Meauxbar Gets Playful, Shogun Ups Nola's Sushi Game, & More

Sarah Baird heads to Meauxbar this week, where she downs a shot of Herbsaint out of a marrow bone among a "parade of decadent plates." Chef Kristen Essig's revamp "is a little bit French-bistro fussy and a little bit devil-may-care adventurous - the kind of place that takes the art of shotgunning a beer to hoity-toity heights by turning it into a boozy luge." [Gambit]

Ian McNulty heads to sushi/hibachi oldie Shogun (2325 Vets) this week and finds the most innovative, contemporary approach to sushi in town, thanks to sushi chef Kazuyuki Ishikawa: "He pairs sweet scallops with fat plonks of foie gras, all drizzled with thick loops of balsamic vinegar. He wraps raw salmon around shiso leaf and ginger, belting the little bundles with thin ribbons of kelp." McNulty suggests dining omakase style (leaving it to the chef) for an "immersive experience" that will set you back between $50-$60, with about six courses, ranging from fresh fish to delicate duck and steak. [Advocate]

Tom Fitzmorris gives FOUR WHOLE STARS to impeccable tasting menu spokesmodel Square Root this week. T-Fitz approves of Philip Lopez's "culinary trickery" at this small and creative LGD newcomer from the Root team, where "fried chicken is rendered as cotton candy, lobster is stuffed inside itself, liquid nitrogen transforms juices into fragile solids." +3 hipness points even though "two liquid-nitrogen applications is one too many in a meal." [CityBusiness, sub req]