The February Hit List: Vals, Miss Shirley’s, Rosedale, and More

There’s jerk chicken and shrimp and pork ribs and even a behemoth jerk platter that combines a variety of jerked proteins at this far Uptown Jamaican restaurant. There’s curry goat, chicken and shrimp, too. They are all superb. But there are surprises at 14 Parishes, too. Surprises like salmon sliders, a herring board and vegetarian plates, including curried chickpeas with potatoes and a creamy Rasta Pasta loaded with slivered bell peppers.

Hoo boy, it feels good to have Ms. Shirley Lee back in restaurant-land! The legendary proprietress of Royal China recently debuted her newest venture, this time in the thick of Magazine Street. You used to have to travel to Metairie or the West Bank for dim sum. Now you can have har gow (shrimp dumplings), salt and pepper tofu, and fried stuffed eggplant any ole day for either lunch or dinner. We love a rebirth.

Find more info here.

It has been more than two decades since Herbsaint opened on St Charles Avenue. It felt both classic and fresh in 2000; it still feels that way. Take the short rib appetizer: Short-rib trendiness has come and gone—and will likely come again soon. Years ago, you never saw it prepared with potato rosti and horseradish cream, as they did at Herbsaint. Well, it’s still available, and it is as comforting and smart as it was ages ago. That’s just how a meal is at Herbsaint. Like coming home, but livelier. (And, oh, that wine list.)

There’s something reassuring about a restaurant that covers its bases. During brunch at Sala you can eat a crawfish omelette, a seared tuna salad with sesame vinaigrette, or a Kentucky Hot Brown. A Kentucky Hot Brown! When is the last time you had one of those delightful open-faced turkey sandwiches? Dinner pulls a similar wide-reaching feat. (Bonus: If you happen to read this right as February strikes, check out Sala’s five-course Feb. 1 wine dinner.)

During the height of the pandemic, a faction of New Orleans went bonkers for the pop-ups from this Northeast-style pizza venture. These days, Zee’s has a brick-and-mortar, and its fans are as rabid as ever. The pizza, as befits its origins, is thin and crispy and soul-satisfying. Consider the Bye Felicia, with its interplay of pepperoni, ricotta, and hot honey. Or strip away the tomato for a white pie with two kinds of mozzarella, ricotta, garlic butter. 

Find more info here.

The salmon and yellow pastel color scheme is so very relaxing. The Mexican eats, less so, in an enviable way. The salsas have true kick, the Caesar salad pays homage to the OG version from Tijuana, and the cocktails have ballast and character. No wonder the drinks are as on point as the eats are, being the team from Cure is behind Vals. Happy hour runs from 4–6pm every day, by the way.

The owners of this Oak Street seafood palace love creatures of the sea about as much as they love cheery beachside restaurants. You get a sense for both when you dine here. The gumbo, loaded with shrimp, crab, oyster, okra, and andouille from Jacob’s Smokehouse in LaPlace screams hometown love. The thin-sliced fried pickles are a nod to the coastal eats of Florida. The Louisiana Crab-Santhemum, with its chilled crab fingers and lump crab, is a blessing in honor of the famed Swan Oyster Depot in San Francisco. This is seafood admiration done right.

Everybody needs a vacation. And Plume’s owners recent return to India is a boon for us. Because the pair came back refreshed and the menu is now invigorated by what they ate while wandering the subcontinent. Some recent examples: Indo-Chinese chile baby corn; shrimp ghee roast; shukto (a Bengali stew plucky with mustard). A meal here has always been a stunner; these days, Plume might be better than ever.

“Hidden gem” is used often enough that it has nearly been stripped of its meaning. But here we go anyhow: Cafe Porche, situated in a recessed location off Baronne, is a wee marvel, and, yes, a hidden gem. It is where to begin your day with impeccable fish and grits, aka the Lake View Morning, and fluffy French toast (Good Morning Sweetness). Or, come lunchtime, smothered liver and onions or the Black Pearl, oyster dressing loaded into French bread and topped with fried oysters napped with cream sauce.

Find more info here. 

Forever a legend, Susan Spicer is often in the kitchen at her casual outpost near the cemeteries on City Park Avenue and Canal. The menu is an all-star lineup of Southern-ish comfort-food eats, including a pimento cheese sandwich on sourdough, a meatloaf sandwich with bacon jam and arugula, and sticky BBQ shrimp. This being Spicer, there are also flicks at cuisines from farther afield. They include taramasalata and guacamole. It’s all good eating here.