Crescent Pie & Sausage Co.

In 2007, longtime friends Bart Bell and Jeff Baron decided to open their own restaurant in New Orleans. According to their web page, Bart grew up in Breaux Bridge, Louisiana in the heart of Acadiana, where he developed a passion for cooking authentic Cajun food, including making sausage. For the past 16 years, he worked his way east from Acadiana cooking in kitchens from Baton Rouge to New Orleans, most recently as sous chef at New Orleans’ Cuvee. Jeff is a pizza man having last worked at his pizzeria, The Dough Bowl, next to Tulane University. Bart and Jeff came up with a unique restaurant concept – combining their talents and pairing sausage with pizza and craft beer. Crescent Pie & Sausage Company opened at 4400 Banks Street in Mid-City, on the corner of Banks and S. Alexander Streets, in 2008. I’ve been twice in the past few weeks and had terrific meals both times.

The menu offers a selection of salads and appetizers, pizzas, sandwiches, sides, and desserts. There are five pizzas on the menu. The dough is thin, the toppings make use of local ingredients and house-made sausages, and the pies are cooked to crispy perfection. Selections include a BLT (bacon, spinach pesto, roasted tomatoes and cheddar), a Margherita (tomato, mozzarella and basil), a Hot Coppa (salami, arugula, peppadews and bleu cheese), a Chicken Marsala (mushrooms, ricotta and chicken) and the Mediterranean pie (house-made lamb sausage, red pepper sauce, olives, artichoke hearts, goat cheese crema with fresh mint, and eggplant).



The Mediterranean and the Hot Coppa are standouts. The goat cheese and mint crema is drizzled on the Mediterranean pies right after they come out of the oven and adds a burst of flavor. The Hot Coppa (salami) combines the perfect blend of salt, spice, crunch, and creaminess resulting in a flavor fest.

The sausages at Crescent Pie are made in-house, and change regularly. When I last ate there, the Mixed Grill plate included little smokies topped with a sweet barbeque sauce, chicken sausage with Dijon mustard, and lamb sausage with goat cheese crema for dipping.

The Redneck Brisket sandwich is one of the best sandwiches I’ve had in New Orleans. The brisket is tender and juicy. It is topped with shaved red onion, poblano, red pepper aioli & BBQ sauce. The sandwich is served with house-made potato chips topped with chopped, fresh dill. Pure deliciousness!

The prices at Crescent Pie are more than reasonable. The 14-inch pizzas range in price from $12 to $14; sandwiches $8 to $10; and, sausage plates $10 - $15.

Crescent Pie has an eclectic beer and wine list. The dining room is bright, relaxed and comfortable. There are several tables outside on the deck facing Banks Street that provide a lovely setting on cool New Orleans evenings. I am looking forward to my next meal there!