Chef Dylan Brumfield and Chrissy Hardy at Due Market
Photo by Maddie Spinner / Gambit
When a sandwich is great, it’s epic.
The weekend special muffuletta at Terranova’s Meats is one example. The chicken parm at Francolini’s is another. And now that the Italian deli Dué Market is open at 3306 Esplanade Ave., its Italian hero and the Italian beef are duking it out for top bite.
Due Market
Where
3306 Esplanade Ave., (504) 910-2979; duemarket.com
When
Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily
How
Dine-in and takeout
Check it out
Italian sandwiches, salads and more in Faubourg St. John
Its spicy tuna conserva, made with olives and Calabrian chili, and the turkey caprese also are both strong contenders.
The new market has plenty going for it, thanks to taking over the original space where Terranova’s Grocery operated for a century. Karen and Benjamin Terranova retired from their go-to neighborhood spot last year, but the family business is still dug into the neighborhood. Now the third generation, Anthony Terranova and his wife Jennifer, operate Terranova’s Meats in a corner of the store’s old footprint.
Dué General Manager Chrissy Hardy is well versed in the family-owned hospitality business. She and her siblings are partners in Macromia Group, which runs more than a dozen concepts here and in Miami.
The family has New Orleans roots, and Hardy and her sister Cecile Hardy Tanguis grew up in Uptown. Cecile’s husband Barre Tanguis is from Monroe. Brother Joe Reiss runs Taziki’s Mediterranean Cafe in Metairie and Poke Loa in Uptown. The company’s culinary director is Barre’s cousin, chef J.D. Hilburn, based in Brooklyn.
Dué — named for the Tanguis family’s pug — means two in Italian, referring to a second life for the longtime Esplanade anchor. While the reimagined space still has the same terrazzo floor, there is now a long marble counter across from the doorway, handsome built-in green cabinetry, a service area for gelato and snowballs, and a large deli case spotlighting imported Italian meats and prepared foods.
In the center of the store, open stainless steel shelving spotlights delicacies like potato crisps from Madrid, tins of Fishwife seafood and olive oil infused with Calabrian chili peppers — exactly the kind of treats to bring to a dinner party or delight a foodie with a curious palate.
Besides the likes of Genoa salami and mortadella, the deli case also holds wedges of Parmesan and asiago, triple cream brie and house-made nibbles by the pound, including egg salad and Sicilian tuna with extra virgin olive oil and a medley of black and green olives.
Dué’s chef de cuisine is Dylan Brumfield, who most recently worked for Mid City Pizza and has a background in fine dining at restaurants including Bayona, Brown Butter Southern Kitchen and MoPho.
Brumfield grew up in Lakeview, and his mother’s side of the family has Sicilian roots, so he’s no stranger to a sandwich with an Italian accent. He says they make as much from scratch as possible, including hand-stretched mozzarella and stracciatella. The mozzarella goes into a grilled cheese sandwich along with sharp cheddar and provolone.
Dué uses breads including Dong Phuong brioche and French pistolettes and imported pan de cristal, developed in 2004 by master baker Jordi Nomen in Barcelona. It’s called glass bread for a reason: The crust is shatteringly crisp while the texture inside is airy with a honeycomb crumb, less dense than focaccia.
Although this bread can steal the show, it manages to share the spotlight with the chef’s Italian beef, a juicy cut of chuck that he cooks sous vide for 24 hours in a blend of balsamic and stock. It is grilled and served with oozing horseradish aioli, melted provolone and caramelized onions. Brumfield says the Italian hero is the top seller so far, with its premium stack of salami, prosciutto cotto, capicola and provolone, dressed with vegetables and Italian vinaigrette.
For the less famished, there are paninettos, smaller sandwiches stuffed with that Sicilian tuna, mortadella and mozzarella or a vegetarian-friendly caprese scattered with bits of torn basil. There’s also a Caesar and an Italian chopped salad. All of the meats featured in the sandwiches are available by the pound
Dr. Shannon Gonsoulin told us about his family’s ranch, restarting the cattle business and the kinds of products they produce.
In the morning, there is French Truck coffee, bargain priced at $1.50 a cup, and pastries from Bittersweet Confections. Sandwiches start rolling out at 11 a.m., and locals pop in and out in a steady stream, dining or picking up supplies for dinner or snacks at home. The store closes at 9 p.m.
Down the road, Hardy says wine and beer might be added.
The Tanguis family lives near Bayou St. John, and Hardy also lived there for years.
“My son Finn and I lived just up the street,” she says. “He grew up loving Miss Karen at Terranova’s. She was so great with all the neighborhood kids. We used to joke that if the family ever decided to close, they’d let us have the place because of Finn.”
Her son, now 16, works scooping snowballs at Dué when he’s not in school. “We missed this neighborhood so much when we moved to Metairie,” she says. “Now, we don’t have to.”
‘It’s de-CAFF-einated and the flav-ah is marvelous!’
