Immigration. Criminal Law. Traffic Tickets
CallEugeneRedmann504.834.6430 2632AthaniaPkwy.,Met., LA 70002 Se Habla Espanol www.redmannlawnola.com
1/2 BLOCKTOMAGAZINE
1&2 bedroomsavailable in ideal locationand ROOMSBYTHE MONTH withPRIVATEBATH. All utilitiesincludedmonthly.Call504-202-0381 for appointment
Free WIFI!FreeUtilities &Earn Free Rent! Stay whereyou areappreciated!Extended stay living,furnished Studio,1 &2 BDRM units w/ FLEXIBLE payment options, no leases,courtesypatrol, laundryonsite. Call now504-688-3554.
House forRent 2bd 1bthwithhardwood floors,washer/dryer andkitchenappliances. $1k/month+deposit. 4930AnnunciationSt. Call (504) 452-2056
Trinity ChurchFall RummageSale 1329Jackson Ave. Nov. 3-4from9-2 pm and &Nov.5th from 9-12 pm.Great house hold, beautiful clothes, jewelry, books, decorations,and much more.(504) 522-0276.
MEXICOCITYHASAMASSIVEPARADE FORDIADELOSMUERTOS,ORDAYOF THEDEAD,but it’s arecentaddition. Aftersucha parade wascreated forthe opening scene of the2015 JamesBond film “Spectre,”the city decided to make it an annual event, complete withfloatsand troupesof costumed marchersand dancers.
In NewOrleans,the Krewede Mayahuel hasheldaDia de los Muertosprocessionfor almost as manyyears.But here, it makesa lotofsense,sayskrewe founder Roberto Carrillo,who grew up in Mexico City and haslived here sincejust before Hurricane Katrinain2005.
“Wekeepour traditions and intermingle them with those of thecity we live in,” he says.“Both cultures areveryrich.But that’s howcul turesgrow. They mixeverything. If we arehere, we have to contribute to that.”
Mayahuelisa Carnival-style walkinggroup that marchesin krewedelusion. It takesits name from theAztec goddess of fertility and agave, thesourceofMexican spiritsincluding tequila, mezcal and pulque.
When it held itsfirst Diadelos Muertoscommemoration, it was agroup of four friendswho puta smallaltar on topofa shoppingcart and went to thecemetery, Carrillo says.Hecredits social media for theevent’s rapid growth,and he estimates that 3,000 people were in theprocessionlast year
This year,the groupholds amini festival and leads aDia de los MuertosprocessiononAll Souls Day, Nov. 2, andthereare ahandful of other Diadelos Muertosevents and observations leading up to it.
Despite itslinks to NewOrleans, Mexico’s historyand culture are oftenmisunderstoodinthe city Cinco de Mayo is aday of national celebration, butitisnot Mexico’s IndependenceDay.Mexico declaredits independencefrom SpainonSept. 16.And Diadelos Muertosisnot MexicanHalloween
Whilethere arevisual aesthetics to Diadelos Muertos, notablyskele tons and flowers,it’snot acostumingevent in Mexico
Mayahuel has incorporated costuming and bandsbecause those arepartofthe group’sNew Orleans’ cultural roots. Thegroup also is carefultocallthe eventa procession,since thetrip to the
cemetery is essen tially abouthonor ing andconnecting with thespiritsof ancestorsand rela tives, Carrillo says Participants carry candles,rather than dispensing throws like aMardi Gras parade
Thekrewe built arolling altarthat lookslikeanAztec pyramid. They are covering it in faux flowers that look like cempazuchitl, or theorangemarigoldsoften placed on Dayofthe Dead altars in Mexico.
People will be able to putphotosof deceased lovedonesonthe altar.
Thekrewe is addingmonarchbut terflies as part of this year’s theme.
“The monarchbutterfly symbolizesthatmigration is free and natural,”Carrillosays.
Therewill be another altarhonor ingIndigenouspeople of Bulbancha in theprocession. Mayahuel also marches withLaCatrina,amassive femaleskeletonpuppet,operated by threepeople.
Traditionally,Day of theDead observations begin at midnight on Oct. 31.Mexicanshonor the spirits of lost children on Nov. 1and lost adults on Nov. 2, which is All Souls Day. Traditionally Mexicans would create altars in theirhomes and placesphotos, food andsmall objectsthatremindthemoflost family members. They then visit cemeteries on Nov. 2.
On Nov. 2, Mayahuel will gather forthe processionbeginning at 4p.m.atits spaceatBeanlandia, thecommunity center being built outbythe Krewe of Read Beans forits variousprojects. Across the street is Markey Park,wherethere will be food and artvendors,face painting,and Noloteria,a localized take on theMexican bingo game, andmore. At 7p.m., theprocession will marchthrough Bywater and St.RochtoSt. Roch Cemetery (A routewas notreleasedby press time.)
Thekrewe also celebrates Diade losMuertos at abook release party forAna Aranda’s“OurDay of the Dead Celebration” at Blue Cypress
Booksat4:30p.m.Sunday, Oct. 30 ArandagrewupinMexicoCityand nowlives in SanFrancisco.She’s written severalchildren’s books that addressMexican culture
Thereare other DiadeLos Muertoscelebrations in New Orleans.CasaBorrega hostsa musicalcelebrationwiththe Latin bandsTremolo Kings andOtra on Friday,Oct.28. Founder Hugo Monteroisanartistwho also builds Diadelos Muertosaltars.Thisyear, he’s createdone at theBotanical GardensinCityPark, which will be on view from Tuesday, Oct. 25,to Tuesday, Nov. 1. Javier Gutierrezand VivazQuartet perform at Evenings withEnrique in thegardensfrom5 p.m. to 8p.m.Wednesday,Oct.26. Hisaltar at theNew Orleans Jazz Museum will be on displayTuesday, Oct. 25,through Nov. 5. The museum hostsaDia de losMuertos festivalonNov.5.
Afterthe procession, theKrewe de Mayahuel will return itsaltar to Beanlandia,wherethe kreweispart of thehub. Eventually,itwill add awalltodisplayartwork by and aboutthe kreweand itstraditions.
Forinformation aboutthe Krewe de Mayahuel’s Diadelos Muertos events,visit facebook.com/ krewedemayahuel
ORIGINALLYSLATEDFORAUGUST,LIL WAYNE’SHOMETOWNSHOW is back on at 3p.m.Saturday,Oct.29, at Champion’sSquare. Along with Wayne, LilWeezyana willinclude performances by MoneybaggYo, CoiLeray,BabyfaceRay andRob49 Tickets start at $75.50 through champions-square.com.
MORETHAN40NEWORLEANSRESTAURANTSWILLSLINGTHEIRBESTTACOSAND COCKTAILS at TopTacoonThursday, Oct. 27,atMetairie’s Lafreniere Park
Participatingrestaurants include Alma,ElCucuy,HypeEatz, Johnny Sanchez, Palm &Pine, TacosDel Cartel,The Velvet Cactus andmore, and there’sa specialsection high lightingbarbecue.And therealso will be threestages of music, with sets by James Andrews&the Crescent City All-Stars, Otra,Margie Perez& Mueveloand Bogue Chitto as well as LuchaLibre wrestling,TrixieMinx burlesque and acostume contest Attendees will vote fortheir favorites in four categories,naming TopCreativeTaco, TopTraditional Taco,Top VegetarianTacoand Top Cocktail. Thefestivalopensat7p.m., and ticketsare $85general admission and $135 VIPattoptaconola.com
NEWORLEANS-BASEDEMCEEPELL ISTHROWINGAHALLOWEENCOSTUMEPARTYANDCONCERT at 9p.m Saturday,Oct.29, at Zony Mash
Theshowwill be Pell’s first headlining slot in NewOrleans in more than threeyears,and he’s cele bratingwith thedebut of anew single,“Cruel,” andmusic video
Andtherewill be performances by Boyfriend, Antwigadee, Dear Silas, Lil Jodeci and Pell’s glbl wrmng
TheU.S.FifthCircuitCourtofAppeals ruledPlaquemines Parish’s suit against largeoil andgas companies overdamagestoLou isiana’s wetlands cancontinuein statecourt,potentially clearing theway fordozensofother suits. Plaquemines filedsuitnineyears ago against Chevron, Exxon Mo bil, ConocoPhillips,BPand Shell overdamagestheycausedto Louisiana’s coastline. More than 40 similarsuits have been filed.
NewOrleanshas received an “F” grade forthe thirdyearina rowin HousingNOLA’sannual affordable housing report.The groupmea suredthe progress of a10-year plan it createdin2015toaddress NewOrleans’affordablehousing crises and whetherthe city,state housing agenciesand othershave held up theircommitments.This year’s report found thecityshould have around 7,500new housing units,but eightyears into theplan, thereare only 2,452.
FORFIRST-CLASSUPGRADESTO12
FLIGHTS shetook betweenJan 18 and Sept. 28 of this year includingpreviouslyunreported trips to LosAngeles and Austin in September,accordingtonew recordsCantrell’sofficereleased to theCityCouncil late Friday
Undercityrules,employees like Cantrell arerequired to reimbursethe city forfirst class upgradestoairplane tickets.
Thedatadoesnot includeat leasttwo other trips —one to Amsterdamlastweek and her plannedtriptoArgentina this week.
TreasurerJohnSchroderhaspulled closeto$800 millioninLouisiana investments outofthe firm BlackRock because of itsenvironmental focus, amove that afinancial adviserworkingwiththe state says wasa badidea, theLouisiana Illuminatorreported. Schroder de cidedtodivestLouisiana’s assets from BlackRockearlier this month, saying thefirm’senvironmental investmentstrategieswould harm Louisiana’s oil industry.Bob Lamb, whohas consultedthe statefor morethan adecade, says Louisiana could seelowerreturnsor higher interest rates on borrowing as aresult.
Additionally,iftheydonot choose thelowest cost ticket, they arerequired to paythe differencebetween what they paid and that cost.Those reimbursements aredue within 20 days of thecitypayingfor thetickets.
In twoinstances,aMay trip to Miamiand an August trip to Orlando,she flew economy for theentiretyofher trip (she also reported traveling economy foraportion of her trip to in June to Switzerland). Forboth those flights, her office says she paid thelowest possiblecost. Additionally,her June trip to NewYorkwas paid forbyorganizers of theevent she wasattending
Although untilearly October Cantrell insisted shewould not onlynot reimbursethe city for past overchargesbut would continue to expenseher first class flights, therecords indicate shedid make apartial payment to her travelagent foraSept. 27 trip,which coveredthe $1,350 upgrade fees butnot thetotal difference betweenher ticket and thelowest available ticket
Thereare additional questions abouther Sept.27trip. The recordslistthe trip as occurring on Sept. 27-28withtravel to Atlantaand LosAngeles Accordingtothe documents, shewas traveling to attend a meetingheldbyMayors fora Guaranteed Income
On Sept. 27,the mayorparticipated in aribboncutting in the 9thWardwithCouncil Member Oliver Thomas. Mayors fora Guaranteed Income didhold a meetinginAtlanta on Sept. 28, and accordingtoits Twitterfeed,
Despite hauling in that sizable pay eachmonth,the garbagecollection companyhas failedtomeetahostof contractual obligations sincethe spring of 2021,including twiceweekly pickups of trashand weekly recycling collec tion.Metro filedfor bankruptcyonOct 6. As trashpiles andtensions mount, Sanitation Director Matt Torripublicly scolded MetroOct.19and warned the company toeither meetits contract or step aside.
ATTORNEY GENERAL JEFF LANDRYMayorLaToyaCantrellowesat least$29,989.40for2022travel alone,newcityrecordsshowPHOTO BY BRETTDUKE/ THETIMES-PICAYUNE MayorLaToyaCantrell. VAMPIREJACQUES
Cantrell participated in apanel discussionthere.Thereisnoevi dence, however,thatthe group helda meetingthatsameday in LosAngeles —and if it did,that Cantrell wasinattendance.
Thetimelinefor travelingwould also be extremelytight:Mayors foraGuaranteedIncome tweeted aphoto of Cantrell seated with other mayors at thepanelat3:34 p.m. on Sept28. If thetweet was sent whilethe panelwas ongoing theearliest Cantrell could have arrivedinLos Angeles if sheleft Atlantathatday would have been approximately10:30p.m
Therecords provideno additional informationonother officialactivities in LosAngeles on either dayshe mayhave been involved in her capacity as mayor.
Thedocuments also do not explainhow themayordeter minedthe “lowest”costticket pricefor thedaysshe traveled, though in severalinstances it appearsshe used what thecity paidfor her aides to travelonthe same flight,but in coachoreconomyclass.While that,intheory, couldhave been thelowest cost ticket fortrip, Cantrell typically fliesonairlineslikeDelta and United Airlinesand notcheaper regional or discount carriers like Spirit,which normally have significantly lowercosttickets.
Council PresidentHelena Moreno requested theinforma tion Sept.29aspartofabroader push by Moreno to forceCantrell to abidebycityrules.Inher letter,Morenogavethe admin istrationuntil Nov. 1tocometo an agreementtopay back the city andwarnedifanagreement isn’tinplace “the Council will be forced to move forwardwith legislationintendedtoensure recovery of theoverpaymentof improper travel.”
In hisOct.14response, Chief AdministrativeOfficer Gilbert Montano noted“at this time, no costshavebeenreimbursed, outsideofdirectpayments to the travelagency forflight upgrades; however,Mayor Cantrell hascom mitted to reimbursingthe City for the expensesand willmakethe payments to theDepartmentof Financeassoon as possible.”
Whilethe recordsmay puta rough estimate on what Cantrell owesfor 2022,it’sunclear how much Cantrell mayowe in total to thecityduringher time in office.Travelrecords obtained by TheTimes-Picayuneindicate
Cantrell hasbeen flying first class on thecity’sdimesince at least 2021.Although Cantrell
finally agreed earlier this month to paythe city back forher 2022 first class upgrades, shehas not donesofor expenses incurred in previous years.
Although much of thecriticism Cantrell hasfaced hasrevolved around thecosts to taxpayers, shehas spentsignificant amounts of time away from NewOrleans this year.Evenascityofficials have faced aseriesofescalating crises involving violent crime, the collapse of infrastructure includ ingroadwaysand stop lights, periodic floodingand ongoing problems with residentialtrash service, themayorhas averaged more than one trip a month, includingseveral during the height of hurricane season.
Although themayor is not directly involvedin every decision her administrationmakes,she is knownfor having an oftenhands on style. Forinstance, themayor attendedasentencinghearing forajuvenileallegedlyinvolved in aseriesof2021carjackings in ashowofsupportfor theyoung person.When she receivedcriticism forthatdecision, Cantrell said shereaches outtothe families of everypersonwho hasentered juvenile detention.Likewise, in June Cantrell appeared to have pulled theplug on an anti-flooding deal betweenher administration, Council Member Joe Giarrusso and theLakeviewcommunityat theeleventhhour—and afterher staff and Giarrussothoughtit was done.
Meanwhile, Cantrell’s trip to Amsterdam and herupcom ing trip to Argentinacomeas her administrationprepares to presentits budgetto the City Council,which hasalready expressed concerns overhow Cantrell hasspentcityfunds in a host of areas andsignaledthat this year it would take amuch harderlinewithher budget than previous councils have
She is also facing atrash service crisis afterMetro Service Group filedfor bankruptcyearlier this month, effectivelyfreezingher plantoturnoverresidential serviceinmuchofthe city to new contractors.Thatnew contract is settobegin in earlyNovember
Former MayorMitch Landrieu, whoalso traveledfrequently, was roundlycriticizedfor stayingin Aspen, Colorado even as much of thecitywas underwaterinAugust of 2017 when theSewerage& WaterBoard pump system essentially collapsedduringarainstorm. —JOHNSTANTON
THENOV.8BALLOTCONTAINSAPROPOSEDCHANGETOTHENEWORLEANS CITYCHARTER and eightproposed stateconstitutional amendments. Early voting starts Tuesday, Oct. 25,and continuesthrough Nov. 1. Beloware ourrecommendations on thosepropositions.
Theonlycitywideproposition on theNew Orleans ballot asks voters to decidewhether to amend the City ChartertorequireCityCouncil confirmationofmayor-appointed departmentheads.The proposed amendmentalso would allow thecouncil to require, by future ordinance, confirmationofcertain other administrators.The charter currentlyallowsmayors to appoint department heads— includingthe police and fire chiefs —withoutany public input, vettingorapproval Ifpassed, theamendmentwould take effect Jan.1.Itwould not applytoMayor LaToya Cantrell’s currentappointees.
Proponents,particularly Council Vice PresidentJPMorrell and thenonpartisan Bureau of Governmental Research,say the change would give thepublic an additionallayer of scrutinyand transparency —and helpensure topadministrators arequalifiedfor theirjobs. Opponents,including Cantrell,say theproposalwould dilute themayor’s powerand could lead to gridlock and dealmaking.
We believe theproposed amendmentisanoverdue step in theright direction.Itisnot aswipe at Cantrell —infact, it will have moreeffectonfuture mayors than on her. Dozens of U.S. cities with similar“strong mayor” charters requiretheir city councils to approve topmayoral appointees.SodoJefferson and St.Tammany parishes.
Ourcity’shistory is full of exam ples of appointees whoturned outtobeunfit to hold theirjobs, includingany number of casesin whichthe mayorwho appointed them maynot have been aware of aconflictofinterest, credibility issues or other potentialproblems.Aconfirmationprocess will significantly reduce thechances of badapples slippingthrough before they cancause damage
Giving citizens ahigher levelof confidence in theintegrity and qualifications of topappointees is
far moreimportant than protectingmayors’ uncheckedpowerto appointpeople,including friends and supporters —qualifiedornot —tohigh-levelcityjobs.
AMENDMENT1: NO —Passage of this amendment wouldallow thestate treasurer to invest up to 65%ofrevenues from permanent state trustfunds in stocks,upfrom thecurrent limitof35%.While that seemslikea largeincrease in investments subject to market volatility,65% wouldbethe maximum allowed, nota mandated target.The Council forABetter Louisiana (CABL),anonpartisan governmentwatchdog, supports this amendment,notingthatit wouldaligninvestmentstrategies of thepermanenttrust fundswith those of thestate’s retirement systems, which also focuson long-termgains
While findinginvestmentoppor tunities that canbenefit thepeople of Louisiana is apositivething, we aredeeply troubledbyTreasurerJohnSchroder’spolitically motivateddecisiontopullthe state’sinvestmentinBlackRock, an environmentally conscious firm that generates good returns. Schroder’s decisioncould mean lowerreturnsand higher interest ratesfor taxpayers. Giventhe currentstate of politics,wedonot believegiving thetreasurer wider invest authorityauthorityisappropriate at this time.
AMENDMENT2: YES —This amendmentwould exemptvet eranswho aretotally disabled because of theirmilitary service from localproperty taxes— and providenew exemptions forother veterans based on thedegree of theirdisabilities.Our nation’s military hasa significant presence in Louisiana,and manyveterans livehere. TheU.S.CensusBureau estimates that some 55,000 of them have service-relateddisabil ities. Theproposedexemptions wouldnot affect other taxpayers’ taxburdens
AMENDMENT3: NO —This proposed amendmentwould allow classifiedcivil serviceemployees at thestate level, and in some municipalities, to supportthe campaign of “animmediate family
Itspassagewould affect more than 50,000 public employees and would,ineffect, significantly weaken Louisiana’s “LittleHatch Act,”which bars public employees from engaginginpolitical activity We join many othersinopposing this amendment
Passageofthisamendment wouldallow public (mostlyrural) watersystems to waiveorreduce chargesthatresultfromdamage to thesystemnot caused by the customer.Itwould notaffect customersofthe NewOrleans Sewerage andWater Board, which alreadyhas policiesinplace for addressing high billsthatresult from damagedwater lines.
AMENDMENT5: YES —This technicalamendment would give localtaxingauthoritiesmoredis cretiontomaintainlowerproperty taxmillagerates.The bottom line is this:Withoutit, localtaxing authoritieswill have to continue raising property taxmillagerates at least once everyfouryears to maintainthe maximumlevel approvedbyvoters—evenifthe extramoney is notneeded.That’s wasteful andunfair.The amendment solves that problem.
AMENDMENT6: YES —This amendmentwould limitthe increaseinthe assessed value of a residentialpropertycoveredbythe statehomestead exemption to no more than 10%per year in Orleans
Parish.Thisone is ano-brainer in NewOrleans,where short-term rental speculators have driven up home prices —and property tax assessments— beyond themeans of many locals.Because it would applyonlyinOrleans Parish, the proposition must passstatewide andinNew Orleans
AMENDMENT7: NO —This amendment hasa noble aim —eliminatingaconstitutional provisionthatmanyinterpret as equating “involuntary servitude… as punishmentfor acrime”with aformofslavery.Sadly,inthe courseoflegislativeapproval, statelawmakersamendeditto thepoint whereits meaningis moreambiguousthan thecurrent language. As aresult, even the amendment’sauthor has asked voters to reject it.Weagree
Passageofthisamendmentwould remove thecurrent requirement that homeownerswho areper manentlyand totally disabled must re-certify theirincome as $100,000 or less eachyearto maintaintheir “specialassess ment,”which freezesthe assessed valueoftheir property.Asa society, we should strive to remove unnecessary barriers that confront disabledpeople
NOONEWILLEVERACCUSE STEVESCALISEOFBEING INSUFFICIENTLYSLAVISH in hisdevotionto Donald Trumpand theformerpresident’s BigLie that the2020 election wasstolen. To this day, thecongressmanfromLouisiana’s 1stDistrictrefuses to acknowledgethatJoe Bidenwon theelection fair and square
Scaliseisnot alonein prevaricatingaboutthe outcome of the2020election, of course. Onecould even arguethattoeing theTrumpparty line is hisdutyas HouseMajorityWhip, ajob Scalise tackles with boundlessenthusiasm.
That said,one hastowonder if there’sa line Trumpcould crossthat would causeScalisetosay,“Enough. I’mdonewithhim.” Sofar,there’sno evidence such alineexists.
Butwhen it comestothe events of Jan.6,2021, Scalise hascrossed alineofhis own.
On theday of theinsurrection, Scalisestood arm’slengthfrom HouseSpeaker Nancy Pelosi as she pleaded withthen-Interim DefenseSecretary Christopher Miller to send troopstothe Capitol. Scaliseevenasked Miller at one pointwhen troopswould arrive, accordingtoa video of terrified lawmakersreleased by theHouse J6 committee. Forhis part,Trump watchedthe putsch on aWhite HouseTVand did…nothing
That wasthen.
In June, Scalise joined a pressconferencewithIndiana Republican Rep. JimBanks,who baselessly blamed Pelosi forfailing to anticipatethe unprecedented attack andreactingtoo slowly onceithappened. Scalise then took themic andsaid, “Jim Banks just raised some very seriousquestionsthatshould be answered by theJan.6 commission.But they’re not, and they’renot for avery specific reason,and that’s because Nancy Pelosi doesnot want those questions to be answered.”
Scalise’sJunecomments were at best hypocritical, at worst,anout rightlie.His staffreleasedastate mentsayinghewas talkingabout
Pelosi’sallegedfailuretobeefup security in advanceofthe insurrec tion.Evenifweaccept that as truthful, Scaliseshould have disclosed that he waswith Pelosi —and joined herpleas forhelp— on Jan. 6. Better still,heshould have called outMiller forwithholdingassis tancewhen it wassodesperately needed. That,ofcourse, would have required Scalise to crossaline he is loathtocross.
Thekindest thing that could be saidofScalise’shyper-partisanship came, ironically,fromhis Democratic colleague, CongressmanTroyCarter of NewOrleans
“Wesaw Steveand otherssay other thingsatthatmomentand nowact as if that didn’thappen,” Carter said.“It’s unfortunate that we getcaughtupinour partisan ship,thatweget blinded to what’s right andwhat’swrong.Ifyou watchthe footage, everyone wasscared.”
Nowthatthe moment of terror has passed, it’s back to business as usual.Problemisthatkindofpar tisanship —the kind that notonly ignorestruth butactivelydeclares waronit—isevenscarier than what happened on Jan. 6.
It’s what caused theinsurrection to happeninthe first place
DEPARTMENT’S8THDISTRICT dates to 1827.Itwas built as theBank of Louisiana, which purchasedthe land from theDestrehan family
Thebuildingwas damagedbyfire and rebuilt in 1863.Noted architect JamesGallier Jr.was involved in therebuildingprocess.According to theNational Register of Historic Places (towhich thebuildingwas added in 1973), thebank continued to operateonRoyal Street untilit went bankrupt around 1868.
Forone year,the property served as thestate Capitol, with theLouisiana Legislature open ingits sessionthere on Jan.4, 1869. In December 1870,the buildingbecame theRoyal Street Auctioneer’s Exchange and was latera concerthalland saloon
In 1874,the property wassold to thecity, which remodeleditand relocatedCriminalCourt and later Juvenile Courtthere.
In 1921,the city leased thebuilding to theAmerican Legion,which
occupiedthe site as Crescent City Post125 until1972. Thecitythen leased it to theGreater NewOrleans Tourist&ConventionCommission, which operated avisitorinformation center thereuntil 1984
In 1985,MayorErnest “Dutch” Morialand police chief Warren Woodfork createdthe NOPD VieuxCarre District, or 8thDistrict, to patrol theFrenchQuarter and area surroundingthe newly opened ConventionCenter. The RoyalStreet buildingunderwent a$45,000 renovation to become thedistrict’sheadquarters.
Fora time,the VieuxCarre Commissionalso hadits offices on thebuilding’ssecondfloor but movedtoCityHallin2013.
ACROSSROYALSTREETINTHE400BLOCKISABRIGHTPINKBUILDING known for thepast 66 years as Brennan’sRestaurant. Thebuildingitselfdates to 1795 and,likethe 8thDistrictpolicestation,onceservedasa bank
Accordingtothe HistoricNew OrleansCollection’sCollins C. Diboll VieuxCarre Digital Survey,the two-storymansion at 417Royal St.was originally builtasaresidence.Beginning in 1805 it washometothe BanquedelaLouisiane, or Louisiana Bank,the first financialinstitution createdinNew Orleans afterthe Louisiana Purchase.The initials LB are seen in thebuilding’swrought iron balcony.
Thepropertywentintoprivate handsand from 1841 until1891was ownedbyLouisiana Supreme CourtJusticeAlonzoMorphy. He livedthere withhis wifeand four children,including hisson Paul,a child prodigywho gainedinternational fame as achess champion.
In 1920,the property wasacquired by Tulane University througha gift from philanthropistWilliamRatcliffe Irby.Itwas remodeled andreopened as thePatio Royalrestaurant. In 1956 thebuildingbecame thenew home of Brennan’s(whichhad opened in 1946 on BourbonStreet).Itwas on RoyalStreetthatBananas Foster wascreated in 1951 and where“break fastatBrennan’s”became afamous pastime.
TheBrennan family purchasedthe building from Tulane in 1984.The restaurantclosedin2013. Thefollowing year,veteran restaurateur Ralph Brennan (nephewofBrennan’s founderOwenBrennan)and business part ner TerryWhite purchasedthe restaurant outofbankruptcyand reopened it afteramulti-million-dollarrenovation. Brennan is nowthe sole ownerofthe restaurant, whosesecond floor Morphy Room pays tributetoits past
HeyBlake, TheNOPD8thDistrict stationonRoyal Streetseemslikeit musthaveastory. Howoldisthebuilding,andhasitalways beenapolicestation?BLAKEVIEW PHOTO BY ELIOTKAMENITZ/ THETIMES-PICAYUNE
This season thehaunted house unleashesthe horrors of aBlood Queendemandingsacrifices, a gang of decrepitsideshowper formersand achainsawwielding monster from an abandoned industrial plant. Theattraction near theHueyP.LongBridgein JeffersonParishisopen every daythrough Halloween.Tickets $24.99-49.99via neworleans nightmare.com.
ThePrytaniaTheatreshave been running Kill-o-rama,aslate of horrorfilms,throughout October. Thereare multiple daily screen ings of “Rocky Horror Picture Show” on Oct. 28-31atthe Up town theater. It also shows“The Shining” on Wednesday, Oct. 26, and “Psycho” on Sunday,Oct 30,and Wednesday, Nov. 2. The lineup at CanalPlace includes “Black Christmas,” “Nightmare on ElmStreet 2,”“House” and“Killer Klowns from OuterSpace,” and screenings run throughNov.3 Visittheprytania.comfor tickets and details.
TheCanal Street hauntedhouse marks the150th anniversary of thefoundingofthe former mortuary it occupies. Visitors can
explore itslegends of vampires, deathand fear.The Mortuary is open Oct. 25-31, andon Nov. 5, there’sa specialBlackout Nightwithvisitors making their waythrough theattractionwith very limitedlighting. General admissiontickets$25-$30 via themortuary.net.
An accident at amedical supply warehouse animates zombies whoare hungryfor brains.The film screens at TheBroadsideat8 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 26.Tickets $10 viabroadsidenola.com
Participants canridethrough a post-apocalypticworld and hunt zombies with paintballguns at this attraction at NOLAMotor sports Park.The finalweekof action is Oct. 26-30. Tickets $25via nolamotor.com/ zombie-paintball.
Thetacoand tequilacocktail eventhas aDay of Dead theme. Theculinarysidefeaturestraditional andcreativetacos from localrestaurants.The entertainment lineupincludesOtra, JamesAndrews andthe Crescent City All-Stars, Margie Perez and
Muevelo, andamariachiband
Theevent also salutesMexican wrestling,and there’sa costume contest.Early admissionstarts at 6p.m.Thursday, Oct. 27,atLafre nierePark. Visittoptaconola.com forticketsand information.
Dress forSuccess holdsa fundraiser with Kookie andthe Queens hostingdragbingo Thereare prizes forindividual and groupcostumes. Therealso aredragperformances,abuffet dinner and acashbar.At7 p.m. Thursday,Oct.27, at TheCan nery. Find ticketsatone.bidpal. net/dfsnodragbingo/welcome.
Theclassic 1922 German silent film based on thevampiretale from Bram Stoker’s “Dracula” screenswithalivescore by Mike Dillon,JamesSingleton, Aurora Nealand and Brian Haas.At8p.m.Thursday, Oct. 27,and Friday,Oct.28, at TheBroadside.Tickets $20at broadsidenola.com.
Casa Borrega, which recently reopened forFridaynight Latin musicshows,hosts aDay of the Dead celebrationwithmusic by
psychedelic cumbia-based Trem olo Kings and theAfro-Cuban jazz groupOtra. Latintapas are available.At9p.m.Friday, Oct. 28.Admissionis$20,or$10 with costume. Find moreinformation at facebook.com/casaborrega
TheHalloween danceparty featuresmusic from Legatron Prime, BouffantBouffantand DJ Nice Rack and appearances by Candy Snatch, Laveau Contraire, Jackie Trouble,Slenderellaand more. At 10 p.m. Friday,Oct.28, at ToulouseTheatre.Tickets $25-$40 viatoulousetheatre.com.
Tool’s MaynardJames Keenan and Carina Roundare thecoreof this electro-rock band.Its offbeat videosare oftenvisual specta cles,and on this tour,the group is leaning into thetheatrics,with costumes,skits,recurring char acters,dancingaliensand video vignettes.At8 p.m. Friday,Oct 28,atMahaliaJackson Theater forthe Performing Arts.
City Park hostsa craftbeerparty in itsCarouselGardens AmusementPark. Theevent is foradults only. From 9p.m.tomidnightFri day, Oct. 28,and Saturday,Oct 29.Findticketsand information at neworleanscitypark.org
Margarita Bergen will reign as the Queen of Halloween at French Quarter Citizens’ fund raiser There’s music by Julio and Cesar, a costume contest, food from local restaurants and a bar. Costumes encouraged. From 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. Friday, Oct. 28, at the New Orleans Jazz Museum Visit frenchquartercitizens.org for tickets and information.
The annual weekend of lavishly costumed LGTBQ parties has an overall “Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland” theme. The Queen’s Ball is Friday, Oct. 28 The high light is Nightmare in Wonderland with entertainment by Aquaria and others on Saturday, Oct. 29. The Mad Hatter’s Tea Dance is Sunday, Oct. 30 Events support Project Lazarus. Visit halloween neworleans.com for tickets and information.
Endless Night is a weekend of events organized by vampire subculture enthusiast Father Se bastiaan Saturday night’s Grande Gala features entertainment by Vinsantos and The Sixth Cham ber and DJs Aengal and Matt V Christ. All main weekend events are at the House of Blues. Black robes, witch and vampire-style dress is mandatory. General ad mission for a package of events starts at $150. See endlessnight. com for details
Anne Rice’s Vampire Lestat Fan Club holds its annual masquerade ball, featuring entertainment by DJ Seraph, Cervix Couch, Yellow Box Circus, a costume contest, dinner and a full bar. Proceeds benefit Save Our Cemeteries. At 7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 29, at the Elms Mansion. Tickets $85-$350 on eventbrite.com Visit vamples tat.com for details
The 6t’9 Social Aid & Pleasure Club’s family-friendly parade
starts at 1020 Henriette Delille St and heads into the French Quarter with a coffin float, the Krewe of Conus, Treme Kids and the Squeek and the Boyz brass band The theme is “Safety Sixth,” and new marchers are welcome to join the krewe The pre-parade party is at 6 p.m. and the parade is at 7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 29. Find information on facebook com/6to9sapc
The Women’s Guild of the New Orleans Opera Association holds a Halloween-themed fundraiser with a costume contest, music by Julio and Cesar, a buffet and themed drinks. At 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 29, at the Guild Home in Uptown Tickets $150 via neworleansopera.org
BLU and $leazy EZ lead an alienthemed dance party, and there’s also music from DJ Hunny Bee, D1me and Kushtrim Costumes encouraged At 10 p.m. Friday, Oct. 29, at Café Istanbul. Tickets $10-$30 on eventbrite.com
Republic celebrates the fifth anniversary of Emo Night with a Halloween-themed edition, tagged “Not a ghost, just dead inside.” There’s music from The Bright sides and host Bemo Rouge. Doors open at 10 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 29 Tickets are $6.66-$20 via republicnola.com
The Autism Society of Greater New Orleans hosts a Halloween party at the Westwego Farmers Market from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 29 There will be games, activities, food and treats, and the event is open to all ages and sensory needs There also will be information about area resources regarding autism Visit asgno.org for information.
The burlesque and variety show features Vivacious Miss Auda cious, LadyBEAST, Lola Van Ella, The Great Dane, Mz Juno, Aria Delanoche, AYAA and more. At 9 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 30, at The Joy
Theater. Tickets start at $25 via thejoytheater.com.
Danny Roberts, from the 2000 season of MTV’s “The Real World,” hosts a dance party at AllWays Lounge & Cabaret. There’s music from MC Malibu Casey, and costuming like a pop star is requested. Proceeds ben efit Covenant House. At 7 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 30. Tickets $44 via eventbrite.com.
Musicians Sailem and Crux pres ent a live show based on their electronic music album, complete with dance routines and skits Los Angles band Lost Angeles and others also perform, and a dance party follows the show At 7 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 30, at the AllWays Lounge & Cabaret. Tickets start at $25 on eventbrite.com.
The macabre-themed variety show features burlesque, music and more from performers including Miss Angie Z, GoGo McGregor and Ariana Amour, and is hosted by Madame Tsarina Hellfire and Stanley Roy. At 9:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 31, at AllWays Lounge & Cabaret. Tickets $30$50 on eventbrite.com.
Quintron & Miss Pussycat lead a Halloween show with Tasche
& the Psychedelic Roses and DJ Musa At 10 p.m. Monday, Oct. 31, at One Eyed Jacks. Tickets $20 via oneeyedjacks.net
The New Orleans Healing Center and La Source Ancienne Ounfo hold a Day of the Dead celebration at the center with various altars, a ceremony and procession to make offerings to the dead From 5:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 1, at the Healing Center Visit neworleanshealingcenter.org for details
The Krewe de Mayahuel holds a procession to St Roch Cemetery so participants can remember and honor their ancestors. The krewe gathers at Beanlandia and Markey Park at 4 p.m. and at 7 p.m. marches through Bywater and St Roch with a rolling Dia de los Muertos altar and three bands. Visit facebook.com/ krewedemayahuel for details
The humorous podcast And That’s Why We Drink explores paranormal affairs and true crime. Creators Em Schulz and Christine Schiefer also released a “Haunted Road Atlas,” a book of haunted sites in cities across the U.S. The duo brings their live tour to Civic Theatre at 8 p.m. Thurs day, Nov. 3. They also sign books at Garden District Book Shop on Nov. 2. Visit andthatswhywedrink. com for information.
SKILLSORPATIENCE to hand-sewanelaboratecostume this year —orifyou’relikeme and consider deadlinestobe optional suggestions— don’t fret.There’splentyoftimeto getdolledupfor Halloween, even if you’re readingthis, well, on Halloween
Simply getout your hotglue gun(trust us,it’sone of thebest investments aNew Orleanian canmake) anddowhatatrue procrastinatorenjoys best:dis tract, with shiny things.
That’s what Nori Pritchard, co-owner of thecraftsupply store NOLACraftCulture, suggests. Andshe would know Afterall,Pritchardand herbusiness partner,Lisette Constantin, areboth longtime membersof theKrewe of Museswho have turned theirlove of costuming and crafting into careers. Their colorful,sparklyshop staysopen year-round,but theanticipation forHalloween hasbeenbuilding like neverbefore.
“There’slosttimetobemade up,and people areleaning in, hard,”Pritchard says Despite thebuildup,these ex perts saydon’t worrytoo much aboutyouroutfit. Pritchard’s main advice when it comesto costuming is notentirelysurpris ing,but awelcome reminder: Just have fun. “Costuming is supposedtobestress-relieving,” shesays. “You don’t have to do something intricate(fora last-minutelook).Youdon’t have to spend hoursona piece.Things that sparkle will catchthe eye.”
Pritchardsayssignature headpiecesare oneofthe most, if not themost, importantand surprisinglyeasyaspects of costum ing. “Accessorizingmakes your look,” shesays. “New Orleans is aheaddress-lovingtown.”
Making aheadpiece doesn’t have to be daunting or even super time-consuming. Youcan puttogether aheadpiece using abasic plastic headband,acloth band,a hatorvisorasthe base, and just gettoworkbyadorning it with faux flowers and foliage, sequins, feathersand more.
Mixing andmatchingcostume piecesand thrifted findsis also recommendedfor an especially one-of-a-kind Halloween look,ratherthan purchasing mass-produced costumes online.
“There’sa tonofenthusiasm thesedaysabout upcycling an old piece—maybe add some trim or appliques,” Pritchardsays. “You don’tneed to make thewhole thing from scratch to have it be really impactfulorunique. Howyou embellish somethingcan be your signature.”
Pritchardrecommendsgoing overthe topwithsequins, glitter and even tiny,LED-powered fairylightsthatgiveamagical glowwhen it’s dark
“Partofthe funofDIY is feelinglikeyou made something unique butalso thethriftiness to it,” shesays. “You mightsee somethingcooland makeyour ownversion —and youhave the benefitofself-expressionbut youcan also save some money. Betweenthrifting and buying some craftsupplies, it canbe economicaland very fun.”
Of course, be awareofthe ephemeral nature of agood costumeoraccessory.After all, thepointofHalloween is to let loose, andthatcan getmessy
“Ifyou lose some pieces of your costumes,don’t gettoo stressed,” shesays. “Just letthe eveningtakeitwhereit’sgoing to take you.”
ING,itcan be hard to trulydefy expectations on Halloween.But that’s exactlywhatLeslieHolder did when sheshowedupasa gallbladder to acostume contest earlier this month.
Holder came up with thecos tume idea whilerecovering from hergallbladderremoval surgery in September.Searching online with her partner,JenniferCraft, they quicklydiscoveredthere wasn’tmuchprecedent forit.
“Wewerelookingonline, and they don’treally sell gallbladder costumes on Amazon,” Holder says.“Even Googling,there’slike twoexamples that we could find of twoother weirdosthat decided to be agallbladder as acostume.”
So whileHolder healed, Crafttook some greenfabric to thesewingmachine to turn Holder’s unorthodoxmusing into afullcostume,complete with astuffed,anatomically correctbileductcomingout of her head
As afinishing touch, Holder took some rhinestones shehad leftoverinher craftbox from makingMuses shoes— “asa NewOrleanian does,”she says —and decided they’d make perfect gallstones.
“I had‘em in alittlebag, and everybodyatthe partyI wouldtellthem that wastheir gallstone and it wouldwish them good luckfor theirgallbladder,”she says CraftaccompaniedHolder to theparty as asurgeon Some of theirfavorite costumes were acouple dressedasthe old manand child from “Up,” whocarried balloons around all night, anda “Midsommar” costume and headpiece made of florals, which endedupwinning that night.
Holder andCraftalso have another look planned forHal loween this year:astronauts with theirdogs as an alienand arobot.
ButHolder says they aren’t always this prepared,thinking back to theyeartheythrew
together Professor McGonagall and Professor Trelawneycos tumesonthe fly. They grabbed agraduationstole forMcGona gall andpopped outthe lenses of oldpairs of sunglasses for both costumes
“Basically,Jenniferjustput on like 17 differentoutfits at onetimefor theother one and abig pair of glasses,”
Holder says.“Boom,Harry Pottercharacters.”
Holder’s advice forcoming up withalast-minutecostume?
Take stockofwhatyou have around thehouse first and then startbrainstorming what costumesyou could pull together with those pieces— notthe other wayaround.
“Basically,it’sall about the persona that youcarry with you, notnecessarily just theclothes youhave on,” shesays.
OFFICIAL BEER PARTNER OF THE NEW ORLEANS SAINTS
©2022 MILLER BREWING CO., MILWAUKEE, W • BEER
eternal life from the vampire Lestat de Li oncourt (Tom Cruise hamming it up). But Louis soon learns existence as a vampire is a curse. The 1994 film is available to rent for $3.99 on Amazon Video.
In this found footage freak-out, a disillu sioned Baton Rouge pastor participates in a documentary about the fraudulent practices behind exorcisms and travels to a rural part of the state at the request of a farmer whose daughter has been showing signs of possession. Of course, the tension tightens as it becomes clear there isn’t anything fake about this particular case. While the 2010 film slips into some genre cliches, the cast and writing keep things interesting. “The Last Exorcism” is free with Peacock subscription and $3.99 on Amazon Video.
This 2006 slasher flick is an underrated gem. When a group of tourists are strand ed during a haunted swamp tour, they mistakenly wander into the territory of the vengeful, is-it-man-or-myth killer Victor Crowley. “Hatchet” didn’t make much of a splash when it was released, but there’s a lot to love about the cheesy, fun movie.
And just when you thought Victor Crow ley — our own swamp Jason Voorhees — was dead and buried, he returns for three sequels. “Hatchet” is free on TubiTV and $1.99 on Amazon Video.
The 1995 sequel to the groundbreaking “Candyman” doesn’t quite live up to the
original, but if you’re a fan of watching Tony Todd carve up arrogant unbeliev ers with mesmerizing charisma, then it’s worth watching him do his thing in New Orleans. Make it a double feature night and throw on last year’s “Candyman” sequel. “Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh” is free with Paramount+ subscription and $3.99 on Amazon Video.
Disney’s stab at turning its Haunted Mansion ride into a feature-length movie produced a spooky-fun-not-spooky-scary family pick for Halloween. Eddie Murphy and Marsha Thomason star as realtors who travel down the bayou with their kids to check out a mansion, only to become trapped overnight — alongside the many spirits already living in the house. Adults may roll their eyes out of their heads by the end, but the 2003 film is a fun, PG intro to creepy movies for older kids. “The Haunted Mansion” is free with Disney+ subscription and $3.99 on Amazon Video.
Italian director Lucio Fulci’s 1981 film won’t be for everyone, but it’ll be rewarding for adventurous fans of the strange, Gothic and surreal. After a woman takes over a hotel on the Northshore (there are a lot of shots of the Causeway), eerie, fright ening occurrences begin to happen at this gateway to Hell. It’s an atmospheric flick with an ending that’ll haunt you for a while. “The Beyond” is free with Shudder and Peacock subscriptions and $2.99 on Amazon Video.
“I don’t think too many people here know Korean food,” says the owner of K-Town BBQ & Tofu, which sits next to Hong Kong Food Market in Gretna. “Vietnamese, chinese, sushi, yes, but even my staff wasn’t familiar with our cuisine.”
The spacious restaurant, with its entrance opening from the atrium shared with Hong Kong Market, housed Vietnamese restaurants for many years. Park noticed the space was vacant since before the pandemic and signed the lease after Hurricane Ida. K-Town opened at the end of June. The only Korean restaurant on the West Bank, K-Town is Park’s first foray into the local market.
Park, who worked a concession at the ernest N. Morial convention center along with his brother for the three years before the pan demic, has experience running Korean restaurants in Florida. His wife and son live in Los Angeles, where he spent the pandemic when the convention center shuttered. “My son goes to a good school there, so for now they stay there,” he says. “I go back and forth.”
In Korean cuisine, common items include beef marinated for several days, grilled and served with a dipping sauce made with pungent garlic, chili and soybean paste. But as meat-centric as the cuisine is, tofu also is a big player, hence the restaurant’s name.
“We use a lot of very soft tofu in soups,” says Park, who bemoans the fact that the traditional soft Korean tofu, as well as some Korean vegetables, are hard — if not impos sible — to get in New Orleans.
The soon du bu stew is revelatory, with clouds of silken tofu swimming in broth flavored by either seafood, beef, pork or kimchee, the spicy fermented cabbage central to Korean gastronomy. The seafood version includes bites of squid, littleneck clams, earthy shiitake mushrooms and spicy ribbons of kimchee in the broth.
“We eat very healthy,” Park says. “Not fried foods, but usually steamed, stewed and grilled.”
Korean food is a study in balance, Park says, with careful consideration given to temperature, spiciness, color and texture in presen tation. Korean food tends to be intensely flavored and pun gent, and spicy heat can be adjusted to the diner’s palate and request.
At K-Town, all of the entrees come with banchan, the cold condiments made fresh daily and served on small side dishes. They change regularly but might include marinated Italian parsley, crescents of zucchini with sesame seeds, seasoned bean sprouts, cucumber salad or pickled radishes. “People see prices, but they don’t know what’s included,” Park says. “They are used to chinese takeout menus.”
K-Town’s menu includes tofudriven stews priced at $14.99, the famous bulgogi marinated barbe cue for $19.99 and the jungol hot pots super-sized for up to three people at $45.99, and all are pre sented with sides. For appetizers, there are pan-seared dumplings, spicy ramen and japjchae — stir fried potato glass noodles with beef and kimchi pancake — running between $8.99 and $12.99.
Park offers a daily $12.99 lunch special as a way to entice diners interested in trying his cuisine.
There’s also grab-and-go kimbap, Korean style maki rolls of seaweed wrapped around rice with marinated pork or beef at the center, for $10.
“Our food is best eaten fresh — we have Uber eats — but really it’s
better to eat hot and just cooked,” he says.
The kimbap is a generous serving of sliced rolls, but don’t think micro wave when eating leftovers. “Beat an egg, then dip the pieces in the egg and put on a hot pan — so deli cious and the rice gets soft again,” Park says.
Although he’s introducing Korean food to the West Bank, Park is banking on the depth of flavor found in the many intricate dishes to attract people from both sides of the river. He also has his eyes on the east Bank and hopes to open a Korean-style barbecue spot. And he’s looking into making small ver sions of some of the simpler dishes for festival consumption.
“I know we don’t have a big Korean population, but people who travel to cities with K-towns love our food,” Park says. “And now it’s closer to home.”
PERSPECTIVE IS EVERYTHING. DRIVING ALONG METAIRIE ROAD, the sight of the railroad gates closing as another train approaches can seem like a major hassle, with traffic stacking up for who knows how long.
But change the view to a perch on the new rooftop deck overlooking the same crossing and the rattle and rumble of the passing train can seem like a performance, or at least the premise for another round.
That’s the scene at Parish Line Bistro Bar (601 Metairie road, 504264-7783), a new restaurant and lounge that officially opened in Old Metairie after a few trial runs and private events.
It’s in the former home of Metry cafe, a longtime neighborhood watering hole that closed during the pandemic, and its transforma tion has been thorough.
Parish Line is small, but it makes a striking impression. This two-story,
wedge-shaped spot has design details packed into every turn and a menu from a veteran local chef bringing something quite different to the neighborhood.
Parish Line Bistro Bar comes from a partnership of four well-known local names: Mickey Loomis, gen eral manager of the New Orleans Saints; Mickey Parenton, an execu tive with gaming company Pinnacle entertainment; Gabe corchiani, the former University of New Orleans basketball star and founder of Fat Boy’s Pizza; and John Georges, the businessman who is the owner of The Times-Picayune and Gambit.
DAVID PARK CHALLENGES CURIOUS EATERS to try his home-style Korean food.PHOTO BY CHERYL GERBER David Park opened K-Town BBQ and Tofu. PHOTO BY IAN MCNULTY / THE TIMES-PICAYUNE Parish Line Bistro Bar has a rooftop deck.
K-Town BBQ & Tofu serves Korean food in Gretna by Beth D’Addono|
“We’ve wanted to team up on something like this for many years,” corchiani says. “The goal is a place that our wives and friends would enjoy, something that’s cutting edge and comfortable.”
It is also the latest in an ongo ing evolution of Metairie road that has over the past few years expanded and diversified the restaurants and bars along its curving stretch.
corchiani is one of the people leading that change. The first location of his brand Fat Boy’s Pizza opened in 2019, about two miles down the road from Parish Line, at 2565 Metairie road. That brand now has six locations in Louisiana and Mississippi, with a seventh now in the works to open in Harvey by year’s end. The pizza brand has also embarked on a national expansion campaign.
corchiani also has another proj ect in the works for Old Metairie. He is one of the partners in TANA, the forthcoming upscale Italian restaurant to be led by chef Michael Gulotta of MoPho and Maypop. That’s now under con struction at 2929 Metairie road, with an opening date sometime next year.
To guide the Parish Line kitchen, the partners tapped chris Wilson. He’s the chef and co-founder of the Larder Gourmet Market & eatery in Metairie, who had a 28-year career cooking with emeril Lagasse and was the celebrity chef’s top culinary direc tor before the pandemic.
Wilson’s menu covers a lot of ground with shareable dishes, whole roasted cauliflower, entree salads, a burger and a Mediterranean-style grilled fish with Israeli couscous and a cucumber salad.
Louisiana-sourced bowfin caviar tops the house fries and Wilson uses slices of ultra-rich wagyu beef like sashimi, dressed with a little citrus brown butter on grilled bread. Some of that wagyu is blended into the burger too.
In a break from local convention, there is an unmistakable affinity for New england-style seafood with items including lobster rolls, clam chowder and steamed clams with garlic and wine.
every inch of the Metry cafe has been recast to create Parish Line.
Iron train rails are now the bar rails. A bank of windows crank open, their broad sills doubling as outdoor tables.
The main bar and dining room is a mix of small tables, commu nal tables and counter seats — some available to reserve, some open seating. On the open-air
deck, a retractable awning pro vides shade, and a small second bar is equipped with frozen drink dispensers.
Through all the changes for restaurants along Metairie road, one dynamic has been the mix of old and new, with stylish modern places sharing the stretch near longer-lived spots.
The neighborhood behind Parish Line is still home to the old Italian market and muffuletta den Nor Joe Import co. (505 Frisco St., 504-833-9240) and the backstreet po-boy spot radosta’s (249 Aris St., 504-831-1537).
There’s a clutch of endearingly
funky old bars, namely Pink Street Pub (201 Aris St.) and Lou & Bob’s Lounge (249 Nursery Ave). Just across the tracks from Parish Line, Winston’s Pub & Patio (531 Metairie road, 504-831-8705) keeps the waffle fries rolling with a view of the trains a little closer to the road.
But more change is afoot here.
Just around the corner from Parish Line, another hole-in-thewall bar, formerly called J.B.’s, has been re-developed along more modern lines as Hog Alley Lounge (115 Focis St.).
Jonathan Brisbi, who once ran Brisbi‘s restaurant & Oyster Bar on the lakefront (which is now Felix’s), is one of the partners in Hog Alley, and he says to expect an official opening late in October.
“We looked at ways to take it a step up,” Brisbi says, as a visual inspection of the bourbon and scotch selection on the opening bar list indicates.
Hog Alley Lounge has a kitchen, though Brisbi wasn’t ready to talk about what food to expect here. But, in the future, it seems when those railroad crossing gates go down across Metairie road there will be more enticements to just pull over and wait it out in com fort. — IAN McNULTY / THe TIMeS-PIcAYUNe
CHEF ALEX HARRELL HAS DRAWN ACCLAIM AND LOCAL DINERS AT RESTAURANTS including his own venture Angeline, Sylvain, The elysian Bar and now at the Virgin Hotel, where he’s heading up commons club and as well as providing other dining options. In August, he and chef Liam Doran open a local chapter of Ben’s Friends, a national organization that provides support for restau rant and hospitality workers who are sober or working to get sober.
ALEX HARRELL: I have been sober for 18 years now. Nov. 3 will be my 18th anniversary. I met Mickey Bakst, one of the founders of Ben’s Friends, in charleston when I was working in charleston around 2009 and 2010. He reached out to me about opening a chapter in New Orleans a few years back. The stars didn’t align at the time, and he reached out again this past year. He said, “Hey, I am going to be in town for Tales of the cocktail. We’re really serious about opening a chapter in New Orleans. We feel like it’s the right time.”
It’s important for New Orleans and the hospitality industry in general given all the issues our industry has been facing the past couple of years. Hopefully, we can give support and help as many people as possible. Ben’s is across the board — kitchen, bartenders, servers, GMs, people who work in hotels. It’s based around hospital ity people, but it’s a resource for anybody that wants to explore sobriety as an option.
HARRELL: It’s basically a support group for sober food and beverage hospitality people. We have meet ings every Monday at NOcHI at 11 a.m. It’s also a group of people, and if you need to call somebody because you’re struggling, there’s a group of us you can reach out to.
I get so much out of the meet ings. It’s almost like therapy sometimes. You’re like, god, you wouldn’t believe what I went through at service last night, and somebody might be like yeah, we’re dealing with that too and this is how we’re handling it. It is about sobriety, but it’s getting a
group of people together to discuss issues and how we approach them in a meaningful way that helps us keep from turn ing back to bad habits.
We have national zoom meetings every day at noon. The website out lines the cities that have chapters and contact information and back ground and history of the organization.
It’s a loose, informal meeting. At the begin ning, I’ll read the purpose of what Ben’s Friends is, and then we’ll open the floor. There may be a topic people want to discuss. Or it may be an open forum style. It’s not higher-power based, like AA. We approach it from a personal standpoint.
We’re trying to let people know that you can be sober, you can reach sobriety if that’s what you want, and still have a career in food and beverage. When I was faced with the choice of get ting sober in 2004, my immediate thought was that I am not going to be able to continue cooking if I do this, because you can’t be sober and cook in a kitchen, right? It goes hand in hand. You work hard, you party hard. That was the lifestyle I was living. I didn’t think it was possible for me to continue doing what I loved to do and make that necessary personal choice.
Funny thing was, at my first AA meeting, I walked in kind of shy. I walked in with a hat pulled low and sat in the back of the room and tried not to be noticed, and I look up and down a few aisles from me is a really well known chef. He’s there and he’s sober. I was like, “Oh shit, I can do this. I am not alone.”
It’s just a way for me to go forward and deal with this problem I have. I don’t have to make two big life changes. I don’t have to try to get sober and try to find a new line of work at the same time. Being able to separate and have those exam ples and have support from people in the business and understand the unique challenges we all face in the business is really important. I feel like I am paying forward what other people have done for me.
HARRELL: What we do is so team oriented — having connections and being around people. Isolation for people through the pandemic was
a big problem. There are higher instances of drug use, alcohol abuse when people isolate or feel extreme stress and uncertainty like the pandemic caused. There are a lot of people who struggled with that stuff.
The industry historically has had a lot of problems. A lot of people turned a blind eye to it because it was like, “That’s just how it is, I can’t do anything about it, it’s not really gonna change.” You either made a choice to stay in and deal with it or you pursued other options outside the business. When you see mass exodus from an industry and those challenges are being put in your face, like staffing shortages, or people who aren’t motivated to come in and be a part of the business, you have to address those things.
In the past couple of years, people are becoming a lot more vocal in advocating for themselves, saying “Hey, I need work-life bal ance.” As an industry, we’re trying to address a lot of those challenges that have been intrinsic. If you really love this business and want to see it get better and see more opportunities for people, you have to be willing to say ok this is where we’ve messed up in the past, col lectively. This is what we need to address if we all want to grow.
For information about Ben’s Friends, visit bensfriendshope.com.
Our Cabernet is crafted to capture the essence of Clarksburg, with ripe notes of red cherries, plums, and hints of chocolate The addition of Petite Sirah, a variety we began growing in 1968, adds flavors of blueberry, boysenberry, and hints of black pepper
Finishing in new French oak imparts hints of toasty oak and a rich, silky mouthfeel.
DISTRIBUTED BY
Out 2 eat is an index of Gambit contract advertis ers. Unless noted, addresses are for New Orleans and all accept credit cards. Updates: email willc@gambitweekly.com or call (504) 483-3106.
Acorn — 12 Henry Thomas Drive, (504) 218-5413; acornnola.com — The cafe a at the Louisiana children’s Museum has kid- and adult-friendly menu. Blackened shrimp fill a trio of tacos topped with arugula, radish, pineap ple-mango salsa and cilantro-lime sauce. No reservations. breakfast and lunch Wed.-Sun. $$
Andrea’s Restaurant — 3100 N. 19th St., Metairie, (504) 834-8583; andreasrestaurant.com chef Andrea Apuzzo’s speckled trout royale is topped with crabmeat and lem on-cream sauce. capelli D’Andrea combines house-made angel hair pasta and smoked salmon in cream sauce. Delivery available. Lunch and dinner daily, brunch Sun. $$$
Angelo Brocato’s — 214 N. Carrollton Ave., (504) 486-1465; angelobroca toicecream.com — This sweet shop serves its own gelato, spumoni, Italian ice, cannolis, biscotti, fig cookies, tiramisu, macaroons and other treats. Lunch and dinner Tue.-Sun. $
Annunciation — 1016 Annunciation St., (504) 568-0245; annunciation restaurant.com — The menu highlights Gulf seafood in creole, cajun and Southern dishes. Gulf Drum Yvonne is served with brown butter sauce with mushrooms and artichoke hearts. reservations recommended. Dinner Thu.-Mon. $$$
The Blue Crab Restaurant and Oyster Bar — 118 Harbor View Court, Slidell, (985) 315-7001; 7900 Lakeshore Drive, (504) 284-2898; thebluecrabnola.com — The menu includes sandwiches, fried seafood platters, boiled seafood and more. Basin barbecue shrimp are served over cheese grits features with a cheese biscuit. Outdoor seating available. No reservations. Lakeview: lunch and dinner Tue.-Sun. Slidell: lunch Fri.-Sat., dinner Wed.-Sun. $$
Broussard’s — 819 Conti St., (504) 5813866; broussards.com — The menu includes creole and creative contem porary dishes. rainbow trout aman dine is served with tasso and corn macque choux and creole meuniere sauce. reservations recommended. Outdoor seating available. Dinner Wed.-Sat., brunch Sun. $$$
Cafe Normandie — Higgins Hotel, 480 Andrew Higgins Blvd., (504) 528-1941; higginshotelnola.com/dining — The menu combines classic French dishes and Louisiana items like crab beig nets with herb aioli. No reservations. Breakfast and lunch daily. $$
Common Interest — Hotel Indigo, 705 Common St., (504) 595-5605; commoninterestnola.com — Shrimp remoulade cobb salad comes with avocado, blue cheese, tomatoes, bacon, egg and corn relish. Slow roasted beef debris tops goat cheese and thyme grits. reservations accepted. Breakfast, lunch, dinner and late-night daily. $$
Curio — 301 Royal St., (504) 717-4198; curionola.com — The creative creole menu includes blackened Gulf shrimp served with chicken and andouille jambalaya. reservations accepted. Lunch and dinner daily. $$
$ — average dinner entrée under $10 $$ — $11-$20 $$$ — $20-up
Desire Oyster Bar — Royal Sonesta New Orleans, 300 Bourbon St., (504) 586-0300; sonesta.com/desireoys terbar — The menu higlights Gulf seafood in creole dishes. char-grilled oysters are topped with Parmesan and herbs. reservations recom mended. Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. $$
Dickie Brennan’s Bourbon House 144 Bourbon St., (504) 522-0111; bourbonhouse.com — The seafood restaurant has a raw bar and a large selection of bourbon. redfish on the Halfshell is cooked skin-on and served with lemon buerre blanc. reservations accepted. Lunch and dinner daily. $$$
Felix’s Restaurant & Oyster Bar — 739 Iberville St., (504) 522-4440; 7400 Lakeshore Drive, (504) 3044125; felixs.com — Louisiana oysters are served raw or char-grilled with garlic, Parmesan and breadcrumbs. The menu includes seafood platters, crawfish etouffee, po-boys and more. No reservations. Lunch and dinner daily. $$
Frey Smoked Meat Co. — 4141 Bienville St., Suite 110, (504) 488-7427; freysmokedmeat.com — The barbe cue restaurant serves pulled pork, St. Louis ribs, brisket, sausages and more. Fried pork belly poppers are tossed in pepperjelly glaze. No reservations. Lunch and dinner daily. $$
Froot Orleans — 2438 Bell St., Suite B, (504) 233-3346; frootorleans. com — The shop serves fresh fruit in platters, smoothie bowls such as a strawberry shortcake smoothie and more using pineapple, various berries, citrus and more. No reser vations. Outdoor seating available. Breakfast and lunch daily. $$
Joey K’s — 3001 Magazine St., (504) 891-0997; joeyksrestaurant.com The menu includes fried seafood platters, salads, sandwiches and red beans and rice. Sauteed trout Tchoupitoulas is topped with shrimp and crabmeat. Delivery available. Lunch and dinner Mon.-Sat., brunch Sun. $$
Juan’s Flying Burrito — 515 Baronne St., (504) 529-5825; 2018 Magazine St., (504) 569-0000; 4724 S. Carrollton Ave., (504) 486-9950; juansflyingbur rito.com — The Flying Burrito includes grilled steak, shrimp, chicken, ched dar-jack cheese, black beans, yellow rice, guacamole and salsa. The menu also has tacos, quesadillas, nachos and more. Outdoor seating available. No reservations. Lunch and dinner Thu.-Tue. $$
Katie’s Restaurant — 3701 Iberville St., (504) 488-6582; katiesinmidcity.com
A cajun cuban has roasted pork, grilled ham, cheese and pickles on buttered bread. The Boudreaux pizza is topped with cochon de lait, spinach, red onions, roasted garlic and scal lions. Delivery available. reservations accepted for large parties. Lunch and dinner Tue.-Sun. $$
Kilroy’s Bar — Higgins Hotel, 480 Andrew Higgins Blvd., (504) 528-1941; higginshotelnola.com/dining — The bar menu includes sandwiches, flat breads, salads and more. A Louisiana
peach flatbread has prosciutto, stracciatella cheese, arugula and pecans. No reservations. Dinner Wed.-Sat. $$
Legacy Kitchen’s Craft Tavern — 700 Tchoupitoulas St., (504) 6132350; legacykitchen.com — The menu includes oysters, flatbreads, burgers, sandwiches, salads and more. A NOLA Style Grits Bowl is topped with bacon, cheddar and a poached egg. reservations accepted. Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. $$
Legacy Kitchen Steak & Chop — 91 Westbank Expressway, Gretna, (504) 513-2606; legacykitchen.com — The menu includes filets mignons, bone-in rib-eyes and top sirloins, as well as burgers, salads and seafood dishes. reservations accepted. Outdoor seating available. Lunch and dinner Mon.-Sat. $$
Martin Wine Cellar — 714 Elmeer Ave., Metairie, (504) 896-7350; 3827 Baronne St., (504) 894-7444; mar tinwine.com — The spirits shop’s deli serves sandwiches, salads and more. The Sena salad includes roasted chicken, raisins, blue cheese, pecans and field greens with Tabasco pep perjelly vinaigrette. No reservations. Lunch daily. $$
Mid City Pizza — 6307 S. Miro St., (504) 509-6224; 4400 Banks St., (504) 483-8609; midcitypizza.com —
The pizza joint serves New Yorkstyle pies, calzones, sandwiches and salads. Shrimp remoulade pizza includes spinach, red onion and garlic on an olive oil-brushed curst. Delivery available. No res ervations. Lunch Thu.-Sun., dinner Thu.-Mon. $$
Mikimoto — 3301 S. Carrollton Ave., (504) 488-1881; mikimotosushi.com
The South carrollton roll includes tuna tataki, avocado and snow crab. The menu also has sushi, sashimi, noodle dishes, teriyaki and more. reservations accepted. Delivery avail able. Lunch Sun.-Fri., dinner daily. $$
Mosca’s — 4137 Highway 90 West, Westwego, (504) 436-8950; moscas restaurant.com — This family-style eatery serves Italian dishes and house specialties including shrimp Mosca and chicken a la grande. Baked oysters Mosca is made with breadcrumbs and Italian seasonings. reservations accepted. Dinner Wed.Sat. c ash only. $$$
Mother’s Restaurant — 401 Poydras St., (504) 523-9656; mothersrestau rant.net — This counter-service spot is known for po-boys dressed with cabbage and creole favorites, such as jambalaya, crawfish etouffee and red beans and rice. Delivery available. No reservations. Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. $$
Nephew’s Ristorante — 4445 W. Metairie Ave., Metairie, (504) 5339998; nephewsristorante.com — chef Frank c atalanotto is the namesake “nephew” who ran the kitchen at Tony Angello’s restaurant. The creole-Italian menu features dishes like veal, eggplant or chicken parmi giana. reservations required. Dinner Tue.-Sat. $$
Neyow’s Creole Cafe — 3332 Bienville St., (504) 827-5474; neyows.com —
The menu includes red beans with fried chicken or pork chops, as well as seafood platters, po-boys, char-grilled oysters, pasta, salads and more. No reservations. Lunch daily, dinner Mon.-Sat., brunch Sun. $$
Nice Guys Bar & Grill — 7910 Earhart Blvd., (504) 302-2404; niceguys barandgrillnola.com — char-grilled oysters are topped with cheese. The menu also includes wings, quesadillas, burgers, sandwiches, salads, seafood pasta and more. No reservations.
Lunch daily, dinner Mon.-Sat. $$$
Nonno’s Cajun Cuisine and Pastries 1940 Dauphine St., (504) 354-1364; nonnoscajuncuisineandpastries.com —
The menu includes home-style c ajun and creole dishes with some vegan options. Shrimp are sauteed with onions and bell peppers, topped with cheese and served with two eggs and toast. Delivery available. reservations accepted. Breakfast and lunch daily. $$
Peacock Room — Kimpton Hotel Fontenot, 501 Tchoupitoulas St., (504) 324-3073; peacockroomnola.com — Black lentil vadouvan curry comes with roasted tomatoes, forest mush rooms and basmati rice. The menu includes small plates, a burger, salads and more. reservations accepted.
Dinner Wed.-Mon., brunch Sun. $$
Rosie’s on the Roof — Higgins Hotel, 480 Andrew Higgins Blvd., (504) 5281941; higginshotelnola.com/dining —
The hotel’s rooftop bar has a menu of sandwiches, burgers and small plates. No reservations. Dinner daily. $$
Tacklebox — 817 Common St., (504) 827-1651; legacykitchen.com — The seafood restaurant serves raw and char-grilled oysters, seafood, burgers, salads and more. redfish St. charles is served with garlic herb butter, asparagus, mushrooms and crawfish cornbread. reservations accepted.
Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. $$
Tavolino Pizza & Lounge — 141 Delaronde St., (504) 605-3365; tav olinonola.com — The menu features thin-crust pizzas, salads, meatballs and more. A Behrman Hwy. pizza is topped with pork belly, caramel, mar inated carrots and radishes, jalapenos and herbs. No reservations. Outdoor seating available. Dinner Tue.-Sat. $$
Theo’s Neighborhood Pizza — 1212 S. Clearview Parkway, 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 Highway 21, Covington, (985) 2349420; theospizza.com — A Marilynn Pota Supreme pie is topped with mozzarella, pepperoni, sausage, hamburger, mushrooms, bell peppers and onions. There also are salads, sandwiches and more. Takeout and delivery available. Lunch and dinner Tue.-Sat. $
Tito’s Ceviche & Pisco — 5015 Magazine St., (504) 267-7612; titoscev ichepisco.com — Peruvian lomo saltado is a traditional dish of beef sauteed with onions, tomatoes, cilan tro, soy sauce and pisco, and served with fried potatoes and rice. Outdoor seating and delivery available.
reservations accepted. Lunch and dinner Mon.-Sat., brunch Sun. $$$
Zhang Bistro — 1141 Decatur St., (504) 826-8888; zhangbistronola. com — The menu includes chinese and Thai dishes. The Szechuan Hot Wok offers a choice of chicken, beef, shrimp or tofu with onions, bell peppers, cauliflower, jalapenos, garlic and spicy Szechuan sauce. reservations accepted. Lunch and dinner Thu.-Tue. $$
BAYOU BAR AT THE PONTCHARTRAIN HOTEL — Peter Harris Quartet, 7:30 pm
DOS JEFES — Wendell Brunious and Tom Hook, 8:30 pm
FRITZEL'S EUROPEAN JAZZ CLUB — collin Myers Band, 5 pm; Fritzel's All Star Band, 8 pm
GASA GASA — Neggy Gemmy, esprit, Death's Dynamic Shroud, 9 pm
ONE EYED JACKS — W.I.T.c .H. with Paint, 8 pm
ORPHEUM THEATER — rainbow Kit ten Surprise, 8 pm
TIPITINA'S — Indigo Girls, Jontavious Willis, 8 pm
ACE HOTEL NEW ORLEANS — Soul rotisserie with DJ Maxmillion, 6 pm BAYOU BAR AT THE PONTCHAR TRAIN HOTEL — Peter Harris Trio, 7:30 pm
BLUE NILE — New Breed Brass Band, 9 pm
D.B.A. NEW ORLEANS — Tin Men, 6 pm; Walter "Wolfman" Washing ton & the roadmasters, 9 pm
DOS JEFES — Kris Tokarski, 8:30 pm
FRITZEL'S EUROPEAN JAZZ CLUB — richard “Piano” Scott, 12:30 pm; Bourbon Street Stars, 5 pm; Fritzel's All Star Band, 8 pm
GASA GASA — Frank and the Witch Fingers, Kairos creature club, Loudness War, 9 pm
JEAN LAFITTE NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK VISITOR CENTER, NEW ORLEANS JAZZ NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK — Darianna Videaux c apitel, 2 pm
NEW ORLEANS BOTANICAL GARDEN
— evenings with enrique, 5 pm
ONE EYED JACKS — Futurebirds with Illiterate Light, 8 pm
SANTOS — Sloppy Seconds, The Pall bearers, What a Waste, 8 & 9 pm
THE BOMBAY CLUB — Harry May ronne and chloe Marie, 9 pm
THE SANDBAR — Lynne Ariale, 7 pm
THREE KEYS AT ACE HOTEL NEW ORLEANS — Soul rotisserie with DJ Maxmillion, 6 pm
BAYOU BAR AT THE PONTCHARTRAIN HOTEL — Peter Harris Quartet, 8 pm
BLUE NILE — Where Y'at Brass Band, 9 pm
CAFE NEGRIL — Sierra Green and the Soul Machine, 10 pm
D.B.A. NEW ORLEANS — John Boutté, 7 pm; Malevitus, Qualords, 10 pm
DOS JEFES — Mark coleman Band, 8:30 pm
FRITZEL'S EUROPEAN JAZZ CLUB
— richard "Piano" Scott, 12:30 pm; Doyle cooper Band, 2:30 pm; John Saavedra Trio, 6 pm; Fritzel's All Star Band, 8 pm
GASA GASA — Oruã, Laminate, Shmoo, Will roesner, 9 pm
JEAN LAFITTE NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK VISITOR CENTER, NEW ORLEANS JAZZ NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK — cliniformanc es Drumming Series featuring Simon Lott, 3 pm
MADAME VIC'S — Andy J. Forest, 8 pm
NEUTRAL GROUND COFFEE HOUSE — Ivor Simpson-Kennedy, 9 pm
ORPHEUM THEATER — King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, 8 pm
PEACOCK ROOM, HOTEL FONTENOT — Da Lovebirds with robin Barnes and Pat c asey , 8 pm
THE JAZZ PLAYHOUSE — Brass-AHolics, 7:30 pm
THE RABBIT HOLE — Father, 9 pm
UNIVERSITY OF NEW ORLEANS AMPHITHEATRE — Limelight Thursday: cha Wa (Brass Band), 5 pm
BAYOU BAR AT THE PONTCHARTRAIN HOTEL — Peter Harris Trio, 8 pm
BLUE NILE — The c aesar Brothers, 7 pm; Kermit ruffins and the Barbe cue Swingers, 11 pm
BLUE NILE BALCONY ROOM — Trum pet Slim & Brass Flavor, 10 pm D.B.A. NEW ORLEANS — charlie and the Tropicales, 5 pm; The Morning 40 Federation, 10 pm
DOS JEFES — Afrodiziac's Jazz, 9 pm
FRITZEL'S EUROPEAN JAZZ CLUB — richard “Piano” Scott, 12:30 pm; Sam Friend Band, 2:30 pm; Lee Floyd and Thunderbolt Trio, 6 pm; Fritzel's All Star Band, 9 pm
HOUSE OF BLUES — Väkú & Friends , 8 pm
HOWLIN' WOLF — Wild For the Night, Freewater, 10 pm
JEAN LAFITTE NATIONAL HISTOR ICAL PARK VISITOR CENTER, NEW ORLEANS JAZZ NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK — Sequenon Kone, Queen Kalindah Laveaux, & Dr. Michael White, 12 pm
KERRY IRISH PUB — Patrick cooper, 9 pm
MADAME VIC'S — cricket and the 2:19, 8 pm
MANDEVILLE TRAILHEAD — Gregg Wright, 6:30 pm
MUSIC BOX VILLAGE — Village House Band, 5 pm
NEUTRAL GROUND COFFEE HOUSE — Daniel Thompson, 7:30 pm; Glitter Fox, 9 pm
PUBLIC BELT AT HILTON RIVERSIDE — Phil Melancon, 8 pm
ROCK 'N' BOWL — Neutral Snap, 8:30 pm
SIBERIA — Death church, c affetine, Floral Distortion, 9 pm
SIDNEY'S SALOON — The Great Twenty- eights , 9 pm
SOUTHPORT HALL LIVE MUSIC & PARTY HALL — Bombshell Brew & Boots, 9 pm
THE JAZZ PLAYHOUSE — Trixie Minx's Burlesque Ballroom, feat. romy Kaye, 7 & 9 pm
THE RABBIT HOLE — Leonce, Bell curve, Heelturn, Good Xtreme and Trash Magnolia, 11 pm
THREE KEYS AT ACE HOTEL NEW ORLEANS — Three Keys presents: Water Seed’s Wild Nights, 9 pm; Fùnké, 10:30 pm
TIPITINA'S — Twiddle, Dogs in a Pile, 8 pm
BAYOU BAR AT THE PONTCHAR TRAIN HOTEL — Jordan Anderson, 8 pm BLUE NILE — George Brown Band, 7 pm; The Soul rebels, 11 pm BLUE NILE BALCONY ROOM — The Marigny Street Brass Band, 10 pm; The Soul rebels, Alfred Banks, 11 pm
D.B.A. NEW ORLEANS — Lost Bayou ramblers, 10 pm
DMACS BAR & GRILL — Love Your Own Noise (LYON), 8 pm
DOS JEFES — Wayne Maureau Quar tet, 8:30 pm
FRITZEL'S EUROPEAN JAZZ CLUB — richard “Piano” Scott, 12:30 pm; Lee Floyd and Thunderbolt Trio, 6 pm; Fritzel's All Star Band, 9 pm
GASA GASA — Automatic, 9 pm
HOWLIN' WOLF — Spring Heeled Jax, Drab, She Might Be a Beast, Vedas, Back reel , 8 pm
MADAME VIC'S — The Skull club reunion Band, 8 pm
MARDI GRAS WORLD — Hell's Gala 2022: Death by Disco, 8 pm
MARSALIS HARMONY PARK — c ast Iron c actus, 11 am NEUTRAL GROUND COFFEE HOUSE — Palmer Means, 7:30 pm; Daniel Thomas Phipps, 9 pm
ONE EYED JACKS — The Siouxsies with Palace of Tears, 9 pm
PUBLIC BELT AT HILTON RIVERSIDE — Phil Melancon, 8 pm
SANTOS — Santoria, Quadroholics, New Thousand, Sean Parks, clan destine Sydicate, 9 pm
SIDNEY'S SALOON — The Under ground, 9 pm
THE BOMBAY CLUB — Anais St. John, 8 pm
THE JAZZ PLAYHOUSE — The Nayo Jones experience, 7:30 pm; The Nayo Jones experience, 9 pm
THREE KEYS AT ACE HOTEL NEW ORLEANS — Be Not Afraid of Love Book Tour with Mimi Zhu, 6 pm
TIPITINA'S — Galactic, Anjelika "Jelly" Joseph, The company Stores, 10 pm
WILD BUSH FARM + VINEYARD —
The New Orleans Johnny's, 6:30 pm
ZONY MASH BEER PROJECT — Pell-O-Ween, 9 pm
BLUE NILE — The Baked Potatoes, 7 pm; Street Legends Brass Band, 10 pm
D.B.A. NEW ORLEANS — Palmetto Bug Stompers, 5 pm; The rumble, 10 pm
DOS JEFES — Michael Liuzza & co., 8:30 pm
FRITZEL'S EUROPEAN JAZZ CLUB — Banjo on Bourbon, 12:30 pm; Marla Dixon Band, 6 pm; Fritzel's All Star Band, 8 pm;
FRITZEL'S EUROPEAN JAZZ CLUB — Joe Kennedy Band, 2:30 pm
GASA GASA — Automatic, 9 pm
HOWLIN' WOLF — Hot 8 Brass Band, 10 pm
SANTOS — Freak Daddy, eureeka Starfish, empty Model, 9 pm
SIBERIA — Bella's Bartok, Pastel Panties, 9 pm
SOUTHPORT HALL LIVE MUSIC & PARTY HALL — Adam calhoun, 7 pm
THE JAZZ PLAYHOUSE — The Wolfe Johns Blues Band, 6:30 pm
THE MAISON RESTAURANT AND MUSIC CLUB — Herlin riley and Traditional Majesty, 4 pm; Herlin riley and Traditional Majesty, 5:45 pm
THE RABBIT HOLE — Anna Morgan, Tristan Dufrene, Unicorn Fukr, Virtue Signal, 10 pm
THREE KEYS AT ACE HOTEL NEW ORLEANS — We Got Game w/ DJ Digital & Friends, 3:30 pm
TIPITINA'S — Ibibio Sound Machine, cha Wa, Terror Jr., 8 pm
BLUE NILE — Where Y'at Brass Band, 7 pm; DJ T- rOY'S Nightmare on Frenchmen Street, 9 pm
BLUE NILE BALCONY ROOM — Strange Brew, 9 pm
D.B.A. NEW ORLEANS — The Iguanas, 6 pm; Mike Dillon & Punkadelic, 10 pm
DOS JEFES — John Fohl, 8:30 pm
FRITZEL'S EUROPEAN JAZZ CLUB — Lee Floyd and Thunderbolt Trio, 5 pm; richard "Piano" Scott and Friends, 8 pm
GASA GASA — Ken mode, UT/e X and c apra, 9 am
KERRY IRISH PUB — Patrick cooper, 8:30 pm
SIBERIA — People Museum, Toonces, 9 pm
SIDNEY'S SALOON — DarkLounge Ministries, 8 pm
by Jake Clapp
It’s intentional. The New Orleans guitarist and singer was reflecting on the last few years — both his personal life and the turbulent national scene — and decided he wanted to inject some posi tivity into the record.
“I wouldn’t say I’m like this outwardly optimistic person, but I think also in the world of songwriting, you can kind of be who you want to be,” Teitel says. “I want people to feel good. Be thought-pro voking, but also give people a sense of hope.”
“I Got My Thing,” which is out on Nov. 10, has messages about sticking together through hard times, growing older and wiser and finding patience amid the chaos of the world. And he closes the album with “In This Life,” which comments on the turmoil of the Trump administration and the rise of right-wing misinformation and urges listeners to find more love in this life.
Teitel couches the positivity in funk, soul and rhythm and blues with touches of gospel. He found inspiration from ’70s r&B and soul records, like Marvin Gaye’s “I Want You” and Leon Ware’s “Musical Massage,” as well as artists like Bobby Womack, Sly Stone and roy Ayers. There also are more current influences, like produc ers Madlib and 9th Wonder and singer D’Angelo.
“I think there was a big research phase before and during the making of the album, just things that influenced my production decision,” Teitel says.
“I Got My Thing” is Teitel’s first solo album in five years and his first recorded since moving to New Orleans from Detroit around 2016 (his first album was made while he was finishing college in Michigan). Since moving to New Orleans, he’s been active as a sideman, playing with PJ Morton, the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra, Dumpstaphunk and Gabrielle cavassa. He also earned two Grammy nominations as the musi cal director of cha Wa. earlier this year, Teitel and sev eral other members of cha Wa left the band to form the Mardi Gras Indian funk group The rumble.
Guitarist, singer and producer Ari Teitel releases his new solo album, ‘I Got My Thing,’ on Nov. 10.
He also plays in the soul band The Get Together and fronts his own Ari Teitel Project.
“I kind of decided it was time to get back to doing my own original music,” Teitel says. “I feel like peo ple saw me in such a wide variety of contexts, whether it was more of a funk thing, more New Orleans music, Mardi Gras Indian music, jazz. So I wanted to show who I am as a musician and a writer and producer and solidify my voice in the process.”
Teitel wrote “I Got My Thing” in 2021 and hit the studio in January. Tracks on the album feature singer-keyboardist Nigel Hall, drummers Jamison ross and Simon Lott, bassist Paul randolph and organist Kendrick Marshall.
Vocalists erica Falls and Tracci Lee sing with Teitel on the album.
Teitel grew up outside of Detroit and picked up the guitar at a young age. He studied music at Michigan State University and gigged around Detroit until about six years ago when he decided to move to New Orleans. He’s since found steady work playing a variety of genres, from Mardi Gras Indian funk to r&B and straightahead jazz.
“I feel like there aren’t many other places where you can do that,” he says.
Teitel will play a record release show on Nov. 20 at Maple Leaf Bar. Find more at facebook. com/ariteitelmusic.
cohorts LeTrainiump, $leazy eZ and Kr3wcial. Zony Mash also will be sell ing a new drink, “cruel Pop,” during the night. An afterparty follows at The rabbit Hole with DJ Sasha Marie. Tickets are $25 advance, $30 day of via zonymashbeer.com.
PSYCHEDELIC SURF PUNK FREAKOUT BAND DAIKAIJU LANDS AT SATURN BAR Friday, Oct. 28, and hopefully the venerable old building will survive the show. Originally from Hunstsville, Alabama, the Kabukimasked members of the band take on secret identities when tak ing the stage. Their instrumental Kaiju-inspired performances are legendary — as is their fond ness for lighting stuff on fire. At 9 p.m. For more information, check thesaturnbar.com.
MISSISSIPPI-BASED SINGER-SONGWRITER SERABEE RELEASED HER ROOTSY NEW ALBUM “Hummingbird Tea” earlier this month. She plays an album release show at 8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 27, at the House of Blues, and the night also will feature performances
by several New Orleans greats. Herlin riley, John Lisi and Delta Funk and russell Batiste & Friends share the bill. Tickets start at $20 via houseof blues.com/neworleans.
SANTOS HOSTS ITS “HOUSE OF 1000 DEVILS” SHOW at 9 p.m. Sunday, Oct.
30. Headliners include Freak Daddy, the self-described “archangel of pop” and a pioneering transgender musician who champions inclusivity. The lineup also includes drag per former and DJ eureeka Starfish and two-piece experimental ambient outfit empty Model. There will also be DJ sets by faeriegothmother, Sean Straynge, Black Materia and Siren. Tickets are available at santosbar.com.
DISNEY’S EVER-POPULAR STORY OF SIMBA THE LION AND HIS FRIENDS Timon the meerkat and Pumbaa the wart hog returns to New Orleans. The touring Broadway musical produc tion will be at Saenger Theatre from Thursday, Oct. 27, through Nov. 13. Showtimes vary. Find tickets via saengernola.com.
ATLANTA-BASED COLLECTIVE PUNK BLACK IS BACK IN NEW ORLEANS with a show highlighting Black and Brown punk musicians. The river Dragon, Pure Mutt, The rack and Howling Star play Gasa Gasa at 9 p.m. Friday, Oct. 28. Tickets are $10 via ticketweb.com.
BJ’S LOUNGE HOSTS ITS WEEKLY OUTDOOR MOVIE SERIES, curated by TimesPicayune investigative reporter Joey cranney, who moonlights as a film critic when not attempting to track down Sidney Torres IV. The scares will be plentiful Tuesday, Oct. 25 as cranney introduces “Texas chainsaw Massacre” at 8 p.m. The film screening is free to attend and includes plenty of popcorn.
SOUTHERN ROCK JAM BAND GOV’T MULE CLOSES OUT ITS FALL TOUR with the Mule-O-Ween party at 9 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 29, at the Orpheum Theater. The band’s latest album is 2021’s “Heavy Load Blues.” Tickets start at $35 via ticketmaster.com.
GEORGIA INDIE ROCKERS FUTUREBIRDS HAVE ALWAYS HAD TINGES OF PSYCHEDELIA AND ALT-COUNTRY in their sound. The group went to Nashville to record its latest eP, the seven-track “Bloomin’ Too,” with My Morning Jacket’s carl Broemel. Futurebirds performs at 9 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 26, at One eyed Jacks. Illiterate Light opens. Tickets $25 via oneeyedjacks.net.
FRANKIE AND THE WITCH FINGERS HAVE BROKEN OUT ON THE WEST COAST as a psych rock band heavy on grooving, fuzzy guitars and reverb. Kairos creature club and Loudness War also perform at 9 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 26, at Gasa Gasa. Tickets $15 via ticketweb.com.
SINGER-SONGWRITER AMOS LEE RECENTLY RELEASED A DELUXE EDITION of his February album “Dreamland.” It’s an intimate project on which he delves into his own struggles with mental health and other issues. Mutlu opens at 8:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 31, at Orpheum Theater. Find tickets via ticketmaster.com.
by Will Colviello
AT 20 YEARS OLD, ORSON WELLES MAY HAVE HAD A LOT TO LEARN . But at that age, he directed an all-Black cast in a production of “Macbeth” by the Negro Theater Unit in Harlem that became a sensa tion and toured the country, acquiring the lasting nick name “Voodoo Macbeth.”
The 2021 movie “Voodoo Macbeth” dramatizes the launching of the play. It paints a picture in which Welles struggles with himself, his wife, his actors and more as he tries to get the production to opening night. The film’s drama and humor follow as plenty of partici pants help him get his act together. It’s an entertaining movie based on the landmark 1936 production. The Negro Theater Unit had been created by the Federal Theater Project, a Depression-era New Deal program to employ artists. Negro Theater was directed by the legendary actress rose Mcclendon and John Houseman, who some may remember as the unctuous law professor from TV and film’s “The Paper chase.” Houseman was a mentor to young Welles and enlisted the already successful radio star to direct the classic play.
In “Voodoo Macbeth,” Welles’ wife Virginia starts generating ideas for the production, most crucially the concept of changing the setting from Scotland to Haiti in the era of its revolution. It’s a point of conten tion as Welles seems to take credit for her idea.
Much has been written about the production. It’s true that Welles cast very few professional actors, though in the film it’s uncertain if he’s a genius for spotting talent or reck lessly impulsive. The film is clear that Mcclendon is a serious actress and a leader in the theater. Inger Tudor does an excellent job communicat ing her determination and talents. It’s also historically true that the theater group was modeled on Mcclendon’s Negro People’s Theater.
The production doesn’t have to wait for opening night to find crit ics. A congressman doesn’t like the idea of the play, calling it “un-Amer ican,” and he is a meddling force.
(The actual Federal Theater Project was terminated in 1939 following
accusations ranging from commu nist infiltration to being too racially integrated.) In the movie, Black people protest outside the theater, objecting to the number of white people involved in the production.
Personal challenges abound. Welles’ heavy drinking sabotages rehearsals and his marriage. In one subplot, characters struggle with homophobia. An actor of Puerto rican descent disappears, and its suggested he’s being unfairly targeted as an undocumented immigrant, which he is not.
As the problems cascade upon one another, it seems that there’s no way the cast can pull it together. Some of the script’s schemes seem too obvious, like the telegraphed disaster of depend ing on an alcoholic to sober up by opening night. Another choice by Welles seems like it would have been the absolute last straw.
The film seems to want to hold that resolving the casts’ various interpersonal issues is the magic that makes the company’s work soar. By framing it around Welles, it also makes the story hinge on the contributions of one white participant. Both of those choices ultimately obscure the historic show’s merits.
The film was gang written and there are 10 credited directors, many of whom were students or alumni of USc programs. At times, contemporary sensitivities seem to be winking from the behind the period costumes and setting.
But there are many great per formances, and the story still hues close enough to the original facts and savors some of its triumph. It’s a story well worth retelling.
“Voodoo Macbeth” opens Oct. 28 at Zeitgeist Theatre & Lounge.
