Food News - April 24, 2014

00:00 March 24, 2014
By: Kim Ranjbar
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[Where Y'At Staff/Provided Photo]

Premium prix fixe … Besh Steak, located in Harrah's Casino on Poydras Street, recently launched a weeknight, three-course, prix fixe dinner menu for only $40 per person. Chef de cuisine Paul Robert will update the menu monthly highlighting seasonal, locally-sourced ingredients. Although many restaurants offer a prix fixe menu for lunch, Besh Steak is offering theirs at dinner, giving guests the opportunity to afford three courses of delicious, creative dishes like Blanquette of Veal Ravioli, Korean Grilled Hanger Steak and Ponchatoula Strawberry Shortcake. "This is an excellent opportunity for guests to sample our locally-sourced cuisine that we are so lucky to have here in New Orleans," said Chef Paul Robert.
harrahsneworleans.com/restaurants/besh-steak

Lafayette to New Orleans … Owners Ryan Trahan and Blane Guillory have franchised a Southern-style, brunch-focused restaurant which originated in Lafayette, Louisiana, has expanded to Orange Beach and Houston, and is now landing here in the Garden District. The restaurant offers mainly breakfast and lunch fare (although Lafayette recently began offering dinner, too) featuring items like "Bananas In Pajamas"- banana egg rolls in a Banana's Foster sauce, Shrimp & Tasso Mac N' Cheese, three different kinds of Beignets and a "Benedict Po-Boy" with Canadian bacon. Followers on Facebook worried when they saw that the map pinned the location smack on top of Coquette on the corner of Magazine and Washington Avenue, but there's no need to fret. Brick & Spoon is being built in the empty lot right next door (2802) and hopes to be serving by summer 2014. brickandspoonrestaurant.com

In the pink with paleo … Local mom makes good — for everyone! Alicia Murphy, wife of Chef Matt Murphy, recently opened her own "food apothecary" dubbed Fare: Food for Health. In an effort to embrace a Paleo diet for herself and for her family, Murphy encountered a lack in dining and grocery options to support her own nutrition ideals. What started as creating healthful snacks for her family has expanded to her restaurant/grocery concept now located in a bright pink building on the corner of Magazine and Lyons. The shop offers organic and paleo-friendly, pre-prepared meals and snacks that you can take home or enjoy there with coffee or a smoothie. Tasty "to-go" snack items include assorted roasted nuts, kale chips, dried fruits and baked goods like her Paleo chocolate chip cookies. facebook.com/FAREFoodForHealth

Making the list … New Orleans' own historic French Market has recently been named to the Southern Food & Beverage Institute's National Culinary Heritage Register. The SoFAB National Culinary Heritage Register is a list of culinary products, processes, inventions, traditions, and establishments that are at least sixty years old and that have contributed significantly to the development of American foodways. The only register of its kind, the National Culinary Heritage Register is an initiative designed to explore and preserve the complex history of food and beverage in America. Open now for three hundred years, the New Orleans French Market has offered a fresh taste of the city and state's culture through its cuisine. All we can say is, "It's about time!" southernfood.org

Its own digs … After a successful stint as a pop-up inside the music club Chickie Wah Wah on Canal, The Sammich has opened it's own digs on Maple Street. Owner and chef Micheal Brewer is slinging his beloved sammiches in the building that previously held Singha Thai. Fans will be pleased to know that The Sammich's menu still offers favorites from the pop-up like LA crab meat deviled eggs and a duck confit sammich with brie and foie gras mayo, plus they also offer beer and cocktails after recently acquiring a liquor license. Although the neighborhood already sports a sandwich shop, this is something quite a bit different after all, "sanwiches make a good snack, but sammiches are forever." thesammich.com

Smoke signals … In the small, yellow building that once housed Finger Lick 'n Wings on the corner of Annunciation Street and Jackson Avenue, Rob Bechthold and his wife Emily have finally opened a permanent location for Nola Smokehouse and their catering business, Smokin' Buddha BBQieux. The restaurant, open only a few days a week to start, offers a simple menu featuring meats by the pound and half pound like pork butt and brisket, plus sides and sauces including sugarcane coleslaw, baked mac 'n' cheese and and "AppleQ BBQ Sauce." nolasmokehouse.com

Buh-bye bagels … In a shock to local bagel fanatics, Artz Bagelz has suddenly shuttered it's doors. The oft-frequented bagelry had attempted to open a second location in the Central Business District with no success but touted that the Uptown location was still going strong. So, it came as a great shock when the owners posted a note on their Facebook page stating "It is with deep regret and sorrow that we have to announce that Artz Bagelz has closed permanently." We'll miss you, too!

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