Bodega New Orleans is a new restaurant and grab-and-go market that aims to provide quick, convenient, and healthy homemade meals.
Formerly solely a delivery service, owner Jaryd Kase has expanded Bodega New Orleans to include dine-in and grab-and-go options for lunch and dinner, with future plans for breakfast options. Delivery will remain.
Kase is from New York, a city known for its convenient stores on every corner. However, when he moved to New Orleans to attend Tulane, Kase found the quick-food options in the city lacking.
Realizing that busy families rarely have the time to make fresh home-cooked meals, Kase sought to fill that void with Bodega. His shop provides delicious meals, served fast for families and individuals who might not have the time to sit down at a formal restaurant.
“At Bodega, people can expect nutritious, healthy food that you feel good serving to your family,” Kase said. “We’re going to do a lot of grab-and-go and we’re going to have a lunch menu focused on sandwiches and salads. If there’s a busy weeknight when you don’t have time to cook dinner, you can just come in and let us cook for you.”
The recipes are Kase’s own that he picked up in his travels. He has spent time in West Africa, South America, and Europe and features those flavors and influences in his cooking. Other recipes are family recipes- some of Kase’s grandmother’s recipes are featured prominently on the menu.
The menu at Bodega New Orleans changes every Friday and features meals such as BBQ Pulled Chicken with roasted potatoes and braised onions; Yassa Jën, a Senegalese dish, of cod filet in a Yassa onion sauce over rice; and Eggplant Parmesan with mixed greens salad, and Bodega vinaigrette. Some grab-and-go selections include Turkey Meatloaf, Ratatouille, Roasted Potatoes, Smashed Charred Broccoli, and Israeli Couscous Salad.
Some lunch sandwiches include Cabo Chicken Sandwich, grilled chicken breast, turkey bacon, goat cheese, Manchego cheese, jalapeno peppers, artichoke hearts, and fig jam on Bellegarde Bakery ciabatta, side of mixed greens; Seared Tuna, seared Yellowfin tuna filet, bacon, smoked tomato, arugula, and sriracha aioli on Bellegarde Bakery ciabatta, side of mixed greens; and Grilled Salmon Sandwich, grilled filet of salmon, lettuce, tomato, red onion, and red bell pepper aioli on Bellegarde Bakery ciabatta, side of mixed greens. And salad selections include Southwest Salad, mixed greens, roasted corn, black beans, avocado, tiny tomatoes, pepitas, and tomato-lime vinaigrette; and Simple Salad, mixed greens, tiny tomatoes, cucumber, bell pepper, and Bodega vinaigrette.
For Passover, Bodega New Orleans will feature a special menu. Selections include Matzo Ball Soup; Coffee and Wine Brisket with traditional vegetables; Herb-Roasted Whole Chicken, heirloom, pasture-raised, non-GMO chicken and assorted root vegetables; and Cola-Braised Lamb Shanks with traditional vegetables.
Pickup and delivery orders for the 2023 Passover observance (Pesach) must be placed by March 31 for a pickup/delivery on April 5. Other seasonal and “imported” options will be available daily, such as vegan and meat-free options for Catholics abstaining during Lent. Kase plans to feature special menus for other holidays throughout the year.
For now, Kase is excited to introduce his food concept to New Orleans and is happy to be providing customers with a healthy, affordable food option.
He said, “We’re very interested in becoming a part of the community and the neighborhood. If there’s something we made one week, but don’t have on the current menu, just ask us and we’ll make it for you. We want to be accommodating; we see Bodega as an extension of people’s kitchens. People are busy and delivery and take out options tend not to be the healthiest and we want to be different than that.”
Bodega New Orleans is open daily from 11:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
