Welcome to Eater Tastings, where Eater NOLA editor Gwendolyn Knapp shares the best restaurant and bar news of the week.
NOLA Drumroll, please... Announcing the 2013 Eater Awards for New Orleans: Justin Devillier nabs Best Chef, Peche wins Restaurant of the Year, Booty's Street Food is So Hot Right Now, Nathan Dalton is Bartender of the Year, Marti's is the Stone Cold Stunner, and La Cocinita drives it home with Food Truck of the Year.
UPTOWN Arabella haunt Frankie & Jonny's will reopen with a new owner/operator and new renovations next week. The restaurant has been shuttered since early 2013, after former restaurant management was kicked out by the building's owners.
MID CITY Here's a charming video of a true Cajun, chef Isaac Toups of Toups Meatery, cooking up dirty rice in the kitchen. Toups was recently in New York City, cooking at the Eater Awards, and his station was deemed the most fun by Eater National.
NOLA For the book nerd in you, here's a sneak peek at Donald Link's upcoming book Down South, due out in January and also a first look inside of John Besh's newly released third cookbook Cooking From The Heart.