The Dickie Brennan Restaurant Group Is Taking Over This New Orleans Institution

It’s been three and a half years since Pascal’s Manale, one of New Orleans’s original Creole-Italian restaurants, changed hands after more than a century under its founding family. Now, the Times-Picayune/New Orleans Advocate reports that one of the city’s most well-known restaurant families is set to take the reins: Dickie Brennan and Co., run by Dickie Brennan, sister Lauren Brennan Brower, and Steve Pettus, is purchasing Pascal’s Manale. It will join a restaurant portfolio that includes Palace Cafe, Tableau, and Bourbon House, among others — it does not, however, include Brennan’s or Commander’s Palace, which are owned by another faction of the family.

It’s welcome news for Pascal’s Manale loyalists, a stalwart founded in 1913 that’s known as the birthplace of one of the city’s most iconic dishes, New Orleans-style barbecue shrimp. The death of Ray Brandt shortly after he purchased it in 2019, followed by a succession fight within his family, led to a murky future for the restaurant.

Acclaimed Carrollton Market chef launches supper club

The unexpected closure of Carrollton Market in 2021 was one of the year’s saddest restaurant losses, prompting an outcry of support from customers who rallied around pandemic-weary chef Jason Goodenough. That support helped propel Goodenough into the private chef space shortly after, and now into launching his latest venture: the Goodenough Supper Club. While location and menu details are still forthcoming, the first supper club event will take place on April 6, and “Mom” will be the dinner’s theme. Follow him on Instagram for updates.

Larry Morrow, along with his mom, furthers New Orleans empire

The dynamic duo behind New Orleans Creole-Korean hotspots Morrow’s and Monday is at it again. Larry Morrow and his mother Leonora Chong have two new restaurants in the works: Morrow’s Steak and Seafood downtown at 1001 Julia Street, and Sun Chong, a bar, restaurant, and lounge on 240 Decatur Street in the French Quarter, reports NOLA.com. The steak and seafood restaurant, which Morrow calls elevated but not fine dining, replaces the once-promising Otra Vez from New York-based chef Akhtar Nawab. Sun Chong, celebrating Morrow’s Black and Korean heritage and paying homage to his grandmother through food, decor, and design, is set to open soon (Morrow’s Steak and Seafood is expected later in the spring).

New neighborhood restaurant planned for Esplanade Avenue

Esplanade Avenue patio space is prime New Orleans real estate, so it’s no wonder that Nonna Mia’s outdoor-centric digs didn’t sit empty for too long after closing last year. A new restaurant called the Post is taking shape there at 3125 Esplanade Avenue, a project from two neighborhood residents with backgrounds in restaurants and development. Mid-range and family-oriented, the Post will serve simple, modern American food for lunch, dinner, and weekend brunch beginning sometime in April, reports NOLA.com.

Casa Borrega revives hub for food, music, and art after 2022 closure

Hugo Montero has reopened Casa Borrega in a surprise move less than a year after shutting down, and then briefly bringing back, the restaurant known as a hub for Latin American art, music, and Mexican food. Montero closed ten-year-old Casa Borrega amid “unbelievable support” from customers and plans for a new venture, but the change of plans didn’t last long. It’s reopened as of early March, with counter-service at the bar; a shorter food menu of tacos, tostadas, and tortas; and of course, live music on weekends.