Where Y'Eat

One night recently at Commander's Palace the two reigning queens of New Orleans cuisine shared a table and, for a moment, the spotlight. It got me thinking about the long game, one so long we can't even see it amid the hubbub of what's new, who's ranked where, and which spot is getting all the attention. It got me thinking about the future, and who’s next.

Fried chicken gets people fired up, and I don’t just mean hungry. But why? I’ve done some digging, and some digging in, and I’ve found a few reasons, beyond the simple fact that it’s delicious. The timing is important. Fried chicken is top of mind in New Orleans right now because this Sunday, Sept. 25, the new Fried Chicken Festival debuts downtown, in Lafayette Square.

Back in the day, neighborhoods had their own butcher, their own baker and, well, maybe not their own candlestick maker, but at least other purveyors who were masters of their trades. You get the point. Today, butcher shops are making a comeback in New Orleans. But while the old butcher shop techniques are often the same, the way this next generation courts customers has changed. They’re finding new ways to introduce the prospect of a full butcher’s case to a clientele that may have been raised

Prosciutto and salami, pate and terrines, tasso and jerky and cracklin’. These are the staples of meat boards and charcuterie platters now so popular in the restaurant world. But lately, we're also finding seafood versions of all of this, often presented together as creative seafood charcuterie spreads.

Keeping some semblance of cool as our summer heat rages on can take some strategy. We park the car under oak limbs and walk on the shady side of the street. We keep ice water handy and, when it's time to eat, something cool and light sounds like just the thing. But across the spectrum, there is another way, and it’s to embrace the heat, to own it. Revel in fiery foods and you may just beat the heat at its own game.

When everything is torn apart, we gravitate to what brings us together. In Louisiana for all the hardships we’ve seen on the ragged edge of that equation, we’re fortunate to be so strong on the other side. Our shared food culture is one of those anchors.

Back in the early days for Angelo Brocato Ice Cream, back when it started in the French Quarter more than a century ago, it was common for customers to queue up on hot summer mornings toting their own pitchers.

At some point, New Orleans gets so damn hot you’re ready to let someone else do the cooking. Lately one of my top candidates for that job has been citrus. That’s the alchemy of ceviche, the way citric acid from lime and other fruit transforms raw seafood without going anywhere near the stove. The texture tightens, its surface whitens and the result is a bracingly bright, utterly light seafood dish that feels so in synch with the season.

It seems like any building with enough room for a kitchen hood and a few tables is liable to be drafted into the growing ranks of eateries in New Orleans these days, nevermind its original purpose or design. In Mid-City, however, one of the dining scene’s newest additions has taken up residence in what has long been a distinguished New Orleans hybrid. Vessel opened recently in the old church on Iberville Street that for nearly 30 years was home to Christian's Restaurant, and which later had a

The meal started with a sticky cluster of peanuts spiked with chiles that temporarily numbed the tongue. There was a salad that had the crunch of fresh-cut slaw and brought a bona fide caffeinated buzz from bits of fermented tea leaves strewn throughout.