Turkey and the Wolf

The collard green melt is a double-decker on rye, swiss melted through it, pickled cherry pepper dressing holding it together.2

Why go

Mason Hereford spent six years at Coquette, three of them as chef de cuisine, then opened a sandwich counter in the Irish Channel in 2016.4 Bon Appetit made it the No. 1 restaurant on its Hot 10 the following year, over everything Andrew Knowlton ate crisscrossing the country for three months.4 It has since grown into a group, a breakfast room called Molly's Rise And Shine, a gastropub called Hungry Eyes and a meat-and-three called Hot Stuff, and the counter itself did not change.2 Michelin gave it a Bib Gourmand and files it under Deli, which is about right.3

Order this / avoid

Order: the collard green melt. The Infatuation: It's served as a double-decker on rye with enough melted swiss cheese and pickled cherry pepper dressing to keep you thinking about it long after you've left.2
Order: the fried bologna sandwich. Three griddle-fried slices under American cheese on butter-griddled Pullman, with house-made hot mustard, Duke's mayo, shredded lettuce and two fistfuls of vinegar-brined potato chips.4
Avoid: building an evening around it. This is a lunch counter, and Michelin prices it at one dollar sign.3

What locals & experts say

The Infatuation, 24 June 2024: Turkey & The Wolf has received more national attention than any other restaurant in New Orleans over the last couple of years. Which makes sense, since their wild sandwiches are all truly excellent.2
MICHELIN Guide: Bib Gourmand, tagged Family Friendly and Groups.3
Andrew Knowlton, Bon Appetit, on the collard green melt: In my four-plus decades on this planet, it's the best sandwich I've ever crammed into my mouth.4

Good to know

Booking: none taken. It is a counter.
Hours: the restaurant does not publish any. Check before you cross town.
Two builds of the same sandwich. Bon Appetit ate a melt of braised collards, coleslaw and swiss in 2017 and called it vegetarian; The Infatuation's 2024 version runs pickled cherry pepper dressing. Seven years is enough for a recipe to move.4 2
Hygiene: not established. New Orleans publishes no inspection register this project reads.

Verdict

must-visit — Michelin's own page carries a Bib Gourmand on this counter, read live, and The Infatuation says it has drawn more national attention than any other restaurant in the city over the last couple of years. What lifts it past decorated is the critic's pick: the collard green melt, a double-decker on rye with swiss and pickled cherry pepper dressing, which is a sandwich argument rather than a listing. The Bon Appetit award behind the reputation checks out at Bon Appetit: Andrew Knowlton and Julia Kramer put it at No. 1 on the 2017 Hot 10 over three months of eating, and Knowlton calls the melt the best sandwich of his life. Mason Hereford came to it off six years at Coquette.

Turkey and the Wolf.