Acamaya, the new restaurant from Ana Castro, is now open in the Bywater
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Ana Castro poses for a photo at Acamaya. Photo: Courtesy of Acamaya
Ana Castro's new Bywater restaurant is "the culmination of a dream" she and her sister, Lydia Castro, have had for years of opening and operating something together.
Why it matters: That much-anticipated restaurant, Acamaya, opens Friday.
What they're saying: "I'm in the honeymoon phase with this restaurant," Castro tells Axios New Orleans. "It's a gorgeous restaurant. It's really, really special. I'm in love with the food, and my team is all absolute badasses."
Catch up quick: Castro earned national accolades and was a James Beard finalist in the Best Chef: South category for Lengua Madre, the since-closed tasting menu restaurant she ran in the Lower Garden District.
- That space was a love letter to Mexican cuisine, which she learned from family members in her native country.
- But it was time for a new challenge for Castro, and that space is now Wild South, a different tasting menu concept under chef Michael Stoltzfus.
Zoom in: At Acamaya, Castro still focuses on Mexican cooking, but the perspective has shifted like the turn of a kaleidoscope.
- "Lengua Madre was … a little more strict," she says. "This one is fun. We're blasting Bad Bunny."
- As for the menu, it's all about introducing New Orleans to a "different way to eat seafood."
- "Even though they've sliced that cake a million times a million different ways," she acknowledges. "But seafood culture of Louisiana and New Orleans tends to be more deep fried, seafood gumbo, jambalayas, think étouffée. Lots of butter, lots of cream. And here, it's just lots of lime and lots of chilis."
The intrigue: In truth, Castro's ingredient list is a bit broader than that, and getting everything together is no small feat.
- "Girl, I'm a psychopath," she says. "I have to special order so much s--t."
- Her dedication to her shrimp guy is proof of that.
- Because he doesn't use a distributor and does the fishing himself, "he calls me anywhere from 5:30am to 6:30am to deliver the shrimp," she says. "That's literally why I live above the restaurant. I go meet him in my pajamas and flip-flops. But this guy cares so much about what he does,. How can I not get my ass out of bed to get the best shrimp money can buy?"
Dig in: Castro says one dish, the arroz negro (or black rice) is already a standout — a "freaking insane" proof of the labor of love that's gone into this restaurant.
- "When I was a young line cook in New York … I'd save all my coins and go to Estela and eat Ignacio Mattos' black rice," she says. "But his is very ocean-y and briny, and mine is very earthy."
- She gets that flavor by incorporating huitlacoche, a rare corn fungus that only grows in the wild and which she has flown in weekly. Castro combines it with white wine, shallots, olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest and mussels.
"Is it Mexican?" she ponders out loud. "Yes, because I made it."
If you go: Acamaya is located at 3070 Dauphine St.
- For now, it's open from 5-9:30pm, Tuesdays through Mondays.
- Castro plans to expand into weekend lunch service by the fall and then to open seven days a week by the winter.
- Book a table on Resy.