It’s Hot — Don’t Miss These Six Incredible Summer Restaurant Specials

Summer is upon us, and we who live here wilt like sad little flowers. Happily, local chefs are looking to mix it up a little bit and reward us for our suffering. Since it’s all quiet on the tourist front, restaurants have a little freedom to play around and try new things, which keeps them (relatively) sane during this long, hot season.

Cavan’s “Ducks in a Row” happy hour begins this week, which features creative $5 duck plates like fried duck neck with watermelon General Tso glaze, grilled duck drumsticks with crab fat caramel, and duck crackling biscuits and gravy. Happy hour is Monday-Friday, 4-6 p.m. Note: The duck dishes will be switched up on the regular, so if you see something on Cavan’s social media you like the look of, don’t dawdle. As Chef Nathan Richard says, “The whole point of the happy hour is to showcase how we can use every part of the duck.”

No Menu Tuesdays at Coquette starts up on July 11 with the intriguing theme of “It’s F***ing Hot.” Each dinner offers five courses for $45 per person (with an optional wine/beer/booze pairing for $30-35.) The menu is a secret until it’s time to eat and you just sit back and let the crew feed you. Keep an eye out for future themes, which will be announced three weeks in advance. July 18 is “Oaxaca” and July 25 is “The Wine Guy.” To attend, call the restaurant at 504-265-0421 to make a reservation.

Freret Beer Room is offering a 2-course, $10 weekday lunch this summer. Start with either the chicken and andouille gumbo or seasonal house salad and follow up with one of the small plates, which includes options like meatballs and sauce over polenta or PEI mussels. High quality food for nearly fast food prices.

Press Street Station is hosting a four course “fish fry” seafood dinner with beer pairings from Urban South on July 15. For $65, get the chips and dip (think wahoo poke and watermelon and charred squid salsa) hour from 6:30-7:30 p.m. followed by seafood family style courses all served with Urban South brews. Without the beer pairing, the dinner is $50.

Cafe Henri will serve three courses (apps, entrees, and ‘zerts) from the regular menu for $21 every Tuesday. Try the boquerones toast, Gulf seafood stew, and tempura bread pudding. Or the smoked trout rillette, locally sourced steak frites, and a dessert special. Get some.

Interested in checking out Carrollton Market in the wake of its upgraded bean count by NOLA.com reviewer Brett Anderson? Tackle chef Jason Goodenough’s family style Wednesday dinners in July for $40, which include all-you-can-drink wine. Enjoy homemade lemonade in lieu of the wine, and the dinner is only $30. Kids eat for $10. The menu for July 12 is based on a Mississippi Delta Fish Fry, which comes with Delta-style tamales, hush puppies, salad, corn on the cob, and cole slaw. Head over to the restaurant’s web page to make a reservation.