When the team behind the new restaurant Evviva in the Marigny chose that name, they made quite a statement. The word is an Italian exclamatory yelp of joy and delight. There is even a chunky exclamation point on the menu, connecting that joy to the outstanding flavors to be found in plates of littleneck clams bathed in white wine chili broth and charred carrots, yanked from the soil just a few days ago and served with mojo verde.
Opened quietly in March, Evviva is a joyous reunion of hospitality pros. “When Patrick (Finney) approached us to take over The Franklin, we just looked at each other,” says Heather Lolley, who along with her partner Humberto Suazo run Galaxie tacos in Bywater, with Finney as a partner.
“We thought, was this something we could take on, or are we crazy?” Lolley says. “The only way we would consider it is if we started something new, not take over an existing restaurant,” adds Souza. “But really the only way we’d consider opening a second place is if Rebecca would agree to be the chef.”
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That chef, Rebecca Wilcomb, agreed to come on board. Wilcomb, a James Beard Foundation award-winner formerly of Herbsaint and Gianna, left her role at the Link Restaurant Group in 2021 to start a family. She was just feeling ready to come back to the kitchen on her terms. Marcus Jacobs, who cooked with Wilcomb at Herbsaint before opening the now shuttered Marjie’s Grill and Seafood Sally’s, came on as chef de cuisine. But really, they are chefs sharing the kitchen.
“This business can really take everything from you if you let it,” Wilcomb says. “I want to spend time with my family and with our daughter. Here, the beauty is that we all work so well together. There’s an understanding. We work hard, but we understand the need for balance.”
Jacobs, whose partner Caitlin Carney runs their dock-to-plate Porgy’s Seafood Market in Mid-City, agrees that creating joy on the plate is easier when communication, both spoken and unsaid, is a given. “We understand what needs to be done and we trust each other to do it,” he says.
The concise menu is printed daily, which allows for tweaks with seasonal ingredients the chefs and Souza get from local farmers’ markets. Small plates might include a bowl of olives and orange segments peppered with sumac. Velma Gene’s anchovy bread, a riff on Jacobs’ grandmother’s recipe, is a menu staple, with good reason. Built on crisp focaccia from another Link Group associate, Maggie Scales at La Boulangerie, fat anchovy fillets, fresh mint, onion and crushed tomatoes bring a world of flavor in every bite.
Another winning dish is a salad of radicchio and endive, two bitter greens meant to be together, in this case tossed with pickled peppers, thinly sliced country ham and creamy fresh mozzarella. Delicate quail, sourced from Plantation Quail out of Georgia, is grilled with spicy Calabrian chili butter and served with a cooling, crisp slaw.
Lolley and Souza have welcomed neighborhood patrons of the space’s predecessor. They still offer a $7 martini made with well vodka or gin. There’s also a margarita as good as the house pour at Galaxie. There are snacks to be had too, including a recent steak tartare with fried capers and pork rillette with grilled focaccia and mustard.
Evviva
What
Evviva
Where
2600 Dauphine St., (504) 267-0640; evvivanola.com
When
Dinner Wed.-Sun.
How
dine-in
Check it out
Chef Rebecca Wilcomb returns at a cozy Italian spot
The restaurant uses littleneck clams farm raised in Florida. Gulf shrimp are grilled and simply dressed with garlic, herbs and lemon. There is always a Gulf fish, recently a broiled skin-on triggerfish with green peppercorn butter.
The 60-seat restaurant is still an art-filled welcoming space anchored by a long, back-lit bar, but the layout is now one large room full of light. A communal table is new, and there’s a private nook for intimate dining.
The overall effect is charming and inviting, and it preserves the neighborhood feel.
“We are making the food we love for the neighborhood,” Wilcomb says.