d8e853/65d56d303fd0a.image.jpg?resize=1035%2C690 1035w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/d/b8/db85c69c-1421-5261-80fe-3ca280d8e853/65d56d303fd0a.image.jpg?resize=1200%2C800 1200w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/d/b8/db85c69c-1421-5261-80fe-3ca280d8e853/65d56d303fd0a.image.jpg?resize=1333%2C888 1333w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/d/b8/db85c69c-1421-5261-80fe-3ca280d8e853/65d56d303fd0a.image.jpg?resize=1476%2C984 1476w, https://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/nola.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/d/b8/db85c69c-1421-5261-80fe-3ca280d8e853/65d56d303fd0a.image.jpg?resize=1763%2C1175 2008w)
That's a lot of seafood being squeezed into a to-go tray at Mr. Shrimp's Kitchen in the food court at the Riverwalk in New Orleans on Thursday, February 8, 2024. (Photo by Chris Granger, The Times-Picayune)
That’s why I’m rounding up some of the top tastes I’ve had recently to give some quick ideas for your next outing, from comfort food to upscale destination dining. These are highlights from my notebook and recent stories to give you a quick glimpse of some new and enduring options.
Let’s go:
Lamb tibs at Addis NOLA, 2514 Bayou Rd., 504-218-5321
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Lamb tibs over injera bread at Addis NOLA
This Ethiopian restaurant always feels like a celebration, thanks to the way Prince Lobo and the crew here run the vibrant room, with that eagerness to share the depth and richness of the heritage they're presenting. That was true at its first, snug location, and much more so now at this showplace on Bayou Road.
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The dining room has a mix of contemporary and traditional influences at Addis NOLA, the Ethiopian restaurant on Bayou Road in New Orleans. (Staff photo by Ian McNulty, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune)
My go-to dish is the lamb tibs ($22), a generous spread of juicy chunks of tender lamb between onions and jalapeños and garlic. It's served over sour, stretchy injera bread, which you tear pieces off to use as utensils. This food is hearty and satisfying, but even during the hot summer something about the spice and injera makes it feel lighter than expected. I leave Addis NOLA energized.
Pescado sarandeado at Tacos del Cartel, 1010 Girod St., 504-354-9038
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A spread of dishes include the carna asada and the pescado sarandeado at Tacos del Cartel in downtown New Orleans. (Staff photo by Ian McNulty, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune)
Whole fish is usually a visually appealing presentation (provided you can look your dinner eye to eye). This one at the grandly designed, downtown version of Tacos del Cartel is particularly stunning, but it was still the seemingly humble tortillas on the side that really make the dish special.
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An installation called the trees of life is a centerpiece in the dining room at Tacos del Cartel in downtown New Orleans. (Staff photo by Ian McNulty, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune)
The pescado sarandeado ($45) is a dish to share. It brings a whole red snapper butterflied and grilled with dueling sauces on each flank — sharp jalapeño chile adobo on one, more mellow, earthy chile guajillo adobo on the other.
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Blue and yellow corn tortillas are made in house at Tacos del Cartel in downtown New Orleans. (Staff photo by Ian McNulty, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune)
You pull this apart and make your own fish tacos on tortillas that have a bakery-fresh taste, with an aroma and texture that elevates everything that goes in. Try the blue corn version, or the red corn tortillas if available.
Kashmiri fried chicken at Mister Mao, 4501 Tchoupitoulas St., 504-345-2056
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Kashmiri fried chicken at Mister Mao restaurant on Tchoupitoulas Street in New Orleans. (Photo by Chris Granger | The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate)
Chef Sophina Uong’s global, alluringly unconventional menus are always changing, but the platter of Kashmiri fried chicken ($22) has been one menu anchor. It's a take on hot fried chicken that's not slathered in sauce, but rather works a pulsing Pakistani beat of earthy cumin spice into the chicken itself and the crunchy batter. The juicy pieces of pink pineapples are like sweet pickles on top.
Pepperoni pizza from St. Pizza, 1152 Magazine St., 504-603-7771
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Whole pies in two sizes (full and "tavern") are served in the dining room at St. Pizza, which makes New York-style pizza in New Orleans. (Staff photo by Ian McNulty, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune)
The path to the perfect pizza starts with simplicity. Are the sauce and toppings straightforward, not fancified, and in balance? Does the bottom crust achieve that golden mean of crisp and chew? Will leftovers attain their own distinct appeal when eaten cold direct from the fridge at midnight and find a third act when run through the toaster oven the next day? At St. Pizza, the answers are “yes” across the board (and “oh my God, yes” regarding the crust).
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St. Pizza serves a New York-style pizza by the slice from a walk-up window in the Lower Garden District of New Orleans. (Staff photo by Ian McNulty, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune)
It’s everything I’m looking for from a New York-style pie ($6 slice, $25 or $35 pie). Get them in two sizes in the tavern (itself a picture of perfected simplicity). Or get a slice from the walk-up window to eat on the sidewalk or take a few steps away St. Pizza’s sibling Patron Saint, the wine shop/wine bar.
Beet Reuben at Bearcat Baked, 726 Julia St., 504-513-4994
When the Green Room closed down this spring, it left a void for its Slavic soul flavors in general and a few dishes in particular. One of those was the beet Reuben. I found a new version ($12) at Bearcat Baked, the sibling café to the bigger Bearcat Cafe restaurants (and a clutch pick for brunch downtown that’s usually easier to access than the full Bearcat around the corner).
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Bearcat Baked in downtown New Orleans prepares a vegan beet Reuben sandwich on house-made bread. (Staff photo by Ian McNulty, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune)
This is a vegan sandwich with a broad appeal, built on baker Cat Colby-Pariseau’s country loaf. The beets have a rich, caramelized flavor and soft texture against the coarsely-cut red cabbage slaw. It hits all the buttons with its griddle-crisp goodness.
Shrimp boil at Mr. Shrimp’s Kitchen, at Riverwalk Outlets, 500 Port Orleans Place
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Larry Thompson Jr., aka Mr. Shrimp, dancing and singing at his cooks during lunchtime at Mr. Shrimp's Kitchen in the food court inside the Riverwalk in New Orleans on Thursday, February 8, 2024. (Photo by Chris Granger, The Times-Picayune)
A first-class Louisiana seafood boil in a shopping mall food court? Can this be real? It is, and Mr. Shrimp, the professional persona of Larry Thompson, is indeed the real deal and will make you a believer. His seafood stand exudes personality in equal measure to the flavors.
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Food from Mr. Shrimp's Kitchen in the food court at the Riverwalk in New Orleans on Thursday, February 8, 2024. (Photo by Chris Granger, The Times-Picayune)
This combo platter ($34.99) brings it all, starting with fat shrimp plus crabs and sides that are not playing second fiddle, especially the boiled turkey necks you’ll want to take down to the bone.
Soft shell crab at Clancy’s Restaurant, 6100 Annunciation St., 504-895-1111
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The soft shell crab at Clancy's Restaurant in New Orleans is smoked and then fried and finished with more crabmeat. (Photo by Chris Granger, The Times-Picayune)
New Orleans menus do bring a few ameliorations through all the ravages of summer, and one is the seasonal availability of soft shell crabs. The version ($38.75) that Clancy’s runs as a special this time of year might just be the highest use of the resource. The crabs are gently smoked, then fried, then plated with a quick meunière sauce with more crabmeat. You can taste that lace of smoke under the fried crust for a bite that just bursts with sweet crab flavor.
Pho tai chin at Pho Bang, 1901 Veterans Blvd., (504) 381-4345
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Pho with rare beef and brisket, plus a side of egg rolls, at Pho Bang in Metairie, the newest location of a family business. (Staff photo by Ian McNulty, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune)
Pho is a dish that flows through family tradition, and that’s true of Pho Bang, a network of family-run restaurants. This one opened in 2020 just a week before the pandemic shut down all restaurants temporarily, but it soon bubbled back up.
For this pho tai chin ($11.75), slices of lean, cooked brisket and raw beef are laid raw over the noodles, the latter swiftly cooking in the broth en route to the table. That broth too is beefy and restorative. Add a clutch of bubbly-crusted fried egg rolls and a strong, sweet café sua da (iced coffee) and it becomes my version of a happy meal.
Henrietta martini at Hotel Henrietta, 3500 St. Charles Ave., 504-358-8818
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The Henrietta martini at the Hotel Henrietta on St. Charles Avenue, where the patio overlooks passing streetcars. (Staff photo by Ian McNulty, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune)
Yes, you can now get a Flour Moon bagel Uptown at the Hotel Henrietta, thanks to a collaboration that has been a gift to the bagel lovers of New Orleans. But the other connection to know about is that this new boutique hotel is a sister property to Columns Hotel just down the street and the oyster bar Fives in the French Quarter.
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The Hotel Henrietta on St. Charles Avenue has a lounge in its lobby opening to a patio facing the streetcar line. (Staff photo by Ian McNulty, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune)
It continues their fine ways with cocktails, which you can order at the check-in desk that doubles as a bar (and a Flour Moon dispensary). Start with this namesake cocktail ($15), which gives elements of a side car with a dose of cognac, a Manhattan with bitters and vermouth, and brings the cut-through-the-humidity qualities of a martini. Watch the streetcars rumbling past as you sip.