Root offers a menu from the 'new' New Orleans

NEW ORLEANS — At Root, a restaurant here, scallops are served in cigar boxes and a charcuterie platter, going well beyond standard salami, includes a duck prosciutto and truffle-scented chicken liver parfait.

Phillip Lopez, the chef behind Root and its sister restaurant, Square Root, wants to bring New Orleans' historically inspired cooking in line with modern dining.

His restaurants — Root opened in 2011 and Square Root opened in the spring — differ from most of those found in the French Quarter, where the city's Cajun and Creole influence is paramount.

"I think New Orleans has always been known as a city of a thousand restaurants and only one menu," Lopez says. "I wanted to create a restaurant that had ... flavors unknown to New Orleanians' palates."

Square Root, in the city's Lower Garden District, serves only a chef's tasting menu. It offers between 12 and 15 courses, and the dishes aren't revealed ahead of time. A small group of diners sit around a bar that looks into an open kitchen so that they can see the meal being prepared.

Lopez grew up in some far-flung locations due to

Lopez says the devastation of Hurricane Katrina helped prime New Orleans to rebuild not only the city, but the city's attitude, paving the way for restaurants like his.

"It was a big turning event for everyone in New Orleans," he says. "We were very scared of change. I make the food of the new New Orleans. I'm not afraid to open a restaurant like this and be different."

USA TODAY visited New Orleans in partnership with National Geographic Channel, whose six-part series, Eat: The story of food, debuted Nov. 21-23. National Geographic Channel also has an interactive website at natgeoeat.com.