Saint John
Creole restaurant · Central Business District ·
Elevated Creole cuisine, 18th-century recipes, modern polish
Elevated Creole cuisine, 18th-century recipes, modern polish
"Chef Eric Cook casts even the most traditional Creole dishes in a new light, thanks to his elegant use of supreme ingredients and techniques practiced in kitchens like American Sector, Bourbon House, Tommy’s Cuisine, and Gris-Gris. At Saint John, the chef cooks food that brings back memories, and his familiar menu certainly does that most expertly. But Saint John’s new gumbo with shrimp, crab, okra, and andouille, smoky at its heart and silky on the tongue, sets a lofty standard that deserves a memory all its own." - Beth D'Addono, Clair Lorell, Eater Staff
"At its new downtown home on 715 St. Charles Avenue, I saw Eric Cook revive Saint John as an homage to his Louisiana upbringing: originally opened in 2021 as a follow-up to his successful Gris-Gris, the restaurant reopened Friday, September 27—less than two weeks after Cook’s first cookbook, Modern Creole, was released. Its menu, informed by Cook and chef de cuisine Darren Chabert’s combing of 18th-century Creole cookbooks and family recipes, brings historically accurate Creole dishes into the zeitgeist while applying a modern eye and fine-dining polish; I found dishes like mirliton ceviche and banh mi au poulet sitting alongside Louisiana gumbo and redfish meunière. Cook promised to “show this city what Saint John can really be,” and the restaurant, which has taken over the former Le Chat Noir space, is open Wednesday through Monday for lunch, dinner, and happy hour." - Clair Lorell
"After closing its French Quarter doors in May 2024 with promises to reopen elsewhere, I learned Saint John has landed new permanent digs downtown and will reopen this fall at 715 St. Charles Avenue, the former home of Le Chat Noir. The single-story, modern space has a similarly large footprint with two bar areas flanking the entrance and a spacious, open dining room in the back, and Cook touts the more central, accessible location with walk-on streetcar access, increased parking, and Mardi Gras parade route views. Opened at 1117 Decatur Street in 2021 as a follow-up to Gris-Gris, Saint John is a Creole restaurant rooted in Cook’s Louisiana upbringing and informed by his and chef de cuisine Daren Porretto’s research into 18th-century Creole cuisine; their interpretations feel modern and approachable, exemplified by the signature Oysters Saint John, which combines fried, poached-in-cream, and oyster dressing served in puff pastry. That signature dish, along with favorites like Creole beef daube, baked macaroni pie with red gravy, slow-braised smothered turkey necks, and a roasted garlic Caesar, are slated to be on the new menu (with more items to be finalized this summer), and the reopening may coincide with Cook’s cookbook release on September 17. Prior to closing, the restaurant cited staffing shortages, lease rates, and the impending summer slowdown and had earlier weathered a high-profile dispute in November 2023 over a $40,000 Entergy bill that led to a 48-hour outage before being resolved." - Clair Lorell
"At 1117 Decatur Street, Saint John, chef Eric Cook's contemporary Creole restaurant, has served its last meal in the French Quarter after an abrupt late-May announcement on social media; Cook cited staffing shortages, lease rates, and revenue but said the decision ultimately came down to the impending summer — 'We don’t have the legs or depth to survive another summer in New Orleans' — and he plans to reopen in a new location in the fall, saying 'This transition is our chance to let Saint John shine.'" - Clair Lorell
"Though a relative French Quarter newcomer, Saint John is an essential visit to experience traditional Creole food courtesy of Louisiana-born chef Eric Cook. Bottomless mimosas and bloody marys are offered during weekend brunch, starting at 11 a.m. Well-composed brunch dishes might include a shrimp and holy trinity omelet, French toast with brandy milk punch custard, or grits and grillades. Saint John’s sister restaurant in the LGD, Gris-Gris serves Southern comfort food for brunch Wednesday through Monday." - Beth D'Addono, Clair Lorell