Keeping it on the DL: Herbsaint
Review by Paul Oswell
Chef Donald Link remains one of the most influential people in the New Orleans culinary landscape. His specialist meat and fish joints - Cochon (plus Cochon Butcher) and Pêche - are destination restaurants that are also loved by locals, which is no small feat in this city. Add on the rustic Italian fare of Gianna and the high-end surf and turf of Chemin a la Mer (his partnership with the Four Seasons Hotel) and that’s quite the portfolio.
25 years ago, though, Chef Link opened the flagship spot that started it all. Housed in a relatively anonymous-looking building in the city’s Central Business District, Herbsaint’s dining room is disarmingly casual and as such, feels like a democratic venue to sample some of the city’s best food. The L-shaped room has simple lighting and unpretentious wooden furniture under calming olive tones. I’m always a fan of places that seem to attract a cross section of our town's multi-faceted population. Where do the bohemians sit down with Uptown families and the post-office crowds?
I would argue that dinner service at Herbsaint has one of the more unusual mixes of people, welcoming as it does tables of suit-sporting executives, well-heeled aunts and uncles treating their nephews and nieces, service industry foodies and casual tourists who have broken out of the French Quarter grid and have bravely crossed Canal Street. Here be dragons, and also contemporary, seasonal Southern cuisine with French and Italian undercurrents.
The wine list mixes Old and New worlds confidently, and at one of the more affordable price points for a restaurant at this level. We’d call Herbsaint upscale, correct? It’s not stuffy, but equally it’s not Verti Mart. Low-key bougie? Is that what a Gen Z influencer would call it? Anyway, most of the bottles reflect the French and Italian influences, and the cocktail program is an equally reliable back-up plan.
You don’t become a well-loved New Orleans restaurant that stays in the ‘best of’ lists for a quarter of a century without consummately turning out the classics. Herbsaint understands the assignment, and the dirty rice and chicken, tasso, and andouille gumbo here remain as popular as ever. Outside of these familiar local dishes, those Italian and French flavors vie for attention, with the gnocchi and homemade spaghetti being particularly memorable. My friend and I shared a crispy goat dish on our last visit that we still talk about, and the duck leg confit was also a delight.
It’s a cozy dining room and the staff navigate the tables with balletic grace. Our servers knew the menu and wine selections intimately, and weren't shy to engage in as long a chat as demand for their attention would allow. It's a skill, knowing who to engage with. Some tables just need to get on with their celebrations, but our table wants the story behind the food - the staff were seemingly getting it just right across the room.
Herbsaint may not have the swagger of some of the city’s more famous restaurants, but this plays out to its advantage, I think. Chef Link has made sure that his first restaurant, this original statement of intent, quietly delivers an assured menu with unshowy and impressive consistency. You can still taste the inspiration that set Donald Link on his path to world (OK, city) domination, and being able to say that in your third decade of operation is definitely something to celebrate.
Herbsaint website
Review by Paul Oswell
Chef Donald Link remains one of the most influential people in the New Orleans culinary landscape. His specialist meat and fish joints - Cochon (plus Cochon Butcher) and Pêche - are destination restaurants that are also loved by locals, which is no small feat in this city. Add on the rustic Italian fare of Gianna and the high-end surf and turf of Chemin a la Mer (his partnership with the Four Seasons Hotel) and that’s quite the portfolio.
25 years ago, though, Chef Link opened the flagship spot that started it all. Housed in a relatively anonymous-looking building in the city’s Central Business District, Herbsaint’s dining room is disarmingly casual and as such, feels like a democratic venue to sample some of the city’s best food. The L-shaped room has simple lighting and unpretentious wooden furniture under calming olive tones. I’m always a fan of places that seem to attract a cross section of our town's multi-faceted population. Where do the bohemians sit down with Uptown families and the post-office crowds?
I would argue that dinner service at Herbsaint has one of the more unusual mixes of people, welcoming as it does tables of suit-sporting executives, well-heeled aunts and uncles treating their nephews and nieces, service industry foodies and casual tourists who have broken out of the French Quarter grid and have bravely crossed Canal Street. Here be dragons, and also contemporary, seasonal Southern cuisine with French and Italian undercurrents.
The wine list mixes Old and New worlds confidently, and at one of the more affordable price points for a restaurant at this level. We’d call Herbsaint upscale, correct? It’s not stuffy, but equally it’s not Verti Mart. Low-key bougie? Is that what a Gen Z influencer would call it? Anyway, most of the bottles reflect the French and Italian influences, and the cocktail program is an equally reliable back-up plan.
You don’t become a well-loved New Orleans restaurant that stays in the ‘best of’ lists for a quarter of a century without consummately turning out the classics. Herbsaint understands the assignment, and the dirty rice and chicken, tasso, and andouille gumbo here remain as popular as ever. Outside of these familiar local dishes, those Italian and French flavors vie for attention, with the gnocchi and homemade spaghetti being particularly memorable. My friend and I shared a crispy goat dish on our last visit that we still talk about, and the duck leg confit was also a delight.
It’s a cozy dining room and the staff navigate the tables with balletic grace. Our servers knew the menu and wine selections intimately, and weren't shy to engage in as long a chat as demand for their attention would allow. It's a skill, knowing who to engage with. Some tables just need to get on with their celebrations, but our table wants the story behind the food - the staff were seemingly getting it just right across the room.
Herbsaint may not have the swagger of some of the city’s more famous restaurants, but this plays out to its advantage, I think. Chef Link has made sure that his first restaurant, this original statement of intent, quietly delivers an assured menu with unshowy and impressive consistency. You can still taste the inspiration that set Donald Link on his path to world (OK, city) domination, and being able to say that in your third decade of operation is definitely something to celebrate.
Herbsaint website