King Brasserie & Bar, the modern French brasserie located at Kimpton Hotel Fontenot, has just kicked off their tour of the Côte d’Azur experience, coined Tour d’Azur, which will rotate seasonally. The Tour d’Azur begins with a focus on flavors and ingredients celebrating Provence, available now along with the full spring menu.
Led by Executive Chef Samuel Peery, King Brasserie offers cuisine that’s rooted in the style of the French Riviera region, permeating with ingredients and culinary traditions of New Orleans. The menu makes thoughtful use of Louisiana and Mediterranean seafood, heirloom grains, handmade pastas, breads and pastries that celebrate the French Riviera.
“Our menu is a great mix of near and far, combining the best of the Gulf with the brightest of the Riviera,” says Chef Peery. “We really wanted to bring patrons on a culinary exploration of a region I’m deeply fond of, while also showcasing some of the familiar flavors we love most from our home and supporting local fisherman and farms”
In addition to the full spring menu, there will be a special Tour d’Azur: Provence. The four-course tasting menu with optional beverage pairing is available every evening for dinner service now through the end of spring. The first course features a Goat Cheese Fondue with strawberry & sunflower sofrito, lavender honey and sourdough baguette. Second is the Asparagus & Tahini with grilled snap pea, fava bean tapenade and pistachio. Third course is Gulf Fish Provençal with mussels, fava bean, new potatoes, leeks and sauce bourride. And for the fourth, it’s a Yuzu Tart with pistachio, local honey gelato, and lavender shortbread.
The spring menu also features some delicious duos and unlikely pairings such as the Grilled Octopus, which is an inspired take on surf & turf with octopus from the Mediterranean made with a Louisiana wild boar ragout, along with cannellini beans and spring onions. The Steamed Mussels made with Herbsaint, and yuzu, commonly found in the French Riviera, combine familiar flavors of New Orleans and the South of France.
Pastry Chef Lanna Talley will also continue to delight patrons with bright flavors, delectable bakes and craveable desserts. Among the desserts are the Banana Nut Paris-Brest with pecan mousse, choux and banana praline. This French classic uses Louisiana pecans and pays homage to the Bananas Foster.
King Brasserie also offers a range of dishes for their daily Brunch service, including Chef Talley’s Louisiana Pecan Pain Brioche or her coveted Buttermilk Biscuits, available with black pepper gravy, chicken sausage and crispy potatoes. Other popular menu items include the Croque Monsieur with croissant, local ham, sauce mornay and salad vert and the Farm Egg Frittata with roast garlic, heirloom tomatoes, baby kale and crispy potatoes. Brunch cocktails include King’s Bloody Mary made with their house mix; Provence Punch made with rose, brut, orange vodka, kumquat liqueur, blackberry, strawberry and citrus; and more.
In addition to brunch or dinner, King Brasserie’s daily Happy Hour between 5 and 7 p.m. is a great time to explore the restaurant and bar’s beer, wine and cocktails. Among the new spring cocktails are The Prestige with brown butter washed Espolon, tarragon syrup, Cap Corse Blanc, lemon acid, and mushroom herb infused Peychaud’s and the Strawberry Swing with Oxbow Silver Rum, strawberry basil syrup, St. Germaine, Benedictine, lemon and prosecco. King has non-alcoholic options as well, like the Sunset in St. Tropez with scarlet glow tea, rosemary syrup, orgeat, lime and lemon-lime soda.
King Brasserie will also continue to offer a rotating selection of weekend specials. And every Monday, the restaurant welcomes their citywide colleagues to join them for Service Industry Night from 5 to 9 p.m. with food and drink specials.
King Brasserie opened a year ago, as a centerpiece of the hotel’s adaptive reuse expansion into the historic building next door, originally built in 1844 by architect James Gallier. The upscale casual restaurant with welcoming, neighborly hospitality has seating for 125 in the interior dining room, at the spacious bar, and on the outside patio along Tchoupitoulas Street, which is also a great place to bring your K9 companions.
King is open for brunch daily, 7 a.m. – 1 p.m. Dinner is served Sunday through Thursday, 5 – 9 p.m., and Friday and Saturday, 5 – 10 p.m. Happy hour is daily, 5 – 7 p.m. For more information and to place a reservation, head to kingbrasserieandbar.com. You can also follow King on Instagram at @kingbrasserienola for cooking tips and recipes to daily specials and exclusive tasting events and to stay tuned on what the team is mixing up.
