New Orleans: Shaya, Trinity, and Peche

Though it had been quite a long time since I’d visited New Orleans, I certainly hadn’t forgotten how great the food is in that city and over the years, I’ve continued to pay attention to new restaurants that have come on the scene there.

That’s how I knew that Shaya was the first reservation I needed to secure when planning my trip. Named the Best New Restaurant in the U.S. at the James Beard Awards in May, and then more recently, one of the South’s Best New Restaurants by Southern Living magazine, there was no way I was missing out on eating a meal there.

ikra at Shaya, New Orleans – paddlefish caviar spread with shallots

And let me tell you, I’m tempted to hop on a Southwest flight back to the Crescent City just to eat there again!

That bread. The ikra. We are all still talking about this spread. How can a simple dip be so glorious??

crispy halloumi at Shaya, New Orleans
plums and beets, tarragon, almonds

In addition to eating an ungodly amount of pita bread (and I almost don’t even want to call it that, because it’s so far above and beyond any pita bread I’ve ever eaten in my life), we consumed one of the best meals I’ve had this year.

Shipka peppers with goat cheese, Moroccan carrots with chermoula and mint, an amazing roasted cabbage….

Shaya’s roasted cabbage
muhammara, tahini, hazelnuts

Oh my goodness, this cabbage. And then this rice….

Persian rice at Shaya, New Orleans
golden crust, cherries and brown butter

The rice alone is delicious, but eat it with the slow cooked lamb and OMG.

Suffice it to say that I highly recommend you get yourself to Shaya. Just plan a whole trip to New Orleans to eat there. It’s worth it.

Shaya’s slow cooked lamb
whipped feta, walnut and stone fruit tabouleh

Trinity

1117 Decatur
New Orleans, LA 70116
504-325-5789

While Shaya can be the main reason you go to New Orleans, you might as well take advantage of the rest of the dining scene and eat some more delicious meals while there, right?

Smoked Oyster Deviled Eggs at Trinity, New Orleans

Trinity is fairly new on the scene (I think it just opened in May?) so it was a riskier choice as there wasn’t as much written about it as some other tried and true places in New Orleans. But, it was on Eater’s Heat Map for one of the hottest restaurants currently, and it had lots of oyster options on the menu, so I booked it.

Good decision.

Trinity grilled octopus & chickpea dip

The Smoked Oyster deviled eggs were to die for. We would have gotten two orders, but they had just run out of eggs when we asked for a second order! Boo.

Ah well, the grilled octopus & chickpea dip with pickled red onion and toast points was awesome, as were the broiled oysters with cayenne aioli.

Broiled Cayenne Aioli Oysters at Trinity, New Orleans

Seared scallops with corn puree, roasted mirliton, and pine nuts was our favorite entree, but I think the small plates was where the restaurant really shined. (Did I mention pork belly? Never a bad thing)

Tip: If you go to Trinity, be sure to make a night of it and check out Cane & Table right next door for great craft cocktails.

just a portion of our spread at Peche, New Orleans

If you need another reason to buy a plane ticket to New Orleans, Peche is it.

I was actually afraid it wouldn’t live up to the hype (as I’d heard SO MANY good things about it). Fortunately that was not the case….it was even better than I could have imagined.

Peche’s tuna with pickled corn, pistachio puree, and crispy rice 

From the moment I took the first bite of the tuna sashimi, I knew I was in for a treat. Then the crab salad…. well, that crab salad. Words escape me. Who knew a simple crab salad with cucumber & sesame could be so brilliant?

Not me. Thus, I didn’t even bother taking a picture of it before digging in. See what you can’t really see in the above photo? Yep, that’s the crab salad in the background, upper right corner. If I had known that it was going to be mind-blowing, I certainly would have documented it better than this!

Cobia with lentils, pepitas, fried onion, and curry aioli at Peche

Often I find that the dishes I am most impressed by are found in the appetizer/small plates section of the menu, but here at Peche, the entrees definitely held their own with the starters. The Cobia may have been my favorite, with lentils, fried onions and a curry aioli. I made sure there was not one single morsel left on that plate. Not one.

And then we were super surprised by the Baked Drum, which was described simply as “baked drum w/ tomato broth + croutons”. Uh, yeah, that description does not even come close to doing it justice. It was not at all what any of us expected, but that was not a bad thing. It was actually a very, very, very good thing.

So there you go… a few places to visit and things to eat on your next trip to New Orleans! Enjoy~