After debuting at Jazz Fest 2022 and operating as a successful catering business, TCA Brocato’s is set to open a dine-in location featuring Cajun-style plate lunches in Mid-City at 422 S Broad St. Owner Troy Brocato recently What Now New Orleans that his restaurant will serve classic plate lunches like meatloaf and spaghetti and meatballs.
“I lived out in Opelousas for a while and those are real popular on the weekends,” he said. “We see them here and there in New Orleans, but it’s not the same as out in Acadiana.”
Brocato has been in the local hospitality game for more than 20 years and owned several restaurants in the past. Culinary arts are also strong in his family tree: His great-uncle was Paul Prudhomme. Brocato’s been catering for Jazz Fest staff for the last 15 years but he didn’t serve the general public until two years ago. The TCA Brocato’s food stall became a hit and won praise from NOLA.com’s Ian McNulty, who called the eggplant Brocato dish “a garlic lover’s dream” and said the stall’s gumbo showed range, bringing to mind “more Cajun country than New Orleans.”
The new dine-in location for TCA Brocato’s will show off the chef-owner’s Acadian roots with plate lunches that “maybe have a little Cajun twist,” Brocato said. He added that the restaurant will primarily focus on those lunches and provide quick takeout options for workers at the nearby Orleans Parish Criminal District Court.
