Tariffs Are Coming For The Menu | Eater
"Sophina Uong's New Orleans restaurant is portrayed as "the kind of third culture-chaos cooking party spot where strawberry chaat shares the menu with 'Spanish octopussy,' and cocktails are served with candy cigarettes." It is described as a purposeful celebration of a variety of influences that requires both local and international ingredients to come to life. When President Donald Trump announced his brash, nonsensical tariff plan — if you can even call it that — in March, Uong realized her whole menu may have to change. She began stocking up on ingredients like asafetida, black salt, and chilies from both India and Mexico, she says, but notes that spices go stale and some fresh ingredients are becoming more difficult to source. "We have suggested to our bar manager switching acids, or developing a menu less citrus heavy — limes are $74 a case right now and steadily climbing," she says. Fish sauce, too, "has jumped from $2.99 to $8 a bottle." She adds, "We have dropped avocados for now, and will just be watching like everyone else [to see] what happens." - Jaya Saxena
