Mississippi Meets Mekong

At its core a working man’s meal, the meat and three is a Southern steam-table institution that dates to 1920s’ Nashville, Tennessee. But at Marjie’s Grill in New Orleans, the mainstay has a fresh identity, one steeped in global influence. When fine-dining alums Caitlin Carney and Marcus Jacobs decided to strike out on their own with a casual concept, they knew they wanted to tap their mutual love of Southeast Asian flavors. And it was on a research trip in Vietnam that they came across a meat and three-style lunch called com binh danh—a cheap plate of rice with a choice of sides. Once stateside, the duo crafted their Mid-City restaurant around the shared concept, exploring the intersections between the two food cultures through plates like this one.