La Petite Grocery: Beyond the Blue Crab Beignets

I had heard so many great things about La Petite Grocery, and I knew that, because I'm a local, it was pretty much an embarrassment that I hadn't tried it out yet. The Uptown restaurant routinely lands a spot on nola.com's annual list of the city's 10 best restaurants and holds a spot on The New Orleans Advocate's dining guide, the "Essential 100." It didn't take me long during my first visit to figure out why.

The French restaurant is probably best known for its blue crab beignets, which come alongside a malt vinegar aioli. The exterior is perfectly crisp, and the relatively light batter packs flavor. Once you take a bite, the entire ball melts in your mouth. The interior is filled with lump crabmeat and marscapone and is surprisingly soft and delicate. In short, these fritters are nothing like the sweet and heavy beignets you'd find at Cafe du Monde or Morning Call. The savory crab beignets are full of delicious flavor, yet aren't cumbersome or heavy. Although the appetizer comes five to an order, you can order single beignets if you're worried about too much food, so there's no excuse to pass these up!

The powerful and memorable turtle bolognese offers a real depth and complexity of robust flavors. The protein, which has the texture of ground beef, has that familiar turtle-and-sherry taste that you'd find in turtle soup. The house-made bucatini is perfectly cooked al dente, but I would've loved more of it to soak up that delicious bolognese. The pasta is topped with a luscious deep-fried, soft-boiled egg. (The dish pairs nicely with a pinot noir, by the way.)

Marinated octopus: what a beautiful dish! The fresh and ridiculously tender octopus has the acidity and flavors reminiscent of ceviche. The red pepper flakes provide a very subtle kick, and the fresh herbs on top bring balance to the dish.

The pork cheek ravioli is interesting and unlike any ravioli I'd ever had. The house-made ravioli is, unsurprisingly, perfectly cooked. I couldn't believe it's stuffed with pork cheek, as the meat is lean and tastes almost like pulled pork shoulder, but it carries a lot of savory and flavorful notes. Shaved Grana Podano, an Italian cheese much like Parmesan, is sprinkled generously on top, and the field peas, which are mild in taste, add a nice textural contrast to the dish. But the shrimp threw me for a loop. I love gulf shrimp and recognize that they usually complement dishes well, but the cohesiveness of the dish suffers a bit as a result of their addition.

The blistered shishito peppers, one of the night's specials, might be the best shishito peppers I've ever had. Appropriately sweet and salty, these peppers are perfectly roasted and arrive with a nice char. Several pack some serious heat, which is mellowed nicely by the aioli on top.

For those curious about the restaurant's atmosphere, the interior is quaint and cute, with large windows facing Magazine Street. Although it has an upscale ambiance, it doesn't feel pretentious in any way.

I'm already eager to return to La Petite Grocery to try some of its other dishes. Even after my first visit, it's no wonder why executive chef and owner Justin Devillier, who opened Balise two years ago, won the James Beard award for Best Chef: South in 2016. See you again soon, LPG.

#french #seafood #crab #octopus #turtle #shishitopeppers #beignets