A Cajun spot opens in Bywater, Latin drag and mezcal come to Mid City, and I-Tal Garden is back, better than ever. These are a few of the openings this month, a hopeful start to what is sure to be — fingers crossed — a busy season.

Southerns opens a second location in Hammond

Turns out the city’s new mayor is a fan of the award-winning fried chicken sandwiches at Southerns. Co-founders Gene Colley and Anthony Cruz catered Helena Moreno’s victory party, another October milestone for the busy chicken impresarios. They also expanded their business in Metairie to open a second location in Hammond earlier this month, just a few minutes from Southeastern Louisiana University’s campus.

Gluten-free Cajun goodness in Bywater

The shuttered Rosalita’s taco spot at 3304 St. Claude Avenue in Bywater is empty no more.  Owners Beaux Church and his partner Dillian Theriot opened Frissons, a nod to Theriot’s Cajun roots in St. Martin Parish. Look for a totally gluten-free menu of housemade boudin, traditional and vegan, along with red beans, rice dressing, gumbo, and greens. There’s a daily $20 special that’s a great deal. And yes, the wonderful backyard is open for seating and cocktailing.  As for the name, it’s a Cajun French idiom — the feeling you get when something is so good it makes you shiver.

A Mezcaleria in Mid City

The owners of Espíritu Mezcaleria & Cocina in the CBD opened a second location in the former home to Rosella in Mid City. True to form, Cortez St. Haley Saucier and her partner Grant Carey offer a deep mezcal program, including cocktails featuring the smoky spirit. Espíritu’s chef Oscar Gonzales, a native of Monterrey, Mexico, also leads the new kitchen, starting with a menu of favorites like street tacos, fajitas, and enchiladas. The bar staff are certified mezcaliers, the schooled sommeliers of this popular spirit. Fans of Rosella’s funky interior will be happy to know the coral pink walls, green accents, and silver accented wrap-around bar stayed — the new owners were fans. Latin drag brunch is in the works.

More tacos from Tacos del Cartel

For a city that likes to party late, finding tasty, fresh food in the wee hours can be a challenge. Taquerias Carnalito aims to solve that problem. Open weeknights until 11 p.m. and weekends until 1 a.m., this casual taqueria conjures the street taco scene in Mexico City. Located in the former Reginelli’s, next to the more polished experience of Johnny Sanchez, this is the kind of place where you can eat standing up at the busy counter. The name, Carnalito, is slang for little brother, and for sure, this is a low-key sidekick to the swanky Tacos del Cartel location a few blocks away. The menu features succulent meat cut off the rotisserie trompos, vertical mounds of seasoned pork for tacos al pastor, and Black Angus sirloin served on handmade flour tortillas, dressed with onions, cilantro, and fresh salsa from the bar. To drink, the menu offers a host of margaritas, cervezas, and agua frescas  

I-tal Garden is back

After hitting pause for a summer regroup, I-tal Garden is back and better than ever. The family-owned plant-based restaurant on North Claiborne in Treme serves craveable soul food dishes like dairy-free mac and cheese and crispy barbecue cauli-wings. The Ra pasta is a winner, smoked jackfruit and grilled veggies, bathed in coconut milk atop penne noodles and crispy oyster mushrooms. Don’t miss the jerk-spiced stew, rich with ginger and aromatic herbs, if it’s on special.

Piece of Meat steak night at Tuff Break Losers Lounge

Bad ass butcher Leighann Smith broke more than a few hearts when she closed Piece of Meat, the Mid City artisanal butcher shop turned steakhouse she opened with partner Daniel Jackson. While fans could still eat her thick-cut bologna on Texas toast at Turkey and the Wolf, losing steak night really hurt. Well, it’s back, this time at Smith’s new bar, the hilariously named Tuff Break Losers Lounge in the former Junction space in Bywater. Smith ripped out the wildly uncomfortable wooden booths and expanded into the former kitchen, creating lots of inviting nooks and crannies. She also repurposed some of the old beer lines for draft cocktails, but don’t worry — there are still 15 brews on tap. Burger Church NOLA is one of the regular pop-ups in the backyard, with steak night a beefy oasis once a month for now. Plan ahead — October 22 and November 18 are already on the calendar.