Restaurateurs Ian Schnoebelen and Laurie Casebonne gave a sharp turn to the rudder of their business a few weeks ago when they announced the closing of their Iris restaurant. That came as a surprise to a lot of people who had become fans of Iris. The restaurant they opened in 2013 was no less unexpected a move. Where the food at Iris was highly original new American and Creole cookery with a lot of polish, their new Mariza is quite the opposite. From the rough brick walls of the old rice mill it occupies to the thoroughly rustic, mostly Italian menu, Mariza applies zero momentum from Iris. But to anyone who follows the dining scene, it all makes sense. It's just another strong piece of evidence that the days of fine dining are ending, with casual eats writing not only a new chapter of the annals of New Orleans food, but a new book.
Mariza is far from the first local restaurant purveyor of salumi (rough translation from the Italian, with zero sex appeal: deli meats). Indeed, chefs have been inexplicably wild about building their menus around an assortment of cured, smoked, and otherwise manipulated cold meats, despite the substantial amount of work it requires. But few have created charcuterie with the exactitude of Chef Ina and his time. The menu remains in an Italian groove through the rest of the meal, with almost everything showing both familiarity and new approaches.
Co-owners Ian Schnoebelen (chef) and Laurie Casebonne (dining room and wine boss) opened Iris in 2006 after working together at the French-tinged Lilette. Iris also had a French touch, one that blended with adventuresome local flavors. That evolved further after they moved Iris to the French Quarter--a move not taken by many restaurants throughout local dining history. They opened Mariza in early 2013, and liked it well enough that they closed Iris in April 2014.
Mariza took over one end of an old, greatly overbuilt rice mill dating back about 75 years. Its warehouse feel will be familiar to those who find the industrial look popular in the Warehouse district. Most of the walls are made of brick, with concrete floors. All this is softened somewhat by a collection of art worth stopping and looking at. Somehow, it's not as noisy as most spaces like this.
Forget the old appetizer-salad-entree-dessert routine. Order whatever appeals, however it falls. Most of the dishes are appetizer-size and priced accordingly, making this aneasy strategy.
| Attitude | 2 |
|---|---|
| Environment | 2 |
| Hipness | 3 |
| Local Color | 2 |
| Service | 1 |
| Value | 1 |
| Wine | 1 |
