Reviews For Casa Borrega, Maurepas Foods, And More

This week The Times-Pic's head beanie baby Brett Anderson awards TWO BEANS to Casa Borrega in Central City, the Mexican restaurant/cultural hub hand-built by Hugo Montero and Linda Stone: "If Borrega's arrival signals a new dawn in Central City, the neighborhood where it set up shop, the mole sauce will be the primary reason to cheer its rise." Anderson finds the quality of food and service fluctuates depending on time of day and how packed it is, but assures us: "Like its neighborhood, the restaurant is in the midst of a growth spurt... The good news is the restaurant is good already. The better news is that it likely has more to give." [NOLA.com]

Ian McNulty heads over to Maurepas Foods, and finds the robust Bywater restaurant still in a class all its own: "It's hard to imagine how Maurepas Foods could be any more attuned to the underpinnings of New Orleans and Louisiana flavor. The difference is how far chef Michael Doyle and his crew draw them outside the familiar template of gumbo and meunière." Almost two-years in and "Doyle's cooking remains as eclectic and unorthodox as ever. And with the Louisiana winter settling in, his minutely seasonal menu is at its most lush." Just keep in mind, reservations are NOT available, but the new hot drinks menu should make the wait quite comfortable. [Gambit]

Scott Gold reviews the Marigny's brunch and cupcake favorite, Cake Cafe, this week: "This would be a good place to share a lazy lunch with a friend or, as one solo diner did, enjoy a few cups of coffee while digging into a copy of A Confederacy of Dunces." But also, "for those simply in the market for a hearty meal, Cake Cafe is a good bet" for Reubens and other lunchtime items that "call for at least three napkins," but keep in mind "the breakfast menu is where it truly delivers." [Gambit]

Tom Fitzmorris gives THREE WHOLE STARS to Covington/Metairie's RocketFire Pizza Company this week, claiming "pizza and hamburgers are the two hottest restaurant categories in the New Orleans area these days." One might argue that new-wave pho and pickle plates are the new hotness, but before Fitzmorale gets too low rest assured that pizza will forever be on-trend, and at RocketFire, a coal-burning oven sets them apart. +1 hipness points because "graphics from the absurdly innocent science fiction pulp novels of the 1940s and 1950s" line the walls and while "this has nothing to do with pizza," neither does T-Fitz' 10 Essential Dishes. "Pizza to order" comes in at #5, betwixt the #1 "unexpectedly fine specialty" of baked oysters covered in "sauce derived by adding Parmesan cheese and breadcrumbs to spinach artichoke dip" and #10 "cheesecake." One thing we can all agree on, the Metairie location is in the space where "the terrible Huey's 24/7 Diner met quick ends." [CityBusiness, sub req]

· Casa Borrega, Central City Mexican restaurant, earns 2 beans: New Orleans restaurants review [NOLA.com]
· Seasons Eatings [Advocate]
· Review: New Orleans Cake Cafe [Gambit]
· RocketFire's Coal-Cooked Pizzas No Mere Gimmick [City Business, subscription required]