It’s safe to assume that many Woodlanders have made the pilgrimage to some of the Crescent City’s “grande dames” of dining (Galatoire’s, Arnaud’s and the like) as well as to the much-lauded crop of modern European and Gulf Coast eateries that have thrived there over the last few decades (Compère Lapin and Pêche, among others). But there’s another type of restaurant that I make a point of visiting each time I return to my home state and to the New Orleans area. For me, the neighborhood restaurants are the biggest draw.
New Orleans holds onto those eateries, prizing them as community institutions. Places like Mandina’s in Mid-City and Fury’s in Metairie. The food and the service meet a high standard. Patrons are there every week. They know the menu by heart, and they know the staff by name. In its new location on Research Forest, Schilleci’s New Orleans Kitchen continues to do what it has always done so well: translate that sense of culinary place and hospitality to The Woodlands.
Years ago, the first iteration of Schilleci’s was a small, counter service po’boy shop on Spring Cypress Road. I remember dropping by for a real shrimp po’boy--served on real New Orleans French bread--and a cup of gumbo. Even then, with its simple menu, there was no other restaurant like it in the area. Then in 2010, the Schilleci family (led at the time by family patriarch Walter Schilleci Sr., who grew up in the Upper 9th Ward of New Orleans) moved the restaurant to Market Street in The Woodlands, expanding the concept into an upscale Creole-Cajun restaurant in the tradition of those beloved New Orleans neighborhood spots.
Since then, Schilleci’s has become a community favorite, earning praise from area food influencers and making the local “best of” awards lists many times in a row, while welcoming hungry shoppers, Waterway residents and pavilion concert-goers.
“We are super thankful for the large number of regulars we have that have supported us over the years, from our humble beginnings to where we are now,” says Hannah Schilleci, who co-owns the restaurant with her husband, Zachary Schilleci.
This past February, the restaurant moved to its new location in the Research Forest Lakeside Shopping Center, where the parking is more convenient and the proximity to I-45 and the Grand Parkway makes it easier to get to for customers coming from outside The Woodlands. The space has the warm, welcoming vibe the restaurant is known for, this time with a more spacious dining room, a sleek bar area, private dining space and a larger patio.
A great way to start off a meal here is with the double whammy of crispy crab cakes topped with remoulade and the smoked crawfish dip, served with a side of toasted Gambino’s bread. Or begin with a bowl of duck and sausage gumbo and the seafood salad--boiled shrimp, hearts of palm and artichoke hearts tossed in remoulade, topped with crabmeat, and served on a bed of crisp greens. The deeply rich gumbo cries out for an astute wine pairing--a Cru Beaujolais, to my mind, not something you find on just any old wine list, but you can find one here. Schilleci’s has one of the most comprehensive wine selections I’ve seen at a Woodlands restaurant.
The restaurant’s own classic creations put the kitchen’s skill on full display, including the Argentine Ribeye served with your choice of three toppings and Cajun mashed potatoes; a praline-glazed, pan-seared, smoked duck breast served with broiled, stuffed shrimp; two different lamb chop dishes--blackened or grilled; and some of its most popular fish dishes, like the decadent Broiled Gulf Coast Sampler that features a pan-seared barramundi topped with sautéed crab and crawfish, served with stuffed shrimp and jambalaya. Schilleci’s has a way with fish, and a separate section of the menu is devoted to the fresh fish the restaurant is currently featuring, served in the customer’s choice of one of six preparations.
When people think of New Orleans cuisine, they may not realize the significant contribution of Sicilian cooking. Along with Cajun pot-cooked favorites and classic French sauces and cooking methods, the foodways of Italian immigrants to New Orleans are integral to the tapestry of Creole cooking. Schilleci’s menu reflects this influence in dishes like its crawfish ravioli in mascarpone Creole sauce, and the festive Mardi Gras Pasta, tossed in a creamy sugo rosa sauce, with crawfish, shrimp and andouille.
Don’t leave without sampling the warm beignets and the bread pudding with bourbon praline sauce. Both provide a fitting close. They’ll bring to mind those New Orleans neighborhood places that Schilleci’s pays homage to and, in its own way, has become for residents of The Woodlands.
Lunch and dinner menus daily; happy hour Sunday through Thursday, 2-6 p.m. Schilleci’s New Orleans Kitchen is located at 2501 Research Forest Drive, 281.419.4242, The Woodlands, Texas, Schillecis.com. (Reserve through OpenTable.