Best bet for parking at BLDG 5 is the underpass parking right off Christian St between Overpass Merchant and Ivar’s–then walk over past Duvic’s and Bet-R to BLDG 5. The interior of the old warehouse has been miraculously transformed in rustic/chic style to create a comfortable space to enjoy the very good food they produce. The layout on the market/lunch counter side reminded me of an old style Italian deli with the grab and go and prepared foods with sparkling waters and sodas in the freezer/fridge down one side, then the market shelving stocked with wooden spoons and rough canvas dish towels and ceramic bowls and candles and smudge sticks and jams and chocolate and even Louisiana shaped bottle opener key chains for sale. The rest of the first room has old school chairs and tables with windows on the next wall that allow you to see through into the bar, then the outdoor patio just beyond the bar. Even mostly empty the rooms seem busy, poised for fun and laughter, good food and drink.
I visited at lunch time and ordered a cup of the Roasted Cauliflower Soup and the Creole Pork Stew at the counter before grabbing my table marker and going to the back wall to pick up some napkins and nice heavy duty silverware and an iced tea from the urn then found a place to sit and wait for my meal to be delivered. Which did not take long at all. The soup was seasoned just enough to enhance the deep, rich flavor of cauliflower and the pork stew was special. Plenty of bell pepper in the trinity mix and a healthy dash of creole spice added a good bit of pop to the gravy and the pork was totally tender but still rich. The rice was really high quality stuff, not the usual commercial grade used by most places. My salt and pepper shakers sat unused, even for the buttered green peas, and the house made bread was excellent. I think next time I will order extra bread, unless, of course, I go with one of the many sandwiches on offer. Good stuff, and the menu is very clear on what is vegan and what is gluten free. Just remember when you head there for lunch that the market is also full of stuff you will think hard about buying so be prepared to exceed your budget. And be careful about the parking. People are often towed in such a highly contested area.
