Just like it sounds (plus tiki torches)
Friday lunch at Galatoire’s is one kind of signature dining event in New Orleans. A dozen oysters at Casamento’s and breakfast at Brennan’s are others. In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, a Sunday-night meal at Bacchanal joined their ranks.
Chris Rudge had opened Bacchanal in Bywater in 2002 as an unassuming corner wine shop, a stone’s throw from the Industrial Canal and the Mississippi River. This was “pre-gentrification,” when Bywater was still considered a sketchy neighborhood. Rudge started hosting casual once-a-week dinners in the garden patio behind his 200-year-old building, where he provided renowned guest chefs like Peter Vazquez and Dan Esses the opportunity to keep their mojo alive after the storm while their former restaurants were being repaired or relocated. The iconic backyard party became so popular with locals, Bacchanal eventually hired a full-time chef, Joaquin Rodas, and expanded their meals to seven days a week. Rodas was born in El Salvador, grew up in Los Angeles, and moved to New Orleans in 1995. Much of his menu consists of delicious and inventive small plates. Perhaps the best single bite in the city is one of Rodas’ bacon-wrapped dates with chorizo, pequillo peppers, and roasted tomatoes.
Info
Address 600 Poland Avenue, New Orleans, LA 70117, +1 504.948.9111, www.bacchanalwine.com | Hours Daily 11am–midnight; no reservations (there’s usually a line on weekends)| Tip In the past few years, Bywater has evolved from blue collar to dangerously close to hipster. There has been an accompanying surge of new premier restaurants. Those receiving the highest praise include Maurepas Foods, Oxalis, Mariza, and Booty’s Street Food.
What raises Bacchanal from a great meal to a great experience is the live music and almost magical environment. Seated outdoors under strings of tiny lights and surrounded by tiki torches, you’re entertained by noted New Orleans musicians. Onstage every Monday night is Helen Gillet—hailed by DownBeat magazine as “one of the best musicians in town—and that’s saying a lot.” On Thursdays, the Courtyard Kings perform a mash-up of bebop, gypsy jazz, and Brazilian and New Orleans jazz.
Rudge died in 2015 at the far-too-young age of 40, but not before he saw his ever-morphing vision become a distinctive—some might say essential—New Orleans experience.
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