| By ANNETTE SISCO | Staff writer |
Hello again, New Orleans food lovers! This week, Ian McNulty brings us the food of the French Quarter Festival, including some returning favorites from the past. After a long journey, Habana Outpost is finally up and running with an earth-friendly business model. Treme's Willie Mae's Scotch House is damaged in a fire, and dessert shop Sucre is headed for the North Shore. Find out just how far the motif extends as the '80s-themed Hungry Eyes opens on Magazine Street. Finally, Chef Kevin Belton celebrates the fresh produce of the season in versatile Vietnamese summer rolls and a delicious baked chicken caprese. 1. A festival on the plate? The music is great, but the French Quarter Festival is also a delightful, blocks-long buffet. Foodies will even be able to revisit favorites from restaurants that have closed, including Cafe Dauphine and Praline Connection. 2. Sustainability on the menu. Habana Outpost became famous locally for its decade-long struggle to open at the edge of the French Quarter. But when Ian McNulty visited, he found eye-opening, environmentally conscious restaurant practices and a really good Cuban sandwich. 3. Wait! There's more. The owner of Willie Mae's Scotch House vows to reopen after a fire damages the Treme landmark. The stylish dessert boutique Sucre will expand to St. Tammany parish. And Hungry Eyes carries out the '80s decor on the walls, but the food holds its own. 4. Spring zing! Wrap up the bounty of fresh seasonal vegetables in these delicate Vietnamese summer rolls from Chef Kevin Belton. Then, re-imagine a favorite flavor combo in a family-friendly baked chicken caprese. That's it for the food newsletter, but in New Orleans, the food news never stops. Keep up with all the inside info at Where NOLA Eats. P.S.: Want to support local journalism that matters? Subscribe here. It's our best deal! | 