Chef D’z Cafe Closes After Almost a Year on Broad Street

Chef D’z, a critically-praised restaurant known for generous and affordable plates like a $2 breakfast and a $10 red beans and rice lunch with fried chicken, vegetables, and sweet cornbread, has closed its doors, reports Todd Price.

Donald “Chef D” Smith grew up on the West Bank, attended culinary school, and eventually opened a restaurant serving New Orleans-style food in Oakland, California. After returning to New Orleans a few years ago, he and his mother, Doris (Mama D) opened and closed restaurants in Gretna and Gentilly before landing on Broad Street last September.

They opened the restaurant on September 18, 2017, according to Todd Price’s opening report on NOLA.COM. It closed three weeks ago after almost a year in business.

Chef D’z received lots of praise from the critics during its one year in business. Ian McNulty said it was important because it served new, well-executed versions of the kind of food that New Orleans is known for, but in reality is becoming harder and harder to find.”

He praised a loaded crawfish and crabmeat gumbo with “more crabmeat in this gumbo than any other in my recent memory,” a lobster version of a tuna salad sandwich, and “fine sit-down yakamein.”

“This is the kind of food you get when New Orleans flavor is not a concept but a given, a way of life. As the city’s food scene grows evermore modern and varied, a new addition with roots as deep as Chef D’z serves as a reminder to never take it for granted,” he said in his review in the Advocate.

Chef D’z former home is currently up on the market.

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• Chef D’z Cafe on Broad Street Has Closed [NOLA.COM]
• A Small Place With Big Plates: Opening Alert for Chef D’z Cafe [NOLA.COM]
• Review: As New Orleans Food Changes, Chef D’z on Broad Street Shows Why Roots Matter [ADVOCATE]
• All 2018 New Orleans Restaurant Closures [ENOLA]