After 30 years leading Birmingham, Alabama’s farm-to-table dining scene, celebrated chef Chris Dupont has returned to his native New Orleans to open what he says will be his “last” restaurant. At Étoile, Dupont is starting with a seven-course tasting menu priced at $110 served three nights a week — Thursday, Friday, and Saturday — dishes that might include crabmeat and peach relish gazpacho; black drum with crawfish succotash and heirloom tomato butter; and rabbit arancino served with creamed Silver Queen corn. It’s a Parisian-inspired, American South beauty sure to become one of New Orleans’s finest new destination dining spots, with plans to add an a la carte option in the future.

Good Catch, from chef Aom Srisuk and Frankie Weinberg of local Thai restaurant Pomelo, dishes up specialties from all four main regions of Thailand while giving extra attention to seafood — this menu emphasizes dishes with crab, shrimp, scallops, sea bass, and even fried oysters, pairing the proteins with glass noodles; rich yellow curries; peppery chili sauces. The latest in a string of Thai restaurants to open in New Orleans (including Dahla, Thai’d Up, and Thaihey NOLA), it’s even bigger than Pomelo, and has the added benefit of a full bar.

After sunsetting the tasting menu at his Magazine Street restaurant Coquette, chef Michael Stoltzfus has launched a new one at Wild South, a 40-seat tasting menu restaurant in the former Lengua Madre space. The menu changes organically, playing on traditional Louisiana foodways, reflecting the region’s seasons, and tapping into the bounty of its waters: Think steamed oysters with swordfish bacon and leeks; sourdough fried Lion’s Mane mushrooms; and shrimp and strawberries with caviar. Make a reservation in advance.

The Southern meat and three gets a Turkey and the Wolf twist at Hot Stuff, Mason Hereford and team’s new Uptown lunch restaurant. The steam table centerpiece and cafeteria-style service are traditional, if not the funky, eclectic setting and updated recipes: There’s a hamburger steak au poivre drenched in a creamy black peppercorn sauce, marinated cucumbers in chili crisp, vegan black-eyed peas, miso green beans, and pickle cheese (like pimento cheese, but made with pickles). Mains change daily, and might also include smoked pork ribs, fried chicken, pot roast, red beans and rice, fried catfish, and more. Don’t miss the glazed Mountain Dew cakes zested with lemon and lime — they sell out early. It’s open 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday through Monday.

A stylish new lounge and restaurant landed in the Warehouse District at the end of December, with food and drink from a talented set of local tastemakers (Kiah Darion from Bar Marilou and Will Lester from Longway Tavern on drinks, and for food, Indigo “Soul” Martin, who ran pop-up Indigo Soul Cuisine, and Adrian Martinez, former chef de cuisine at Sylvain). Jolie transformed a former World of Beer into an unrecognizable lounge with a sexy, old-world European feel that hosts live music, DJs, and a monthly “Cirque de Jolie” lineup of performers. The food menu is mostly made of shareable plates with a French flair, like escargot, foie gras toast, tempura frog legs, bone marrow, and beef carpaccio, and extravagant cocktails utilize tools like atomizers, eye droppers, and blow torches.

A Metairie favorite for margaritas and Mexican has expanded to New Orleans, opening in early May downtown. The new Tacos del Cartel brings splashy to a whole new level, with trippy, extravagant interiors dripping with art, sculptures, textures, and color; a true feast for the senses. The restaurant specializes in brunch and has an incredible selection of specialty tacos (think octopus, soft shell crab, duck carnitas, bone marrow, and oyster mushroom, but the cold dishes are another area of excellence — black aguachile, green ceviche, and tuna tostadas are perfect for summer.

Brasa, a South American steakhouse from Antonio Mata and chef Edgar Caro, is now open in the former Morton’s space downtown. Many of the dishes from Brasa’s Metairie location have carried over to the new restaurant, which emphasizes unique cuts of Angus beef and local seafood. Appetizers include short rib mac and cheese and boquerones; entrees feature aged hanger steaks, Wagyu pincanha, smoked chicken, black Angus ribeye, and other hefty meat cuts, served with South American-style sides like carrots and smoked corn.

The former home of a popular Westbank pizzeria has been revived by Adrian Chelette, a local chef with a long background making standout pizza in New Orleans. Chelette, who most recently manned the pizza oven at Seventh Ward hotspot Margot’s following his time as co-owner at Ancora Pizza, has opened Nighthawk Napoletana, a simple, modern neighborhood restaurant with a large wood-burning pizza oven flanked by a dining counter, a bar, a small covered patio, and a narrow dining room. The restaurant’s succinct menu features eight sourdough Neapolitan-style pizzas, a few salads, and small plates like meatballs and arancini.

Vassiliki Ellwood Yiagazis’s Greek and Jewish pop-up is now a fully-fledged cafe, dishing up breakfast gyros (soft scrambled eggs, crispy bacon, fried halloumi, French fries, and creamy tzatziki stuffed into a pita). Ellwood Yiagazis is steadily adding more dinner-like dishes, like gemista (baked tomatoes and peppers stuffed with rice), a few vegan and vegetarian options, and cinnamon-spiced pastitsio, a Greek-style lasagna — plus Smoke & Honey’s popular lambeaux. A fish program of sliced lox and smoked salmon is in the works, too.

Rosella is a new Mid-City cafe with an identity all its own — nostalgic, funky, and most importantly, delicious. The menu, which co-owner Alix Petrovich calls “a little bit comfort food, a little bit New Orleans, and kind of tongue in cheek,” includes ultra-tasty eats like an andouille corn dog, red bean salad, and meatloaf with a classic onion gravy, cauliflower puree, and green beans. Come for the good vibes, satisfying food, and excellent prices for zippy bottles of wine.

Porgy’s is not just New Orleans’s ambitious new seafood market meant to serve as a dedicated space in the supply chain for bycatch. It’s also a restaurant, where a powerhouse team of chefs behind some local favorites (Carmo and Marjie’s Grill) are serving up New Orleans favorites with a sustainable twist. The menu includes boiled crabs, shrimp, and crawfish when in season, raw oysters on the half shell, seafood gumbo, and a hot sausage sandwich, but also, any of the fish in the case can be prepared in any format for dine-in. There is a muffulettu always on the menu, which replaces Italian cold cuts with Gulf tuna conserva, and rotating specials of crudo, semi-raw preparations, and brandades that will use bycatch.