Whole Grilled Fish at Pêche

It’s been a while since I’ve written about restaurants around New Orleans I love and frequent.

But I often get requests from friends coming to visit the city, asking for recommended restaurants. And while I usually will refer them to posts here where I’ve written about local eateries, I find myself, of late, always recommending Pêche, a mostly seafood restaurant from the Link Restaurant Group, (of Cochon fame) and Bacchanal, a busy Bywater neighborhood wine shop turned small plate restaurant, two newer favorite spots.

And I’ve been thinking in the last year or so, more intentionally, about how bridges can be built over the dining table.

While sharing dinner at Pêche this summer with out of town friends, it occurred to us that our dinner, a whole locally caught grilled fish for the table covered in a luscious salse verde, with several sides, appetizers and a shared entree salad – a communal meal completely meant to be shared – fostered a very different dynamic than each of us simply ordering an individual entree. Yes, the menu does offer them, and it’s true we can always share a taste of our dish with others at the table, but this was a meal we had all come to agreement on when ordering – and we all heartily dug into the dishes equally with our serving utensils, like a family at dinner, sharing our varying impressions of the wonderfully flavorful food. BTW, Peche does have a bar/oyster bar (which offers the full menu) where single diners can be seated, so don’t stay away just because you’re alone.

A couple of months later I was dining with another set of out of town guests at Bacchanal, a spot where I drop in alone from time to time for a lunch of very tasty food accompanied by a great glass of wine and live music. But the menu offers the perfect opportunity for sharing around the table. The plates are designed so that diners can order several different small tastes (or a larger cheese or charcuterie platter), perfect for sharing. And there’s a huge wine selection of offerings by the glass or the bottle.

Sharing meals around the table- it’s a trend in restaurants I encourage.

Brussels Sprouts in Chili Oil at Pêche

Chicken Confit at Bacchanal

Steamed Mussels at Bacchanal

Papas Bravas and Grilled Vegetables at Bacchanal