We find sanctuaries where we can in the depths of a New Orleans summer, and sometimes a really good restaurant deal fills that role, if only for the duration of a meal.
There will be loads of these in August when the annual Coolinary program returns, this time longer than ever, stretching more than six weeks from Aug. 1 to Sept. 15.
Parmesan-crusted sheepshead is a specialty at GW Fins, the upscale seafood house in the French Quarter. (Photo contributed by GW Fins)
But many local restaurants gin up their own specials to entice local diners before that program begins, in what’s become part summertime tradition, part summertime survival strategy. Summer has been getting tougher. Many of these deals include discounted wine or cocktails. Coincidence? Perhaps not.
Here are a few on my radar that should be on your list for outings that can offer you a little more for a little less.
Executive Chef Michael Nelson poses in the dining room at GW Fins in New Orleans, Thursday, March 23, 2023. (Photo by Sophia Germer, NOLA.com, The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate)
‘Feasting’ at G.W. Fins
808 Bienville St., (504) 581-3467
The menu at this pioneering upscale seafood house is always changing with the catch available. But one annual constant is the summertime Fins Feast deal, served through the end of July. Available Sunday through Thursday, it’s a three-course prix fixe for $49. Options change frequently, but you could assemble yellowfin tuna tartare to start, parmesan-crusted sheepshead for the entrée and almond fig upside down cake to finish.
Arancini and a meatball share a skillet at Ancora, the pizzeria on Freret Street known for Neapolitan-style pizza. (Staff photo by Ian McNulty, Nola.com | The Times-Picayune)
A pizza date at Ancora Pizzeria
4508 Freret St., (504) 324-1636
The Neapolitan-style pizzas come out of the super-hot wood-fired oven fast, and this summer, there’s a hot deal built around them on the weekends. On Saturdays and Sundays, $40 gets you a set menu for two, which includes market salad, two meatballs or two arancini (or one of each) and two pizzas, including marinara, Margherita, bianca, meatball or kid’s cheese (those same pizzas are $9 each for pizza happy hour 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesdays). Drinks aren’t included, but you owe yourself a negroni to start, and they’re well made here. The deal is for dine-in only.
Steak frites is a French classic at Cafe Degas in New Orleans. (Staff photo by Ian McNulty, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune)
Steak and wine at Café Degas
3127 Esplanade Ave., (504) 945-5635
This epitome of the neighborhood French bistro, with a treehouse-cozy dining room, has deals through the week (bottles of wine are 30% off on Thursdays). The one on Sunday is particularly appealing, with steak frites and a bottle of Bonpas Ventoux, a nice red blend from the Rhone region, for $40. Sop those frites in the steak juices and drink up.
Ralph’s on the Park serves inventive Creole cuisine near City Park. (Staff photo by Ian McNulty, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune)
Apps and wine at Ralph’s on the Park
900 City Park Ave., (504) 488-1000
Ralph Brennan’s upscale Creole restaurant by City Park has returned its annual summer deal: three appetizers and a glass of wine for $38. This has been a long-running special in the hot summer months, and a way to (perhaps) eat a bit lighter with smaller dishes (tomato and burrata salad, shrimp boil skewers and even a “petit Denver steak” are some of the dishes this season). It’s offered through Sept. 30.
Spaghetti pomodoro at BABs, the Bywater restaurant from chef Nina Compton. (Gabrielle Geiselman Photography)
Pasta night at BABs
2900 Chartres St., (504) 605-3827
Nina Compton’s Bywater restaurant had a name change earlier this year to BABs (which just made its nickname its official name) and a menu revamp focusing more firmly on Italian flavors. Now, Thursday throughout the summer is “pasta night,” with a choice of six pasta dishes for $15 each. That includes the farfalle with mushroom crema and Calabrian butter and the burratta agnolotti with corn crema and soft herbs.
Sip a $3 martini during lunch at Galatoire’s and take the afternoon off. (Chris Granger, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune)
The $3 martini at Galatoire’s Restaurant
209 Bourbon St., (504) 525-2021
You’ve heard of (and have perhaps witnessed) the three-martini lunch. How about the $3 martini lunch? That’s the deal at this historic French Creole classic through the end of July, with $3 martinis available until 5 p.m. daily (and yes, that includes the always well-lubricated Friday lunch service here). Another form of dining decadence returns for one day later this month with Galatoire’s fried chicken brunch on July 28. The periodic feast brings all-you-can-eat fried chicken, family-style sides and bottomless sparking wine for $60.
STAFF PHOTO BY DAVID GRUNFELD – Palace Cafe on Canal Street and its sweeping central staircase.
Temperature lunch at Palace Cafe
605 Canal St., (504) 523-1661
The “temperature lunch” at Dickie Brennan’s downtown Creole brasserie is a send-up to the summer heat. Available on weekdays, it brings an entree or sandwich with a price synced to the previous day’s high temperature. That means a 92-degree Wednesday, for instance, would bring a $9.20 lunch special on Thursday. It’s back again for the summer, served through Labor Day.
The bar at Tujague’s Restaurant, the second-oldest restaurant in New Orleans. (Photo by Max Becherer, NOLA.com, The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate)
Bargain brunch at Tujague’s
429 Decatur St., (504) 525-8676
Tujague’s history goes back to 1856, making it the second-oldest New Orleans restaurant (after Antoine’s). That also sets the ticket for its summertime brunch deal: two courses for $18.56. Served from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays, it includes choices like shrimp crepes or gumbo to start, and shrimp and grits or a croque madame as the main. The bar runs brunch specials, too, with old fashion cocktails at $5, house wine for $6 and the creamy green grasshopper cocktail for $7, a famous house creation.
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