Where to Eat in November: LUVI, Vaucresson’s, Bar Brine, and More

Blessed be a temperature dip, and the patio of this hotel on St Charles is a superb spot to revel in the drop. The burger, with bacon marmalade and provolone, is a fine specimen, and the menu has recently turned autumnal with dishes like butternut squash planks coated in pumpkin seeds and salsa macha.

Finally, finally, finally: The Vaucresson family’s new shop on St Bernard is now open. Yes, you could buy the famed sausages in flavors such as Creole Hot and Creole Crawfish online or eat them at local festivals. But there’s nothing quite like buying in-person. After all, the Vaucressons have been making sausages for more than 100 years. Bonus: this charming video from the extended family itself.

Contact Vaucresson’s Sausage Company at 855.727.3653.

The New Orleans forefather of the modern-day cocktail renaissance is now on Resy. Sure, you could — and should — pony up to the bar any ole time. But if you want to ensure you have a table at precisely the hour you need it, make a reservation. Expect precision-engineered cocktails, a rotating menu of seasonal specials, and thoughtful service. Plus, snacks, if you like!

Charly Pierre’s neo-Haitian restaurant is an endless gift to the city. So, too, are his Sunday brunch dishes, like plantain biscuits with oxtail gravy, and the dinner menu has smothered greens with a choice of protein and griyo, crisp pork chunks with rice and beans and fried plantains. There are also very New Orleans-meets-Haiti set-ups, in variations like Ti Punch and Clairin (Haitian moonshine). Go for brunch; go for dinner; just go.

Call 504.264.7899 to make reservations.

There are some meat and seafood dishes on the menu at this new-ish cousin to Sneaky Pickle. There are lots of vegan dishes, too. And many an influence from cuisines across the globe. Bar Brine resists easy categorization other than one, arguably the most important one: deliciousness. A recent meal featured Korean rice cake logs, chewy inside and crackly outside, in a sauce of winter squash and kicky mapo tofu. It was irresistible. Like Bar Brine itself.

Owner Kaitlin Guerin’s pastries are beautiful and showcase surprising, complementary flavors. You can find them at the café at the Elysian Bar on weekends, but if you want to experience her goods at their purest and most diverse, order a pastry box. Recently, the collection included a moringa pan de muerto in honor of Day of the Dead and a chocolate, Congregation Coffee, and poblano tart. Current offerings are listed on Lagniappe’s Instagram profile [https://www.instagram.com/lagniappebaking/?hl=en].

Contact Lagniappe Bakehouse at 504.302.8243.

Talk about a people pleaser: Diners in their 30s adore Luvi; grandparents rave about the restaurant’s Japanese- and Chinese-influenced fish preparations. That might mean double-fried hamachi collar, an item from the raw bar, or the fried tuna meatball. The menu’s wide-reaching charms strike a nerve for whatever kind of food you might be craving.

We love a restaurant that manages to be both refined and easygoing. Zasu is a welcoming combination of the two. Chef-owner Sue Zemanick has been cooking in New Orleans for years, and she knows how to make the most of the region’s ingredients. That might mean gem lettuces with blue cheese and cane vinaigrette or sauteed red snapper with butter beans and spicy butter. Cocktails are solid, the wine list smart, and service hospitable as it must be in New Orleans.

Oh, the magic of a pile of thin, crispy onion rings. Charlie’s knows what you want when you dine steak house-style. There are wedge-cut fries, more wedge in the guise of a classic wedge salad, sauteed garlicky mushrooms, and plenty of steak options, including a 26-ounce T-bone and an 18-ounce ribeye. Desserts, in an old-school, neighborly fashion, are from Angelo Brocato’s.

This “tropical roadhouse” on Tchoupitoulas is as raucous and delicious as ever. Not a place for the shy of palate, the flavors are big and uncompromising. Also uncompromising is chef-owner Sophina Uong’s commitment to giving back to the community. Keep an eye out for the restaurant’s regular supper club, which hosts a variety of local chefs for a meal to support a local organization. Last month’s event raised funds for Hurricane Ian relief.