What a delicious way to spend Bastille Day: lunch at Patois, a cozy New Orleans neighborhood restaurant on Laurel Street.

Chef/proprietor Aaron Burgau, a three-time James Beard semifinalist for Best Chef in the South, and executive chef Jonathan Lomonaco prepare classic French dishes using locally sourced ingredients. (Patois translation = local accent.)

First came a tall, refreshing Pimm’s cocktail with a slice of jalapeño followed by a shared appetizer: perfectly grilled lamb ribs on the bone, with green tomato relish. (The grilling was going on curbside.)

All of the handful of entrees sounded wonderful. Our choices turned out to be exceptional: drum almondine with roasted potato gallette, buttered thin green beans and a fresh citrus meunière, and grilled marinated eggplant with haloumi, tahini sweet potato puree, Za’atar, on crunchy flatbread.

Dessert (!) was Thin Mint: a gorgeous plate of chocolate crisps and chiffon, mint ice cream, chantilly and minty oil. (Pastry chef is Lisa Gustafson-Alessandro.)

Patois

6078 Laurel St. New Orleans

(504) 895-9441

Lunch Friday

Brunch Sunday

Dinner Wednesday-Thursday