You may remember a few months ago I told you about my visit to New Orleans to see the Southern Food and Beverage Museum (SoFab). Well, within the museum is a jewel of a restaurant — Purloo, which is the name of a traditional Gullah dish that is made from rice and whatever seafood and meat is available. Simple, pure and local. That’s the perfect definition for the food at Purloo.
Chef Ryan Hughes works with his team behind an open exhibition kitchen where 20 diners eat surrounding all the action. The chef interacts with the diners and explains what they are doing. There are another 50 seats at tables in the open-air, industrial space.
This antique bar is massive and was rescued from . . .
this. What was once Brunings Restaurant
While you stroll through the museum, you can pick up a cocktail here first. (It’s New Orleans, of course).
One of their specialty cocktails is, “The Big Payback” which uses roasted peanut bourbon they make themselves. Then again, I guess they’d have to make it. Where would you run out to pick up that sort of thing?
My husband and I were there in the afternoon, and had participated in the wild boar tasting, so we weren’t terribly hungry, but since it was New Orleans, and since it all looked so good . . . we had just a little taste. Or two. Maybe three.
The Delta Corn Tamale with crawfish gravy is in the foreground and was absolutely incredible.
We also shared the Southern Board that had flavorful smoked lamb, pimento cheese, pickled okra, deviled eggs, fried pickles and my favorite . . . the Green Tomato Chutney. It doesn’t look like much here, but I’m telling you it was so good, I asked if they sold it by the jar! (nope).
While we had our afternoon snack, we watched the team prepare for that night’s diners. They were expecting a full house and were excited about all the fresh foods being unloaded. Purloo takes great pride in working with local farms, so they often create menus that reflect what has just arrived at their door only hours before.
I know many of you are like me and you love to go to New Orleans, so make a note that the next time you’re over that way, make sure you pop in to Purloo. Whether it’s for a snack, lunch, dinner . . . or all three, you’ll love it.
