"Una birra, per favore!"

   A beer, please!

Where to begin... so many options when it comes to our beer varietals. Hmm.. let us first grab a cold one off tap and take a moment to reflect... Ahh thats better!

Options are one thing that you can't go wrong with. At LPK we love giving our guest options. Options when paired with quality are guaranteed to result in happy campers parked at the dining room tables! We proudly offer a whopping 50 different beer selections. Many of them local, some of them imported, one of them sure to please your brewsky cravings.

Faced with the daunting task to live up to our reputation for awesomeness (that we set for ourselves) we had to accept the fact that having a mediocre beer selection was just not something that was going to fly. So, we decided to face the mission head on and set out to make the most awesome beer menu we possibly could. We do have some limitations (such as space and storage) because we are in the middle of the french quarter and empty space is not a luxury most restaurants here have. Therefore, when venturing out on our beer quest we had to choose wisely and tastefully to give our guests the biggest punch within the number of options we could house.

Here's what we came up with:

Local options

Since we are locally owned and locally grown, we have to support our Louisiana Breweries and those of our neighboring states. We proudly carry several local breweries such as Abita, Bayou Teche Brewing, Covington Brewhouse & Lazy Magnolia.




Abita Brewery: Purple Haze, Jockamo IPA, Turbo Dog, Abita Light, Abita Amber draft and Abita Seasonal draft
Bayou Teche Brewing: LA31 Pale Ale, LA31 Biere Noir and LA31 Passione
Covington Brewhouse: Strawberry Ale, Pontchartrain Pilsner
Lazy Magnolia: Southern Pecan

Imported options

We searched high and low searching for the best micro-brewed and imported beers that would be able to keep up with the flavors and tastes of our creole-italian dishes. We carry beers from all over the world including: Italy, England, Ireland, France, Belgium and Mexico. Here are a few of our favorites:

Peroni (Italy)

Duvel Golden Ale (Belgium)

Chimay Grande Reserve (Belgium)

Spaten Franziskaner Hefe-Weissen (Germany)

Written by Sasha Bledsoe

Ciao! Amico!

   Hello Friend!

Get to know us...

We've shared about pasta, we've chatted over wine, now we want to give you a chance to get to know a little about who we are. The crew behind the scenes, the chef's in the kitchen and the faces that greet you at the door. We've been rocking LPK in the French Quarter for the past 23 years. Each day that passes we become more grateful for those who make this place tock, make us who we are and keep us running (and great at what we do). Several of our employees (more like family) have been with us for over 20 years! We've grown together, learned together and perfected this little thing we call "pizza-making" together.

A wise man once said, "Have your staff work with you, not for you, and they'll stay with you forever". Oh wait, that wise man was our very own, James Ritchie, owner of the Louisiana Pizza Kitchen. You can find Jim (as friends and family call him) working around the restaurant almost 7 days a week. There isn't one role here that he hasn't filled at one point or another over his 23 year career as owner of LPK. He works and lives daily by his motto above and creates an active-owner presence that ensures his staff is meeting his high expectations yet still having fun!


Many of our employees have been with us longer than Justin Beiber's been alive (Oh yea.. we went there) and have been long-time friends of our owner Jim. Well without further ado, we'd like to introduce you to a few of our awesome friends:

Here's our bossman, Jim, holding one of his favorite pizzas!

On Pizza: Chef Steven Reddick also known as  Chef Turtle or Bobo to locals, Chef Steven Reddick throws in an exciting Rastafarian twist to his culinary concoctions.  Reddick – born and raised in Treme of New Orleans – is a self-taught chef, artist and whole-food mastermind who was introduced to cooking (and its powerful role food in his life) at a ripe, young age by cooking alongside his Grandmother and Auntie.  He joined us at LPK in 1993, and for the past 20 years he has been creating dishes that keep locals coming back for more and placing Louisiana Pizza Kitchen on the map as a tourist destination.

Chef Steven Reddick preparing mouth-watering pizzas for our guests.

On Pasta & Salad: Chefs Michael & Nanda Menge are LPK's favorite cooking couple. Chef Michael is a local native of New Orleans and Nanda has venutred from Australia to grace us with her culinary excellence. Chef Michael Menge has a long and rich creole-cuisine history and has been friends with owner Jim Ritchie for almost 30 years. He has apprenticed with Chef Paul Prudhomme at K-Pauls in New Orleans and Chef Julian Serrano of Masa's in San Francisco, CA. Equally impressive are the credentials of Michael's wife Chef Nanda Menge. Chef Nanda is greatly skilled in French and International cuisine along with being an excellent pastry chef! She has studied Asian, Greek and Italian cuisine throughout Europe and Australia. Stop by LPK almost any night of the week to witness this delectable duo whipping up Creole-Italian perfection. 

Chef Mike and Nanda posing for a quick picture

On the floor & at the door:
 Our servers are awesome. That's all there is to say. All of our staff is knowledgeable of our wines and dishes and eager to ensure you have the best experience at LPK possible. 

A few of our waiters having fun after a wine tasting

Although we haven't mentioned everyone today, all of our staff members are considered to be a part of our LPK family. Be sure to subscribe to our blog so you can receive updates and meet all of our staff in upcoming posts!

 

Written by Sasha Bledsoe

“In Vino Veritas."

    In wine there is truth. 

“Wine is one of the most civilized things in the world and one of the most natural things of the world that has been brought to the greatest perfection, and it offers a greater range for enjoyment and appreciation than, possibly, any other purely sensory thing.”- Ernest Hemingway

Here at LPK our philosophy on wine is congruently the same as that of our dear friend Ernest Hemingway. We love wine, love hearing the stories of the vineyard owners, love tasting the variations from all over the world and love pairing a perfectly chilled glass of wine with a hot plate of Creole-Italian fare. We view wine and food as having a symbiotic relationship – each increasing the quality and flavor of the other. 

Being the perfectionists (and slight over-achievers) that we are, we couldn’t rest at night without knowing that we are providing our guests with the best wine experience possible. We take great pride in our selection and the way in which we serve and preserve the wines we offer. For a small restaurant with only 58 seats we offer nearly twice that in wine varietals (105 by the bottle and 24 by the glass options). We offer wines from all over the world but hold a special focus on Mediterranean wines from Southern France, Spain and Italy.  We use a system called a WineKeeper to preserve our wines by the glass and ensure they are served at precisely the recommend temperature for enhanced flavor. We also serve all of our wines in Riedel Glassware, ".. designed in shape according to the character of each wine" (Perhaps over-achieving was an understatement).

We love seeing our hard work pay off, we've been the proud recipient of the Wine Spectator Award of Excellence for the past three years, 2010-2012 (the 2013 winners have yet to be announced).

Okay.. It all sounds good but.. Are you ready to hear the best part?!?

 All of our wines are offered at an affordable rate, which means you get to indulge yourself in perfectly chilled bottles of wine for less :)

Here’s a peak at our WineKeeper System:

How it works: It’s a dispenser designed to preserve wines, keeping them as fresh as the moment they are first uncorked for several weeks. They store wines at appropriately cool temperatures, and keep oxygen from coming in contact with the liquid inside the bottle by using nitrogen to push out all oxygen, leaving you with deliciously crisp wine.

Why it’s Cool:  It allows us to serve 24 wines by the glass and keep them fresh! Anytime of the week you can come in and enjoy anything from a perfectly chilled Cotes du Rhone to a sparkling Rose.

Each of our 24 wines by the glass that we offer have been tasted and selected by our staff. Weekly wine tastings are held each Thursday. This allows our staff to have confidence in the quality of the wines they are selling. Although all of our wines are awesome, we've listed a few of our Summer favorites below. To see our full wine list, venture on down to LPK and give us a visit. Also, be sure to follow our blog, we will be featuring more of our great selection in the future! 

2012 Copain Rose Wine  “Tous Ensemble” Anderson Valley, CA; Pinot Noir
Taste:  Dry, vibrant, and refreshing with hints of cherry blossoms, watermelon and strawberry 

2012 Bodegas Vina Nora Peitan Albarino, Rias Baixas, Spain

Taste: Crisp, Clean and well-balanced with a hints of lemon and pear, tropical fruit with a spicy finish

2011 Seghesio Family Vineyards Zinfandel, Sonoma County, CA
Taste: Rich, spicy and bold with hints of dark cherry and sage with a medium finish

Written by Sasha Bledsoe

“Butta la pasta!”

   Throw in the pasta!
  
   Many may find it peculiar that a restaurant with the word Pizza in the name would begin it's blogging adventure on the topic of Pasta. However, at the Louisiana Pizza Kitchen we couldn't find this topic more appropriate. Yes, we pride ourselves in serving up some of the most delicious pizzas most people have ever consumed (not to toot our own horns) but we also take great pride in offering superb pastas, salads and desserts. So, to shake things up a bit this week, Pasta shall be the topic of our conversation.

Louisiana Pizza Kitchen is a family owned restaurant, with a focus not only on serving delicious meals but also using the best ingredients and processes of preparation possible. We are always looking for companies to partner with and purchase from that foster the same values and quality standards we hold.  We found just what we were looking for in Rustichello D'Abruzzo Pasta.

Their story: In the1920's a man by the name of Gaetano Sergiacomo began making pasta using durum wheat he found at local farms within his hometown of Abruzzo, Italy. His pasta was made with such care and quality that by 1924 he had began producing it for trade to his neighbors and friends out of his home. It wasn't until 1980 that the family-owned pasta company began sharing their tasteful secret with small, local restaurants and specialty shops in Italy. Word traveled quickly and today, Geatano's pasta has made it out of Abruzzo, Italy and onto our plates here at the Louisiana Pizza Kitchen in the French Quarter of New Orleans.

Why we like them: Despite increasing popularity and demand for their products, Rustichello D'Abruzzo refuses to sacrifice quality or tradition for supply and demand. They continue to make their pastas in the same manner that Gaetano Sergiacomo did almost 100 years ago and still use only the highest quality durum wheat from their hometown of Abruzzo, Italy. They continue to work by the motto "Primo Grano": Pasta's quality starts with its wheat. 

Here at the Louisiana Pizza Kitchen we believe the same is true for our pasta dishes: Great pasta dishes begin with great pasta, which is why we our proud to make each dish we serve with pasta from Rustichello D'Abruzzo. 

  SHHHHH Don’t Tell……

Since we’re sharing family stories, we’ve decided to also share one of our family secrets - Our Louisiana Pizza Kitchen recipe for our Savory Herb Spaghetti with hand-rolled meatballs made of beef, pork and veal.  

Savory Herb Spaghetti with Meatballs

The Meatballs:

½ lb Niman Ranch Ground Chuck

½ lb Niman Ranch Ground Pork

½ lb Niman Ranch Ground Veal

2 cloves Minced Garlic

2 tsp onion powder

Salt and Ground Black Pepper, to taste

½ tsp Di Stefano 100% Pure Olive Oil

In large frying pan, add oil and heat over medium flame. Combine all of the ingredients together in a large bowl. Shape the mixture into balls of your preferred size. Place the balls in the pan over a medium heat and cook them. Be sure to turn the meatballs frequently so that they don’t stick to the pan before being thoroughly cooked. When the meatballs are very brown and slightly crisp remove from the heat and drain on a paper towel.

The Sauce:        

2 tbsp Di Stefano 100% Pure Olive Oil

¼ cup onion, chopped

1 tsp Minced Garlic

28 oz Cento San Marzano Italian Tomatoes, hand crushed

Salt and Ground Black Pepper, to taste

1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped

In medium saucepan, heat oil over medium flame. Add onion; sauté until onion is translucent, approximately 1 minute. Add garlic; gently brown for 1 minute. Pour in tomatoes and season with salt and pepper to your liking; stir well. Cover and let simmer for 20 minutes or until desired thickness is achieved. Remove from heat and let cool.

The Pasta: Bring a large pot of water to boil and add the Rustichello D'Abruzzo spaghetti. While the spaghetti is cooking add a couple drops of Di Stefano 100% Pure Olive Oil to prevent sticking. As soon as the spaghetti is cooked al dente, drain it and dress with the sauce and meatballs. Cover with grated cheese and garnish with basil leaves (if you’re feeling fancy).

A few of the base ingredients

It always helps to start any recipe off with an awesome Chef! Mrs. B is one of LPK's favorites!
She's been with us for almost 10 years!

Adding the Spaghetti

Stirring the pasta to make sure it doesn't stick

This pasta is soo good, we were tempted to eat it all by itself!

Savory Herb Spaghetti ~ Delicious!!

bon appetit!

Once any awesome feast is complete, it's time to do the dishes. Mr. Keith is more like a family member
than an employee. He's been hanging out around LPK and making us smile since 1991 (thats 22 years!)

Written by Sasha Bledsoe