Splurge of the Week: Tamarind opens for Lunch

Starting this thursday, Tamarind Restaurant will be open for lunch!

Located on the edge of Lee Circle, Tamarind offers upscale asian cuisine with french execution. Chef Dominique Macquet is truly creating something very special with ever single dish. Pictured below is Dominique's take on chicken noodle soup aka Pho:

I must say, Tamarind for lunch is not exactly good value, but quality and execution make it my "splurge of the week." The best value i saw on the menu was the chicken vermicelli salad pictured below:

The flavor of this chicken is exceptional and unlike any chicken i have ever been served with vermicelli. Another interesting note on the menu are the Bahn Mi (po-boy) and soup (pho) combos. There are 4-5 options of different vietnamese style po-boys you can order: each of which come with a cup of chicken pho. The po-boy combos run around $14-$15 per plate/combo. I really enjoyed my shrimp Bahn Mi (pictured below). I cant believe chef Dominique is using royal red shrimps = my favorite! Fact of the day, Royal reds are caught in deep waters off the coast of Florida. Chef

Dominique is baking his Bahn Mi bread fresh daily and the sauce he uses to moisten the sandwich is truly remarkable. This very well may have been the best Bahn Mi of my life.

This restaurant is top quality and is positioned for success. If you are in the CBD or Warehouse district looking for a great power lunch, this is your spot. Complimentary valet parking in front. Enjoy!

The Cheapest Gourmet Lunch near the CBD

Downtown workers & New Orleaniens in general should be pumped about the recent addition of Rouses to the Warehouse District. It is a beautiful store that draws many parallels to Whole Foods. The design is creative and contemporary.

The produce looked amazing, the liquor selection was immense, and the prepared foods / hot plates had a line 20 people deep. I saw fried chicken, a dynamic olive bar, and make your own sandwiches.

It was exciting to walk through this store for the first times. Employees were very friendly and the facility was spotless. There was so much activity all around the store. There was even a lady dressed up as the chiquita banana.

With the South Market District breaking ground soon, the warehouse district is sure to be one of the top places to be in the 504 for many years to come.

*Helpful tip, there is a parking lot on the Loyola Street side of the facility. There is an outdoor lot along with 2nd and 3rd floor parking above the store.