a Mano

We dined at a Mano this past weekend and loved it. The Italian red we ordered was wonderful and its very nice they only offer Italian wines. The rabbit and pork meatballs were fantastic as was the ricotta gundi. Our waiter Kyle was attentive and helpful and the host/​manager went out of his way to care for us and even suggest restaurants for the following evening. The meal wasn’t uptight, just simply delicious. The panna cotta and espresso was a nice finish!

I had the opportunity to experience A Mano with the legendary Alfredo Garcia himself. He is a genuine chef and lover of what he does which is evident in the delicacies he prepares. I was immediately impressed with the delicious variety of house cured meats. The pâté was definitely my favorite, however all of the choices impressed. The gnudi ricotta dumplings with shitake butter sauce are unlike any other, and still bounces around in my mind from time to time. Next I tried the Squid-​ink Cavatelli with anchovy, tomato, and caper sauce. Definitely new to me… but it did not disappoint. The distinct tangy flavor of the squid ink enlivened the senses and we complimented by the capers. And then to finish out the meal we were given a delicious glazed duck and roasted chicken. I cannot remember the name exactly… but I left A Mano very happy, and very very full.

This is in the former location of Chop & Joes.
The corner of Tchoupitoulas and St Josephs in the Warehouse District.
We stopped in for a glass of wine.
This is a very upscale place and felt a little over the top to me.
The menu seems over priced.

Chef Adolfo Garcia is a well known staple in NOLA for other restaurants like La Boca and even Gusto at the Canal Place Theaters. In the warehouse district he has a strong presence and having lived across the street for so long, I decided to try it out.
I shall say right off the bat that I dont think this restaurant belongs in NOLA. I am surprised, and obviously disappointed, that this italian fare manages to be so popular. Unsurprisingly however, its only popular with the convention center crowd. I can name 10 other joints in a 2 block radius better than this one, so I imagine that the conventioneers come here because of the reputation it gets from other conventioneers. They must say things like «Looking for a great place to eat after the cardiologist conference, go to aMano! Its cheaper than Emiril’s next door but still boasts a celebrity chef. Way better than any place in Boise!» The most obvious problem with this scenario, Emiril’s isn’t even that good! I dont know any locals who frequent there. Every local knows K-Paul’s the only celebrity chef worthy of NOLA bragging.
So back to aMano; I love Italian food. For some reason over the years i’ve developed an arbitrary rating system of italian restaurants based on their tiramisu. No idea why, i just love it. AMano doesn’t serve tiramisu! That’s ok though, it was the first thing i noticed on the menu so i was excited to try some food from another region of Italy that hasn’t been totally Americanized. I instead tried the panna cotta and was disappointed. It was like sour rubber, not the creamy custard-​like sweet fruit concoction that is way more prevalent in Italy than tiramisu.
I wont even mention the entre i had. It was edible, but bland. Great ingredients, made with low creativity. I’m not saying the menu here is absolutely god awful, i’m saying it belongs in some other city. All in all, my martini here was the best tasting.

Service was attentive and friendly. The restaurant has a nice vibe to it, and presents well — stripped down to the basics in décor, clean and relatively intimate in size. Food was well prepared and the menu full of unique choices. Unilocal steered us well in bringing us here. Recommend.

Very very disappointed. I’ve been to La Boca and thought it was great so I anticipated this would be of the same merit. Waiter was nice but cocktails took a while to come out but overall the service was OK.
Fruta di mari was the best thing we had and it was just ok. Carbonara was soupy, amatriciana was bland, flank steak was very chewy (medium rare), panna cotta was literally terrible and the sorbet tasted like it had been in a freezer at a grocery store too long. And after the bill came i left feeling like I got pick pocketed. Definitely avoid.

The waitress was abrupt and not helpful when asked questions about the menu: she merely repeated was was written, but loudly.
Food was extremely salty.

I have nothing bad to say about a Mano, but it was just a 3 star experience.
Service was great and the food was reasonably priced.
The menu is fairly limited and I am sure it changes a lot. We had flank steak and swordfish. Steak was cooked great but a bit bland and the fish was a bit done for our tastes.
I had fun, I like the place but there are too many spots in NO to go back.

First of all, I am a huge fan of Adolfo Garcia. I have yet to be disappointed at one of his establishments. a Mano is in true Garcia style, dimly lit, exposed brick, warm and inviting. It’s a good place for a nice dinner without having to be worried about getting all fancied up.
Let’s start with the service. It was amazing! The nicest man — he was the most appropriate amount of attentive without being a burden. You never noticed when your water glass was empty, but more importantly, I love a waiter who knows not to take your plate away or ask you if you’re done with your meal until you’re actually done with it – in true European fashion — no sense of urgency to get out of the restaurant here. And, the man definitely knew his wines. He suggested some amazing pairings with our meals, and I always think the wine selection is important in the overall evaluation of a restaurant. I’m much less inclined to think that a restaurant is the bees knees in fine dining if their wine list boasts Jacobs Creek.
Unfortunately, the food — albeit very good — was probably the most underwhelming portion of the visit. I would like to think that perhaps I did not order the right things on the menu and definitely want to return for round 2. For appetizers, we had the caponata bruschetta and the insalata di mare, both decent and flavorful. My boyfriend’s sister had the brown butter ricotta dumplings which were delicious, however, they were so rich that it was difficult to finish the dish, and it was lacking a savory component overall. I was unbelievably disappointed by my squid ink pasta, and maybe this isn’t a dish I’ve had enough, but when the menu mentioned tomato, I assumed it would be fresh diced tomatoes on the side of the plate, not an actual tomato sauce that completely overwhelmed the squid ink flavor, the reason that I got the dish in the first place. I will say, though, that the pasta was cooked perfectly, and if not for the tomato sauce, this would have been a great dish! The men we were dining with chose the goat and the grilled hangar steak and they were both extremely satisfied with their decisions. I, of course, had to steal bites of all the dishes and the meat entrees were really wonderful, well cooked, really well seasoned, I would go back again just for the hangar steak!

The overall experience at this restaurant is laid back. Relaxed and casual setting in which the dinners are dressed from evening wear to picnic clothes. Service is attentive, professional, and ranks higher than the food.
Items on the menu could make a vegetarian happy. Did not see any gluten free selections. However this was a night for a limited menu because of the recent storm. Parking is on the street, nearby public lots, and valet on weekends. Noise levels were not bad even when crowded.
Sazaracs from the bar were done right and started us off with a smile.

Now on to the food selections: the Baked Focaccia was acceptable. A bit too large in height but different people cook different ways. It came with tomato, mozzarella (very little), and a very good mixed green salad. Was not anything that makes me want to reorder on a return visit.
We decided to order two items to share on the limited menu: Baked Penne and the Eggplant Fritters.
The Baked Penne is prepared with what is described as a spicy ‘Nduja cream sauce. The dish was pleasantly spicy but dry in taste. We jazzed it up with some red peppers and the Tomato-​Almond Pesto from the other selection and in doing so the dish came alive.
The Eggplant Fritters served with a Tomato-​Almond Pesto were very good and needed no tweaking. The two selections with our own changes had our taste buds doing the Bus Stop.
Our server Miki was on the top of his game. When we requested some red peppers and some additional pesto it arrived quickly and just the right amount for our meal.
We also relied on Miki for our wine selection. A 2009 Centonze was perfect with our food. Wine prices are reasonable and the wine ordered was very good.
Celebrating the end of the storm we decided to splurge with a dessert. We selected a Gelato with cherries and coffee with Bailey’s. The coffee is New Orleans coffee and so very good. The combination of what we put together for dessert had me making the Sign of the Cross in appreciation of the taste and flavors.
The food is good and the ingredients are fresh. Even though there was a limited menu this restaurant has potential. Ambiance is very good and the service is caring but not intrusive. Overall the restaurant ranks a Four Star in my book. And a place to return to explore more menu items in the future.

I stopped by with a coworker after a long day at work. We shared the fresh Burrata and pickled tomatoes, basil, aged balsamic to start. So fresh! I had the Squid-​ink Cavatelli pasta with fresh Blue crab. It was very light and delicate. My friend had Tagliata di Manzo grilled hanger steak, arugula, balsamic, grana. We both had wine suggested by our very knowledgeable waiter.
The entire experience was very good from start to finish.
Great food.
Great service.
Great atmosphere .
Very authentic Italian.
We will be back!

My Italian boyfriend took me here on my birthday and said it was JUST AS GOOD as his mother’s Italian cooking! I can’t think of a better compliment than that!
The atmosphere was dim and romantic, the service was terrific, and the food itself was superb. Definitely a place worth your time.

I’m about to gush — just letting you know.
From start to finish, this dinner was flawless. My group of business people had an early dinner reservation, so the restaurant was fairly empty when we arrived. However, service was on the spot, friendly, and full of information. Our server, Rayne, was attentive, funny, and managed our group with aplomb. We started with carpaccio, ricotta bruschetta, and the affetatti misti platter — plenty to for everyone to taste and enjoy. Oh, and the bread was fantastic.
Rayne explained that the pasta portions were sized for tasting, so several of us shared various courses. I had an out-​of-​this world manicotti — served with a shredded pork ragu that melted in my mouth — and the pasta was perfect — the cheese made a wee crust on the top and every taste melded like magic. Others had the Gnudi, which were a dream in sage butter, and the spaghetti carbonara which was light and beautifully flavored.
For an entrée I shared the hangar steak which was impeccably, delectably cooked — an absolute dead-​perfect medium rare. I’m such a steak temperature snob that I nearly weep when a restaurant gets it this right. The flavor was perfect.
The wine and beverage list was lovely as well — I tried two whites and a delectable red and all were fantastic. Their selection includes some regions and varietals that are a little out of the ordinary, and priced comfortably.
My only disappointment was that I ordered the cannoli for dessert — I wished I’d gotten the chocolate torte instead. I love this restaurant and highly recommend it. I can’t wait to go back!

i thoroughly enjoyed my meal at a mano. i’m pretty much a sucker for any pasta al amatriciana (especially paperdelle, although they didn’t have it) and i thought they did an excellent job with the buccatini dish. the burrata appetizer was phenomenal — i’d order two of them next time. it’s a pity i’m writing this now b/​c i can’t remember exactly what all was ordered. i do remember my buddy not being too excited about his rabbit dish — it looked similar to a boiled chicken breast: plain and plain. his girlfriend got the steak and it looked pretty good as well.
i’ll definitely return to check out other dishes, and hopefully paperdelle will be there waiting on me.

A friend of mine alerted me to a series of dinners A Mano was doing, each week featuring a different region of Italy. Since my family is from Sicily, of course I wanted to see what they had to offer that week.
I had a delicious Aperol spritzer to start and my friend had the Bellini. We sipped as we perused the menu and decided to do one Sicilian special menu and then order some things from the main menu.
This particular friend of mine and I share a love for funky food; sardines, anchovies, tripe, whatever. And they had tripe on the menu so we had to order it. It was served in a savory but not at all heavy red sauce. Even if you don’t like tripe, I bet you’d love the sauce sopped up with some bread. It tasted just like my grandmother’s, actually, I’ll admit it, it was better than hers. I liked the gnudi everyone raves about but the texture was more like smooth cream cheese or goat cheese, I’m more used to it being like ricotta, slightly grainy and less dense. But still very good. The only dud was a pasta dish with zucchini, no flavor at all. Our final dish was a seared tuna with onion mostarda that was excellent.
To finish, we had cassata. It wasn’t bad but it wasn’t anything like the cassata I make and I prefer mine. This was a sponge cake soaked in some sort of liquor (too strong for me) and with candied fruit, not something I like much. The way I make it is un-​liquor soaked angel food cake with a chocolate-​cherry stuffed ricotta filling and topped with whipped cream.
Very nice meal, pleasant staff, will return to sit at the bar with an Aperol spritzer and an order of trippa!

Amazing! I had to roll myself out of here one night.
I started with the Burrata which was really good. The bread and oil that come out are great, too. I ordered the Pici for dinner which I worried would be boring from the description: olive oil, garlic, chili, parsley & breadcrumbs. This dish was amazing! I like spicy food so I thought it was perfect but I wonder if others would think it’s too spicy. The noodle is so thick and yummy I didn’t want it to end! I managed to fill in the cracks with some gelato or maybe it was the sorbetto special was that night.
I’ve been dying to come back for round two.

I’m a fan of Adolfo Garcia’s other flagship restaurant, Rio Mar, so I was very excited to finally try a Mano.
Dinner didn’t miss. The sweetbreads were rich, and fried perfectly.
My date had the gnudi, served with shitake mushrooms and sage butter. Don’t let the simplicity of the ingredients fool you into thinking the dish is boring. You’ll be thinking about it a week later.
I had the rabbit, which was fabulous. Probably the best rabbit you’ll have in New Orleans. In my mind, better than Cochon (who does it very well). Cooked perfectly — juicy, with just enough thyme and garlic to make it memorable.

I decided to try this place in spite of some mixed reviews and I was not disappointed!
Location: On Tchoupatoulis & St. Joseph — a block down the street from Emeril’s!
Décor: Typical warehouse district chic with exposed brick walls. Definitely a cool vibe to the place.
Starters: Focaccia bread and olive oil are complimentary and are quite deliciouso! We tried the bruscetta and let me tell you, it rocked! You need to try it!
We also tried the pumpkin soup and had mixed reviews
with it. I didn’t like the taste (a little on the sour side for
me). My Dad enjoyed it though. Note: Both the waitress and the host/maitre’d both came over and asked me about the soup and why I didn’t eat it. I explained that there was nothing wrong with it but that it was just not to my taste. Both offered to either substitute another appetizer for it or to simply take it off of the bill because I did not care for it. So kudos to them for doing that! Not every restaurant has that kind of service and I was impressed by their take on the whole situation.
Entrees: I had the spinach gnocchi that everyone raved about — including
the waitress. Very tasty; I definitely recommend it. My Dad had some
vegetarian garlic pasta and he gobbled it down. So far so good!
Dessert: My Dad tried the Cassata Siciliana and I tried the
semi-​freddo pistachio gelato! Mine was definitely better but if you like tiramisu give the Cassata a try — you may like it.
Drinks: The tanqueray and tonics and sambuca were perfect!
Overall: A very pleasant evening and an excellent meal!
4 ½ stars

I finally had the opportunity to dine at A Mano recently for some Italian dining. I like Chef Garcia’s other establishments, La Boca and Rio Mar, so I couldn’t wait to try his newest creation.
We started off with the Affettati Misti, a selection of house cured meats. Who wouldn’t love that! I really enjoyed the treats on this plate.
Next up we shared the Salsiccia con Lenticchie (grilled fennel sausage with smoked tomato-​braised lentils and sage). I loved this dish! The fennel sausage was savory and the lentils were the perfect companion. I could have eaten another one by myself!
For the pasta course we shared the Gnudi con Funghi, Burro e Salvia
(spinach and ricotta dumplings, local shitakes, brown butter, sage). I ordered this dish because I absolutely love spinach and ricotta dumplings/​ravioli. While the mushrooms and brown butter sage sauce were delightful, I had an issue with the dumplings. I thought spinach and ricotta filling was too dry, not nearly creamy or savory enough. I get the house variation on this at every Italian place I eat at, and this one wasn’t one of my favorites.
I ended with the Tagliata di Manzo (flat-​iron steak, arugula, balsamic, grana) with Verdure Affogate (braised local mustard greens) but the brought out the Duck instead. Maybe I should have stayed with the mis-​serving. Steak was just ok (in retrospect, why did I order steak!) but I really liked the greens. My friend had the Gamberi con Fregula alla Saraceno (grilled Louisiana shrimp with Moorish-​spiced Sardinian couscous) which was really interesting and tasty from the sample I had.
All in all, not bad and I hope to dine here again real soon.

I recently visited a Mano, Chef Adolfo Garcia’s newest restaurant, which serves regional Italian cuisine. I have previously eaten lunch at a Mano, but have wanted to visit for dinner since its opening. It did not disappoint.
I started my meal with an Aperol spritzer– light, refreshing, a beautiful orange color (like Fanta). We were brought a beautiful basket of bread (foccacia or similar style bread with figs) with olive oil for dipping. My friend & I shared several dishes. First up was watermelon and goat milk ricotta salad, with several types of fresh herbs. This was a great seasonal dish, very flavorful.
For our second course, we chose the Gnudi con Funghi, which are spinach & ricotta dumplings with local shiitakes, brown butter, and sage. I am a big fan of gnudi, and thought this dish was excellent. I especially liked the mushrooms in brown butter with sage.
For our next course, we had the rabbit two ways– one version was butterflied and paneed, the other was slow roasted with garlic. I preferred the roasted rabbit, but they were both good (although the paneed rabbit was slightly too salty). We ordered the green beans with leeks and pancetta as a side, and this was the perfect accompaniment.
We were pretty full, but for the sake of adventure, we split the Cassata Siciliana for dessert. Our waiter described this «if tiramisu and New York style cheesecake had a baby.» I don’t know about that, but I loved the ricotta and chocolate filling (I was not a huge fan of the candied fruit).
Overall, we had a lovely meal. There were just a few minor service issues– I wish we would have had longer to enjoy our cocktails before the first course was served; I wish our waiter had brought us new plates between the first and second courses; and I wish the take-​home box was a small, flat box, not a Chinese takeout container.
A Mano is a wonderful addition to the Italian restaurants in New Orleans. It is very different from Domenica, yet both are very good.