Episodes

  • Spilling the Gumbo: NOLA's Sizzling Food Scene Secrets Revealed!

    Spilling the Gumbo: NOLA's Sizzling Food Scene Secrets Revealed!
    Jun 28 2025
    Food Scene New Orleans

    Bite into the Big Easy: New Orleans’ Culinary Scene Sizzles in 2025

    If you thought New Orleans was content to simply rest on its legendary gumbo laurels, think again. The city’s restaurant scene in 2025 is a kinetic spectacle, where heritage meets innovation and every plate tells a story more flavorful than the last. New restaurants are popping up faster than you can say “lagniappe,” and the city is abuzz with new faces, bold flavors, and a cheeky willingness to reinvent itself without ever losing its unmistakable soul.

    Take Junebug, a late-night haven in the Central Business District, where Chef Shannon Bingham fuses French technique and Creole spirit in a compact menu that swings from savory snacks to decadent sandwiches—think of a fried chicken sandwich that’s as lively as a trumpet solo. The jazz-themed decor is more than window dressing; it’s a nod to the musical heartbeat of New Orleans, making the whole dining experience feel like an edible jam session. Over in the Lower Garden District, Here Today Rotisserie is reimagining comfort food with juicy rotisserie chicken rice bowls and a chicken-andouille gumbo that’s pure, steamy nostalgia served with a wink.

    Seafood lovers, draw near: Maria’s Oyster & Wine Bar in the French Quarter is redefining what “sea-to-table” means. Their seafood plateaux—a tower of wild Gulf oysters, snapper ceviche, and shrimp escabeche—is a briny celebration of the Gulf’s finest, best enjoyed during their gregarious daily happy hour. Meanwhile, over in Mid-City, Porgy’s is making waves as both a sustainable seafood market and an inventive restaurant. Chefs here are spotlighting underappreciated local catches, turning humble bycatch into culinary revelations, and encouraging adventurous eating through dishes like grilled sheepshead or blackened tilefish.

    Fusion is more than a buzzword in New Orleans: places like Brutto Americano are melding Gulf seafood with Italian pasta traditions, turning out vibrant crudos and handmade pappardelle with local shrimp, while Kuro NOLA, helmed by sushi master Tommy Mei, tempts sushi enthusiasts with a parade of pristine nigiri and omakase delights sourced from both Japan and the Gulf.

    If you’re looking for culinary spectacle beyond the plate, the New Orleans Wine & Food Experience has rolled out 15 labs and hands-on tastings this year, ensuring that every flavor fanatic comes away with a new trick up their sleeve. As always, the city’s festivals, from po’ boy parties to crawfish boils, keep tradition alive with the kind of celebratory élan only New Orleans can muster.

    What makes New Orleans unique is how every meal feels like a carnival—and every bite, a celebration of its eclectic history. The city’s chefs marry French, African, Caribbean, and Southern influences, seasoning their dishes with a fearless curiosity and a reverence for local bounty. For those who live to eat, New Orleans is not just a destination—it’s an invitation to savor joy, one unforgettable meal at a time..


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    3 mins
  • Sizzling Surprises: New Orleans' 2025 Restaurant Scene Heats Up with Bold Flavors and Fresh Faces

    Sizzling Surprises: New Orleans' 2025 Restaurant Scene Heats Up with Bold Flavors and Fresh Faces
    Jun 26 2025
    Food Scene New Orleans

    Listeners, if your appetite yearns for electric flavors and culinary pageantry, there’s barely a better place on earth right now than New Orleans. This city doesn’t just keep its food traditions alive — it gives them a nightly, jazzy encore, blending bold innovation with devotion to the flavors that made it famous.

    2025 has brought a rush of new restaurant openings and concepts that feel at once rooted in history and eager to rewrite it. Step into Junebug, a late-night spot in downtown helmed by Chef Shannon Bingham, and you’re instantly swept into an atmosphere humming with jazz and the aromas of French–Creole plates. Here, sandwiches and snacks arrive with a wink to the city’s musical heritage, while still tapping the deep well of local flavors.

    Chicken lovers now flock to Here Today Rotisserie, where Chef Michael Stoltzfus serves perfectly bronzed birds alongside gumbo and schnitzel sandwiches, all echoing New Orleans’ comfort-food heart. If your cravings run to the sea, Maria’s Oyster & Wine Bar brings Gulf seafood to new heights — think wild oysters, tuna crudo, and a “seafood plateaux” that would make even King Neptune envious, all within a breezy, irreverent wine bar.

    Global influence has found fresh soil here. Chef Ana Castro’s Acamaya is a love letter to Mexico, its menu built on local seafood yet spiced with bright coastal Mexican flavors. Meanwhile, Kuro NOLA, the Lower Garden District’s new sushi temple, dazzles with omakase experiences where Gulf bounty meets exacting Japanese craftsmanship.

    Of course, tradition has its own loyal following. At Pêche, Chef Nicole Cabrera Mills infuses classics like catfish and fried oysters with subtle flashes of global flavor — a bowl of seafood gumbo might surprise you with pickled papaya and kimchi, a nod to the city’s open-armed approach to culinary exchange.

    Beyond the plates, New Orleans’ culinary pulse beats through events, happy hours, and festivals that make every night feel like a neighborhood block party. It’s a city where you can savor a flaky po’ boy at Porgy’s Mid-City, dig into ropa vieja at the newly opened Havana 1961 in the French Quarter, or snack on crispy falafel at Bywater’s Moshiko — all in the span of an afternoon stroll.

    Local ingredients remain the backbone: Gulf shrimp, sheepshead, Creole tomatoes, and mirlitons are the stars of the show, shaped by a multicultural lineage of French, Spanish, African, and Caribbean hands. Chefs here don’t just cook; they riff, improvise, and pass the mic to new voices, constantly inventing.

    Listeners, if you want to know why New Orleans is a food lover’s promised land, look no further than the way its chefs embrace both old-school devotion and boundary-pushing creativity. Here, every meal feels celebratory, every bite tells a story — and the encore is always worth sticking around for..


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    3 mins
  • Naughty NOLA: Sizzling Hotspots, Rebellious Chefs, and a Feast of Flair

    Naughty NOLA: Sizzling Hotspots, Rebellious Chefs, and a Feast of Flair
    Jun 24 2025
    Food Scene New Orleans

    Byte here, listeners—your virtual fork-wielder and flavor sleuth, taking you deep into New Orleans, where the dining scene has officially traded in its beads for a kaleidoscope of bold concepts, international influences, and playful reinventions of the city’s soulful culinary roots.

    Let’s start with the magnetic pull of the city’s freshest hotspots. Junebug is a late-night flame, spinning French and Creole comfort into inventive plates that sing with local heritage. Chef Shannon Bingham orchestrates a menu that feels both elegant and mischievous, just like the jazz greats honored in Junebug’s décor. Meanwhile, the Here Today Rotisserie redefines the humble bird—think juicy, golden rotisserie chicken starring in everything from schnitzel sandwiches to gumbo dripping with rendered flavor, all thanks to the creative touch of Chef Michael Stoltzfus of Coquette fame. It’s approachable, craveable, and exactly what you want on a lazy Uptown afternoon or a late-night bite.

    Seafood culture, ever the backbone of this city, gets a sustainable, modern twist at Porgy’s Mid-City. This bycatch-centric seafood market and eatery dares diners to fall in love with lesser-known Gulf catch—tilefish, sheepshead, maybe even porgy itself—blackened, fried, or tucked into a po’ boy. It’s an education in both taste and conscience, and a sign that New Orleans’ chefs are as committed to responsible sourcing as they are to flavor.

    NOLA’s restless curiosity for global flavors continues with Maria’s Oyster & Wine Bar, where wild Gulf oysters flirt with international preparations, and Kuro NOLA, where sushi chef Tommy Mei slices pristine nigiri and omakase experiences that rival Tokyo’s finest. The reimagined Tacos del Cartel melds Mexican tradition with big-city flair, reflecting the city’s willingness to embrace well-traveled flavors, then make them its own.

    Of course, you can’t talk New Orleans without the clamor of a festival, and the New Orleans Wine & Food Experience delivers with hands-on labs, rosé tournaments, and playful brunches—proof that the city’s appetite for culinary adventure is as unquenchable as its thirst for a good time.

    At every table and behind every swinging kitchen door, there’s a respect for the city’s holy trinity: local ingredients, layered tradition, and that indefinable New Orleans joie de vivre. Whether a dish is brimming with fresh Gulf seafood, fragrant with bay leaf and cayenne, or simply jazzed up with creative whimsy, the city’s chefs are storytellers and rule-breakers in equal measure.

    In New Orleans, food isn’t just eaten—it’s celebrated, innovated, and performed, night after night. For anyone who believes the best meals come with a side of revelry, this city remains the ultimate destination..


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    3 mins
  • Chew on This: NOLA's Sizzling Food Scene Shaking Things Up in 2025

    Chew on This: NOLA's Sizzling Food Scene Shaking Things Up in 2025
    Jun 21 2025
    Food Scene New Orleans

    Big Easy, Bold Eats: New Orleans’ Modern Culinary Magic

    There’s magic simmering in the Crescent City, where the gumbo pot of tradition bubbles over with a new generation of bold, inventive chefs. New Orleans isn’t just keeping its legendary flavors alive—it’s reinventing itself plate by plate, with 2025 serving up a restaurant renaissance that has locals and visiting food lovers alike planning their next bite before they’ve even settled the tab.

    Fresh on the scene is Junebug, a downtown late-night haven from the team behind Devil Moon BBQ and Brewery Saint X. Under the creative eye of Chef Shannon Bingham, Junebug is a hymn to jazz and late-night cravings, offering French and Creole small plates reimagined with both reverence and playful innovation. A few blocks uptown, Here Today Rotisserie from the Coquette crew is taking the humble chicken to new heights, with juicy rotisserie dinners, chicken schnitzel sandwiches, and bowls brimming with chicken and andouille gumbo—a soulful twist on beloved flavors.

    Seafood still sings the city’s siren song. Maria’s Oyster & Wine Bar is the latest love letter to Gulf bounty: wild oysters, delicate tuna crudo, and a seafood plateau fit for royalty. Meanwhile, Porgy’s Mid-City, helmed by a pair of recently James Beard-nominated chefs, is shaking up the seafood scene with a bycatch-focused model. Diners can select underappreciated Gulf species like sheepshead or almaco jack, having them grilled, blackened, or sandwiched to perfection—an eco-conscious, flavor-forward approach that’s as educational as it is delicious.

    The innovative streak doesn’t stop at the edge of the plate. The Creole Alchemy is dazzling foodies with molecular gastronomy rooted in classic Creole comfort, while Roots and Roux’s devotion to farm-to-table jazzes up local produce with garden-fresh éclat. Even plant-based eaters are enchanted by The Vegan Voodoo, where the city’s mystical roots inspire vibrant vegan creations bursting with local flavor.

    If you’re drooling already, don’t forget New Orleans is also home to one-of-a-kind food festivals and signature dishes—a city where praline-stuffed beignets from Loretta’s and seafood gumbo from Li’l Dizzy’s are not just meals, but cultural rituals. And the city’s diverse cultures—Creole, Cajun, Vietnamese, Latin, and more—infuse every dish with history and heart.

    What truly sets New Orleans apart on the world stage is its ability to honor tradition while daring to disrupt it. Here, old-school hospitality and avant-garde creativity waltz together, tempting every sense. For food lovers ready to discover their next obsession, New Orleans is more than a destination; it’s an invitation to savor stories, one unforgettable bite at a time..


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    3 mins
  • Bite into the Big Easy: New Orleans' Sizzling Restaurant Scene Unveiled!

    Bite into the Big Easy: New Orleans' Sizzling Restaurant Scene Unveiled!
    Jun 20 2025
    Food Scene New Orleans

    Byte here, listeners, and if you’re hungry for adventure, there’s no better place than New Orleans—a city where culinary tradition and innovation hold a nightly parade. Just when you think you know the Big Easy’s restaurant scene, a new eatery or bold dining concept swings open its doors, ready to dazzle your palate.

    Let’s kick things off with Junebug, the late-night sensation downtown, helmed by Chef Shannon Bingham and the team behind Devil Moon BBQ and Brewery Saint X. This buzzing spot pairs French and Creole small plates with a jazz-inspired ambience, mixing nostalgic flavors with youthful energy. Here, the classics aren’t just reinvented—they’re playfully honored with a wink and a flourish.

    Looking for soulful comfort? Here Today Rotisserie, from the creative hands of Chef Michael Stoltzfus (of Coquette fame), transforms the humble chicken into the stuff of local legend. Think rotisserie chicken rice bowls, chicken schnitzel sandwiches, and a gumbo rich with rotisserie drippings and Best Stop andouille. Affordability and flavor unite, proving that simple ingredients, when treated with respect, can be the height of dining pleasure.

    Seafood fanatics, rejoice. The newly opened Maria’s Oyster & Wine Bar is where fresh Gulf oysters are shucked before your eyes and the “seafood plateaux” presents a dazzling spread—from tuna dip to snapper ceviche. Venture a little deeper into the city, and you’ll discover Porgy’s Mid-City, a seafood market and eatery championing under-the-radar Gulf catches. Porgy’s approach, recently recognized by the James Beard Foundation, invites guests to try lesser-known fish—grilled, blackened, or served in a sandwich—rehabilitating bycatch into culinary stars.

    If you chase vibrant innovation, The Creole Alchemy wows with molecular gastronomy and roots in Louisiana tradition. Or, for fans of fiery flavor fusions, Spice Symphony’s globe-trotting take on Cajun heat is an explosion of creativity. For plant-based diners, The Vegan Voodoo channels local culture and boldness into a menu as enchanting as its name.

    Signature dishes this year range from not-so-classic smoked salmon cheesecake at Emeril’s to crab-stuffed beignets at Loretta’s Authentic Pralines, all proving that New Orleans treats culinary boundaries like mere suggestions. Meanwhile, events like daily oyster happy hours and seasonal food festivals ensure that whether you arrive for Fat Tuesday or an ordinary Friday, the city’s plates are never dull.

    It’s the unmistakable blend of French, Spanish, African, Vietnamese, and Caribbean influences, the reverence for slow-cooked roux and dazzling spice, and the homegrown devotion to hospitality that make the New Orleans dining scene truly irresistible. Whether you’re a local chasing the next big opening or a traveler following your appetite, you’ll find that in New Orleans, tradition sizzles side by side with reinvention—and every meal tells a story worth savoring..


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    3 mins
  • Tantalizing Tales: New Orleans' Saucy Food Scene Exposed!

    Tantalizing Tales: New Orleans' Saucy Food Scene Exposed!
    Jun 14 2025
    Food Scene New Orleans

    Byte here, culinary expert on a mission to tempt your taste buds and guide you through New Orleans’ sizzling restaurant renaissance. In 2025, the Crescent City is firing on all burners, delivering a jaw-dropping medley of new flavors, inventive chefs, and food experiences that have even this AI wishing for a palate.

    Let’s start with the scene-stealers. At Junebug in the Central Business District, Chef Shannon Bingham crafts French-Creole fare for the night owls, serving everything from playful riffs on jazz-era classics to an unforgettable fried chicken sandwich. The décor itself is an homage to the city’s deep jazz roots, making each bite as rhythmic as a trumpet solo on Frenchmen Street.

    Over in the Garden District, Here Today Rotisserie is the latest comfort food hotspot from Chef Michael Stoltzfus, also known for Coquette. Imagine juicy half-chickens spinning alluringly on the rotisserie, then arriving at your table over chicken fat rice or tucked into a schnitzel sandwich, with gumbo made from those savory drippings. It’s pure soul in a bowl, with a price point almost as friendly as the service.

    Seafood lovers will want to sail straight to Maria’s Oyster & Wine Bar in the French Quarter. Helmed by a team passionate about Gulf ingredients, Maria’s plates briny wild oysters and artful crudo, letting local catches like snapper and shrimp claim the spotlight in ceviche and escabeche. Happy hour here is a lively sea-to-table celebration, best enjoyed with friends new and old.

    For those seeking global fusion, Pêche remains a mainstay, with Chef Nicole Cabrera Mills weaving global flavors through Gulf bounty—think catfish in chile broth or jumbo shrimp with purple rice. Meanwhile, newcomers like Brutto Americano inside the Barnett Hotel are flipping the script with Italian-inspired dishes built on Southern seafood and the freshest seasonal produce.

    New Orleans’ culinary calendar remains a vibrant tapestry of festivals and food events. The annual New Orleans Wine & Food Experience in June brings hands-on labs, wine dinners, and the playful Tournament of Rosés—a must for any food lover needing a fix of flavor and culture all at once.

    The city’s gastronomy is a celebration of local ingredients—wild Gulf seafood, Best Stop andouille, and Creole tomatoes—filtered through the lens of deep-rooted traditions and an ever-curious chef community. Whether you crave the classics or chase the cutting edge, New Orleans seduces with every bite, every brass note, every late-night plate. For food lovers, this city isn’t just worth watching—it’s downright irresistible..


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    3 mins
  • Junebug Jams, Kuro Kills It, and Brutto's Big Debut: NOLA's Hottest Tables in 2025!

    Junebug Jams, Kuro Kills It, and Brutto's Big Debut: NOLA's Hottest Tables in 2025!
    Jun 14 2025
    Food Scene New Orleans

    New Orleans is a city where the air is thick with jazz, the streets hum with history, and the kitchens crackle with energy and invention. In 2025, the Crescent City’s dining scene is more vibrant than ever, fueled by a fresh wave of restaurant openings, global flavors, innovative local concepts, and an unwavering devotion to its culinary roots.

    Let’s start with the newcomers making pulses race and palates swoon. Junebug, now open downtown, brings late-night flair with Chef Shannon Bingham’s compact menu blending French and Creole influences—think savory snacks, decadent sandwiches, and clever twists on classics, all set to the playful riff of New Orleans jazz. Over at Here Today Rotisserie in the Garden District, Chef Michael Stoltzfus (of Coquette fame) is reimagining comfort food with juicy, wood-fired chicken, gumbo enlivened by rotisserie drippings and Best Stop andouille, and a chicken schnitzel sandwich that’s already a cult favorite.

    For those with a love of the sea, Maria’s Oyster & Wine Bar dazzles with wild Gulf oysters served a dozen ways, Gulf tuna crudo that’s as fresh as a delta breeze, and an opulent seafood plateau featuring snapper ceviche and shrimp escabeche—perfect for lingering over a crisp white during the daily happy hour. Meanwhile, at Porgy’s Mid-City, sustainability is the catch of the day. Here, diners choose from bycatch like tilefish and porgy, then watch as chefs grill, blacken, or fry them to order, proving that eco-conscious cuisine can be as delightful and daring as any French Quarter parade.

    Sushi lovers, take note: Kuro NOLA now graces the Lower Garden District, helmed by former Shogun sushi chef Tommy Mei. This intimate counter is all about pristine nigiri and omakase journeys featuring salmon belly, aji, and sea urchin—each bite a tribute to freshness and craftsmanship.

    The city’s culinary scene remains bold and inclusive, embracing Vietnamese, Mexican, Italian, and more. Tacos del Cartel, helmed by Chef Atzin Santos, recently reopened after renovations, serving inventive Mexican fare that blends tradition with innovation, while Brutto Americano has brought elegant yet approachable Italian cuisine to the rebranded Barnett Hotel.

    Signature dishes remain essential, according to Visit New Orleans’ 2025 Foodie Guide: praline-stuffed beignets from Loretta’s Authentic Pralines, smoked salmon cheesecake at Emeril’s, and Li’l Dizzy’s classic gumbo headline a list that’s both nostalgic and novel.

    All this deliciousness collides at events like the New Orleans Wine & Food Experience, returning this June with hands-on labs, wine dinners, and brunches that spotlight the city’s bounty and creative spirit.

    What defines New Orleans’ food landscape isn’t just the storied local seafood, the lively festivals, or even the iconic beignets—it’s the way the city seamlessly blends heritage with innovation. Here, every meal is an invitation—to linger, to taste, to celebrate. For culinary adventurers, New Orleans is—and always will be—the ultimate moveable feast..


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    3 mins
  • Sizzling NOLA: Chefs Spice Up the Big Easy with Bold Flavors and Fresh Takes

    Sizzling NOLA: Chefs Spice Up the Big Easy with Bold Flavors and Fresh Takes
    Jun 12 2025
    Food Scene New Orleans

    NOLA on the Rise: Where Jazz, Gumbo, and Culinary Innovation Collide

    The New Orleans dining scene is a thrilling, ever-rolling parade, full of new spectacles, old classics with a twist, and an irrepressible sense of fun. For 2025, talent and creativity are pouring into kitchens citywide, and if you’re hungry for something uniquely New Orleans, you’re in for a feast.

    Start with Junebug, the late-night Creole and French bistro bringing sophisticated snacks and sandwiches to downtown, led by Chef Shannon Bingham—a menu that riffs on tradition with a side of playfulness. Then there’s Here Today Rotisserie, where the team behind Coquette is slinging juicy rotisserie chickens, chicken schnitzel sandwiches, and chicken-andouille gumbo, all while keeping things fresh and casual. Over at Maria’s Oyster & Wine Bar, Gulf seafood reigns supreme in style: wild oysters, tuna crudo, and an opulent “seafood plateaux” land atop daily happy hours, channeling the city’s bounty straight to your table.

    If you’re looking for cutting-edge sushi, former Shogun chef Tommy Mei has opened Kuro NOLA on Magazine Street. Think jewel-like nigiri, omakase offerings, and pristine seafood flown in daily—this is a Lower Garden District destination for those ready to splurge.

    Meanwhile, sustainability trends shine at Porgy’s Mid-City. Here, diners are invited to choose local “bycatch” like sheepshead or almaco jack, which chefs prepare grilled, blackened, or fried. Expect New Orleans favorites with an earth-friendly twist, and maybe an introduction to your next favorite fish—Porgy’s is redefining what seafood in the Crescent City can mean.

    Let’s not forget the classics; establishments like Pêche Downtown continue to draw crowds with ever-evolving Gulf seafood dishes. Chef Nicole Cabrera Mills brings global flavors into the fold, serving catfish in chile broth and fried oysters paired with pickled papaya and kimchi, proving tradition and innovation can dance together on the same plate.

    June sees the return of the New Orleans Wine & Food Experience (NOWFE), an extravaganza featuring hands-on food and wine labs, a celebratory “Shuck n’ Jive” oyster bash, and the kind of grand tastings that make foodies swoon. Now in its 33rd year, NOWFE’s festivities and educational workshops highlight both local purveyors and global inspirations, affirming New Orleans’ place as a culinary crossroads.

    What ties all of this together is the city’s unmatched embrace of local ingredients—Gulf seafood, Creole spices, Louisiana rice—and its willingness to riff on tradition without losing the beat. Here, food isn’t just fuel; it’s jazz—improvised, soulful, and unforgettable. In a city where every dish tells a story, New Orleans remains a siren call for adventurous eaters and culinary dreamers alike..


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    3 mins