Garrison Kitchen + Cocktails, a new restaurant, boasts a sprawling indoor space and gazebos for outdoor dining. The spot, which opened in July from Steven Stewart, executive chef John Sinclair, and pastry chef Jillian Duran, serves a menu of casual American favorites.
Photo by Randy K. Schmidt
Sinclair started cooking in his home state of Connecticut before moving to New Orleans nine years ago to pursue his career full-time. He previously worked at Herbsaint, Barrel Proof, and Coquette, and most notably, was the chef at Longway Tavern, the acclaimed eatery from Robert LeBlanc and Liam Deegan that closed in 2021.
When it comes to Garrison Kitchen + Cocktails, the restaurant is a team effort. Sinclair explains that his friend Julie Koo was managing Blue Giant when she connected with Steven Stewart through the help of a customer. Stewart saw that The Garden Gates, a former plant nursery, was for sale and planned to make it a restaurant. Koo told Stewart that Sinclair would be the perfect chef for the project; the plans for Garrison Kitchen + Cocktails took off from there.
Photo courtesy of Garrison Kitchen + Cocktails.
“We set up a meeting two years ago and we’ve been working on it ever since,” Sinclair said. “We drove out to the property and immediately started making plans.”
Koo is now the general manager of the restaurant.
The menu here is small plates easily enjoyed alone or in groups. That’s by design, Sinclair said. He wanted to create an approachable dining experience where customers could enjoy different tastes without breaking the bank.
He said, “When I go out to eat, I like to share things with the table. I wanted a menu that was share-focused and you could order two or three random things and make a meal out of it. You can also eat the entire menu if you have four or five friends to enjoy it with.”
Sinclair’s favorites include Pork Belly with grilled napa cabbage, fennel, and chili crisp. Sinclair explained that the skin-on pork belly is sous vide for twelve hours overnight, cut into blocks, fried, sliced, and finished in the oven with marinated cabbage cooked on a wood-fired grill. Caesar salad, a holdover from the menu at Longway Tavern, is prepared with an anchovy dressing and heavy seasonings. He prefers not to add croutons to the salad to keep it gluten-free, instead using grated parmesan baked until it’s crispy. Broccolini is steamed, then prepared on the broiler, and garnished with sunflower, olive oil, lemon, and Tabasco dust.
Photo by Randy K. Schmidt
Other menu highlights include fried cauliflower with dried chili, lime, and ranch; chicken cutlet sandwich with arugula, pickled pepper, olive, pecorino, lemon, and ciabatta; house- made sausage with white bean, shishito pepper, grape tomato, and Castelvetrano olives; and braised beef with kale, roasted sunchokes, oyster mushrooms, and artichoke.
Dessert from Jillian Duran, who formerly ran Rahm Haus Ice Cream, includes Black Forest gateau with eight layers, dark, milk, and white chocolate, and Amarena cherry; and cheesecake made with goat cheese, Biscoff cookies, brown butter, and pineapple.
Garrison Kitchen + Cocktails also serves brunch which includes stuffed French toast, milk bread, yams and maple syrup, egg sandwich with sausage, egg custard, American cheese and Texas toast, and crab Benedict with a crab cake with a poached-then-fried egg and hollandaise.
Sinclair and the Garrison Kitchen + Cocktails team are excited to bring what they feel is a piece of New Orleans dining to Metairie.
Photo courtesy of Garrison Kitchen + Cocktails.
“We thought it was a unique opportunity to bring a modern restaurant that you might find in downtown New Orleans to clients that don’t often eat at these types of places,” he said. “The space is unique so we can bring a special, fun style of service.”
Garrison Kitchen + Cocktails 2928 Metairie Road, Metairie, (504) 224-9330. Open Wednesday through Sunday from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.; the restaurant is open for brunch on Saturday and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
@eatingwithcaitt 𝐍𝐄𝐖 𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐓𝐀𝐔𝐑𝐀𝐍𝐓✨ 📍𝗚𝗮𝗿𝗿𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝗞𝗶𝘁𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗻 – 𝟐𝟗𝟐𝟖 𝐌𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐞 𝐑𝐨𝐚𝐝 ••••• What was once a plant nursery is now a beautiful restaurant with a mix of cozy modern vibes ✨ Each dish is meant to be shared with their family-style menu 🍽️. There are so many great options it was honestly hard not to order every dish! The beautiful gazebos aren’t open quite yet but they will open once it’s starts to cool down! 🍁 #neworleansrestaurants #metairierestaurants #neworleans
