A guide to celebrating graduation
With their mortarboards decorated, gowns ready and bags packed, Tulane University graduates are eagerly gearing up for the 2016 Unified Commencement Ceremony this Saturday (May 14). Whether your post-commencement plans include making memories with longtime friends or hosting family members who are experiencing New Orleans for the first time, here are some suggestions for where to take the celebration after second-lining out of the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.
Cochon Restaurant (930 Tchoupitoulas St.)
If you want to introduce New Orleans newcomers to classic Southern dishes, look no further than Cajun cooking mecca Cochon. Located downtown in the Warehouse District, the restaurant offers elevated comfort food (including catfish courtbouillon and its namesake Louisiana cochon with cracklins) inside a rustic wood-paneled dining room.
The More You NOLA tip: Be sure to call ahead for reservations. Tables fill fast.
Shaya (4213 Magazine St.)
Recognized as the country’s “Best New Restaurant” at this year’s James Beard Awards gala, Shaya specializes in bringing modern Israeli cuisine to Magazine Street. The cornerstone of the inviting eatery is its cerulean-tiled wood-fired oven, which continuously produces baskets of pillowy pita. Groups can relax in Shaya’s outdoor patio and sample the meant-to-be-shared fare, featuring classic tabbouleh and crispy halloumi paired with oven-roasted leeks and preserved lemon.
Bayou Wine Garden (315 N. Rendon St.)
Whether it’s your party’s first stop of the day or its final destination, this Mid-City wine bar’s sprawling French-Quarter-inspired courtyard offers plenty of space to kick back. The venue’s wine-on-tap system offers patrons a selection of 32 rotating wines to pair with house-made charcuterie and cheese plates, gourmet sandwiches (like the El Pato Cubano, which stacks duck ham, duck confit and pickled onions on a Leidenheimer pistolette) and even sherry ice cream topped with bacon sprinkles. Bayou Wine Bar also offers a weekend brunch menu from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
The 2016 Commencement ceremony will be streamed live online. Follow us on social media at #tulane16.
