Are These New Orleans’ Best New Restaurants?

It’s that time of year again, when The Times-Pic announces its top accolades of the year. That being said, critic Brett Anderson has just named The 5 Best New Restaurants of 2016. Such as in years past, Anderson has again established his top five under the following guidelines: Restaurants had to have opened after August 1, 2015 and be fully operational by October 1, 2016, meaning that a couple of the year’s biggest openings (Toups South and Rosedale) don’t actually qualify until next year.

Here are Anderson’s choices (2015’s crop included Angeline, Balise, Brennan’s, Compère Lapin and Shaya, by the way).

Kenton’s, opened October 2015: “Back at the tail end of 2015, when Mani Dawes and Sean Josephs opened Kenton's with chef-partner Kyle Knall, the restaurant already bore features of a mature enterprise.”

Meril, opened September 2016: “Proof that the 57-year-old icon [Emeril Lagasse] has still got plenty of game.”

N7, opened December 2015: “From the small bar set with boiled eggs to the pork katsu in beet sauce I ate with frites, N7 is an idiosyncratic expression of Francophilia. New Orleans hasn't seen anything like it before. And I can't imagine finding it anyplace else.”

Seaworthy, opened July 2016: “A first-rate oyster bar in what has become a national style. Its soul is a happening bar featuring an array of bivalves, organized by region and priced by the single oyster, along with smartly curated libations to match.”

Turkey And The Wolf, opened August 2016: “We're talking about baloney, smoked ham and chicken-fried steak here. The difference is that Hereford, a former Coquette chef de cuisine, and his staff create this unpretentious food as though they were working with Dover sole.”

Thoughts and opinions? Leave a comment or send Eater a tip and tell us about it.

5 best new restaurants in New Orleans in 2016 [NOLA.com]

All Awards Season [ENOLA]