Since opening as a beer-focused \u201cearth-to-table\u201d restaurant in 2011, and then struggling to cement a firm identity, the Fifth Avenue establishment has undergone a concept change and menu restructuring that could leave you waxing sentimental over your last visit to New Orleans.<\/p>\n Yet for those who have never visited the Big Easy, the drinks and food at Local Habit serve as viable primers.<\/p>\n Under a second set of owners is new executive chef Jimmy Tessier, a graduate of\u00a0Johnson & Wales\u00a0and prot\u00e9g\u00e9 of famed chef Emeril Lagasse. He was also a contestant several years ago on Food Network\u2019s \u201cChopped.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Tessier has upheld and enhanced the menu formulated by his Louisiana-born predecessor, Nick Brune, who originally helped launch Local Habit when it became the first restaurant on this village-y block of Hillcrest to offer craft beers and house-cured meats. Those still remain.<\/p>\n But through its recent transition, the restaurant\u2019s continental approach has made way for \u201cswamp water\u201d cocktails, Cajun-marinated fried chicken and puffy beignets served with chicory coffee cr\u00e8me anglaise. Yes, yes and yes.<\/p>\n It has also resulted in an appealing remodel featuring a sidewalk patio, rollup windows, a spruced-up bar, and a 24-foot-long interior mural painted by acclaimed \u201clive artist\u201d Sean Dietrich, whose rabbit-themed fresco dominates a wall at The Rabbit Hole in Normal Heights.<\/p>\n Here, his work summarizes what Tessier describes as a place \u201cwhere New Orleans cuisine meets California ingredients.\u201d Fantastical images of coastal California verge into all things New Orleans, including water boats doubling as andouille sausages. The longer you stare, the more quirky depictions you discover.<\/p>\n The menu starts off with a board of house-made sausages \u2013 onion-chive chicken and decidedly smokier andouille \u2013 served with crostini, pickled onions and cornichons. A craft draft or glass of vino from the succinct wine list would strike ideal pairings to the board, but we instead dabbled in the New Orleans cocktail culture with fruity, rum-spiked hurricanes and lime-infused swamp waters mingling vodka and apricot brandy.<\/p>\n Tessier does wonders with pork belly, an appetizer that spans a spectrum of flavors and textures. The pieces were brushed with sweet Creole agave and molasses, which were beautifully contrasted by serrano chili hot sauce. And residing beneath their crispy, flash-fried crusts was the prized mouth-melting meat achieved from slow roasting.<\/p>\n From the entr\u00e9e list, my companion opted for honey-mustard lamb chops, a Stonehenge-like arrangement of succulent meat and bones encircling truffle-cauliflower puree, baby carrots, and bread pudding containing all the comforts of Thanksgiving dressing \u2014 basically the traditional Louisiana \u201choly trinity\u201d of onions, celery and bell peppers.<\/p>\n Another star ingredient in the dish was bourbon-soaked cherries, which jived lovingly to tender figs and a puddle of rosemary demi gracing the plate. For a neighborhood restaurant, the presentation hit fine-dining standards.<\/p>\n Tessier\u2019s fried Jidori chicken takes on a twist with rice flour, which gives the batter a crispier edge. It isn\u2019t classic Southern-style, but close enough as the fat from the chicken meshes tastefully with the coating, while buttermilk enters into the equation as a choice of sauce on the side. The other sauce options are serrano or Cajun agave.<\/p>\n The chicken undergoes a 48-hour marinade in various chili blends, resulting in the highest heat level named \u201cslap ya mama!\u201d I chose medium, which was safer than expected. No mouth burn, but piquant nonetheless.<\/p>\n![\"Sausage](\"https:\/\/sduptownnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/09\/Sausage-board2webtop.jpg\")
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<\/a>Parked alongside was a dish of kale saut\u00e9ed in serrano cider vinegar, garlic, and caramelized onions. A bit too acidic, we agreed it was the only off-note to our meal.<\/p>\n