Gambit: Bars and Cocktails 2022

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ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT

BackonTrack

NewOrleanians

FORMANYNEWORLEANIANS,THE LEADUPTOTHANKSGIVINGTURKEY is atriptothe race track. Foryears, Thanksgiving wasopening day at theFairGrounds,and many attendeesdressed up forthe holi dayand festivities

Forthe pastfew years, there’s been an alternative, with Human HorseRaces in Easton Park inMid City.The purses aren’t nearly as big, butthereare prizes forthe best dressedattendees. Both events will draw crowdsthisThanksgiving

TheFairGrounds Race Course and Slotswill open its151st season Thetrack is nowowned andrun by Kentucky’sChurchill Downs, but it’s still thethird oldest operating race track, and there’splentyof traditionatthe Gentillysite. The Fair Grounds officiallyopenedits 80-day season on Nov. 18,and therewill be atotal of $8.5 million on thelinein65stakesraces.The second week of racing starts on ThanksgivingDay,which is high lighted by thenearly century-old Thanksgiving Classic

Ingrid Anderson startedthe Human HorseRaces in Easton Park.She imagined it as an alternativetohorseracingand achancetothink aboutthe treatmentofanimals.Her concept caughtonand is evolving.Inher races, some participants volun teer to runashorses,and others volunteer to ride as jockeys. It’s a mad dash across thegrassyfield in moreofa festival environment.

Last year,winninghorses gota wreath andthe jockeysgot trophies. Andersonischanging that this year.Now the“horses” get theprizes, andthe jockeyswill geta ribbon.

“The horseisdoingall thework,” Anderson says with alaugh.“The horse deserves thetrophy.”

Therewill be eightraces for adults, with room forfivehorse/ jockey pairs in each race.The trackisabout 50 yardslong Peopleinterestedcan sign-upat theevent beginningat11a.m., and it’s firstcome, first serve. Human race post time is noon,and races endby3 p.m.

Anderson has createdfive whimsicalstables,eachwith their ownstyle profile. Each year,she changesthe namesofthe horses, andfor eachthereisadecorated horse’sheadtobeworninthe race

Thelong white-manedThunder

byWill Coviello |

Bucketsrepresentsthe Star Skufflers stable,abrood of jet-settingstallions,according to Anderson. BennyLavaisfrom thepsychedelic hippie-styled PatchouliDusters. Frisky Menage is another brightly coloredhorse from what Andersondescribes as thewokeand contrarian B.U.B.B.L.E.stable.Debra the Zebraisablack-and-white striped ringer from theWildHorses group. AndEuterpe Gallivantis allegedlydescended from TV’s Mr.Ed, andisastudinthe company of the24CarrotClub stable Thereare shortpreview videos of thenew horses on theraces’ Instagram,@humanhorseraces

Thereare prizes forthe partic ipants, butfanscan also place “bets.”Those bets areactually goodfor raffletickets. Thereis abasketfor eachrace, with a totalofmorethan$300inprizes, Anderson says.

Thereare threeprizesfor attendeesincostume or fancy attire,including best hat, most dapper look and theall-around Best in Show.

Thekids’ racesare differentthis year.Childrenwon’t runashorseand-jockey pairs or wear thehorse heads. Instead, they gethobby horsesand theirown circular

track. Kids racesrun from 11 a.m. to noon.

Theevent also features musicby theDapper Dandies, which plays retrosoundsbuilt on early jazz. Theband performsbeforeand in between races.

Thebar is expanded this year, with coffee from Riverboat Coffee, beer from Zony Mash Beer Project, cocktailsfeaturing ThreeRollEstate rumfromBaton Rougeand wine from Vino.Drinks arebydonation, and proceeds from theevent benefitGreeno EquineSanctuaryinLeblanc, Louisiana.Itshelters neglected and aging horses.

At theFairGrounds,the first post time on Thanksgivingisat noon(instead of theusual 1:15 p.m. start).The Fair Groundsoffers an arrayofdiningoptions forthe holiday, from packages in itsClub Housetoabuffetwithits traditional corned beef and cabbage

For informationabout theFair GroundsRace Course &Slots, visitfairgroundsracecourse.com. Forinformation aboutthe HumanHorse Races, go to humanhorseraces.com.

Celebrationinthe Oaks

MORETHANONEMILLIONLIGHTS

DECORATETHELIVEOAKTREES of City Park in theannual Celebrationin theOaks. Theattractionhas grown again,both restoringfeaturesput on hiatus during thepandemic and addingnew elements. Returning this season arewalking tours of thelighted BotanicalGarden and Carousel AmusementPark. There arewalkingtours,a 2.25 mile driv ingtourand specialbikenights. Newfeaturesinclude ToyLand,a towering DandelionMeadowand theWinterWonderland.Someof thetraditional features include theCajun NightBeforeChristmas, Mr.Bingle, theCarouselGardens trainand displays of dinosaurs, flamingos, apirateship and more CelebrationopensThursday, Nov. 24,and runs throughJan.1.Visit celebrationintheoaks.com for schedule andtickets.

BayouClassic

THEFOOTBALLGAMEBETWEEN GRAMBLINGANDSOUTHERNUNIVERSITIES is thecenterpiece of the annual BayouClassic,but there area host of events throughthe weekend. Thegame is at 1p.m. Saturday,Nov.26, in theCaesars Superdome.The Battle of the Bandsand GreekShowisat7 p.m. Friday,Nov.25, in thedome. There’sa parade featuringfloats, marchingbands andmoreat9 a.m. Saturday.Itcrosses theFrench Quarterand CBDand ends at Loyola Avenue and PerdidoStreet, near thedome. Gamedayalso includesa fan fest in Champions Square, with abattleoflocal high schoolbands beginning at 11:15 a.m. Visitmybayouclassic.com forfullschedule of events and links to ticketsfor events in theSuperdome.

head to the racesonThanksgiving

PROVIDED PHOTO BY VINCENTSIMMONS

PHOTO BY MICHAELDEMOCKER / THETIMES-PICAYUNE

THUMBS UP/ THUMBS DOWN

THE COUNT #

KeshaMcKey, aNew Orleans dancer and choreographer and thefounder of KM DanceProject,was recent ly nameda 2022 artist fellow by national organization Dance/USA. McKeywas one of 30 dance and movement-based artistsselected, and eachfellowship includesa more than $30,000grant to be used by theartist. At KM DanceProject, McKeycreates multi-disciplinary worksthatuse performance to high light socialjustice issues

CityfundforGordonPlazaresidents movingcostsquashedamidlegalconcerns

AsheCulturalArtsCenter recent ly curateda paneldiscussionat COP27, theUnitedNations Climate ChangeConferenceinSharm El-Sheikh, Egypt. Thediscussion took placeinthe inauguralCli mate JusticePavilion, which was co-organized by another New Orleans-based group, theDeep SouthCenterfor Environmental Justice. Ashe ChiefEquityOfficer AsaliDeVan Ecclesiastes moderat ed thepanel,“ThePaceofPolicy and Progress,”with PowerCoalition CEOAshleyShelton,RISESt. James founder Sharon Lavigne, Gordon Plaza resident Shannon Rainey and Dakota Hillis, arepresentativeofthe AtakapaIshak Chawasha Tribe.

NEWORLEANSCITYCOUNCILVICE

PRESIDENTJPMORRELL said Nov. 15 that thecitywon’t be able to putany money into thefundhe createdearlier this month to pay Gordon Plazaresidents’relocation costswithoutopeningitselfupto potentiallawsuits.

Morrellsaidabig problem with the fund wasthatitcould have potentially violated theEqual Protection Clause,which says thelaw should treat everyone thesame.

Becausethereare people in other partsofthe city living in “areas with significant environmental concerns,” city lawyers said thecityshouldn’tprovide relocation moneytoGordonPlaza residentswithoutofferingitto others, as well

Thenewsisthe latest hurdle in Gordon Plazaresidents’fight for money so they canmove outof thesubdivision locatedinacensus tractwith thesecond-highest cancer ratesinLouisiana.Even though thecityalready allocated $35million to buythe 67 properties people still ownthere, residents still haven’treceivedthatmoney Earlier this month,officials said threeoffershad beenaccepted, from ownersofpropertieswho do notliveinthe subdivision.

That is afive-year high forthe state, andnearly twicethe national average,health officialssay.The LouisianaDepartmentofHealth is urging residentstostayuptodate on theirflu vaccinations —inaddition to COVID-19 boosters— with the holidays approaching.Health officials recommendthe flushotfor everyone sixmonthsand older

IndustrialpollutioninLouisiana is far morelikelyto impactmajority-Black communities in the statethan similarmajority-white communities,anew studyby Tulane’s Environmental LawClinic hasfound.“Ourstudy provides conclusive evidence that communities of colorare disproportionately affected by industrial airpollution in Louisiana and that stateenvironmental regulation is thedriving forceofthisdisparity,” thepapersays.

Morrellsaidhewould work with theCantrell administration andcity lawyerstofindanother waytopay formovingcosts so that Gordon Plazaresidents canmove outof theirhomes built on toxic soil. He said thecityneedstocreatea program that’s notlimited to only Gordon Plazaresidents to do so.

Morrelloriginally createdthe fund in response to Gordon Plazares idents’concerns that even if they accepted buyoutsfromthe city for theirproperties, they still wouldn’t be able to afford relocation costs, includingpayingmovers or potentially living in temporary rentals. Thecouncil hadnot putany money into thefund.

Before thecityoffersresidents moneytobuy theirproperties, they need to have theirproperties appraised. Unsatisfiedwiththe appraisalcity-appointedappraiser JimThorns gave oneresident, residentshave questionedthe neighborhoods and homes Thorns picked as comparabletoGordon Plaza. They said thehomes he chosehave ahigher floodrisk than theirs and aremadewith differentmaterials

“Eventhough yousay that there aresimilar neighborhoods,we understand that theseneighbor hoodsare locatedwheretheyare as aresultofdiscriminatorypracticesand devaluation,”saidGordon Plaza activistAngelaKinlaw. “Redlining is athing,sowhen you useyourappraisals in discriminatory ways and people don’t getthe moneythattheywould like to,they have to stay within thered line.”

—KAYLEE POCHE

53.8%

ASIMPLE HOTCHOCOLATE

15.4%

PHOTO BY MAXBECHERER/THE TIMES-PICAYUNE

GordonPlazaresidentsarefacinganotherhurdlein theirquestforafullyfundedrelocationawayfrom thepollutedsubdivision.

ASERIESOFINVESTIGATIVEREPORTS BYFOX8ANCHOR

LEEZURIK raises severaldisturbing issues relatedto MayorLaToya Cantrell’s current performancein office.Inaddition to hercontinued use, apparently forpurelyper sonal reasons,of acity-owned apartmentinthe Upper Pontalba building,the issues now include primafacie evidence that Cantrell haseffectively checked outofCityHalland has abandonedher post as mayorona number of occasions.

Zurik’sreports have detailed Cantrell spendingextendedtime periods in theapartmentwithout making asinglecellphone call or sendingany emails, and with NOPDofficer JeffreyVappie thereonthe city payrollthe whole time. CriticsofZurik’s reporting decrythe storiesasaprurient distraction(moreonthatbelow). We agreehis initial storydid nothavetodwell so heavilyon obviousinferences.However,the real scandal is Cantrell’s apparent decisiontospend valuabletime, when sheshould be doingher job as mayor, doingeither nothingat allor, as thefirst storyshowed, watering plants on theapart ment’sbalcony

As mayor, Cantrell is apublic personwith no reasonable expec tation of privacy as shegoesto and from city-owned property Likewise,Vappie is apublic employee, andhis jobaspartof Cantrell’s security detail doesnot entailhim also watering plants. We don’t care what themayor doeswith her personal time; that’s herbusiness.But,her consistentfailure eventoreportto her post at City Hall during work hours —and skippingscheduled meetings andappearances —isa full-onscandal

Zurikalso raised newquestions aboutCantrell’slavishtravel spending, includinga city funded first-class planeticket forVappie to accompanyher to SanFrancisco. Hisreports also raisequestions aboutVappie’s

compensationand Cantrell’s decision to appointhim to theboard of theHousing AuthorityofNew Orleans(HANO).Withovertime, Vappie alreadyearnedmorethan $120,000 this year —morethan anyother NOPD officerassigned to protectthe mayor. Regarding hisHANOappointment,hehas no experience in housing issues, and he attended HANO board meetings whileapparently on the clockfor NOPD, apotential violation of thedepartment’srules and payrolllaws.

Theseare allserious issues, and they could notcomeata moredelicatetimefor Cantrell Themood of voters hasclearly shifted against themayoroverthe past year:She faces arecalleffort; citizens on Nov. 8overwhelmingly backed aCityCharter amendment to implement aconfirmationpro cess fortop mayoralappointees; and sheignored afederal court “stay” ordernot to mess with MetroService’s city trashcontract.

At theend of hisinitial report, Zurikexplainedtoviewers that if thestory did notinvolveacity employeeand themayor’sworkhours,hewould nothave pursued it.How themayorspendsher privatetimeshould remain private —aslongasitdoesn’tconflict with or compromiseher mayoral duties.There’s therub:Cantrell’s recent actionsclearly —and adversely— impact her performanceasmayor. Thepeople of NewOrleans deservebetter.

PHOTO BY CHRISGRANGER / THETIMES-PICAYUNE MayorLaToyaCantrell

@clancygambit

Kennedyflirtingwith guvrace—again

WILLTHEFIFTH TIMEBETHE CHARMFORJOHN NEELYKENNEDY?

Louisiana’sjunior U.S. Senator has flirtedwithrunning forgovernor four timesalready and nevermadeitto thepost. Should we take hislatest flirtation seriously?

There’snoobviousanswertothat question. Theonly thingweknow at this pointis Kennedy promises adecision“soon” —whatever that means.

Chiefamongthe reasonshe mightrun is thefactthatKennedy hasalwayswantedtobegovernor This time it’s “now or never” for him. He turns71thisweek,sohe can’taffordtowaitany longer.

Whilehe’sa tadlong in the toothtotakeonthe heavy burdensofstate governance, Kennedy hasnever beenmore popular. He ledthe fieldina recent poll (which he commis sioned,but no objectiveobserver disputes theresults), andevery independent poll takeninthe last fewyears pegged himasthe most popularpoliticianinthe state

He just wonreelectionwith 62%ofthe vote (4%morethan Donald Trumpgot in 2020 in Louisiana), andhereportedly has$15 millionremaining He could easily raisemillions more— and he’dlikelyclear the fieldofmostifnot allpotential Republican candidates

Theone exceptiontothatmay be Attorney GeneralJeffLandry, whoalso has raised millions Landry,however,isloathed by manyofhis fellow Republicans, more than afew of whom have beggedKennedytorun

Finally,Democratswill control theSenatefor thenexttwo years, whichmeans Kennedywon’t have much influenceinWashington.

On theother hand,Kennedywill still serveonkey Senate committeesifhechoosestoremain there. He’s on theAppropriations, Judiciary,Banking,Budgetand Small Business committees Then there’sthe workload Serving as governor is incredibly

hardwork. In theSenate, Kennedy hasbeenmorea “showhorse” than a“work horse.”Hehas thebrains and experiencetobegovernor,but doeshewanttostart working that hardatthe ageof72?

He clearly enjoys being“Senator Soundbite”inWashington, but howmuchlongerwill he be satisfied with that role?Someofthe public and lazy newscasterslove hisMr. Haney/Foghorn Leghorn schtick,but no one insidethe Beltwaytakes himseriously Is that howhewants to be remembered —asatalented, intelligentbut desperatelyambitiouspoliticianwho foresworehis Oxford educationand thechance to make areal difference during one of America’smostchalleng ingerasinorder to gain fameby servingupnonsensical quips on FoxNews?

People whoknewKennedywhen heseemed serious about public servicestruggletoreconcilethe analytical,insightfulguy who worked closelywithtwo governors and served honorablyasstate treasurer with theclownish, corn pone back bencherhehas become in theU.S.Senate.

It’s anybody’sguess whether he’llrun forgovernor,but if he does, letuspraythe “old”John NeelyKennedyreemerges. The last thing Louisiananeeds right nowisanother laughingstockwho putsusbackinthe ditchwe’ve worked so hardtoget outoffor thepast eightyears

PHOTO BY HILARYSCHEINUK/ THEADVOCATE

Sen.JohnKennedyathis electionnightparty, Tuesday,Nov.8,2022.

Dearreader,

VINCENTBUFFA wasraised inthe FrenchQuarter and opened hisnamesakerestaurant and loungeatthe corner of Burgundy Street andEsplanade Avenue in December 1939

The building wasvacantat thetimebut hadbeenhome to Villere’sPharmacy.Ina1983 Times-Picayuneprofile,Buffa told writerBunny Matthews that when he purchasedthe building,hefixed up theapartmentsupstairs and opened hisbusiness downstairs “Ifthe restaurantdidn’tdogood, theapartmentswould help and vice versa.Well, both did well through theyears,” Buffasaid.

Although theplace had become alandmark on theedgeofthe French Quarter, forMatthews’ 1983 story, Buffaquestioned whyit wouldevenbeworthyofnotice.

“There’s nothinginteresting about this place,”hesaidatfirst He lateragreed to an interview, Matthews wrote, butonlyifit occurred away from thebar “inthe solitude of abackroom.”

Matthews wroteaboutBuffa’s jukeboxand thelounge’srearballroom,calling it “one of thegreat secret treasuresofNew Orleans interior design.”Headded, “Its most outstanding feature is theart decogrillwork depictingreindeer whichlines theedgeofthe ceiling When theballroom wasinoperation,the reindeer were illuminated from behindbychartreuselights.”

Speakingofillumination,the lounge’sneonsignage and clock affixedtothe building have been apartofBuffa’s fordecades.

Theclock wasa gift from nearby jewelrystore owner George A. Nami Sr

VincentBuffa diedin1995. His sons VincentBuffa Jr.and Frank Buffastill ownthe property, leasing it to variousclub operators in recent years, includingChuck Rogers since2010.

BLAKEVIEW

THISWEEKWECELEBRATE the90thbirthdayofSybil Haydel Morial,former First Lady of NewOrleans andalongtimeeducator,community activist and civil rights leader.

Born Nov. 26,1932, in Gert Town and raised in the7th Ward,Morial’s father C.C. Haydel wasa physicianand surgeon,while her mother Eudora Haydel hadbeenateacher.Morialand herthree siblingsgrewupsomewhat privilegedinBlack Creole society, butasAfrican-Americansinthe JimCrowera also faced thepainofsegregation.

She graduated high schoolfromXavierPrepand studiedfor twoyears at Xavier University before transferring to Boston University in 1950 There, sheearneda master’s degree in educationand also befriended a fellow doctoralstudent named Martin Luther King Jr Aftergraduation, Morialtaughtelementary schoolinNewton, Massachusetts. AfterreturninghometoNew Orleans,she marriedcivil rights attorney Ernest “Dutch”Morialin1956.Their family would include five children: Julie, Marc,Jacques, Cheriand Monique.

Inadditiontoraising her family,MorialtaughtinNew Orleans public schools and served as acommunity activist andcivil rightsleader.

In 1977,one year before her husbandwas electedthe city’s first Black mayor, Morialjoined thestaff at Xavier University,where sheworkedfor 28 yearsasanassociate dean and administrator,retiringin2005asvice presidentfor external affairs.

Followingthe deathofher husbandonChristmas Eve1989, SybilMorial wasurged to runfor mayor. Shedeclined, buthas continuedtoserve the communityondozensofother nonprofit boards and committees.

Her2015memoir is titled,“WitnesstoChange:FromJim Crow to PoliticalEmpowerment.”

HeyBlake, Buffa’sonEsplanade Avenueisoneofmy favoritehangoutsfor livemusic.Whowas Buffa,andwhatisthe place’shistory?

PHOTO BY DAVIDGRUNFELD/ THETIMES-PICAYUNE Buffa’sonEsplanadeAvenue

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Cocktails Bars and THEissue bottle to Farm

TheFrugefamilymakes rice vodka and whiskey inAcadiana

Mike Fruge is quick to acknowledge that making whiskey takes time. It’s usually aged in barrels for years The four-year wait for J.T. Meleck rice whiskey, named for his great-great-uncle, came with a little more suspense, because no one else makes an American style whiskey with rice, he says It was a leap of faith to see how it would turn out.

“It’s hard to imagine there’s a new spirit that hadn’t been done before,” Fruge says

He thought it would be worth the risk and patience

“As my grandfather used to say, ‘My nickel is in the jukebox, I have to dance to the music,” Fruge says Fruge is from a family of generations of farmers, and they’ve built a 4,000-acre farm primarily for rice and crawfish in Branch, Louisiana In 2017, they decided to use some of their rice to launch a distillery, built on the original 20-acre farm. They released a vodka in 2018, and recently released a whiskey Fruge spoke to Gambit about farming and distilling in Acadiana

GAMBIT:

MIKEFRUGE: My great-great-uncle John literally trav eled to Louisiana in a covered wagon after the Civil War. They came to Louisiana for cheaper land A lot of people did during that era. They were highland farmers, meaning they planted stuff without water. That’s what they were used to They got to Louisi ana, and it was difficult to grow those crops since it was so wet. Eventually there was this style of rice called providence rice. You would create the best environment you could, you’d plant the rice crop, but you depended on Mother Nature to provide the water. But providence did not always do that, so that’s why they called it providence rice.

That’s what started the entire rice industry in South Louisiana By the turn of the century, it was becoming an industry Not just for us, but rice was a big deal It lasted till the 1960s, give or take

The farm transferred to my great uncle, to my grandfather. He farmed rice his whole life. My dad struggled with it. In general, all sorts of farming through the ’80s struggled. Many farmers went out of business My dad went into the oil field. When my brother and I got out of college, the family was still involved in farming, but not in a big way. I didn’t think I’d actually be a farmer.

Crawfish farming was in its infancy It was in a pioneer stage. My brother and I started doing that while we were in college to earn extra money. We could earn more money doing that than working for minimum wage. Doing that, we sort of put ourselves though the last couple of years of college My broth er loves the dirt He’s a tractor diver. It’s what he always wanted to do He was committed to it I pretty much started the crawfish farm, and my brother was my partner We started shipping crawfish all over the place Long story short, 30 years later, we built the farm back up to roughly 4,000 acres of rice and crawfish We sell an awful lot of crawfish in Texas, and that’s our main business

How did you get interested in distilling?

FRUGE: Now, every farmer is a crawfish farmer. We’re not innovative in that anymore. So I started looking for what’s next What can we do with the rice? How can we add more value to it? We looked around and nothing really clicked. Then somebody asked me, “I wonder if we can make vodka out of this stuff?”

I started doing some research I found a convention about craft distilling I got on an airplane and flew to the American Distilling Institute (convention) It was in Baltimore that year I started asking about rice, and literally 100% of the people looked at me like I had three heads. They were like, “Rice? Never heard of it. Don’t know.” Somebody was like, “Somebody made some sake.” There was no information.

If you understand spirits production, spirits are a farmbased product. Whiskey was the last step of trying to preserve a crop. You grow a grain, you fed the animals, you ate some, you saved as much as you could When it started getting old, you made beer with it Then you took what was left over and distilled it That was a commodity you could later trade for whatever you needed That’s how the whiskey industry was made.

Before Prohibition, there were 10,000 distilleries in America. Post-Prohibition, there were only three, and they were controlled by big money. It wasn’t until the beer industry got disrupted by the microbreweries that the rules changed and allowed craft people to try this The point is, rice never got its shot.

I started studying the market, and I realized there’s wheat whiskey, rye whiskey, corn whiskey. There’s bourbon. There’s high bourbon, low bourbon, there’s Scotch There’s malted barley There are all these spirits from all over the world, but there are no rice spirits made using the American style of a yeasted beer In Asia, there’s shochu and sake, but those are all bacterial fermenta tions. They’re totally different than the American style. The flavor profile is different. I said, well, I don’t know if anybody has done this before, I don’t know why they didn’t, but there must be a reason Surely, the biggest manufacturers have tested this, and maybe they didn’t like it I was like, I am going to find out.

I thought maybe there was some problem with fermentation or distillation. I thought for sure we’d learn

How did your family get into farming?

BY WIL L COVIEL LO

PHOTO BY BRAD BOWIE / THE ACADIANA ADVOCATE MikeFrugewithbarrelsofaging J.T.Meleckricewhiskey.

PHOTO COURTESY OF J.T. MELECK DISTILLERS MikeFrugeholdsabottle oftherecentlyreleased J.T.Meleckricewhiskey.

what theproblemwas.Itturns out, theredoesn’tseemtobe aproblem.

Ihad acouple of hunches. Iama hobby cook.Makinga good beer or making agoodwhiskey is like makinga sauce. Youhave to go on some instincts. Thereare some va rietiesofricethatIthoughtwould go well withthis. We tested six or sevenofthem, andwefound a couple that we liked. Andlow and behold,itliterally made thebest vodkaI have tasted We releasedthe vodkatothe public almost immediately. We have been sellingvodka to people in Louisiana sinceSeptember 2018 It’s building afollowing.Any time we blindtastethe vodkaagainst anything,wefinishinthe top. We knew we hada good vodka, but thereare thousands of vodka brands. Vodkabyitself, it’s hard to be unique,evenifittastes great. Butthe whiskey —there’snothing else likeit. There’snoother 100% rice whiskey anywhere. That’sa unique product, anditturns out that it’s pretty good

Youhave to understand,whatever people aredrinkingnow,they’re committedto. You’re trying to change theirmind. That’s along game. If you’re abeerdrinker,and youdrink anationalbrand,your dadprobablydrank it.Yourfriends drinkit. Youcan’t give them some thingelse.They’re committed. That’s ourbig challenge. Getting people to tryitand change their mind is alongprocess

We have alot of traction withthe bourbon community.Every town seemstohave abourbon society. We’reveryactivewiththe local branchand we’rereachingout Anyofthe bars that pourbourbon on an educatedlevel,all those placesare naturals forus. Forus to be asuccessfulbrand,we’re not trying to be aneighborhood craft distillerywherepeople hang outat thetasting room.Wedon’t have a tastingroom. We’reinthe middle of nowhere. My plan is to convert currentwhiskey drinkers to our brand.Ittakes alongtime, but we’reinitfor thelonghaul.

Nowthatthis whiskeyisout there, what’s next?

FRUGE: Thewhiskey coming straight offthe still is amazing. It hasa greatflavor. Bourbon does nothave that.You have to ageit. Buteventhough we hada great product straight offthe still,we decided to putitinbarrels and see what happens.

Iwas fortunate to have another business so we could be patient and take ourtimeand produce somethingreal andauthentic. Most greatwhiskey,the youngest profile you’re goingtofindisfour years. So Iwantedtoget to four years, andthat’swhatwedid.The whiskey we’rereleasingright now is afour-year-old 100% ricewhiskey in theAmerican style, aged in newAmerican whiteoak barrels Ilikethe flavorprofile of abourbon. If we canmatch thesweet ness of ourrice— it hasanatural sweetness —tothatcaramel, butterscotch, allthose greatflavors that come outofwhiskey barrel,I thinkwe’ll have somethingpretty good. We’rereal proud of it

Howhas the receptionbeen?

FRUGE: We captured afairly significantfollowing locally in Acadiana. Lots of people adoptedus. Restaurantsput us on themenu. We did better than expected. Peopletoldtheir friends, and it’s been slowly building.

FRUGE: We have some high rice bourbon we made.We’re go ingtotest that.We’ll seehow it turned out. We’llsee what kindof yieldwe’ll get. We’lllook at some differentfinishesfor ourwhiskey Butmostlywe’re telling thestory aboutthiswhiskey

Openinga distilleryand making whiskey in quantity is adaunting challenge. It takesa lotofcommitmentand courage. You’re proba blylooking at a10-year commit mentbeforeyou knowwhether you’re goingtobesuccessful or not.Mostpeople can’tget financ ingfor that kindoftimeframe. Nobody’sthatpatient.Ijust happen to be from adifferent point of view.It’snot easy.Westruggle all thetimeand trytomakesure we’redoingthe rightthing

We areobsessivelyauthentic. We have tractors,wehavedirt, we grow things.Our distilleryis locatedonour farm.The same piece of ground ourancestors settledon. We’rebuildingout the distilleryone piece at atime. We do nothave atastingroom.Wedo notoffer tours to thepublic.We wanted to focusonbuilding the brand and convertingconsumers. Thepublic is notgoing to driveout to ourfarmingreat numbers. We have to go meet them

Formoreinformation, visitjtmeleck.net.

Butyou were thinking aboutmaking whiskeywhenyou started?

it up

Cocktail recipesfrom NewOrleans drinkmakers

BY WILL COVIELLO AND JAKE CLAPP

Who wouldn’t want to impress their friends with a great cocktail? Or, maybe, you just want to chill at home with a good drink. To help out, we asked a few New Orleans distillers and spirits makers for their favorite cocktail recipes. Check out these recommendations from Wetlands Sake,

Happy Raptor

Offering a Bananas Foster-fla vored rum seems like a no brainer for a New Orleans rum distillery. But it’s the King Cake flavor that’s become the most popular seasonal release at Happy Raptor Bottles won’t be available for pick-up until Carnival time, but the first day for pre-order is Black Friday. The distillery creates several rums, including classic clear rum as well as a hibiscus flavor. The taproom is a block off St Charles Avenue at 1512 Caronde let St., and it hosts movie nights, Harry Potter trivia, karaoke and more. There’s a Taylor Swift birth day party on Dec. 10 Find more information at 504rum.com.

Wetlands Sake

Despite the abundance of rice grown in Louisiana, it wasn’t until last year that the state had its own sake brewer. Wetlands Sake launched late last summer with a filtered and unfiltered version as well as spar kling versions in blood orange and passion fruit flavors The canned drinks are available in local stores and restaurants, and Wetlands opened a taproom in February at its Lower Garden District space. The taproom has nine sakes on tap, including varieties infused with hibiscus, blueberry-lemon, mango-chili and more There also are sake cocktails The taproom hosts regular events such as live music, art markets, a re cent tie-dye party and more The taproom is open Wednesday through Sunday at 634 Orange St Visit wetlandssake.com for information.

PHOTO PROVIDED BY WETLANDS SAKE WetlandsSake’ssakeswizzle

Happy Raptor, Atelier Vie and Steven Three Distilling Co

Cocktails Bars and THEissue

Atelier Vie

Earlier this year, Atelier Vie which produces a range of spirits, including gin, whiskey, rum and absinthe along with occasional experimental special releases released a bottled-in-bond edition of Riz, its Louisiana rice whiskey

The spirit earned a double gold medal at the prestigious San Francisco World Spirits Compe tition, and the distillery picked up another gold medal for its Louisiana single malt whiskey For this Christmas-themed cocktail recipe, though, Atelier Vie uses its Euphrosine Gin #9 barrel-finished reserve also a 2018 World Spir its Competition gold medal winner. The distillery’s tasting room is open on the weekends and by special appointment during the week Reservations must be made in advance by calling or texting (504) 534-8590 or online at ateliervie.com.

The Elf Special

Seven Three Distilling Co.

MINT LEAVES

BAR SPOON OF ATELIER VIE TOULOUSE RED, ABSINTHE ROUGE

Add several ice cubes to a cocktail tin. Pour the gin, Aperol, amaro and ginger ale over the ice and stir with a bar spoon Strain the cocktail into the glass. Add a couple mint leaves and muddle them a bit in the cocktail glass to release the mint oils Add a bar spoon of Toulouse Red on top and serve.

*Substitutions: In place of the Aperol, another orange liqueur may be used In place of Lucano, another amaro can be used, or a smaller quantity of bitters. Ginger beer can be used in place of the ginger ale.

The distillery on N. Claiborne Avenue produces whiskey, vodka, gin, rum and moonshine using Louisiana-sourced ingredients and pays tribute to New Orleans neighborhoods with labels like Black Pearl rum, By water Bourbon and Gentilly gin.

Seven Three Distilling is open 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily for tastings and tours, and there’s a cocktail bar with seasonal punches and build-your-own flights available. Find more information at seventhreedistilling.com

BY KAYL EE PO CHE

Zony Mash Beer Project owner Adam Ritter will be the first to acknowledge that New Orleans is a cocktail city first and foremost But he quickly found a way to bring people who weren’t big beer drinkers to his brewery: hard seltzers

Within a few months of the taproom opening in September 2019, Zony Mash started serving seltzers, and its satsuma and mango guava berry flavors have become so popular Ritter and his team can and sell them to local grocery stores, bars and restaurants.

“To help encourage people to want to come over and enjoy our place, we wanted to offer some thing to people that just straight up don’t like beer,” Ritter says “Spiked seltzers are a quick and easy way of getting past that.”

The hyped, golden days of White Claw Summer may have been a few years ago, but hard seltzers remain a go-to drink for many in New Orleans. And Zony Mash isn’t the only local brewery tapping into that market over the last few years

Miel Brewery currently offers a kiwi crush seltzer, and head brewer Alex Peyroux says their top selling key lime pie seltzer will be back soon and could be available year-round come 2023 And Port Orleans Brewing Co has its “Crush-able” hard orange soda and a “Hydrate” seltzer which uses Main Squeeze Juice Co.’s seasonal juice of watermelon, pineapple, lemon and coconut water.

Urban South Brewery also has found success in selling its hard seltzers through its popular Para dise Park line. The brewery started offering them in 2020 because “more and more people were coming in and asking for them,” says the brewery’s digital marketing manager Kristin Marshall

“It really does open the doors for more people to come in and try things that they may not think that they would like or people within groups who don’t necessarily drink

beer,” Marshall says “We don’t offer cocktails, but seltzers certainly have a hold on people who wouldn’t normally go for like a lager or an IPA.”

Now, Urban South has three different packs of hard seltzers made with fresh fruit: the original, which includes raspberry limeade, lime cucumber and Rocket Pop (cher ry and blue raspberry); the “Daq Pack” which includes New Orleans Hurricane, electric lemonade and strawberry colada; and another pack that includes pina colada, passionfruit orange guava and aloha punch (tangerine, cherry and pineapple). Urban South distributes those seltzers throughout Louisi ana, Mississippi, Tennessee and the Gulf coast of Alabama

Ritter says Zony Mash also is working on distributing their new seltzer flavors with real fruit currently on tap peach ginger, cherry lemonade and watermelon margari ta to stores, bars and restaurants He says the company will “move away from” the original satsuma and mango guava berry flavors and that they aim to distribute the new flavors at the turn of the year

“I would say the one that has rang the loudest most recently has been the peach ginger,” he says

In December, Urban South will have two holiday specialty seltzers only available in the tap room for a limited time. Toward the end of December, they’ll release a Cham pagne Showers seltzer with a strawberry puree and lemon zest that’s supposed to mimic champagne. It has a lot of alcohol in its 16-oz. can, so Marshall recommends sharing it with friends

Then for Urban South’s Christmas party with Fringe and Her Haus, they’ll have a seltzer called Santa Slay, which has immersion blended Starburst candy. They will serve it until supplies run out.

PERONI

NASTRO AZZURRO

Peroni NastroAzzurroisan Italian lager beer with acrisp and refreshing taste and subtle citrus aroma. Light and clean like apilsner beer,this import beer is acrisp and refreshing European lager with adelicate balance of bitterness and citrus and spicy aromatic notes combined with afast and clean finish. Peroni beer has abig personality —bold, spirited, authentically Italian, and effortlessly stylish.

shelfTop

BY KAYL EE PO CHE AND SAR AH RAVI TS

With the holidays approaching, there are all sorts of reasons to want a cocktail book. You might be looking for a recipe to impress your guests or maybe you’re in search of a coffee table book to gift your cocktail loving friend Perhaps you’re just anticipating needing a drink after spending time with certain family members Whatever the reason, here are five local cocktail and bar books to dive into this season

Cane & Table, Peychaud’s and Vals, Bodenheimer in October released this collection of drink recipes from his bars organized by type with several variations, like cocktail family trees. But the book is more than a series of drink recipes, it also busts some myths in New Orleans cocktail lore; it includes bar food recipes; and there’s an essay on the city’s Black-owned bars by L. Kasimu Harris

“CocktailDiveBar”

BYT.COLENEWTON

The recipes in T. Cole Newton’s “Cocktail Dive Bar” may not be as strictly organized as in “Cure,” but the book is full of good stories and focuses on a goal he has for his own bars 12 Mile Limit and The Domino: making good cocktails casual and approachable Over the years, Newton has learned a thing or two about running a bar and offers advice on how to do so responsibly, including training em ployees to look for signs of sexual misconduct and violence.

”TheCafeBrulot” BYSUESTRACHAN

Sue Strachan explores the history, lore, and evolution of the café brulot, a New Orleans classic with French origins. The warm, aromatic coffee-based beverage incorporates flamed brandy, orange liqueur and a blend of spices. It is served at many of the city’s grande dame restaurants, including Galatoire’s, Antoine’s and Arnaud’s, where it is typically offered after a meal The book also includes recipes.

“Cure:NewOrleansDrinks andHowtoMix‘Em”

BYNEALBODENHEIMER ANDEMILYTIMBERLAKE

Neal Bodenheimer’s bar Cure has racked up awards for its craft cocktails. Also a co-owner of

toZeroProofCocktails”

BYMOLLYKIMBALL

WITHETHANSCAGGS

With 50 visually appealing recipes from a bevy of local bartenders and chefs, “Craft” shows that you don’t have to deprive yourself just because you’re alcohol-free. Nor do you have to be alcohol-free to enjoy the creative recipes within. While the sober alternatives to al coholic beverages have historically included sugary, headache-in ducing sodas or just water, a growing alcohol-free movement in New Orleans is giving zero-proof drinks a makeover. The book also includes practical tips on barware and glassware as well as a guide to bitters and other drink embel lishments and ingredients.

“LocalSpirit:Neighborhood BarsofOrleansParish”

BYRICKDOBBSANDKENMURPHY

Growing up in Gulfport, Missis sippi, photographer and Bay St. Louis bar owner Ken Murphy has been checking out New Orleans bars since the ’90s He and book designer Rick Dobbs spent nearly four years putting together this photo collection of more than 120 bars in Orleans Parish. The 196page book highlights local favorites rather than those catering to tourists, but the bars range from the one at the Columns Hotel to the dive Snake & Jake’s Christmas Club Lounge.

“Craft:TheEatFitGuide

PHOTO PROVIDED BY RUNNING PRESS PUBLICITY

Everybodywhere knows your name

Localmediaworkerssharetheirgo-todrinkspots

BY SA RA HR AV IT S

New Orleans journalistshave long relied on bars.Sometimes these storied establishmentsserve as thebackdropfor ameeting promising ahot scoop;sometimes they’rea placetounwindwith colleaguesand friendsafter alongday of houndingsources whilesimul taneouslybeing houndedbyeditors

Localbars arewherewecelebrateand commiserate, andwherewe meet newpeople and getideas.Theyare placesthatliterally powerusup afterhurricaneswhen therestofthe city’s powerisout,and wherewe’ve hitthe “publish”buttononmanyastory at weirdhours —orflocked to immediatelyafter doingso. Here,somelocal mediatypes share theirfavoritespots

FAVORITELOCALBARANDWHY:

MINGO

FAVORITEBARANDWHY:

Thebar at Clancy’s Restaurant

First of all, Ican walk or ride my biketoit, which is abig plus.And whileI don’t go to bars to watchTV, they have one above the wall of bottles,typically withthe volume down,soyou cankeephavingconversations with friendswhile,out of thecornerofyour eye,you cankeepupwith whatever biggame is on.Just theother night, when LSUbeatAlabama in overtime, almost theentirekitchen staff, includingwaiters in theirsuits andties, packed into thesmall bartowatch thefinal secondsofthe epic game.Itwas like being in asmalllivingroom with about50ofyour friends. Then,Iwalkedhome

PHOTO PROVIDEDBY MALIK

ChrisGranger

StaffPhotographer atTheTimes-Picayune

Cocktails Bars and

staff and the food, plus since I retired from the drinking arts a couple of years ago my alcohol-free self can enjoy either a coffee beverage or zero proof cocktail alone or with friends who drink without feeling left out of the festivities

DRINKOFCHOICE: I’m torn because their take on a Moscow mule made with the zero-proof spirit Seedlip is amazing, but the Murphy’s Michelada, crafted with Athletic Brewing non-alcoholic beer and a house made, no-tomato mix and a Tajín-rimmed glass, is straight fire

Chelsea Shannon

DigitalContentEditor atTheTimes-Picayune

FAVORITEBARANDWHY: My favorite place for a cocktail has been Mister Mao. My favorite place to chill and get a drink, though, is Carrollton Station.

Mister Mao makes pretty drinks that make me happy. Carrollton Station al ways has Lagunitas.

DRINKOFCHOICE: A lemon drop martini, or a beer from California and water.

Orlando Flores

DigitalEditoratGulfStatesNewsroom

FAVORITEBARANDWHY: Sea Cave Arcade

It has a ton of retro arcade games, really great food and drinks and wres tling watch parties on Wednesdays it’s basically the greatest place

PHOTO

PHOTO PROVIDED BY CHELSEA SHANNON

PHOTO PROVIDED BY KATELYN UMHOLTZ

THECOUNTRYCLUB GINBLOSSOM

Celebratethe holidays with ourReveillonon TheRocksSpecial,The GinBlossom. Made with Hayman’s London DryGin,Dolin Dry, and Fassbind ApricotEau de Vie.

634LouisaStreet,NOLA•504-945-0742 thecountryclubneworleans.com

PEANUTBUTTERKOROVAMILKPORTER

GNARLYBARLEY

Even more mind blowing than theoriginal Korova Milk Porter,this specialtyrelease beer hasanadditionofpeanut butter blended in thebatch to meld with itssweet coffee& chocolateflavors.

1709CorbinRd,Hammond,LA 985-318-0723•gnarlybeer.com

GAMEDAYPACKS TWISTEDTEA

TwistedTea:KingofHard Teas,the OG Hard Tea, summer in abottle…whichever name you prefer.PickupaGameDay packwithPeach, Original,Half& Half andRaspberry flavorsto enjoyfor thenextbig game twistedtea.com

VINTAGECOCKTAIL

THEVINTAGE

HoodooChicoryliqueur,Tito’s,Irishcream espresso.ThisupgradedEspressoMartinipairs perfectwithbeignets.

3121MagazineSt.,NOLA 504-324-7144•thevintagenola.com

BLUEBERRYHILL KINGFISHKITCHEN &COCKTAILS

Servingupnew-schooltwistsontraditional NewOrleanscuisine andour bar, with itsmix of signatureand classic cocktails, is theper fect placetomeetupwithfriends andfamily foradrink in theFrenchQuarter.Happy Hour Monday,Thursday,& Friday:2 pm -5pm. 337ChartresSt.,NOLA 504-598-5005•kingfishneworleans.com

HAPPYHOURDEALS BARREVS

Newly opened BarRevsinMetairiehas alively atmosphere, gamedaydeals,& ahappy hour worthsmiling about. Swingbyfor dealson domestic beersand well cocktailseveryday!

Happy Hour everyday 12p-7p |Domestics $2 Wells$3

4401AirlineDr,Metairie,LA70001 504-342-2457•facebook.com/BarRevs/

LEMONDROP BOULEVARDAMERICANBISTRO

Joinusfor HappyHour, Monday-Friday3pm6pm. Celebratethe endofthe work week with MartiniThursdays, $5 Grey Gooseand Tito’s martinis.Winedrinkersget 50% off allbottles of wine witheveryto-go order. boulevardbistro.com

ALLSHOOKUP

THEBOMBAYCLUB

Hometonightly live music, TheBombayClub specializesincraft cocktails, singlemalt scotches, reserved bourbons,and premium cigars.Happy Hour Wednesday through Sunday 4pm- 7pm. 830ContiSt.,NOLA 504-577-2237•Bombayclubneworleans.com

SPIKEDEGGNOG ZHANGBISTRO

JoinusatZhang Bistro forour classic holidaydrink 1141DecaturSt.,NOLA 504-826-8888•zhangbistronola.com

TOASTEDPECANOLDFASHIONED ROYAL

SONESTA/JAZZ

PLAYHOUSE

Celebratethe seasonatThe Jazz Playhouse with live musicand festive spiritslike theToasted PecanOld Fashioned, made with Makers Mark Bourboninfused with toastedpecan,Creole Orgeat, andChicory Pecan Bitters.

300BourbonSt.,NOLA 504-553-2299•Sonesta.com/jazzplayouse

BLUECRABCOLLINS THEBLUECRAB

RESTAURANT&OYSTERBAR

Adelightfullylight andrefreshingcocktail made with Tito’s vodka, fresh blueberries andlemon 7900LakeshoreDr.,NOLA 504-284-2898•thebluecrabnola.com

HANDGRENADE TROPICALISLE

Enjoythe sweetmelontaste of NewOrleans mostpowerful drink- theHandGrenade Available at four Tropical Isle locations on BourbonSt. andBourbon Street Honky Tonk, or order Hand GrenadeMix forgiftgivingor making at home 800-ISLE-MIX•tropicalisle.com

BLUEBERRYLEMONDROP KATIE’S

It’s been arough year.ComejoinusatKatie’s We’lldothe cookingwhile yourelax andenjoy agreat cocktail!

3701IbervilleSt.,NOLA 504-488-6582•katiesinmidcity.com

EXPANDEDWINELIST VENEZIA

Youknow Venezia’s forclassic NewOrleans inspired ItalianCuisine.Now youcan enjoyall of your favoriteswithmoreselectionsfrom theirexpanded wine list.Bythe glass or the bottle,the wine selectionhas somethingto pairwitheverydishthatwill be sure to please everypalate.

134N.CarrolltonAve.,NOLA 504-488-7991•venezianeworleans.net

MARTINE’SLOUNGE

Luxardocherry

Opensat

bar& outdoorpatio

LOTS-A-LUCKLOUNGE

TITO’SCEVICHE

LASTRADA PAL’SLOUNGE

MontenegroItalianamaro,rosemary-infused hibiscus-orangeaperitivo, fresh squeezed grapefruit juice. JoinusatMid-city’sbest neighborhood barserving up deliciousseasonal drinks,specialtycocktails, beer andwine. 949N.Rendon,NOLA 504-488-7257 •facebook.com/palslounge

BLOODBEETSUGARMAGIC TAVOLINO

St. George chilevodka,housemade beet jalapeno syrup, jalapeno &lime. 141DelarondeSt.,NOLA 504-605-3365•TavolinoNOLA.com

PATCHWORKQUILT PEACOCKROOM

KafiFeni, Italicus Bergamotto,Los Vecinos Mezcal, matcha,ModeloEspecial, egg. Smoky, grassy, floral& adventurous 501TchoupitoulasSt,NOLA 504-324-3073•peacockroomnola.com

FAISDEAUXDEAUX THEGARAGE

Homeofthe Fais Deaux Deaux–The original NewOrleansFishbowl 810Conti@BourbonSt.,NOLA thegaragemusicclub.com

LEMONDROP BANANABLOSSOM

TraditionalLemon Drop or Pomegranate LemonDrop–there is no badchoice! Seewhat deliciousnessthe talentedbartenderscan make foryou next time youcomein. 5009thSt,Gretna (504)500-0997•504bananablossom.com

PRICKLYPEARMARGARITA FELIPE’STAQUERIA

Felipe’s PricklyPear Margarita hasa smooth berrytaste with asweet andtangy finish. Come enjoythis popularcactuspuree in a hand-squeezed RocksorFrozen Marg Uptown,FrenchQuarterandMid-Citylocations. felipestaqueria.com

ELBUHO

JUAN’S FLYINGBURRITO

JoinusatJuan’sFlyingBurrito forsomeFly Dranks –Margaritasand specialty cocktails like theELBUHO-ElBuhoMezcal, Triple Sec, LemonSour, andLime. LowerGD,Uptown•Mid-City,CBD 504-529-5825•juansflyingburrito.com

BOW-WOW NEYOW’SCREOLECAFÉ

TheBow-Wow is Neyow’ssignature 32oz cocktail made with lightrum,darkrum

Lockedin

LOOKTHROUGHTHEMENUATTITO’S

CEVICHE&PISCO,and thevast global influences that come to theplate areastonishing

Thereare thepotatoesand corn that fueled theIncaEmpireinthe 15th century.Porkwas introduced to Peru by thecolonizing Spanish. Therealso areyams, peanuts,soy sauce and rice and influences from Africa andChina.Thiseye-popping arrayofflavors come together in thecuisine of Peru

Chef Juan Lock and hiswifeand partner Tatiana Lock opened the original Tito’s Cevichein2017in an unassuming spot on Magazine Street. They then openedthe restau rant’s second,largerlocationin September at 1433 St.Charles Ave.

Juan Lock hailsfromLima, often called theculinarycapital of Latin America. Originally aself-taught chef,heworkedinthe frontofthe house at Casa Garcia,cooked in steakhouses in Fort Lauderdale and then worked in management at Mr B’sBistrointhe French Quarter.

Throughitall,hefeltthe powerful pull of hishomecountry’scuisine.

“I cooked forfriends at home, then starteddoing pop-ups,” the chef says.“Alot of people still aren’t familiar with Peruvian cuisine.I wanted to change that.”

He startedmakinginroads with theopeningofTito’sinUptown, but thecouple wanted to do more “Wealwayswantedtobeina morevisible location,” says Tatiana Lock,who is from Nicaragua. “More in theheart of NewOrleans.”

They boughtthe shutteredSt. Charles Tavern and spent18months renovating thespace.The result is bright,airyand full of color.

Whimsical murals conjurePeru’s landscapeand history. Thedining area is morethan twicethe size of thefirst Tito’s,and thekitchen is threetimes larger than theoriginal There’salsoplentyofspace on the second floor.

Tito’s nameincludesPeru’s national dish:ceviche. Bitesofraw fish geta quickcureinavariety of sauces, most notablyleche de tigre,

acitrus-forward marinadethat bringsflavorto dishes like ceviche criollo, with chunks of localsheepshead,fiery aji limo chilies,sweet potato,onion and choclo,the signature largekernelled Peruvian corn.The menuhas avariety of ceviches and tiradito,variations that oftenare elab oratelycomposed.

Seafood options mightrange from salmon and tuna to Gulf shrimp and squid.

Potatoes are stalwart ingredients throughout themenu,with more than 4,000 varieties,accord ingtoJuanLock.

Loma saltado is a traditionalPeruvian dish,and theversion herefeatures stir-fried marinatedsirloin tips with onions,tomatoes andpotatoes.

Grilled octopusisservedwith friedpotatoesand an herbaceous chimichurri sauce.Order theaji de gallina,and grilled chicken breast arrives bathed in aParmesan cream sauce, topped with bits of pecan and served over boiled potatoes

There’salso chaufa de mariscos, aPeruviantakeonCantonese fried rice made with seafood, pisco, redpeppers, eggs andsoy sauce. Tallarines verdes conbistecisa seared hanger steak witha nest of pestolinguine.

Fordessert, picarones area nod to thebeignet,but with theaddition of bits of localsquashand sweet potato and served with adrizzle of sweetsyrup. There’sa passion fruit and coconutflan, andacheese cake made with lucuma,aSouth American fruitthatisboth creamy and citrusywith ahintofcaramel.

Alongbar dominates one wall in themaindiningroom. As thename implies, Tito’s specializesinall things pisco, thebrandythatisthe national spirit of Peru.Arow of glass crocks along thebackwallstore pisco infusionsinflavors like blueberry and ginger, charredpineapple and lemon grass.Theyare used in cock tails likethe piscopunch,finished withlimejuiceand bittersand the muddledblueberry,thyme and ginger with Aperol and blackberry brandy.The classic frothypiscosour is aguaranteed refresher

ForJuanLock, thesecondrestaurant is justanother step toward sharinghis culinary culture with NewOrleans.

“I thinkpeople aresurprised when they first tryour food,” he says “Then, we have alot of regulars.”

FORK +CENTER

Emaildining@gambitweekly.com

AtastingofSenegal

AFTERRUNNINGHISSENEGALESE CUISINE-INSPIREDDAKARNOLA

CONCEPT as apop-upatvarious locations, includinga residency at theSouthernFood &Beverage Museum,chefSerigne Mbayeis openingitasa tastingmenurestaurant in Uptown.

Mbayeand business partnerEffie Richardson will open DakarNOLA at 3814 Magazine St., which formerly washometoPho CamLy. It is scheduledtoopen this week.

The30-seat restaurantwill offer oneseating pernight Wednesday throughSaturday.Thereare private tables and acommunaltable for10. Dinnersbegin at 7p.m

Mbayewas borninNew York butspentsomeofhis childhood in Senegal, and he laterreturned to explore thenation’scuisine. He hasworkedatMichelinstar restaurants includingAtelier Crenn in SanFranciscoand L’Atelier

WHAT

Tito’s Ceviche &Pisco

WHERE 1433 St.Charles Ave., (504) 354-1342; titosceviche.com

WHEN Lunch and dinner Mon.-Sat., brunch Sun.

HOW Dine-in

CHECKITOUT

de Joel Robuchon in NewYork. In NewOrleans,heworkedat Commander’s Palace andstarted to seelinks betweenNew Orleans cooking andSenegalese cuisine. More recently,hesteppedinto run Mosquito Supper Club while Melissa Martin wasfinishinga cookbook. Mbayewas nominatedthisyearfor anationalBest EmergingChefaward from

PHOTO BY CHERYL GERBER TatianaandJuanLock openedanewlocationof Tito’sCeviche&Pisco

the JamesBeard Foundation

PHOTO PROVIDED BY DAKARNOLA ChefSerigneMbayepreparesadishat hisnewrestaurantDakarNOLA.

Tito’sCeviche opensanew location in LowerGarden District by Beth D’Addono |

Chef Juan Lock’s Peruvian cuisine at a larger second location

At thenew space, he’llfocus on Senegalese dishes. Theinitial menufeaturesseven courses, with appetizers of Gulf shrimp with tamarind and atraditional Senegalesedishofblack-eyed peas,crabmeatand palmoil.A foniosalad coursefeaturesWest African millet,fingerlimes,tomatoes andsatsuma vinaigrette. He offers aversion of jollof,the staple rice dish.His take on spicy Senegaleseyassaisredfish with butternutsquashand mustard greens. Thefinal courseissweet ened millet couscous with ataya icecream andmint. Thetasting menuis$150per person DakarNOLAdoesnot yethave a liquor license, anddinerscan bring theirown alcohol

Reservations areavailable via dakarnola.com.—WILLCOVIELLO

Piechart

AFTERA10-YEARABSENCE,ASUDDEN, SURPRISERETURN and then afew more days of waiting, it’s finally official: Hubig’sPiesare back in stores

TheRouseslocationat4500 TchoupitoulasSt. gotthe first shipmentNov.9.When thedoors opened,people were linedupand went directly to newly installed racksfor Hubig’sPiesthatwereyet to be filled,waiting fora glimpse of the first piescomingthrough from thestore’s loadingdock.

RickyDiamond of Diamond Food Distributors said pieswent to allRouseslocations in New Orleans,Metairieand Kenner and to manyofthe smaller localgrocery brands, including Dorignac’s, Zuppardo’s, Robert’s and Canseco’s. Distribution to convenience stores wastofollow, Diamond said “I thinkI’m themostpopular guyintowntoday,” said Diamond,between fieldingcalls formorepies.

Theinitial supplieswerelimited, withabout10,000 shipped from Hubig’splant initially.Beforethe fire, Hubig’swas producing 25,000 pies daily

Rouses waslimitingcustomersto four pieseachonthe first day, and theTchoupitoulasStreet location sold outofits owninitial supply swiftly. Aboutanhourafter the storeopened, theHubig’s racks were bare

BernadetteBowie of New Orleanswas thefirst customer to gether piesatthe store. After allthese years,she wasafraid shemight nevertasteanother Hubig’sPie.

“A lotofplaces, youknow, they justdon’t come back,” Bowiesays.

Hubig’sPiesannouncedits comeback on earlyinNovember with apop-upevent,selling the first piesHubig’s hasproduced sincea fire in 2012 destroyedits original facility

Hubig’splans to expand itsdistribution reachasproductionramps up,addingmoremarkets “concen trically,” as Hubig’sowner Drew Ramsey hasexplained,radiating outfromthe city

Theflavorselection is limited fornow.Hubig’sisstartingwith apple andlemon,two of itsmost popularvarieties.The company’s

them available outsideits distri bution market

Direct orders from Hubig’s areset to resume this week, with orders forboxesof12pies available forshipping. Thecom panyusestwo-day delivery. See hubigs.com fororderingdetails

Through theyears,Hubig’s Pies were popularparty favors, and thecompanyfielded special orders to stamp thenamesof partyhosts or brides andgrooms oncustom wrappers

That serviceresumes,witha minimumorder of four dozen pies. They canbeordered in advanceonline.

KarenJohnson drove down to NewOrleans from LaPlace when sheheard Hubig’swas back

“I triedother things, butnothing wasthe same, nothing hadthat crust,”saysJohnson,who is afan of thelemon flavor.

Employeesatthe Tchoupitoulas Street location of Rouses were excitedbythe return.One of them, Elona Robinson, had been waiting patientlytoget another tasteof herfavorite flavor, apple

“I been loving thesesince I wasa little girl, and that’s been half acentury now,”she says —IAN McNULTY / THETIMES-PICAYUNE

OF THE WEEK

BY IANMCNULTY / THETIMES-PICAYUNE

Hubig’sPiesreturnedtolocal storesonNov.9,2022.

other flavors will follow,starting withpeachand pineapplelater this month,then chocolate and coconut.

Limited-run flavors will also return in theirseasonal progres sion,withsweet potato,cherry, strawberry,blueberry and banana to come

It hasbeenadecade sinceafire destroyedthe original home of Hubig’sPies.

In businesssince 1921,the sweet hand piesbecame morethan just afamiliarconveniencefood in New Orleans. Thegrab-and-gotreats could be foundatthe grocery, hardwarestore or gas station

Hubig’sPieshave always been an economicaltreat,and they remain so.Hubig’s Pies were selling for$1.19 each in 2012

Thepies hittingthe market now will be priced at $2.49, which Ramsey said reflects increasesthat wouldhave gradually accruedover thepast 10 years.

Whilegroceries andconve niencestoresare Hubig’snatural habitat,the companydoesship specialordersdirect, making

MaMouopens

MAMOU,ANEWMODERNFRENCH BISTRO,ANNOUNCEDITSOPENING at 942N.RampartSt. Chef Tom Branighan and sommelierMolly Wismeierare behindthe restaurant.BranighangrewupinNew Orleansand therestaurantis named forhis grandmother Branighan’s menu drawsonlocal seafoodand Louisiana producers. It rangesfromtakes on traditional dishes such as Gulf fish court bouillon withoysterdressingand rouilletocreativesmall platessuch as an escargot tartletand braised celery hearts with smoked beef tongue.Wismeier’swinelistdraws on her experiencesinFrance, Spainand Italy butthereare selections from across theglobe. Branighan gothis start at Emeril’s NewOrleans and went on to cook at Michelin star New York restaurants Cafe Boulud and Bouley.Morerecently, he cooked at theformer LongwayTavern in theFrenchQuarter MaMoutook over thespace formerly home to Meauxbar. Therenovated spaceas46seats It is open fordinner Thursday through Sunday.Findmore informationatmamounola.com —WILLCOVIELLO

Perrier-Jouët Grand Brut

Floral aromas, rounded out by fresh fruit and hints of buttery brioche and vanilla. Crisp and light, it combines freshness with alingeringlyrich and generous finish.

PHOTO

DISTRIBUTED BY

Out 2Eat is an indexofGambit contract advertisers. Unlessnoted, addresses arefor NewOrleans and all accept credit cards. Updates: Email willc@gambitweekly.com or call (504) 483-3106.

Acorn— 12 HenryThomas Drive, (504) 218-5413;acornnola.com— Thecafe a at theLouisiana Children’s Museum haskid-and adult-friendly menu Blackenedshrimpfill atriooftacos topped witharugula,radish, pineapple-mango salsa and cilantro-lime sauce.Noreservations.breakfast and lunchWed.-Sun. $$

Andrea’s Restaurant— 3100 N. 19thSt.,Metairie,(504) 834-8583; andreasrestaurant.com— Chef Andrea Apuzzo’s speckled trout royale is topped withcrabmeatand lemon-cream sauce. Capelli D’Andrea combines house-madeangel hair pasta and smoked salmon in cream sauce. Deliveryavailable.Lunchand dinnerdaily,brunchSun $$$

Angelo Brocato’s 214N.Carrollton Ave.,(504) 486-1465;angelobrocatoicecream.com— This sweetshop serves itsown gelato, spumoni, Italian ice,cannolis,biscotti,fig cookies, tiramisu,macaroons and other treats. Lunchand dinner Tue.-Sun $ Annunciation— 1016 Annunciation St., (504)568-0245; annunciationrestau rant.com ThemenuhighlightsGulf seafoodinCreole,Cajun andSouthern dishes.GulfDrum Yvonne is served with brownbuttersaucewith mushrooms and artichokehearts. Reservations recommended. Dinner Thu.-Mon $$$

TheBlue Crab Restaurantand Oyster Bar— 118HarborViewCourt,Slidell, (985)315-7001; 7900 LakeshoreDrive, (504)284-2898;thebluecrabnola. com— Themenu includes sandwiches, friedseafood platters,boiledseafood and more. Basinbarbecue shrimp are served over cheese gritsfeatures withacheesebiscuit.Outdoorseating available.Noreservations.Lakeview: lunch and dinner Tue.-Sun.Slidell: lunch Fri.-Sat., dinner Wed.-Sun $$ Broussard’s— 819Conti St.,(504) 581-3866;broussards.com Themenu includesCreoleand creative contem porary dishes.Rainbowtrout aman dine is served withtassoand corn macque chouxand Creole meuniere sauce. Reservations recommended Outdoorseating available. Dinner Wed.-Sat., brunch Sun. $$$

Cafe Normandie— Higgins Hotel, 480 Andrew Higgins Blvd., (504)528-1941; higginshotelnola.com/dining— The menu combines classic Frenchdishes and Louisiana itemslikeCrabbeignets withherbaioli.Noreservations

Breakfast andlunch daily $$

Common Interest HotelIndigo, 705Common St.,(504) 595-5605; commoninterestnola.com Shrimp remoulade Cobb salad comeswith avocado,bluecheese, tomatoes, bacon,egg andcornrelish. Slow roasted beef debris tops goatcheese and thymegrits.Reservations accepted.Breakfast, lunch, dinner and late-night daily $$

Curio— 301 RoyalSt.,(504) 717-4198; curionola.com— ThecreativeCreole menu includes blackened Gulf shrimp served withchicken andandouille jambalaya.Reservations accepted Lunchand dinner daily $$

DesireOysterBar — RoyalSonesta NewOrleans, 300Bourbon St.,(504)

$ —average dinner entrée under $10 $$ —$11-$20 $$$ —$20-up

586-0300;sonesta.com/desireoysterbar Themenu higlightsGulf seafood in Creole dishes.Char-grilled oysters aretopped with Parmesan and herbs.Reservations recommended Breakfast,lunch anddinner daily $$

Dickie Brennan’sBourbonHouse — 144Bourbon St.,(504) 522-0111; bourbonhouse.com— The seafood restauranthas araw barand alarge selectionofbourbon.Redfish on theHalfshelliscooked skin-onand served withlemon buerre blanc Reservations accepted.Lunch and dinnerdaily $$$

Felix’s Restaurant&OysterBar — 739Iberville St.,(504) 522-4440; 7400 Lakeshore Drive, (504) 3044125;felixs.com Louisiana oysters areservedraw or char-grilled with garlic,Parmesanand breadcrumbs. Themenuincludesseafood platters, crawfish etouffee,po-boys and more. No reservations.Lunch and dinner daily $$

Frey Smoked Meat Co.— 4141 Bienville St.,Suite 110, (504) 488-7427;freysmokedmeat.com— The barbecue restaurantservespulledpork, St Louisribs,brisket,sausagesand more. Friedporkbelly poppers aretossed in pepperjelly glaze. No reservations Lunchand dinner daily $$

FrootOrleans — 2438 Bell St.,Suite B, (504)233-3346; frootorleans.com— Theshop serves freshfruit in platters, smoothie bowlssuchasa strawberry shortcakesmoothie and more using pineapple,various berries,citrus and more. No reservations.Outdoor seatingavailable.Breakfast and lunch daily. $$

Joey K’s— 3001 Magazine St.,(504) 891-0997; joeyksrestaurant.com The menu includes friedseafood platters, salads, sandwiches and redbeans and rice.Sauteed troutTchoupitoulasis toppedwith shrimp andcrabmeat. Deliveryavailable.Lunch anddinner Mon.-Sat., brunch Sun. $$

Juan’s FlyingBurrito — 515Baronne St.,(504) 529-5825; 2018 Magazine St., (504)569-0000; 4724 S. Carrollton Ave.,(504) 486-9950;juansflyingbur rito.com TheFlying Burritoincludes grilled steak, shrimp,chicken,cheddar-jackcheese, blackbeans,yellow rice,guacamole and salsa. Themenu also hastacos,quesadillas,nachos and more. Outdoorseating available. No reservations.Lunch and dinner Thu.-Tue. $$

Katie’sRestaurant— 3701 IbervilleSt., (504)488-6582; katiesinmidcity.com ACajun Cuban has roastedpork, grilled ham,cheeseand pickleson buttered bread. TheBoudreauxpizza is topped with cochon de lait,spinach, redonions,roasted garlicand scal lions.Deliveryavailable.Reservations accepted forlarge parties.Lunch and dinner Tue.-Sun $$

Kilroy’s Bar— HigginsHotel,480 Andrew HigginsBlvd.,(504) 528-1941; higginshotelnola.com/dining— Thebar menu includes sandwiches,flatbreads, salads and more.A Louisiana peach flatbread hasprosciutto,stracciatella cheese,arugula andpecans. No reservations.Dinner Wed.-Sat $$

Legacy Kitchen’s CraftTavern— 700 Tchoupitoulas St.,(504) 613-2350; legacykitchen.com— The menu includes oysters, flatbreads, burg ers,sandwiches,saladsand more.A NOLAStyle GritsBowlistopped with bacon, cheddarand apoached egg. Reservations accepted.Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily $$

Legacy Kitchen Steak&Chop — 91 Westbank Expressway, Gretna,(504) 513-2606;legacykitchen.com— The menu includes filets mignons,bone-in rib-eyesand topsirloins, as well as burgers, salads and seafood dishes Reservations accepted.Outdoor seatingavailable.Lunch anddinner Mon.-Sat $$

MartinWineCellar— 714Elmeer Ave.,Metairie,(504) 896-7350;3827 Baronne St.,(504) 894-7444;mar tinwine.com Thespiritsshop’s deli serves sandwiches,saladsand more TheSena salad includes roasted chicken, raisins, blue cheese,pecans andfield greens withTabasco pep perjelly vinaigrette. No reservations Lunchdaily $$

MidCityPizza — 6307 S. Miro St., (504)509-6224; 4400 BanksSt.,(504) 483-8609;midcitypizza.com— The pizzajointservesNew York-style pies, calzones,sandwiches and salads. Shrimp remoulade pizzaincludesspin ach, redonion andgarliconanolive oil-brushed curst. Deliveryavailable No reservations.Lunch Thu.-Sun., dinner Thu.-Mon $$ Mikimoto — 3301 S. Carrollton Ave., (504)488-1881; mikimotosushi.com TheSouth Carrollton roll includes tuna tataki,avocado andsnow crab.The menualso hassushi, sashimi,noodle dishes,teriyaki and more. Reservations accepted Deliveryavailable. Lunch Sun.-Fri., dinner daily. $$ Mosca’s— 4137 Highway90West, Westwego,(504) 436-8950;moscasrestaurant.com This family-style eatery serves Italiandishesand house specialties includingshrimp Moscaand chickena la grande Bakedoysters Moscaismade with breadcrumbs and Italianseasonings. Reservations accepted.Dinner Wed. Sat. Cash only $$$

Mother’s Restaurant— 401Poydras St., (504) 523-9656;mothersrestau rant.net This counter-servicespot is knownfor po-boysdressed with cabbage andCreole favorites, such as jambalaya,crawfishetouffeeand redbeans andrice. Deliveryavailable No reservations.Breakfast, lunchand dinnerdaily $$

Nephew’sRistorante — 4445W Metairie Ave.,Metairie,(504) 533-9998; nephewsristorante.com— Chef Frank Catalanottoisthe namesake“nephew” whoran thekitchen at Tony Angello’s restaurant. TheCreole-Italianmenu features dishes like veal,eggplant or chicken parmigiana.Reservations required.Dinner Tue.-Sat $$

Neyow’sCreoleCafe— 3332Bienville St.,(504) 827-5474;neyows.com The menu includes redbeans withfried chickenorporkchops, as well as seafood platters,po-boys,char-grilled oysters, pasta,saladsand more.No reservations.Lunch daily,dinner Mon. Sat.,brunch Sun. $$

Nice Guys Bar&Grill 7910 Earhart Blvd., (504)302-2404; niceguysbarandgrillnola.com— Char-grilled oystersare topped withcheese. Themenu also

includes wings, quesadillas,burgers, sandwiches,salads, seafood pasta and more. No reservations.Lunch daily, dinnerMon.-Sat. $$$

Nonno’s CajunCuisineand Pastries — 1940 Dauphine St.,(504) 354-1364; nonnoscajuncuisineandpastries.com

The menu includes home-style Cajunand Creole dishes withsome veganoptions.Shrimpare sauteed with onions andbellpeppers, topped with cheese and served withtwo eggs andtoast.Deliveryavailable Reservations accepted.Breakfast and lunch daily $$

Peacock Room— KimptonHotel Fontenot,501 Tchoupitoulas St.,(504) 324-3073;peacockroomnola.com— Blacklentilvadouvancurry comes withroasted tomatoes,forest mush roomsand basmatirice. Themenu includessmall plates,aburger,salads and more. Reservations accepted Dinner Wed.-Mon., brunchSun $$

Rosie’s on theRoof— Higgins Hotel, 480AndrewHiggins Blvd., (504) 5281941;higginshotelnola.com/dining— Thehotel’s rooftopbar hasa menu of sandwiches,burgers and smallplates. No reservations.Dinner daily $$

Tacklebox— 817Common St.,(504) 827-1651;legacykitchen.com— The seafood restaurantservesraw and char-grilled oysters,seafood,burgers, salads and more.Redfish St.Charles is served with garlicherbbutter, asparagus, mushroomsand crawfish cornbread. Reservations accepted Breakfast,lunch and dinner daily $$

Tavolino Pizza&Lounge— 141 DelarondeSt.,(504) 605-3365; tavolinonola.com— Themenu features thin-crust pizzas,salads, meatballs and more. ABehrman Hwy. pizza is topped withporkbelly,caramel, marinated carrotsand radishes,jalapenosand herbs.Noreservations. Outdoor seatingavailable.Dinner Tue.-Sat $$

Theo’s Neighborhood Pizza— 1212 S. ClearviewParkway,Elmwood,(504) 733-3803; 2125 Veterans Memorial Blvd., Metairie,(504) 510-4282; 4024 Canal St.,(504) 302-1133;4218 Magazine St., (504)894-8554; 70488 Highway21, Covington, (985)234 9420; theospizza.com— AMarilynn Pota Supreme pie is topped with mozzarella,pepperoni, sausage, hamburger,mushrooms, bell pep pers and onions.Therealso aresal ads, sandwiches andmore. Takeout and delivery available. Lunchand dinner Tue.-Sat $

Tito’s Ceviche&Pisco — 5015 Magazine St.,(504) 267-7612;titoscevichepisco.com Peruvian lomo saltado is atraditional dish of beefsauteed withonions,tomatoes,cilantro, soy sauceand pisco, and served with fried potatoes andrice. Outdoor seating anddeliveryavailable.Reservations accepted.Lunch anddinner Mon.-Sat., brunchSun $$$

ZhangBistro— 1141 DecaturSt., (504)826-8888; zhangbistronola. com— Themenu includes Chinese and Thai dishes.The Szechuan Hot Wokoffersachoiceofchicken, beef,shrimportofuwith onions, bell peppers, cauliflower, jalapenos, garlic and spicy Szechuan sauce Reservations accepted.Lunchand dinnerThu.-Tue. $$

PJ Morton

PJMORTONHASENJOYEDAGAUDY

STREAKOFGRAMMYWINS in recent years, collecting four trophies in R&Band gospel categories.He just earned severalmorenom inations,includingBest R&B Albumfor “Watch theSun,” Best R&BSongfor “Please Don’t Walk Away”and Best Gospel Performance/Song for“The Better Benediction.” We’llhave to wait until2023tosee if he gets morehardware, buthe’shomefor ashowat8 p.m. Friday,Nov.25, at TheFillmore.Tickets $35and up viapjmortonmusic.com

MarkNormand

NEWORLEANSNATIVEMARK

NORMAND’SOBSERVATIONALCOMEDY

hasa streak of contrarianismand racy candor.He’shad aspe cialonComedyCentral andhis “Out to Lunch” show is available on YouTube. He’s home fora stand-upshowat7p.m.Saturday, Nov. 26,atJoy Theater. Find tick etsvia thejoytheater.com.

AllenToussaint Songbook

AHOSTOFLOCALARTISTSPERFORM

SONGSFROMALLENTOUSSAINT’S

SONGBOOK in tributetothe pianist and composer. Thereare performances by Irma Thomas, Ivan Neville, Deacon John,John Boutte,Jon Cleary, Kermit Ruffins, Anjelika“Jelly”Joseph, Theresa Anderssonand many more. Apor tion of proceeds benefit theNew OrleansMusicians’ Clinic. At 8p.m Wednesday, Nov. 23,atTipitina’s. Tickets $52via tipitinas.com.

OdetoLilithFair

PERFORMERSAT“FUMBLINGTOWARD

ECSTASY”PAYTRIBUTETOLILITHFAIR, theall-femalemusic festival that launched in 1997withalineup that includedSarah McLachlan, TheIndigoGirls,Sheryl Crow and more.With singingdragqueens and acrobaticburlesque dancers, this nostalgic, hour-and-a-half celebrationincorporates songs that have remained popularfor 25 years, with themes of female empowermentand aheaping dose of ’90sangst. Hosted by Christopher Robin and Siren, theshowfeaturesAcrodite, Darling DarlaJames&Stanley, Discernment,Holden Doves, JoeHui with Stephanie Gross& Taylor RoseBarker, SissyBee & ThugsyDaClown,VanessaCarr Kennedy,and VelmaBlair.At 7p.m.Sunday, Nov. 27,atthe AllWaysLounge’sTwilightRoom Fortickets and more information, visittheallwayslounge.net.

Gleason Gras

THETEAMGLEASONFOUNDATION

BENEFITFORPEOPLELIVINGWITHALS

returnsfor its10thevent on Friday, Nov. 25,atPortOrleans Brewing Co.There’smusic by Hot8 Brass Band,Groovy7and AfterParty and theliveand silent auctions feature donations from theSaints andthe Pelicans andlocal artists. Galatoire’s, Desi Vega’sSteakhouse,JackRose and Mr.John’sSteakhouse will provide food.The eventisfrom7p.m to 11 p.m.,with apatronparty at 6p.m.Ticketsare $250 at gleasongras.org

HoedownThrowdown

MARDIGRASINDIANFUNKGROUP

THERUMBLE andsinger-song writerRenée Gros areputting onapost-Thanksgiving throwdown Saturday,Nov.26, at the Broadsideat7p.m.Ticketsare $18beforeThanksgiving and $20 on Thanksgiving and after at broadsidenola.com

SOULidarity

EVENTORGANIZERSTHEMPEOPLE

PRODUCTIONSISBACK at the BroadsideonSunday, Nov. 27,for another editionofSOULidarity, aserieshighlightingBlack New Orleans performers and arts and food vendors.Performersinclude bounceartistHaSizzle, singer and rapper Anjelika “Jelly”Joseph, hip-hopcollectiveglblwrmng and DJ PJ.There also will be show ings of newmusic videosbyPell, $leazy EZ and LeTrainiump. The partystartsat6 p.m. Tickets are $20inadvanceatbroadsidenola. comand $25day of theshow.

Thanksgiving EveParty NEWORLEANSMUSICIANSBADPENNY

PLEASUREMAKERS,ANDREWJOBIN ANDQUINNPILGRIM arethrowing aconcertonthe nightbefore Thanksgiving to help yousooth your soul before thefamily chaos erupts.At9 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 23,atGasaGasa. Ticketsare $10 viaticketweb.com.

Overforty years ago, the first issue of Gambit was published. Today,this locallyowned multimedia company provides the Greater New Orleans area with an award-winning publication and website and sponsorscultural events.

‘Holiday

Dreams: A SpectacularHoliday Cirque’

THEREISNOSHORTAGEOFHOLIDAY LIGHTSBEGINNINGTHISTIMEOFYEAR, but“HolidayDreams” pushes that up anotch withlasers, holo gramsand projection mapping in ahigh-tech,Las Vegas-style (suitable forall ages)circusshow with aholiday theme. Therealso aredaredevil stunts,acrobats, aerialistsand more at 7:30 p.m. Sunday,Nov.27, at Saenger Theatre.Findtickets at holidaydreamsshow.com.

Career Opportunity AdvertisingCoordinator

Gambit is looking for an Advertising Coordinator. This position is responsible for supporting the advertising sales representatives with all aspects of the advertising placement process. Amotivated self-starter, creative thinker and data-entry whizwould be the perfect fit for this high-energy and rewarding full-timeentry-level position.

Compensation includes: base pay and abenefits package(health, dental, life, disability,vision, 401k withcompany match,paid time off).

Applyat: http://www.theadvocate.com/careers

To learn moreabout adding your event to the music calendar,please email listingsedit@gambitweekly.com

TUESDAY22

DOSJEFES —Wendell Bruniousand TomHook, 8:30 pm

FRITZEL'SEUROPEAN JAZZ CLUB Richard“Piano”Scott, 12:30pm; CollinMyers Band,5 pm;Fritzel's AllStar Band,8 pm

GASA GASA —Patriarchy,Street Fever, 9pm

KITCHENTABLE CAFÉ —Christien Bold andMax Bronstein, 6:30 pm

THERABBITHOLE —Rebirth Brass Band,10pm

ROYALFRENCHMENHOTEL &BAR TrumpetMafia feat.Stanton Moore, 6&9pm

SIDNEY'S SALOON Kingofalldrunks,9 pm

WEDNESDAY23

BLUE NILE —New BreedBrass Band,9 pm

D.B.A. —Tin Men, 6pm; The Iguanas, 9pm

DOSJEFES —The Spalding Brothers, 8:30 pm

FRITZEL'SEUROPEAN JAZZ CLUB

—SteveDetroy, 12:30pm; Bourbon StreetStars,5 pm;Fritzel's AllStar Band,8 pm

JEANLAFITTE NATIONAL HISTORICALPARKVISITORCENTER, NEW ORLEANSJAZZNATIONAL HISTORICALPARK —Darianna Videaux Capitel, 5pm

ROYALFRENCHMENHOTEL &BAR —Miles BerryQuartet feat.Nicholas Payton,7 pm

SANTOS —RussellWelch Swamp MovesTrio, 9pm

SIBERIA —LandonWordswell XThe DonAvelar, Clew &Judah Bell, ChanelleSimone, Proper Channels and Kaye theBeast., 9pm

SOUTHPORT HALLLIVEMUSIC& PARTYHALL —RyanForet &Foret Tradition, 8pm

TIPITINA'S —Allen Toussaint Tribute, 8pm

THURSDAY24

BLUE NILE —WhereY'atBrass Band,9 pm

CAFENEGRIL —SierraGreen and the SoulMachine, 10 pm

FRITZEL'SEUROPEAN JAZZ CLUB

John SaavedraTrio, 5pm; Fritzel's AllStar Band,8 pm

THEJAZZPLAYHOUSE —Brass-A Holics,7:30pm

LE BONTEMPS ROULE —Soul Rebels, 11 pm

ROCK 'N'BOWL —GenoDelafose& French Rockin'Boogie,8 pm

FRIDAY25

BLUE NILE —The Caesar Brothers, 7 pm;KermitRuffins andthe BarbecueSwingers,11pm

BLUE NILE BALCONY ROOM —Trum-

petSlim&Brass Flavor, 10 pm D.B.A. —AuroraNealand and the RoyalRoses,5pm; Glen DavidAndrews, 10 pm

DOSJEFES —Sax &The City with Tom Fitzpatrick,9pm

FRITZEL'SEUROPEAN JAZZ CLUB —ChuckBrackmanAll Star Band, 12:30 pm;Sam Friend Band, 2:30 pm;Lee Floydand Thunderbolt Trio, 6pm; Fritzel's AllStarBand,9 pm

THEGARAGE —Tamarie Tand Thee ElektraKumpany,7 pm

HIDEAWAY DEN&ARCADE Dash Rip Rock ,8pm

THEJAZZPLAYHOUSE —Chucky C and Band,7:30pm

JEAN LAFITTENATIONAL HISTOR ICALPARKVISITORCENTER, NEWORLEANS JAZZ NATIONAL HISTORICALPARK —Seguenon Kone, 5pm

PUBLIC BELTATHILTONRIVERSIDE —PhilMelancon, 8pm

ROCK 'N'BOWL —Bucktown Allstars,8:30pm

ROYALFRENCHMENHOTEL & BAR —SierraGreen &The Soul Machine, 10 pm

SNUG HARBOR JAZZ BISTRO JasonMarsalis,8&10pm

THREEKEYSATACE HOTELNEW ORLEANS —Water Seed'sWild Nights,9pm

TIPITINA'S —Gimme Gimme Disco,9 pm

SATURDAY26

30°/-90° —Tamarie Tand Thee Elek traKumpany,11pm

BB'S STAGEDOORCANTEEN, NATIONAL WWII MUSEUM —The VictoryBelles Vignette, 1pm

BLUE NILE —George BrownBand, 7pm; TheSoulRebels,11pm

BLUE NILEBALCONY ROOM —The MarignyStreetBrass Band,10pm; TheSoulRebels, 11 pm

THEBOMBAYCLUB —Anais St.John, 8pm

D.B.A. —RussellBatiste & Friends, 10 pm

DMACSBAR &GRILL —Love Your OwnNoise,8pm

DOSJEFES —Betty Shirley, 9pm

FRITZEL'SEUROPEAN JAZZ CLUB —ChuckBrackman AllStarBand, 12:30pm; JoeKennedyBand,2:30 pm;Lee Floydand ThunderboltTrio, 6pm; Fritzel’sAll Star Band,9pm

GASA GASA —Superbloom,LVVRS, 9pm

THEJAZZPLAYHOUSE —The Nayo JonesExperience, 7:30 &9pm

JEANLAFITTE NATIONAL HISTOR ICALPARKVISITORCENTER, NEW ORLEANSJAZZNATIONAL HISTORICALPARK —Drum &Dance CirclewithSula Spirit,10:30 am

KITCHEN TABLECAFÉ —Bayou Manouche, 6:30 pm

PUBLIC BELTATHILTONRIVERSIDE

—PhilMelancon, 8pm

ROCK 'N'BOWL —Three Thirty Seven, 8:30 pm

SNUG HARBORJAZZBISTRO HerlinRiley Quartet, 8&10pm

SUNDAY27

BLUE NILE —The BakedPotatoes, 7 pm;StreetLegends Brass Band,10pm

D.B.A. —Treme Brass Band,9 pm

DOSJEFES —MichaelLiuzza& Co., 8pm

FRITZEL'SEUROPEAN JAZZ CLUB

—Banjo on Bourbon,12:30 pm; JoeKennedyBand,2:30 pm;Marla DixonBand,6 pm;Fritzel's AllStar Band,8pm

GASA GASA —Noa Jamir,Grace Gardner,9 pm

THEJAZZPLAYHOUSE —The Wolfe JohnsBlues Band,7:30 pm

MUSICBOX VILLAGE —Kings of Brass,11am

SNUG HARBORJAZZBISTRO CindyScott Quintet, 8&10pm

D.B.A. —SecretSix Jazz Band,5 pm; SunnySide, 5pm

DOSJEFES —JohnFohl,8:30 pm

FRITZEL'SEUROPEAN JAZZ CLUB —Lee Floydand ThunderboltTrio, 5pm; Richard"Piano"Scottand Friends,8pm

GASA GASA —Shape,Micah McKee, AbigailCosio, 9pm

ROYALFRENCHMENHOTEL &BAR Jazz Vipers,9 pm

SIDNEY'S SALOON —The Amazing Henrietta, 6pm; DarkLounge Ministries, 8pm

by JakeClapp

KHIRYARMSTEADISENDINGAN EXCITINGPERSONALYEAR the same wayhestarted it:With aheadliningshowaroundhis birthdayand anew Kaye the Beast record.

In December 2021,the NewOrleans rapper known as Kaye theBeast released “The Spaceman,”his fifth full-length, and rocked Gasa Gasa.Aroundtwo weeksshort of ayearlater, Armstead playsHi-Ho Lounge on Thursday, Dec. 1, and hissixth album, “I Like You. IThink We ShouldGoTogether,” will follow in December.

In between, Armsteadhas per formed morethanhehas in years and hasgotten“into gear creatively,” he says —heplans to follow the vibe-y “I Like You,”with another albuminthe summer.Kayethe Beastispartofthe inauguralgroup featuredonthe NewOrleans Public Library’sCrescentCitySounds streamingplatform. Andmost recently,hejoined Alfred Banks for asongduringBanks’openingset for acclaimed Washington,D.C., emcee Oddiseeatthe Toulouse Theatre.

Therealso wasthe time in September when Armsteadper formed to acrowd on theneutral ground outsidethe Dragon’s Den during apop-upHannibal Buress show —a testamenttoalways beingready with aflash driveof songs in your pocketjust in case technicaldifficulties temporarily turn theevent into an openmic

“I feel like I’mstartingtokind of come outonthe other side” of thepandemic andapersonally stressful fewyears,Armstead says “And so, I’mjust excitedtoreally endthisyearkindofstrongly and then hitthe ground running in 2023, because Ithink I’ve gothigh expectationsaswellasplans for next year.”

It’s been asteadyclimb for Armsteadoverthe last near decade.The NewOrleans native, whoturns 31 next week,released hisfirst full-lengthalbum —the poppy, fun“Ear Candy” —in2013 and hassteadily gigged and built up hishometownaudienceoverthe years. Andhe’sbecomeclose with other independentrappers, like Banksand Slangston Hughes

Starting with hissecond full length,“SALT,” in 2017,Armsteadhas released longer projects at asteady clip. “[‘SALT’] wasthe first oneI

really just startedtryingtoget into places,”Armsteadpreviouslytold Gambit.“Ihad my first albumrelease party, andItried to getfeatures.”

His2019record, “The Black Ranger,” features nerdcore rapper Mega Ran, anditwas followedby “The Blue Album” —the pairof albums looselycorrespond with one another as they journeythrough childhood, nostalgiaand what it meanstobecomeanadult in 2020. Wantingtoreasserthimself —and withanother albumonthe horizon —Armsteadreleased thecompilation “Who is Kaye theBeast?” in 2021.The emcee also produces almost allofhis tracks,too,although past albums have featured work by producers CZAand TomYanks

On theconceptual “The Spaceman,” Armstead imagines what fame would mean forhis life —for hispersonal andprofessional relationships andfor hismental health —with adeliberateflow and thoughtful lyricism.The album enteredthe iTunes hip-hopcharts,a goalfor Armstead

“It’sresonatedwithpeople in a waythatIwas kind of really hoping for,”hesays. Along with hismusic, Armstead is an educator andis involved withNew Orleans theater.

Armstead’s sightsare alreadyset on 2023.Hesayshis newalbum, “I Like You. IThink We ShouldGo Together,” will be softer andmore intimate —analbum that listeners can putonand be still foraminute. His follow-upwill have “morebangers,” he says,for thesummer heat

Kaye theBeast performs at 10 p.m. Thursday,Dec.1,atHi-Ho Lounge Proper Channels, Yung Delirious andDJNovialsoare on thebill Ticketsare $8 advance and $12at thedoor. Find moreatfacebook. com/kayethebeast.

PROVIDED PHOTO BY CATHERINEDEBUYS

KayetheBeastplaysHi-Ho LoungeonThursday,Dec.1

Sisterhood

by WillCoviello

HASNAANDMARIAM WEARIDENTICAL MAGENTA-COLORED FLOWER-PRINTDRESSES in theearly scenesof Dina Amer’s debut film“YouResemble Me.” They have such astrong bond as sisters that they appear like twins, at least similarinappearance though Hasnaistwo years older.

Growingupin povertyinParis,the young girls roam thestreets, at timesrunning away from theirmother,who is mentally ill.Theybreezethrough their neighborhoodlaughingand swirl through themarkets,sometimes stealingfruit.Mariamistoo young to stayout andwants to go home, buther loyaltytoher sister keeps her from leaving. Hasnaalso is tooyoung to live on thestreets, butsadly is adjusting to it as their home life ischaotic. Amer oftenshoots thesescenes from street leveland at odd angles, capturingthe joythe sistersfind in each other’s company and the lack of safe boundaries forthe girls.Throughout thefilmAmer maintainsthose tightshots as she focusesonHasna’s difficultlife and ultimately mysterious identity Photos of herdressed in ahajib as well as with curlylocks anda cowboyhat went around theworld Eventually Hasnawould become knownfor beingdrawn to aradical Islamic group. Amer is alongtime journalistwho reportedonHasna’s story anddecided to make afilmin whichshe triedtounderstand her life.Amersaysshe wanted to show Hasnaasmorethan theperson suddenly caught in theheadlines and stigmatizedfor oneevent in her life.Inone part of thefilm, she also playsHasna Amer is Egyptian bornand has talked aboutthe dualityofliving as an Islamicwomaninthe West, beinga fan of CardiB and also constantlytryingtofindplacestopray discreetly whileinpublic.She was working in PariswhenHasna’s story brokeand rushedtocoveritlive.

To make thefilm, shespenthun dreds of hours talking to mem bersofHasna’s family.Her movie fictionalizesthe storytofill in the blanks, butatthe end,she also uses news footageand clips of the

actual family members.Besides LorenzaGrimaudo’s spirited young Hasna, threeactresses playher as a young woman. Theproductionalso uses deepfaketechnology,which both enhancesthe realityand blurs her differentlooks.Italso echoes Amer’s sensethatHasna wasnot well representedbythe media

The film hasafast pace,gritty feel and senseofrestlessness. Amer paints astark picture of thegirls’ young lives.The magentadresses arestolen, and then theirmother wantstotakethem from thegirls, knowingthey’re nice enough to sell Hasna’slifeasayoung woman also is rough. She frequentedclubs, sold drugs to getby, and Amer indulges thecowboyhat as asym bolofher rugged independence.

At times, Amer canbeheavy handed, as in ascene when stern foster parentsstraightenHasna’s hair and then forceher to eatroastpork forChristmas.Amer is abit moresub tleaboutthe complexityofFrance’s immigrationissuesinshowing aplayground brawlwithkidsofdifferent ethnicitiesall wearingthe national team jersey of ZindineZidane,the soccerstarwho wasaFrench-born child of Algerianimmigrants.

GoingbacktoHasna’s childhood is agood waytoemphasize that shegrewintoher notorietyover time. Butthe film doesthatconcept adisservicebythreading together hardknocks,leaving theimpression that Hasnaissimplyand toopre dictably reacting to harm. It seems that Amer wantstosee Hasna as someone eagertobelongdespite what’s befallen her, andtherereally should be moretothatstory

“You Resemble Me”isinFrenchand Arabic with Englishsubtitles.Itruns at ZeitgeistTheatre &Lounge.

PHOTO PROVIDED BY ‘YOU RESEMBLE ME

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