Por fin! … The anxiously-awaited brick and mortar version of restaurateur and chef Michael Gulotta’s Italian pop-up TANA from long, long a-Tréo opened mid-December 2023 in a newly-built, 5000 square-foot mostro on Metairie Road. The “upscale Italian” restaurant is serving dishes inspired by Gulotta’s grandmother Gaetana, like her roast chicken, or a fried eggplant with pork gravy. Other dishes from Gulotta’s own culinary genius make for a drool-stained keyboard (says the writer of this article) such as the savory zeppole with caviar and lardo butter, osso bucco arancini with saffron rice and whipped fonduta, or heaven help us – the “Pasta Con Vongole Nola” a.k.a. spaghetti with clams Gulotta-fied using hot sausage, saffron tomatoes, and house made – in front of God and everyone – squid ink trenette, a flat linguine-type noodle. We could go on, but suffice it to say, it’s open, make a dinner reservation, any day but Tuesday.
2919 Metairie Rd., (504) 533-8262, tanaitalian.com
Make it make sense! … A Philadelphia-born sandwich franchise dubbed PrimoHoagies opened up several months ago on Oak Street, home of the annual Oak Street Po-Boy Festival. The space which once housed a tabletop gaming cafe is now spinning out hoagies including Philly Cheesesteaks, corned beef “Schwartzies” and other Italian deli-like fare. We’re not saying you can’t have a hoagie shop on Oak Street, we’re just wondering why there aren’t any po-boy shops on Oak Street. It’s decidedly odd, isn’t it? Oh well! Geaux hoagies!
8228 Oak St., (504)315-1335, primohoagies.com
Let’s do dinner instead … The Mid-City spot on the corner of S. Cortez has been bringing the brunch vibes since Ruby Slipper originally opened there in 2008, but now the time has come for something different. Hollywood South alumnus Alixandra Petrovich and Paul McCaige are now the new owners of Rosella, a low-key, casual dinner spot with a “traditional American comfort” menu created by Chef Richard Hoerner, formerly of Blue Giant Chinese. Grab a smattering of small plates such as boudin balls, corn dogs, potato croquettes and fried shrimp remoulade to go with cocktails, mocktails or “approachable” wines. They also offer St. James Cheese-curated boards for snacking and larger plates like a pork chop with mashed sweet potato if you’re feeling ultra-peckish. Oh and bring the kiddos for chicken “nugs” and fries or a “Kidcuterie” plate.
139 S. Cortez St., (504) 766-6642, rosellamidcity.com
Ferry-bound for seconds . . . Jamaican food restaurant 14 Parishes recently opened it’s second location across the river in Algiers Point. A spot which seems to have made it’s rounds across the city, from Clio Street in Central City and at Downtown’s Pythian Market, all the way up to the Carrollton neighborhood to Oak Street, where they’ve remained since 2016. Now Chef Charles Blake and his wife have brought their award-winning jerk chicken across the Mighty Mississippi to Patterson Road and the people in the Point are already singing their praises. In addition to that fire jerk chicken and fried jerk wings, 14 Parishes also offers curry dishes, sliders and savory sides from callaloo and festival bread to cornbread and cabbage.
801 Patterson Rd., 14parishes.com
Breaded cats . . . Hopefully, the trend of putting a slice of bread on your cat’s face has at last fallen out of favor, but in other cat news . . . the popular breakfast and lunch spot Bearcat Cafe has launched Bearcat Bread, a bakery concept headed by the restaurant’s own pastry chef Catalina Colby-Pariseau and coffee roaster Micael Matthews of Alinea. The new bakery, dubbed Bearcat Baked, opened at the tail-end of 2023 on Julia Street in the Central Business District and New Orleanians have responded with alacrity, buying their fill of sourdough, ciabatta, roasted tomato and garlic focaccia, and buttermilk honey loaves. The new bakery features both sweet and savory pastries from cinnamon rolls and bear claws, to muffaletta-filled croissants and mushroom danishes with goat cheese.
726 Julia St., (504) 513-4994, bearcatbaked.com
Do we make you hungry, baby? … The New Orleans Marriott Warehouse Arts District hotel on Convention Center Boulevard recently opened Easy Virtue, a brunch-based but everything goes kind of place. The new restaurant, formerly home to Wolfe’s in the Warehouse, features a menu created by veteran Marriott chef Chad Roldan with dishes like the Pig Pop Tart with delicate pastry filled with cochon de lait and apples, sweet heat fried chicken sandwich with fried jalapenos on buttery brioche and (of course) fun brunchy cocktails like their “Cereal Milk Punch Y’all” with bourbon and selected cereal milk of the day.
878 Fulton St., easyvirtue.com
*Article originally published in the March 2024 issue of Where Y’at Magazine
