The January Hit List: Jolie, Galatoire’s, Mister Mao, and More

Since 1905 regulars have been willing to stand in line for hours on the sidewalk to secure a white-clothed table at this French-Creole institution. (Only recently did this policy change when the restaurant became a Resy partner.)

Most regulars could not even tell you what the menu looks like. They rely on their trusted, courtly usual waiter to bring them what is fresh and looks best from chef Philip Lopez’s kitchen. Shrimp with sauce remoulade and crabmeat maison are foolproof starters. If they are on offer, fried trout almandine, broiled pompano, and fried soft-shell crabs — each of which will come ladled over with meunière sauce for the asking (pro tip: ask) — are not to be missed.

Men must wear jackets in the dining rooms after 5 p.m. and all day on Sunday. Pro tip: Wear a jacket. They will not let you off the hook, and you will be obliged to wear a soup-stained loaner if you do not have your own. Sneakers, tank tops, and flip-flops are never welcome. Step it up and enjoy a classic. 

Managing partner Andrew Duncan christened newcomer Jolie a “loungerie”: a mashup between lounge and brasserie. Velvet, leather, and tapestry form the backdrop for a standout beverage program headed up by Kiah Darion from Bar Marilou and Will Lester from Longway Tavern. Over-the-top and playful cocktails are crafted with props, including blow torches and glitter. The house take on a French 75 arrives in a flute with a baggie of Pop Rocks suspended from the rim. Pour in the contents for mega bubbles.

Chef Indigo “Soul” Martin, who formerly ran the pop-up Indigo Soul Cuisine, now turns out Frenchified shareable plates of snails in a curried sauce to be mopped up with bread, whipped foie gras piped on sourdough toast rounds, and crisp frites ladled over with a meaty duck gravy for a take on poutine.

Live bands take the stage on Thursdays, DJs on weekends. The second Wednesday of the month brings Cirque de Jolie with sword swallowers, aerialists, and the like. A table is a big get, so fire up those Notifys.

In the early 1970s Dick Brennan Sr., was struck with the idea to invite a lively jazz trio to play for the post-church crowd at the fledgling restaurant his family had recently bought.

In bringing together the booze, food, and music trifecta the Brennan family created a new genre in New Orleans dining — where it was perfectly acceptable to party hardy on Sunday morning and then return home for a nap. The winning formula has been replicated, but the original continues to thrive.

Chef Meg Bickford’s menu changes constantly and may include poached eggs with cochon de lait: pork shoulder rubbed with hot sauce and garlic, slow smoked for 18 hours, then  served over hot buttermilk biscuits, topped with two soft poached eggs and Hollandaise studded with smoked tasso.

Pro tip: Request a table in the Garden Room or one of the patio dining rooms, but be prepared to take whatever you can get in this tough-to-land spot.

Celebrated chef Frank Brigtsen honed his considerable skills under the tutelage of the late legendary chef Paul Prudhomme, who backed his prized charge when Brightsen opened his namesake in 1986.

Housed in a cozy Riverbend shotgun cottage, the warm, familial vibe is kept by Marna Brigtsen as a fitting backdrop for her husband’s contemporary Creole cuisine. Mainstays include an unusual seafood platter you will never see anywhere but here, with redfish topped with a sauce of shrimp and smoked cashews; plus cornbread with hunks of shrimp and smoked corn butter; baked oysters Fortuna; New Orleans-style barbecue shrimp with a rice calas griddlecake; and roast duck served with dirty rice and a sauce of dried tart cherries. They all show the link between the city’s dining history and its present.

Call 504-861-7610 for a (tough-to-land) reservation. 

Cooking demon Sophina Uong and her husband and business partner William “Wildcat” Greenwell turned a ho-hum former corner store into a tropical roadhouse before naming it after their cat and busting open the doors in 2020. It has become a go-to spot for “inauthentic” global cuisine from Uong and killer craft cocktails from Greenwell with names like Daddy Issues and, yes, Uncle Butthead.

Open for dinner and weekend brunch, the menu is subject to Uong’s considerable whims, but a dependable stalwart is the mind-blowing Kashmiri-spiced fried chicken. (Pro tip: Get an order for the table.) Appearances may be made by jelly doughnuts with orange flower water and cardamom sugar; chicken tinga chilaquiles; and Thai shrimp cake with eggs, mustard greens, curry, and hot-ass fish sauce vinaigrette. There is always a substantial choice of gluten-free offerings.

Chef Michael Gulotta and Jeffrey Bybee’s third restaurant — the others being Maypop and MoPho, both of which focus on Southeast Asian flavors— shift focus a bit, to provide an ode to the chef’s Sicilian heritage.

A fortune was spent. The showy stunner goes the route of culinary theater with a centrally-located station where pasta is crafted. A cart moves about the dining room for tableside preparation of tagliatelle alla ruota, classically executed within a wheel of cheese. The flavors are bright with lemon zest and funky with aged Parmigiano Reggiano. There’s a menu of small plates — saucy meatballs, tender arancini, zeppole, arancini. Large plates include pork chop Parmesan for two, silken veal marsala, and a tomahawk rib-eye.

Call 504-533-8262 for a reservation.

Film veterans and newcomers to the restaurant business Alixandra Petrovitch and Paul McCaige recently launched Rosella (named for her grandmother) just steps from the Canal streetcar route in a residential neighborhood. Petrovitch stocked a vintage jukebox with 45s of New Orleans classic tunes she snagged from her mom and aunt to create a warm, relaxed vibe that scratches the itch for the city’s homey neighborhood restaurants of a bygone era.

Chef Jacob Zambarano ‘s kitchen turns out rethought comfort foods: an andouille corn dog with Creole mustard; artichoke and cheese manicotti; and meatloaf with cauliflower purée and onion gravy. Chilled red bean, lentil, and eggplant salads satisfy the vegan crowd. Desserts include re-fried Hubig’s pies served with gelato from nearby Angelo Brocato confectionary.

The easy prices wash down with low-intervention, biodynamic wines by the glass, carafe, or bottle—most from small, women-owned vineyards—specialty cocktails, mocktails, local beers, and THC/CBD seltzers. Sno-balls, both boozy and traditional, will hit the back patio when temperatures rise again

Pro tip: There’s a fun kids’ menu, so skip the sitter.

Walk in, or call 504-766-6642 for a reservation. 

Chef Donald Link (2007 James Beard Best Chef-South) opened his king-maker in 2000, launching his Link Restaurant Group, which has propelled a generation of culinary talents. Stephen Stryjewski (Cochon), Ryan Prewitt (Pêche), Rebecca Wilcomb (Gianna), and Maggie Scales (La Boulangerie) each did turns in the kitchen. Others moved through here before launching their noteworthy restaurants—Marjie’s Grill, Costera, Osteria Lupo, and The Company Burger, to name a few. Today the standard for excellence is kept by chef de cuisine Tyler Spreen. His seasonal Frech-Southern menu is complimented by an exceptional wine program and service.

In a town awash in gumbo the one here is a standard-bearer. Tender bites of chicken float in a deep, dark, silken roux and flavorful broth rich with smokey hunks of andouille sausage and bright with slivers of scallion. Make use of that basket of warm bread to mop every drop of gumbo from your bowl.

This unpretentious spot holds fond memories for generations. The quadfecta is an unpretentious dining room, a resistance to change (reservations remain phone-only, as with Brigtsen’s), a killer wine list, and a seasonally driven menu. The linens are white. The prices are reasonable. The lack of foolishness is comforting.

Fried Gulf oysters might show up with roasted delicata squash, blue cheese, and a red wine gastrique. The unorthodox combination remains within the confines that allow the 38-year-old restaurant to remain true to itself, neither succumbing to boredom nor idiocy. When in season the buttery goodness of a soft shell crab is kissed by the smoker, then fried for a crisp exterior before hitting the plate, perhaps with citrus beurre blanc. (Pro tip: Get a pile of jumbo lump crabmeat dumped on top.) Double-cut pork chops also benefit from a trip through the smoker before being seared and served with a Creole mustard sauce.

The celebrated wine list exhaustively covers selections from the United States and France.

Reservations open one month to the day in advance; call 504-895-1111.

Chef Eric Cook’s flagship is firmly rooted in New Orleans’ singular style of warm hospitality and features inspired takes on the southern cuisine locals cherish, and visitors seek out.

Expertly fried oysters make two memorable appearances. They are the main attraction on a salad with crisp little gem lettuce, thin shavings of radish, a scattering of bleu cheese, and a hint of sugarcane vinaigrette. They co-star in a fun take on a BLT alongside cubes of smoked pork belly and a complex tomato jam. Shrimp and grits are elevated beyond the usual with silken tomato butter and smoked sausage. Deeply satisfying, Cook’s chicken and dumplings has the power to bring a warm smile to the stoniest of faces, thanks to a last-minute addition of fresh thyme. Nab a spot on the deep second-floor balcony overlooking Magazine and Felicity Streets if you can, and enjoy excellent people-watching.

King Cake Hub opens for the season at 9 p.m. on January 5. On offer will be numerous varieties of king cakes from numerous places including Brennan’s traditional and Pink Parade king cakes; Steve Himmelfarb’s (of now-shuttered Cake Cafe) goat cheese and apple king cake; king cakes from Caludas’s, Cannata’s, Caywood, Randazzo, Joe Gambino’s, Hi-Do, Bywater, Breads on Oak, Gracious, Bittersweet, and Sugar Love bakeries; Big Boys Gooey Cakes; and gluten-and dairy-free king cakes made in partnership with students from The New Orleans Center for the Culinary Arts program, and more. The hub shares space in the Zony Mash Beer Project, making it possible to take a yoga class and then slam a pint of beer with a hunk of king cake through midnight on Lundi Gras (Feb 12).

No preorders, no reservations, no shipping, no telephone. Just show up or go here for more information.