Un prometedor restaurante de Nueva Orleans cierra sus puertas tras menos de un año
Menos de un año después de inaugurar Wild South, un ambicioso restaurante con menú degustación en el Lower Garden District, el aclamado chef de Nueva Orleans, Michael Stoltzfus, anunció su cierre. El último servicio de Wild South en 1245 Constance Street tuvo lugar recientemente.
Less than a year after opening an ambitious Lower Garden District tasting menu restaurant, Wild South, acclaimed New Orleans chef Michael Stoltzfus announced its closure on Wednesday, January 8. Wild South’s last service at 1245 Constance Street was on Saturday, January 4.
“In the end, it wasn’t the right fit for the neighborhood” wrote Stoltzfus on Instagram. The James Beard Award-nominated chef, who also owns longtime Garden District favorite Coquette, says he envisions a new future for the small corner building at Thalia and Constance Streets.
“We are excited to work on something new and more casual in the space that can better serve our neighbors and friends” Stoltzfus said in the announcement.
Stoltzfus first took over the historic address, which was once a neighborhood bar, in 2019. He opened restaurant Thalia with his then co-chef and partner Kristen Essig. Thalia closed in 2020, after which Stoltzfus briefly converted the address into a pop-up for fried chicken sandwiches, ice cream, and wine. In 2021, Stoltzfus partnered with Ana Castro, who worked as sous chef at both Coquette and Thalia, to open the modern Mexican tasting menu restaurant Lenga Madre. After two years of critical acclaim (Lengua Madre was a semifinalist for best new restaurant in the 2022 James Beard Awards), Stoltzfus and Castro parted ways at the end of 2023, Castro branching out on her own to open Acamaya, and Stoltzfus pivoting to Wild South.
Wild South marked a bold new chapter for Stoltzfus, picking up where Coquette left off when he sunsetted its tasting menu option. The 40-seat restaurant served a five-course dinner menu Wednesday through Saturday that changed monthly, aiming for fresh takes on the “traditional foodways, ingredients, and techniques that exist in south Louisiana” Stoltzfus told Eater last year. Stoltzfus collaborated with executive chef Bret Macris for the menus, which included dishes like rosemary Gulf shrimp with chili butter, peach, and shiso; mushroom toast with burrata and habanada vinaigrette; swordfish with nori, peanut butter, and muscadine; and Mississippi beef with chanterelles, smoked peppers, and Asher blue cheese butter. Macris announced his departure from Wild South in August 2024.
“We have a new concept in the works and some fun temp programming to activate the space in the meantime” Stoltzfus tells Eater, promising news and updates on a new restaurant “coming soon.”
Update: January 9, 2025, 9:08 a.m.: This article was updated to include comments from Michael Stoltzfus.