A letter from Warehouse Arts District
Compère Lapin
Nina Compton's Saint Lucian childhood meets Creole New Orleans in a Warehouse District dining room
Saint Lucia to New Orleans
Saint Lucia–born Nina Compton trained in classical European kitchens and rose through the ranks under Daniel Boulud and Norman Van Aken before landing in New Orleans.
In June 2015 she and her husband Larry Miller opened Compère Lapin on the ground floor of the Old No. 77 Hotel — the name comes from the Br'er Rabbit trickster who threads through both Saint Lucian and Louisiana folktales.
A nightly dinner party
Compton set out to cook the food of her island childhood through the lens of Creole New Orleans and the Italian training in between.
A decade in, the room still frames dinner as, in her words, a nightly dinner party — Caribbean cadence, refined technique, a laugh in every dish.
Tchoupitoulas Street, framed by galleries
The Warehouse Arts District sits below Canal Street where nineteenth-century commercial buildings have been converted into hotels, galleries, and the Contemporary Arts Center.
Compère Lapin occupies a corner of Tchoupitoulas Street with cast-iron columns overhead and the district's gallery-goers passing by the tall front windows.
With gratitude,
Nina Compton
Chef & Co-Owner, Compère Lapin
Order this
The dishes that made Compère Lapin
Curried Goat with Sweet Potato Gnocchi
Compton's signature — a Caribbean stew studded with cashews and softened by pillowy gnocchi. GQ named it Comfort Food of the Year in 2016.
Conch Croquettes
Molten-hot fritters served with a pickled-pineapple tartar that pulls double duty as dip and cooling agent.
Dirty Rice Arancini
The Louisiana pantry standby rolled into golden orbs, fried, and served with a bright orange mojo.
Good to know
Compère Lapin, answered
What should I definitely order?
The curried goat. It's the dish the restaurant is built on and worth returning for on its own.
What about drinks?
The bar program leans rum-forward and Caribbean; ask the bartender to steer you.
How do I get in for a first visit?
Sunday brunch is the quieter way in — same kitchen, easier reservation.