Raytown native’s top NOLA restaurant + Super Bowl deals
Welcome back to Let’s Dish — your one-stop shop for all things eats in Kansas City. I’m Alison Booth, an audience development strategist at The Star.
My colleague and newsletter counterpart David Hudnall has been down in New Orleans for more than a week, telling stories about Kansas City’s connections to the Big Easy and the food and culture scene as Super Bowl crowds roll in.
He caught up with a KC-grown restaurateur whose New Orleans seafood spot was just nominated for one of the most prestigious James Beard Awards. He dined on a different kind of barbecue, stuffed in a classic po’boy. And he got recommendations from a local food critic for the best spots to find classic NOLA eats.
Let’s dig in.
Raytown native’s NOLA spot is acclaimed favorite
At GW Fins, a half-block off Bourbon Street in New Orleans’ French Quarter, servers’ assistants circulate the restaurant carrying trays and tongs, passing out complimentary biscuits to diners.
It’s an idea owner Gary Wollerman picked up decades ago while working for Gilbert/Robinson, the Kansas City restaurant group that gave birth to Houlihan’s, J. Gilbert’s and Bristol Seafood Grill in the second half of the 20th century.
After graduating from Raytown South High School, Wollerman attended the University of Kansas, left in 1971 and ended up getting a job at Houlihan’s.
He’s been in New Orleans since 1995, when he was hired as vice president and chief operating officer of Ruth’s Chris Steak House, which was based in New Orleans at the time. When the company was sold in 1999, Wollerman started thinking about opening his own fine-dining seafood spot in the French Quarter.
Two and a half decades later, GW Fins is now not just regarded as one of the city’s finest restaurants, it’s also a dining destination on unofficial New Orleanian holidays like the Friday lunches before Mardi Gras Day and Halloween.
Last month, it was one of 20 restaurants in the country nominated in the 2025 James Beard Awards for Outstanding Restaurant, a national category.
And this week? Andy Reid had a reservation and a few other celebrities are expected to stop by before the big game, Wollerman said. Get the full story from David.
BBQ Shrimp Poboy at Liuzza’s by the Track
Down in New Orleans, David was eyeing the BBQ Shrimp Poboy at Liuzza’s by the Track, a neighborhood joint in Mid-City known for its po’boys and gumbo.
The menu said it was the restaurant’s “signature dish.” Barbecue, New Orleans, po’boys — seemed like it checked all the boxes for a little story in this Kansas City newspaper.
Across the high table, Ian McNulty offered David a gentle warning.
“The barbecue shrimp po’boy is one of the great misnomers of New Orleans food,” said McNulty, the longtime food writer for NOLA.com. “A reasonable mind might expect something off a smoker or perhaps cooked on a grill and doused with barbecue sauce. None of those things are true.”
But it’s fantastic, he added. “It’s an old-fashioned New Orleans standard by now. What if I got it and we can do a little teamwork here?”
Here’s how it’s different from our KC style ‘que, from my colleague David.
(Ian also took me to Liuzza’s the last time I was down in New Orleans. It’s a great little spot, and I ate my very first po’boy there. Thanks for sharing the love, Ian.)
À la carte
✴️ Free doughnuts, $3 burgers and a new milk from a beloved brand: Four Kansas City businesses are celebrating the Chiefs with these Super Bowl deals.
✴️ The owners of a KC spot that was named one of the country’s top restaurants in 2023 are planning a new concept: “We’ve been kind of describing it as: if we put Antler Room in the middle of Tokyo.”
✴️ If you ever find yourself in New Orleans — for the Super Bowl this weekend or any other time of the year — check out these food recs from local critic Ian McNulty.
✴️ This upscale bistro in Brookside is now open, taking over the space of an iconic restaurant that closed last year.
✴️ A new bar in the West Bottoms plans to offer cocktails, small bites and “entertainment from different arts and cultures.”
✴️ An Iowa-based bar and grill chain that boasts extensive beer and food options just opened its first location in the KC area — and more are on the way.
My standout dish of the week
It’s Valentine’s Day next week, and if you haven’t booked a dinner reservation for you and your bae yet, well, good luck. I somehow eked out a late-night table for two at The Town Company, which is up for two James Beard Awards this year. Hopefully my girlfriend is as impressed as I am with myself.
Today, though, I’m drinking the seasonal “Lover Latte” at McLain’s Bakery — iced strawberry mocha topped with a strawberry milk foam. It’s deliciously sweet and pink
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Hungry for more?
Check out all the restaurants we’ve covered in the Let’s Dish series here.
Looking for the latest industry news? Here’s what spots have opened and closed in the KC area lately.
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Happy eating! We’ll see you next week.
This story was originally published February 7, 2025 at 10:15 AM with the headline "Raytown native’s top NOLA restaurant + Super Bowl deals."