New Restaurant Opens In Algiers

This is definitely a tricky time to open a new business in any venture especially the restaurant industry. The pandemic has wreaked havoc in the food serving business and has caused the industry to change the way food is served for a while. Takeout is now the new norm for most restaurants throughout the US. Plume Algiers, a new Indian restaurant, has opened its doors to the community serving to-go boxes of its Indian cuisine along with pop-up space for other restaurants in the area.

Plume Algiers is located in an old Teche Street storefront in Algiers and was planned before the pandemic to be a small 10-seat restaurant with counter service and a 6-seat food bar that looked into the kitchen. The store already included a walk-up window for takeout service a perfect spot for pop-ups. Chef Tyler Stuart, former sous chef at Carrollton Market, and co-owner Merritt Coscia, both met while working at Riverbend bistro. They were inspired to open Plume Algiers after their travels around India.

The unique restaurant’s menu consists of Indian inspired dishes made with locally available ingredients. Dishes include racheado salad which consists of shrimp, crab, cucumber, tamarind with papaya and tandoori lamb that is combined with black cardamom, kokum fruit and bone marrow. Patrons can also enjoy the puffy and toasty naan bread and fried chicken stew with coconut cream.

“This came from dishes we had in our travels, people I cooked with, people who became our friends, and they’re still part of this,” said Stuart. “I send them menus and talk about dishes I’m doing that are from their own regions, get their feedback, work that in.”

Both Stuart and Coscia are friends with many chefs and home cooks throughout New Orleans who run pop-ups in neighborhood bars and Carrollton Market. This also inspired the two to offer Plum Algiers as a space for other chefs to offer their cuisines via pop-up style.

“Having been through the struggle of a pop-up ourselves, we’re trying to put ourselves out there as a space for other people to use,” Coscia said. “We’re trying to help each other. Especially now, it’s important to band together.”

The current pandemic has not detoured Plum Algiers which has successfully hosted many pop-ups such as Kin, the ramen and dumpling spot in Gert Town and Lahpet’s Garden Curry Popup.

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