BY ANNETTE SISCO | STAFF WRITER Greetings, New Orleans food fans! This week, we take a look at five longtime New Orleans restaurants that might have vanished, but live on — thanks to new ownership. That got us curious, so we crunched the numbers to find out how many new places opened during the pandemic. It was a lot. Plus, more comings and goings around the industry. Let's dig in... 1. Under new management. Charlie's Steak House, Li'l Dizzy's and Liuzza's by the Track are among local favorites that could have slipped away over the past year, but instead changed hands to come back. Ian McNulty rounds up stories of survival here. 2. Lots to love. If it felt like a lot of restaurants opened in New Orleans during the pandemic, even as tourism came to a standstill, that’s because a lot did. Missy Wilkinson totals up the new arrivals. 3. Wait! There's more. Le Chat Noir will be a new restaurant in an old New Orleans cabaret, and you can get a taste now; Copeland restaurant on St. Charles Avenue becomes an event venue; an Uptown coffee house turns dim sum parlor; and Louisiana-based Community Coffee is being served in airplanes again. 4. Salad days. Who says salad has to be boring? Not Judy Walker! Check out her ideas for salads inspired by huevos rancheros, shrimp, mango and salmon. 4. With you in spirit? She's a New Orleans native who wants to come home, "dress up real nice and take myself out to eat," writes a member of our Where NOLA Eats Facebook community. But where are the best places to dine solo? Chime in here! That's it for the food newsletter, but in New Orleans the food news never stops. For more, visit us at NOLA.com. Have a great weekend, and thanks for reading! --AS Are you a NOLA.com subscriber? If you are, thanks so much. But if you’re not, we’ve got a great offer for you. Check it out! | 
