30-Year-Old Fine-Dining Favorite Gautreau’s Is Getting New Chefs, Owners

Gautreau’s, the secluded Uptown gem that opened its doors in 1982, is getting new owners. The Times-Picayune/New Orleans Advocate reports that Patrick and Rebecca Singley, who have owned Gautreau’s since the early ’90s, are selling the under-the-radar fine-dining restaurant to an investor group led by Bill Kearney and Jay Adams. It will close in October for about a month while the restaurant changes hands and undergoes light renovations, with Saturday, September 30 as the last night under the Singley’s ownership. Notably, when it reopens, it will have a new set of chefs in the kitchen, as executive chef Nick Fry and chef de cuisine Brandon Canizaro are both departing.

Emeril’s sets reopening date

Emeril Lagasse’s flagship restaurant in downtown New Orleans has set a reopening date — October 24 — to follow an extensive renovation that prompted its closure beginning in mid-July. According to a press release, the revamp includes “a complete gutting of the interior,” leading to an extended closure that will last about a month longer than initially anticipated. Reservations are now open.

Hubig’s coconut pies hit shelves

The resurrection of New Orleans’s favorite hand pies continued with the release of a fifth flavor this week, a filling remembered as one of its most popular: coconut. The flavor became available for ordering online, albeit briefly, and began appearing in some local stores in limited quantities. So far, it has been spotted at Circle Foods and Lakeview Grocery. The company says that coconut pies will be “widely available” in stores and online by the end of October, leaving only the return of pineapple as one of its staple, non-seasonal flavors.

Get your fill of fried chicken this weekend

The National Fried Chicken Festival returns to the Lakefront this weekend, Saturday, September 30, and Sunday, October 1, and it’s bigger than ever. More than 50 vendors, up from the 35 participants last year, will be slinging various forms of fried chicken (and sometimes chicken substitutes), including local restaurants like Afrodisiac, Bao Mi, Heard Dat Kitchen, and Jamaican Jerk House, and a significant number of national, non-local restaurants. Tickets starting at $15 are available here.

Fire foils reopening of historic restaurant

The return of Bon Ton Cafe, a century-plus-old New Orleans restaurant that closed in early 2020, has been postponed following a fire at the building last weekend. The Times-Picayune/New Orleans Advocate reports that the fire at 401 Magazine Street, which resulted in no injuries, has pushed back new owner Jerry Greenbaum’s plans to reopen the Cajun fine-dining restaurant until at least next spring.