Briquette — Restaurant in New Orleans

I went here with a group of six other people, and we enjoyed almost everything about this place. It just opened up a few weeks ago, so it is still not very well-known. When we came in at 5:30, there were only two other tables with people. Their website leads only to a link to make reservations, but you could easily get a table just by walking in from the looks of it when we visited.

The restaurant is located in an old molasses mill from the 1800s that sat empty for years until converted into this restaurant. The wide, bright kitchen is glassed in at the back of the restaurant, allowing you to see the chefs in the process of making your food. The staff dimmed the lights as the sun started to go down, making the large, open space feel a little cozier.

They begin by serving complimentary cornbread with a gravy-like cream sauce, which was very different from a standard bread service, but very good. Our group got two appetizers: one with octopus and shrimp, and another with almond-crusted shrimp. Both were very good, but the sauce that came with the octopus was good enough that our waitress offered to bring out toasted bread pieces to dip in it. Some people in my group got cocktails, which they said were very good and unique, but some were a little small.

For my main course, I got the Grilled NY Strip, which is served with "Crispy Oyster Jewels, Bleu Cheese, Brussel Sprout Hash, and Chive Demi" ($34), and the Andouille Buttered Fries ($7). The food came relatively quickly, and it all came at once, which is nice in a big group like ours. The entire wait staff was very polite and professional, and they were quick to clear empty plates or refill drinks, sometimes without us even noticing.

I ordered my steak medium rare, and it was perfectly cooked and very flavorful and tender. Although I would have appreciated more than just one or two oyster jewels, they were a nice addition to the meal. I'm not much of a Brussels sprouts person, but the "hash" that accompanied the steak was quite good. The side order of Andouille fries came in a small but deep bowl that allowed the butter and cream to pool at the bottom and get soaked up nicely by the fries. They were therefore very rich and were a good pairing with the steak.

In addition to desserts, the after-dinner menu included a selection of interesting coffee-based beverages (one with Tequila) and other drinks. As a group, we got the cheesecake and the "Croux-Nut" (croissant/donut). The cheesecake was not quite what we expected--more like cake with a little cream cheese on it--but was still pretty good. The Croux-Nut, on the other hand, was one of the highlights of the whole visit. It was served with a blueberry sauce and chocolate-bacon shreds, which seemed strange at first but were surprisingly good. The Croux-Nut was light like a croissant but sweet like a donut and surprisingly combined the best parts of both without being too overwhelmingly sweet. It's also one of the staff's favorites.

The manager A.J. Tusa, who owns and operates several other popular restaurants in the area, came to check in on us and make sure everything was going well. He seemed to be a very kind man who operated such a great restaurant. I would definitely...

UPDATE: only 2 people on the ticket and the waiter charged 20% gratuity, because he knew he delivered the food cold and messed up 3 people’s orders at our table and management and owner backed him up! ALSO , said no separate checks AT ALL, check mine out, SEPARATE CHECK + 20% gratuity!!!! Reservations at 6:30 for eight people, we got there on time we ordered our food and the food came out after about an hour and 15 minutes it was barely room temperature and some of the orders were completely messed up and overcooked are not even ordered. Service was pretty good but even with all the problems we were still charged 20% gratuity, not even asking if we wanted to do that. Pictures of the food look great too bad it didn’t taste great

UPDATE: When checking my bank account, I realized that Briquette had charged my CC twice. Once for my meal and then for another couples meal. I called to have them removed from my CC. The person I spoke with called the Owner - and the owner said that the second was a mistake and they will definitely take it off my CC (legally they had to - not doing anything as a favor!) Then I explained that the food quality was not up to restaurant price standards. I explained that everyone had problem with their food, lamb chop not seasoned, fish dishes were cold when put on table, pasta dish was barely room temperature, steak was close to burned when it was ordered 'medium'. The person I spoke with said the owner had talked to everyone at the table and everyone was very satisfied ! NOT TRUE! She spoke to 1 person at the table then left. I would have thought that they would have at least taken the 20% gratuity off my ticket - absolutely not. They served poor quality food, messed up orders at our table, we were served after other people who arrived AFTER us, double charged on my CC but, NO COMPENSATION AT ALL. Customers be aware - unfair restaurant practices and pitiful food, service and customer service. To be sure - the eight (8) people (6 NOLA Warehouse Dist. residents) at our table will not be back. I was a restaurant manager in Baton Rouge for over 5 years, I would never have treated my customers that way, not even having the courtesy to talk to me but to translate their message through a 3rd party. I am not sure if the waiter was at fault, the kitchen or the person who ran the CC's but, I will say one thing, apparently they can screw up and get away with it, and the owners back them up for their...

My boyfriend and I absolutely had the worst experience here. We spent $170 at this place and have nothing but regret. This was our first time here and we will NEVER be back. When we first arrived… we waited 15 minutes at our table and still no waitress. We had to inquire about a waitress before getting seen. Then I ordered the Crispy Skin Faroe Island with the description “Salmon Gulf shrimp, crab and seaweed salad, sweet chili glazed butter, local jasmine rice.” Then my salmon arrived with absolutely no crab despite the crab listed in the description and I asked my waitress about it and she informed me the description must be outdated on the menu because it was never served with crab and it would cost $10 extra to add crab despite the misleading description. …Which I paid anyways because that’s what I wanted— that’s why I ordered the salmon because the description allegedly included crab. Then as I’m eating my salmon and half way into the salmon…. I see it’s RAW… the middle of salmon was not cooked. And I immediately notified my server and she proceeded to argue with me stating that, next time I should inform them if I want my salmon all the way cooked and sometimes salmon can be served raw. I have never been so blatantly disrespected. The menu said nothing about raw salmon… I ordered COOKED salmon and was served raw salmon and then my waitress had the audacity to tell me I should have ordered it cooked thoroughly through. Actually insane. All of the restaurants I’ve ever dined at— I’ve never been served half raw salmon when ordering cooked salmon. After all of this, I was so upset… I informed the manager toward the end of our dining experience what had transpired and he only offered a round of free drinks. Major slap in the face after dishing out $170 at this establishment. 1 hour after leaving, my boyfriend ended up throwing up his whole meal. BEWARE. I typically don’t go out of my way to leave reviews like this but after the experience we had… I felt like I had to share this with others in hopes you will opt for another dining experience...