New Orleans restaurants are constantly winning national accolades throughout the year. From fresh selections to the creativity of local Chefs, the food offerings in the Big Easy can’t be beat. Though 2020 and into 2021 was a rough one for many restaurants, those that have persevered and continued to fill our bellies despite these hardships deserve all the love.
For two New Orleans restaurants in particular, 2021 is looking up now more than ever! Two local restaurants – one that just opened up 2 months ago – has received national recognition from The New York Times in The Restaurant List for 2021. The list includes “50 places in America [they’re] most excited about right now.”
Brigsten’s
located at
Brigsten’s is no new name to sharing what New Orleans food is all about, opening in 1986. Winning James Beard Awards and other accolades is no new feat for Chef Frank Brigsten, but one that is definitely deserved! Chef Brigsten is at “the forefront of a new generation of New Orleans chefs” that are revitalizing Creole/Acadian cooking. Last year (amid a pandemic and all), Brigsten himself self-published two cookbooks with instructions for all looking to spruce up their New Orleans cooking.
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Utilizing fresh, local ingredients and and daily rotating menu + seasonal specials, Frank Brigsten & his wife have “applied an inventive personal touch to seven years of training in classic Louisiana cooking under internationally-acclaimed Chef Paul Prudhomme.” Paying tribute to our unique Louisiana culture and traditional food, Chef Brigsten knocks it out of the park, and guests near and far they can anticipate a unique dish.
“Mr. Brigtsen’s rabbit-andouille gumbo, roasted tripletail amandine, and pork chops with tasso-sweet potato hash are still-vibrant artifacts from a fading era when chefs merged Cajun cuisine with the urban Creole cooking of New Orleans. What was once a radical fusion tastes today like it springs from Louisiana’s wetlands.”
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Lengua Madre
Located at 1245 Constance St.
According to the “Uptown Messenger,” Lengua Madre opened up on August 4. The restaurant located at the corner of Thalia and Constance Street is the solo endeavor of Chef Ana Castro. Chef Castro has worked in multiple popular restaurants around town including Coquette and Thalia, but her diverse work history expands far beyond the city. Please note that the menu at Lengua Madre is a 5-course tasting menu.
The tasting menu offerings from Chef Castro tell a story “about the food that shaped her.” Each course carries a “plot point” showcasing her passion for cooking and Mexican heritage fusion. When you step into Lengua Madre, “you are stepping into the kitchens of her grandmother in Mexico City, her apartments in Denmark and New York, and her current home in New Orleans.” The restaurant closed due to Hurricane Ida damages, but reopened this past Friday, October 15.
Reservations available now on Resy – books yours here.
“Ms. Castro has created something truly unusual: a prix-fixe place with the approachable air of a neighborhood cafe.”
– The New York Times
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