Three Beans for Paladar 511; Black Label Icehouse's Brisket Delivers

Brett Anderson bestows THREE BEANS upon Marigny gem Paladar 511 this week: At play is a "California aesthetic with artful gusto" with dishes ranging from hefty "arancini, the fried baseball-sized risotto balls... and a silky housemade raviolo plumped with a markedly oozier mix of egg yolk, ricotta, porcini cream and truffled pecorino" to "salads and vegetable-centered dishes, all exceptional."  Add in "flawless" desserts, a staff that not only knows the dishes but how to cook them, and a great bar and ambience, and the restaurant is a 'new arrival that is built to last." [NOLA.com]

Helen Freund heads to Central City bar and barbecue hub Black Label Icehouse: "Navigating which menu items are available can be tricky, and there's a sense that some things are still being finalized. Early weekdays see a cast of rotating specials and the occasional pop-up while the main barbecue fare is served mostly Thursday through Sunday," but pitmaster Damian Bruggar's "signature dish— smoked brisket— which is delivered in heaping piles on half-sheet trays in charred, fatty glory" is definitely worth the trip. [Gambit]