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Behold Gabrielle Restaurant on Opening Night

Take a look at the restaurant’s re-opening 12 years after Hurricane Katrina

by Stephanie Carter

Gabrielle restaurant opened its doors last week in its new home — twelve long years after Hurricane Katrina forced it to shutter. The restaurant is named for Gabrielle (Gabie) Sonnier, the owners Greg and Mary Sonnier’s eldest daughter. She was still a child when the restaurant closed in 2005. Now, she's managing the dining room.

“We’re so happy to be back serving New Orleans. Our first night went very well and it’s only going to get better,” Greg Sonnier told Eater NOLA.

The new spot, located in a space that used to house a Chinese restaurant and grocery, will feel both new and familiar to people who dined at the original Gabrielle. Greg and Mary Sonnier painted it the same blue and yellow as the original restaurant. They’ve also included a few of the original menu items, like the famous duck and the peppermint patty. There are also plenty of new dishes on the new menu.

The restaurant opening marks the second post-Katrina comeback of this year. Dunbar’s Creole Cuisine reopened its doors in a new location in April.

Gabrielle is open for dinner Tuesday through Saturday.

Gabrielle opened in a building that formerly housed a Chinese grocery and market.
Josh Brasted
Tables are set with white tablecloths and simple bud vases for opening night, which was at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, September 27, 2017.
Brasted
Much of the art on the walls comes from artist Ted Bertrand of Opelouses, Louisiana. All of his pieces are for sale. Some other pieces came from the original Gabrielle restaurant.
Josh Brasted
Gabrielle Sonnier holds the opening night menu and greets guests as they arrive.
Josh Brasted
At the original restaurant, regulars were referred to as “friends of Gabrielle.” Gabrielle Sonnier says her mother, Mary Sonnier has gotten “really into” social media over the last few years so she created these buttons because “everything’s a hashtag.” FOG is short for “friends of Gabrielle.”
Josh Brasted
The light fixtures are cut glass carafes.
Josh Brasted
The first night brought the return of some of the regulars from the original Gabrielle. Mary Sonnier greets a diner at the door.
Josh Brasted
Guests brought wine and flowers to the Sonniers to celebrate re-opening night.
Josh Brasted
When the original restaurant closed 12 years ago, the first iPhone hadn't even been released yet.
Josh Brasted

The long bar at Gabrielle is made from more than 100 year old pine planks found in a garage in Lafayette.
Josh Brasted
Greg Sonnier puts the garnish on a plate in Gabrielle’s kitchen.
The barbecue shrimp pie, which is smashed sweet potato filled with New Orleans style barbecue shrimp, is new to the menu.
Josh Brasted
Food heads to the eager diners, who’ve been waiting for the return of Gabrielle for 12 years.
Josh Brasted
Gabrielle restaurant started taking reservations a week ahead of opening. Every seat on opening night was booked, even the ones at the bar.
Josh Brasted
A dark bowl of gumbo is filled with smoked quail, green sausage, and popcorn rice.
Josh Brasted
The Ponce de Lapin is a new dish on the menu. It’s ground rabbit, duck liver, and grain stuffed into a rabbit belly.
Josh Brasted
Gabie Sonnier presents the menus to guests on opening night of Gabrielle.
Josh Brasted

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2441 Orleans Avenue, , LA 70119 (504) 603-2344 Visit Website

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