4238 - La Petite Grocery

4238
Magazine Street
New Orleans, LA 70115
(504) 891-3377
Lunch: Tue-Sat 11:30-2:30
Dinner: Sun-Thu 5:30-9:30
Fri-Sat 5:30 - 10:30
Brunch: Sun 10:30-2:30
About Us
The La Petite Grocery name pays homage to the
history of its home, a building that’s been standing
for more than a century. The original structure
was built in the late 1800s and called the
Central Tea, Coffee and Butter Depot. In 1908,
a fire devastated the space and it was transformed
into a full service grocery store. Later it was a fine
foods and butcher shop until 1982. Irwin’s Flowers
moved in soon after and provided the area with
artful floral arrangements until just after the
turn of the millennium. When La Petite Grocery
opened in March of 2004, they similarly aspired to
provide the neighborhood with exotic teas, locally
roasted coffee, and fresh produce.
We hope to provide a
dining experience that
evokes nostalgia of
old New Orleans.
Our History
The name La Petite Grocery pays homage to the history of the
building that houses our restaurant: In the late 1800s, John B. Willig
built a Creole-style cottage on the corner of Magazine and Berlin
(renamed General Pershing after World War I) Streets in the
Jefferson City area of New Orleans. He leased the store to a young
entrepreneur named Frank W. Mackie and together they opened
the Central Tea, Coffee and Butter Depot.
The small store was located across the street from the Jefferson Market,
a very busy center of trade due to its proximity to the bustling port
of New Orleans. Mr. Mackie would sell items such as butter, fresh
from the creamery; coffee, which was roasted in the store; teas,
imported from around the world; as well as local goods like pecans,
rice and field beans. Customers would come by foot, horse and
buggy or take a ferry from across the river to purchase the delectable
and unique groceries they stocked in their store.
The store was enjoying success in a rapidly growing neighborhood.
Then, on a May night in 1908, a fire that spread roughly two square
miles devastated the area and burned the store to the ground. In
an act of honorable resilience, Mr. Willig, along with his daughter
Josephine, agreed to rebuild at the same address. The architect
Joseph M. De Fraites was in charge of design and construction,
while Frank W. Mackie would oversee the whole project.
The end result was a building like no other in the neighborhood
at the time: it had a full service grocery store in front and a barn
in back to house delivery carriages, a few horses, stable hands and
delivery boys. Once again Mr. Mackie would be in charge of operating
the store, reflected in its new name: “Frank W. Mackie Grocer.”
In advertisements, Mackie boasted of “fancy groceries.” Tea, coffee
and butter remained the store’s specialty.
The store operated successfully for 35 years during which Mr.
Mackie acquired ownership from the Willigs. Before Frank Mackie
passed away in 1942, the store was handed down to his youngest
son, Richard H. Mackie. Richard, an accomplished jazz musician,
operated the store with his mother, Mrs. Winnifred Fahey Mackie,
until November of that year before selling the building and grocery
store to Frank A. Von der Haar. The Von der Haars operated their
grocery, Von der Haar’s Fine Foods, for nearly four decades. In was
a staple in the uptown neighborhood, known for its high quality
butcher shop and city-wide delivery, until it closed in 1982.
Not long after Von der Haar’s closed its doors, Irwin’s Flowers
moved in and provided the area with some of the most artfully
presented fresh floral arrangements in the New Orleans area. Mr.
Irwin’s flower shop closed just after the turn of the millennium.
In March of 2004, La Petite Grocery opened its doors in the same
building that John Willig and Frank Mackie built almost 100 years
earlier with similar aspirations: to provide the neighborhood with
exotic teas, locally roasted coffee and fresh produce. By doing this
we hope to provide a dining experience that evokes nostalgia of old
New Orleans.
Justin Devillier
Executive Chef & Owner
Justin Devillier was raised in Dana Point,
California, a small beach town in South
Orange County. He spent summers fishing
for Yellowtail and Albacore tuna, and in the
fall and winter he would dive for lobsters
just steps from his front door. This bounty
of local seafood inspired Justin to enter the
culinary industry and after working in local
restaurants right out of high school, he decided to
focus all of his time on becoming a chef.
In 2003, Devillier moved to New Orleans and
cooked in the kitchens of Bacco, Stella and Peristyle.
While at Peristyle, he worked with Chef Anne KearnySands and learned the intricacies of French cuisine.
Devillier joined the La Petite Grocery team in 2004
and became sous chef a year later. After Hurricane
Katrina, he helped re-build La Petite Grocery’s
infrastructure by managing the daily specials and
training the new line cooks. In February 2007, he
was promoted to executive chef and was named a
2008 “Chef to Watch” by the Times-Picayune. In
2009, the New Orleans City Business Culinary
Connoisseurs named him one of the city’s best
chefs and also recognized La Petite Grocery as the
“Best Neighborhood Restaurant”.
He and his wife Mia bought La Petite Grocery in 2010,
and he has since been named a James Beard Award
finalist for Best Chef: South in 2012, 2013, and 2014.
When he has free time, he can be found fishing, or at the
beach with his wife and two young daughters.
In March 2014, Justin and the team at
La Petite Grocery proudly celebrated 10 years
of operation at the restaurant.
Mia Freiberger-Devillier
General Manager & Owner
Originally from Charleston, South Carolina, Mia
moved to New Orleans 17 years ago to attend Loyola
University. After receiving a degree in Business
Management and Marketing, she worked as a manager
with Martin Wine Cellar for three years before
returning to school. Upon graduating from the
University of New Orleans with a Masters in
Accounting, Mia worked as a tax accountant with
Deloitte and Touche for three years.
Mia has held various positions in the service industry
spanning 18 years – most notably with the House of
Blues and in restaurants such as Lilette, Juan’s
Flying Burritos and Marigny Brasserie. Mia joined
La Petite Grocery in 2009 as general manager and
she and her husband, Chef Justin Devillier, took
over ownership of the restaurant in 2010.
Best Neighborhood Restaurant
- New Orleans City Business Culinary Connoisseurs
She attributes her passion for food and wine to her
late father, Harley, and her knack for Southern
hospitality to her late grandmother. In their honor,
she continues her pursuit of providing memorable
dining experiences at La Petite Grocery.
B r o n w e n W yat t
Pastry Chef
Born and raised in Annapolis, Maryland,
Bronwen Wyatt graduated from Tulane
University with a degree in English and Fine
Arts. Upon graduation, she worked as a
freelance journalist and professional resume
writer before moving to Portland, Maine in
2007. There, she took a job as a prep cook
to cover her bills, but it wasn’t long before her
lifelong passion for food fueled a career change
into the culinary world. After relocating to San
Francisco in 2009, she worked in the Michelin-starred
restaurant, Range, before accepting the role of pastry
chef at Outerlands in San Francisco.
In 2011, Wyatt returned to New Orleans to develop
and lead the pastry program at La Petite Grocery.
Since then, she has been named one of the “Top
Five Pastry Chefs to Watch” by Brett Anderson of
the Times Picayune, was nominated for the “People’s
Best New Pastry Chef” award by Food & Wine
magazine, and was the first pastry chef to be named
a “Chef to Watch” by Louisiana Cookin’ Magazine.
Wyatt’s pastry style is deeply rooted in her mother’s
strong Southern heritage, combined with an emphasis
on fresh and local ingredients derived from her time
spent on the west coast. She believes that local pastries
should be rooted in the rich culture and history
surrounding New Orleans, while also allowing
herself to take risks in everything she makes.
Peoples Best New Pastry Chef — Nominee
- Food & Wine Magazine
Sam p l e M e n u
Appetizer s
E n t re e s
D e s s e rts
Steak Tartare ......................................................... 15
LPG Cheeseburger ................................................ 16
Butterscotch Pudding ............................................. 8
bowfin roe & buttermilk dressing
house pickles, onion marmalade, arugula, whole grain mustard, aioli &
gruyere on soft bun with hand cut fries
benne wafers & vanilla bean cream
Chilled Gulf Coast Seafood ................................. 16
Cardamom-Mascarpone Cheesecake ...................... 9
Shellfish Stew ........................................................ 26
raw oysters, pickled shrimp, blue crab salad & pickled quail eggs
blood orange sorbet, candied kumquats & fried hazelnuts
collard greens & potlikker
Ricotta Dumplings ................................................ 16
Warm Chocolate, Almond & Date Cake .............. 9
Turtle Bolognese ....................................................19
lobster, field peas & oregano
rose caramel & vanilla ice cream
bucatini, sherry, parsley & fried soft boiled egg
Sheep Cheese Pirog .............................................. 14
Coconut Panna Cotta ............................................. 9
Braised Lamb Shank ............................................. 29
pork cheek, shiitake & choucroute
crispy meringues, pistachios & passion fruit sorbet
polenta, crispy shiitakes & lamb jus
Braised Beef Short Ribs ........................................ 14
Louisiana Cane Sugar Crème Brûlée ..................... 7
Roasted Natural Chicken Breast .......................... 29
spicy cucumbers, herbs & fried peanuts
cornmeal shortbread
cornbread dressing, fried sage & tasso jus
Grilled Octopus .................................................... 15
warm potato salad, pickled celery, soffritto & florida botarga
Housemade Ice Cream ........................................... 8
Paneed Rabbit ....................................................... 27
Abita Root Beer Float ............................................. 7
spaetzle, wilted greens & sauce grenobloise
Apple & Celeriac .................................................. 10
with housemade vanilla ice cream
Pan Roasted Beef Tenderloin ............................... 31
toasted pecans, fresh herbs & asher blue
anna potatoes, grilled rapini & bordelaise
Blue Crab Beignets ............................................... 15
Gulf Shrimp & Grits ............................................ 22
malt vinegar aioli
roasted shiitake mushrooms, smoked bacon & thyme
Hand-Made Spaghetti ........................................... 15
blue crab, arugula, colatura di alici & lemon
S i des
& Suc h
Pickle Jar .................. 4
Bread Pudding ........ 9
Blistered Peppers ..... 8
Baked Macaroni ...... 6
Stone Ground Grits .4
Hand Cut Fries ....... 5
daily assortment
black truffle jus
grana padano & bagna càuda
pecorino pepato &
cornbread crumbs
butter & sea salt
sea salt, chive & aioli
P r i vat e D i n i n g
Thank you for considering La Petite Grocery as a
venue for your special occasion. Our talented team
specializes in creating a unique, customized experience
for any celebration. Events such as engagement or
rehearsal dinners, wedding reception dinners, bridal
luncheons, surprise birthday parties or corporate
functions. The beauty of our historic building
provides an intimate and timeless setting, suitable
for any type of event.
Although we do not have a separate private dining
room, the restaurant is available as a Buy Out for
larger functions. A Buy Out of the establishment
can accommodate up to 80 guests for a seated dinner
or reception space for 100 guests.
LPG also specializes in small scale off-site parties.
Who doesn’t fancy an intimate dinner party or
cocktail soiree for any occasion? Let us take care of
the production on your turf so you can enjoy the
time with your guests. Includes concept and menu
planning, day of production and staff to service event.
Media inquiries:
Polished Pig Media
[email protected]
P: (917) 463-3833