Longway Tavern, a French Quarter restaurant and bar from New Orleans-based hospitality group LeBlanc + Smith, debuted a revamped menu crafted by newly appointed Executive Chef Cesar Nunez. With a strong focus on locally sourced ingredients of the highest quality, Chef Nunez’s seasonally driven menu features creative twists on nostalgic classics.
“Chef Cesar has upped the ante on traditional bar food, and we’re proud to launch the updated menu at Longway Tavern,” says Robért LeBlanc, founder of the LeBlanc + Smith hospitality group. “The menu showcases the unbelievable culinary technique that chef has brought to the table and truly captures the essence of New Orleans.”
The revamped menu offers an assortment of small and large plates featuring familiar flavors prepared in unexpected ways. Stand out small plates include cheese and “crackers,” with aged cheddar and banana pepper aioli, and croquettes with parmesan, anchovy, and romaine. The larger plates include dishes like the charred eggplant with muscadine, buttermilk ricotta, and black bean paste, and the steak sandwich with brown butter, scallions, house-made Valentina, a favorite Nunez created while working as a line cook during his career at Chef Adolfo Garcia’s restaurants.
“I wanted the menu to be a celebration of my heritage and the local culture that raised me, and I can’t wait to share it with everyone,” says Nunez. “The menu is designed to be approachable while offering dishes with edgy complexity in an intimate atmosphere tucked away in one of the most vibrant parts of our city.”
After joining the Longway Tavern team earlier this summer, Chef Cesar Nunez quickly took the helm, leading a full menu redesign and further advancing LeBlanc + Smith’s philosophy to redefine 21st-century Southern hospitality. A New Orleans native with over 13 years of renowned culinary experience, including roles at every Chef Adolfo Garcia restaurant and most recently as chef de cuisine at Coquette, Chef Nunez continues to distinguish himself as a leader in New Orleans fare.
Longway Tavern’s updated food menu complements its outstanding beverage program lead by bar manager Anna Giordano. From the bar, guests can enjoy classic French Quarter cocktails with seasonal and trendy twists, such as the Sazerac made with Rittenhouse Rye and Peychaud’s, Rome to Rio Cobbler made with Sherry blend, rhubarb, Aval Cider, Redux and Citrus, and the Greeña Colada made with green chartreuse.
