IT’S AUGUST AGAIN, SO SOME OF YOUR FAVORITE RESTAURANTS ARE CLOSED FOR SUMMER BREAK

August has arrived, which in New Orleans means two things for restaurants: they’re closing for summer break or participating in the city’s annual dining promotion, known as Coolinary (the deals are more cool than the name). For some restaurants, it’s both — Coolinary, now in its 20th year, runs from August 1 to September 15, so businesses have the opportunity to take a break and then join in on the fun. This year, 130 local restaurants are offering discounted fixed-price meals for brunch, lunch, and dinner during Coolinary — it’s $28 or less for two-course lunches, or $58 or less for three-course dinners and brunches.

Here’s an ongoing rundown of what restaurants are closing for break in August, and which restaurants have the most enticing deals to snag for brunch, lunch, and dinner during the dog days of summer.

These Restaurants Are Closing For Summer Break

Bywater Bakery: July 30 — August 30

Fantasy Tacos: July 28 — August 6

Palm&Pine: July 29 — August 7

Zee’s Pizzeria: July 29 — August 6

Rosedale: July 30 — August 7

Nolita Bakery: July 31 — August 29

Francolini’s: July 31 — August 8

Pizza Delicious: August 5 — August 19

Union Ramen: August 5 — August 11

Mae’s Bakeshop: August 12 — 21

2024’s Best Coolinary Deals

BABs: For $58, choose between Creole tomato gazpacho or fried snapper collar in tomato brodo to start; pizarei with sausage and peppers, chicken saltimbocca, or risotto Milanese for your entree; and for dessert, coconut panna cotta with summer berries or tiramisu.

Baru Bistro and Tapas: For $50, a three-course dinner at Baru includes dishes like Cartagena style shrimp remoulade, chorizo empanadas, pescado a la plancha, solomillo, and maduros Foster, a version of bananas Foster made with fried plantains.

The Bower: The three-course dinner menu includes smoky beef collard green rolls, Ora King salmon crudo, green chili rubbed Gulf shrimp, and corn crusted pork loin with pickled watermelon salad. Dessert is a choice between a Bushwacker budino and a lemon curd and mixed berry pavlova. It’s available for just $49, Monday through Saturday.

Brasa: The new South American steakhouse from Antonio Mata and chef Edgar Caro is serving up dishes like tuna ceviche, cazuela, hanger steak with Parmesan fries, and Gulf fish a la plancha. For dessert, try the cuajada con melao, a Brazil nut cheesecake with burnt blood orange. Dinner is $58.

Good Catch: Choices for a $28 lunch at this great new Thai restaurant downtown include larb salmon tartar, a Thai seafood boil with shrimp, calamari, and clams, and five-spice braised chicken.

Mister Mao: Brunch is served family style for Coolinary at Mister Mao, a way to make a meal here even more fun than it already is. The spread includes pork lumpia, shrimp dumplings, a ginger salad, Kashmiri fried chicken, garlic noodles, and fairy bread (you read that right). The playful meal for two is $50. Dinner is another story — you can get a shrimp tostada, wood-fired Gulf fish with fresh corn “grits,” dragon bean, and shiso salsa verde; and a coconut shag cake for $49.

Origen: Go for brunch at Bywater’s new Venezuelan bistro and try tequeños, arepas, and capachas, as well as dessert and a café colao, for just $28.

Palm&Pine: A three-course menu of dishes like grilled pork and shrimp sausage, Hanoi fried catfish, grilled jerk quail, and caramel flan with curry banana ice cream. The menu is available for dinner Thursday through Monday for $50.

Plates: The Warehouse District stunner’s $50 brunch menu includes shrimp and crab croquettes, pain perdu or a Spanish tortilla, and a glorious Spanish almond cake with honey ice cream and hibiscus.

Station 6: Choose from black bean soup or ceviche to start, shrimp sofrito and pork belly mofongo or whole grilled Gulf fish for an entree, and coconut rum tres leche or guava sorbet for dessert. $58.

Suzie’s Soulhouse Soulfood Restaurant: Dinner is a great deal at Suzie’s, where you can enjoy chicken salad-stuffed tomatoes, chicken cacciatore, and peachy bread pudding with rum sauce (among other choices) for just $46, which includes a glass of wine.

Zasu: Sue Zemanick has crafted a $58 dinner menu including grilled shrimp with pink-eyed peas, charred okra, cherry tomato, and chile vinaigrette; her famous pierogis served with charred corn, cherry tomato, basil, queso fresco, and preserved lemon creme fraiche; and sauteed flounder almondine with oyster mushrooms, sunchoke puree, and haricots verts.

2024-08-02T21:46:32Z dg43tfdfdgfd