With the opening of Le Moyne Bistro in the Warehouse District, a couple of adjoining restaurants offer a big range of dining options.
Le Moyne Bistro opened at 746 Tchoupitoulas St., where Tommy’s Cuisine used to be. The space is adjacent to Marie’s Oyster Bar, formerly New Orleans Social House.
For a night out, patrons could start the evening with cold local raw oysters at Marie’s and then wander next door for a meal of fine French fare and polished service. Or they could go the other way, starting at Le Moyne with an outstanding steak tartare appetizer paired with one of General Manager Tim Armstead’s French wines by the glass. Then they could head to Marie’s for a spicy Gulf fish sandwich and a cold beer.
Both restaurants are from partners Christian Hurst, Farrell Harrison and Brian Weisnicht. Armstead, who is from Central City, is a longtime alum of Emeril Lagasse’s restaurants. He is handling operations as well as the French-centric wine program, something he did at the elegant Emeril’s Delmonico and NOLA in the French Quarter.
It’s always fun to try new vendors, and this year’s newbies include all-vegan vendor Sweet Soulfood Vegan Cuisine.
Harrison and Weisnicht, who worked together at the Link Restaurant Group, struck out to open their tapas-style restaurant plates a few blocks away less than two years ago. When these spaces off Julia Street became available, Harrison, who lives in an apartment upstairs, saw potential. “We really needed something for the neighborhood,” Harrison says.
Hurst oversees both kitchens. The Houston-born former corporate chef for the Link group spent his early professional years cooking at beach and ski resorts, including a beachfront restaurant in St. Croix.
His menu at Maria’s incorporates Caribbean flavors and modern Louisiana dishes. Le Moyne is more classically French but with modern twists in locally sourced dishes of blue crab au gratin and Gulf fish courtbouillon with shrimp. The restaurant gets its name from Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville, the Canadian-born French explorer who led the founding of New Orleans.
Hurst’s creative menu has a cassoulet that swaps Tarbais beans for black-eyed peas and incorporates house-made sausage and bacon into the rich mix. When traveling with his wife in northern France and Belgium last summer, he fell in love with a Flemish stew called carbonnade, and here he prepares a version with short ribs, pearl onions and baby carrots in a Chimay beer braise.
“It’s the region’s answer to beef Bourguignon,” he says.
There is a traditional onion soup made with veal stock and capped with a Gruyere chapeau. The silky cream-based shrimp bisque has a brandy finish. On the lighter side, a frisee salad features chevre and ham with shallot vinaigrette. Duck confit is served with sweet potatoes layered in a gratin. Calas fritters are served with the Gulf fish courtbouillon, and Gulf tuna powers the Nicoise salad.
Pastry chef Ryan McDougall bakes fresh bread that is offered with butter as a starter. For dessert, there is a lavender-scented creme brulee and a lemon posset.
Le Moyne Bistro
What
Le Moyne Bistro
Where
746 Tchoupitoulas St., (504) 350-1750; lemoynebistro.com
When
dinner Tue.-Sat.
How
dine-in
Check it out
French-inspired dining in the Warehouse District
The design of the 120-seat restaurant was updated. Weisnicht opened up the formerly closed-in bar area, giving the room an open, airy feel. Exposed brick and lots of windows add charm to the white tablecloth dining room.
For now, Le Moyne is open for dinner Tuesday through Saturday.
“We’re doing the tweaking we need to do before adding anything else into the mix,” Hurst says. “We have 5,000 square feet of meeting space across the street. There’s going to be a lot going on, so we want to take it slow for now.”