PHOTOGRAPH BY CATHERINE VIOX
When I made my first visit to Nolia Kitchen last year, I knew it had something special. Now the whole country knows. First, the James Beard Foundation named Nolia a finalist for best new restaurant in the United States, then Esquire included it on its list of the 50 best new restaurants in the country. Not a bad year.
According to Chef/Owner Jeff Harris, diners have responded to the accolades. He’s usually greeted by a line when he opens the doors to his cozy restaurant at the corner of 14th and Clay. Sometimes, a line of newbies—not exactly sure of the unassuming restaurant’s location—will line up on the opposite corner. Nolia’s popularity is literally spilling into the streets.
PHOTOGRAPH BY CATHERINE VIOX
Luckily, little seems to have changed: Harris still commands the open kitchen with grace and gusto, and Sous Chef Korry Wolfgang still fires out dishes with precision. Such consistency is extremely refreshing, especially given the volatile nature of the restaurant industry.
According to Harris—who was born and raised in New Orleans, and taught to cook by his great-grandmother, Jimmie Lou—there is a misconception that Nolia’s menu is limited to Cajun and Creole food. Yes, both cuisines are represented here, and the juicy, fresh-out-of-the bayou crawfish with a simple, tangy remoulade is a wonderful example of the former. But the restaurant’s scope covers all of the diverse cuisines and cultures that comprise the modern South.
PHOTOGRAPH BY CATHERINE VIOX
That’s why you’ll find West African–influenced dishes like the tender, fatty lamb shank, which gets dressed with walnuts and currants and slathered with a curry emulsion. One of the specials, a dish of twin chutneys (banana and eggplant) served with a fermented cassava dough called banku, is another nod to West African culinary tradition. (Lead Cook Daniel Rhodes came up with the latter dish, based on flavors and techniques he encountered in culinary school.)
PHOTOGRAPH BY CATHERINE VIOX
Nolia’s menu—in fact, the entire experience—is the result of a team firing on all cylinders. No wonder they’re lining up outside the door.
1405 Clay St., Over-the-Rhine, (513) 384-3597, noliakitchen.com
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