Donald Link is a self-proclaimed "coonass," a true Cajun born and bred in Acadia Parish, Louisiana. As the chef and proprietor of Herbsaint and Cochon restaurants in New Orleans, Link's menus feature classic Cajun dishes with French and Italian twists. Louisiana's local produce, game, and seafood have been lifelong inspirations for Link's cooking. Real Cajun features recipes from every stage of the chef's life—such as his aunt's Tomato and Bacon Pie, which he enjoyed on childhood vacations to the Alabama coast, or his Game Day Choucroute, eaten with his staff and friends during the first Super Bowl after Hurricane Katrina. Food plays a major role in every aspect of Cajun life, from holidays to family reunions, festivals to funerals; with...
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As a serious eater with a commute where a MetroCard is no help at all, I was pleased to see restaurant critic Frank Bruni go beyond Gotham with his Coast to Coast series in the New York Times dining section. I was more pleased to see that one of the spots was in New Orleans, which happened to coincide with a previously planned day-job-related trip there. Make no mistake. Unless it's during Jazzfest or Mardi Gras, it's hard to eat badly in New Orleans.* Pound for pound, it's hard to think of a place that has such depth of excellence from haute to street. I lived in New Orleans for a year in the 1990s, return as often as I...
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The James Beard Award nominations were announced yesterday, and at Serious Eats we don't want you to have to sift through all nine pages of nominees [PDF], so let's see if we can cut to the chase for you. The Outstanding Restaurateur nominees feature some actual and different heavyweight restaurateurs, including Richard Melman (Lettuce Entertain You, Chicago), Drew Nieporent (Nobu (NY), Rubicom (SF), and many others), and Keith McNally (Balthazar, Pastis, and Morandi, among others). All three of them have made a point of not cloning any of their restaurants, which I really appreciate....
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