WYES PRESENTS KEVIN BELTON’S NEW ORLEANS KITCHEN
APRIL 2018
april 2018 / VOLUME 52 / NUMBER 6 Editor-in-Chief Errol Laborde Managing Editor Ashley McLellan Art Director Tiffani Reding Amedeo Contributing Writers Mary Lou Eichhorn, Fritz Esker, Kathy Finn, Dawn Ruth Wilson, Brobson Lutz, M.D., Jason Berry, Carolyn Kolb, Chris Rose, Eve Crawford Peyton, Mike Griffith, Liz Scott Monaghan, Lee Cutrone, Dale Curry, Jay Forman, Tim McNally, Robert Peyton, Mirella Cameran Digital Media Editor Kelly Massicot Social Media Assistant Becca Miller Staff Writers Topher Balfer, Kelly Massicot, Melanie Warner Spencer Vice President of Sales Colleen Monaghan Advertising Sales Manager Kate Sanders Henry (504) 830-7216 / Kate@MyNewOrleans.com Senior Account Executive Claire Cummings Account Executive Rachel Webber Director of Marketing and Events Cheryl Lemoine Event Coordinator Whitney Weathers Digital Media Associate Mallary Matherne For event information call (504) 830-7264 Production Manager Jessica DeBold Production Designers Emily Andras, Demi Schaffer, Molly Tullier Traffic Manager Topher Balfer Chief Executive Officer Todd Matherne President Alan Campell Executive Vice President Errol Laborde Distribution Manager John Holzer Administrative Assistant Mallary Matherne Subscriptions Manager Brittanie Bryant For subscription information call (504) 828-1380 WYES DIAL 12 STAFF (504) 486-5511 Executive Editor Aislinn Hinyup Associate Editor Robin Cooper Art Director Jenny Hronek NEW ORLEANS MAGAZINE Printed in USA A Publication of Renaissance Publishing 110 Veterans Memorial Blvd., Suite 123, Metairie, LA 70005 MyNewOrleans.com
New Orleans Magazine (ISSN 0897 8174) is published monthly by Renaissance Publishing, LLC., 110 Veterans Blvd., Suite 123, Metairie, LA 70005; (504) 828-1380. Subscription rates: one year $19.95; Mexico, South America and Canada $48; Europe, Asia and Australia $75. An associate subscription to New Orleans Magazine is available by a contribution of $40 or more to WYES-TV/Channel 12, $10.00 of which is used to offset the cost of publication. Also available electronically, on CD-ROM and on-line. Periodicals postage paid at Metairie, LA, and additional entry offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to New Orleans Magazine, 110 Veterans Blvd., Suite 123, Metairie, LA 70005. Copyright 2018 New Orleans Magazine. No part of this publication may be reproduced without the consent of the publisher. The trademark New Orleans and New Orleans Magazine are registered. New Orleans Magazine is not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts, photos and artwork even if accompanied by a self-addressed stamped envelope. The opinions expressed in New Orleans Magazine are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the view of the magazine managers or owners.
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Contents fe a tu r es
56
68
74
Bywater Bounce
Fest Dressed
Bienville’s Tattoos
What To Do And Where To Go
Spring Festival Fashion
For the founder of New Orleans, some beliefs were skin deep
By R. Stephanie Bruno
By lisa tudor
By sally asher
on the cover St. Roch Market, St. Claude Avenue photo by Gabrielle Geiselman-Milone
Contents de p a r tments
82
Local Color Chris Rose Not Complaining 40
Modine Gunch Pregnant Pause 42
Joie d’Eve Working Mom Life 44
In Tune Two Fests and the Rest 46
26
Book Review This month’s best reads 48
Jazz Life
The Beat Marquee Entertainment calendar 24
Beauty and the Beads 50
Home Family First 52
Art Poster Rap 26
Persona Big Freedia 28
Biz Feeling the Pulse 30
Education Teaching the Teachers 32
Health Dermatologically Speaking 34
Chronicles On Your Toes 36
The Menu Table Talk Kin 78
Restaurant Insider News From the Kitchens 80
Food Crawfish Bread 82
Last Call Pearl’s Patio-tini 84
In Every Issue
Dining Guide Plus restaurant spotlights 86
Inside Bywater on the March 12
Speaking Out 52
Editorial, plus a Mike Luckovich cartoon 18
Julia Street Questions and answers about our city 20
Try This Counter Service 126
Streetcar How Bienville Got His Name 128
DIAL 12, D1 Kevin Belton is back for another round of fun and cooking instruction in a new 26-part series produced by WYES-TV, New Orleans’ PBS station serving southeast Louisiana and the Mississippi Gulf Coast. KEVIN BELTON’S NEW ORLEANS KITCHEN premieres on WYES-TV/ Channel 12 on Sat., April 7 at 9:30am. Meet Chef Belton in person at WYES – Sat., April 7th – event details at wyes.org.
inside
Bywater on the March
W
hat does it say of a neighborhood that one of its most important locations is called The Healing Center? It could be that there are lots of health problems in the hood, or it could suggest healing as part of the spiritual renewal of everyday life. In the case of the multi-use facility of St. Claude Avenue in Bywater it is the latter—the best of both worlds, healing without having to be sick to experience it. That reflects the zen of the place’s founding couple, Sallie Ann Glassman and husband Pres Kabacoff. She, among other things, is a voodoo priestess ordained in the Haitian ritual. He is a developer who likes to explore visionary ideas. They have brought to the Center a spirituality which, if not always holy, is certainly holistic. Across the street is a building that has not just been healed but resurrected, the St. Roch Market. The former public market reopened as a lively retail area and a fertile field where food vendors can test their products. It is what every neighborhood needs, a restored gathering spot with food and libation. And the list continues. There is the New Orleans Center for the Creative Arts, the school system’s talent factory. Neighboring it are classic city blocks stocked with grand old houses of the sort where people can still sit on stoops and actually talk to their neighbors. 14
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A pedestrian bridge crosses the railroads track for access to Crescent Park, where a walk on the levee shows the river winding through its serpentine path. St. Claude Avenue is the main artery. It was named after early developer Claude Treme, who was no saint. Too bad there wasn’t an actual St. Claude. He could be the patron saint of funkiness, a trait found in rebounding neighborhoods. There is another saint in the neighborhood’s pantheon. On Mardi Gras from the headwaters of Bywater comes streams of masked walkers collectively known as the Society of St. Anne. They wander through the neighborhood before crossing into the French Quarter and reaching a common channel down Royal Street. No single moment in Carnival provides so many quality street maskers in one place. St. Anne, and its offshoots, are the neighborhood’s gift to the Carnival. Once more, Bywater (our cover story) has proven good for the spirit. May the healing never cease.
meet the sales staff
Kate Sanders Henry Sales Manager (504) 830-7216, Kate@myneworleans.com
Claire Cummings Senior Account Executive (504) 830-7250, Claire@myneworleans.com
Rachel Webber Account Executive (504) 830-7249, Rachel@MyNewOrleans.com
Colleen Monaghan Vice President of Sales (504) 830-7215, Colleen@myneworleans.com 16
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speaking out
Beauregard What To Tell The Child
I
n defense of his removal of confederate statues, Mayor Mitch Landrieu, on at least a couple of occasions, posed the hypothetical question about how the parent of a black child would answer when asked what a statue represents. We hope that any parent of any race would have the wisdom to answer that while all people are undeniably created equal that many times people, even those who wear similar uniforms, are different in intent, attitude and performance later in life. In a fair world they all should be judged as individuals. To do otherwise is to stereotype, and that itself is bigotry. Among the statues that were
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removed, the biggest mistake was that of General P.G.T. Beauregard. He among all the others was a native of New Orleans. Beauregard is best known for the war’s first moment, the opening shots at Ft. Sumter. But he can be appreciated for the life he lived after the war when he led a movement of reconciliation and advocated racially mixed schools, transportation and voting rights. “I am persuaded that the natural relation between the white and colored people is that of friendship,” Beauregard once wrote. Beauregard fought for the Confederacy not because of slavery, but because, at that time, loyalty was given to states rather than the nation. For the same
reason Robert E. Lee, who had he decided differently might have been President of the United States one day, fought for the South because he was from Virginia. Proponents of the statue removal make much of the phrase “cult of the lost cause” a sinister sounding phrase that implies that statues of Southern generals were erected after the war to make it seem like they never lost. Those who argue that miss the point. The American Civil War was never like other wars where in the end the winner punished the loser. Abraham Lincoln understood that this was a war of brothers against brothers, and that for the nation to prosper, reconciliation was the answer not punishment. Robert E.
Lee agreed and spent his postwar years getting soldiers to lay down their arms to rebuild the nation. Beauregard did much of the same. Statues depicting the southern effort were allowed because they represented a common experience. In some respect the strategy worked. Although confederate flags still flew in the South, the American flag flew higher. The region was considered the most patriotic part of America. We would hope that the parent would emphasize to the child that there will be future statues of other people of other races each representing an episode of the American story: a story that should never be hidden away in a crate. •
AN ORIGINAL ©MIKE LUCKOVICH CARTOON FOR NEW ORLEANS MAGAZINE
julia street
Dear Julia, My grandfather was trying to tell me about the jail in Arabi, Louisiana but he didn’t know much about it. He seems to think it was the first jail in St. Bernard. I passed by to get some information on it, but it seems like it’s abandoned. It’s located in an area not noticeable. Would you be able to give me some background on this jail? Thank you so much, – Jessica Henry Daboval, then manager of the nearby Crescent City Stock Yard and Slaughter House Company, designed the new First Ward Justice Courthouse and Jail, which J. C. Bourg built in 1911. Justices of the Peace held court in the structure until 1923 and the jail remained in use until 1939. The tiny cement building at 220 Hernandez replaced a 19th century jail that had been torn down after it had been deemed insecure. The 1911 structure was restored in 1985, but, 20 years later, post-Katrina flooding damaged it. A FEMA-funded renovation was undertaken in 2011; the walls, metal bars and one of the cells are original. After a brief stint as a parish tourism office, the jail last served as home to the Old Arabi Jail/Sugar Museum.
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with poydras the parrot
Dear Julia, While browsing through some old family photo albums, I ran across a photo of me and my husband all dressed up. On the back of the photo I had written “Our 35th anniversary at Mali D’s.” We will be celebrating our 60th anniversary in June and neither of us remember this celebration at Mali D’s. From the name, we assume it was a restaurant. Are we right? Where was it located and what kind of restaurant was it? We appreciate your assistance. – Mary and Ron Fonseca Mali D’s was a short-lived Italian restaurant located in a cottage at 98 Friedrichs Avenue near Metairie Road. It opened about 1993 and was gone by the time the 1996 city directory was being compiled. The Friedrichs Avenue cottage had been a restaurant since 1984, when chef Gerard Thabuis opened La Savoie, a venture which lasted only a year before Gambrill’s, originally a joint venture of chefs Gerhard Brill and Stephen Gamble, succeeded it. -----------------------------------------------------------------Dear Julia and Poydras, There are many architectural marvels in New Orleans; but the one that amazes me
most is the magnificent mausoleum that catches everyone’s attention coming from the West on the I-10. It is higher than anything around it, has what appears to be angels surrounding a cross-topped tower, and is marked with the name “Moriarty.” There must be a story behind it. I would love it if you could tell me it was the final resting place of Professor Moriarty. Perhaps, after doing in Sherlock Holmes he escaped the law in England and fled to New Orleans where he invented the pot hole and endeared himself to car and wagon repairers. If anyone could tell me the truth, I know it would be you two and I am dying to learn it. Related and equally baffling is the question of why there are never birds perched on the top of this edifice. Dear Poydras, were I a parrot or a feathered friend of humbler pedigree, this is the one spot in the city I would choose to make my home, to rest and watch the traffic, and to choose carefully which of those cars I’d like to decorate. Is there some sort of a curse on the building? Is it made of some sort of avian-allergenic granite? Please help me with this. Sincerely, Kevin Cahalan (Kenner, LA) Kevin, as for your suggestion that the tomb might be the resting place of Sherlock Holmes’ nemesis Professor Moriarty the answer is “elementary.” Completed in 1897, the memorial honors grocer and real estate speculator Daniel Moriarty’s first wife, Mary Farrell, and Moriaty’s father, Joseph. So massive were the granite components that special rail cars and a temporary railroad spur were built to transport the materials from New England to the building site in Metairie Cemetery. As for the monument’s roof being bird free, Poydras will be of no help. He has a phobia of landing on top of tombs. He does, however, enjoy the architecture. The four sculptures adorning the Moriarty obelisk represent Faith, Hope, Charity and Memory. Stone carver Alexander McDonald, of Cambridge, Massachusetts, sculpted the four statues, which are made of Westerly granite. The obelisk they adorn is made of Barre granite and is the work of Mackie, Hussey & Co., of Barre, Vermont.
Have a question for julia? Send your question to: Julia Street, c/o New Orleans Magazine, 110 Veterans Blvd., Suite 123, Metairie, LA 70005 or email: Errol@MyNewOrleans.com.
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The Beat MARQUEE . ART . PERSONA . BIZ . EDUCATION . HEALTH . CHRONICLES
greg miles photo
Big Freedia: Queen Diva bounce music artist and performer
THE beat . marquee
April Our top picks for this month’s events By fritz esker
John Cleese - Monty Python and the Holy Grail
Purple Rain: The Music of Prince
Tricentennial NOLA Navy Week
John Cleese, founding member of the legendary Monty Python comedy troupe, is coming to the Saenger to present the cult classic Monty Python and the Holy Grail on April 6. Cleese will also tell stories from his career and conduct a Q & A (outrageous questions encouraged). Information, SaengerNOLA.com.
The Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra is teaming with a full rock band to bring audiences the music of “Prince in Purple Rain: The Music of Prince” on April 21 at the Orpheum Theater. The event promises to be a combination of virtuouso performance and dynamic lighting in honor of the beloved rock star. Information, OrpheumNOLA.com.
From April 19-April 25, ships from the U.S. and around the world will dock at the New Orleans Riverfront for one week as part of the city’s tricentennial celebration. There will be free ship tours and a cook-off between the ships. Information, 2018nola.com.
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A Run/Walk Through History If you want to get some exercise in a beautiful setting, go to historic Metairie Cemetery on April 22 for A Run/Walk Through History. It’s the largest run/walk in a cemetery in the United States. After the race, festivities will include food, beverages and live music featuring the Benny Maygarden Band. Information, NOLArunning.com.
calendar Events, Exhibits & Performances January 1-June 30
April 14
The Church in the Crescent: 300 Years of Catholicism in New Orleans, Old Ursuline Convent. OldUrsulineConventMuseum.com.
Derek Smalls with the LPO: Lukewarm Water Live!, Saenger Theater. SaengerNOLA.com. April 17-22
March 1- May 28
The Founding Era Exhibit, Historic New Orleans Collection. Hnoc.org.
Rent, Saenger Theater. SaengerNOLA.com. April 17
YLC Wednesday at the Square, Lafayette Square. YLCNola.org.
Tricentennial Interfaith Prayer Service, St. Louis Cathedral. 2018nola.com/events.
April 6
April 20
WWE Hall of Fame, Smoothie King Center. SmoothieKingCenter.com.
New Orleans Voices of Congo Square, Orpheum Theater. OrpheumNOLA.com.
March 14 - May 30
April 6
Vivaldi’s Four Seasons with Shostakovich’s Tenth Symphony, Orpheum Theater. OrpheumNOLA. com.
April 20-22
April 7
April 20
ROH Wrestling Presents Supercard of Honor XII, Lakefront Arena. Arena.uno.edu.
Mahalia Jackson Theater 75th Anniversary Celebration, Mahalia Jackson Theater. MahaliaJacksonTheater.com.
New Orleans Tricentennial International Weekend, Gallier Hall. 2018nola.com/events.
April 7
Freret Street Festival, Freret Street. Facebook.com/Freret-StreetFestival-179334215436484.
April 25
Maks, Val & Peta: Confidential Live on Tour, Saenger Theater. SaengerNOLA.com.
April 7
Hubbard Street Dance Chicago, Mahalia Jackson Theater. MahaliaJacksonTheater.com.
April 26-28
April 7
April 26-29
NXT Takeover, Smoothie King Center. SmoothieKingCenter.com.
Zurich Classic, Tournament Players Club. ZurichGolfClassic. com.
Trey Anastasio Band, Civic Theatre. CivicNOLA.com.
April 9
WWE Monday Night Raw, Smoothie King Center. SmoothieKingCenter.com.
April 27
Queens of the Stone Age, Saenger Theater. SaengerNOLA. com.
April 9
OMD (Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark), Civic Theatre. CivicNOLA.com.
April 27-May 6
New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, Fairgrounds. NOJazzFest. com.
April 10
WWE Smackdown Live, Smoothie King Center. SmoothieKingCenter. com.
April 28
Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue, Saenger Theater. SaengerNOLA.com.
April 12-15
French Quarter Fest, French Quarter. FQFI.org. m y ne w orleans . com
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THE beat . art
Poster Rap Breakout artist Kevin Brisco on The Queen of Bounce By Alexa Renée Harrison
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t’s that time again y’all: Jazz Fest, the annual celebration of the music and culture of New Orleans and Louisiana. And with another year comes another set of posters that will undoubtedly make their way onto the walls of so many attendees. While the main poster tends to celebrate the larger spirit of the festival, the Congo Square poster is allowed to really hone in and focus on a particular artist and their contribution to New
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Orleans music. This year’s Congo Square poster, as painted by Kevin Brisco Jr., features the likes of Big Freedia, also known as the Queen of Bounce. “The opportunity to portray Freedia is what really pulled me into the project,” says Brisco. “The poster had yet to feature a bounce artist, let alone a rapper, in a city that has dominated the rap genre for decades.” The poster, created with oil paints,
is groundbreaking for reasons beyond this as well—this is the first time a gay man (Freedia is a “he” but uses the feminine pronoun for her stage persona) will have been portrayed on any Jazz Fest poster. In a funny twist of fate, Freedia is actually a big part of the reason Brisco relocated from Memphis to New Orleans in 2014, making this painting all the more special to the artist. “Freedia played at my college in Connecticut in 2012 and she blew the roof off of that campus,” Brisco says. “It was by far the best show I saw there and it made me feel at home. I knew post-graduation I had to come back to the south, specifically, I needed to check out New Orleans.” The painting, which depicts the very regal Freedia resting her hand on the legacy of bounce, is based off of John Singer Sargent’s Madame X portrait. In Sargent’s painting, the figure leans on a table as an allegory for the financial support her beauty was reliant on, but in the end, as Freedia does, she stands on her own. The doorway behind Freedia looks out into The Quarter, reference photos for which were shot from the balconies of the LGBTQ bars on Bourbon. Purchase the Congo Square 2018 poster online or at Jazz Fest on April 27 - May 6, hear Big Freedia during the festival on Saturday April 28 and see more of Kevin Brisco Jr.’s work during Second Saturdays at the Good Children Gallery on St. Claude. •
cheryl gerber portrait
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THE beat . persona
True Confession: I’m addicted to ice… I chew it 24-7.
A Bounce Star is Born Big Freedia, Queen Diva by Ashley McLellan
greg miles photo
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t’s Big Freedia’s world and we’re all just living in it. Big Freedia, Queen Diva, has both a big music following and a big personality, but also is big in business. The New Orleans-born and bred entrepreneur not only pioneered the popularity of bounce music, but is also known for her cooking and cookbook (set for release in 2018), her fashion-forward style, acting roles in television and on the big screen, a reality television program, a recently published memoir and the launch of a new rosé, a wine previously only available in Spain. Born Frederick Ross, Freedia began performing by singing in the church choir, and later adopted the fabulous stage name Big Freedia, Queen Diva not long after performing as a backup dancer and inspired by her mother’s club called Diva. Freedia’s career took off on the music scene in the 2000’s, and the star soon began performing and touring nearly non-stop; a dedicated work habit that remains to today. She collaborated with Beyonce on the ground-breaking single “Formation,” and pop-artist Sia in 2015, and has plans for a new solo album on the horizon. Big Freedia will bring her everinnovative and iconic performance to the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival on Saturday, April 28, and is featured in a regal portrait on this year’s Congo Square poster by Kevin Brisco (see our Art column this month for a profile of the artist). Q: Between on-stage, on-screen, behind the scenes and on the page, is there anything Queen Diva can’t do? Doubtful. We recommend just sitting back and enjoying the ride along with Big Freedia. There’s no telling what she has next up her well-styled sleeve. Q: Who inspires your music style? Beyonce, Patti LaBelle, Little Richard, Michael Jackson, and Kanye. Q: On a similar note, who inspires
your fashion sense? There are so many, I take my cues from lots of different people. Liberace, David Bowie, Beyonce, Rhianna, Prince, & Michael Jackson.... Q: It seems you are on tour more than the average performer. What do you like most and least about touring around the U.S. and in Europe? What I like most: meeting all the fans all over the world, traveling to new cultures and seeing new things. What I like least: The plane rides and airports. Q: When you are home, you cook a lot of delicious dishes that you post to Instagram, but where are your favorite places to go out to eat in New Orleans? Neyow’s Creole Cafe and Deanie’s Seafood are my go-tos. Q: On that same note, what is your favorite thing to cook? I have so many favorite things but lately I love making shrimp and grits & my booty poppin’ potatoes are always crowd pleasers. Q: Is there anything you haven’t done that is still on your “to-do” list? Oh yes. I really want to go to Africa…which I am going for New Years’ this year! Q: What are you looking forward to about performing at Jazz Fest this year? Jazz Fest is one of my favorite festivals of all time. Food, food, music, music, food, music. Q: Who and what are on your “must see” and “must eat” list at Jazz Fest? Must See: Aretha Franklin! Must eat: Crawfish bread.
At a Glance Profession: Bounce Artist Resides: New Orleans Born: January 28 Education: USL Favorite Book: My memoir, “God Save the Queen Diva!” Favorite Movie: Black Panther Favorite TV show: Law & Order and Forensic Files Favorite Food: Fried chicken with cabbage m y ne w orleans . com
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THE beat . biz
Feeling the Pulse Better future for Big Charity? By Kathy Finn
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n a city that is arguably more preservation-minded than almost any other in the country, the fact that one of its largest and most architecturally striking buildings stands empty and neglected is almost shocking. But that is the state of the old Charity Hospital, a 1 million-square-foot, art deco structure whose 20 stories sprawl along Tulane Avenue at the edge of downtown New Orleans. For decades the complex was a hub of activity as it served as a primary source of health care for the city’s poor and an important training ground for thousands of medical professionals. But since 2005, when the city was inundated by the massive flood that followed Hurricane Katrina, “Big Charity” has sat silent and deteriorating. Though a number of proposals to reopen or redevelop the site surfaced over the years, none progressed to the point of demon30
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strating the potential financial feasibility or commercial viability that would be necessary to move a project ahead. Recently, though, a respected group of urban planners weighed in with suggestions that perhaps will lead to a rescue of the 1939 structure from its status as an eyesore. In February, a panel of experts convened by the national Urban Land Institute released details of a study of Charity Hospital that they undertook late last year. Headed by John Walsh, who is founder and president of real estate development firm TIG in Dallas, the 10-member panel included highly regarded financial and academic advisers and leading real estate professionals from around the country. While some of New Orleans’ foremost real estate professionals are members of the ULI, the panel
members who agreed to study Big Charity all came from other cities, in part to ensure that the panel could operate independently. The panel members, who spent a full week in New Orleans studying Big Charity, did, however, interview dozens of local people about how the structure should return to use. The panel’s report suggests a handful of possibilities, including redevelopment for education or work force development; public agency and institutional uses; partial use as a museum; retail in conjunction with neighborhood service amenities; technology development and research; and partial use for work force housing. “It was abundantly clear that now is the time to act,” Walsh said in releasing the report. “It was equally clear that the thoughtful reuse of Charity Hospital could symbolize as well as catalyze
healing and moving forward.” Walsh emphasized that any redevelopment of the huge building will succeed only if the efforts encompass the area surrounding the building. “The one is inextricably tied to the other,” he said. Well-known local commercial real estate professional Jimmy Maurin believes the panel’s report holds promise for the future of Charity. “ULI took a fresh, independent look at the building, and they have great credibility,” he said. The ULI panel recommended the formation of a Charity District Coordinating Committee to develop a strategic plan that would include, with legislative help, tax incentives that would help draw developers. Maurin believes this approach soon will lead to a request for proposals that can help fill a gap between downtown New Orleans and the area above Claiborne Avenue, where growth is being driven by the new University Medical Center and Veterans Ad m i n i s t ra t i o n H o s p i t a l . “Development kind of jumped over Claiborne Avenue leaving the area on the other side of Claiborne quiet,” he said. Whatever comes to pass at the Big Charity site, its redevelopment will involve a long-term lease with LSU Health Foundation, which owns the building. And Maurin says one certainty is that the site will not return exclusively to medical use. After the federal government invested huge sums, post-Katrina, into development of the new University Medical Center, he says, a deed restriction was placed on Big Charity stipulating that the site will not reopen as a hospital.• cheryl gerber photo
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THE beat . education
Teaching the Teachers Brian Riedlinger, Pursuing Change By Dawn Ruth Wilson
B
rian Riedlinger’s tiny office in the School Leadership Center (SLC) contains only the essentials: a desk, a bookcase and many books. Most of those books are about one topic – education. A beloved silver one entitled “The New Meaning of Educational Change” occupies a top shelf, both in the bookcase and in Riedlinger’s long career as a school leader and teacher of educators. A sentence in it changed his thinking years ago while he was still a principal. Now, after five decades
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in education and on the cusp of retirement, Riedlinger still quotes that sentence: “If there’s no turmoil at your school, you are not doing anything.” That quote, discovered while he was getting a Ph.D. at the University of New Orleans, changed his attitude about conflict. “It taught me to just let conflict happen – not squelch it,” he said. “Out of conflict good things happen.” He got a solid taste for conflict and its potential as a game-changer
after Hurricane Katrina all but wiped out the New Orleans school system in 2005. Most schools were too damaged to reopen, but a few were salvageable in Algiers. A group of schools on the West Bank of New Orleans got together to form an association of charter schools so they could reopen quickly. Riedlinger was appointed the Algiers Charter School Association’s first superintendent, a position that he recalls as the most “fun” he has had in education. “We got to invent some of the rules,” he said. “We got new schools open in 20 days.” Creative change has been his specialty. Accolades brought by his leadership in two New Orleans schools led to his appointment as CEO of the SLC in 1997. Now, 21 years later, with hundreds of SLC trained school leaders in the pipeline throughout Louisiana, he has decided to retire to what he jokingly calls “sitting on the beach.” The SLC, which provides on-the-job professional development for principals and other school leaders, was founded by the Baptist Community Ministries in cooperation with Xavier University and UNO. Since its launch, it has trained over 300 principals, assistant principals and other school administrators to lead schools stretching from
Shreveport to Venice, at the foot of the Mississippi River. Thirty of its “fellows,” have climbed the ladder to superintendent. Henderson Lewis Jr., superintendent of New Orleans schools, went through the SLC’s Fellow program, and so did Kelvin Adams, superintendent of St. Louis, Missouri schools. The Fellows program trains working principals to develop school leadership plans that they implement over a number of years. It is a program that mimics another favorite Riedlinger quote: “You have to take the stairs. The elevator doesn’t work.” Riedlinger doesn’t remember where he heard those words, but he immediately recognized their application to improving schools. “It’s just steady work, and that’s what we do with the fellows.” The SLC also provides alternative certification training for teachers seeking credentials needed to become a principal. It contracts with working administrators of classroom instruction, finance and other important functions to train newbies in summer and weekend seminars. “We can get the very best people,” Riedlinger said. “That’s what’s different.” In the five decades he has dedicated to that subject, he’s done it all, from teacher to school superintendent to educating school leaders. •
craig mulcahy photo
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THE beat . health
Dermatologically Speaking The skinny on creams, lotions, ointments and other concoctions By Brobson Lutz M.D.
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s daffodils fade, glimpses of skin begin peeking out of winter sweaters and long sleeves to confront yet another long summer. Human skin, the body’s largest organ, is the target of countless creams, ointments, gels, sprays, balms and other concoctions. Whether for bug protection, poison ivy, sunscreen or various allergies, use of topical preparations soars with the hot and humid days of summer. The carrier ingredient for the more liquid-like skin products that populate drugstore aisles are various natural and synthetic oils. Water and other carrier vehicles give various products their consistency and feel, while other additives provide preventive and therapeutic qualities. Petrolatum, mineral oil and other concoctions form the base for semi-solid products. 34
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Dr. Neil Farnsworth is a native New Orleanian with a rich pollination of education and training. After attending high school at Isidore Newman School, he received an undergraduate English literature degree from Harvard, took additional pre-med courses at the University of Pennsylvania and received his medical degree from Baylor in Houston. He did an internship at Tulane and then jumped over to LSU for a dermatology residency. After a few years in a Texas dermatology practice, he returned to New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina and established Farnsworth Dermatology on Napoleon Avenue. In addition to diagnosing and treating skin diseases, dermatologic surgery, and administering Botox, Dr. Farnsworth is a gracious go-to source for all things skin related. I queried him about
topical treatments in general. His responses were edited for brevity: What’s the difference in creams, ointments, lotions and gels? Creams, emulsions of water and oil, are less occlusive and greasy than semi-solid ointments. Lotions are thinner and lighter but even less binding and often contain an alcohol to help with spreading. Gels are even lighter, containing mostly alcohol or water. When to use what and when? Ointments are ideal for disrupted or broken skin, unless it is an actively weeping or wet dermatitis. Creams are heavy but slightly less occlusive, non-greasy, and generally recommended for dayto-day moisturizing. Lotions, gels, solutions, and mousses are even lighter and often better for scalps or other hairy surfaces.
What over-the-counter tubes of goo are good to keep on hand in medicine cabinet? Petroleum jelly in a tube, so not contaminated by dirty fingers. Apply to minor cuts and scrapes and top with a Band-Aid. An aluminum chloride roll-on antiperspirant, such as Certain Dri, is excellent to stop bleeding from minor cuts from shaving without the mess of a styptic pencil. A waxy, lipid containing moisturizing cream, like CeraVe, is good for dry, mildly itchy skin. Apply daily, after toweling from bathing. Longterm, an over-the-counter or prescription retinoid will reduce wrinkles and fine-lines and even reverse some sun damage. Apply the retinoid with a nice SPF 30 moisturizer every morning for at least 90 percent of the efficacy of any ultra-expensive regimen. When to use an over-the-counter hydrocortisone product? OTC hydrocortisone creams and lotions are good for minor inflammation, redness, itching and flaking anywhere on the face, body folds, or genital area. Use only for short periods of time and in the absence of any acute infection. What do dermatologist think of bacitracin and other mixtures of antimicrobial agents? Not much. Both neomycin and bacitracin are common causes of contact dermatitis. Head-to-head studies in wound healing show that petroleum jelly is just as effective as antimicrobial creams and ointments for most minor skin problems. Any specific advice on any topical potions? Throw away anything advertising Vitamin C or E that comes in a jar or transparent container. Air and sunlight oxidize both to make any possible advertised benefits from either with that packaging. •
THE beat . chronicles
as well as delights. All grace and modesty in her dancing… she looks, and, did we not know that she is Fanny Elssler, would really seem the beautiful fairy creature she so well represents – a spirit of the air.” The reporter then added his versions of the rave reviews to come from other papers, (including one supposedly from a Native American Party journal that claimed Elssler was actually born in Pennsylvania.) European dancers were regularly coming to New Orleans on tour by the 1820s, with John Davis of the Theatre d’Orleans bringing in Parisian dancers Jean Rousset, and a Monsieur Olivier with his wife, a ballerina. In 1824, this troupe would have on their local program possibly the first American performance of the ballet “La Fille Mal Ballet in New Orleans Gardée,” a standard in the classical repertoire today. by Carolyn Kolb The American premiere at the Orleans Theatre of the opera “Robert le Diable” on January 29, he first New Orleans opera while adept at classic ballet roles 1839, featured a ballet that created performance (“Sylvain” by such as “Giselle,” a sensation and began Getry) was in 1796, and, while was also known for the “romantic” dance operas usually included ballet, the fiery performances style. Madame Austrian ballerina first official ballet performance derived from folk Fanny Elssler was a local Lecompte, a French favorite in the midhere occurred in 1799. From that dance: her Spanish ballerina, was prinNineteenth Century “Cachucha” with a cipal dancer in the point on, Orleanians were fans. as one of the many In a city where many languages pink satin and black cemetery scene of European dancers to were spoken, pantomime made lace costume was a the ghosts of nuns visit the city on tour. ballet a popular entertainment: hit, as was her Polishrising from graves no words were ever necessary to inspired “Cracovienne.” and cavorting in gauzy costumes. understand the plot. And, while the Reviewing her first New Orleans When Madame Lecompte female dancers were not scantily performance at the St. Charles arrived in the city later that year clad, the chance glimpse of a Theater on March 6, 1841, the she was billed as the premiere shapely ankle was a sure-fire hit Daily Picayune reporter noted: “she danseuse of the Paris Opera Ballet, glides into attitudes the most clas- and appeared at the Orleans with the males in the audience. The Austrian-born Fanny Elssler, sical with an ease which astonishes Theater for performances on
On Your Toes
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December 27 and 29. The “Robert le Diable” ballet sequence was on the program, and The Daily Picayune noted that one of the dancers had been injured – problems with props and lifts had also marred the Paris opening. In Madame Lecomte’s troupe were dancers Marius Petipa, 21, and his father, Jean. One of the Petipa’s performed “Le Sergeant Fanfaron,” a “ballet comique.” Both Petipa’s were important in the world of dance, and Marius would become famous as the first ballet master of the Russian Imperial Ballet (Kirov Ballet) and as a choreographer. On January 26, 1843, another visiting dancer appeared on the stage of the New St. Charles Theatre. Mary Ann Lee was a young American ballerina, born in Philadelphia, and known best for her role in “La Bayadere.” She chose a Spanish number for her New Orleans debut, “El Jaleo de Xerez.” On the last night of her stay, the multi-talented Lee appeared in a “vaudeville” and sang “several songs.” Nineteenth century New Orleans’ lasting gift to modern ballet came with the use of local composer Louis Moreau Gottschalk’s piano compositions “La Bamboula” and “The Banjo” in the New York City Ballet’s George Balanchine work “Cake Walk.” For something to applaud right now, watch the American Ballet Theatre ballet duet using Gottschalk’s “Le Bananier” on Youtube: youtube.com/ watch?v=okimPisV0i4. •
photo by Edward Wilson courtesy of the historic new orleans collection
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Local Color CHRIS ROSE . MODINE GUNCH . JOIE D’EVE . IN TUNE . BOOK REVIEWS . JAZZ LIFE . HOME
Quasar Media photo
SInger, Songwriter Artist beck
LOCAL COLOR . CHRIS ROSE
Not Complaining He’s Just Driving By Chris Rose
“A
irport?” he asked. “Yessir,” I said. As we rounded the traffic circle in front of City Park, traffic cones and barriers squeezed the road from three lanes to two. “Everywhere you go around here, construction,” he said. “But it’s a good thing, I guess. We need better streets.” Muted sounds of WWOZ’s early morning jazz show played on the radio. “First run of the day?” I asked. “You’re my first load,” he said. As we passed by where the massive Rouses and Winn-Dixie grocery store facades menacingly stare each other down across Carrollton Avenue, he was telling me that he starts out every morning at 6 a.m., so he can get home by noon for lunch. He just works part time these days. He collects Social Security but not enough to survive on. He was a cab driver most of his life and didn’t pay enough into the system to get
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enough out. So he drives. “But I’m not complaining,” he said. And he wasn’t. “I like talking to people,” he said. And he does. He said he prefers hauling locals. “They’re easier to talk to,” he said. “And believe it or not, they tip better,” he added, laughing. When he was young, he had wanted to be a professional golfer. Back in the day, he could hit it, he said. He started out by caddying at New Orleans Country Club when he was a kid. There, he watched men of privilege lay down bets in the morning and then he took his knowledge to the local municipal courses around town in the afternoon -- Joe Barthelemy, City Park, Brechtel -- and learned how to hustle. He got good. But then, stuff happens. Family. Responsibilities. So he took a job driving. As we rounded the bend in the Interstate at the 610 split, he told me that driving cars for a living didn’t do much for his game. “This
isn’t exactly an active lifestyle,” he said, patting his substantial belly. But he’s down from his max weight of 372 pounds to 254 now, he said with more than a hint of pride. His doctor recommended “that gastro surgery thing,” but he was skeptical. He’s taken off the weight on his own, mostly by eating healthy. “Because, after two hip replacements, I can barely walk around the block without hurting,” he said. “But I’m not complaining,” he said. And he wasn’t. As we hit the ramp to the airport access road, traffic slowed to a crawl in the still-dark morning. Although it was all airport traffic, there weren’t many cabs in the scrum. The driver told me Uber and other ride-share start-ups are taking fares from local cabbies. But he wasn’t complaining. He was just sayin’. As we pulled up to the departures concourse, he pulled over at my airline and lifted my bags out of the
trunk and placed them on sidewalk. “You should check your bags out here,” he said. “Much faster.” I thanked him and we shook hands. I paid my fare, tipping just over 20 percent. And he drove away. It was a fine way to start a grueling day’s travel. I was smiling when I got in line at airport security. I took off my shoes and belt, without complaint. I never did catch his name. I don’t know if I would even recognize his face again. But I would know his eyes, those eyes that met mine in his rearview mirror during the length of our drive. By noon, I would be visiting a loved one in a hospital in Washington, D.C. He would be just sitting down to lunch. On one hand, I don’t know who this guy is. On the other, I know exactly who he is. He is New Orleans. •
Jason Raish Illustration
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LOCAL COLOR . modine gunch
Pregnant Pause Controlling the Arrival By Modine Gunch
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he doctor says my sister-in-law Gloriosa’s due date is April Fool’s Day. She says it can’t be. “Can you imagine what kind of presents we would get at every birthday party? We’d be up to our necks in whoopee cushions,” she says. So she told the doctor to induce her early. He says “bad day for birthday party” is not a medically valid reason to induce childbirth. Okay, Gloriosa says, she’ll hold off until April 2. Now, if anybody can do that, Gloriosa can. She is a force of nature. Of course, getting pregnant was an accident, but that was because she and her husband Proteus were woke at 3 a.m. back in August, when both their (and
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the entire city’s) cell phones went “BLEEPBLEEPBLEEPBLEEP” like the end of the world was here. She panicked and dropped her guard, and a few other things, I guess. Later on, we all found out it was a notice from Mayor Landrieu that a water pump wasn’t working. Too late. But she got back on track right away. She decided to gain exactly eight pounds. And after the baby is born, she will lose exactly eight pounds. The baby — the test says it’s a boy— will smile and coo and not throw up on company. He will have blonde curls, and he will sleep through the night. Gloriosa’s stomach will be flat; her meals will be healthy, and her mother-in-law will keep her distance.
Of course, April Fool’s Day was on Easter this year. We Gunches got together at my mother-in-law Ms. Larda’s, and smirked while we exchanged Easter baskets. Anybody who decapitates a hollow chocolate rabbit and stuffs it with broccoli and then melts the head back on and ties a bow around the neck — well, I would have thought that person was sick, if I hadn’t done it myself. To pay back my grandchildren for the Harry Potter earwax-flavored jelly beans I knew they was going to give me. But afterward, we have a nice dinner, with no funny business. Gunches are very serious about their meals. Later, we are sitting around digesting Ms. Larda’s cooking and sifting through our baskets in case something decent is in there. I am sucking chocolate off the chocolate-covered cotton balls my son thought was so funny, and wondering what time the real Easter candy at Wal-Mart will go to half price. Gloriosa lowers herself into Ms. Larda’s rocker-glider, which unfortunately my grandson has rigged with a air horn. It goes BWAAHHHP; we all screech; Ms. Larda drops her ice tea, which lands on her chihuahua, Chopsley, who yelps and zips through a bunch of Easter baskets to get under the coffee table and shake. In the bedlam, I notice Gloriosa is clutching her stomach. She says, “I am NOT in labor.”
Proteus says, “Let’s run by the hospital just in ca...” Ms. Larda says, “We’ll all go.” So 15 Gunches pull up to the emergency room at Ochsner-Baptist, troop upstairs, and elbow into the birthing center. A nurse looks around at this mob and politely says, “Everybody out except the daddy.” Gloriosa grabs my arm. “You stay!” What? I ain’t no medusa or whatever you call them ladies who coach you through having babies. I shake my head no, but the nurse says okay. Later, when Proteus goes to the restroom, Gloriosa says, “I need you. He has a tendency to faint.” I am thinking about fainting myself. But she says, “Relax. I will not have this baby until after midnight.” She means it. It is 11:05 p.m. by the digital bedside clock, and everybody is chanting “Pushpushpushpush!” but Gloriosa is holding back. I know I got to move that clock forward one hour. I reach over and press a button and WHOOPWHOOPWHOOP the alarm goes off. Gloriosa forgets and pushes. And whoosh, we have us a baby. And it’s a girl, with spiky red hair. Come to find out those prenatal gender tests are accurate 99.4 percent of the time. But that drops to 50 percent if your husband picks up the wrong test at the doctor’s office. April Fool. •
LORI OSIECKI ILLUSTRATION
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LOCAL COLOR . JOIE D’EVE
Working Mom Life Take your daughter to work day By Eve Crawford Peyton
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he first Take Our Daughters to Work Day was held in April 1993, and I remember wondering at the time (I was 12) exactly why this day needed to exist. As the quiet, bookish only child of a single mom, it was always easier for her to bring me to her office whenever she needed to work on the weekends or after-hours rather than hire a babysitter – and I just sat in an empty conference room and read. My mom explained to me, though, that it was to expose young girls to the working world, to make them see that there were numerous career options to which they could aspire. Again, though, this seemed silly to me – of course I knew that I didn’t have to stay home and cook and have babies if I didn’t want to. This was the ’90s after all. My mom showed me, by example, how to have a career, and I didn’t need a special day set aside to observe her. I don’t recall if I went to the 44
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inaugural Take Our Daughters to she doesn’t need a back massage; Work Day, but if I did, it certainly she’s trying to work!” didn’t stand out in my mind as “Georgia! Honey! Come back anything groundbreaking. in Mommy’s office and shut the Now that I am a working mom, door and be quiet!” I have taken my kids to work a few “Ruby! Edward does not want times here and there, but when my to learn about NumNoms! Come boss sent out an email urging us all back here!” to participate in Take Our Children Basically, none of my instructo Work Day (it was expanded in tion was particularly effective, 2003 to officially include boys, and instead of my daughters too) this year, I decided to go learning about work, my coworkers ahead and bring them learned about stupid in for a couple of hours fourth grade trends Excerpted from Eve yesterday. and watched unboxing Crawford Peyton’s videos. It was not a For me, it was actublog, Joie d’Eve, productive day for ally insanely stressful which appears each Friday on because my kids being anyone, really – espeloud or annoying in MyNewOrleans.com cially because in addimy house is just par tion to my kids, some for the course on any given day, of my coworkers interpreted the but when my children’s loud, “our children” part to include two annoying behavior affects other dogs and a mini-pig. people, I get physically anxious. I asked the kids to debrief me “Inside voice!” I hiss-whispered, after the day was over and tell me running after Georgia. what they’d learned: “No, Ruby, leave Angie alone –
1. Ruby: “Well, I thought Inkjoy pens were the best pens – I once traded a Pop-Tart to my friend for two Inkjoy pens, and I thought that was a really good trade. But Mom, you have Flair pens, and Flair pens are way better than Inkjoy. I want all Flair pens now.” (My good pens, much like my good chocolate, are typically things I hide from Ruby, and I was hoping to keep her ignorant of the good pens for a bit longer. Oh, well.) 2. Georgia: “Your office chair spins really fast!” 3. Ruby: “I should trust you when you tell me things at that coffee shop are gross. You told me the croissant would be better and the blueberry scone would be nasty, and I know you know that because you go to that coffee shop all the time, but I still wanted the blueberry scone, and I got it, and it was disgusting. So: Listen to your mother, or listen to people who should know something.” (If she has actually learned this, every bit of yesterday will have been worth it, praise God, alleluia.) 4. Georgia: “The good candy isn’t on the front desk. The good candy is hidden in Ms. Hollie’s desk.” 5. Ruby: “You’re all just as silly and immature as we are. You laugh at dumb jokes and talk about farts, and Will threw something at Edward, and he would have gone to the principal at my school if he’d done that.” 6. Ruby and Georgia: “Work is way more fun with a piglet!” On that last one, for sure, we can all agree. Work with my kids might not have gone the way the founders of Take Our Children to Work Day intended, but I can wholeheartedly cosign the notion that work is way more fun with a piglet. • jane sanders illustration
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LOCAL COLOR . in tune
calendar must-see music april 3
Rostram experiments at Gasa Gasa. april 10
The Oh Hellos bring the indie folk to The Parish at the House of Blues. april 20
The Screaming Females punk Gasa Gasa. Lionel Richie
april 20
The Black Angels psych out The Civic.
Two Fests and the Rest A Great Month for Music
april 22
The Soft Moon fuzz Gasa Gasa.
By Mike Griffith april 22
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he April music scene in New Orleans is dominated by two of our premier festivals: the French Quarter Festival and the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Fest. This year, French Quarter Fest falls from April 12-15, while Jazz Fest spans the weekends of April 27 and May 3. This year, FQF has Irma Thomas, John Cleary, and The Lost Bayou Ramblers, as well as Bonerama, the excellent Cha Wa and Charmaine Neville. This year FQF has also added a VIP experience, so if you’re interested in getting out of the crowd a bit you should look into that option a bit more. As always, the rest of the fest remains free. The Jazz Fest lineup has some real gems this year with Jack
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White, Beck, Aretha Franklin and very interesting performers listed David Byrne all slated to appear. here. Sheryl Crow will be here with Jack White, Beck and David Byrne a new record and will no doubt all have excellent new records be dusting off some of the old to present, as well as deep back favorites. LL Cool J will hit Congo catalogs to explore. I am especially Square with DJ Z-Trip in tow. excited for David Byrne as he has This is a great pairing—together put together what he has called these two should be amazing. his most ambitious stage show Bonnie Raitt will be here as will since the legendary her fellow troubadour Stop Making Sense. In Sturgill Simpson. I have addition to these artists, a special place in my Playlist of Jazz Fest has also pulled heart for the Radiators mentioned bands its most interesting crop who will return to Jazz available at: http:// of legacy acts in quite Fest to celebrate their bit.ly/InTune4-18 40th anniversary. For so some time with Sting, Jimmy Buffett, Lionel many years the Rads’ Richie and Aerosmith rounding closing set on the Gentilly stage out what will be the Acura stage was the defacto way to end the headliners. Once you get past the fest—hopefully they’ll put them headliners there are lot of other back in that spot for the occasion. •
Ty Segal preaches to One Eyed Jacks. april 24 & 25
Vulfpeck funk up Tipitina’s. april 26-27-28
Trey Anastasio does a three-night stand at The Civic. april 28
Imarhan grooves Gasa Gasa. Dates are subject to change; email Mike@MyNewOrleans. com or contact him through Twitter @Minima.
Denise Truscello photo
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LOCAL COLOR . book reviews
New Orleans Griot by Tom Dent, edited by Kalamu Ya Salaam
UNO Press
Kevin Belton’s New Orleans Kitchen by Kevin Belton with Rhonda K. Findley
Gibbs Smith Publishing
Merriam Webster Dictionary defines the term griot as any of a class of musician-entertainers of western Africa whose performances include tribal histories and genealogies.” New Orleans writer, poet, activist, journalist and philosopher, among other noted work, Tom Dent transformed this definition with a modern New Orleans spin with his work in the 1960s, 70s and 80s. An early board member of the Jazz and Heritage Foundation, his work lives on through the Tom Dent Congo Square Lectures, periodically held in the city. The writer’s extensive body of work is collected in “New Orleans Griot” by fellow writer and apprentice Kalamu Ya Salaam, who presents a thorough profile of a passionate writer exploring race, culture and its place in New Orleans and beyond.
PBS/WYES chef Kevin Belton’s new cookbook gives readers a delicious glimpse into his own kitchen, with recipes and anecdotes of his childhood growing up in New Orleans. Stories abound, from drinking café au lait in his momma’s kitchen on Valence Street, peeling shrimp with his grandmother and exploring the Vietnamese culture, restaurants and bakeries in New Orleans East with his dad. All are paired with Lagniappe cooking tips and secrets and colorful, easy to prepare dishes. A cookbook that just may inspire new family traditions in your own home kitchen.
The City of Lost Fortunes by Bryan Camp
For book lovers of the fantastic, Bryan Camp’s debut novel The City of Lost Fortunes has it all: magic, monsters, mystery and miracles. A graduate of the University of New Orleans’ MFA program, Camp relies on his own personal experiences magnified through a magical lens. Set in post Hurricane Katrina New Orleans, street musician Jude Dubuisson finds himself in a supernatural poker game with the gods of New Orleans. In this fantasyliterary-mystery mash up, myths take human form and walk the streets, with Dubuisson on the line to sort through the chaos, culture and conflicts.
By Ashley McLellan, Please send submissions for consideration, attention: Ashley McLellan, 110 Veterans Memorial Blvd., Suite 123, Metairie, LA 70005
H = Did not finish
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HH = Sort of ok, but kind of meh
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HHH = Enjoyable HHHH = Really, really liked it HHHHH = Loved it; a new favorite!
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LOCAL COLOR . jazz life
Beauty And The Bead Indians of Two Nations By Jason Berry
B
y this column’s infallible count, 22 Mardi Gras Indian gangs will perform over the three days of the first weekend at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival presented by Shell. A striking number, when you consider that for many years the standard feature story on the Indians referred to “some two dozen tribes.” The Indians follow a line of cultural memory that stretches back to costumed dances of the enslaved at Congo Square. Jump-cut: a Chicago Tribune article after Katrina wondered if the Indians and other traditionbearers had been wiped away forever. Yet in the years since the flood, the Indians have surged. Nola.com/The Times-Picayune estimated more than 90 tribes in a 2017 piece on the Mardi Gras Indian Hall of Fame – an organization spearheaded by Guardians of the Flame Maroon Queen Cherice 50
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Harrison-Nelson. Maroon queens, big queens and a hall of fame reflect the heightened solidarity of an urban warrior tradition once associated with internal rivalries and hard clashes with NOPD. When Tootie Montana, the veteran Big Chief of Yellow Pocahontas, died of a heart attack in 2005, while testifying in City Council chambers against police brutality, politicians were aghast, the tradition gained a martyr and more young men, and women began sewing costumes. Indians’ costumes offer a kaleidoscopic view of the roots culture at a given point in time. The images captured by Michael P. Smith and Syndey Byrd, among many other photographers from the 1970s to the 1990s hold tiny pearls in the Native American motifs the beaded breastplates and aprons signified. Today, a pronounced African motif marks certain suit-makers,
notably Victor Harris, Spirit of the Fi-Yi-Yi and Big Chief of the Mandingo Warriors, whose beadwork resembles West African face masks with a Cubist intensity. In a new ethnographic study, “Rhythm Ritual & Resistance: Africa is Alive in the Black Indians of New Orleans,” Robin LigonWilliams draws a series of parallels between the beadwork, music and body language of the Indians and West African tribal traditions, a shared cultural memory. Andrew Wiseman, a Ghanaian of the Ewe people, and a ceremonial voodoo drummer for Guardians of the Flame, tells the writer: “You can take people out of Africa, but you cannot take Africa out of the people.” He points to the beading use for the regalia of African kings and queens as similar to the designs in black Indian outfits. Elsewhere in the text, Ligon-Williams includes photographs of Big Chief Alfred
Doucette, a renowned Indian artist. His great-great grandfather “was a shipbuilder,” he tells her. “He was part Choctaw Indian.” The author’s photograph of Doucette’s beaded apron shows Africans on a shore, as a white man in a boat heads toward them from a ship – the beginning of enslavement and the Middle Passage to America. “Rhythm Ritual & Resistance” is a gift to the tradition the author explores – costumes as performance art, and as narrative art. One intriguing parallel shows an egungun masked dancer of the Yoruba tradition in Nigeria, in a ritual robe with tiers of beaded imagery of birds, and Big Chief Demond Melancon of the Young Seminole Hunters with a Indian scenes on his costume and headdress. The costume patterns share a striking symmetry, the images speak of each tradition.•
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LOCAL COLOR . home
Family First New Life for an Uptown Cottage By Lee Cutrone
E.
Lee and Jason Mead were expecting their second child when they decided to purchase their first house. Creating an environment that was family friendly and would work as their family grew was the priority. But as the couple looked for a house that spoke to them, nothing seemed right. E. Lee wanted a house that felt a little formal, but was good for raising children. Jason wanted a casual, open interior and an Uptown location. When E. Lee’s father suggested he sell the couple an Uptown cottage he’d purchased to renovate and flip, the Meads jumped on the offer.
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“Halfway through [the project], we bought it from my dad,” says E. Lee, whose uncle, Davis Jahncke of Jahncke & Burns Architects, was the architect on the remodel. Originally a shotgun, the 19th century house still had lacey Victorian gingerbread trimming the eaves when the couple bought it, but part of the house had been torn down and a lean-to addition had been made. The renovation took the existing house down to the cypress studs and removed the termite-ridden addition, enabling the owners to extend the house and add a second story with two bedrooms, a play area and a Jack-
Though E. Lee originally wanted a separate kitchen, the Meads opted for a kitchen that is open to the living area and are glad they did; the burled coffee table and end table are from E. Lee’s line of hand-painted furniture; E. Lee painted and plastered the circular chandelier from Pine Grove Electrical Supply in Mandeville, the fruitwood desk was handed down from her grandmother, the lamps are made from wallpaper rollers ordered from Ebay and the lamp shades were painted by Shandell’s in the Berkshire mountains.
and-Jill bath. It also moved the front entrance to the side of the house, so that there could be public and private spaces on the first floor. The master suite occupies what was previously the front porch. The living, dining, kitchen, porch and yard areas are on the
opposite end. Both Jahncke and the Meads took their design cues from the cottage feel of the original architecture, duplicating the gingerbread already on the house for the new addition, choosing a new front door that looks similar to the original,
Greg Miles photographs
Left: A seeded glass window, designed by architect Davis Jahncke, gives the new kitchen the character or age; counter stools from Doorman Designs, light fixtures from Home Depot. Top, right: Originally a shotgun, the house now has a second story and a side entrance; the owners copied the gingerbread trim from the existing house and added it to the addition. Bottom, right: E. Lee Mead with 6 year-old Alice and 3 year-old Thomas. replacing the floors with old pine, and adding a decorative spindle-
like piece of carpentry to the front of the house after finding it hidden
beneath an earlier remodel. “That was what the house had to offer,” says E. Lee. “We wanted it to have a cottage feel and we carried that through to the inside.” Tall baseboards, classic moldings, carefully placed doors and windows, and a seeded glass window custom designed by
Jahncke for the kitchen add to what E. Lee calls the “crafted quality” of the house. Ample storage was an essential detail for controlling clutter. Even the neighbors offered input on the details. Multiple people dropped by to say they once lived in the house, and when the couple
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Facing page: Top, left: A wide back porch overlooking the back yard extends the living space. Bottom, left: Old pine floors that were sanded and pickled were used throughout the house; the oversize paper lantern in the master bedroom is from Pearl River Mart in New York, sconces from Overstock.com, bedding is Matouk from Hestia Linens in Covington, paintings from Alexis Walter. Top, right: The kids’ rooms, like the rest of the house, combine old and new; Alice’s room has wicker headboards and a mid-century modern style chest; a framed Momus parade bulletin with an “Alice In Wonderland” theme from 1923 hangs above the beds. Bottom, left: Carrara marble tiles interspersed with black give pattern to the master bath. This page: Left: Thomas’s room is bright and white; “Cloud White” paint by Benjamin Moore, Tyvec light fixture from Spruce. Right: A fruitwood dining table from Crescent City Auction anchors the dining room; E. Lee painted the table base, the circular chandelier from Pinegrove and the chairs at the table; the fruitwood buffet was her grandmother’s; the chairs flanking the buffet were found at auction; E Lee painted them with a tortoise shell finish and had them upholstered with gold velvet from Fairfax Fabric; sconces are from Ebay and were electrified at Classic Chandelier; acrylic on paper paintings by Amanda Talley, mirror from Source Interiors.
put samples of paints they were considering on the exterior of the house, neighbors spontaneously initialed the ones they liked. Paint is one thing the couple didn’t have to worry about when decorating their home, however. E. Lee, has a Masters in decorative painting and, through her business, E. Lee Jahncke Fine Finishes,
has worked on commercial and residential projects across the country. Though time to work on her own home is usually in short supply, she started the process with pieces she’s “gotten along the way” including a French buffet, a fruitwood table and an antique chandelier – all inherited from her grandmother, and a white
background that allows her to be creative with finishes and art. “Painting is my gift,” she says. “I can look at anything and think about in a couple of different scenarios.” She has painted furnishings in the house, loves searching estate sales, auctions and Ebay for bargains, and chose all of
the statement light fixtures in the house, which bring a contemporary edge to the interior. “Since the house is wide open and designed for a family, it doesn’t dictate what kind of furniture you have to have,” she says. “We like a mixture of things.” Jason, a financial advisor, likes that the open flow of the first floor is conducive to both family time and entertaining guests and that the kids have a play area of their own upstairs. He also likes having the character of an old house and the amenities of a new. At the end of the day, “Designed for a family” is the central theme of this Uptown cottage. The fruitwood table in the living room is usually strewn with crayons and paper and that’s the way the Meads like it. “We wanted a house that’s lived in,” says Jason, “and that we can use and enjoy.” •
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Bywater
Bounce
what to do and where to go by R. Stephanie Bruno
photographed by Gabrielle Geiselman-Milone
I
t’s no wonder locals and visitors alike flock to Bywater. With its bright, multi-colored Caribbean-style cottages and exceptional array of restaurants, music clubs, bars and galleries, it manages to compress an entire city’s worth of amenities into 80 square blocks. Bounded on the north by Urquhart Street, on the south by the Mississippi River, on the east by the Industrial Canal, and on the west by Press Street, Bywater was once called Faubourg Washington and known as “Little Saxony” because of the large German population in the 19th century. For much of the 20th century, the area had a distinctly working class feel to it, largely because of its many double shotgun houses, corner grocery stores, and occasional corner bar. Fine churches served the worshipping needs of the largely Roman Catholic population as did the parochial schools serve the educational needs of the neighborhood’s children. That was then – this is now. Bywater has transformed itself in the past 20 years, changing at warp speed, especially since Hurricane Katrina. The one-time somewhat sleepy hamlet buzzes with activity. Art galleries show the works of local and international artists, restaurants land on national “best of” lists, and television shows highlight its distinctive way of life. It’s the neighborhood where the Society of St. Anne gathers on Mardi Gras before trekking to the French Quarter, where bars now host pig roasts, and where artists live in loft apartments built especially for them. Curious about how it differs from the upriver neighborhoods? Visit the Piety Street market one Saturday and you’ll leave with an understanding of just how funky Bywater can be. Or take a walk in Crescent Park along the Mississippi to gauge how Bywater residents and their guests experience their outdoor spaces. Want a walkable neighborhood? This is it…with everything you might want no more than eight blocks away. Walking is a favorite neighborhood pastime – it has supplanted the use of cars here, where parking is difficult at best and concern for the environment finds expression, even on restaurant menus. To be sure, hipsters and artists abound, but you don’t have to be one to feel welcome here. About the name… there’s plenty of lore and even a smattering of facts, yet no one seems to agree on its origin. Did it have to do with a telephone exchange or a U.S. postal service post office name? Did schoolchildren choose it in a competition? It doesn’t really matter. Just as New Orleanians relish a good debate (crawfish vs. shrimp, say, or the right way to peel a crab), so will the moniker be forever debated over beer at Markey’s or breakfast at Elizabeth’s. And that’s just as it should be.
N7 1117 Montegut St., n7nola.com. Tucked behind a tall fence, this divine French restaurant and wine bar has both indoor and outdoor seating. To get a seat, show up and hope for the best, because they don’t take reservations.
Pal adar 5 11
eat Bywater and the St. Claude corridor offer dozens of opportunities to eat, drink and make merry! Sometimes you can do all three in one place.
Br atz Y’al l !
617-B Piety St., 301-3222, bratzyall. com, Modeled off a traditional German biergarten, this bistro and bakery features outstanding brats, beer and baked goods (hello, bacon and cheese pretzel!) in a festive outdoor courtyard. Bywater Am er i can Bi str o
2900 Chartres St. Celebrated chef Nina Compton of Compere Lapin recently opened this spot on the ground floor of the Rice Mill. With chef Levi Raines heading up the kitchen, the bistro offers affordably priced dishes that should make regulars out of the Bywater community.
511 Marigny St., 509-6782, paladar511.com. This sophisticated Marigny restaurant with a New York vibe, is the go-to weeknight place for locals, with housemade pastas, pizza, seafood and more. Pi zza Del i ci ous
617 Piety St., 676-8482, pizzadelicious. com. Consistently named “Best Pizza in New Orleans” by Eater NOLA, this aptly named pizza place focuses on high quality ingredients and just the right balance of marinara, cheese and crispy, chewy crust. Poke- Chan
2809 St. Claude Ave., 571-5446, poke-chan.com, Hawaiian inspired poke bowls are on-trend, and Poke-Chan follows through with the freshest fish, vegetables and toppings. Pol l y’s Bywater Café
3325 St. Claude Ave., 459-4571, pollysbywatercafe.com. Billing its fare as “comfort food, elevated,” Polly’s offers breakfast, brunch and comfort food make from scratch with locally sourced products. Red’s Chi nese
3048 St. Claude Ave., 304-6030, redschinese.com. It’s easy to drive past its unassuming façade, but once you taste the Kung Pao pastrami, you will always find your way back.
Bywater Baker y
Satsum a Café
3624 Dauphine St., 336-3336, bywaterbakery.com. Tucked inside a vivid red corner building, this new(ish) bakery offers both savories and sweets. Don’t leave without a loaf of the raisin bread.
3218 Dauphine St, 304-5962, satsumacafe.com. This downtown staple features coffee, tea and cold pressed juices along with a menu chock full of options that will appeal to vegan, vegetarian and meat lovers alike.
El i zabeth’s
601 Gallier St., 944-9272, elizabethsrestaurantnola.com. This longtime neighborhood favorite breakfast place has the motto: “real food done real good,” and a chef with the culinary menu chops to prove it.
Si l k Road
2483 Royal St., 944-6666, silkroadnola.com. This Indian-American fusion restaurant with a Creole twist, doubles as a neighborhood wine shop, has specials every day of the week.
The Junction 3021 St Claude Ave., 272-0205, junctionnola.com. Funky historic tavern with over 40 beers on tap and an inspired selection of burgers, baskets and fries.
St. Roch Market 2381 St. Claude Ave., 609-3813, NewOrleans. strochmarket.com. The revitalization of this historic southern food hall has become the corner stone of the neighborhood and offers a diverse line-up of up-and-coming chefs, cocktail curators and food vendors.
Sneaky Pi ckl e
4017 St. Claude Ave., 218-5651, yousneakypickle.com. Vegan food with the freshest, locally sourced ingrediants; their vegan Reuben is so good, even a carnivore will crave it. Sugar Par k
3054 St. Claude Ave., 942-2047, sugarparknola.com. Pizza, burgers and not-to-be-missed specials, such as Fried Chicken Fridays and Chicken and Waffle Sundays, featuring $2
mimosas alongside Sriracha chicken strips and bacon waffles. The Joi nt
701 Mazant St., 949-3232, alwayssmokin.com. The Joint has been smoking and slowcooking pulled pork, beef brisket, chicken and sausage with all the sides since 2004, and turning out some of the best barbecue in New Orleans and across the south.
Frady’s One Stop Food Store 3231 Dauphine St., 949-9688. A corner grocery with takeout breakfast, poorboys, plate lunches, hangover food and groceries. Frady’s is a long-standing resource for Bywater residents.
shop I.J. Rei l l y’s Kni ck Knacks and Cur i o s i t i e s
632 Elysian Fields, 345-8966, abicyclenameddesire.com/ store/. An eclectic Marigny shop inside a bike rental and tour company, the staff are enthusiastic New Orleans hosts. LA 4 6 Gener al Store & Vi ntage Mar ket
2232 St. Claude Ave., 220-5177, louisiana46.com. Fun vintage shop with jewelry, furniture, art, lighting and more. Mar di Gr as Zone
2706 Royal St., (504) 947-8787. This go-to neighborhood market offers an only-in-NewOrleans array of Mardi Gras trinkets, international groceries and ingrediants, as well as take-out food, including brick oven pizza. Open 24 hours. New Or l eans Ar t Supp l y/Bar k Mar k e t
Euclid Records 3301 Chartres St., 947-4348, euclidnola.com. A vinyl lover’s dream with an extensive collection of new, used and vintage records, as well as live performances, lectures and more.
3041 N Rampart St., 949-1525, nolabarkmarket. com/. Housed in a renovated gym, the business serves artists as well as their pets. Where else can you buy watercolors and paint, and kibbles and bits, all in one stop?
Sól o Espr esso
Dr. Bob Art 3027 Chartres St., 945-2225, drbobart.net. A New Orleans treasure, the ubiquitous Dr. Bob makes colorful paintings, carvings and shrines that urge folks to “Be Nice or Leave.”
1301 Poland Ave., 408-1377, soloespressobar.com. This specialty coffee bar is well off the beaten path, located in a bright and cheery spot a few blocks lakeward of St. Claude Ave. Check out their “guest roaster” every Friday. St. Coffee
2709 St. Claude Ave. House roasted coffee and confections from nearby bakers make this a calming, celestial place in the St. Claude swirl. The Or ange Couch
2339 Royal St., 267-7327, theorangecouchcoffee.com. Cafe meets gallery, the Orange Couch features a pleasant, light-filled atmosphere, plenty of places to sit - including on an orange couch – and a unique menu of coffee, tea and frozen treats.
N e w O r l ea ns H ea l i ng Cen t er
2372 St. Claude Ave., 940-1130, neworleanshealingcenter.org. A community center with businesses dedicated to the spiritual well-being of the community. Shops and services include: a credit union, yoga studio, grocery co-op, interfaith center and more.
caffeine
P ie ty S t r eet M a r ket
612 Piety St., 782-2569, 612piety. com/piety-street-market. Located at the Old Ironworks, each second Saturday of the month Piety Street market offers live music, vintage goods, food, arts and crafts and more.
Flora Gallery and Coffee Shop 2600 Royal St., 947-8358, http://florascoffee.business.site/. Part gallery, part coffee house, this unique cafe also hosts piano players and is open 6:30 am until midnight. It’s a swell place to sit outside and people watch.
drink Bacchanal Fine Wine & Spirits 600 Poland Ave., 948-9111, bacchanalwine.com. What began as a wine shop has morphed into Bywater’s most atmospheric venue for food, music and, yes, wine; recently selected as a 2018 James Beard Foundation semi-finalist for Best Wine Program.
B J’ s L o u ng e
4301 Burgundy St., 945-9256, Situated inside a classic cornerstone building, BJ’s has both neighborhood feel and a funk factor, with an ever-changing cast of local characters. B ud R ip ’ s
900 Piety St., 945-5762. Bywater has a great collection of dive bars, going back to the days when it was a blue-collar
neighborhood. This one, established in 1860, still has guys drinking in dark corners, but also pig roasts, Valentine parties and so much more. Ma rk ey’s Ba r
640 Louisa St., 943-0785. Markey’s remains a solid choice for delicious beers and bar food. Fairly unchanged since opening in the 1940s, Markey’s serves Irish staples of Jameson and Guinness, more than two
dozen types of beer, no-frills cocktails, and pub food. Mi m i ’s i n the Mar i gny
2601 Royal St., 872-9868, mimismarigny.com. Okay so it’s technically in Marigny, not Bywater, but this late-night bar and food option has a vibe that’s true downtown. Phoeni x Bar
941 Elysian Fields Ave, (504) 945-9264, phoenixbarnola.com.
This stalwart leather bar is a no-fuss rendezvous for the queer community. Known for their Southern Decadence block party, ice cold beer and no cover, ever. Cell phones are strictly prohibited. Par l eaux Beer Lab
634 Lesseps St., 702-8433, parleauxbeerlab.com. This sleek tap-room and beer lab offers seasonal brews in an industrial but chic environment.
Mag’s 940 940 Elysian Fields Ave., 948-1888. This friendly gay bar in Marigny features acts including sword swallowers and burlesque performers.
Satur n Bar
Vaughan’s Lounge
3067 St. Claude Ave, 949-7532, facebook.com/saturnbar. A landmark among Bywater bars, known for its quirky décor, cold beer, cheap liquor, and now, live music.
4229 Dauphine St., 947-5562. An icon of the neighborhood, made famous by the HBO series Tremé, this bar was established in 1959. It hosts live music and seasonal events.
The Countr y Cl ub
Lost Love Lounge
634 Louisa St., 945-0742, thecountryclubneworleans.com. Part restaurant, part bar and another part private club, the Country Club features a drag brunch on Saturdays. It’s always packed, so reserve early.
2529 Dauphine St., 949-2009, Tucked away in this neighborhood barroom and tavern is a kitchen slinging delicious Vietnamese fare.
art A n t e n na G a l l e r y
3718 St Claude Ave., 298-3161, antenna.works. A mix of visual art shows and literary events sets Antenna apart from its neighbors on the vibrant St. Claude Corridor. C h r ist o p h er P o r c h é - West
3201 Burgundy St., 947-3880, porche-west.com. Located in a former pharmacy, this gallery is known for its moving
portraits of Mardi Gras Indians, as well as unique exhibits. Go o d Children Ga lle r y
4037 St. Claude Ave., goodchildrengallery.com. One of the early galleries that solidified St. Claude as an arts district, “Good Children” refers to the name of the street before it changed from Rue des Bons Enfants.
Studio Be 2941 Royal St., 330-6231, facebook.com/exhibitbe. A 35,000 square foot warehouse art gallery located near NOCCA and currently featuring the visual work of Brandan “BMike” Odums.
The Gr and Mal tese
3040 St. Claude Ave., (504) 330-1051, grandmaltese. com. Multi-media, visual and performance art that is at once compelling, accessible and affordable to the community. NOLA Com m uni ty Pr i ntshop & Dar kr oom
1201 Mazant St., nolacommunityprintshop.org/. Adventurous gallery set back from St.
Claude adjoins a printmaking studio and darkroom. The Fr ont
4100 St. Claude Ave., (504) 301-8654, nolafront.org. Run by a collective of artists, the Front hosts exhibitions, performances, panel discussions, a film festival and more. Check their website for an ever-evolving list of activities and shows.
Treasures Because of it fascinating geography - nestled into a corner where the Mississippi and Industrial Canal meet - one of Bywater’s most interesting destinations is a “nowhere else” kind of location. On a map it’s called “World’s End,” but those in the know call it the “ E nd o f t h e W o r ld.” Indeed, standing on a tiny spit of earth with the Canal on one side and river on the other, it feels very much as though the world is flat and you’ve reached the edge. Bywater residents dip poles in the water for catfish, build fires, and - when the river is low - walk barefoot on the small sandy beach. Ask a local to show you the way - there is no address. Nearby (4557 N. Rampart St.) you’ll find the M u s i c B o x V i l lage - a one of a kind art installation by the non profit group Airlift. Each “building” on the site is musical, if you interact with it. (musicboxvillage.com) Then there is R o s a l i e Alley , a narrow inlet in the 3300 Block of N. Rampart St. between Desire and Piety streets. Visit on a Saturday evening when voodoo worshippers gather. The fences that line the alley are painted with skeletons and symbols of voodoo (the genuine kind, not the hokey version) and there’s a voodoo temple on the route.
Connecting the Bywater community to the riverfront and Crescent Park is the now-iconic Pi ety Str eet Br i dge . The raw, rusted steel arch, designed in 2008 by architect David Adajaye, echoes the industrial railroad below and the river barge traffic along the Mississippi.
Apiece Apart maxi and Loeffler Randall Circle straw tassle tote at Pilot/ Powell, pilotandPowell.com; Hebba tri-loop brass and leather necklace and Moroccan crochet necklace at Katie Koch Home, KatieKochHome.com; Rachel Comey tortoise hoop earrings at Pied Nu, PiedNuNOLA.com.
Fest Dressed Louisiana festivals celebrate alligator, boudin and rural life; crawfish, catfish, strawberry and rice. Get your party on and dance all day with music and food the heritage way. By Lisa Tudor Photographed by THERESA CASSAGNE Makeup by Meggan Ory Hair by Niki Walker Model Hannah Lea
Ribbon print Eamonn top at Peony, PeonyNOLA.com; Toteme white denim straight fit cropped jeans at Pilot/Powell, pilotandPowell.com.
Feather earrings at Babe, facebook.com/ babe.neworleans; Solid & Striped Paradise tank at Basics Underneath, BasicsUnderneath.com; Denim jacket by Grlfrnd and Toteme white cropped jeans at Pilot/Powel, pilotandPowell.com; Moyna beaded and velvet belt-bag at Peony, PeonyNOLA.com.
Woven straw hat and Florabella crochet cover-up at Peony, PeonyNOLA.com; One x Oneteaspoon distressed cutoffs at Babe, facebook.com/babe.neworleans; Stone Fox Swim bikini at Basics Underneath; Figue Tuk Tuk basket tote at Pied Nu, PiedNuNOLA.com.; large bronze buckle cuff and antique Moroccan flat weave tribal rug at Katie Koch Home, KatieKochHome.com.
Yune Ho Vanessa silk poka dot top, Simon Miller Split Lowry jeans and Figue Caravan Slides at Pied Nu, PiedNuNOLA. com; handmade imported Moroccan carpet bag at Katie Koch Home, KatieKochHome. com; Jeanette silk rosette link charm bracelets at Relish, RelishNewOrleans.com.
Distressed cutoff jean shorts at Babe, facebook. com/babe.neworleans; Trovata drawstring top, sunglasses, swan earrings and butterfly cuff at Relish, RelishNewOrleans.com; Macrame cross body bag at Peony, PeonyNOLA.com.
next year, the crown sent the Le Moyne brothers to set up the colony of Louisiana for Louis XIV. In April 1699, Iberville established the first settlement as Fort Maurepas (present-day Ocean Springs, Mississippi) appointing Sauvolle de la Villantry as governor with Bienville second in command. Later that year, the teenaged Bienville was traveling down the Mississippi with five other men in two canoes when they discovered an English warship captained by Lewis Bond. Bienville paddled up to the ship loaded with ten cannons and calmly (and untruthfully) informed Bond that the French had claimed the lands, established a settlement, and had a fort a short distance upriver with cannons and soldiers ready to defend the king’s claim. Bond bought the lie by the brash young Frenchman, who had more on his side than his ability to bluff – he had his bloodline. Iberville had defeated and held Bond captive during King William’s War and surely Bond had second thoughts about challenging another Le Moyne brother. Bond turned and retreated. Thus, the area became known as Le Detour des Anglais, or English Turn. Two years later, after Sauvolle’s death in 1701, Bienville became governor for the first of what would be four terms. He was 21 years old.
Bienville s Tattoos W
hen Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne, Sieur de Bienville first caught sight of the future New Orleans he wrote, “on the banks of the river is a place very favorable for the establishment of a post with one of the finest crescents on the river.” The crescent shape could also have been easily characterized as a sickle representing sickness, death and hard labor – all of which early colonists experienced. Years after Bienville’s observation, one eyewitnesses described the “village” of New Orleans as being no better than a vast sink or sewer where reptiles croaked, malefactors and wild beasts lurked, and the air was congested with mosquitoes delivering a “red-hot nail” sting to their prey. Crescent or sickle, Bienville’s destiny as founder of New Orleans required him to be as fluid and multifaceted as the river itself, striving to fulfill his colonial mandate while tirelessly willing his city to survive and prosper. Bienville was born in 1680 in Montreal, Canada. He joined the French navy at the age of 12, serving under his older brother Pierre Le Moyne d’Iberville. After years of service, he was wounded in battle in 1697 and travelled to France to recuperate. The
Bienville’s ability to bluff (as well as outthink and outmaneuver his opponents) was essential in navigating the politics that stretched from the gilded palace of Versailles to the banks of the Louisiana bayous. In Lawrence Powell’s book The Accidental City, Powell recounts how Bienville secretly sent the map that engineer Adrien de Pauger drew of the modern-day French Quarter to the crown. Powell surmises that the reason regent Phillippe, duc d’Orléans chose New Orleans in 1722 as the new capital over the favored Biloxi was likely an act of desperation spurred by the years of vacillation on where to put it. Of course, it didn’t hurt that the city was named after Phillippe and its streets were
a grid devoted to royal egotism. After paying homage in the nomenclature to France’s royalty and their saints, Bienville also named a street after himself. Bienville was the quintessential politician, serving the people’s needs while being cognizant of lining his own purse. Throughout his career he faced charges of corruption, malfeasance, and profiting from his position (which were never substantiated but dogged him for years). Louisiana was never given the proper resources or manpower it needed from the crown and Bienville’s deftness and rebelliousness against authority helped keep the young colony afloat. He allocated supplies from the crown’s warehouse for the impoverished, gave food to soldiers without deducting it from their scant salaries, and violated French law by trading with other countries (England and Spain). In a letter to Comte de Pontchartrain he claimed he did not make a profit from his actions, instead expending his youth and health on the colony. Bienville’s congenital diplomacy also assisted him in working with the Native American tribes, which was imperative to the colony’s survival. He was one of the first colonists to speak their languages without a translator, he established trade, and against colonial social norms, he embraced aspects of their “savage” culture – particularly tattoos. Henri “Iron Hand” de Tonti, an Italian-born solider and explorer (nicknamed when he lost his right hand in a grenade explosion during the Sicilian Wars), who traveled with Sieur de La Salle, once wrote “an officer, a man of breeding whose name you would recognize, who as well as an image of the Virgin and the baby Jesus, a large cross on his stomach with the miraculous words which appeared to Constantine and an endless number of marks in the savage style, had a snake which passed around his body and whose tongue pointed toward an extremity which I will leave you to guess.” It is believed that he was referring to Bienville, and for that extremity, I leave the reader to guess. Jean-Francois Bertet de la Clue Sabran, a French admiral, wrote in his journal about how the southern Native Americans “have their skins covered with figures of snakes which they make with the point of a needle. Mr. de Bienville who is the general of the country has all of his body covered in this way and when he is obliged to march to war with them he makes himself nude like them. They like him very much but they also fear him.” Scholar Arnaud Balvay claimed that tattooed Frenchmen were typically seen as libertines and operating outside of the strict societal standards. In the mid-eighteenth century, criminals were branded with the French royal symbol of the fleur de lis to distinguish them as such and if necessary, identify them as fugitives. Europeans of that era considered it a sin to mark the body. But for the Native Americans, tattoos marked entry into their indigenous community, embellished women’s beauty, and promoted warriors’ status. The more tattoos, the greater a warrior’s status. On their battlefields, the European tradition of sashes, stripes, and bars were useless. Native Americans’ naked bodies covered in scars and tattoos easily identified their rank and prowess. Tonti detailed the tattooing process, describing how the “marks of honor” weren’t “printed without pain.” After drawing a pattern on the skin, a needle or sharpened bone was used to prick the skin until it bled and then colored powder was rubbed into the perforated skin. Bienville’s tattoos, which blended French and Christian iconography with the wild natural designs used
by the natives, could be viewed not only as a fusion of cultural adornment but a masterstroke of personal and public commitment to Louisiana’s cause. Although Bienville wasn’t able to lavish gifts on the tribes like the English, the Native Americans favored him because they trusted and respected him. Like many a warrior and politician, Bienville was crafty in tailoring his message and tactics to the audience and task at hand. Bienville’s legacy in Louisiana was as complex as the man. He achieved many firsts: introducing the first cattle, hogs and chicken; growing and shipping the first cotton and tobacco, and operating the first lumber mills. He is credited with bringing the Ursuline nuns to Louisiana but also with instituting the Code Noir (Black Code), which strictly regulated the conduct of slaves, a brutal system of control that lasted for decades. In 1743, Bienville retired to France where he lived on a modest government pension. He died on March 7, 1767 at the age of 87 in his home along the Rue Vivienne on Paris’ right bank. The sailor, soldier, colonizer, diplomat, and four-time governor, who could be as gentle as the crescent bend and as cutting as the sickle, had worked throughout to forge a better Louisiana. In 1917, the executive committee for the bicentennial proposed that City Park be renamed Bienville Park. At first the reception was positive, but a backlash formed (primarily the Fifth and Sixth wards residents), arguing that the change would be confusing. Proponents, such as historical organizations and Mayor Behrman, argued that City Park was a meaningless, generic, and municipal appellation that contributed nothing to New Orleans. In May 1918, it was announced that the park commissioners agreed to change the name, but after a popular outcry the plan was dropped. Another attempt occurred in 1926 led by the Louisiana Historical Association, with the argument that Bienville, who “not only founded By Sally Asher New Orleans but persistently and courageously defended it” deserved Illustration by having a park named after him, like Jonathan Bartlett John James Audubon. Over a dozen organizations with approximately 24,000 members agreed, as did state senator Joseph Randall, who “heartily endorsed” the movement. Members of the Fifth and Sixth Ward Civic Welfare League circulated petitions against the change. At a meeting in City Park, protestors booed and heckled “Bienville backers” so intensely that police were called twice. Obviously, the change never happened, but in 1955 Bienville was honored with a twelve-foot bronze statue designed by local sculptor Angela Gregory. The statue, located between North Peters and Decatur Streets in the French Quarter, features Father Douay, an unnamed Native American, and Bienville, gazing out over his city on the crescent. The plaques on Bienville’s New Orleans statue and on his old residence over 4500 miles away at No. 17 Rue Vivienne in Paris don’t tell a fraction of his accomplishments and can’t possibly convey his craftiness and complexity. Both, however, note Bienville’s most consequential mark on history: “Founder of New Orleans.” •
For the founder of New Orleans, some beliefs were skin deep
The Menu TABLE TALK . RESTAURANT INSIDER . FOOD . LAST CALL . DINING LISTINGS
jeffery johnston photo
Pork Tonkatsu Ramen at Kin
THE MENU . TABLE TALK
Fish Bowl
meet the chef Hieu Than James Beard Nominee
Kin Ramen by the Bowl By Jay Forman
S
tock pots are simmering at a certain pie-shaped wedge of Gert Town real estate. Here you will find Kin, where chef and owner Hieu Than obsesses over the minutiae of his carefully
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APRIL 2018
m yne w orleans.com
Hieu Than is a young New Orleans native with an already impressive resume. A French Culinary Institute graduate, in New York he staged in the kitchens of both Tom Colicchio and Paul Liebrandt before returning to New Orleans where he worked with Sue Zemanick at Gautreau’s. His skill set showcases both classic French and modernist techniques but without the affectations that often accompany these approaches. Top it off with (at press time) his 2018 James Beard nomination for Best Chef South and you’ll see that this is a chef with a bright future.
composed ramen bowls. The space is tiny with a kitchen that offers little more than 150 square feet of workspace. But what is sent out of this diminutive production area is remarkable enough
jeffery johnston photo
for Than to garner, as of press and rendered bacon. For pickup, time, a nomination for a 2018 the belly is finished à la minute with this glaze and some roasted James Beard award. Kin wasn’t always a ramen garlic and onion. First into the shop. When it opened back in bowl goes the broth, then the 2015, it was more of a quirky pork and braised greens, soy boîte that offered a cerebral and mirin-and-soy marinated approach to fine dining. Yet egg, and the Brussels sprouts. noodles were always part of Last in are the noodles, which the plan. “In the back of my are made from scratch and take head I always wanted to do just 10 seconds to cook. ramen,” Than says. “I just didn’t My favorite is the Huxta Bowl, think the city was really ready which was inspired by Than’s for it. I also wanted to build a trip to the famed Ivan Ramen in customer base before making New York. This dish is lighter the switch. I just didn’t think I’d as its broth is a blend of the get people in here pork and chicken to this no-name stocks and it picks place run by a up both umami Kin, 4600 no-name guy to and sweetness Washington Ave., eat ramen out the from miso paste Gert Town, 304.8557. gate.” blended with the L, D Tues-Sat. Closed Than is milk from fresh Sun & Mon. modest – his corn cobs. The resume includes pork shoulder is time spent at seasoned overNew York’s Corton with Paul night then ground and browned Liebrandt as well as with with onions, lemongrass and Gautreau’s here in New Orleans black pepper. The artful savory – and he brings a precision crumbles go into the broth along and care for ingredients that with fresh corn and blanched reflect this. His menu is short bok choy. but focused. Think of his Kin’s ramen is filling, but if ramen bowls as inverted fine you feel up for it try the dumpdining, basically a layering of lings. The compositions rotate individually-prepared compo- but recently included a crab-boil nents nested within a single inspired Cajun Hotbox. Seating bowl, rather than spread out is limited, with a communal across a series of plates. 10-top and a pair of bars – one The Pork Tonkotsu, described L-shaped around the counter by Tran as his “benchmark and the other fronting a window, bowl,” is a case in point. The so arriving early is best. Drinks base is the broth, an emulsi- are BYOB with no corkage fee. • fied pork stock that simmers overnight. Whereas most places roll and braise pork belly for the protein component, here Hieu takes a multi-stage, fine dining Tonkotsu on Magazine Street approach. The pork bellies are Nomiya on Magazine Street first cured with coriander, fennel, serves up bowls of Tonkotsu with salt and clove then pressure an array of toppings including cooked the following day. “The fish cakes, egg, pickled ginger pressure cooker concentrates the and more. The Geki-Kara turns up flavor,” Hieu says. “This dish the spice thanks to a chili paste is intensely porky.” The belly made with ghost pepper. Pork is removed and portioned, and buns and edamame are available the leftover sauce is reduced to as well. Seating is limited and a glaze with spices, aromatics libations are BYOB.
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THE MENU . restaurant insider
News From the Kitchen Gogi Korean, Landry’s Seafood, Jayne Bistro By Robert Peyton
Bibimbap with beef
Gogi Korean Restaurant
Landry’s Seafood House
Jayne Bistro & Bar
Gogi Korean Restaurant opened a little more than a year ago in Metairie. The restaurant lacks in-table grills, but aficionados will recognize items like Japchae, Mandu and Bibimbap. Non-standard menu items include Gogi nachos – tortilla chips topped with three cheeses, the restaurant’s special sauce blend and bulgogi, and Dwenjang Jjigae – fermented soybean stew with vegetables and beef. Gogi Korean Restaurant: 4620 Veterans Blvd.; Sunday – Thursday 11 to 9, until 10 on Friday and Saturday, 872-9992, GogiRestaurantNola.com.
Landry’s Seafood House opened in February on two floors of the JAX Brewery building in the Quarter. The menu is standard South Louisiana fare – raw oysters, poor boys, broiled and fried seafood, gumbo and blackened catfish Atchafalaya. The upper level has tables with views of Jackson Square or the river. Landry’s Seafood House: 620 Decatur St., Unit 1A; Sunday – Thursday from 11 to 10, and until 11 on Friday and Saturday; lunch from 11 – 3 daily, 581-9825, LandrysSeafood.com/French_Quarter.
Jayne Bistro & Bar has replaced Petit Lion in the Troubadour hotel. Chef Dana Whitmore’s menu reads more local than the predecessor, featuring dishes such as Zapps potato chip-crusted gulf fish, Shrimp and Grits, and oysters poached in cream and Pernod with Tasso and diced potatoes served under a puff pastry dome. Jayne Bistro & Bar: 1111 Gravier St.; Monday – Friday from 6:30 to 10; Saturday and Sunday from 7 to 10; 518-5800, JayneNola.com.
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THE MENU . food
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styled by photographed by eugenia uhl
Crawfish Bread
RECIPE Crawfish Bread
The Marksville creation popularized by Jazz Fest BY Dale Curry
Ingredients 2 loaves frozen bread dough thawed 1 Tbsp. butter
J
ohn Laborde runs a small catering business in Marksville, but for the last 31 years, the high point of his life is in New Orleans. That’s because he’s the man who brought crawfish bread to the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Fest. For a seasoned Jazz Fest goer, crawfish bread is to Jazz Fest what king cake is to Carnival. It’s one of the top things on the menu, a high rating for a festival loaded with the best of Cajun and Creole cooking. It’s right up there with crawfish Monica, cochon de lait poor boys and crawfish sacks, crawfish beignets and oyster patties. Back in Marksville, Laborde didn’t start out stuffing his bread with crawfish. It was sausage he used. But it was in the ‘80s when Paul Prudhomme put Cajun cooking on the map, and he said, “Why not crawfish?” The world comes to Jazz Fest, and although the world doesn’t eat crawfish, it seems to be the most popular thing on the menu. What great luck to have the festival during crawfish season. Now, Laborde’s whole family is involved. Although two grown sons have their own careers and a daughter is in college, they all play a role at Laborde’s booth, and so do his wife, brother and sister. “Jazz Fest for us is some kind of magical bonding thing,” Laborde said, recalling people from all over the world who have come to the booth. There are the families from England and the group from Minnesota who have stood in the lines for 30 years. His first day on the race course was a sad one. He didn’t sell a single crawfish bread. “What have I done,” he thought. Along came
a news reporter, who tasted the wares, and the next day a line formed. The rest is history. Store-bought French bread has become a substitute for some people who want to replicate this delicacy at home and serve it like a poor boy. And making the yeast bread from scratch can be a turnoff for busy cooks. But the homemade yeast bread that wraps around that cheesy Louisiana crawfish mixture is part of the draw for me. I tend to go for the compromise of buying store-bought frozen bread dough to get a product closer to Laborde’s. Laborde reveals few secrets but has one tip. “Make sure you use a good, high-quality crawfish tail, a Louisiana crawfish with fat.”
½ cup chopped onion ½ cup chopped bell pepper 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 pound Louisiana crawfish with fat 1/2 tsp. salt 1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper ¼ tsp. cayenne pepper 1 cup grated pepper Jack cheese, grated 1 cup grated sharp Cheddar cheese 1 egg 2 Tbsp. water Directions 1. About 3 hours before you are ready to serve, thaw 2 loaves of bread dough at room temperature, about 2 hours. . 2. Meanwhile, melt butter in medium skillet. Saute onions and bell pepper until wilted; add garlic and saute a minute more; add crawfish and seasonings and simmer on medium heat for 12 minutes, uncovered, stirring occasionally. Set aside until dough has thawed. 3. Grate and mix cheeses and set aside. 4. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Flour a cutting board and spread dough out, one loaf at a
on the side
time. Lightly sprinkle the top of bread with flour and roll
Crawfish Celebration
out. The dough will be elastic and shrink back together. After rolling several times, allow the dough to rest for 5
The show goes on for dozens of crawfish festivals, cook-offs and contests throughout the state despite the effects of freezing winter weather. Prices could be a bit higher, and some predict smaller mudbugs, but we all know that won’t stop crawfish lovers. Breaux Bridge, the crawfish capital of the world, plans its extravaganza May 4-6. Closer to home will be Tulane Crawfest at Tulane University on April 21, and the NOLA Crawfish Festival, April 30-May 2 at the NOLA Brewery and Tap Room. Bring y’ mama n’em.
minutes and roll again. Get dough as close as you can to a 10-by-12-inch rectangle. Place the rectangle of dough on a lightly greased or sprayed baking sheet. 5. Spoon ¼ of the cheese mixture down the center of the length of the dough to within ½ inch of the ends. Cover cheese with ½ of the crawfish mixture. Spoon ¼ of cheese mixture over crawfish. Pull the long sides of dough up and over the crawfish mixture, pinching sides together. Then pinch ends together. Move to one side of the pan. 6. Repeat with second loaf, placing it on same pan. 7. In a small bowl, beat egg and add water. Use a pastry brush to cover both loaves lightly with eggwash until evenly coated. Let the dough rise in a warm area or at room temperature for ½ hour or until puffy. Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Cool slightly and slice crosswise into desired number of pieces. Serves 6 as entrée or more as appetizer.
THE MENU . last call
Go for Refreshing! Pearl’s Patio-Tini By Tim McNally
T
his “A” month, April, is nowhere near as stifling as the other “A” month, August. But make no mistake, wandering around Woldenberg Park, the French Quarter, Jackson Square, or the Fair Grounds, all sites for festivals this month, enjoying great music and amazing foods is thirsty work. This time of year on the New Orleans events calendar has become known, properly, as Festival Season. Day after day, major celebrations unfold and we, like moths to a flame, cannot help but go and have the time of our lives. When that inevitable “take-a-break” moment occurs, that’s the time to sit down, rest the weary feet, and sip on something cold, refreshing and uncomplicated. Pearl Wine Company, in the recently revamped American Can complex on Orleans Avenue, in the center of town, is an ideal destination. Outdoors on the new patio or indoors in a freshly renovated bar area, there are wines or cocktails, sofas or stools, TV or live music, the choices are pleasant and never wrong. Here’s a great drink suggestion to end a day of heavy festival action and get ready for a night of more of everything that defines New Orleans in April.
RECIPE Pearl’s Patio-Tini
1 oz. lemon juice 1.5 oz. Gin (we like New Orleans-made Euphrosine with this one) .5 oz Ginger liqueur 3 dashes of Cocktail Experiment Blood Orange and Ginger Bitters Sparkling wine Shake with ice, strain and top with sparkling wine. Garnish with lemon twist From the Cocktail Bar at Pearl Wine Company, 3700 Orleans Avenue at Bayou St. John, 483-6314, PearlWineCo.com. 84
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THE MENU . dining listings H= New Orleans Magazine award winner
Abita Springs Abita Brew Pub Gastropub 72011 Holly St., (985) 892-5837, AbitaBrewPub.com. L, D Tue-Sun. Better-than-expected pub food in its namesake eatery.“Tasteful” tours available for visitors. $$ Akers Middendorf’s Seafood Interstate 55, Exit 15, 30160 Hwy. 51 S., (985) 386-6666, MiddendorfsRestaurant.com. L, D Wed-Sun. Historic seafood destination along the shores of Lake Maurepas is world-famous for its thin-fried catfish fillets. Open since 1934, it’s a Sun. drive tradition. $$ Avondale
H Mosca’s Italian 4137 Hwy. 90 W., 4368950, MoscasRestaurant.com. D Tue-Sat. Italian institution dishes out massive portions of great food, family-style. Good bets are the shrimp Mosca and chicken à la grande. Cash only. $$$ Bywater H Pizza Delicious pizza 617 Piety St., 676-8482, PizzaDelicious.com. L, D Tue-Sun. Authentic New York-style thin crust pizza is the reason to come to this affordable restaurant , that also offers excellent salads sourced from small farms and homemade pasta dishes. Outdoor seating a plus. $
H Mariza Italian 2900 Charters St., 598-5700, MarizaNewOrleans.com. D Tue-Sat. An Italian-inspired restaurant by chef Ian Schnoebelen features a terrific raw bar, house-cured charcuterie and an array of refined adult beverages served in the industrial/contemporary setting on the ground floor of the Rice Mills lofts. $$$ Carrollton Bourré AMERICAN 1510 S. Carrollton Ave., 510-4040. L, D Tue-Sun.“Elevated” street food along with quality daiquiris and wings are the draw at this newcomer from the team behind Boucherie. $$ Breads on Oak Bakery/Breakfast 8640 Oak St., 324-8271, BreadsOnOak.com. B, L WedSun. Artisan bakeshop tucked away near the levee on Oak St. serves breads, sandwiches, gluten-free and vegan-friendly options. $ City Park Café NOMA AMERICAN 1 Collins Diboll Cir., NO Museum of Art, 482-1264, CafeNoma. com. L, (snacks) Tue-Sun. Sleek bar and café in the ground floor of museum offers a thoughtful array of snacks, sandwiches and small plates that are sure to enchant, with a kids’ menu to boot. $$ Morning Call Bakery/Breakfast 56 Dreyfous Dr., City Park, 885-4068, NewOrleansCityPark.com/in-the-park/ morning-call. 24 hours a day; cash-only. Chicory coffee and beignets make this the quintessential New Orleans coffee shop. $ CBD/Warehouse District H Annunciation Louisianian Fare 1016 Annunciation St., 568-0245, AnnunciationRestaurant.com. D Mon-Sat, Br Sun. Chef Steven Manning brings a refined 86
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$ = Average entrée price
$ = $5-10
sensibility to this refined Warehouse District oasis along with his famous fried oysters with melted brie. $$$ Balise Louisianian Fare 640 Carondelet St., 459-4449, BaliseNola.com. L Tue-Fri, D daily, Br Sat-Sun. Chef Justin Devillier turns back the clock at this turn-of-the-century inspired bistro in the CBD. Carefully crafted fare fits well alongside the excellent cocktail and beer list. $$$
H BH Steak Steakhouse Harrah’s Casino, 8 Canal St., 533-6111, HarrahsNewOrleans. com. D daily. Acclaimed chef John Besh reinterprets the classic steakhouse with his signature contemporary Louisiana flair. $$$$$ H Borgne Seafood 601 Loyola Ave., 613-3860, BorgneRestaurant.com. L, D daily. Coastal Louisiana with an emphasis on Isleños cuisine (descendants of Canary Islanders who settled in St. Bernard Parish) is the focus of this high-volume destination adjacent to the Superdome. $$$ Café Adelaide Louisianian Fare Loews New Orleans Hotel, 300 Poydras St., 595-3305, CafeAdelaide.com. B, L Mon-Fri, D daily, Br Sat-Sun. This offering from the Commander’s Palace family of restaurants has become a power-lunch favorite for business-people and politicos. Also features the Swizzle Stick Bar. $$$$ Calcasieu Specialty Foods 930 Tchoupitoulas St., 588-2188, CalcasieuRooms.com. For large and small gatherings, the catering menus feature modern Louisiana cooking and the Cajun cuisine for which chef Donald Link is justifiably famous. Chophouse New Orleans Steakhouse 322 Magazine St., 522-7902, ChophouseNola.com. D daily. In addition to USDA prime grade aged steaks, Chophouse offers lobster, redfish and classic steakhouse sides. $$$
H Cochon Louisianian Fare 930 Tchoupitoulas St., 588-2123, CochonRestaurant.com. L, D, Mon-Sat. Chefs Donald Link and Stephen Stryjewski feature Cajun and Southern cuisine. Boudin and other pork dishes reign supreme, along with Louisiana seafood and real moonshine Reservations recommended. $$
H Desi Vega’s Steakhouse Steakhouse 628 St. Charles Ave., 523-7600, DesiVegaSteaks.com. L Mon-Fri, D Tue-Sat. USDA Prime steaks form the base of this menu, but Italian specialties and a smattering of locally inspired seafood dishes round out the appeal. $$$ Drago’s Louisianian Fare Hilton Riverside Hotel, 2 Poydras St., 584-3911, DragosRestaurant.com. L, D daily. This favorite specializes in charbroiled oysters, a dish they invented. Great deals on fresh lobster as well. $$$$
H Domenica Italian The Roosevelt Hotel, 123 Baronne St., 648-6020,
$$ = $11-15
$$$ = $16-20
$$$$ = $21-25
DomenicaRestaurant.com. L, D daily. Authentic, regional Italian cuisine. The menu of thin, lightly topped pizzas, artisanal salumi and cheese, and a carefully chosen selection of antipasti, pasta and entrées features locally raised products. $$$$ Emeril’s Louisianian Fare 800 Tchoupitoulas St., 528-9393, EmerilsRestaurants.com. L Mon-Fri, D daily. The flagship of superstar chef Emeril Lagasse’s culinary empire, this landmark attracts pilgrims from all over the world. $$$$$ Gordon Biersch Gastropub 200 Poydras St., 552-2739, GordonBiersch.com. L, D daily. Local outpost of this popular chain serves specialty brews made on-site and crowdpleasing lunch and dinner fare. $$
H Herbsaint Louisianian Fare 701 St. Charles Ave., 524-4114, Herbsaint.com. L Mon-Fri, D Mon-Sat. Enjoy a sophisticated cocktail before sampling chef Donald Link’s menu that melds contemporary bistro fare with classic Louisiana cuisine. The banana brown butter tart is a favorite dessert. $$$$$ Johnny Sanchez World 930 Poydras St., 304-6615, JohnnySanchezRestaurant. com. L, D daily. Contemporary Mexican mecca offering locally sourced produce accompanying the Bistec a la Parilla. Popular happy hour and downtown locale next to South Market District add to the appeal. $$$
H La Boca Steakhouse 870 Tchoupitoulas St., 525-8205, LaBocaSteaks.com. D Mon-Sat. This Argentine steakhouse specializes in cuts of meat along with pastas and wines. Specials include the provoleta appetizer and the Vacio flank steak. $$$
H Lüke World 333 St. Charles Ave., 3782840, LukeNewOrleans.com. B, L, D daily, Br Sat-Sun. Germanic specialties and French bistro classics, house-made pâtés and plateaux of cold, fresh seafood. $$$ Manning’s AMERICAN 519 Fulton St., 5938118. L, D daily, Br Sat-Sun. A partnership between New Orleans’ First Family of Football and Harrah’s Casino, Manning’s offers sports bar fans a step up, with a menu that draws on both New Orleans and the Deep South. $$$
H Merchant Bakery/Breakfast 800 Common St., 571-9580, MerchantNewOrleans.com. B, L daily. Coffee, creative crêpes, sandwiches and more are served at this sleek and contemporary café on the ground floor of the Merchant Building. $ Morton’s The Steakhouse Steakhouse 365 Canal St., One Canal Place, 566-0221, Mortons.com/NewOrleans. D daily. Private elevator leads to the plush, wood-paneled environs of this local outpost of the famed Chicago steakhouse popular with politicians and celebrities. $$$$ Mother’s Louisianian Fare 401 Poydras St., 523-9656, MothersRestaurant.net. B, L, D daily. Locals and tourists alike endure long
$$$$$ = $25 & up
lines to enjoy iconic dishes such as the Ferdi poor boy and Jerry’s jambalaya. Come for a late lunch to avoid the rush. $$ Mulate’s Louisianian Fare 201 Julia St., 5221492, Mulates.com. L, D daily. Live music and dancing add to the fun at this world-famous Cajun destination. $$ Palace Café World 605 Canal St., 523-1661, PalaceCafe.com. B, L, D daily. Cassic New Orleans restaurant, the Dickie Brennan and Palace Cafe team evolve traditional Creol dishes. Enjoy specialty cocktails and small plates at the Black Duck Bar. $$$
H Pêche Seafood 800 Magazine St., 5221744, PecheRestaurant.com. L, D Mon-Sat. Award-winning southern-inspired seafood destination by Chef Donald Link serves whole roasted Gulf fish from its massive, wood-burning oven, and an excellent raw bar. $$$ Q&C Hotel/Bar AMERICAN 344 Camp St., 587-9700, QandC.com. B, D daily, L Fri-Sun. Boutique hotel bar offering a small plates menu with tempting choices such as a Short Rib Poor Boy and Lobster Mac and Cheese to complement their sophisticated craft cocktails. $$
HRed Gravy Bakery/Breakfast 4125 Camp St., 561-8844, RedGravy.com. B, Br, L, Wed-Mon. Farm-to-table brunch restaurant offers a creative array of items such as Cannoli Pancakes and Skillet Cakes, as well as delectable sandwiches and more. Homemade pastas and authentic Tuscan specialties round out the menu. $$ H Restaurant August AMERICAN 301 Tchoupitoulas St., 299-9777, RestaurantAugust.com. L Fri, D daily. James Beard Award-winning menu is based on classical techniques of Louisiana cuisine and produce with a splash of European flavor set in an historic carriage warehouse. $$$$$ Rock-N-Sake Asian Fusion/Pan Asian 823 Fulton St., 581-7253, RockNSake.com. L Fri, D Tue-Sun, late night Fri-Sat. Fresh sushi and contemporary takes on Japanese favorites in an upbeat, casual setting. $$$ Ruth’s Chris Steak House Steakhouse Harrah’s Hotel, 525 Fulton St., 587-7099, RuthsChris.com. D daily, Br Sat-Sun. Filet mignon, creamed spinach and potatoes au gratin are the most popular dishes at this steak institution. There are also great seafood choices and top-notch desserts. $$$$$ Sac-A-Lait Seafood 1051 Annunciation St., 324-3658, Sac-A-LaitRestaurant.com. D Tue-Sat, L Fri. Cody and Sam Carroll’s shrine to Gulf Coast and Louisiana culinary heritage melds seafood, game, artisan produce, and craft libations in an ambitious menu that celebrates local and southern cuisine. $$$$ The Grill AMERICAN 540 Chartres St., 522-1800. B, L, D daily. A diner with local
character staffed by local characters. $ The Grill Room AMERICAN Windsor Court Hotel, 300 Gravier St., 522-6000, GrillRoomNewOrleans.com. B, L, D daily, Br Sun. Modern American cuisine with a distinctive New Orleans flair, the adjacent Polo Club Lounge offers live music nightly. Jazz Brunch on Sunday. $$$$$ Tommy’s Cuisine Italian 746 Tchoupitoulas St., 581-1103, TommysNewOrleans.com. D daily. Classic Creole-Italian cuisine is the name of the game at this upscale eatery. Appetizers include the namesake oysters Tommy, baked in the shell with Romano cheese, pancetta and roasted red pepper. $$$$$ Walk-On’s Bistreaux & Bar AMERICAN 1009 Poydras St., 309-6530, Walk-Ons. com. L, D, daily. Burger, sandwiches, wraps and more with a Louisiana twist are served at this sports bar near the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. $$ Warehouse Grille AMERICAN 869 Magazine St., 322-2188, WarehouseGrille.com. L, D daily, Br Fri-Sat. Creative fare served in an art-filled environment. Try the lamb spring rolls. $$ Victory Gastropub 339 Baronne St., 522-8664, VictoryNola.com. D daily. Craft cocktails served by owner and acclaimed bartender Daniel Victory, as well as refined small plates and gourmet pizza. $$ Central City
Café Reconcile Louisiana fare 1631 Oretha Castle Haley Blvd., 568-1157, CafeReconcile. org. L Mon-Fri. Good food for a great cause, this nonprofit on the burgeoning OCH corridor helps train at-risk youth for careers in the food service industry. $$ Covington Don’s Seafood seafood 126 Lake Dr., (985) 327-7111, DonsSeafoodOnline.com. L, D Daily. Popular neighborhood seafood joint offers an array of crowd-pleasing south Louisiana dishes, including char-broiled oysters and Zydeco shrimp. Kid’s Menu makes it a good choice for families. $$$ Darrow Café Burnside Louisianian Fare Houmas House Plantation, 40136 Hwy. 942, (225) 473-9380, HoumasHouse.com. L daily, Br Sun. Historic plantation’s casual dining option features dishes such as seafood pasta, fried catfish, crawfish and shrimp, gumbo and red beans and rice. $$ Latil’s Landing Louisianian Fare Houmas House Plantation, 40136 Hwy. 942, (225) 473-9380, HoumasHouse.com. D Wed-Sun. Nouvelle Louisiane cooking served in an opulent setting features dishes like rack of lamb and plume de veau. $$$$$ Faubourg Marigny Feelings Cafe, Bar and Courtyard Lounge Louisianian Fare 535 Franklin Ave, 446-0040, FeelingsCafeBar.com. D Tue-Sat, L Fri. The All New Feelings Marigny is a complete relaunch of the much beloved “Feelings
Cafe”. Executive Chef Scott Maki has transformed the menu with an emphasis on contemporary Creole-Louisiana fare.$$$$
are served in a lovely enclosed courtyard at this jewel of a French bistro. $$
Langlois AMERICAN 1710 Pauger St., 934-1010, LangloisNola.com. L Fri-Sat, D Wed-Sun. *Reservations only Supper club and boutique cooking school in the Marigny serves up culturally informed, farm-to-table fare with the added bonus of instruction. Open kitchen and convivial atmosphere add up to a good time. $$$
St., 301-0848, 1000Figs.com. L, D Tue-Sat. Vegetarian-friendly offshoot of the Fat Falafel Food Truck offers a healthy farm-totable alternative to cookie-cutter Middle Eastern places. $$
H Mona’s Café World 504 Frenchmen St., 949-4115. L, D daily. Middle Eastern specialties such as baba ganuj, beef or chicken shawarma, falafel and gyros.The lentil soup and desserts, such as sticky sweet baklava, round out the menu. $
H Ruby Slipper Café Bakery/ Breakfast 2001 Burgundy St., 525-9355, TheRubySlipperCafe.net. B, L daily, Br Sun. Homegrown chain specializes in breakfast, lunch and brunch dishes with unique local twists such as bananas Foster French toast and barbecue shrimp and grits. $$ The Marigny Brasserie AMERICAN 640 Frenchmen St., 945-4472, MarignyBrasserie. com. L, D daily. Chic neighborhood bistro with traditional dishes like fried green tomatoes and innovative cocktails such as the cucumber Collins. $$$ Faubourg St. John H Café Degas French 3127 Esplanade Ave., 945-5635, CafeDegas.com. L, D Wed-Sat, Br Sun. Salad Niçoise, Hanger steak and frites
H 1000 Figs World 3141 Ponce De Leon
French Quarter Angeline AMERICAN 1032 Chartres St., 308-3106, AngelineNola.com. B Mon-Thu, D daily, Br Sat-Sun,. Modern southern with a fine dining focus is this bistro’s hallmark. Southern Fried Quail and Duck Confit Ravoli represent the style. $$$ Acme Oyster House Louisianian Fare 724 Iberville St., 522-5973, AcmeOyster.com. L, D daily. Known as one of the best places to eat oysters. $$
H Arnaud’s Louisianian Fare 813 Bienville St., 523-5433, ArnaudsRestaurant.com. D daily, Br Sun. Waiters in tuxedos prepare Café Brûlot tableside at this storied Creole grande dame; live jazz during Sun. brunch. $$$$$ Arnaud’s Remoulade Italian 309 Bourbon St., 523-0377, Remoulade.com. L, D daily. Home of the eclectic menu of famous shrimp Arnaud, red beans and rice and poor boys as well as specialty burgers, grilled allbeef hot dogs and thin-crust pizza. $$ Antoine’s Louisianian Fare 713 St. Louis St., 581-4422, Antoines.com. L, D Mon-Sat, Br Sun. This pinnacle of haute cuisine and
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birthplace of oysters Rockefeller is New Orleans’ oldest restaurant. (Every item is à la carte, with an $11 minimum.) Private dining rooms available. $$$$$ Antoine’s Annex Specialty Foods 513 Royal St., 525-8045, Antoines.com/AntoinesAnnex. Open daily. Serves French pastries, including individual baked Alaskas, ice cream and gelato, as well as panini, salads and coffee. Delivery available. BB King’s Blues Club Barbecue 1104 Decatur St., 934-5464, BBKings.com/neworleans. L, D daily. New Orleans outpost of music club named for the famed blues musician with a menu loaded with BBQ and southern specialties. Live music and late hours are a big part of the fun. $$$ Bayou Burger Burgers 503 Bourbon St., 529-4256, SportsBarNewOrleans.com. L, D daily. Sports bar in the thick of Bourbon Street scene distinguishes its fare with choices like Crawfish Beignets and Gator Bites. $$
together at this seafood-centric destination overlooking the Mississippi River. Outdoor seating a plus. $$$ Creole Cookery Seafood 508 Toulouse St., Suite C110, 524-9632, NewOrleansCreoleCookery.com. L, D daily. Crowd-pleasing destination in the French Quarter offers an expansive menu of Creole favorites and specialty cocktails served with New Orleans flair. $$$
BourbonHouse.com. B, L, D daily, Br Sun. Classic Creole dishes, such as redfish on the halfshell, and an Oyster Bar. Its extensive bourbon menu will please aficionados. $$$$
Bayona World 430 Dauphine St., 5254455, Bayona.com. L Wed-Sat, D Mon-Sat. Chef Susan Spicer’s nationally acclaimed cuisine is served in this 200-year-old cottage. Ask for a seat on the romantic patio, weather permitting. $$$$$
620 Chartres St., 267-3500, DorisMetropolitan.com. L Fri-Sun, D daily. Innovative steakhouse plays with expectations and succeeds with modernist dishes like their Classified Cut and Beetroot Supreme. $$$$
Broussard’s French 819 Conti St., 581-3866, Broussards.com. D daily, Br Sun. Creole-French institution also offers beautiful courtyard seating. $$$$
El Gato Negro World 81 French Market Place, 525-9752, ElGatoNegroNola.com. L, D daily. Central Mexican cuisine along with hand-muddled mojitos and margaritas made with freshly squeezed juice. A weekend breakfast menu is an additional plus. $$
Court of Two Sisters Louisianian Fare 613 Royal St., 522-7261, CourtOfTwoSisters. com. Br, D daily. The historic environs make for a memorable outdoor dining experience. The famous daily Jazz Brunch buffet and classic Creole dishes sweeten the deal. $$$$$ Criollo Louisianian Fare Hotel Monteleone, 214 Royal St., 681-4444, CriolloNola. com. B, L, D daily. Next to the famous Carousel Bar in the historic Monteleone Hotel, Criollo represents an amalgam of the various Louisiana cultures, with a contemporary twist. $$$ Crazy Lobster Seafood 500 Port of New Orleans Place, Suite 83, 569-3380, TheCrazyLobster.com. L, D daily. Boiled seafood and festive atmosphere come 88
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By Mirella Cameran
H Dickie Brennan’s Bourbon House Seafood 144 Bourbon St., 522-0111,
Dickie Brennan’s Steakhouse Steakhouse 716 Iberville St., 522-2467, DickieBrennansSteakhouse.com. L Fri, D daily. Nationally recognized steakhouse serves USDA Prime steaks and local seafood. Validated Parking next door. $$$$
Chartres House Italian 601 Chartres St., 586-8383, ChartresHouse.com. L, D daily. This iconic French Quarter bar serves terrific Mint Juleps and Gin Fizzes in its picturesque courtyard and balcony settings. Also famous for its fried green tomatoes and other local favorite dishes. $$$
Going to Flamingo A-Go-Go
Deanie’s Seafood Seafood 841 Iberville St., 581-1316, Deanies.com. L, D daily. Louisiana seafood, baked, broiled, boiled and fried is the name of the game. Try the barbecue shrimp or towering seafood platters. $$$
Bourbon House Seafood 144 Bourbon St., 522-0111, BourbonHouse.com. B, L, D daily, Br Sun. Local seafood, featured in both classic and contemporary dishes, is the focus of this New Orleans-centric destination. And yes, bourbon is offered as well. $$$
H Cane & Table Gastropub 1113 Decatur St., 581-1112, CaneAndTableNola.com. L Fri, D daily, Br Sat-Sun. Open late, this chefdriven rustic colonial cuisine with rum and “proto-Tiki” cocktails make this a fun place to gather. $$
restaurant spotlight
H Doris Metropolitan Steakhouse
Galatoire’s Louisianian Fare 209 Bourbon St., 525-2021, Galatoires.com. L, D Tue-Sun. Friday lunches are a New Orleans tradition at this world-famous French-Creole grand dame. Tradition counts for everything here, and the crabmeat Sardou is delicious. Note: Jackets required for dinner and all day Sun. $$$$$
H GW Fins Seafood 808 Bienville St., 581-FINS (3467), GWFins.com. D daily. Owners Gary Wollerman and twice chef of the year Tenney Flynn provide dishes at their seasonal peak. On a quest for unique variety, menu is printed daily. $$$$$ Galatoire’s 33 Bar & Steak Steakhouse 215 Bourbon St., 335-3932, Galatoires33BarAndSteak.com. L Fri, D Sun-Thu. Steakhouse offshoot of the venerable Creole grande dame offers hand-crafted cocktails and classic steakhouse fare and inspired dishes. Reservations accepted. $$$ Hard Rock Café AMERICAN 125 Bourbon St., 529-5617, HardRock.com. L, D daily, Br Sat-Sun. Local outpost of this global brand serves burgers, café fare and drinks in their rock memorabilia-themed environs. $$
CIt’s not easy to create a “stand out” in the bar scene in New Orleans but Flamingo A-Go-Go has done it. Everything about the place is colorful and flamboyant, including the front mural by local artist Becky Fos, the colorful steel bamboo by Luis Colmenares and the vintage army truck (doubling as a seating area) and large flamingo fountains. Situated in the Warehouse District, this bright and extensive outdoor adult playground serves cheerful bar snacks. Drinks are as bold as the décor. Twenty or so taps pour beer, the rest offer red and white wine, Prosecco and house “flocktails.” The “Blue Lightning” and the “Vegas Bomb” are emblematic of what’s on offer. 869 Magazine St., 577-2202, FlamingoNola.com.
House of Blues Louisianian Fare 225 Decatur St., 310-4999, HouseOfBlues. cheryl gerber photo
com/NewOrleans. L, D daily. Good menu complements music in the main room. World-famous Gospel Brunch every Sunday. Patio seating available. $$
muse at this bistro, which offers vino by the flight, glass and bottle. A classic menu with an emphasis on local cuisine. $$$
Irene’s Cuisine Italian 539 St. Philip St., 529-8881. D Mon-Sat. Long waits at the lively piano bar are part of the appeal of this Creole-Italian favorite beloved by locals. Try the oysters Irene and crabmeat gratin appetizers. $$$$
Bienville St., 200-3180, PatricksBarVin.com. D daily. This oasis of a wine bar offers terrific selections by the bottle and glass. Small plates are served as well. $$
H Italian Barrel Italian 430 Barracks St., 569-0198, ItalianBarrel.com. L, D daily. Northern Italian dishes like Braciola di Maiale as well as an exhaustive pasta menu tempt at this local favorite that also offers al fresco seating. $$$ Killer Poboys Louisianian Fare 811 Conti St., 252-6745, KillerPoboys.blogspot.com. L, D Wed-Mon. This quasi-popup operating out of the Erin Rose Bar serves some of the city’s best poor boys. $ K-Paul’s Louisiana Kitchen Louisianian Fare 416 Chartres St., 596-2530, ChefPaul. com/KPaul. L Thu-Sat, D Mon-Sat. Paul Prudhomme’s landmark restaurant helped introduce Cajun food to the nation. Lots of seasoning and bountiful offerings, along with reserved seating, make this a destination for locals and tourists alike. $$$$
H Kingfish Seafood 337 Charters St., 5985005, KingfishNewOrleans.com. L, D daily, Br Sat-Sun. Regionally inspired seafood dishes with carefully sourced ingredients and southern influence is the focus at this chefdriven French Quarter establishment. $$$ Le Bayou Seafood 208 Bourbon St., 5254755, LeBayouRestaurant.com. L, D daily. Blackened redfish and Shrimp Ya-Ya are a just a few of the choices at this seafoodcentric destination on Bourbon Street. $$$
H Marti’s French 1041 Dumaine St., 5225478, MartisNola.com. L Fri, D daily. Classic French cuisine, small plates and chilled seafood platters like Grand Plateau Fruits De Mer are the calling cards for this restaurant with elegant “Old World” feel. $$$ Muriel’s Jackson Square Italian 801 Chartres St., 568-1885, Muriels.com. L, D daily, Br Sat-Sun. Enjoy local classics while dining in the courtyard bar or any other room in this labyrinthine, rumored-to-behaunted establishment. $$$$ Napoleon House Italian 500 Chartres St., 524-9752, NapoleonHouse.com. L Mon-Sat, D Tue-Sat. Originally built in 1797 as a respite for Napoleon, this family-owned Europeanstyle café serves local favorites gumbo, jambalaya and muffulettas. A Sazerac or Pimm’s Cup are perfect accompaniments. $$ NOLA Louisianian Fare 534 St. Louis St., 522-6652, EmerilsRestaurants.com/NolaRestaurant. L Thu-Mon, D daily. Emeril’s more affordable eatery, featuring cedar-plankroasted redfish; private dining. $$$$$ Oceana Grill Seafood 739 Conti St., 5256002, OceanaGrill.com. B, L, D daily. Gumbo, poor boys and barbecue shrimp are served at this kid-friendly seafood destination. $$ Orleans Grapevine Wine Bar and Bistro Gastropub 720 Orleans Ave., 523-1930, OrleansGrapevine.com. D daily. Wine is the
H Patrick’s Bar Vin Gastropub 730
Pier 424 Seafood 424 Bourbon St., 309-1574, Pier424SeafoodMarket.com. L, D daily. Seafood-centric restaurant offers long menu of traditional New Orleans fare augmented by unusual twists like “Cajun-Boiled” Lobster. $$$ Port of Call Burgers 838 Esplanade Ave., 523-0120, PortOfCallNola.com. L, D daily. It is all about the big, meaty burgers and giant baked potatoes in this popular bar/ restaurant – unless you’re cocktailing only, then it’s all about the Monsoons. $$
H R’evolution Italian 777 Bienville St., 553-2277, RevolutionNola.com. L Fri, D daily, Br Sun. An opulent place that combines the local flavors of chef John Folse with the cosmopolitan influence of chef Rick Tramonto. Chef de cuisine Chris Lusk and executive sous chef Erik Veney are in charge of day-to-day operations, which include house-made charcuterie, pastries, pastas and more. $$$$$ Ralph Brennan’s Red Fish Grill Italian 115 Bourbon St., 598-1200, RedFishGrill.com. L, D daily. Chef Austin Kirzner cooks up a broad menu peppered with local favorites such as barbecue oysters, blackened redfish and double-chocolate bread pudding. $$$$$ Rib Room AMERICAN Omni Royal Orleans Hotel, 621 St. Louis St., 529-7046, RibRoomNewOrleans.com. B, D daily, L Mon-Sat, Br Sun. Old World elegance, house classic cocktails and Anthony Spizale’s broad menu of prime rib, stunning seafood and on Sundays a jazz brunch. $$$ Richard Fiske’s Martini Bar & Restaurant
Louisianian Fare 301 Dauphine St., 586-0972, RichardFiskes.com. B, Bar Lunch daily. Just a few steps off of Bourbon Street is this relaxing bar featuring an innovative menu with dishes like Crawfish, Jalapeno-andBacon Mac and Cheese garnished with fried oysters. Live music a plus. $$$ Royal House Louisianian Fare 441 Royal St., 528-2601, RoyalHouseRestaurant.com. L, D daily. B Sat and Sun. Poor boys, jambalaya and shrimp Creole are some of the favorites served here. Weekend breakfast and an oyster bar add to the crowd-pleasing appeal. $$$ SoBou Louisianian Fare 310 Chartres St., 552-4095, SoBouNola.com. B, L, D daily. There is something for everyone at this “Modern Creole Saloon.” Decidedly unstuffy with an emphasis on craft cocktails and wines by the glass. Everything from $1 pork cracklins to an extravagant foie gras burger on an accomplished yet eclectic menus. $$
H Tableau Louisianian Fare 616 S. Peter St., 934-3463, TableauFrenchQuarter.com. B Mon-Fri, L Mon-Sat, D daily, Brunch Sat-Sun. Gulf seafood such as Redfish Bienville and classic Creole brunch dishes like eggs Hussard are the highlights of this Dickie Brennan restaurant that shares space with Le
Petite Théâtre. $$$
H The Bistreaux Louisianian Fare New Orleans Maison Dupuy Hotel, 1001 Toulouse St., 586-8000, MaisonDupuy.com/ dining.html. B, L, D daily, Br Sat-Sun. Dishes ranging from the casual (truffle mac and cheese) to the upscale (tuna tasting trio) are served in an elegant courtyard. $$ The Bombay Club Louisianian Fare Prince Conti Hotel, 830 Conti St., 577-2237, TheBombayClub.com. D daily. Popular martini bar with plush British décor features live music during the week and late dinner and drinks on weekends. Nouveau Creole menu includes items such as Bombay drum. $$$$ The Pelican Club AMERICAN 312 Exchange Place, 523-1504, PelicanClub.com. D daily. Serves an eclectic mix of hip food, from the seafood “martini” to clay-pot barbecued shrimp and a trio of duck. Three dining rooms available. $$$$$
H Tujague’s Louisianian Fare 823 Decatur
L, D daily. A big-screen TV normally shows a soccer match or MTV Latino at this home for authentic Central American food. Tacos include a charred carne asada. $$ Lacombe
H La Provence French 25020 Highway 190, (985) 626-7662, LaProvenceRestaurant.com. D Wed-Sun, Br Sun. Time-honored Provençal cuisine rewards guests with a true farm-life experience, from house-made preserves, charcuterie, herbs, kitchen gardens and eggs cultivated on the property. $$$$$ Lakeview H Cava Louisianian Fare 789 Harrison Ave., 304-9034. D daily. Fine dining (and excellent wine list) at this high-end Cajun and Creole restaurant that makes customer service a big part of the experience. $$$ Lakeview Harbor Burgers 911 Harrison Ave., 486-4887. L, D daily. Burgers are the name of the game at this restaurant. Daily specials, pizza and steaks are offered as well. $
St., 525-8676, TujaguesRestaurant.com. L, D daily, Br Sat-Sun. For more than 150 years this landmark restaurant has been offering Creole cuisine. Favorites include a nightly sixcourse table d’hôté menu featuring a unique beef brisket with Creole sauce. $$$$$
Lakeview Pearl Asian Fusion/Pan Asian 6300 Canal St., 309-5711, LakeviewPearl. com. L, D Mon-Sat. A long list of specialty rolls rounds out the offerings of this AsianFusion restaurant. $$
Garden District Cheesecake Bistro by Copeland’s AMERICAN 2001 St. Charles Ave., 593-9955, CopelandsCheesecakeBistro.com. L Mon-Fri, D daily, Br Sun. Shiny, contemporary bistro serves Cajun-fusion fare along with its signature decadent desserts. Good lunch value to boot. $$
2633, MondoNewOrleans.com. L Mon-Fri, D Mon-Sat, Br Sun. Chef Susan Spicer’s take on world cuisine. This place has a deserved reputation for good food and good times. $$$
District Donuts Sliders Brew AMERICAN 2209 Magazine Street, 570-6945, DonutsAndSliders.com. B, L, D daily. Creative sliders (hello, pork belly) and super-creative donuts (think root beer float) are the hallmarks of this next-generation café. $ Hoshun Restaurant Asian Fusion/Pan Asian 1601 St. Charles Ave., 302-9716, HoshunRestaurant.com. L, D daily. A wide variety of Asian cuisines, primarily dishes culled from China, Japan, Thailand and Malaysia. Private dining rooms available. $$
H Mr. John’s Steakhouse Steakhouse 2111 St. Charles Ave., 679-7697, MrJohnsSteakhouse.com. D Tue-Sat, L Fri-Sat. Wood paneling, white tile and USDA Prime Beef served sizzling in butter are the hallmarks of this classic New Orleans steakhouse. $$$ Gretna H Tan Dinh Asian Fusion/Pan Asian 1705 Lafayette St., 361-8008. B, L, D daily. Roasted quail and the beef pho rule at this Vietnamese outpost. $$
H Mondo World 900 Harrison Ave., 224-
Lower Garden District
H The Green Fork Vegan/Vegetarian 1400 Prytania St., 267-7672, GreenForkNola.com. B, L Mon-Sat. Fresh juices, smoothies and vegetarian-friendly fare make The Green Fork a favorite for lovers of healthy food. Catering is offered as well. $$ The Tasting Room Gastropub 1906 Magazine St., 581-3880, TTRNewOrleans. com. D Tue-Sun. Flights of wine and sophisticated small plates are the calling cards for this wine bar. $$ Voodoo BBQ Barbecue 1501 St. Charles Ave., 522-4647, VoodooBBQAndGrill.com. L, D daily. Diners are never too far from this homegrown barbecue chain that features an array of specialty sauces to accompany its smoked meats and seafood. $$ Metairie H Andrea’s Restaurant Italian 3100 19th St., 834-8583, AndreasRestaurant.com. L Mon-Sat, D daily, Br Sun. Osso buco and homemade pastas in a setting that’s both elegant and intimate; off-premise catering. $$$
H Oak Oven Italian 6625 Jefferson
Acme Oyster House Louisianian Fare 3000 Veterans Blvd., 309-4056, AcmeOyster.com. L, D daily. Known as one of the best places to eat oysters. $$
Highway, Harahan, 305-4039, OakOvenRestaurant.com. L, D Mon-Sat. Wood-fired pizza and seasonal Italian cuisine with a locavore philosophy brings respite to the burbs. Family friendly with patio seating to boot. $$
Austin’s Louisianian Fare 5101 W. Esplanade Ave., 888-5533, AustinsNo.com. D Mon-Sat. Mr. Ed’s upscale bistro serves contemporary Creole fare, including seafood and steaks. $$$
Kenner H Fiesta Latina World 1924 Airline Drive, 469-5792, FiestaLatinaRestaurant.com. B,
Boulevard American Bistro AMERICAN 4241 Veterans Memorial Blvd., 889-2301. L, D daily. Classic American cuisine including
Harahan
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steaks, chops and more is augmented by regional favorites like Boulevard Oysters at this Metairie bistro. $$$
top-notch desserts. $$$$$
café B AMERICAN 2700 Metairie Road, 9344700, cafeB.com. D daily, L Mon-Fri. Br Sun. Ralph Brennan offers New American bistro fare with a Louisiana twist at this familyfriendly neighborhood spot. $$$
Sucré Specialty Foods 3301 Veterans Blvd., 834-2277, ShopSucre.com. Desserts daily. Open late weekends. Chocolates, pastry and gelato draw rave reviews at this dessert destination. Beautiful packaging makes this a great place to shop for gifts. Catering available.
Caffe! Caffe! AMERICAN 3547 N. Hullen St., 267-9190. B, L Mon-Sat. & 4301 Clearview Parkway, 885-4845. B, L daily; D Mon-Sat. CaffeCaffe.com Healthy, refreshing meal options, and gourmet coffee and espresso drinks create a tasteful retreat for Metairie diners at a reasonable price. $
Vincent’s Italian Cuisine Italian 4411 Chastant St., 885-2984, Metairie, VicentsItalianCuisine.com. L Tue-Fri, D Mon-Sat. Snug Italian boîte packs them in, yet manages to remain intimate at the same time. The cannelloni is a house specialty. $$$
Crabby Jack’s Louisianian Fare 428 Jefferson Highway, 833-2722, CrabbyJacksNola.com. L Mon-Sat. Lunch outpost of Jacques-Imo’s. Famous for its fried seafood and poor boys including fried green tomatoes and roasted duck. $
Voodoo BBQ Barbecue 2740 Severn Ave., 353-4227, VoodooBBQAndGrill.com. L, D daily. Diners are never too far from this homegrown barbecue chain that features an array of specialty sauces to accompany its smoked meats and seafood. $$
Deanie’s Seafood Seafood 1713 Lake Ave., 831-4141, Deanies.com. L, D daily. Louisiana seafood, baked, broiled, boiled and fried, is the name of the game. Try the barbecue shrimp or towering seafood platters. $$$ Don’s Seafood seafood 4801 Veterans Memorial Blvd., 889-1550, DonsSeafoodOnline.com. L, D Daily. Metairie outpost of historic local seafood chain that dates from 1934. Features an array of Cajun and seafood classics like their original ‘Jacked Up’ Oysters and seafood platters. Don’t miss their happy hour specials. $$$ Drago’s Louisianian Fare 3232 N. Arnoult Road, 888-9254, DragosRestaurant.com. L, D Mon-Sat. This favorite specializes in charbroiled oysters, a dish they invented. Great deals on fresh lobster as well. $$$$ Heritage Grill AMERICAN 111 Veterans Memorial Blvd., 934-4900, HeritageGrillMetairie.com. L Mon-Fri. This lunch-only destination caters to the office crowd offers an express two-course lunch along with its regular menu. $$ Martin Wine Cellar AMERICAN 714 Elmeer Ave., 896-7300, MartinWineCellar.com. Wine by the glass or bottle to go with daily lunch specials, burgers, soups, salads and deli-style sandwiches. $ Mr. Ed’s Seafood and Italian Restaurant Seafood 1001 Live Oak St., 838-0022, AustinsNo.com. L, D Mon-Sat. Neighborhood restaurant specializes in seafood and Italian offerings such as stuffed eggplant and bell pepper. Fried seafood and sandwiches make it a good stop for lunch. $$
H Royal China Asian Fusion/Pan Asian 600 Veterans Blvd., 831-9633. L daily, D Tue-Sun. Popular and family-friendly Chinese restaurant is one of the few places around that serves dim sum. $$ Ruth’s Chris Steak House Steakhouse 3633 Veterans Blvd., 888-3600, RuthsChris.com. L Fri, D daily. Filet mignon, creamed spinach and potatoes au gratin are the most popular dishes at this steak institution, and great seafood choices and
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APRIL 2018
m yne w orleans.com
restaurant spotlight R’evolutionary Tastes By Mirella Cameran
Mid-City
H Blue Dot Donuts Specialty Foods 4301 Canal St., 218-4866, BlueDotDonuts.com. B, L Tue-Sun. The Bacon Maple Long John gets all the press, but returning customers are happy with the classics as well as twists like peanut butter and jelly.
H Café Minh Asian Fusion/Pan Asian 4139 Canal St., 482-6266, CafeMinh.com. L Mon-Fri, D Mon-Sat. Chef Minh Bui and Cynthia Vutran bring fusion to Vietnamese cuisine with French accents and a contemporary flair. $$
H Crescent City Steaks Steakhouse 1001 N. Broad St., 821-3271, CrescentCitySteaks.com. L Tue-Fri & Sun, D Tue-Sun. One of the classic New Orleans steakhouses. Steaks, sides and drinks are what you get. $$$$ Five Happiness Asian Fusion/Pan Asian 3605 S. Carrollton Ave., 482-3935, FiveHappiness.com. L, D daily. This longtime Chinese favorite offers up an extensive menu including its beloved mu shu pork and house-baked duck. $$ Gracious Bakery + Café Bakery/Breakfast 1000 S. Jeff Davis Parkway, Suite 100, 301-3709, GraciousBakery.com. B, L daily. Boutique bakery offers small-batch coffee, baked goods, individual desserts and sandwiches on breads made in-house. Catering options available. $ Juan’s Flying Burrito World 4724 S. Carrollton Ave., 486-9950, JuansFlyingBurrito.com. L, D daily. Hardcore tacos and massive burritos are served in an edgy atmosphere. $
H Katie’s Restaurant and Bar Louisianian Fare 3701 Iberville St., 488-6582, KatiesInMidCity.com. L, D Mon-Sat, Br Sun. Creative poor boys, local dishes such as gumbo and Sunday brunch make this a neighborhood favorite. $$
H Liuzza’s Italian 3636 Bienville St., 482-9120, Liuzzas.com. L, D daily. Classic neighborhood joint serves favorites like the “Frenchuletta,” stuffed artichokes and andouille gumbo. Kid’s menu offered. $$
You would never guess “food from the swamp floor pantry of Louisiana” is how renowned Chef John Folse describes the exquisite cuisine he creates with his partner Chef Rick Tramonto, at their acclaimed French Quarter restaurant, R’evolution. The phrase, however, refers to the ability to serve delicious riffs of classic New Orleans dishes and augment them with ingredients that have defined Louisiana cooking for centuries, such as persimmons, sassafras, kumquat and frog. The menu reads (and eats) like a surreal interpretation of Cajun and Creole cooking that twists and turns through brunch, lunch, dinner and tasting options. The wine cellar and bar offer perfect liquid accompaniments to the food. Wines are chosen with an emphasis on the seven nations that originally settled Louisiana and cocktails are inspired by the “gilded age.” 777 Bienville St., 553-2277, RevolutionNola.com.
H Mandina’s Louisianian Fare 3800 Canal St., 482-9179, MandinasRestaurant.com. cheryl gerber photo
L, D daily. Though the ambiance is more upscale, the food and seafood dishes make dining here a New Orleans experience. $$
dishes with unique local twists such as bananas Foster French toast and barbecue shrimp and grits. $$
H Mona’s Café World 3901 Banks St., 482-
H Taqueria Guerrero World 208 N.
7743. L, D daily. Middle Eastern specialties such as baba ganuj, beef or chicken shawarma, falafel and gyros. The lentil soup and desserts, such as sticky sweet baklava, round out the menu. $
Carrollton Ave., 484-6959. B, L, D, Tue-Sat. Friendly staff and authentic Mexican cuisine make this affordable neighborhood restaurant a neighborhood favorite. BYOB $
H MoPho Asian Fusion/Pan Asian 514 City
Carrollton Ave., 252-4999, ToupsMeatery. com. L, D Tue-Sat. Charcuterie, specialty cocktails and an exhaustive list of excellent à la carte sides make this restaurant a carnivore’s delight. $$$
Park Ave., 482-6845, MoPhoNola.com. L, D Wed-Mon. Vietnamese cuisine meets southern Louisiana in this upscale casual hybrid by chef Michael Gulotta. Mix-andmatch pho and an interesting poor boy menu rounds out the appeal. $$$ Parkway Bakery and Tavern AMERICAN 538 Hagan Ave., 482-3047, ParkwayPoorBoys. com. L, D Wed-Mon. Featured on national TV and having served poor boys to presidents, it stakes a claim to some of the best sandwiches in town. Their french fry version with gravy and cheese is a classic at a great price. $ Ralph’s On The Park Italian 900 City Park Ave., 488-1000, RalphsOnThePark.com. Br Sun, L Tue-Fri, D daily. A modern interior and contemporary Creole dishes such as City Park salad, turtle soup, barbecue Gulf shrimp and good cocktails. $$$$
H Ruby Slipper Café Bakery/Breakfast 139 S. Cortez St., 525-9355, TheRubySlipperCafe. net. B, L daily, Br Sun. Homegrown chain specializes in breakfast, lunch and brunch
H Toups’ Meatery Louisianian Fare 845 N.
Trèo Gastropub 3835 Tulane Ave., 304-4878, TreoNola.com. L Fri-Sat, D daily. Craft cocktail bar also serves a short but excellent small plates menu to accompany its artfully composed libations. $$ Multiple Locations Byblos World Multiple Locations, ByblosRestaurants.com. L, D daily. Upscale Middle Eastern cuisine featuring traditional seafood, lamb and vegetarian options. $$ Café du Monde Bakery/Breakfast Multiple Locations, CafeDuMonde.com. This New Orleans institution has been serving fresh café au lait, rich hot chocolate and positively addictive beignets since 1862 in the French Market 24/7. $ CC’s Coffee House Bakery/Breakfast Multiple locations in New Orleans, Metairie and Northshore, CCsCoffee.com. Coffeehouse specializing in coffee, espresso
drinks and pastries. $ Copeland’s Louisianian Fare Multiple Locations, CopelandsofNewOrleans.com. L, D daily, Br Sun. Al Copeland’s namesake chain includes favorites such as Shrimp Ducky. Popular for lunch. $$ Little Tokyo Asian Fusion/Pan Asian Multiple locations, LittleTokyoNola.com. L, D daily. Multiple locations of this popular Japanese sushi and hibachi chain make sure that there’s always a specialty roll within easy reach. $$ Mr. Ed’s Oyster Bar & Fish House Seafood Multiple Locations, MrEdsRestaurants. com/oyster-bar. L, D daily. A seafood lover’s paradise offers an array of favorites like shrimp Creole, crawfish etouffée, blackened redfish and more. A raw bar featuring gulf oysters both charbroiled and raw. $$$ Reginelli’s Pizzeria pizza Multiple Locations, Reginellis.com. L, D daily. Pizzas, pastas, salads, fat calzones and lofty focaccia sandwiches are at locations all over town. $$ Theo’s Pizza Multiple Locations, TheosPizza.com. L, D daily. The crackercrisp crust pizzas are complemented by a broad assortment of toppings with local ingredients at cheap prices. $$ Zea’s Rotisserie and Grill AMERICAN Multiple Locations, ZeaRestaurants.com. L, D daily. Drawing from a wide range of worldly influences, this popular spot serves a variety of grilled items, appetizers, salads,
side dishes, seafood, pasta and other entrées. Catering services available. $$$ Northshore Acme Oyster House Louisianian Fare 1202 N. Highway 190, Covington, (985) 246-6155, AcmeOyster.com. L, D daily. Known as one of the best places to eat oysters. $$ Dakota AMERICAN 629 N. Highway 190, (985) 892-3712, TheDakotaRestaurant.com. L Tue-Fri, D M on-Sat. A sophisticated dining experience with generous portions. $$$$$
H Del Porto Ristorante Italian 501 E. Boston St., (985) 875-1006, DelPortoRistorante.com. L, D Tue-Sat. One of the Northshore’s premier fine dining destinations serving Italian food that makes use of locally sourced meats and produce. $$$ Gallagher’s Grill Louisianian Fare 509 S. Tyler St., (985) 892-9992, GallaghersGrill. com. L, D Tue-Sat. Chef Pat Gallagher’s destination restaurant offers al fresco seating to accompany classically inspired New Orleans fare. Event catering offered. $$$ Riverbend H Ba Chi Canteen Asian Fusion/Pan Asian 7900 Maple St., 373-5628. L, D Mon-Sat. The kitchen plays fast and loose with Vietnamese fare at this eclectic outpost on Maple Street. Try the caramelized pork “Baco”. $
H Boucherie Louisianian Fare 1506 S. Carrollton Ave., 862-5514, Boucherie-Nola. com. L Tue-Sat, D Mon-Sat, Br Sun. Serving contemporary Southern food with an international angle, chef Nathaniel Zimet
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offers excellent ingredients presented simply. $$ Brigtsen’s Louisianian Fare 723 Dante St., 861-7610, Brigtsens.com. D Tue-Sat. Chef Frank Brigtsen’s nationally famous Creole cuisine makes this cozy cottage a true foodie destination. $$$$$
HCarrollton Market AMERICAN 8132
major holidays. $$ Chiba Asian Fusion/Pan Asian 8312 Oak St., 826-9119, Chiba-Nola.com. L Wed-Sat, D Mon-Sat. Contemporary restaurant features fresh, exotic fish from all over the world and fusion fare to go along with typical Japanese options. Extensive sake list and late night happy hours are a plus. $$$
Hampson St., 252-9928, CarrolltonMarket. com. L Sat-Sun, D Tue-Sat. Modern Southern cuisine manages to be both fun and refined at this tasteful boîte. $$$
Clancy’s Louisianian Fare 6100 Annunciation St., 895-1111, ClancysNewOrleans.com. L ThuFri, D Mon-Sat. Their Creole-inspired menu has been a favorite of locals for years. $$$
H Chill Out Café Asian Fusion/Pan Asian
Commander’s Palace Louisianian Fare 1403 Washington Ave., 899-8221, CommandersPalace.com. L Mon-Fri, D daily, Br Sat-Sun. The grande dame is going strong under the auspices of James Beard Awardwinner chef Tory McPhail. Jazz Brunch is a great deal. $$$$
729 Burdette St., 872-9628. B, L daily, D Mon-Sat. Thai food and breakfast favorites like waffles and pancakes can both be had at this affordable college-friendly hangout. $
H Cowbell Burgers 8801 Oak St., 298-8689, Cowbell-Nola.com. L, D Tue-Sat. Burgers and homemade sauces on potato rolls are the specialty here, along with other favorites. $$ Upper 9th Ward St. Roch Market Louisianian Fare 2381 St. Claude Ave., 615-6541, StRochMarket.com. B, L, D daily. Historic St. Claude Marketplace with open dining space houses a broad collection of independent eateries including craft cocktails and more. $$ Uptown Amici Italian 3218 Magazine St., 300-1250, AmiciNola.com. L, D daily. Coal-fired pizza, with an impressive list of authentic and Creole Italian specialties as well. $$
H Ancora pizza 4508 Freret St., 324-1636, AncoraPizza.com. D daily. Authentic Neapolitan-style pizza fired in an oven imported from Naples. The housemade charcuterie makes it a double-winner. $$ H Apolline Louisianian Fare 4729 Magazine St., 894-8881, ApollineRestaurant.com. D Tue-Sun, Br Sat-Sun. Cozy gem serves a refined menu of French and Creole classics peppered with Southern influences. $$$ Audubon Clubhouse AMERICAN 6500 Magazine St., 212-5282, AudubonInstitute. org. B, L Tue-Sat, Br Sun. A kid-friendly menu with local tweaks and a casually upscale sandwich and salad menu. $$ Bouligny Tavern Gastropub 3641 Magazine St., 891-1810, BoulignyTavern.com. D Mon-Sat. Carefully curated small plates, inventive cocktails and select wines are the focus of this stylish offshoot of John Harris’s nationally acclaimed Lilette. $$
H Café Abyssinia World 3511 Magazine St., 894-6238. L, D daily. One of a just few authentic Ethiopian restaurants in the city, excellent injera and spicy vegetarian fare make this a local favorite. $$ Camellia Grill AMERICAN 626 S. Carrollton Ave., 309-2679. B, L, D daily. A venerable diner whose essential character has remained intact and many of the original waiters have returned. Credit cards are now accepted. $ Casamento’s Louisianian Fare 4330 Magazine St., 895-9761, CasamentosRestaurant.com. L Thu-Sat, D Thu-Sun. The family-owned restaurant has shucked oysters and fried seafood since 1919; closed during summer and for all 92
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H Coquette French 2800 Magazine St., 265-0421, CoquetteNola.com. L Fri, D daily, Br Sun. The food is French in inspiration and technique, with added imagination from the chefs. $$$ Dick and Jenny’s Louisianian Fare 4501 Tchoupitoulas St., 894-9880, DickAndJennys.com. D Mon-Sat. A funky cottage serving Louisiana comfort food with flashes of innovation. $$$$ Domilise’s Louisianian Fare 5240 Annunciation St., 899-912. L, D Mon-Sat. Local institution and rite-of-passage for those wanting an initiation to the real New Orleans. Wonderful poor boys and a unique atmosphere make this a one-of-a-kind place. $ Frankie & Johnny’s Seafood 321 Arabella St., 243-1234, FrankieAndJohnnys.net. L, D daily. Serves fried and boiled seafood along with poor boys and daily lunch specials. Kid-friendly. $$
H Gautreau’s Louisianian Fare 1728 Soniat St., 899-7397, GautreausRestaurant.com. D Mon-Sat. Upscale destination serves refined interpretations of classics along with contemporary creations. $$$$$ Jacques-Imo’s Cafe Louisianian Fare 8324 Oak St., 861-0886, Jacques-Imos.com. D MonSat. Reinvented New Orleans cuisine served in a party atmosphere. The deep-fried roast beef poor boy is delicious. The lively bar scene offsets the long wait on weekends. $$$$ Juan’s Flying Burrito 2018 Magazine St., 569-0000, JuansFlyingBurrito.com. L, D daily. Hard-core tacos and massive burritos are served in an edgy atmosphere. $
H Jung’s Golden Dragon Asian Fusion/ Pan Asian 3009 Magazine St., 891-8280, JungsChinese.com. L, D daily. This Chinese destination is a real find. One of the few local Chinese places that breaks the Americanized mold. $
H La Crêpe Nanou French 1410 Robert St., 899-2670, LaCrepeNanou.com. D daily, Br Sun. Classic French bistro fare, including terrific moules and decadent dessert crêpes, are served nightly at this neighborhood institution. $$$ La Petite Grocery French 4238 Magazine St., 891-3377, LaPetiteGrocery.com. L Tue-Sat, D daily, Br Sun. Elegant dining in a
convivial atmosphere. The menu is heavily French-inspired with an emphasis on technique. $$$ Lilette French 3637 Magazine St., 895-1636, LiletteRestaurant.com. L Tue-Sat, D Mon-Sat. Chef John Harris’ innovative menu draws discerning diners to this highly regarded bistro. Desserts are wonderful as well. $$$$$
H Magasin Asian Fusion/Pan Asian 4201 Magazine St., 896-7611, MagasinCafe.com. L, D Mon-Sat. Pho, banh mi and vegetarian options are offered at this attractive and budget-friendly Vietnamese restaurant. Café sua da is available as well. $ Martin Wine Cellar AMERICAN 3827 Baronne St., 899-7411, MartinWine.com. Wine by the glass or bottle with cheeses, salads, sandwiches and snacks. $
H Panchita’s World 1434 S. Carrollton Ave., 281-4127. L, D daily. Authentic, budgetfriendly Mexican restaurant serves tamales, mole and offers free chips and salsa as well as sangria. $ Pascal’s Manale Italian 1838 Napoleon Ave., 895-4877, PascalsManale.com. L Mon-Fri, D Mon-Sat. A neighborhood favorite since 1913 and the place to go for the creation of barbecued shrimp. Its oyster bar serves freshly shucked Louisiana oysters and the Italian specialties and steaks are also solid. $$$$
H Patois World 6078 Laurel St., 895-9441, PatoisNola.com. L Fri, D Wed-Sat, Br Sun. French food, with influences from across the Mediterranean as well as the American South, all filtered through the talent of chef Aaron Burgau. Reservations recommended. $$$ Pizza Domenica pizza 4933 Magazine St., 301-4978, PizzaDomenica.com. L Fri-Sun, D daily. A pizza centric spinoff of the popular Restaurant Domenica brings Neapolitanstyle pies to Uptown. Excellent salads and charcuterie boards are offered as well. $$
H Ruby Slipper Café Bakery/Breakfast 200 Magazine St., 525-9355; 1005 Canal St., 525-9355, TheRubySlipperCafe.net. B, L daily, Br Sun. Homegrown chain specializes in breakfast, lunch and brunch dishes with unique local twists such as bananas Foster French toast and barbecue shrimp and grits. $$
H Shaya World 4213 Magazine St., 891-4213, ShayaRestaurant.com. L, D daily. James Beard Award-winning menu pays homage to Israel at this contemporary Israeli hotspot. $$$ St. James Cheese Company Specialty Foods 5004 Prytania St., 899-4737, StJamesCheese.com. Open daily. Specialty shop offers a selection of fine cheeses, wines, beers and related accouterments. Look for wine and cheese specials every Friday. Sucré Specialty Foods 3025 Magazine St., 520-8311, ShopSucre.com. Desserts daily & nightly. Open late weekends. Chocolates, pastry and gelato draw rave reviews at this dessert destination. Beautiful packaging makes this a great place to shop for gifts. Catering available. Tracey’s Irish Restaurant & Bar AMERICAN
2604 Magazine St., 897-5413, TraceysNola. com. L, D daily. Neighborhood bar with one of the best roast beef poor boys in town. The gumbo, cheeseburger poor boy and other sandwiches are also winners. Also a great location to watch the game. $
H The Company Burger Burgers 4600 Freret St., 267-0320, TheCompanyBurger. com. L, D daily. Custom-baked butterbrushed buns and fresh-ground beef patties make all the difference at this excellent burger hotspot. Draft beer and craft cocktails round out the appeal. $ The Delachaise Gastropub 3442 St. Charles Ave., 895-0858, TheDelaichaise.com. D daily. Cuisine elevated to the standards of the libations is the draw at this lively wine bar and gastropub. Food is grounded in French bistro fare with eclectic twists. $$ H Upperline AMERICAN 1413 Upperline St., 891-9822, Upperline.com. D Wed-Sun. Consummate hostess JoAnn Clevenger presents this nationally heralded favorite. The oft-copied fried green tomatoes with shrimp remoulade originated here. $$$$ H Wayfare AMERICAN 4510 Freret St., 309-0069, WayfareNola.com. L, D daily, Br Sat-Sun. Creative sandwiches and southerninspired small plates. $$ Ye Olde College Inn AMERICAN 3000 S. Carrollton Ave., 866-3683, CollegeInn1933. com. D Tue-Sat. Serves up classic fare, albeit with a few upscale dishes peppering the menu. $$$ Vincent’s Italian Cuisine Italian 7839 St. Charles Ave., 866-9313, VicentsItalianCuisine.com. L Tue-Fri, D Tue-Sun. Snug Italian boîte packs them in yet manages to remain intimate at the same time. The cannelloni is a house specialty. $$$ Warehouse District Lucy’s World 710 Tchoupitoulas St., 523-8995, LucysRetiredSurfers.com. L, D daily. Island-themed oasis with a menu that cherry-picks tempting dishes from across the globe’s tropical latitudes. Popular for lunch, and the after-work crowds stay into the wee hours. $ West Bank Nine Roses Asian Fusion/Pan Asian 1100 Stephen St., 366-7665, NineRosesResturant. com. L, D Sun-Tue, Thu-Sat. The extensive Vietnamese menu specializes in hot pots, noodles and dishes big enough for everyone to share. $$ West End Landry’s Seafood Seafood 8000 Lakeshore Drive, West End, 283-1010, LandrysSeafood. com. L, D daily. Kid-friendly and popular seafood spot serves of heaping platters of fried shrimp, Gulf oysters, catfish and more. $$
If you feel that a restaurant has been misplaced, please email Managing Editor Ashley McLellan at Ashley@MyNewOrleans.com
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Mother's Day Gift Guide 1
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1. Jaci Blue 2111 Magazine St. 504-603-2929 JaciBlue.com Jaci believes that beauty is a mindset, not a waistline. That’s why you will find gorgeous clothing handpicked to flatter women sizes 12 and up. A favorite of Jaci’s is this classic fit and flare in an elegant spring print. $148 Sizes XL-4X
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2. Cristy’s Collection 504-407-5041 CristyCali.com The Queen of Hearts Key design is served to be a reminder to leave your heart open, but also protect it and keep it guarded. Only you understand how to unlock the magic of your love.
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3. Auraluz 4408 Shores Dr., Metairie 504-888-3313 shopauraluz.com LAMPE BERGER...the perfect Mother’s Day gift! It’s both decorative and functional. Made in France for over 120 years, each Lampe Berger cleanses, purifies and fragrances the air with over 50 fragrances to choose from...all available at AURALUZ. 4. Queork 838 Chartres St., French Quarter 3005 Magazine St., Garden District 504-481-4910 Queork.com The Holly Cork handbag will be the perfect Mother’s Day gift! Detachable shoulder strap, two exterior pockets and 3 interior pockets. Cork is durable like leather as well as water and stain resistant, and incredibly lightweight. 5. Le Visage Day Spa 8110 Hampson St. 504-265-8018 LeVisageDaySpaNola.com Celebrate mom this year with a sense that will diffuse her until next Mother’s Day. A porcelain peony diffuser from Le Visage.
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6. Trashy Diva 2048 Magazine St. 537 Royal St. 504-299-8777 TrashyDiva.com Make Mother’s Day extra special with the Trashy Diva Spring Bloom Dress and matching Rockabilly Baby Spring Bud Dress. Shop Trashy Diva for the most adorable mother-daughter style.
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7. Perlis Clothing 6070 Magazine St., New Orleans 1281 N Causeway Blvd, Mandeville 8366 Jefferson Hwy, Baton Rouge Perlis.com Make her day special with a New Orleans Tricentennial necklace in gold or silver by local designer Brantley Cecelia.
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8. A Renee Boutique 824 Chartres St. 504-418-1448 New Bags from French Company Good People (Around the World), hand made in Madagascar. A. Renee Boutique is the exclusive retailer in New Orleans. 9. Konnie’s Gift Depot 859 Brownswitch Road, Slidell In the Country Club Plaza 985-643-8000 The Perfect Gift For Mother’s Day! Yankee’s Scenterpiece, for pleasant fragrance throughout the home. Yankee’s Easy Melt Cupsystem makes changing fragrances simple and convenient. Change the Easy Melt Cupfor a different fragrance without handling or spilling hot wax! Melt Cups are available in over 50 fragrances. Several different styles are available including units with LED lights as well as 3,6 and 9 hour timers for worryfree operation. 10. HGM Fine Jewelers 3617 Magazine St. (Inside Empire Antiques) 504-957-3409 HgmJewelry.com These beautiful chandelier earrings are 18k white gold, black rhodium and 5.78cts of white diamonds. These pair well with this Art Deco diamond bracelet having 11.00cts of white diamonds and set in Platinum. Price upon request.
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Bayou Boogaloo Festivals
Spring into Action Seasonal Festivals, Events, & Travel
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pring is a “full steam ahead” sort of season in Louisiana, when everything ramps up into full-fledged, warm-weather fun. In April, New Orleans plays host to at least one festival per weekend. Add in the festivals of our regional neighbors, and you’ll find events and adventures to keep you busy all season long. Celebrations for music, food, culture and the arts take over downtowns, festival grounds and a variety of venues, drawing visitors from around the world in addition to the thousands of locals who flock towards the fun. While festivals fill the headlines, there’re are plenty of other special events taking place this season, too, at the city’s many museums, parks, restaurants, and entertainment destinations. And while festing is one way to vacation, “spring breaking” is another. Regional travel is another great way to soak up the warm weather, enjoy new experiences, and make memories with your closest friends and family.
Festival Fun Come for the music. Stay for the experience. The annual Natchez Festival of Music hits the riverbanks of Natchez, Mississippi, with spectacular performances the entire month of May. The season kicks off with nine-time winner of CMA’s Musician of the Year, Mac McAnally, featuring members of the Coral Reefer Band, on May 5th for the Opening Night Gala. Experience top national performers in Stephen Sondheim’s hit musical, A Little Night Music, and Gounod’s iconic opera, Faust. The Natchez Festival offers musical events from Salsa and Jazz, to Rock, Broadway, and Classical, including celebrations of the centennial of Leonard Bernstein, the bicentennial of Charles Gounod, the
Tricentennial of New Orleans, and even a tribute to the second wave of Classic Rock from the Beatles to the Stones with the “British Invasion II: Sgt. Pepper Onwards!” Enjoy magnificent music in beautiful Natchez, Mississippi. Get your tickets and plan a great getaway upriver. Visit NatchezFestivalofMusic. com. Royal Sonesta New Orleans is proud to once again play a large role in the annual French Quarter Fest, held this year on April 12-15. Restaurant R’evolution and Desire Oyster Bar will offer signature bites at vendor booths during the festival, while The Jazz Playhouse will serve as an official French Quarter Festival Stage with hours of live music. For New Orleans’ 300th anniversary, the hotel is celebrating all year long with a Tricentennial Package on its renowned guest rooms or an upgraded Royal Tricentennial Package on the exclusive R Club level. Guests can also enjoy specially created cocktails, such as the Flight of the Earls and the Tricentennial Sazerac from Restaurant R’evolution, or The French 300 from The Jazz Playhouse and daily Happy Hour inside Desire Oyster Bar. There’s no better way to celebrate 300 years than at 300 Bourbon Street. Visit Sonesta.com/RoyalNewOrleans for more details. The 13th Annual Mid-City Bayou Boogaloo in New Orleans returns to the beautiful and historic banks of Bayou St. John, May 18-20, 2018. With music on four stages, an art market, and diverse food offerings, the Mid-City Bayou Boogaloo is a family-friendly event and local favorite. Music lovers can look forward to the sounds of Leo Nocentelli and the my n e w or l e a n s . com
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ADVERTISING SECTION Funkin’ Truth, Marc Broussard, Samantha Fish, and Deacon John & The Ivories among dozens of other performers. The Mid-City Bayou Boogaloo is produced by the local nonprofit MotherShip Foundation, which uses proceeds from the annual festival to support a range of community programs focused in the arts, culture and recreation. Sponsors and supporters keep this free community festival vibrant. Those who join the MotherShip Foundation at the $250 level get access to The Canopy Club for all three days of the 2018 Mid-City Bayou Boogaloo. This V.I.P. area offers a tax-deductible way to enjoy cooling units, stage-front viewing, a private bar with complimentary beverages, daily crawfish boils, local food, and comfy seating. Visit thebayouboogaloo.com for a full music schedule and more information. The annual NOLA Crawfish Festival returns to the grounds of Central City BBQ for its third, three-day run on April 30-May 2, delivering mouthwatering crawfish, funky rockin’ rhythms, and thirst quenching local brews during the “daze” between Jazzfest weekends. Visitors and locals alike will groove together to some of New Orleans’s finest musicians, while twisting, pinching and devouring tons of mouthwatering crawfish and fixin’s from NOLA Crawfish King and local craft beers from Port Orleans Brewery. NOLA Crawfish Festival’s stellar lineup of musical talent includes Tab Benoit, Samantha Fish, Dr. Klaw, Ivan Neville & Friends with George Porter Jr., Jon Cleary, Honey Island Swamp Band, and more. This year, the fest will present its first-ever NOLA Crawfish Eating Championship on Tuesday, where up to 10 individuals will vie for the title of top crawfish consumer. The festival continues to host the its annual Ultimate Crawfish Cookoff team competition featuring 20, two-person teams on Wednesday. Single, three-day, and VIP tickets are on sale now. For tickets and information, visit nolacrawfishfest.com.
Events & Entertainment Culture, history, and natural beauty combine at New Orleans City Park to create an exceptional locale for making memories. City Park is distinguished by its large menu of sports and recreational activities, attractions for children, and its natural beauty. City Park has a special place in the hearts of generations of New Orleanians and is a must-visit destination for visitors to the city. As a popular place to picnic, play sports, wander through gardens or take a boat ride, the Park receives millions of visitors each year. It is located in the heart of the city and is the largest recreation area for the entire metropolitan area. Attractions include: City Putt, New Orleans Botanical Garden, Storyland fairytale playground, Carousel Gardens Amusement Park, and numerous athletic venues. The 1,300 acres of parkland provide enjoyment for young children playing on playgrounds, and walkers, joggers, and cyclists wind through the Park’s streets and trails. The Amusement Park is fabulous entertainment for all ages with 17 rides and 2 cafes. For more information about New Orleans City Park visit NewOrleansCityPark.com. Located in the French Quarter, The Historic New Orleans Collection (THNOC)—a museum, research center, and publisher—preserves the area’s eclectic past and distinctive culture and maintains an active schedule of programming. In April, the exhibition New Orleans, the Founding Era will be on view at THNOC’s flagship campus at 533 Royal Street. This is an original display that explores New Orleans’s earliest days and the people— namely native Americans, Europeans, and enslaved Africans—who lived in and around the settlement. The display features items from THNOC’s own holdings as well as loaned material from multiple French archives, including Versailles, as well as from public and private lenders across Europe and North America, offering a rare opportunity to see all 98
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items in one place. In addition to the exhibition, THNOC will host a screening of the film The March on April 4, to coincide with the 50th anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination. On April 11, the annual Bill Russell Lecture will explore early jazz through presentations and live performances. Call 504-523-4662 or visit hnoc.org for details. Explore the world of dinosaurs during SuperSaurus Saturday, April 7, from 11:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. at the Louisiana Children’s Museum. Become a junior paleontologist! Learn about dinosaurs and geology with members of the New Orleans Geological Society (NOGS). Explore the NOGS fossil collection, see life-sized dinosaur skulls, and walk in dinosaur footprints. Shake the Earth and watch the movement on a seismograph. Match predators with prey in geological time, discover how the plant-eating dinosaurs defended themselves from the meat eaters, and more! Complete a “Dino scavenger hunt” and receive a real dinosaur bone fragment to keep. Supersaurus Saturday is sponsored by New Orleans Geological Society and the Southeastern Geophysical Society. The Louisiana Children’s Museum is located at 420 Julia Street. Admission is $10 for adults and children (12 months+). Louisiana Children’s Museum members are admitted free. For more information, visit lcm.org or call 504-523-1357.
Spring Break & Travel Resources Condor Airlines, part of Thomas Cook Group Airlines, will continue its New Orleans to Frankfurt service in Summer 2018. With a total of 16 gateways in North America, Condor is the only “leisure” carrier operating with full-service, inclusive fares in Business, Premium, and Economy class on the Boeing 767-300 aircraft. “I’m thrilled that Condor continues this nonstop trans-Atlantic flight here in New Orleans,” says Mayor Mitch Landrieu. “Nonstop flights to Frankfurt open a gateway to new international markets that will create jobs and new opportunities.” Experience all that Germany has to offer this summer with a hasslefree, non-stop flight from home. With its numerous partner airlines, Condor also offers flights beyond Frankfurt to over 120 destinations across Europe at competitive prices. All Condor passengers receive complimentary checked baggage, beverages and meals, and in-flight entertainment. Additionally, Condor’s business class features lie-flat seats, a personal in-seat, premium touch-screen entertainment system, power and USB ports at every seat, gourmet, five-course meals with complimentary wine, beer, and cocktails, and a well-being amenity kit. Book online at Condor.com or by calling 1-866-960-7915. It’s Spring Break season, and there’s no better beach escape than Pensacola Beach, Florida, and the properties of Premier Island Management Group. Situated just a few hours outside of New Orleans along the Gulf of Mexico and the Gulf Island National Seashore, this collection of vacation rentals includes beach homes, condos, and the acclaimed skyhomes of the Portofino Island Resort. Northwest Florida’s premier beach vacation experience, Portofino Island offers families the perfect balance of indulgence, natural beauty, and active adventure. Take a kayak or paddleboard adventure and surf the crystal blue waters, or fly under the sun as you parasail your day away. Be sure to reserve a spa day and get pampered in the comfort of your private suite or poolside. Enjoy a morning or sunset cruise and watch curious dolphins jump out of the water to say hello. Whether you want to enjoy the beach with family, children, spouse or friends, guests of all ages will enjoy the properties of Premier Island. More than just another Spring Break, this will be the one your family remembers for a lifetime. Discover yours at PremierIsland.com or call 866-935-7741. •
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The Jung Hotel & Residences
Neighborhoods Dining, Shopping, & Home
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ew Orleanians share as much pride in their neighborhoods as they do in their city as a whole. Each with its own personality, the neighborhoods of New Orleans are like unique squares in a vibrant, colorful quilt. Whether you like to stick close to home, and walk the dog to your favorite pet-friendly watering hole or you prefer to venture out and experience the variety of offerings all over the city, you’re bound to find something to suit you. The city is rich with diversity, activity, and creativity, which means there’s something for everyone around every twist of the road and turn of the river. New Orleanians also take pride in their homes, which are some of the most notable and unique in the world. From home design resources and real estate to ideas for dinner and entertainment, you’ll find a number of neighborhood favorites among the following resources, restaurants, and more.
Covering the City Want to explore each neighborhood in depth with historic details, popular businesses, and opportunities for sight-seeing? New Orleans Tourism is proud to present their neighborhood guide, allowing locals and visitors alike to discover or rediscover this beloved, vibrant, and diverse city. From the European architecture and nightlife of the French Quarter to the Creole cottages and multicultural landmarks of Treme, exploring New Orleans is easier than ever. In addition to these two neighborhoods, NewOrleans.com offers information on places to stay, eat, drink, shop and “do” in Uptown/Garden District, Arts/Warehouse District, Marigny/ Bywater, Downtown/CBD, Mid-City, Algiers, Esplanade Ridge, Lakeview, Gentilly/N.O. East, and the 9th Ward. 100
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Did you know that New Orleans East is home of Bayou Sauvage National Wildlife Refuge? Or that the Jazz Walk of Fame is located in Algiers? Learn quick facts and tips, must-see destinations, major events, and streets of interest by visiting NewOrleans.com/Plan/Neighborhoods and plan your adventures today. Celebrate New Orleans’ Tricentennial and your love of the Crescent City with a canvas or paper print of Phoenix Rising, artist Carol Peebles’ tribute to New Orleans. The piece celebrates all that makes New Orleans great: jazz, history, commerce, culture, people and much more. This illuminated, mixed media and gold leaf illustration of New Orleans and the Mississippi River serves as a functional map with most city streets listed. Quotes from Ignatius Reilly, Huckleberry Finn, Satchmo, Johnny Donnels and more add to the artwork’s celebration of local figures both real and imagined. Paper, mounted and giclee prints are available in various sizes with or without added gold leaf. Additionally, you can have your home, business, church, or favorite spot embellished on the map with a gold star. To view and purchase Phoenix Rising, or for more information on artist Carol Peebles, visit CarolPeebles.com. At NOLA Rugs, owner Sharon Schenck and staff strive to bring you the most beautiful rugs in the world. With close attention to quality and affordability, NOLA Rugs keeps over 2,000 rugs in stock and can source rugs from all international weaving areas. Sharon Schenck has traveled the world for over 40 years as a direct importer. Her goal is to provide clients with a full range of rugs—from century-old antiques, Europeaninspired rugs, and classic Orientals, to cutting-edge Modern rugs. Each
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ADVERTISING SECTION handmade rug takes months or years to weave and carries the skill and magic of the human hand. “At NOLA Rugs, the most important thing that we offer is our experience, integrity, and service,” says Schenck. “Finding the correct rug can sometimes be a confusing task. Our job is to help make your experience as easy and as fun as possible,” she says. "Having a store such as ours with such an extensive selection in New Orleans and being able to see the rugs in person is a huge advantage. If you are interested in purchasing a rug, please visit the store at 3944 Magazine Street."
Home Design Resources & Real Estate Big Bay Lake is a one-of-a-kind planned community on Mississippi's largest private recreational lake. Located just outside of Hattiesburg, Big Bay Lake blends seamlessly into its natural surroundings. Home sites are available on the water starting at $100,000. Both the homes and home sites within this community provide unique opportunities to create the perfect home or weekend getaway. It’s time to relax, unplug, make memories and create new traditions at Big Bay. Whether you are a boating or fishing enthusiast, or just a family who loves to make a big splash, Big Bay Lake is simply about the lure of the water. Come enjoy sun-kissed, fun-filled days at Big Bay Lake, where the little things make life...big. Big Bay Lake is only 90 minutes from New Orleans. Call for a boat tour today at 877-4BIG-BAY or visit bigbaylake.com. Exterior Designs, the original New Orleans courtyard designer, is a full-service landscaping company offering design, construction, and project management. Voted “Best of Houzz” for three consecutive years, Exterior Designs is known locally for their New Orleans-inspired landscapes. Beverly Katz, owner and landscape designer, creates her signature look by blending the timeless Spanish and French influences of the city’s architecture with functional solutions for the modern homeowner. Old brick and wrought-iron furniture are often balanced with black accents to achieve the charming French Quarter style her clients yearn for. Exterior Designs has become well known for a certain “je ne sais quoi,” transforming even the largest landscapes into intimate spaces perfect for entertaining and relaxing. An interior designer before realizing her talent for landscape architecture, Beverly has a keen eye for detail combined with an affinity for perfection. Because of her background, her creations are an extension of her clients’ homes. Visit exteriordesignsbev.com or call 504-866-0276 for a consultation. Beginning with the 2009 opening of its flagship Baton Rouge location, Select Stone LLC quickly became a premier leader in South Louisiana’s stone industry. With a second location in Broussard, Louisiana, Select Stone LLC is excited for its continued expansion with the opening of a third location in metro New Orleans. Select Stone invites homeowners, designers, builders, and fabricators to visit their showroom in Harahan at 733 Distributor’s Row, Suite B, and view their vast inventory of marble, quartz, quartzite, granite, and soapstone. Importing only first-quality stones directly from Italy, India, and Brazil, Select Stone LLC offers over 300 colors in stock with new materials arriving daily. All stone products are selected for color and quality, and 100 percent of the product range is inspected to ensure optimal results for buyers. Additionally, all materials are protected from the elements and housed in a covered warehouse. For more information, visit SelectStoneLLC.com or call 504-216-0110.
Neighborhood Food, Drink, & Accommodations Garden District & Uptown Located in the Lower Garden District and just blocks from Downtown New Orleans, Hoshun Restaurant delivers a flavorful punch of pan102
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Asian flavors with their own take on traditional dishes from China, Japan, Vietnam, and other South-Asian countries. Popular menu items include pho soup and Vietnamese spring rolls, pad Thai, sushi, General Tsao’s Chicken, Hunan steak, Kung Pao shrimp, and more. Enjoy family-style dining in an elegant atmosphere while sharing your favorite appetizers, entrees, combination dinners, and sushi specials. Open daily until 2:00am, Hoshun is a favorite late-night spot for locals and visitors alike. Whether you’re looking for seafood, steak, or vegetarian fare, Hoshun’s extensive menu provides options for everyone. Salt & Pepper Shrimp and Ahi Tuna Seared are a couple of Hoshun’s seafood specialties, while Butter Pepper Mignon offers a meatier possibility. For menu and information, visit HoshunRestaurant.com or call 504302-9716. Located at 1601 St. Charles Ave., Hoshun offers a private party room overlooking the St. Charles Avenue streetcar line fitting between 25-70 people. Five Happiness, New Orleans’s award-winning Chinese restaurant, offers a delicious menu of Sichuan and Hunan specialties in a sleek and elegant dining room. Enjoy the succulent shrimp with honey-roasted pecans, General’s Chicken or asparagus sautéed with garlic sauce in a comfortable and unique setting distinguished by its authentic Chinese décor of etched glass and Chinese paintings. The dining room, now split into three rooms, provides a more private dining experience for guests. Five Happiness is available for private parties, receptions, or other functions and can hold up to 60 people. Serving options are customized for each party, ranging from sit-down dinners to buffets or cocktails with hors d’oeuvres and prices starting at $22 per person. For more information, call 504-482-3935 or visit FiveHappiness.com. Taste the rich history of New Orleans this season by going to Pascal’s Manale, home of the original BBQ Shrimp. Founded in 1913, this New Orleans tradition is now in its 3rd, 4th, and 5th generation of family involvement and still serves the classic dishes for which it’s been famous for decades. A blend of Italian and Creole, Pascal’s Manale’s menu includes New Orleans and Italian favorites, steaks, and seafood dishes. Start your night with raw oysters from the oyster bar before indulging in the succulent BBQ shrimp. The Veal Gambero and Fish Pascal specials have flavors all their own while also incorporating the richness of the BBQ Shrimp and its sauce. Other Pascal’s Manale favorites include the Oysters Bienville, baked oysters topped with a mushroom, shrimp, and bacon dressing, or the Combination Pan Roast, oysters, crabmeat, and shrimp chopped in a blend of parsley, green onions, and seasonings baked with a topping of breadcrumbs and butter. Monday-Friday, from 3:00-6:00pm, enjoy half-priced raw oysters at the oyster bar as well as half-priced beer, wine, and select cocktails at the bar. For reservations, call 504-895-4877 or visit them at PascalsManale. com.
French Quarter, CBD, & Riverfront This year, Arnaud’s Restaurant celebrates one hundred years of serving authentic Creole cuisine in the heart of New Orleans’ historic French Quarter. With its celebrated menu of signature cocktails and cuisine, and its distinct, storied dining rooms and famous French 75 Bar, Arnaud’s offers an unmatched New Orleans experience that celebrates the city’s culture with every bite and every sip. Arnaud’s Sunday Jazz Brunch adds another layer of New Orleans charm with the sounds of Dixieland accompanying a decadent and leisurely meal with sweet starters such as the Creole Cream Cheese Evangeline and savory entrees like Eggs Fauteaux or Grillades & Grits, a local favorite. At Arnaud’s, any occasion is cause for celebration, and its elegant private dining space is perfect for making memories with friends and loved ones. Make Arnaud’s the center of your spring celebrations and reserve your table for Easter and Mother’s Day, or wedding, graduation and festival weekends.
ADVERTISING SECTION For more information and reservations, visit ArnaudsRestaurant.com or call 504-523-5433. Named the #1 restaurant for Brunch and Italian by New Orleans Magazine, Red Gravy is greeting its 8th year and New Orleans’ 300th with a diverse menu that features a few new dishes by renowned owner Roseann Melisi Rostoker. “I’m always trying to keep the menu exciting,” says Roseann, who mixes Southern traditions, farmer’s market ingredients, and her New York Italian roots to create a unique, Italian-inspired brunch. Biscuit dishes are big in 2018—Froot Loops consists of Red Gravy’s homemade biscuits in a fresh fruit and bourbon skillet topped with homemade cream; Pecan Biscuits features a pecan gravy over two grilled biscuits topped with cream and toffee; and the Pig & Peanut Biscuits transform peanut butter, bacon, and chocolate into a decadent, delicious meal. Fresh Farmer’s Market salads are back on the menu for spring, and New York and New Jersey get menu attention through NYC bagel sandwiches and imported Taylor Ham. Also new to the menu is the Breakfast Spaghetti—homemade pasta, hearty sausage sugo, fresh ricotta, and a sunny up yard egg. View the menu and make reservations online at RedGravyCafe.com, or call 504-561-8844. New Orleans’ food is legendary. When seeking the best variety of Creole dishes in an authentic atmosphere, locals and first-time travelers alike find themselves at The Court of Two Sisters. Located at historic 613 Rue Royale in the French Quarter, the award-winning restaurant stretches from Royal Street to Bourbon Street and features a gorgeous open courtyard decorated with lush foliage, gas lamp lighting and a peaceful central fountain. Brunch isn’t just for Sundays! The Court offers a festive live jazz
brunch buffet seven days a week. Indulge in over 60 different items including specialty omelets, eggs Benedict, turtle soup, grits and grillades, iced boiled shrimp, salads, fruits and a variety of desserts. At night, enjoy a seasonal three-course Chef’s Menu or select from an extensive à la carte menu featuring dishes such as Trout Meunière, Veal Oscar and Shrimp and Grits. Call 504-522-7261 or visit CourtofTwoSisters.com for reservations. Whether you’re taking a break from dancing at French Quarter Festival or looking for a place to fuel up with drinks and fresh or fried seafood, find your feast this spring along the banks of the mighty Mississippi River at The Crazy Lobster. Spring is the perfect season for a fresh Steamed Seafood Bucket: a 2-lb. lobster, snow crab, shrimp, crawfish, clams, mussels, corn on the cob, potatoes, and sausage all seasoned to pure perfection. Looking to satisfy a craving for Creole favorites? New Orleans’ favorites like étouffée, jambalaya, gumbo, and red beans, along with the best fried seafood in New Orleans are also highlights of the menu. Festival season is perfect for Crazy Lobster’s Poppy’s Voodoo Juice, a refreshing tropical cocktail to help you cool off from the sun. Live music keeps the restaurant hopping nightly with a variety of funky musicians straight from Frenchmen Street. The Crazy Lobster is open seven days a week, from 11:00am-10:00pm. For more information and menu, visit TheCrazyLobster.com. Call 504-569-3380 for reservations. Celebrate festival season this spring in the heart of the French Quarter with family and friends at New Orleans Creole Cookery. Stop in and relax from a day at French Quarter Fest or Jazz Fest with authentic Creole fare and the time-honored tastes of classic favorites such as Gumbo, Shrimp Creole, Crawfish Etouffee, and Snapper Pontchartrain. Looking to cool off? Come in for a cold beverage and fresh oysters at the oyster
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ADVERTISING SECTION bar. New Orleans Creole Cookery is everything you love about New Orleans in a setting to fit every occasion. Enjoy casual fine dining at its very best in your choice of the charming Toulouse Lautrec dining room, romantic courtyard, or lively oyster bar. Each offers a Creole-inspired menu complemented by tempting handcrafted cocktails. Located at 510 Toulouse Street in one of New Orleans’ oldest and most storied locations, New Orleans Creole Cookery is just steps from festival excitement. New Orleans Creole Cookery is open seven days a week from 11:00am until 10:00pm for lunch and dinner, and a jazz brunch on Saturday and Sunday from 9:00am until 2:00pm. Learn more at NewOrleansCreoleCookery.com. Call 504-524-9632 for reservations. Cheer on your favorite team as you dine riverside at the hottest sports bar downtown! Poppy’s Time Out Sports Bar features 18 beers on tap, including loads of local brews. Poppy’s carries all of the DIRECTV sports packages and displays over 20 TVs for fans to keep up with all the excitement around the leagues. Poppy’s menu includes hand-crafted, juicy gourmet burgers made using brisket, short rib, and ground chuck. Amazing wings, loaded nachos, and seafood poboys round out the menu’s top picks for game-winning appetizers and entrees. Bring your entire team to Poppy’s party pavilion to watch all the action. Poppy’s Time Out Sports Bar is located in Spanish Plaza across from Harrah’s Casino at 500 Port of New Orleans, Ste. 80. Happy Hour runs Monday-Friday, 3:00pm-6:00pm and features daily specials. For photos, menus, party reservations and more, visit PoppysTimeOutSportsBar.com or call 504-247-9265 for more information. This spring, visit the Warehouse District’s new addition, Briquette, the new restaurant at 701 S. Peters Street by Anna Tusa, Owner of New Orleans Creole Cookery. Helmed by Chef Hosie Bourgeois, Briquette puts seafood and contemporary coastal cuisine at the center of the dining experience. As the name indicates, the restaurant features a large charcoal grill to highlight the fresh coastal flavors. The menu emphasizes small plates for sharing the variety of fish and seafood, including whole grilled fish. Other flavorful menu items include aged beef, pastas, and more. The bar at Briquette features a curated wine list to accompany the menu along with specialty, hand-crafted cocktails. Start a new tradition this festival season with delicious food shared with friends and family together at Briquette. For more information and reservations, visit Briquette online at Briquette-Nola.com or on Facebook. Lunch is available Monday through Friday beginning at 11:00am. New Orleans’ most anticipated luxury hybrid project, The Jung Hotel & Residences celebrated its grand reopening last month. Following a restoration and renovation, the modern classic is now ready for the next generation of NOLA travelers, seamlessly blending art, history, and luxury into a masterpiece of style and technology. A member of the New Orleans Hotel Collection, the 207-room hotel and residences opens to an airy, marble-clad lobby bedecked in Art Deco chandeliers restored to original splendor. The sleek, artful aesthetic extends throughout the hotel’s 21,000-square-feet of meeting and event space—including an exhibit hall and rooftop pool deck—a fitness center, dining, and a coffee house. More than a set of buildings, The Jung is a social hub that reflects NOLA’s genuine cultural milieu while ushering in a new era of commerce. Located near Tulane Medical Center and within walking distance to Bourbon Street, the French Quarter and the streetcar, The Jung serves as the gateway to the area’s resurgence. For more information, please visit JungHotel.com.
Marigny / Bywater Dive into a tasty paradise, tucked away in the heart of the Bywater. With a newly renovated space, The Country Club restaurant offers the perfect setting for enjoying thoughtful, chef-driven cuisine inspired by 104
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Italian-French and Creole-Southern heritages. From Chateaubriand and Pan Roasted Louisiana White Shrimp to Crispy Whole Fish and Chili Spiced Flank Steak, the menu by Chef Chris Barbato, formerly of Commander’s Palace, has all the foodies talking. Additionally, the restaurant’s new wine program features more than 140 bottles from 13 countries and its very own private label wines. Thirty wines are available by the glass for sipping with a meal or by the pool on a sultry summer afternoon. To complement the refined menu offerings, local designers Ferrand Design created a sophisticated and colorful environment with handpainted murals by Cindy Mathis, artwork by Louis St. Lewis, and custom lighting and furnishings. The Country Club is located at 634 Louisa Street and is open daily from 10:00am-1:00am with a weekend brunch. For info and updates, visit TheCountryClubNewOrleans.com or follow on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Mid-City & Fairgrounds Crescent City Steakhouse is proud to have served six generations of New Orleanians over the past 84 years, and the tradition continues. The restaurant serves only the finest aged prime beef cut in-house daily by Chef Bernard. Preserving the old-world New Orleans style, they still prepare all salad dressings, side dishes, hand-cut potatoes, and desserts in-house daily. Crescent City Steakhouse is a walk back in time while only being a short walk from the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. The historic restaurant is located in the Faubourg St. John neighborhood and is just a short cab ride from downtown. Stop in after Jazz Fest for dinner or cocktails before heading to the evening concerts that keep festival-goers dancing all night. Crescent City Steakhouse is open for lunch and dinner Tuesday through Sunday. Banquet and private event space is available as well as on-site parking. Come see where the tourists meet the locals. Reservations are recommended. For reservations and information, call 504-821-3271 or visit CrescentCitySteaks.com.
Metairie For over a decade, Austin’s Restaurant has been known as Metairie’s hot spot for steak, seafood, and the Creole-Italian creations of Restauranteur Ed McIntyre and his esteemed culinary staff. Garnering awards and accolades from critics and readers alike, Austin’s was named “Favorite Steak House” by readers of New Orleans Magazine, who also voted founder Ed McIntyre as a “New Orleanian of the Year” in 2010. Austin’s impressive menu includes signature appetizers, soups, and salads such as the popular Austin’s Louisiana Creole Crab Salad and Oyster Fitzgerald, as well as the finest aged USDA steaks and savory Creole-Italian entrees of seafood, veal, duck, and pork. Austin’s is located at 5101 W. Esplanade in Metairie and is open Monday-Saturday 5:00pm ‘til. The restaurant is available for private luncheons, corporate events, rehearsal dinners and banquets. For more information or to make reservations, call 504-888-5533. Visit Austin’s online at AustinsNO.com. McIntyre also oversees Mr. Ed’s Seafood & Italian Restaurant and Mr. Ed’s Oyster Bar & Fish House. A tradition for steak lovers in the New Orleans area since 1972, Ruth’s Chris Steak House in Metairie is just 15 minutes from almost anywhere in the city. You will love the gracious atmosphere of the steak house, with its dark wood, detailed accents, and silver tones. Ruth’s Chris Steak House in Metairie provides guests with a warm, comfortable atmosphere to enjoy an evening with family or friends. Experience Ruth’s timeless recipes for yourself with the Seasonal Classics, featuring seasonal selections and steak house favorites. Starting at just $45.95, enjoy a three-course meal tailored to your taste with your choice of a starter, entrée, and scratch-made dessert. Whether it is a romantic steak dinner for two, an important business
ADVERTISING SECTION meeting, or a private party, Ruth’s Chris Steak House in Metairie will bring you superior service and an unforgettable dining experience. Call 504-888-3600 or visit ruthschris.com for more information. Now a staple of the Jefferson Parish community, Riccobono’s Peppermill was founded by Joe and Josie Riccobono 42 years ago, when they decided to offer a classic New Orleans restaurant in the burgeoning suburb of Metairie. Serving classic New Orleans fare as well as many of their Italian family favorites, the Riccobono family still carries on the tradition of their grandparents serving excellent, time-honored fare for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Neighborhood favorites at the restaurant include the Riccobono Trinity—homemade cannelloni, eggplant Madeline (layered eggplant casserole with sweet stewed tomatoes and Pecorino Romano) and panne veal—and the Pesto Tortellini topped with Chicken. Another top seller is the Famous Oyster Riccobono served with spaghetti bordelaise. Breakfast hits includes the savory Crabcake Benedict and sweet Belgian Waffles. Brunch, complete with bottomless mimosas, is offered Saturdays, 11:00am-2:00pm. Riccobono’s Peppermill is located at 3524 Severn Ave in Metairie. For menus and information, including private events, visit RiccobonosPeppermill.com or call 504-455-2266.
West End & Lakeview The Rizzuto family’s continued resilience over generations has grown their legacy from its early beginnings as a simple Vieux Carré grocery stand, founded by their immigrant ancestors, into their new restaurant concept, Rizzuto’s Ristorante & Chop House. Savor la dolce vita, or the sweet life, through the eyes of Grandmother Lena and her old-world recipes. Indulge your senses with the flavors of Caporeale, the Sicilian
village where the Rizzutos’ age-old culinary tradition began. Let the aroma of fresh herbs invoke your sense of smell, the tannins of the wine invigorate your taste-buds, and prepare for an exquisite encounter! The Rizzuto’s Ristorante & Chop House menu proudly showcases the flavors and colors of the family’s Sicilian roots from classic Italian entrees like Shrimp Fra Diavolo and Crab & Lobster Ravioli to Prime Steaks and Chops, marrying old and new world cooking traditions. Additional highlights of the menu are Brisket Salad, Bruciuluni, Crab Pasta, and the succulent Lamb Rack. Buon Appetito. Rizzuto’s Ristorante & Chop House now offers Sunday brunch from 11:00am-3:00pm. The restaurant is located at 6262 Fleur de Lis Drive. For reservations, call 504-300-1804 or visit RizzutosRistorante.com. As the newest member of the Riccobono family of restaurants, Sala is a contemporary seafood restaurant and cocktail bar bringing a casual dining experience to beautiful Lake Pontchartrain in New Orleans’ West End neighborhood. Great for drinks and small plates with friends after work, a celebratory dinner with family, or a leisure-filled weekend brunch, Sala delivers with delicious food, a diverse menu, superb wines and cocktails, and a chic atmosphere. Sala is now open for lunch. Located at 124 Lake Marina Avenue, directly across from the Marina, Sala joins Café Navarre, Riccobono’s Peppermill, and Panola Street Café as part of the Riccobono family. Happy hour is offered weekdays from 4:00 to 7:00pm, late-night hours run until midnight Thursday through Saturday, lunch starts at 11:00am, and weekends feature breakfast and brunch with homemade bloody marys starting at 8:00am. The restaurant is closed on Mondays. For more information, menus, and reservations, visit salanola.com or call 504-513-2670. •
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ADVERTISING SECTION Canon has an Inpatient Hospice Unit located on the fourth floor of the Ochsner Elmwood Medical Center. This unit provides 24-hour care in a home-like environment where patients are permitted to receive visits at any hour. Canon is excited to now offer private rooms. For more information, visit CanonHospice.com or call 504-818-2723. Providing better solutions for aging well in New Orleans since 1991, Home Care Solutions specializes in compassionate in-home care and Alzheimer’s care, in addition to Aging Life Care Management services to help elderly loved ones in the Greater New Orleans area extend their independence. Home Care Solutions team of reliable, experienced, caregivers provide older adults assistance with daily living and companionship services. Each caregiver is carefully matched to meet both client needs and personality. The company is committed to providing clients with the highest quality of care in their chosen environment, keeping loved ones safe and comfortable while giving families peace of mind. Care Managers simplify, coordinate, and proactively guide the care of a loved one with intelligence, expertise, and heart. They are experienced advocates capable of managing complex situations and finding intelligent and creative solutions for all care concerns. Home Care Solutions is a member of the Home Care Association of America and the Aging Life Care Association and is also a licensed Personal Care Attendant Agency. For more information call 504-82800900 or visit HomeCareNewOrleans.com.
Aging Parents
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s the state’s oldest and largest health insurer, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana is committed to improving the health and lives of Louisianians. The company and its subsidiaries offer a full line of health insurance plans for people of every age—from birth through retirement, including supplemental coverage such as dental and senior plans, at affordable rates. The Blue Cross provider networks offer the peace of mind that comes with being covered by the Cross and Shield. Blue Cross is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association and headquartered in Baton Rouge. To better serve customers, Blue Cross operates regional offices in Alexandria, Houma, Lafayette, Lake Charles, Monroe, New Orleans, and Shreveport. Louisiana-owned and operated, Blue Cross is a private, fully taxed mutual company owned by policyholders—not shareholders. To learn more, call a Blue Cross agent or visit bcbsla.com. Anyone seeking compassionate and dignified care for their terminally ill loved ones should consider the outstanding services offered by Canon Hospice. Canon Hospice is dedicated to helping patients and families accept terminal illness positively and resourcefully, to preserve dignity and to endure the challenges that accompany this critical time of life. Their stated goal is to “allow our patients to live each day to the fullest and enjoy their time with family and friends.” With special expertise in pain management and symptom control, Canon Hospice designs individualized plans of care for each patient based on their unique needs. Home Based Services provide doctors, nurse practitioners, nurses, social workers, pastoral care and volunteers. For patients with more intensive symptom management needs, 106
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When it comes to the art of living and aging well, Lambeth House, a full-service retirement center, offers the best of all worlds— independent living for active adults (ages 62+) plus a full continuum of care, including Assisted Living, Nursing Care, and Memory Care in the event that it’s ever needed. Nestled in the heart of Uptown New Orleans, Lambeth House offers luxury retirement living at its best and was awarded the Design for Aging Merit Award by the American Institute of Architecture for the attention to detail in its last expansion. With a focus on active aging, Lambeth House offers a full array of amenities including the fitness center with a stunning indoor, salt-water swimming pool, an art studio, meditation room and garden, fine and casual dining options, and engaging activities and social events. Nonresidents (55+) can access Fitness Center memberships, and Lambeth House’s Wild Azalea Café is open to the public for breakfast and lunch, Tuesday-Saturday. For more information, call 504-865-1960 or explore online at LambethHouse.com. Generations of families have turned to Patio Drugs for assistance in managing their healthcare needs. Family owned and operated since 1958, Patio Drugs helps customers understand their medications, both prescription and over-the-counter, and provides free prescription delivery throughout East Jefferson. A full-service pharmacy and the oldest independent pharmacy in Jefferson Parish, Patio Drugs is also a leading provider of home medical equipment. For everything from a Band-Aid, to medication, to a hospital bed, Patio Drugs is the one-stop source for your family’s healthcare needs. Patio Drugs can assist with long-term care and infusion needs as well as specialty and compounding services. Ask about their medication adherence services. Patio Drugs is accredited by The Joint Commission in Home Medical Equipment, Long Term Care and Home Infusion Pharmacy, and Consultant Pharmacy Services. Their Compounding Pharmacy is PCAB accredited through ACHC. Patio Drugs is located at 5208 Veterans Boulevard in Metairie. For more information, call 504-889-7070. Patio Drugs, “Large Enough to Serve You, Yet, Small Enough to Know You.” Peristyle Residences offer Residential Assisted Living and Memory Care in the comfort of luxurious, intimate homes complete with
ADVERTISING SECTION private bedrooms and congregate dining and living areas. This alternative approach to senior living is ideal for seniors who seek assistance with day-to-day living in a more private, homelike setting than traditional assisted living communities can provide. Peristyle’s quaint, lovely residences provide the highest level of care, comfort and compassion possible to the seniors they serve, along with convenience and peace of mind for their loved ones. Residences consist of seven beautiful homes throughout New Orleans, Metairie, and the West Bank, including Beau Maison, Peristyle’s newest addition with an exclusive, on-site chapel. Two additional locations in the Old Metairie market are set to be completed by 2019. Expert consultation from chef Aaron Burgau of Patois adds distinction and flavor to the healthy, delicious meals prepared at the community daily, and an array of stimulating activities, including an exceptional Music Therapy program, keeps residents active and engaged at home. Peristyle Residences caregivers are highly trained in dementia care and have ample experience caring for seniors. Schedule a tour today at PeristyleResidences.com, or by calling 504-259-0326. Poydras Home is a Life Plan Community offering independent living, assisted living, and nursing care within its Uptown New Orleans campus. Poydras Home is known nationally for its quality of care and innovative programs that allow residents to enjoy life to the fullest. Poydras Home is the only Life Plan community in Greater New Orleans offering secure memory support care areas in both assisted living and nursing care as well as an adult day program. Poydras Home has recently partnered with the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra to launch a music therapy program, designed
to benefit people with Alzheimer’s and dementia. Soul Strings For Seniors: Musical Memories, the first program of its kind in the area, debuted to an enthusiastic group of Poydras participants, thanks to a generous donation by Whitney Bank. “Together the musicians and music therapist improve communication, memory, and attention in our residents, impacting wellness as they reach those who can find traditional modes of communication difficult,” says Erin Kolb, Interim CEO and Vice President of Resident Affairs. For more information, visit PoydrasHome. com or call 504- 897-0535. Many women suffer from incontinence or overactive bladder in silence. Often these conditions occur from childbirth, aging, and at times medical problems. But according to Margie Kahn, M.D., associate professor and Board Certified Section Head of Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery in the Departments of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Urology at Tulane’s School of Medicine, “Urinary incontinence is not a normal part of aging! We address all pelvic floor disorders, including accidental bowel leakage and pelvic organ prolapse, at the same time. We have an experienced and sensitive team that understands most women are embarrassed to bring up these problems and may have had them ignored if they did so. We offer a multidisciplinary approach comprising behavioral interventions, physical therapy, simple office procedures, and more complex, minimally invasive surgery in the operating room.” Dr. Kahn’s patients are given every option for treatment, and every woman chooses what options are right for her. To schedule an appointment at Tulane’s downtown or Metairie offices, or for more information on Tulane’s OB/GYN department, call 504-988-8070. •
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Stroke Awareness
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hen the signs of a stroke start to appear, receiving fast and efficient care is critical to stroke prevention and rehabilitation. LCMC Health, a Louisiana not-for-profit healthcare system, unites Touro, University Medical Center New Orleans, New Orleans East Hospital and West Jefferson Medical Center. With the help of these dedicated professionals, LCMC ensures that stroke patients receive compassionate and quality care every step of the way. From Touro’s rehabilitation services to New Orleans East Hospital’s diagnostic imaging and emergency services, LCMC’s partners use their state-of-the-art technology and clinical excellence to deliver the best possible care. West Jefferson Medical Center received the Healthgrades 2018 America’s 100 Best for Stroke Care Trophy and the Healthgrades 2018 Stroke Care Excellence Award, setting it apart as one of the leading facilities for stroke survival and recovery. For more information, or for medical professionals seeking to join LCMC’s expanding urgent care team, visit lcmchealth.org or call 504-899-9511.
East Jefferson General Hospital remains at the forefront when it comes to stroke care and prevention. With countless awards, accolades and top rankings, patients can rest assured knowing that they are in the best of hands upon arrival under the care of our EJGH Physicians and nurses. When a call is made, the expert EMS team is at a patient’s door within minutes, where they can begin life-saving procedures and transportation to the hospital safely. This past year, the median doorto-balloon time was just 63 minutes, exceeding the national average of 90 minutes. What this means is EJGH can get a patient on the road to recovery quicker than most other institutions, helping save precious time when every second truly matters. East Jefferson General Hospital ensures each and every stroke patient is taken care of from initial contact, to treatment, and beyond. The EJGH team remains dedicated to bringing the best stroke care to the region every day. Visit ejgh.org for more information. 108
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Stroke is the fifth leading cause of death in the United States, and is a leading cause of serious long-term disability. New advances in medicine can reduce the effects of a stroke if they’re given to the patient as soon as the stroke symptoms occur. Getting to the hospital immediately can greatly improve one’s chances for recovery and decrease the effects of the stroke. Rehabilitation after a stroke is important to help regain lost function and improve independence. Inpatient rehabilitation programs are typically the first step in the recovery process. The Rehabilitation Center of Thibodaux Regional, located in Thibodaux, has an acute care hospital-based rehabilitation program that provides intensive therapy, such as physical, occupational and speech therapy as well as medical management involving a physician who specializes in physical medicine and rehabilitation. The Center has Stroke Specialty Accreditation by The Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities. For more information regarding Inpatient Rehabilitation after a stroke, call the Rehabilitation Center of Thibodaux Regional, (985) 493-4731. Every year, more than 795,000 people in the United States have a stroke. Stroke kills almost 130,000 people each year - that’s one out of every 20 deaths - according to the Centers for Disease Control. The most common symptoms of stroke may be sudden and include: • Weakness or numbness of the face, arm or leg, especially on one side of the body • Confusion or difficulty speaking or understanding • Problems with vision, such as dimness or loss of vision in one or both eyes • Dizziness or problems with balance or coordination • Problems with movement or walking • Loss of consciousness or seizure • Severe headaches with no other known cause, especially if sudden onset Stroke is an emergency. If any of these symptoms are present, call 9-1-1 immediately. Treatment is most effective when started immediately. Choose Touro’s Emergency Department at the first sign of a stroke. Touro is proud to be a Primary Stroke Center, with advanced certification by The Joint Commission and American Heart Association and American Stroke Association. Learn more at Touro.com/stroke. Tulane University School of Medicine’s Center for Clinical Neurosciences is dedicated to providing the highest quality patientcentered care by combining cutting edge technology with personalized attention. The center allows for faster consults between physicians who specialize in different neuroscience disciplines and provides an improved continuity of care for neuro patients. The center, in partnership with the world-class physicians at Tulane University School of Medicine’s Center for Neurosciences, offers the expertise and capabilities to effectively diagnose and treat spine, brain and neurological conditions. To continue their tradition of excellence and expertise in providing the best quality care, education and research are integrated through the combined resources of Tulane University Hospital and Clinics and the Tulane School of Medicine. The Center for Clinical Neurosciences operates an outpatient clinic located on the 5th floor of Tulane Hospital. Call 988-5561 or visit online at TulaneNeurosciences.com. •
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TRY THIS
Counter Service Up close with the Chef by KELLY MASSICOT
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ew Orleanians are lucky for many reasons. Especially, when it comes to the culinary artistry that we are surrounded by each day. From family members who cook the best gumbo you’ve ever tasted, to nationally-acclaimed chefs and restauranteurs who continually up the ante over and over again. One chef, whose rise to fame has no signs of stopping, is now bringing his talent up close and personal with his customers. Chef Isaac Toups currently owns and operates two restaurants in the Big Easy: Toups Meatery and Toups South in the Southern Food and Beverage Museum. Last fall, the “Top Chef” season 13 finalist added to his culinary offerings by creating a curated, personal dining experience. The “Counter Club” series brings 20 126
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diners face to face with the chef as he and his team create 5-course themed dinners. Though Toups has often said that he hates brunch and dislikes cooking breakfast food as it’s “not his style,” this year, the Counter Club series was expanded to include a new brunch-time offering. I recently attended the first brunch and can report it does not disappoint. ““I used to work for Emeril and when I got my own place I swore I’d never do brunch,” said Toups to the crowd. “And here we are!” The atmosphere is lively, the food is amazing and chef and his team make for some impressive entertainment. As all brunches should start with a drink. My Toups experience started at the bar with a mimosa, though each Counter Club edition
is met with a complimentary cocktail created specifically for the 20 diners by Bryson Downham, the restaurant’s beverage director. Since I’ve already attended a couple of Counter Club events, I was interested to see how they took on breakfast food. I was presented with a waffle-battered corn dog amuse and knew they had it in the bag. The rest of the prix-fixe offmenu occasion included a wilted green salad, poached shrimp and crab roll, tongue chilaquiles and a buttermilk churro with cinnamon ice cream and chocolate drizzle to really bring the morning home. Many restaurants around the city have prix-fixe menus, however, what made me enjoy this above the others is the perfectly sized proportions. Though there are five courses, the plates are big enough
that I felt it worth paying for, but small enough to where I was only semi-stuffed at the end. Because of the intimacy of the counter setting, interacting with Chef Isaac and his team give an added value to the event. I asked probably more questions that I should have, complimented on my favorite courses – which had to be the waffle-battered corn dog and the buttermilk churro (bookends, if you will) – and assured chef that I would be back again, which he may or may not be excited about. In an area of the city that is still trying to find its stride, Toups South gives visitors and locals an excellent start to a beautiful Sunday in the city. The brunch series started on March 11 and will happen once a month. You can call the restaurant to make a reservation. 304-2147 • cheryl gerber photo
cheryl gerber photo
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Etre Cosmetic’s Dermatology & Laser Center
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Etre Cosmetic Dermatology & Laser Center, a state-of-the-art facility on St. Charles Avenue, offers advanced skin treatments by board certified Drs. Lisa Donofrio and Kyle Coleman. Every month the practice runs special events, such as “Beach Ready” where patients can save up to $1350 on CoolSculpting packages. Etre also offers a new way to combat cellulite. Cellulaze ™, is a minimally-invasive solution that uses laser energy to create a smoother appearance. To learn about all the available treatments and products go to the website at EtreCosmeticDerm.com. 1224 St. Charles Avenue, 227-3873.
Andrea’s Sophisticated Food in a Relaxed Setting Chef Andrea Apuzzo has cooked for royalty, presidents and celebrities. He is a multi-award winning chef and author. However, you can still find him behind the stove at his eponymous restaurant in Metairie, because he loves cooking too much to stop. Andrea’s offers a formal dining where you can taste perfect executions of American and Northern Italian dishes and there’s a spacious event space for parties and weddings. Staff will make you feel just as welcome, though, if you drop by for a pizza and a craft cocktail in the Capri Blu bar. Try to co-ordinate your drop in with Happy Hour. It runs 4-7 p.m., Monday to Friday; alternatively go at the weekends and enjoy the live music. Andrea’s, 3100 19th Street, Ridgelake, Metairie, 834-8583, AndreasRestaurant.com. By Mirella Cameran
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How Bienville Got His Name
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is name was Jean-Baptiste LeMoyne. His brother’s name was Pierre. Because of the intricacies of 17th century peerage and tradition, both would have extra words tagged to their name. Both would be more commonly known in history by names that had nothing to do with how they were baptized. Landmarks in their honor, which would one day include parishes in Louisiana, streets in New Orleans and, in Pierre’s case, a town in Mississippi, memorialize them with add-on ceremonial names, Sieur de Bienville and Sieur de Iberville. Where did those names come from? Due to the exploits and lineage of their father, Charles, the Montreal- based LeMoyne family had achieved French aristocratic status in Quebec. The French 128
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title of Sieur is equivalent to Sir in British aristocracy. As was the custom, nobility was often identified by land that they controlled. Dad Charles owned several pieces of land in France as well as Canada. According to historian Micheline Giard, Sieur d’Iberville got his name “from a fief held by his father’s family, near Dieppe, in the province of Normandy.” Likewise, there is a village in Normandy known as Bienville, from which Jean- Baptiste got his name though through a quirk. “We do know that Jean-Baptiste assumed the title by default after the death of a sibling.” According to Giard, “When his brother François sieur de Bienville, died in 1691, Jean-Baptiste received the landed title by which he would be known.” (Just for fun, imagine if New Orleans was still a colony
under the ancient French peerage system and a guy named Joe Smith would somehow inherit Bucktown, which did not exist back then, but play along. He would be known as Sir Joe Smith of Bucktown. That would distinguish him from other Joe Smiths and also establish the fact that he had land. With such a long name he might eventually be commonly referred to simply as “Bucktown.”) There are a couple of other curiosities to the founder’s name. One is that the biblical character, John The Bapist (Jean Baptiste), is popular among the French. In the new world alone, there are two French Canadian cities named after St. John; one in New Brunswick the other in Newfoundland. In the French Caribbean colony of Santo Domingo, a voo doo culture evolved for which the high holiday
has been St. John’s Eve. And in New Orleans, the stream that the Indians called Choupithatcha was changed by the French to Bayou St. John. So the city would be founded by a man whose given first name is very much in keeping with local French-based culture. And the other curiosity is the origin of the name “Bienville.” It was common in France, as it is in Louisiana, to take the word “ville”, meaning city, and adding a descriptive word to it. “Bien” in French means “good” so whoever first settled that Normandy location thought enough of the place to cell it “good city.” Amazingly, the name would become the inheritance of a young explorer who would carry it to the new world where it would be attached to a town that in many wonderous ways is very much a bien ville. • ARTHUR NEAD Illustration