With a name like Turkey and the Wolf, it’s not surprising that this Irish Channel restaurant leans toward quirky. Order at the counter from a skinny paper menu and then help yourself to ice water and flatware. Instead of a number for the table, our order ID was a white tiger. The young woman seated at my elbow got a giraffe. 

The menu consists of Sandwiches, Not Sandwiches, Cocktails and Desserts. Not many choices but very good ones. The hefty meatloaf sandwich (gravy mayo, pepper jelly, shrettuce, white onion, sesame seeds, melty American, dill pickles on white) was delicious and unlike anything I’ve ever known about meatloaf. (Help yourself to a takeout container for the leftovers.)

Other sandwiches featured smoked city ham with cranberry and 2-year-old cheddar, fried bologna, lamb neck and collard greens.  Not Sandwiches includes a gorgeous wedge salad, fried pot pie, and fried chicken skins with deviled eggs.

The craft cocktail, A Failed State Affair, was a tasty mix of bourbon, tamarind, cardamom and grapefruit bitters. Next time I’ll try Ma’am, Don’t Be Hysterical. Or Put on Your Socks and Leave. Or both.

Chef Mason Hereford, former chef de cuisine at Coquette, and Lauren Holton opened the restaurant just last August, and awards have been rolling in. Turkey and the Wolf is among the Food & Wine Restaurants of the Year for 2017 and was a semi-finalist for the James Beard Award for best new restaurant.

Turkey and the Wolf 739 Jackson Ave. New Orleans
Open Wednesday – Monday: 11 a.m. – 9 p.m.
Sunday: 11 a.m. – 5 p.m.
Closed Tuesday