Pêche Seafood Grill

Pêche Seafood Grill at 800 Magazine Street in New Orleans' Warehouse District is a James Beard Award–winning restaurant that brought live-fire and wood-burning cooking to the center of the city's Gulf seafood tradition. Chef Donald Link opened Pêche in 2013 with chef de cuisine Ryan Prewitt, who won the James Beard Award for Best Chef: South in 2014, in what was a rapid critical success in a city not lacking for celebrated restaurants. The kitchen centers on a large wood-burning oven and grill that impart a char and smoke to fish, shellfish, and vegetables unavailable from gas or electric heat. The signature preparations are the whole grilled fish — typically Gulf species like redfish, drum, or flounder — cooked over wood and served simply with a few accompaniments; and wood-roasted oysters that emerge with briny liquor intact and edges barely caramelized. The charred broccoli with fish sauce and a skillet cornbread have both become cult dishes, the latter achieving near-legendary status among New Orleans food writers. Gulf shrimp, fresh crab, and seasonal fin fish rotate constantly based on what the local boats bring in. The restaurant's philosophy privileges the Gulf's own produce over imported alternatives, and the sourcing is taken seriously. The dining room is open and bright during lunch, warmer and more animated at dinner, with long communal tables, a zinc bar, and the smell of wood smoke threading through the space. Reservations on Resy or by phone are highly recommended for dinner; lunch is more accommodating to walk-ins.