New Orleans delights!

The Copper Bunny at Compere Lapin

I've been in New Orleans for business quite a lot lately. It's given me the opportunity to try some new restaurants that are worth a stop if you're in town!

First of all, Compere Lapin (AKA Brother Rabbit). It's sort-of like a cross between French, Italian, and Carribbean food. Wildly inventive. If you go, you MUST get the steak tartare. It comes with a gremolata and an honest-to-goodness layer of beef fat on top. I could hear my arteries hardening as I chewed it, but it was AMAZING. I'd also heartily recommend the Copper Bunny cocktail, which comes in a HUGE glass shaped like a copper bunny. Our waitress had tons of personality, in addition to being prompt and making great menu suggestions. 

We also tried Maypop, a great place for Asian-inspired small plates. The salads, the noodles, and the cocktails were fantastic here. It's a small place, but we were lucky enough to visit early, so we didn't wait for a table at all. By the time we left, it was filling up.

Small plates at Maypop

Another place we loved - Cavan. A colleague of mine discovered this place online, and we couldn't resist stopping by for dinner. YUM. It's housed in a really cool, old mansion. The dining room is lovely, and the food is delicious, too. 

On my last trip, the find was Public Service, which is located in the NOPSI Hotel. The hotel has been reimagined in the old New Orleans Public Service headquarters building, and it nods to its history with clever artifacts and architectural details throughout the

Cavan's lovely dining room

property. In the restaurant, glass insulators decorate the tables, and the salt and pepper shakers look like inverted light bulbs. Artistic prints of electric infrastructure decorate the walls, and in the nearby lobby, the payment table still stands, featuring old streetcar tokens and company literature under glass. 

The restaurant serves delicious food, and we selected a few small plates and one entree to share. The pork belly and bone marrow small plates are indulgent and rich. To balance them, we also ordered a side of roasted vegetables. We rounded it off with a pasta entree (the mushroom tagliatelle) and the peanut butter banana pie (because we had to). Service was great, and the atmosphere was particularly appropriate! 

The view from Above the Grid!

Afterward, we poked around the public spaces of the hotel a bit and went up to the rooftop bar - Above the Grid - for a quick drink. Great views! I highly recommend a visit!