A cold front will always have New Orleans running to the gumbo pot.
But cravings for wintry comfort food make up a big tent, and lately New Orleans restaurants have been riffing on gratifying, rib-sticking flavor alongside the old reliables this time of year.
Our bipolar winters make forecasting cravings a fickle task. But I’m certain there will be more cold fronts yet before we start wilting in the heat again. So keep these fantastic dishes in your back pocket for when the need awakens.
Fishmonger pie with a side of peas and a Guinness makes a square meal at the Bell pub. (Photo by Chris Granger, The Times-Picayune)
STAFF PHOTO BY CHRIS GRANGER
Fishmonger Pie at the Bell, 3125 Esplanade Ave.
With even a hint of cold, there’s nothing like settling into a corner of this snug British pub. This dish is basically a fish pie done with shrimp and white fish (changing, but always local), and with a cap of cheddar, all golden and sour and melty, serving as the crust.
There are peas within, though the pro move is to order a side of peas, which are buttery and touched with mint, and mix these in too, amping up the texture. It’s a dish that feels as cozy as a log fire.
Chamorro, a Mexican-style osso bucco, is one of the rustic, hearty dishes at La Tia Cantina in Metairie. (Staff photo by Ian McNulty | The Times-Picayune)
Chamorro at La Tia Cantina, 4517 W. Esplanade Ave., Metairie
Chamorro is Mexican osso bucco, and just like the Italian version, the meat comes off the bone in large chunks. The sauce is the cooking liquid poured at the table, and the real zinger is a vinaigrette on the side, spiked with chilies in a beautiful contrast to the meat’s richness.
The warmth in this cantina comes through in the service. Just past the colorful dining room, there’s a small bar and lounge that makes a more intimate nook and serves some of the best cocktails you’ll find in Metairie.
Beef Stroganoff is a hearty specialty at Hot & Soul restaurant in New Orleans. (Staff photo by Ian McNulty, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune)
Beef Stroganoff at Hot & Soul, 2540 Banks St.
So you’re stocking up for some cold weather supplies at the Mid-City location of Trader Joe’s (in the wine section, probably), and you spot this funky little diner in a shotgun house next to the parking lot.
If curiosity leads you in for a bite, you’ll discover this bit of Slavic comfort food leaping off an eclectic menu that otherwise covers ground from Filipino eggrolls to Caribbean ceviche.
Beef Stroganoff pairs with a beet vodka cocktail at Hot & Soul restaurant in New Orleans. (Staff photo by Ian McNulty, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune)
Next thing you know, you’re building little bundles of tender short ribs and housemade egg noodles, and sipping the “borscht and bubbles” beet-based cocktail. Why? Because you know how to live.
Oyster artichoke soup at Pulcinella! is topped with fried oysters and crackers. (Photo by Chris Granger, The Times-Picayune)
Chris Granger
Oyster artichoke soup at Pulcinella!, 1300 St. Bernard Ave.
Our local oysters are at their best in the winter, but a cold dozen on the half shell isn’t the only way to enjoy the peak of the season. Pulcinella! is a relatively new restaurant with an old soul and a deeply Italian menu that also makes room for this New Orleans classic.
Pulcinella! co-owner Bella Blue (center) chats with diners as Friday dinner gets started at her Italian restaurant. (Photo by Chris Granger, The Times-Picayune)
Chris Granger
Ripples of oil and cream swirl over the surface around reefs of fried oysters that burst with the oyster juice still within. See if there’s a show at the related Original Nite Cap lounge just up the narrow staircase, or just go up for a drink anyway to make a night of it. After all, it’s cold outside.
Clams with stewed white beans and chorizo is a hearty, warming dish at Costera, the Spanish restaurant in New Orleans. (Staff photo by Ian McNulty, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune)
Clams with white beans at Costera, 4938 Prytania St.
Surrounded by a great variety of oysters at the Shuck Cancer fundraiser last fall, an unlikely standout among the other dishes was this simple white bean dish done in the Spanish style, warmly stewed with smoky chorizo.
Within days, I was at the Uptown Spanish restaurant for a few tapas, an inky Tempranillo and the full version of this dish, with clams lending their briny goodness to the hearty beans.
Bun bo Hue is a spicy soup filled with beef, pork and noodles at TD Seafood Pho House (1208 Manhattan Blvd., Harvey, 504-302-1727).
Photo by Cheryl Gerber
Bun bo Hue at TD Seafood & Pho House, 1028 Manhattan Blvd., Harvey
The vast variety of Vietnamese cooking seems to have a soup for every season. At the hint of cold weather, I start thinking about this one. The basic format might sound similar to pho — a beef base with noodles and a harvest of garnishes to add on top.
But bun bo Hue is brawnier in every way, and while I love pho for its restorative qualities, this soup is just stronger winter medicine.
The noodles are thick like spaghetti, the beef slices are dark and rich, the broth is spicy before you add anything to it, and there’s a fermented umami funk to the pork blood cakes bobbing around. Get a booth and hover over a bowl, and this small, friendly strip mall restaurant can feel like curling up in someone’s kitchen.
Fondue with plenty of baguette and vegetables for dunking at La Crepe Nanou, a restaurant for French cuisine in Uptown New Orleans. (Staff photo by Ian McNulty, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune)
Fondue at La Crepe Nanou, 1410 Robert St.
Fondue is a special occasion dish. It’s always tempting, but how often do you have the right weather outside and the right person at the table to share a dish that could be the hors d’oeuvres station for an entire cocktail party?
La Crepe Nanou sets a seductive, casually romantic scene for French cuisine in Uptown New Orleans. (Staff photo by Ian McNulty, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune)
Don’t miss the opportunity, because dunking French bread into that wine-smacked cheese is incredibly gratifying, especially in the beautiful, take-me-to-Paris setting of these close, romantic rooms.
Cutting into the cannelloni, a signature dish at Vincent’s Italian Cuisine. (Photo by Chris Granger, The Times-Picayune)
STAFF PHOTO BY CHRIS GRANGER
Cannelloni at Vincent’s Cuisine, 7839 St. Charles Ave. and 4411 Chastant St., Metairie
Red sauce is comfort food. Add a creamy base of Alfredo sauce — baked to a custardy texture under a golden surface — and the framework of a tender cannelloni pasta shape filled with veal, and you have satisfaction by the spoonful.
The feel is cozy and familial at Vincent’s Italian Cuisine on St. Charles Avenue in New Orleans. (Photo by Chris Granger, The Times-Picayune)
STAFF PHOTO BY CHRIS GRANGER
The Metairie location feels as homey as your nonna’s house in the ‘burbs; the St. Charles Avenue spot, between the neon-lined windows and Chianti bottles, can feel like that Billy Joel song about the Italian restaurant come to life.
Dining and Cooking