New Orleans Creole Cookery
BECAUSE IT’S SPOOKY SEASON, New Orleans Creole Cookery is the perfect place to dine. Known for its hauntings, the French Quarter restaurant is full of supernatural stories. Some patrons can recount their experiences from hearing whisperings in their ear to “go check the children” to all the bathroom faucets running on their own. Owner Anna Tusa and her husband, AJ, have had their fair share of incidents. Upon closing one evening, the two walked around turning off the lights. After they walked to their car, they drove past to see all of the lights back on. As Anna explains, “I told the spirits that it was time to go home and the lights should stay off! “A yellow fever epidemic in 1853 claimed the lives of nearly 8,000 people, many of them children. The barred window of a former sick ward can be seen from the courtyard of the 66
I nside N ew Orl ea n s
by Leah Draffen
Cookery. It was filled with quarantined yellow fever victims which is maybe an explanation for the presence of so many ghostly children.” There was also a lover’s quarrel in the 1800s that ended in the death of the mistress, man, and eventually the wife. The three have never left the premises. If you’re a fan of storied pasts, I’m sure you’re making reservations now. To top off the experience, here’s what you can find on the menu: char-grilled oysters, crab stuffed mushrooms, redfish almondine, grillades and grits, and creole pasta, among a variety of Creole and Cajun classics. Enjoy happy hour MondayFriday from 3-6pm featuring half-off char-grilled and raw oysters, half-off select appetizers and daily drink specials. Located at 508 Toulouse Street. For reservations and the full menu, visit neworleanscreolecookery.com.
photo courtesy: ANNA TUSA
Last Bite
