Briquette

We hear so much about the growing food culture on the Northshore that it's reassuring when we New Orleans diners hear about a chef coming back from "across the pond." Maybe, just maybe, we won't have to chain our best chefs to their stoves to keep St. Tammany from luring them away. Chef Robert Vasquez and wife Lindsey, formerly of Opal Basil in Mandeville, have decamped for the Warehouse District, where they're opening two new eateries. Another iteration of Opal Basil, planned to have a neighborhood vibe, opens later this year; Briquette, a contemporary seafood and grill concept, held its soft opening October 4. 

Briquette has many strengths, but most immediately apparent is the space itself. The former molasses factory has the metaphorical "good bones," and the detailing is clean and modern - this is the "cleaned up old warehouse" look done right. A glassed-in kitchen dominates the back of the dining area, showcasing the chefs and staff at work; the bright light on the steel surfaces and white uniforms makes the kitchen luminous, much brighter than the dining area, which is not, after all, the actually magical part of the restaurant. An added treat is the iced display of seafood, within the kitchen but visible to the diners. This seafood is so fresh that, until recently, it was merely sea life.

The food was excellent. A lobster tamale lay on a bed of pulled pork and was topped with a full shelled lobster claw (I do love layered meats) and fried egg. A deep-fried square of cornbread came with microgreens and a light sauce and was so good my dinner companion and I nearly asked the waiter to split it fairly, as we did not trust each other around it. The gumbo, while not the usually roux-heavy Cajun or Creole gumbo most expect, was still a delightful seafood soup, though the stronger option was the caldo, a more unusual and very flavorful dish. For main courses, it would be hard to beat my date's beer-battered pompano over cauliflower mash with almonds... hard, but not impossible, as I got three fine fat scallops, perfectly cooked, nestled on cheddar grits and topped with a light balsamic sauce. 

The real standout feature of Briquette, even better than this stellar menu, is the cocktail selection. In this new age of mixology, it's easy to make a solid, respectable cocktail menu: of the five I tasted at Briquette (how we journalists suffer), not a one was merely "okay." All were stellar. The standout for my date was the Garden Gimlet, a minty, herbal, refreshing drink that could get anyone to eat their vegetables; the one I hoped to meet again in glory was the Cucumber Blossom, which featured the surprisingly successful combination of cucumber and orange blossom syrup.

Lest none of this convince you to try Briquette next time you visit New Orleans, consider this: we were so pleased with our drinks and our meal that we didn't even have room for a free dessert.

briquettenola.com.