The Woodlands Edition | November 2023

Dining

BY JOVANNA AGUILAR

Pan-seared fresh sh with scallops and artichokes (market price) is served with steamed rice.

Blackened fresh sh with sauteed shrimp and asparagus (market price) is served with jambalaya, topped with sauteed shrimp, tomatoes, asparagus, mushrooms and lemon butter sauce.

PHOTOS COURTESY SCHILLECI’S NEW ORLEANS KITCHEN

French Quarter-style restaurant Schilleci’s celebrates 13 years serving The Woodlands community

Pan-seared fresh sh with red shrimp (market price) is served with honey-mustard wine sauce.

Schilleci’s New Orleans Kitchen, a family-owned restaurant, was brought to The Woodlands area by restaurant owners Zachary and Hannah Schilleci in December 2010. “We wanted to open up something a little more ne dining to really re€ect true New Orleans,” Zachary Schilleci said. The details Zachary Schilleci previously ran a po’boy, over- the-counter style restaurant with his father and brother. However, in 2010 the Schillecis decided to open a restaurant that t the New Orleans style they strived for. The New Orleans cuisine restaurant serves includes Louisiana staples as well as French and Italian in€uences. “We do a ton of fresh sh; that’s really our bread and butter,” Zachary Schilleci said. Schilleci’s wine program oˆers a wide selection of wine, including 800 labels selected by a staˆ of seven sommeliers. Zachary Schilleci said the restaurant oˆers a unique wine selection, and its staˆ is prepared to oˆer wine recommendations that pair adequately with their meal. “Our staˆ is all super incredible. They’re really the heart and soul of this place,” he said. Schilleci’s oˆers a cozy French Quarter-style

ambiance due to its location in the corner of a building surrounded by other eateries. “We really wanted it to feel like New Orleans, and I think with some of these big, wide open spaces, it’s hard to get that,” Zachary Schilleci said. Zooming in Schilleci’s specializes in providing freshly caught sh, including exotic species, which are geotagged in order to ensure quality sh from all over the world. Zachary Schilleci said about 95% of the sh served at the restaurant is wild caught. Some exotic sh served includes pumpkin sword sh and ivory king salmon. Other staples include snappers and halibut. “But really any of the sh preparations are spectacular. My personal favorite is the pan-seared fresh sh,” Zachary Schilleci said. The restaurant’s recipes come from Zachary Schilleci’s father’s side of the family as well as the restaurant chef David Brittain, who has 35 years of experience in the industry. Schilleci’s ingredients come from local farmer markets, and its honey is sourced from a local beekeeping company in Conroe. “We’ve really modeled ourselves toward that heart and soul of New Orleans,” he said. “We want people to feel like they found a hole in the wall establishment with a French Quarter style.”

Husband and wife Zachary and Hannah Schilleci opened Schilleci’s New Orleans Kitchen in December 2010.

O

N

9595 Six Pines Drive, Ste. 1120, The Woodlands www.schillecis.com

53

THE WOODLANDS EDITION

Powered by