A little coco?. . . Orleans Parish’s one and only Korean BBQ restaurant has closed to become Orleans Parish’s one and only Korean BBQ restaurant! Altering the name from Little Korea BBQ to Coco Korea BBQ wasn’t the only change to the Magazine Street spot. Young Yoon and her mother, fresh from Alabama, are focused on offering a lot more than great Korean BBQ. Homey dishes like samgyetang (ginseng chicken soup with red dates) and deonjang jjigae (fermented soybean paste stew often made with shrimp, potato and zuchini) will be offered along with popular favorites crispy fish katsu and osam bulgogi (squid and pork stir fry) in a spicy-sweet gochujang sauce.
2240 Magazine St., (504) 821-5006, cocobbqnola.com
Breakfast is back! … Local-born, Gulf coast-wide breakfast and brunch chain Ruby Slipper reopened their Canal Street location after a five-year hiatus due to the Hard Rock Hotel collapse. With some repairs and renovations, including installation of the bar from the Ruby Slipper’s original location on S. Cortez in Mid-City, and large scale black and white photos showcasing the restaurant’s history. “This reopening is not just a celebration of our past, but a commitment to the vibrant future of our city,” says co-founder Jennifer Weishaupt. “It’s an investment in the heart of our beloved city, a contribution to the revitalization of Canal Street, and a symbol of resilience for the entire community.”
1001 Canal St., (504) 420-6200, rubybrunch.com
No shells . . . Speaking of brunch, OnePack Hospitality – the folks behind The Vintage and Legacy Steak + Chop in Gretna – just launched a new brunch-based concept in the Lower Garden District dubbed Crack’D. The bright yellow eatery opened on Sophie B Wright Place in the space that formerly housed Munch Factory, right across the street from the Half Moon, after a million dollar renovation. The refurbished building is shining bright with floral banquettes and a menu that’s mostly about brunch. Blue crab rangoons and lacquered duck bacon towers share menu space with Gulf Shrimp Cobb salads and Eggs Sardou, but we can’t stop dreaming about the “Fried Chicken + Waffle Cone” with praline-whipped goat cheese and hot sauce maple glaze.
1901 Sophie Wright Pl., (504) 381-4678, crackdbrunch.com
It’s a bleu! . . . The blue and white striped-awninged home of Creole Bread Pudding Soufflé and exemplary service launched Le Petit Bleu, a “crêperie, café and marché,” a petit homage to the crêperies of Paris, right here in the Garden District. Commander’s Palace Executive Chef Meg Bickford created a menu inspired by Ti and Lally’s many trips to Paris with Miss Ella, with breakfast, lunch and early dinner offerings touting a “New Haute Creole twist.” Along with Italian espresso coffee drinks and canned cocktails, guests can eat in the little blue cafe or get their Commander’s to-go, dishes like turtle soup, white bean cassoulet, cinnamon streusel coffee cake muffins and, the pièce de résistance, both sweet and savory crepes.
1427 Washington Ave., (504) 207-1343, order.toasttab.com/online/le-petite-bleu-1427-washington-avenue
Where the wild things eat . . . Chef Ana Castro is doing her own thing (see Acamaya, a Mexican seafood restaurant) her former kitchen Lengua Madre has transformed into Wild South. Coquette chef/owner Mike Stoltzfus rethought his LGD space, hired Bret Macris (formerly the chef de cuisine at Cochon) as Executive Chef and they co-crafted Wild South’s $85 tasting menu. Chef Marcris is featuring an eclectic mix of local and West Coast flavors with dishes like Gulf Shrimp with strawberries and caviar, and grilled cobia with squash and shiitake mushrooms.
1245 Constance St., wildsouthrestaurant.com
Can you hear the music? . . . Originally opened over 80 years ago, the Dew Drop Inn, an iconic, yet long defunct New Orleans landmark has re-opened their doors. The legendary inn has long been known for hosting musical masters, high caliber creators such as Guitar Slim, James Brown, Ray Charles and countless others, and when it opened its doors just a few months ago, patrons young and old were all too thrilled to hear jazz on Lesalle Street again. Developer Curtis Doucette Jr. purchased the building from Kenneth Jackson, the previous owner’s grandson, and spent the past year bringing it back to life.
Along with the music and lodgings, the “Drop” also offers foodstuffs from Chef Marilyn Doucette, founder of Meals from the Heart Cafe. Local comfort foods including red beans and rice, grillades and grits, and gumbo are front and center on the menu.
2836 Lasalle St., (504) 948-3002, dewdropinnnola.com
*Article originally published in the May 2024 issue of Where Y’at Magazine
**Lead image by Randy Schmidt
