How suis it is: Suis Generis in the Bywater, New Orleans
Suis Generis
review by Paul Oswell
When I first moved to New Orleans in the early 2010s, my friends would rave about The Green Goddess, a small restaurant tucked away in Pirate’s Alley in the French Quarter. It wasn’t the fanciness of the food that drew them there, it was the innovation.
The Green Goddess kitchen was being run by Chris DeBarr, a veteran chef with a nose for the esoteric. It was a simple grilled cheese sandwich that won me over: the cheese Chris used was a stout-infused Guinness cheddar, served on a very dark German bread with apple butter and yes, it was as good as it sounds. Better, even.
Chef Chris was also knocking up unpretentious dishes using weird zombie corn variations and all sorts of exotic condiments and ingredients that he’d picked up on his global travels. It was unusual, but accessible and kind of exciting for a restaurant deep into tourist territory.
Sui Generis is a pretty unassuming spot in the Bywater, having been open for 12 years (it being 2024 as I write). Their ‘evolutionary’ approach to food has seen them buy and operate their own “tiki farm”, and inventive menu items with locally-sourced produce is their bag. Seems like a match made in heaven, and it’s exciting that Chef Chris has - after a few years bouncing around the city - landed in this corner of the culinary world.
I hadn’t been to Sui Generis for maybe five or six years, and as myself and some friends went to support Chris on his first shift as chef there, I was reminded how fun that place is. The interiors are vintage and slightly kitsch, and the staff are incredibly friendly and chatty, but it’s the menu that stands out.
Chef Chris has yet to roll out his arsenal of delicacies, for which we’re fully anticipating great things (no pressure). Sui Generis already has its fair share of atypical dishes, though, a solid foundation for him to build on. My Bloody Mary Salad came with a zingy ‘tiki farm heirloom tomato’ dressing, and a plate of Chicken Fried Bacon with its caramelized onion and cheesy hominy didn’t last long.
The charcuterie board of mezze was a shareable delight, with iberico salami, triple-creamed soft cheese, heirloom carrot humus and some elite-level olives. We didn’t sample any entrees, but the choices of Alaskan Halibut, Duck Breast or Kimchee Pancake are options that you won’t find in too many other places.
Sui Generis is a great spot for some casual bites before a night out, and you can tell that they really care about what they’re doing. They’ve also outlasted many of their peers by doing things extremely well - obviously staying open beyond the pandemic and seeing off their Bywater peers such as Oxalis (RIP, now the wonderful Justini’s) and Booty’s Street Food (just R).
If you, like myself, haven’t been in a minute, Chef Chris will be whipping up new menus on supposedly a weekly basis. That’s got to be good news for anyone (and I’m not naming any names...OK it's me, obviously) wanting that grilled cheese sandwich to make it back into the rotation, right?
Suis Generis website
review by Paul Oswell
When I first moved to New Orleans in the early 2010s, my friends would rave about The Green Goddess, a small restaurant tucked away in Pirate’s Alley in the French Quarter. It wasn’t the fanciness of the food that drew them there, it was the innovation.
The Green Goddess kitchen was being run by Chris DeBarr, a veteran chef with a nose for the esoteric. It was a simple grilled cheese sandwich that won me over: the cheese Chris used was a stout-infused Guinness cheddar, served on a very dark German bread with apple butter and yes, it was as good as it sounds. Better, even.
Chef Chris was also knocking up unpretentious dishes using weird zombie corn variations and all sorts of exotic condiments and ingredients that he’d picked up on his global travels. It was unusual, but accessible and kind of exciting for a restaurant deep into tourist territory.
Sui Generis is a pretty unassuming spot in the Bywater, having been open for 12 years (it being 2024 as I write). Their ‘evolutionary’ approach to food has seen them buy and operate their own “tiki farm”, and inventive menu items with locally-sourced produce is their bag. Seems like a match made in heaven, and it’s exciting that Chef Chris has - after a few years bouncing around the city - landed in this corner of the culinary world.
I hadn’t been to Sui Generis for maybe five or six years, and as myself and some friends went to support Chris on his first shift as chef there, I was reminded how fun that place is. The interiors are vintage and slightly kitsch, and the staff are incredibly friendly and chatty, but it’s the menu that stands out.
Chef Chris has yet to roll out his arsenal of delicacies, for which we’re fully anticipating great things (no pressure). Sui Generis already has its fair share of atypical dishes, though, a solid foundation for him to build on. My Bloody Mary Salad came with a zingy ‘tiki farm heirloom tomato’ dressing, and a plate of Chicken Fried Bacon with its caramelized onion and cheesy hominy didn’t last long.
The charcuterie board of mezze was a shareable delight, with iberico salami, triple-creamed soft cheese, heirloom carrot humus and some elite-level olives. We didn’t sample any entrees, but the choices of Alaskan Halibut, Duck Breast or Kimchee Pancake are options that you won’t find in too many other places.
Sui Generis is a great spot for some casual bites before a night out, and you can tell that they really care about what they’re doing. They’ve also outlasted many of their peers by doing things extremely well - obviously staying open beyond the pandemic and seeing off their Bywater peers such as Oxalis (RIP, now the wonderful Justini’s) and Booty’s Street Food (just R).
If you, like myself, haven’t been in a minute, Chef Chris will be whipping up new menus on supposedly a weekly basis. That’s got to be good news for anyone (and I’m not naming any names...OK it's me, obviously) wanting that grilled cheese sandwich to make it back into the rotation, right?
Suis Generis website