In New Orleans, Marrying Asian Influences and Gulf Ingredients
'People in New Orleans won’t bat an eyelash if you put a pig’s tail or feet on a plate in front of them, said Marcus Jacobs, the chef for and an owner of Marjie’s Grill in Mid-City: “You can go to a gas station and buy pig’s feet pretty much anywhere in town. People are open-minded about those kind of ‘off cuts.’”
While traveling in Southeast Asia, Mr. Jacobs and his partner and the restaurant’s other owner, Caitlin Carney, who are alumni of the fine dining stalwart Herbsaint — discovered similar appetites for “off cuts” in Laos, Thailand and Vietnam. “People make a lot of comparisons between the Mississippi Delta and the Mekong Delta,” Mr. Jacobs said. “They’re not afraid to eat weird pieces of pork. There’s a lot of cultural crossover.”
Weird pieces of pork are indeed on the menu at Marjie’s Grill, and they are sublime. During a recent visit, I could have ordered a dozen plates of pig knuckles — salty, crispy and unctuous morsels drizzled with cane syrup, down-home and decadent. I washed them down with a tropical sunset-hued cocktail called the Rad Jam made with tequila, Campari and Stiegl Radler Grapefruit (a beer and juice mixture). And if crisp, spice-dusted cracklings and supple slices of soy- and chile-glazed pork jowl are weird, who could want normal?
The palatable balance of sweet, salty, spicy and acidic flavors typical of Southeast Asian cuisine pairs fabulously with Gulf ingredients, many of which are smoked, grilled or coal-roasted over a barbecue pit out back, a feature reminiscent of that at Mr. Jacobs and Ms. Carney’s pop-up restaurant, Sparklehorse Grill. “We enjoyed doing pop-ups with this food but knew we could do more,” she said, so they began looking for a permanent spot. They opened Marjie’s Grill — named after Ms. Carney’s mother — in December.'>>>
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/28/travel/marjies-grill-new-orleans-louisiana-asian-gulf-restaurant-review.html?