New Orleans Magazine December 2012 by Renaissance Publishing

DECEMBERÂ 2012

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Chef of the Year Alon Shaya, Domenica

December 2012 VOLUME 47 NUMBER 3 Editor Errol Laborde Managing Editor Morgan Packard Art Director Eric Gernhauser Associate Editors Haley Adams and

Sarah Ravits Contributing Editor Liz Scott Monaghan Food Editor Dale Curry Dining Editor Jay Forman Wine and Spirits Editor Tim McNally Restaurant Reporter Robert Peyton Home and Garden Editor Bonnie Warren Intern Johanna Gretschel

SALES MANAGER Shannon Smith Senior Account Executive Jonée Daigle Ferrand Account Executives Erica Northcott Adams,

Shelley Duran, Maegan O’Brien Sales Assistant Erin Maher Web/Production Manager Staci Woodward McCarty Production Designers Jenny Dascenzo Hronek and

Sarah George Web Editor Haley Adams Chief Executive Officer Todd Matherne President Alan Campell Executive VICE PRESIDENT/Editor-in-Chief Errol Laborde Executive Assistant Kristi Ferrante Distribution Manager Christian Coombs

WYES DIAL 12 STAFF (504) 486-5511 Executive Editor Beth Arroyo Utterback Managing Editor Aislinn Hinyup Associate Editor Robin Cooper Art Director Jenny Dascenzo Hronek

NEW ORLEANS MAGAZINE Printed in USA A Publication of Renaissance Publishing 110 Veterans Memorial Blvd., Suite 123 Metairie, LA 70005 (504) 828-1380 Subscription Hotline:

(504) 828-1380 ext. 251 or fax: (504) 828-1385

Online at www.MyNewOrleans.com

New Orleans Magazine (ISSN 0897 8174) is published monthly by Renaissance Publishing, LLC., 110 Veterans Blvd., Suite 123, Metairie, LA 70005; (504) 8281380. 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 2012 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.

DECEMBER 2012

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FEATURES 86 best OF DINING 2012 Top Places, People and Discoveries by Jay Forman, Tim McNally and Robert Peyton

98 PISTOL PETE The man and his soul by Ryan Whirty

IN EVERY ISSUE 6 INSIDE “In Praise of Parkway” 10 letters 12 speaking out Editorial, plus a Mike Luckovich cartoon

14 JULIA STREET Questions and answers about New Orleans

127 Try This “Exploring Big Lake” 128 STREETCAR “The Social Significance of the New Morning Call”

THE BEAT 22 24 28 30

MARQUEE Entertainment calendar PERSONA Kermit Ruffins newsbeat “Re-committing to Rebuilding ” Biz “Buy, Sell or Hold?: Analysts scrutinize local housing and the economy ”

34 Education “Making the Switch: Will charter schools ever return to the Orleans Parish School Board?”

36 HEALTH “A Baker’s Friend or a Consumer’s Villain?: Probing gluten and celiac disease”

37 HEALTHBEAT The latest news in health from

BEST OF DINING PAGE

New Orleans and beyond

39 newsbeat “Fighting for a Fort” 40 Crime fighting “Consent Decree: Some questions and answers”

42 newsbeat “Jobs, Meals and Homes on the Riverfront”

PISTOL PETE PAGE

LOCAL COLOR

44 THE SCOOP “Songs for the Season” 48 music “‘Paul Soniat and George Winston: Piano 49 52 54 56 58 60

PERSONA PAGE

players for the holidays”

Read & Spin A look at the latest CDs and books CAST OF CHARACTERS “Radio With a Vision” MODINE’S NEW ORLEANS “How to Ruin Christmas” Joie d’Eve “Uniform Appeal” CHRONICLES “When Metairie Had a Mayor” HOME “Home at Christmas: The season is especially important to Sue Ellen and Joseph Canizaro.”

CONTENTS 12.12 VOL.47 NO.3

THE MENU

66 table talk “Changing of the Chefs: Felder and Butterworth add new flair to New Orleans fare”

68 restaurant insider “Roots Rambles: New places, new faces”

70 FOOD “Claws and Effect: A lobster tale” 74 LAST CALL “Innovation Within Tradition” 76 DINING GUIDE

DIAL 12

D1 All month long, WYES will air great musica

ON THE COVER Chef of the Year, Domenica’s Alon Shaya G R E G M I L E S P hotograph

DECEMBER 2012

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specials: Great Performances “Rod Stewart: Merry Christmas, Baby,” “Doo Wop Discoveries” and more! Become a member of WYES at a special level and receive tickets to the following upcoming concerts: “Fab Four: The Ultimate Beatles Tribute” and “Under the Streetlamp” Information, 831-1503 or membership@wyes.org.

IN SID E

In Praise of Parkway

e are now in our 1 3 th month of

what we knew from the beginning would be a difficult battle to win. Though the odds are still very much against us, there has been some good news. It all began with our November 2011 issue when our cover story was given to discovering the best of our native sandwich. In this space I complained that the proper, and historically accurate, term “poor boy” has increasingly been bastardized around town to “po-boy.” At that time, I asked for those places that used the proper term to please let me know. Evangeline, a then-new restaurant in the French Quarter, was the first to report its adherence to correctness. Also Chef Scott Boswell’s restaurant Stanley near Jackson Square is in that number, including an Eggs Benedict Poor Boy. Praise be to both. For every battle, though, there needs to be that extra boost, the equivalent of General Patton and the Third Army suddenly rolling in. That happened when, owner Jay Nix of Parkway Bakery & Tavern, a place dedicated exclusively to purveying the sandwich, suddenly changed its ads from saying “Po-Boy” to “Poor Boy.” You could almost hear the bugle echoing that a rescue was underway. According to legend, the origin of the sandwich was when the Martin Brothers, operators of a small restaurant near the riverfront, prepared a special sandwich made with French bread to feed streetcar workers who, in 1929, were on strike and needed nourishment. In reference to the beleaguered workers the sandwich was referred to as a “poor boy.” At some point that term morphed in popular usage to “po-boy,” I suspect due to sign painters who needed to economize on letters. Thusly, is the language compromised? So a year later there’s still a long way to go. (If the local festival that celebrates the sandwich would call itself “Poor Boy,” that could be a huge help.) Overwhelmingly, most places still use the improper term, but the places that get it right, including a start-up, a place run by a celebrity chef, and possibly the largest purveyor of the sandwich in town, give hope. We are not giving up. Happy New Year. And may all your poor boys be crispy.

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On the web FEATURING... Whether you’re traveling or staying in New Orleans this holiday season, there’s lots to read, see and make on MyNewOrleans.com. At the online home for all of Renaissance Publishing’s publications, you’ll find plenty of recipes, photo galleries and style tips, plus articles on the local issues you care about. If it’s home décor ideas you’re looking for, make sure to check out Valerie Hart’s story about a spectacular Creole cottage in the French Quarter. The story is packed with inspiration for your own place, just in time for holiday entertaining.

Exclusively Online: Award-Winning Daily Blogs Mondays:

The Editor’s Room: Editor-in-Chief Errol Laborde, three-time winner of the Alex Waller Award for print journalism, offers his take on the Big Easy, the state of Louisiana and the changing times. Named “Best Local Blog” by the Press Club of New Orleans. Tuesdays:

Morgan Packard, managing editor for New Orleans Magazine, and Annie Drummond, whom MyNewOrleans.com stole from Ohio, tagteam weekly columns on the different ways to enjoy life our city.

Wednesdays:

After Hours: Nightlife savant and New Orleans Press Club award-winner Ian McNulty gives us the scoop on what to do when the sun goes down. You know, when he can get out of bed to write about it. Also... Nola Newbie: MyNewOrleans.com’s new web editor, Haley Adams, chronicles her adventures as a New Orleans resident. Thursdays:

Haute Plates: Our very own gastronome, Robert Peyton, offers the real dish on local dining. Also … Happy Hour: The yang to Mr. Peyton’s yin, Tim McNally, acclaimed wine judge and food writer, expounds on wine, cocktails and other draughts. Fridays:

Joie d’Eve: Editor Eve Kidd Crawford, who has won awards from the Press Club of New Orleans and the Society of Professional Journalists, writes about what it means to be a family in New Orleans.

Visit MyNewOrleans.com to see photographs and articles, even before they hit the newsstands. Enjoy our archived articles, leave us a comment or sign up for our newsletter.

DECEMBER 2012

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LETTERS

FINDING Modine

As a fourth-generation New Orleanian, I look forward to receiving New Orleans Magazine every month. I first turn to read “Modine’s New Orleans.” When are we going to see published a collection of her monthly articles? I have a dozen friends around the world whom I would like to educate on our delightful culture. John Charles Rosen Carr iere, MS

Ed. Reply: You would never know it by looking at her, but Modine is a publishing mogul. She has published three books. Never Clean Your House During Hurricane Season is available at Octavia Books in New Orleans and at Amazon.com. Never Sleep With a Fat Man in July is also available. Write to Liz Scott, 300 Orleans Ave., Folsom, La, 70437, with a $15 check made out to Hope House. Never Heave Your Bosom in a FrontHook Bra, the first book of Modine columns, and the only one fully illustrated, is out of print, but you can search Abe Books online or other used book stores and might turn up a copy. All this information is available at ModineG.com and you can read her latest column on pg. 54. Voice in Radio

Re: “New Orleans’ Media Makeover: Radio Changes – Coming and Going,” Speaking Out column. October 2012 issue. The sarcasm, “Religion is at its best when it feeds the poor. It is less useful when it sells time on radio stations,” mentioned in the article “New Orleans’ Media Makeover” is certainly most unprofessional journalism. To demean a class of people who want to have a voice in radio seems that the interest of the New Orleans Magazine is geared to believing any variation of what it considers worthy of radio time is a waste. What a disappointment to read this in New Orleans Magazine. Louise Abry Harahan

to have very small audiences. We regret that a historic local radio frequency (690 AM) will no longer be reaching a wider audience or providing a voice for the community. Ideally there should be other frequencies accessible to small niche specialty programming. Defining Lakeshore

Re: Letters. October 2012 issue. In reference to: Julia Street column. June 2012 issue. Your response incorrectly states that the Lake area is now commonly referred to as “Lake Vista” and that “Lakeshore” is rarely used. The residents of Lakeshore would be surprised to hear this as they, as well as residents of Lake Vista, go to great lengths to make sure that city officials (and everyone else) knows the distinction between the two neighborhoods. In fact, the more common (and incorrect) usage has been to lump all four lake area subdivisions as “Lakeview” or “Gentilly.” Perhaps that is what you meant to write. Susan M. Garcia, President, LVPOA New Orlean s

Ed. Reply: Yes, we were referring to the common usage and making the point that such usage isn’t always correct. Another example, Central City, is frequently referred to in the media as being part of Mid-City though the two neighborhoods are completely different. Reading The Advocate

We live in Lakeview. Yesterday afternoon we ordered our subscription to the N.O. edition of The Advocate. This morning our first copy arrived before 5:30 a.m.! I like what I’ve seen of The Advocate so far. It seems to be a quality newspaper with journalistic integrity. The local coverage is a bit thin, but what they’ve done is thorough, and no doubt there will be more emphasis on N.O. as they grow. Their website is excellent and in sharp contrast to the T-P. All in all, it’s a better newspaper than the T-P and deserves our support. Sabina Barash New Orlean s

Ed. Reply: We did not “demean a class

of people.” As we acknowledged, “religious radio certainly has a right to exist.” Our point was that religious radio tends 10

DECEMBER 2012

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Ed. Reply: We maintain our position that New Orleans deserves, and needs, a daily newspaper. We wish The Advocate well.

S P E A K IN G O U T

Media 2012

The year the loving stopped

or many years T he T imes - P icayune would award

its Loving Cup to an outstanding citizen in the community. The award was a well-intended effort to recognize good works, and through the years the recipients were worthy. This year we heard from the recipients as a group when they joined many other citizens urging the New Jersey-based Newhouse family to sell the newspaper rather than to reduce the publication to three times a week. At that point the loving ended. Instead, Steve Newhouse, under whose Advance Digital division of the Newhouse empire The Times-Picayune belongs, snickered at the comments in an interview with The New York Times saying, “We have no intention of selling no matter how much noise there is out there.” Those words should be immortalized in the textbooks of business and journalism schools. Coming in the same week when there were drastic cutbacks of the newspaper’s employees, Newhouse’s words sounded like those of a nobleman anxious for the unruly peasants to fall asleep. As a new year begins the media profile in the region is drastically different then it was a year ago. The scaled-down, digitally enhanced Times-Picayune is still the largest news operation in town, but not nearly what it was. There are new players. The Advocate, domiciled in Baton Rouge, has become the new daily newspaper. With time and growth we hope it can become a formidable replacement for what The Times-Picayune was. There are also new investigative websites, most notably The Lens, hopefully doing sleuthing lost to the Picayune’s downsizing. A couple of The Times-Picayune’s reporters have moved to television, giving them an outlet in a medium where stories, no matter how complex, are best delivered in short form. Some TV stations, most notably channels 4 and 6, have enhanced their websites. Still, the familiarity of having the hometown published daily newspaper waiting for us each morning is lost. New Orleans has always had a reputation for being a vibrant news city. What the Newhouses have done is sad. And at one point it looked like this was going to be a great year for the newspaper: During the spring, an eight-part series on prisons had news watchers talking about a Pulitzer Prize for the newspaper; but while the subscribers were reading about jail cells, Newhouse enforcers were reportedly meeting in rooms at The Windsor Court scheduling the newspaper’s downsizing. Cindy Chang, the author of the prison series, saw what was happening and left town. If she wins a Pulitzer Prize she might hang it on the wall at the Los Angeles Times, where she now works.

DECEMBER 2012

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We will never know the extent of the talent drain caused by the Newhouses’ decision. Fortunately some good employees survived. We wish them the best. Businesses of course have a right to make modifications to fit economic realities, but when your business includes publishing a daily newspaper, there’s more of a public compact. (By most accounts The Times-Picayune was still profitable, but even if its long-term prospects were less encouraging, the Newhouses could have cut their potential losses by selling.) We speak of journalism as the “Fourth Estate” because it, along with government, is such a key element to how society works. Journalism’s place in a democracy is such that it’s the only business protected by the first amendment of the U.S. Constitution that guarantees its freedom. Publishing a daily isn’t just a business, it’s a privilege that should be respected. In 2012 we were denied that.

AN ORIGINAL ©MIKE LUCKOVICH CARTOON FOR NEW ORLEANS MAGAZINE

JULIA STREET

W IT H P O Y D R AS THE PARROT

T H E P U R S U IT T O A N S W E R E T E R N A L Q U E STI O N S

Dear Julia, I recently learned that the Passenger Terminal building at New Orleans Lakefront airport (formerly Shushan airport) is being restored as a historical site. As a student in 1941, I worked after school and weekends at a newsstand and Postal Telegraph outlet in that terminal building. In fact I was working there on Dec. 7, 1941, and heard the radio broadcast that Japan had attacked Pearl Harbor. Can you tell me what happened to the owner of the newsstand? As I recall, she was an attractive lady named Rhea

McArthur. I am not certain, but I believe she was the widow of an air race pilot. She may have closed the stand shortly after the Dec. 7th attack. John Magnon Fa irhope, AL

I have been unable to determine what happened to Mrs. McArthur and her newsstand but I was able to confirm that she was the widow of world record-setting aviator. In 1938, her 28-year old husband, Clarence McArthur (’10-’39), a native of Tampa, Fla., piloted the locally built

Delgado Flash airplane to a world speed record. Built at what was then known as the Delgado Trade School, the little black-and-white biplane known as the Delgado Flash was powered by a Menasco C6-S4 engine. Competing as a singleseat plane not exceeding 549 cubic inches displacement, the Delgado Flash set a world speed record for its class when, in 1938, it raced along a 100-kilometer course from Shushan Airport to the town of

Top: The Delgado Flash, piloted by Clarence McArthur, inset, set a world speed record for its class in 1938.

Win a Court of Two Sisters Jazz Brunch or Lunch at the Rib Room Here is a chance to eat, drink and listen to music, and have your curiosity satiated all at once. Send Julia a question. If we use it, you’ll be eligible for a monthly drawing for one of two Jazz Brunch gift certificates for two at The Court of Two Sisters in the Vieux Carré. To take part, send your question to: Julia Street, c/o New Orleans Magazine, 110 Veterans Blvd., Suite 123, Metairie, LA 70005 or email: Errol@MyNewOrleans. com. This month’s winners are: Wayne Arnold, New Orleans; and John Magnon, Fairhope, Ala.

DECEMBER 2012

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S tate L ibrary of L ouisiana H istoric P hotograph C ollection

Reserve and back again. The Delgado Flash, traveling at 207.027 mph, made the round-trip in 18 minutes and four seconds and took its place in the annals of Louisiana aviation history. Less than a year later, while visiting Memphis to perform during Cotton Carnival, aviator Clarence McArthur died. Attempting to escape his burning hotel room, McArthur was fatally injured when he jumped from a sixth-floor balcony. He was survived by his wife, Ree or Rhea Du Berry McArthur of Tampa, Fla. Dear Julia, I have been a big fan of yours and New Orleans Magazine since I moved to the “Easy” almost 20 years ago and have seen many changes, some good and some bad. I have been wondering about a derelict building on Rampart Street in back of the Saenger, near the renovation. Someone

DECEMBER 2012

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told me it was a furniture store years ago but my adept eye, looking at the facade, leads me to think that it may have been a theater. Can you give me some of its history? Rick Reiners N ew O rleans

Looks can be deceiving. Despite its outward appearance, 201 N. Rampart St. wasn’t built as a theater and doesn’t appear to have ever been used for that purpose. In July 1923, the then-new structure at the corner of N. Rampart and Iberville streets opened its doors as the J. P. Schaeffer Furniture Company, named in honor of its owner and proprietor, Alsatian furniture merchant Joseph Paul Schaeffer. For more than half a century, the building housed a succession of home furnishing stores. The J. P. Schaeffer Furniture Company operated at that location until 1942,

when the commercial property became Joy’s Department Store, later known as Joy’s Furniture Center. In ’64, Joy’s made way for a new owner when Norveil O. Alexander opened Alexander’s Furniture Store at that location, remaining there until about ’77. Following an extended period of vacancy, the building at 201 N. Rampart St. was split into two smaller stores; in the mid ’80s, Bargain Center USA and United Television and Furniture Rentals operated in that space. Dear Julia, What is the history of the house located at 1706 Jackson Ave.? A relative of ours recently purchased that property. We know it was owned by the Cohen family, built around 1915, and then owned by the Polmers. The Marists may have purchased it in ’76 and used it as a school. Can you send Poydras on

over there to get a bird’s eye view? Any information you can find would be much appreciated now that this “grand” house is in the family. Mrs. B. Burrows New Orlean s

Mrs. Burrows, the only bird’s eye view that Poydras ever gets is from a taxi because he doesn’t like to fly. He says the wing flapping makes him tired and he doesn’t like heights. Your information is correct, though there are some other pretty important details. The home at 1706 Jackson Ave., is more than 30 years older than you had been told. Furthermore its original owners were among the city’s best-known 19th century journalists. Originally numbered 290 Jackson Ave., the home was built around 1883 for George Nicholson (18201896) and his wife, Eliza

Jane Poitevent Holbrook Nicholson (1849-1896), proprietors of the Daily Picayune. George Nicholson died Feb. 5, 1896, and as was the custom in those days, was waked at home rather than in a rented funeral parlor. Only 10 days after George Nicholson’s death, the house again hosted a funeral as Nicholson’s widow, Eliza Jane, succumbed to influenza and followed him to the grave. The couple’s son, Yorke Nicholson, lived in the Jackson Avenue residence until 1914, when he sold it for an undisclosed amount to Mr. and Mrs. Nathan Cohen who then became the home’s second owners. Dear Julia, I have lived in New Orleans for 50 years and have often wondered (as have my friends) why some of the houses on some streets (such as Esplanade and N. Carrollton avenues) aren’t

DECEMBER 2012

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built perpendicular to the street and sidewalk, but are set at an angle to the street. Why would some be this way and others not on the same street? Ann Arnold N ew O rleans

There can be different explanations why a residence doesn’t directly face its fronting street. Many of our city streets cut across old and long-forgotten pie slice-shaped subdivisions that once had their own lot numbers and property lines. When modern properties straddle those old subdivision boundaries, their lot lines may be found to run diagonally, rather than perpendicular to the fronting street. That is only one reason why local homes may be placed at odd angles. I should mention, though, that some homes may face in unexpected directions simply because an owner told their

builder to turn the residence to face a particular way. Dear Julia, When I was little, my aunt used to take me to a cafeteria near D. H. Holmes at Lakeside. It wasn’t A&G but I can’t remember its name or anything else about it. Do you remember what was there before A&G? Aaron Thompson River Ridge

Located adjacent to the D. H. Holmes department store, Holloway House cafeteria was one of Lakeside’s original tenants. At the time, Lakeside, then in its infancy, looked far different that it does today and was little more than an open-air strip mall. Chicago-based restaurant operators, the John R. Thompson Company leased the space at Lakeside and operated Holloway House for D. H. Holmes. Originally marketed as a somewhat upscale,

modern dining experience, the local Holloway House boasted 16,250 square feet of space in which it could accommodate 390 guests – 110 in the restaurant, 220 in the cafeteria section and 60 in the cocktail lounge. Holloway House operated at Lakeside for little more than a decade. In late 1971, A&G Cafeteria moved into the former Holloway House location.

Julia on TV

Look for the Julia Street question on “Steppin’ Out,” every Friday at 6:30 p.m. on WYES/Channel 12. The show features reviews, news and features about the New Orleans entertainment scene. Viewers who can answer Julia’s weekly question can call in for prizes. Tell ’em you read about the show in New Orleans Magazine.

THEBEAT MARQUEE

PERSONA

BIZ

EDUCATION

HEALTH

CRIME FIGHTING

NEWS

PERSONA:

Kermit Ruffins PAGE 24

MARYLOU UTTERMOHLEN PHOTOGRAPH

myneworleans.com

DECEMBER 2012

T HE BE A T OUR

MARQUEE

T O P P I C K S O F T H E M O N T H’S E V E N T S BY

SARAH

RAVITS

“Lifelike,” a new exhibit at the New Orleans Museum of Art, explores the boundaries between fabrication and reality. Featuring works of art from more than 50 global artists, including Andy Warhol, Charles Ray and Susan Collins, the exhibit is on view until Jan. 27. It demonstrates how artists use scale, unlikely materials and contextual devices to manufacture authenticity. Susan Taylor, director of the museum, says, “There is a real poignancy that we rarely recognize in the mundane objects and situations of our daily lives. That’s what makes the experience of this exhibition so exciting.” The exhibit features sculptures, paintings, photographs and drawings as well as other multimedia projects. Information, noma.org

Alternate Reality

Floating Into Town

The irresistible tale of a kindhearted, magical nanny makes its way to the Mahalia Jackson Theater for the Performing Arts, Dec. 18-23, as Broadway Across America presents Disney’s Mary Poppins. With exciting new choreography coupled with the classic songs made famous by the lovable Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke, going to see this musical is like opening an early Christmas present. Information, MahaliaJacksonTheater.com

Enchantment in City Park A holiday tradition and a delight for all ages, Celebration in the Oaks will again offer enchantment at City Park throughout the month. Highlights include amusement park rides; nightly performances by school choirs, dancers and orchestras; and photographs with Santa. Be sure to check out the “Who Dat Tree,” and of course, the lovable Mr. Bingle. Information, CelebrationInTheOaks.com

Through Jan. 20. “The Bayou School: 19th Century Louisiana Landscapes of Clague, Buck and Smith”; New Orleans Museum of Art. Information, noma.org

Third Reich: American POWs in Europe”; National World War II Museum. Information, NationalWW2Museum.org

Through

Through July 13,

Dec. 16. The

2013. “Guests of the

home games; New Orleans Arena. Information, nba.

Through Dec. 2.

Dec. 2, 8-9, 15-16, 21-23.

PhotoNOLA photography festival; various venues. Information, PhotoNola.org

Teddy Bear Tea; Crescent City Ballroom at The Roosevelt New Orleans Hotel. Information, TheRooseveltNewOrleans. com

NOLA Project presents “Romeo & Juliet;” New Orleans Museum of Art. Information, NolaProject. com

PhotoNOLA photography festival, through Dec. 2

DECEMBER 2012

Dec. 1, 3, 5, 7, 11, 14, 22, 28. New Orleans Hornets

Aerosmith, Dec. 6

myneworleans.com

SPOTLIGHT

In December of last year, Katie Boudreaux organized Kicking Against Cancer, a charity kickball tournament presented by Kickball of the Crescent City, to raise money and offer moral support to Melisa Garcia, who was battling leukemia at the time. It was, unfortunately, one of the last times that many of Garcia’s friends saw her, as she tragically passed away two months later at the age of 28. To celebrate her life and help others in need, Boudreaux decided to make Kicking Against Cancer an annual event. This year it will be held on Dec. 8 at St. Patrick’s Park in Mid-City. Preregistration is open to those over the age of 21 and all are welcome to attend as spectators. Information, kickingagainstcancer@gmail.com, or search 2nd annual KOCC Kicking Against Cancer tournament on Facebook. What does the event entail? There will be

eight teams. The tournament isn’t meant to be competitive – it’s meant to be a fun day with good people. It’s about coming together. The entry fee is $10. Besides the games, there will be a raffle. Several businesses across Kicking Against Cancer organizer Katie Boudreaux the city have already signed up to donate We’ll also be selling items for the raffle: T-shirts designed by the Funky Monkey, Branch very talented Scott Ray. Out and Nola Food Where do the proceeds Delivery, just to name a go? I think with a lot few. Also, several peoof fundraisers it can ple in the league are be hazy as to where providing baked goods your money is really for sale, and Reginelli’s going. This event was Pizza is kindly donatsignificant for everyone ing pizza to sell at the involved because we event. League member knew exactly where Jim Martyn, who has it was going and havhelped me a great deal ing Melisa there at the in the planning and event made it extra scheduling, has asked special. She was very his mom to provide her touched and honored. delicious jambalaya for So, of course, in her sale as well. In short, memory we’ve decided there will be some very to do it again. I know delicious things to eat!

com/hornets.

OgdenMuseum.org

lhsaa.org

Dec. 6. Aerosmith

Dec. 7-8. Louisiana

Dec. 16, 30. New

and Cheap Trick in concert; New Orleans Arena. Information, OrleansArena.org

High School Athletic Association’s football championship games; Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Information,

Orleans Saints home games; Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Information, NewOrleansSaints.com

Dec. 7. “The Art of

Giving”; Ogden Museum of Art. Information,

Dec. 21. Home for

the Holidays – A Concert for the Daniel

she’s really proud of what we’re doing. This year we are donating all of the proceeds in Melisa’s name to Young Adults Taking a Stand Against Cancer (YATS). They are a local organization dedicated to the needs of individuals aged 21 to 39 who are affected by cancer. We felt that the group particularly fit for us because they are a small organization that helps those in the same age bracket as Melisa. What do you hope that this event accomplishes?

Price Foundation for Aspiring Artists; House of Blues. Information, HouseOfBlues.com Dec. 22. Trombone

Shorty and Orleans Avenue in concert; House of Blues. Information, HouseOfBlues.com

Melisa will never be forgotten by those who knew and loved her. This event is just another way to keep her memory alive and to make her proud. This day is a day to celebrate her – to recognize how hard she fought, and to raise money to encourage those who are so young and still fighting. Raising money and awareness is something we can all do to help those fighting cancer so that they don’t feel alone.

Dec. 22. R&L Carriers

New Orleans Bowl; Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Information, NewOrleansBowl.org Jan. 2. Allstate Sugar Bowl; Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Information, AllstateSugarBowl.org

Trombone Shorty, Dec. 22

myneworleans.com

DECEMBER 2012

ELIZABETH PERRIN PHOTOGRAPH

KICKING FOR A CAUSE

T HE BEA T

PERSONA

Kermit Ruffins BY SUE STRACHAN

f waiting to interview musician

Kermit Ruffins means that I had to spend time inhaling the aroma of food wafting from the kitchen of his latest venture, Kermit’s Treme Speakeasy, so be it. On the menu this night is everything from fried catfish to stewed rabbit and a quail dish … so, I may just have to stay for dinner and see Ruffins perform. He soon arrives from a photo shoot – for this magazine, as it turns out – dressed in his signature hat with bandana underneath and bespoke suit. As he enters, I think: When hasn’t Kermit performed? Who in New Orleans hasn’t seen him perform? With a schedule that has him working almost seven nights a week throughout New Orleans, one would be hard-pressed on where and when not to see him – or have seen him. As one of the city’s most noted musical ambassadors, Ruffins shows New Orleanians and visitors how to have a good time – on stage and off. With a professional musical career spanning from high school to present day, and a well-known side-gig as chef – his barbecue has now taken a mythic status – Ruffins embodies the laissez les bon temps rouler attitude that many try to copy, but don’t quite succeed. So how does one describe Ruffins to a person who hasn’t heard him? I turned to the CD, Live at Vaughan’s (Basin Street Records), recorded with his band, the Barbecue Swingers: “Kermit Ruffins is the closest the 21st century is likely to get to a personification of the spirit of traditional New Orleans jazz. Possessed of a bright, shining trumpet tone and warm, relaxed vocal style, Ruffins recalls Louis Armstrong in personality and presentation, but moreover he represents the friendly good-times vibe of the Big Easy.” Who did you pick the trumpet up from? My uncle Percy. When you saw him, you

knew you were in for a big treat. He used to come by our house on Saturday, and he would let my brother and me play on his horn. When he opened up that horn case, the smell of that brass, it was so

At a Glance Name: Kermit Ruffins (Kermit was his grandfather’s name.) (Age: 47 (Turns 48 this month) Profession: Musician Born/Raised: Lower 9th Ward Resides: Gentilly (on Music Street) Family: Fiancé, Lexine May (we got engaged on Election Day); father, Lloyd Ruffins, deceased (he worked at the Louisiana Superdome); mother, Esther Ruffins 24

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(retired; worked at WYES-TV); brother, Lloyd Ruffins (pharmaceutical/ medical sales rep); sister, Imani (police officer). Five children: Tawana Ruffins (who helps run his restaurant, Kermit’s Treme Speakeasy); Kermit Ruffins (a chef in San Antonio); Christina (attending Spelman College; she wants to be a dancer on Broadway); Neshia (attend-

myneworleans.com

ing Southern University in Baton Rouge; she plays classical piano and performs with Ruffins when in town) and Kaylin Orleans (attending Ursuline Academy). Education: Thomas Alva Edison Elementary School; Alfred Lawless Junior High School; Joseph S. Clark High School. Favorite book: Pops: A Life of Louis Armstrong by Terry

Teachout (I’ve gotten about half-way through it.) Favorite movie: Star Trek. Every time I get on an airplane, I get a bloody Mary and put the film on. It kills the hour and a half. I like science fiction … Planet of the Apes. All the most recent versions. And, I also like Titanic. Favorite TV show: The “Today” Show Favorite food: Salmon, broccoli and white

rice (my favorite thing to cook). Favorite restaurant (other than your own!): Maximo’s Favorite music: In my car, usually two things: Pandora: Godfather Waltz; or Isley Brothers. Hobby: Cooking Favorite vacation spot:

I don’t do vacations. I can’t remember when I did anything like that. But I do like Amsterdam and Nice (France). MARYLOU UTTERMOHLEN PHOTOGRAPH

exciting! He gave me a mouthpiece and I would march around the Lower Nine with it. At about 14 years old, I got home [and] there was a trumpet from my uncle. So (my brother and I) joined the band at Lawless – where I learned how to play by Herman Jones, who also taught my kids. Tell me about forming Rebirth Brass Band and why you then went out on your own and formed the Barbecue Swingers. I started

playing in the marching band at Lawless (school) then when I went to Clark I met Philip Frazier. We were in the marching band together – I was first chair. Phil asked me at the end of the summer, “Let’s start a second-line band.” I said, “Sure give me the address and I’ll be there the next day.” I was with them from about 1983 to ’92. After my two daughters were born, I was like, I can’t be going to Europe like this – I won’t see them. Rebirth was big! I already had a solo career on the side, and I was so excited about the instrumentation of swing music, traditional music. Wearing the suit and tie. I also liked being out there and singing, and I had more control. One of your most famous regular spots to perform is Vaughan’s in the Bywater. It was

originally for a birthday party for [owner] Cindy Wood’s dad. I knew Daddy-O when I played with Tuba Fats and a few other people in Jackson Square. (I was playing with them for tips when not playing with Rebirth.) We would take breaks at the Alpine restaurant where Daddy-O was the bartender. He would let us smoke reefer in the coatroom. Years later, my first solo album had come out, World on a String, and Cindy goes, “Who is this guy? I need to get him to play for my father’s birthday.” I played, then asked if I could do it every Thursday. I don’t know when I started the barbecue at Vaughan’s – I like to tailgate, and we wanted something to munch 26

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out on. Now, it’s spontaneous [if I cook]. Now Chris, Cindy’s husband, does a huge pot of beans. So I hear you do the cooking for Kermit’s Treme Speakeasy.

I get up at about 5:30 a.m. I watch news on Channel 6. I get to the restaurant about 7-7:30 a.m. to start cooking. You started making your shows earlier about a year ago and in nonsmoking venues. To

party early. And, you can get the same crowd early. You have the lease to Ernie K-Doe’s Mother-In-Law Lounge. What are planning to do with it?

I want to do the same thing they were doing before … to do it how Antoinette [K-Doe] did it. I want to follow up on that. Hopefully it will be open by January. I read that you try to keep a lot of your shows local. Yet, are you still traveling out-of-town for shows? I’ve been doing a lot

in Brooklyn; recently played in Philadelphia. Israel is coming up – I just have to make myself say yes. What is your favorite song to perform? “On the Sunny Side

of the Street.” I love that tune. It’s a happy song. What is your favorite Christmas song? (He sings …):

“Christmas time is here …” Charlie Brown Christmas song. True Confession: I have a big bush! When I go to church, I can’t wear a hat. So I comb my hair out with a big pick; there’s a lot of it! Ruffins and the Barbecue Swingers performs regularly in New Orleans: Sundays and Mondays, Kermit’s Treme Speakeasy (6 p.m./nonsmoking); Tuesdays, Bullet’s Sports Bar (6 p.m./nonsmoking for Ruffins); Wednesdays, Irving Mayfield I Club (in the JW Marriott. 6 p.m./nonsmoking/ DJ set), Thursdays, Vaughan’s (8 p.m./nonsmoking for Ruffins); Fridays, Blue Nile (7 p.m./nonsmoking for Ruffins) Ruffins CDs are available on the Basin Street Record label (which just celebrated its 15th anniversary.)

N EWSBEAT

Re-committing to Rebuilding As Hurricane Katrina recovery continues on a house-by-house basis in parts of New Orleans, a different sort of initiative, called Project Home Again, has found a way to build back hard-hit Gentilly by leaps and bounds. With more than 100 new homes already completed, Project Home Again has recently re-upped its commitment with a new plan to build 100 more. The nonprofit Project Home Again was created in 2010 by Barnes & Noble bookstore chairman Leonard Riggio and his wife Louise, who funded the project with $20 million from their family foundation, which was the largest housing-related contribution in New Orleans since Katrina. They began with a pilot program to build a cluster of 20 homes in Gentilly, which soon expanded to 100 new, energy-efficient, singlefamily properties and added one more, for 101 total, as an appreciation for the New Orleans notion of lagniappe. “This is probably one of the most miraculous stories,” said New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu during an event to announce 28

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the program’s next round. “We are here today to have the second chapter of the story written.” Landrieu described Riggio as the city’s “guardian angel,” and he said construction was already underway for 30 of these second-round homes around Gentilly. From the start, Project Home Again has taken a different approach to homeowner recovery, with an emphasis on clustering new homes to kindle a sense of community. Gentilly was chosen as the area to test the program because it had been a strong neighborhood before the storm where people from different ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds chose to live together. The project is also aimed specifically at working families who had owned homes in Gentilly prior to Katrina. Qualifying residents chosen to participate receive a new home at no cost on the condition that they turn over their flood-damaged house or the property where it once stood to Project Home Again, which will either build a new home on the lot or swap it with the New Orleans Redevelopment Authority for land that’s better positioned for clustering new homes. To qualify, residents have to be employed, pass credit checks, complete homeownership training and have no liens on their original properties. For information, see ProjectHomeAgain.net. – I an M c N u l ty

T HE BE A T

BIZ

Buy, Sell or Hold? Analysts scrutinize local housing and the economy B y K athy F inn

esidential real estate professionals are

undoubtedly among the most optimistic people on the planet. That is because people who sell homes for a living keenly understand the adage that “perception is reality.” Sales agents know that if consumers begin to believe home values are headed downward, that belief can weigh on the market – even if the view is mistaken. During bumpy economic times, sensitivity to public perception leads real estate analysts to be measured in their assessments of market trends. And true to form, experts who presented short-term forecasts during a recent economic conference in New Orleans offered a conditionally hopeful view. Lawrence Yun, chief economist for the National Association of Realtors, paints a fairly rosy picture as he points to indicators he believes show a recovery in home sales. On the housing front, he says, the number of foreclosures of single-family homes is declining from a peak reached in 2010-’11, so the previously substantial inventory of properties for sale has begun to thin. In Louisiana, which never experienced the high volume of foreclosures seen in some other states, this “shadow” inventory is slowly diminishing, Yun says. Meanwhile, because sales were sluggish for an extended period, housing prices are down in most parts of the country. The available stock of affordable homes combined with increasing job creation is pointing to an uptick in future sales, Yun says. The association’s research shows that as of September, home sales across the country were about 11 percent higher than a year earlier, and the median price, at $183,900, also was up 11 percent. In addition, Yun cites the stock market’s recovery from a 2008 plunge, rising residential rents and a growing pool of renters as signs that the “smart money” will be chasing real estate investments. “I look for a 10 percent increase in home sales this year followed by singledigit increases thereafter,” he said. Yun also suggests that talk of the country falling off the “fiscal cliff,” if current tax policies are allowed to expire next year, is overblown. “I don’t see elected offi-

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cials letting the country go into recession,” he says. Tempering Yun’s enthusiasm, local real estate analyst Wade Ragas presents a more narrowly focused forecast that took into account special factors influencing the New Orleans market. Ragas says that a post-Hurricane Katrina recovery in local jobs has begun to level off, in part because government jobs have been shrinking. Closures of businesses or business lines such as those at Northrop Grumman’s Avondale Shipyard on the West Bank and the NASA facilities in eastern New Orleans and Stennis, Miss., have produced big job losses in the region. “Slidell and the eastern side of the market have been hammered by those changes,” Ragas says. He also pointed to the unusual federal boost that New Orleans received in the form of FEMA and other recovery funds over the past half-dozen years. Of about $42 billion worth of funding for new construction, less than a quarter of the total remains to be built, largely encompassing medical projects. “In the next few years the benefit of that spending will run out,” he says. The post-Katrina environment also skewed the local housing picture, Ragas notes. He says that New Orleans reached its highest rate of new construction in 13 years when nearly 1,400 homes were built during 2008, but the pace of building is slowing. On the other hand, Ragas is upbeat about local housing prices. The area is in a recovery, he says, where prices are either stable, meaning they’re

Construction of a new streetcar line along Loyola Avenue bodes well for public transportation overall, Ragas said. Not only will it allow visitors to link with other lines and go “virtually anywhere in downtown New Orleans without moving a car,” but it provides a starting link for a possible future rapid transit connection to the airport. “I think this is going to turn out to be an important transportation event,” he says of the new streetcar line’s opening. Ragas says a revamp of concourses at Louis Armstrong International Airport and strength in cruise passenger business out of New Orleans bode well for an ongoing robust tourism sector, which has almost fully recovered from the post-Katrina downturn. The 2013 Super Bowl being held in the city B During the first half of 2012, unemployment will help solidify the city’s stature in the in the local area averaged 7.4 percent, drawing tour and travel industry, he says. closer to the U.S. average of 8.3 percent, but Back on the residential side of the mardown slightly from 7.7 percent a year earlier. ket, Ragas notes a “sleeper” that’s finally B Hotel room capacity stands at 95 percent starting to move ahead: the replacement of pre-Katrina capacity, and occupancy in the of the Iberville Housing Project. The first half of 2012 was up 1.3 percent from the demolition of the old high-density housprevious year, with room rates jumping 9.4 ing project and construction of modpercent on average. ern, low-density units will help anchor B While many residents migrated to suburban the string of renovation and redevelopareas after Hurricane Katrina, the population of ment that stretches across Canal Street Orleans Parish has recovered to 80 percent of to the medical district and along Loyola its pre-Katrina population. Avenue past City Hall. B About 1.20 million people now reside in the The prospects of major redevelopbroader New Orleans metropolitan statistical ments, Ragas says, linked by improved area, or about 91 percent of the pre-Katrina public transportation, are strong positive population. indicators for the city at large.

no longer declining, or they’re in an upswing. “I think that’s a strong vote of confidence in the local market.” He adds that occupancy of rental homes and apartments is strong and that rents, while not rising sharply, are holding at fairly high levels. Ragas also describes the commercial side of the real estate market in relatively buoyant terms. The New Orleans business district is enjoying a “renaissance” in terms of apartment and condominium construction, grocery stores and renovations completed or under way at big properties, such as the Superdome, the Hyatt Regency New Orleans and the Saenger Theatre, he says.

Economic indicators

Figures published by the University of New Orleans Division of Business and Economic Research help document improvements occurring in the local economy. The following are a few highlights from the division’s August 2012 report. B Overall employment in the metropolitan area rose by 1,500 jobs in the past year, reaching 87 percent of the pre-Hurricane Katrina level. B With about 525,500 active jobs reported, the largest gains in the past seven years occurred in private education; construction; health care; food, leisure and hospitality; and hotels. B The tourism industry has almost fully recovered, with employment standing at 91 percent of the pre-Katrina level.

DECEMBER 2012

myneworleans.com

T HE BE A T

EDUCATION

Making the Switch Will up-and-coming charter schools ever return to the Orleans Parish School Board? By DAWN RUTH

ountry

wisdom

advises ,

“If

ain ’ t

broke ,

don’t fix it.” Such folksy reasoning is the underlying attitude that keeps New Orleans’ up-and-coming charter schools from voluntarily moving from the Recovery School District to the Orleans Parish School Board. Even though 13 are academically eligible to move out of the state’s RSD system into the OPSB’s system, none are expected to do so anytime soon. The RSD, which took over more than 100 “failing” schools after Hurricane Katrina, has turned the majority of them into semi-autonomous charter schools as a means of closing the achievement gap between high-income children and lowincome children. The RSD gave charter operators free reign to create successful schools and turnaround failing ones and many of them have used that freedom to achieve miracles in less than seven years. The OPSB and its supporters take the position that all the schools taken over by the state in 2005 should return to local control as soon as possible. State law set up an avenue for return based on academic improvement, but state education officials blocked that path two years ago by allowing eligible schools to stay with the RSD if they wish. That policy was most likely connected to the RSD charter operators’ nervousness about being forced to return to the very agency that created one of the worst school districts in the country. Subsequent elected board members and their appointed superintendents have cleaned up the books, paid off debts and awarded charters of their own, but even a law suit that argued that state education officials had thwarted state law has failed to favor the school board. “What would it take to get the charters back?” asks Lourdes Moran, an OPSB member. “The relationship between the RSD and the school board has improved tremendously.” In an effort to accommodate charter leaders’ concerns, board administrators are trying to change state policy so that charters returning to the board could retain the funding controls that they have enjoyed under the RSD. The state allows the RSD to grant Type 5 charters, which give school leaders total control over the millions of dollars the federal government grants schools to educate low-income students. The types of charter contracts that OPSB is allowed to grant require schools to apply for this federal funding through its staff. These “pass through” funds have created conflicts between the board and

DECEMBER 2012

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its own charters in the past. OPSB charter leaders say that the board has sometimes withheld money they needed to operate, charges that board officials have denied. Not surprisingly, the RSD Type 5 charter leaders aren’t willing to give up control over their federal funding. Kathleen Padian, OPSB deputy superintendent for charter schools, says the administration is

willing to give them that control, if the state allows it. However, it isn’t clear if it would take an act of the Legislature to change the policy, or if the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education could do it. Padian believes that the state will change the policy, but how long it will take is anyone’s guess. In addition, it isn’t certain that school board members would grant such independent charters even if it had the power to do so. “It would be up to the board,” Padian says. In the long run, though, even retaining control over federal funds probably wouldn’t overcome the RSD charters’ primary fears. Their deepest fear is that the board will use its charter granting powers to change the rules when the schools go up for charter renewal every five to 10 years. The problem with elected boards is members can change ALLI COATE ILLUSTRATION

every four years and voting blocs can shift. One or two disruptive members can cause a good deal of havoc for school leaders. No doubt RSD charter leaders also have heard reports of bullying tactics during charter audit reviews by some OPSB monitors. Paperwork has been rejected over the color of ink used, an employee said. An employee who has worked closely with the OPSB system for decades said, “They never reformed the ink-andquill-and-parchment way they do business.” The OPSB’s past history of incompetence and corruption has created a barrier of mistrust that a number of well-meaning board members and top administrators have tried to overcome. Tighter controls over finances have paid off, and the higher performing schools that were left in their control after Katrina also have shown academic gains in recent years. The board’s image has improved significantly, but sharp divisions among members are still common, leading to the same hostility that dominated preKatrina board meetings. The question of which system will take the city’s schools into the future is an important one because they’re under a national spotlight. If New Orleans’ charter schools continue their upward trajectory, schools all over the country will follow in their footsteps. “Governance is not so sexy,” says Jay Altman, co-founder and CEO of FirstLine Schools, “but it’s the single biggest issue facing schools today.” Altman’s charter management group oversees two of the 13 schools eligible to move to the OPSB at the end this school year, but FirstLine’s board voted against a return at its October meeting. Instead, the board approved a document adopted by the Louisiana Association for Local Public School Governance that implies that the OPSB isn’t friendly to charter schools. The state charter association said it wouldn’t support the return of schools to local control until the OPSB gives “concrete assurances” that it supports school choice for parents, operational autonomy for schools, holding failing schools accountable, transparency in spending and funding equity. Padian called the association’s document “short-sighted” because it only addresses the OPSB, not any of the dozens of other school districts in the state. The prized 13 would need to start paperwork for a return this month, but the OPSB will need to do a good deal more wooing to get such a process started.

Top Performing Schools

To be eligible to return to the Orleans Parish School Board at the end of this school year, schools must receive a school performance score of 80 or above for two years in a row. The schools that have reached this bar of excellence are: B Akili Academy B Arthur Ashe Charter School B Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Charter School for Science & Technology B Dwight D. Eisenhower Elementary School B KIPP Believe College Prep (Phillips) B KIPP Central City Academy B KIPP Central City Primary B KIPP McDonogh 15 School for the Creative Arts B Lafayette Academy of New Orleans B Langston Hughes Academy Charter School B Martin Behrman Elementary School B O. Perry Walker Senior High School B Sci Academy Source: The Recovery School District myneworleans.com

DECEMBER 2012

T HE BE A T

HEALTH

A Baker’s Friend or a Consumer’s Villain? Probing gluten and celiac disease

By BROBSON LUTZ M.D.

‘‘

t may be gluten - free , but it isn ’ t F rench bread .

It won’t hold a fried shrimp poor boy. If that’s French bread, I don’t have celiac disease,” says Annette Bentley, president for life of the American Celiac Society as we were listening to a food vendor’s pitch from Lafayette. Bentley, an animated dynamo, didn’t like what she saw. We were at The Big Easy Gluten/Allergen-Free Expo held at the New Orleans Healing Center on St. Claude Avenue last October. “I was diagnosed with celiac disease when I was 33 years old,” says Bentley.

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“I had extreme bloating and looked nine months pregnant even though my weight had dropped to 67 pounds. The first doctor I went to told me I had the six-month flu. Then I saw Dr. Murrel Kaplan. May he rest in peace. He made the diagnosis and saved my life.” Kaplan was one of New Orleans’ most preeminent internists in the second half of the 20th century. He practiced gastroenterology in the Touro area when the most important tool of a gastroenterologist was cerebral power augmented by listening to patients and taking detailed medical histories. The toys of this specialty came later: long endoscopes with fiberoptic lighting to illuminate and look into dark passages of the gastrointestinal tract previously inaccessible except for surgery or autopsy. Symptoms of classic celiac disease occur in children: loss of appetite, diarrhea, vomiting, bloating, weight loss and impaired growth. Common adult symptoms are more vague: abdominal cramping, bloating sensations, excessive gas and irritable bowel-like complaints, such as diarrhea or constipation, or both. Often these digestive symptoms are obscured by multiple other problems including anxiety, depression, fatigue, infertility, mouth ulcers, tingling sensations and even peculiar rashes. Celiac disease is an autoimmune disorder of the small intestine. The lymphoid rich tissue lining our guts is part of the body’s defense system against harmful invaders. Some folks have a genetic makeup that labels gluten as an enemy. Gluten throws their immune systems into overdrive, producing abnormal antibodies. These reactive molecules, called autoantibodies, poke small holes into the intestinal lining, stripping away the essential villous layer. Important clues about celiac disease surfaced during World War II. A German blockade in Holland combined with severe winter weather caused a widespread famine. Flour was in short supply. A pediatrician who treated a large number of children with chronic diarrhea and failure to thrive noted that the children under his care actually improved under these adverse conditions. When the war ended, hospitals were the first to get imported bread. Many of the children, whose bowel disease had actually improved during the famine, immediately got worse. The Dutch pediatrician proposed a link between gluten in wheat and his young patients with celiac disease. His subsequent research proved that link. For most adults, the onset of celiac disease is rarely sudden and dramatic as with children. Classic early symptoms are vague bloat and diarrhea. Over time, the early non-specific symptoms of celiac disease become more protean, fueled by malabsorption of all sorts of important nutrients and vitamins. For those with lesser degrees of gluten sensitivity, the progression of signs and B ryan T arnowski P hotograph

HEALTHBEAT East Jefferson General Hospital has added Dr. Zhen Jiao, left, to Jefferson Electrophysiology. Jiao, who returned to the

city from Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., is working alongside Dr. James McKinnie, right; the pair hopes to set new standards of care for atrial-fibrillation, otherwise known as an irregular heartbeat. While this illness has often previously required a lifetime of medication, Jiao and McKinnie are working on new technology and treatment that could omit this.

Four nurses from the Interim LSU Public Hospital were among the Great 100 Nurses honored by the Great 100 Nurses Foundation at its 26th annual celebration, which was held in the Pontchartrain Center in Kenner. Kimberly Barcia, Claudia Celestand, Cynthia

Gould and Amanda Theriot were among those chosen to be this year’s honorees. “The excellent skills our nurses possess and their dedication to their profession allow us to fulfill our dual mission as a tertiary hospital delivering highly complex healthcare and training Louisiana’s future healthcare professionals,” said Dr. Juzar Ali, Interim ILH CEO in an LSUgenerated press release. “The ILH nurses selected to be among the Great 100 prove every day to be worthy of the honor.”

More than 1 million hip and knee replacements are performed each year in the United States, and that number is expected to increase as more and more men and women maintain active lifestyles. Ochsner Medical Center recently became a member of the American Joint Replacement Registry, an independent, nonprofit database designed to store comprehensive data about joint replace-

ment procedures. It helps physicians and artificial joint manufacturers improve the experiences of patients who undergo joint replacement surgery. “We have always been committed to ensuring that our joint replacement patients have the best experiences possible,” said George Chimento M.D., Section Head of Joint Replacement at Ochsner Medical Center in a press release. “… We can help joint replacement procedures become safer nationwide, while optimizing our own patients’ experiences.” – S arah R a v its myneworleans.com

DECEMBER 2012

symptoms is more diverse and can include weight gain. Bentley told me how Kaplan first suspected her lactose deficiency around 1962. She actually did improve with steroids and by avoiding all baked foods containing milk or milk products. She had turned into a real pasta hound when Kaplan called her excitedly one day after returning from a national conference. He had heard a presentation on adults with gluten allergy, a disorder previously associated mostly with children. “He told me ‘I think you have a gluten problem. My library is your library. Every book on my shelf is yours for the taking.’ I read them all and have been on a gluten-free diet ever since,” says Bentley. Kelly Boffone held court at another nearby booth. The night before she delighted patrons at the Louisiana SPCA Howling Success gala with samples of her pastry skills right up there with chef organizer Greg Picolo. Boffone owns and operates The PeaceBaker, a gluten-free source of pastry delights on Veterans Boulevard across from Lafreniere Park in Metairie. I met her at the gala. She enticed me into trying one of her erupting chocolate volcano cupcakes, warning me about a second too late that my tie was at risk. It was worth the spot as she also was the one who told me about the Big Easy gluten-free Expo happening the next day. “All my products are gluten- and dairy-free with local ingredients when possible. No cross-contamination in my kitchen. My idea is to offer relaxing and tasty food; food that’s easy on everybody’s stomach, peaceful food. Thus the name PeaceBaker. We have three small tables where you can eat in, but we’re mostly takeout. The most popular is Cookie Sammie, a double chocolate cookie sandwich with a core of banana buttercream made from soy,” says Boffone, a professionally trained chef who slung the dough at some of the city’s more famous eateries before she decided to “bring it back to the basics.” “Oh my God, I love it. I have been living in New Orleans for 10 years, and have never even tasted gumbo,” said an attendee whom I overheard at another booth. I scurried over to investigate. An attractive 30-something young lady was talking to Kristie Buford, who turned her own celiac disease into a business at YourWayCuisines.com. “I had asthma for 15 years along with bloating, constant diarrhea and stomach cramps before blood tests showed I had celiac disease. Once I got on a gluten-free diet, my asthma subsided tremendously. My goal is to bring Cajun-style food to the glutenfree community,” said Buford as she handed out samples of a gumbo even ya mamma would die for, based on a rice flour roux. I had to agree with the virgin gumbo taster. Buford’s gumbo was broth-based and the perfect color. It was not only delicious, but it tasted good, too. Back to the French bread, Bentley had a point. The squatty 10-inch long loaf of bread, about 4 inches wide and 1 inch high, was as heavy as a brickbat. The thin, well-tattooed promoter of gluten-free French bread from Lafayette shrugged and rolled his eyes as Bentley continued to pound him. She has been president of her organization for 37 years. In spite of its national sounding name, I suspect she’s more of a local than national voice for people with gluten concerns. A Google search provides the names of more gluten-free local and national organizations. My recommendation for folks looking for more information on celiac disease and its variants is the National Institutes of Health website (NIH.gov) that lists all the national heavy hitting groups. These include the American Celiac Disease Alliance, Celiac Sprue Association, Gluten Intolerance Group of North America and National Foundation for Celiac Awareness. 38

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J O S H U A H O R N P hotograph

NE WSB E A T

Fighting for a Fort Guarding a strategic approach to New Orleans, Fort Pike was built to withstand the worst that an enemy force could throw at it. These days, however, the ravages of time, storms, erosion and neglect are the biggest threats to a site with deep ties to New Orleans history. “Every day that passes the fort deteriorates a little more,” says Joseph Yarbrough, an archeologist who leads the private Fort Pike Foundation and advocates for the fort’s restoration. “It’s like a leaky boat. It’s just not going to get better unless you fix it.” The fort, located on the Rigolets passage connecting Lake Pontchartrain with the Gulf of Mexico, is part of the state park system and in the past has been open to visitors with a museum and exhibits. It was successively damaged, closed, reopened and closed again by hurricanes Katrina, Gustav and, most recently, Isaac, and it remains closed at this writing. Yarbrough who, before Isaac, led tours here, says the fort is sinking as the old cypress foundation on which it’s built continues to degenerate. He says a comprehensive restoration is needed to save it. “I would like to see

the site thrive,” he says. “When we were open we’d have people visiting from all over the country, people looking for the roots of their ancestors who may have been stationed here or (who are) just interested in the history for their nation.” Yarbrough says the area where the fort now stands was a Native American site before the arrival of Europeans, who built a succession of forts there. After the War of 1812, the U.S. government started building Fort Pike to better protect New Orleans from invasion. It was completed in 1826 and later served as a military prison and, during the Civil War, as a training center for former slaves recruited to join the Union army. P.B.S. Pinchback, who briefly served as Louisiana’s first black governor after the war, was earlier stationed at Fort Pike. “It’s our heritage here,” says Yarbrough. “Louisiana and New Orleans have a very unique history and a lot of it can be told through that site.” For more information on the Fort Pike Foundation and restoration efforts, contact Yarbrough via email at yarbrough. joseph@yahoo.com. – I an M c N u l ty myneworleans.com

DECEMBER 2012

T HE BEA T

C R I M E F I G H T I NG

Consent Decree Some questions and answers

B y A LL E N J O H N S O N J R .

n the morning of J uly 2 6 , 2 0 1 2 , M ayor M itch

Landrieu stood in a hallway of the federal courthouse between two of the biggest cases litigated this year in New Orleans. In one courtroom, Federal Judge Susie Morgan would preside over the first public hearing of United States of America v. City of New Orleans (12-1924) and its proposed Consent Decree. The decree is a plan filed jointly by the Landrieu Administration and the U.S. Department of Justice on July 24 to resolve a civil rights lawsuit by reforming the troubled New Orleans Police Department. In the courtroom across the hall, a hearing of another high-profile case is underway. The case is Vilma v. Goodell (12-1283), the “Bounty-gate” scandaldefamation suit brought by Saints linebacker Jonathan Vilma against National Football League commissioner Roger Goodell. The litigation is a reminder that Landrieu’s election in February 2010 was overshadowed the next day by the Saints historic Super Bowl victory over Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts. Three months later, Landrieu introduced newly inaugurated NOPD Superintendent Ronal Serpas as the “Drew Brees of police chiefs.” Since then, Serpas has been struggling to: reform the department of 1,295 officers and 248 civilian-support staff; reduce a chronically high violent crime rate in a city of 344,000; and ensure the safety of thousands of tourists each year, including visitors to the Super Bowl here Feb. 3, 2013. Much of the police department’s future may depend on the effectiveness

of the Consent Decree. To wade through it, I have proposed a few questions, and some answers. The Landrieu-Serpas administration is now in the “third quarter” of the mayor’s first four-year term. How can the Consent Decree help protect the city?

The murder rate remains stubbornly high despite the administration’s commendable focus and its “holistic” approach to drugs, crime and violence. Serpas’ “honeymoon” as a reformer was endangered when three police subordinates were implicated in a paid detail scandal, though the city Inspector General exonerated the chief. The administration is at odds with two police groups – the Police Association of New Orleans and the Fraternal Order of Police – over the administration’s plans to “reform” civil service. Against that background, the Consent Decree requires NOPD to “fundamentally change” policing in New Orleans by: protecting the constitutional rights of citizens; increasing safety and security; and “increasing confidence in the NOPD.” Sounds like familiar reform rhetoric. What is different? This plan has the force of law.

The decree aims to resolve a number of alleged patterns and practices of “unconstitutional conduct” at the NOPD, detailed in a DOJ report published in March 2011. The 129-page decree requires the city and the NOPD to adhere to a court-supervised timetable for implementing sweeping changes, from the way cops use force, conduct searches, seizures and arrests, to establishing a department-wide “health and wellness program.” A DOJ attorney recently told Judge Morgan that NOPD officers will “soon know [the Consent Decree] backwards and forwards.” Frankly, it reads like a bureaucrat’s boring “to-do” list. It is hard to imagine cops reading this stuff on the trunk of a police car. It is

tedious reading for such a critical document – especially for a city with a high illiteracy rate among its English-speaking population alone. Instructional comic books and graphic art would be a more engag40

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J oseph D aniel F iedler illustration

ing way to reach both the public and the police. Also, the feds keep harping on the NOPD’s “dangerously limited” capacity for communicating with Latino and Vietnamese people in the city. By the end of October, the federal court website on the case still provided free copies of the Consent Decree – but in English only. From what I’ve seen on TV news, the decree pits two police groups against the ACLU, left-wing activists – the usual police critics. Not

true. The plan – a “stronger” role for the city’s Independent Police Monitor – has received support from mainstream civic groups such as Citizens for 1 Greater New Orleans and founding chairman Ruthie Frierson. In addition, advocates for victims of rape and domestic violence have filed disturbing letters about police practices with the court. Mary Claire Landry, director of the federally funded New Orleans Justice Center, told the judge that the handful of detectives who investigate domestic violence are “pulled” off those cases during Mardi Gras and other “hightourist” events. “We believe this [practice] keeps victims in danger and promotes a perception in the community that these cases are not a priority.” Didn’t the NRA file a civil rights suit against the city and NOPD after Hurricane Katrina but didn’t seek to intervene in the Consent Decree or even comment on the feds’ plan to implement “constitutional policing” in New Orleans? The National Rifle Association filed a federal suit

on behalf of thousands of New Orleans members after Hurricane Katrina hit in 2005. The suit accused then-Mayor C. Ray Nagin, NOPD Chiefs Eddie Compass and Warren Riley and St. Tammany Parish Sheriff Jack Strain Jr. of violating the Second Amendment rights of citizens, by allegedly seizing “lawfully possessed firearms.” Strain was later released from the suit. The city agreed to a court-supervised plan to return the seized weapons and claims against Nagin, and the top cops were dismissed (NRA et al v. Nagin et al, (05-04234)). To date, the NRA remains absent from debates over “constitutional policing” at NOPD. Any good news in all of this? Much of the Consent Decree concerns proper “Use of Force.” There is anecdotal evidence that plenty of NOPD supervisors would have little trouble complying with the new federal standards. “Anecdotal evidence” – such as? Remember “Lady Godiva?” During the mid-1990s, veteran NOPD Sgt. Frank Vaccarella convinced a naked woman high on crack to leave the Mid-City offices of Mary Howell and D. Majeeda Snead, two respected civil rights lawyers with experience in police misconduct litigation. The office gave the intoxicated woman shelter after several menacing-looking men tried to lure her into a van. Vaccarella arrived as other NOPD officers were discussing taking the woman by force. The sergeant nixed the idea. Unwrapping a piece of candy (butterscotch) that resembled a “rock” of crack, Vaccarella persuaded the woman to peacefully leave the law firm and take a police car ride to a hospital for evaluation. With a piece of candy, a lone NOPD sergeant restored law and order, captured the imagination of the public and presaged the “Use of Force” section of the proposed Consent Decree today some 15 years later. The NOPD agrees to ensure that the officers use non-force techniques to effect compliance with police orders whenever feasible; use force only when necessary, and in a manner that avoids unnecessary injury to officers and civilians; and de-escalate the use of force at the earliest possible moment. In 1997, Vaccarella shot and killed a Tulane University student, apparently high on drugs, who police said lunged at the officer with a broken beer bottle after attacking a woman and trying to choke a stray dog in the Tremé area. A state grand jury investigated. No charges were filed against Vaccarella. He retired from the NOPD in 2007. myneworleans.com

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Jobs, Meals and Homes on the Riverfront The hard-working Mississippi riverfront has historically been a source of economic vigor for New Orleans and jobs for its residents. Now, work is underway on the transformation of some long-idled symbols of the riverfront’s past into new tools to help create jobs and economic opportunity for the community today. The local branch of the national nonprofit Volunteers of America recently unveiled plans to redevelop a pair of vacant industrial buildings along Tchoupitoulas Street near the Lower Garden District into rental apartments and a commercial kitchen where military veterans and others can be trained for culinary jobs while producing healthier food for local schoolchildren. “We’re really optimistic about that neighborhood and how our project fits with the transition going on there now,” says Victor Smeltz, executive director of Renaissance Neighborhood Development Corporation, a subsidiary of Volunteers of America that is managing the project. The properties now under renovation include the one-time office building for the Lykes shipping company and a 19th42

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century cotton press, where cotton bales were shrunk down for easier transport. The cotton press is among the last remaining examples of some twodozen similar structures that once lined the riverfront there. The plan calls for the former office building to become 52 apartments, which will rent below market rates in order to offer more affordable housing. Meanwhile, the adjacent cotton press will become the commercial kitchen, which will employ more than 125 culinary trainees, including formerly homeless veterans served through Volunteers of America housing programs. The group plans to use this facility to offer a healthier in-school meal service option for New Orleans-area schools. The project should be operational by March, Smeltz says, and the plan is to have school meal contracts in place for the fall 2013 semester. “Our goal is to be a social enterprise, a business that has a social benefit and hopefully turns a profit,” says Smeltz. “That means as budgets and government support for programs like ours are cut, we can generate some of our own revenue for them.” The group is using “crowd-sourcing” through social media to name the project and also to solicit ideas for about 4,000 square feet of space at the site for further development. – I an M c N u l ty

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T H E S C O O P from amusement park rides to awe-inspiring light displays and trees decorated to the nines. Another major highlight of this community-wide celebration is the variety of local performers, including bell choirs, clog dancers and local school choirs whose voices carry high above the enchanting oak trees. If you’re going for traditional songs, the St. Louis Cathedral Concert Choir (615 Pere Antoine Alley, 525-9585, CathedralConcerts. org) will perform its annual

Christmas concert under the direction of Dreux Montegut on Dec. 16 at 5:30 p.m. in the cathedral. This year the Cathedral Choir will be joined by Rabbi Edward Cohn, Cantor Joel Colman and the Temple Sinai Choir in a multicultural celebration of Hanukkah and Christmas for the “Festivals of Light” concert. Excerpts from Handel’s Judas Maccabaeus and all of Vivaldi’s Gloria will be performed by the combined choirs, soloists and the St. Louis Cathedral Orchestra. This concert is free and open to the public. It might just inspire you to sing, so stick around for Caroling in Jackson Square (PatioPlanters. org), a holiday tradition that

dates back to 1946 and occurs just after the concerts in the Cathedral are over. The Patio Planters of the Vieux Carré are dedicated to the preservation and beautification of the French Quarter, and befittingly with their charitable nature they’ll be handing out candles and song sheets for anyone who would like to participate. Not too far away from the Square is Preservation Hall (726 St. Peter St., 522-2841, PreservationHall.com), which hosts its seventh annual Creole Christmas celebration with performances by Lars Edegran’s St. Peter Street All-Stars, along with special guest vocalist Big Al Carson. Shows take place at 1 p.m., 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. on Christmas Eve and again at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. on New Year’s Eve. Meanwhile, Tipitina’s Uptown will host the rollicking Anders Osborne Holiday Spectacular (501 Napoleon Ave., 895-8477, Tipitinas.com), a star-

Songs for the Season

Tidings of comfort and joy are abundant this time of year. By SARAH RAVITS

O rleans

stranger

over - the - top

holiday celebrations, and we’re a mecca for live music. That means that if you’re in search of a holiday concert to get you into the spirit of the season, you’re definitely in luck, whether you like traditional holiday music, tunes with a little humor thrown in or something to throw some funk in your stride. No holiday season is complete without a visit to Celebration in the Oaks at City Park (1 Palm Drive, 483-9415, CelebrationInTheOaks.com). This month-long festival is a must-see for all ages, and it boasts dozens of attractions, ranging

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The city’s music scene during the holiday season presents a variety of options, whether you’re looking for traditional yuletide carols, music with local flavor or something that will give you a good belly laugh. Top left: Anders Osborne hosts a holiday party with a rock ‘n’ roll edge; top right: Multi-talented funnyman Harry Shearer and his equally dynamic wife, Judith Owen, present a comical holiday sing-along at the Contemporary Arts Center; and left, Preservation Hall will host a Creole Christmas concert.

studded two-day fete put on by the Swedish-born, New Orleansbased versatile singer, songwriter and local rock star. On Dec. 7, Osborne will be joined by Luther Dickinson from the North Mississippi Allstars, John Gros from Papa Grows Funk and other surprise guests. The following night, Dickinson and Osborne will perform with the Bonerama Horns. Tickets start at $20, but for a little more dough, you can get the full “Eat n’ Greet Experience,” which includes a concert ticket, a limited-edition autographed poster and soul food by Shaggy. The self-proclaimed Crawfish King will serve up dishes including jambalaya, boiled shrimp and cochon de lait. North of the Lake, Historic Old Mandeville pays homage to St. Nick on Dec. 7. Concert jazz pianist and Louisiana Music Hall of Fame inductee Ronnie Kole will perform on the amphitheater stage at the Mandeville Trailhead Cultural Center. Following the concert, song sheets and candles will be handed out for audience caroling, led by area church choirs and ending with a rousing piano finale by Kole. If you like your holiday festivity served with a big helping of satire, check out humorist Harry Shearer (of “The Simpsons” and 46

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Spinal Tap fame) and his songstress wife, Judith Owen. The duo performs their Holiday Sing-Along at the Contemporary Arts Center (900 Camp St., 528-3805, cacno.org) on Dec. 18 and 19. Owen and Shearer both sing and play music (piano and bass, respectively) and welcome a group of guests to join in the fun. It is a bit like being invited to your wacky, brilliant, lovable aunt and uncle’s house – the show is interactive and full of fun. Another lighthearted favorite holiday performance comes courtesy of Benny Grunch and the Bunch (BennyGrunch.com). Grunch has become a household name for his signature songs, “The 12 Yats of Christmas” and “Ain’t Dere No More,” and the group will perform at various venues throughout the month. Dec. 2 is the annual “Faw-berg Maranee Sunday 12 Yats of Christmas Pawty When Dere Ain’t No Sunday Saints Game” at The Maison on Frenchmen Street. It is free and open to the public. Other performance dates are scheduled throughout the month including a celebration on Christmas Day at Mid-City Lanes Rock ’n’ Bowl with a 90-cent admission in honor of the Christmas song’s 1990 release. December is clearly a month to get out and sing for the season, and no matter what you choose, you’ll be sure to hit the right note! B R Y A N T A R N O W S K I P H O T O G R A P H , B O T T O M left

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MUSIC

Paul Soniat

George Winston

Paul Soniat and George Winston Piano players for the holidays B Y J A S O N B E R R Y

he deadline for this column has me composing

a good month ahead before you get to read it, dear reader. Thus, as December revs the tempo for gift time, holiday socializing and worship, I’m sitting in the past, Halloween afternoon to be exact, in the large motherhouse of Franciscan nuns in chilly Dubuque, Iowa; interviews done, stealing glances at coverage of Hurricane Sandy’s damage to the East Coast. My companion on the drive here was a CD: George Winston Solo Piano: Gulf Blues & Impressions: A Hurricane Relief Benefit. Winston is a California-based pianist of grand reach, melding rhythms and melodic improvisations in takes on such tunes as Dr. John’s “Creole Moon” and “Pixie” by James Booker. The grace notes of this paean to Hurricane Katrina recovery, released in 2006, lie in Winston’s compositions inspired by Professor Longhair. I packed hurriedly as Sandy gathered force and carried Winston with some vague sense that his music would be a balm to the bad news blowing. On the drive from Cedar Rapids, the listless farm fields spread out like a silent 48

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sea as déjà vu from Katrina and Isaac trailed me through the radio reports on the poor New Jersey shore. I kept replaying Winston’s first cut, “New Orleans Shall Rise Again” – a rolling melody with hints of ragtime, boogie colorations and a bell-like percussive tone, dancing warmth and spreading ironic waves of cheer. This is a song for decorating the Christmas tree; if the sensation it affords falls short of the swoon in which one sinks to the celestial pipes of Aaron Neville on “Silent Night,” the joy streams in Winston’s resurrection song fit the season with snugness just the same. Winston’s cheery echo of Professor Longhair’s Caribbean left hand has a timeless quality that draws us into a realization of the memory that music carries, and the hope inherent C R A I G M U L C A H Y P H O T O G R A P H , left

PETS New Orleans resident and author of the bestseller The Dogs Who Found Me has dedicated his latest book to a particular type of dog: the pit bull. In I’m A Good Dog, Ken Foster explores the lives of pit bulls and the people who love them. There are stories sprinkled throughout the book about particularly special pit bulls and their owners, such as a dog trainer who saved a pit bull from getting killed after it bit its abusive owner. This book will make you want to go adopt a pit bull as soon as you finish it.

PHOTOGRAPHY New Orleans Walls: Still Standing is the culmination of 16 years of photography by Marie-Dominique Verdier. Born and raised in France, Verdier moved to New Orleans around 1989, when she starting taking photos of locals. You will recognize many of the faces featured in the book, such as Drew Brees, Harry Connick Sr., Ellis Marsalis, Susan Spicer and Charmaine Neville. Verdier’s book is a testament to New Orleans’ diversity and uniqueness.

HISTORY New Orleans native Rene Brunet Jr. is an expert on movie theatres in New Orleans after growing up around the Imperial Theater, which his father built. In There’s One In Your Neighborhood: The Lost Movie Theaters of New Orleans, Brunet teams up with fellow New Orleans native and theater history buff Jack Stewart to share the history of New Orleans’ neighborhood theaters of yesteryear. The book is broken up by neighborhood, so it’s easy to flip through to your favorite area. There is also a chapter dedicated to the Prytania Theater, which still thrives today.

Culture There are plenty of vocabulary lists on the Internet focused on New Orleans’ own lingo, but Kevin J. Bozant has pulled together 180 pages worth of terms for his book Quaint Essential New Orleans. From tips about how to eat a beignet to the definition of zydeco, this book is a must-have guide to the Crescent City.

Please send submissions for consideration, attention: Haley Adams, 110 Veterans Memorial Blvd., Suite 123, Metairie, LA 70005. myneworleans.com

DECEMBER 2012

in songs that ground us to a place. “New Orleans Shall Rise Again” had me thinking of the losses borne by good people in LaPlace and Placquemines, intercut with all the video from New Jersey. Winston’s prancing keyboard embellishes an ineffable ragtime sweetness to capture the hope inherent at Christmas, and musicas-rebirth for year’s end. As a counter-point, Paul Soniat is a singer and keyboard chronicler of life in these latitudes who captured hearts and minds with Below the Waterline, an elegy to the losses wrought by Katrina. The longtime director of City Park’s New Orleans Botanical Garden, Soniat oversaw a mighty reconstruction effort. He is back with a new CD, Suddenly. Soniat has drawn comparisons to Randy Newman for his mordant sense of the human comedy; that’s still there in these new songs, but alongside them sprints a bravura take on the zenith of middle life. For those of you who loathe the security gauntlet of airline travel, Soniat uncorks a satire, “Don’t Touch My Junk.” The larger tenor of these tunes is that of a guy transcending the stress fields for romance. One tune here bulges with political incorrectness as the angel smiles down from atop the tree and it is titled, “A Girl From Kenner.” “I first saw her from across the room, Anticipating the night to come, Anticipating a little fun ... That’s the night I fell in love With a girl from – Kenna!” If the outlying town in Jefferson Parish gets scant publicity in the entertainment world, this is a tune for Kenner’s city fathers and mothers to convene focus groups to reflect upon. Is there way to capitalize on Soniat’s satire? We leave that to the experts. Life, as Jimmy Carter said, is unfair. Paul sings “oh-oh-my sweet

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‘‘

little girl from Kenner” and “And two by two they’ll walk tells us she comes from a Up and down the golden street, place “where the ceilings are Feasting on the milk and honey only 8 feet high/Jet planes Singing new songs of Zion, flying by/while the ground Chattering with the angels sinking beneath your feet … is worth the drive all the way All around the Great White Throne” – James Weldon Johnson, from Uptown.” God’s Trombones: Seven Negro Whoa. Urban factionalSermons in Verse ism, stark and bare. All the clichés of superior life in the precincts of St. Charles Avenue and Audubon Park, festive menus at Camellia Grill and the Creole Spanish delicacies of Café Grenada in that one line “worth the drive from Uptown.” Soniat’s imagination, like the cavalier excesses of Mardi Gras float satire, takes no prisoners. But with Suddenly, he’s exposed – and hopeful. The persona of Below the Waterline, a voice in the wilderness crying for the land of Boudreaux and Thibodeaux ebbing as wetlands sink to sea rise, has become a rollicking fella in “Got My Lover Coming Over” who’s actually cleaning his house and washing his underwear (women, take note!): The new object of his affections will soon arrive for supper. These aren’t the ordinary songs for holiday cheer, but in a world where the climate is in revolt and elections have become a hogfest of disinformation to fatten the incomes of networks and dirty ad artists, the lyrical soaring of a guy in love with a girl from Kenner, like the rising hope of George Winston for the city in spite of the wetlands, puts us in the mind of Charles Dickens’s Tiny Tim, intoning for the ages: “God bless us everyone.”

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C A S T O F CH ARAC TERS

Radio With a Vision WRBH-FM Reading Radio’s Jackie Bullock B Y G E O R G E G U R T N E R

“The writer has to write what he has to say, not speak it.”

– Ernest Hemingway ot

one

accused

keeping

P apa

Hemingway’s terse, powerful sentences from his fans, Jackie Bullock is happy to work overtime to keep information and entertainment flowing to the blind, sight impaired and those who simply cannot read through WRBH-FM Reading Radio, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. “We just celebrated our 30th anniversary in New Orleans,” WRBH-FM program director Bullock says. “And that’s a lot of enjoyment and information for a lot of people.” Bullock is talking about more than 16,000 listeners throughout the week, who otherwise would have a closed door to the outside world. And while other such reading assistance outlets for the print-challenged have sprung up around the United States from time to time, all others have either gone silent or cut their programming back, leaving WRBH as the only round-the calendar and round-the-clock reading programming in the country. That’s a lot of information going out to a lot of people. And it’s all handled ever so deftly by a rotating cadre of about 150 volunteers and six full-time employees operating on an annual budget of $273,500. “It gets a little tough at times,” Bullock says. “We’re not a United Way agency and we don’t do on-air fundraisers like public radio. And we don’t receive ongoing funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.” She continues, “We rely on grants and underwriters such as Rouses Markets, Whole Foods and Entergy, and book dealers such as the Maple Street and Garden District bookshops. We’ve been in dire straits a few times, but ‘angels’ and our fundraisers, like our Pat Browne (blind golfer) golf tournament and our gala, which we have about every three years, have pulled us through.” Bullock has been at the center of activity at WRBH-FM, now located in a former private two-story home on Magazine Street near Louisiana Avenue, for

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about 18 years. “Actually (I’ve been) working here for about 14 years,” she says. “But I was a volunteer before that for maybe five or six years. I came here when my middle son, who is now 27, was in the second grade at St. George’s (a private school on nearby Napoleon Avenue). My son’s teacher was a reader here, so she took the kids on a field trip and I happened to chaperone. I didn’t know anything about the station. I had never heard of it at the time.” Bullock continues, “When we came, the kids got a tour of the station and they got to listen to some of the people who were reading. I was blown away

by this, because I didn’t know anything about this place, and at the time I was involved in a writing group at the CAC (Contemporary Arts Center) and one of the things we would do was stage readings of people’s work. So I knew I could be a good reader because I had done it so often. So I auditioned

and I got to be a reader and it was just the highlight of my week to come into the station. I fell in love with it. And, it’s always been that way because it had always been populated by an interesting cast of characters: the staff, the volunteers …” As if on cue, a volunteer walks in off Magazine Street and chats up Bullock. He launches into a story about the time he was doing a reading of a book about the mafia. “We have our standards and the FCC (Federal Communications Commission) has certain ‘no-no’ words,” the volunteer says. “Well, there were a lot of ‘F’ words in that book, as you could imagine, it being about the mafia. Well, when I got to one, I’d change it to ‘friggin’ and when that became somewhat overdone, I’d start using, ‘foot’ – as in ‘Oh foot!’ But I mean, can you just see a big tough mafia guy running around saying, ‘Oh foot!’ all the time. I don’t think so …” Bullock is smiling and knowingly shaking her head – as she should. She auditions everybody who comes in and wants to volunteer as a reader. “Reading is not an easy job,” she says. “Some people have a great talent for it, others grow into it. A lot of people think you can walk right in and start reading. But, that’s not the way we do it. You have to be here for about a year before you can begin as a reader. And, I always tell people the way we have to present the information is we say we’re going to act as your eyes, but we’re not your brain. One of the things I make people sign when they fill out the form is that you cannot editorialize … even if you’re reading something that you violently disagree with. You still need to read it in a way that the person cannot tell your own opinion on it. I’m a very liberal person, and there’s a whole lot of very conservative issues that I might not enjoy reading, but I have to read it as though I believe it. “Watch those inflections,” Bullock says. “It’s very difficult to get fired from here once you become a volunteer, but a sneer, or if I can tell you’re putting your own spin on something, well … Can you imagine if you were watching the news and Angela Hill sneered when she read something? That would just be awful. I’ll give you an example: We had one girl who had to read an article about Master P (a hip-hop musician). And evidently, she couldn’t stand Master P. She starts reading, ‘Master P, otherwise known as Percy Miller ... what a stupid name! She actually said this, ‘What a stupid name!’ When she came out I said, ‘Sorry, we no longer need you.’ And she got defensive. She said, ‘Well, he is an idiot!’ Well, I tried to explain to her that the article was not about him being an idiot. It was an article about him as a man and somebody out there is interested in hearing that. And you don’t put your own spin on it. That will get you fired quicker than anything.” Nor should anybody coming through the doors for an audition come in expecting to be the next Brian Williams, Bullock says. “The vast majority of people come in and they understand,” she says. “We have very few divas, very few high-maintenance people. Most people understand that this is an altruistic thing. They realize it’s not their time to shine and be the radio star. They know they’re reading something that someone out there is very interested in hearing and it’s up to them to impart that information on them. And that without them, without their voice, the person on the other end will never know.” And so it goes. Readers will read and listeners will listen: The Times-Picayune (yes even The Times-Picayune, culled these days from various sources), The Wall Street Journal, Healthways, New Horizons, Dollars and Sense, Parenting, Military History, Soap Opera Digest, and so it goes. Apologies aside to Ernest Hemingway. For more information on WRBH Reading Radio, visit their website, wrbh.org or call 899-1144. myneworleans.com

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M O D I N E’S N EW O RLEAN S

How to Ruin Christmas B Y M O D I N E G U N C H

have said this before , and I ’ ll say it

again. The trouble with Christmas is people. Not regular people – organized people. People who are so organized they start Christmas shopping in August, the minute the Walmart puts out the fake trees alongside of the Halloween witches and the Thanksgiving turkeys. People like my sister-in-law Gloriosa. They are the canaries in the coal mine. From August on they’re shopping and planning and wrapping; and they’ll have everything finished by the time the rest of us, the slothful 99 percent, are just starting to slap up decorations and max out our credit cards. So they invent more stuff to do, just to be part of the general pandemonium. (And to show up the rest of us.) Which is why Gloriosa is on top of a ladder with her sponge mop and bucket the first week in December. She has decided to create an entire manger scene on her front porch. But first, this porch got to be washed. Now, in Gloriosa’s world, this don’t mean just squirting off the bugs and slop with a hose; it means scrubbing the ceiling and the wall and the railings. Now, Gloriosa is the Gunch family beauty who married rich and lives in a big house Uptown. She tries hard to fit in with people Uptown, which turns out to be harder than fitting in with people in Chalmette where she was born and bred. I try to help her out. I am a professional tour guide, and whenever I take a bus tour Uptown, I make the driver stop in front of her house. Inside the bus, I tell the tour that in the early 1900s a prominent socialite ran out on that porch right there, naked as a plucked chicken and swinging a meat cleaver at the ice man, who was also her unfaithful lover. There wasn’t no cell phone cameras then, but a streetcar full of people was going by while he was trying to scramble over the fence, and that’s how word got out. Now, not only is this true, but it makes the tourists gawk. If Gloriosa happens to be out front, she assumes I’m describing the magnificent architecture, and waves like the queen of Rex. Anyway, she’s scrubbing this ceiling, when a spider drops down in front of her eyes and she flails around and the ladder tips over. She grabs for something to hold onto, but what she grabs is the bucket and she actually flings the water in her own face as she goes down. Thank God she lands in a porch chair, which plunks over backward, and she winds up on her back, soaking wet with her feet in the air, when my tour bus lumbers along. I don’t even have to rehash that old scandal to get the tourists to gawk. She scrambles up and sloshes inside without waving, but I think she’s OK. Little do I know, her troubles are just beginning. Her kids tell her the TV blinked off right in the middle of “Rugrats.” Gloriosa remembers it’s connected through a plug on the porch. She goes out and looks at it. Finally she unscrews the connection. Water runs out the hole. The bucket water must’ve splashed in there. So she calls the TV company, gets a phone menu, clicks on a bunch of menu choices, gets put on hold once and disconnected twice, and 45 minutes later talks to a actual person named Sanji, who says this call may be recorded for quality purposes. Gloriosa says she needs her plug repaired. Sanji says, “Are you the holder of the account?” Actually, her husband, Proteus, was the one who signed them up. So Gloriosa lowers her voice real deep and says she’s Proteus. Sanji asks for his secret password. Gloriosa thinks fast. A lot of men probably use “Budweiser,” but Proteus is what you call elite. “Sazerac?” “Sorry. It’s ‘absinthe,” says Sanji.

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“Absinthe?” “Yes, as in ‘Absinthe makes the heart grow fonder,’” says Sanji. Obviously, Sanji ain’t from New Orleans. Gloriosa says a few things that will shock the quality recording and slams down the phone. Then and there she decides to order TV through the same company that handles their house phone and Internet. So she calls them and only has to click a few times before an actual person named Ahmed comes on and is happy to take her order: TV, house phone, Internet – all bundled together. He says he’ll send someone out tomorrow morning to hook them up. But they’re leaving for Disney World tomorrow, so she makes the appointment for next week. After she hangs up, she notices that she lost a fake fingernail with all that clicking. She picks up the house phone to call her nail salon. The phone is dead. She grabs her cell phone and calls Ahmed right back, but this time she has to click a lot of numbers and lose another nail and get put on hold. She goes to the bathroom while she’s waiting and right then a person answers. But it ain’t Ahmed. This person’s name is Astrid. Astrid says of course they disconnected the phone when she requested an order change. That is their policy. No, it can’t be changed. Can she help Gloriosa with anything else today? Gloriosa slams down the cell phone, which is a mistake because she’s still in the bathroom and, naturally, it lands in the toilet. When I notice that neither of Gloriosa’s phones answers and that she stopped updating Facebook, I start to worry. Then I get five postcards from Disney World. They are numbered from one to five, they’re written in capital letters and they got triple exclamation point behind every sentence. Quite a story. And all because she was organized. That is how you ruin Christmas. Like I said. LORI OSIECKI ILLUSTRATION

myneworleans.com

DECEMBER 2012

J OIE D’ E V E

BLOGS FROM THE NEW NEW ORLEANS

Uniform Appeal B Y E V E K idd C ra w f ord

hen I w as in the second grade , I dragged my

mom to an after-school meeting at my elementary school, McDonogh 15, in the French Quarter. My mom and I share a similar disinclination to leave our homes once we have gotten off work and changed into sweatpants, and to top it off, parking always, always sucks in the French Quarter. But she went because she knew it was important to me – it was the prerequisite meeting for becoming a Brownie Scout, and I had been begging to be a Brownie for weeks. We sat patiently with a bunch of other girls and their moms as the Scout leader explained how you earned badges and went on campouts and made bird feeders out of pine cones and sold cookies and helped the elderly and so on. “So what do you think?” my mom asked as we walked back to our car. “Do you want to do it?” “Oh, yes!” I said. But my mom knew me a little too well. “So what are you most excited about?” she asked. “The cookies?” “No. I don’t really want to have to talk to strangers and make them buy things.” “Oh. So is it the crafts?” “No. You know I can’t do crafts.” (My mom did know. She watched me have meltdown after frustrated meltdown every month after I tried, and consistently failed, to re-create the projects I saw in Highlights for Children. And even now, I still have an occasional Pinterest-fueled burst of crafty inspiration that results in a project that Ruby could have done 10 times better.) “Oh,” my mom continued. “So is it the campouts?” “Camping?” I said. “Like in a tent? Outside? No.” “I know it’s not sleep-away camp that appeals to you,” she said. “No. I can’t even sleep at Kate O’Connell’s house for one night.” “Sweetie,” my mom said, “if you want to be a Girl Scout, I want you to be 100 percent. But I really don’t think it sounds like something you’d like. What exactly is it that you like about the Girl Scouts?” “The uniforms,” I whispered. “What?” “The uniforms. I like the uniforms. I want to wear a uniform.” My mom said that wasn’t a good enough reason to join the Girl Scouts. She said we could just buy a Girl Scout uniform at Thrift City and I could wear it whenever I wanted and not have to sell cookies to strangers or sleep outdoors. I said that sounded great to me. I have always been weirdly fascinated by uniforms. I went to public school my entire life, in an age when that meant no uniforms, and I was bitterly jealous of my friends at Sacred Heart and Mount Carmel and Dominican and Cabrini. I ached to wear plaid skirts and monogrammed blouses and saddle shoes. When I got my first job, answering phones at the Contemporary Arts Center

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where my mom worked, that was the only thing I asked during the job interview: “Do I get to wear a uniform?” “No, you don’t have to wear a uniform,” my boss said. During the pop art exhibit, I bought a Keith Haring shirt from the gift shop and pretended it was my uniform. When Ruby was little, I almost sent her to a day care center whose educational philosophy couldn’t possibly have been further away from my own and whose headmistress inspired both panic and deep resentment in just the 20 minutes I spent talking to her – but damn, they had the cutest uniforms! In toddler sizes! Now, as a kindergartener, Ruby is joining the Girl Scouts as an adorable little Daisy. As in all things, she is my exact opposite. She is super-excited about selling cookies to strangers. “I ask strangers if they’re nice,” she assures me. “And if they say yes, then I can talk to them.” She likes camping and would love nothing better than a week away from home with other kids doing outdoorsy stuff. In fact, the only thing she doesn’t like is the uniform. “Blue is a stupid color,” she said of her Daisy tunic. “They should have made it pink. Or purple. Or red. Ooh, or rainbow!” I’m happy for her, but I’m also a little worried. I’m afraid I’m going to get roped into Scouting activities myself, and they hold even less appeal to me now than they did 25 years ago. I will happily eat Girl Scout cookies, but that’s about where my interest ends. I am definitely, definitely not camping. And the worst part is, even if I somehow find myself making a lanyard while eating Thin Mints and singing campfire songs in the great outdoors (which, despite my protests, I am entirely sure I will), I still don’t think I get to wear the uniform. Excerpted from Eve Kidd Crawford’s blog, Joie d’Eve, which appears each Friday on MyNewOrleans.com. For comments: info@neworleansmagazine.com.

myneworleans.com

DECEMBER 2012

L OCAL C O L O R

C H R O N I C L ES

2000 block of Metairie Road circa 1941

When Metairie Had a Mayor That, and other memories along “The Ridge” B Y C A R O L Y N K O L B

Blanche there,” Daigre adds, noting that most shop1950s Metairie. “We used to walk to the corner of Metairie Road ping for clothes was still done on Canal Street at and Causeway Boulevard under the overpass,” remembers Linda the time. Daigre. “There was a root beer place there, and my friend and I Besides the big Schwegmann’s store on Airline would each get a six-ounce Coke, and we’d split an order of french fries.” Highway at Labarre Road, (“the shape of the building Daigre’s father had said he would only move to Metairie if he could live looked like a Quonset hut”) you could buy your on the Metairie Ridge, the high ground on which Metairie Road meanders from Orleans Parish toward Causeway Boulevard at Airline Highway. Although Benny Grunch and the Bunch will bring along “The Twelve Yats of Christmas” for their Metairie had been settled for some time, the area annual appearance Christmas Eve, noon to 2 p.m., at the Walgreens on Metairie Road was still building up from its rural beginnings. “On at Codifer Street. Grunch admits to having some of the older streets there were some houses Christmas fun at his “Aunt Clara’s house, that had been fishing camps,” she recalls. “When on the corner of Codifer and Homestead we moved here, Causeway Boulevard was a gravel [streets].” Now, he’ll hang out “in front of road, and there was no Veterans Boulevard.” the Maybelline eye makeup.” In a locally Every improvement was exciting. “When they inspired carol, “Metairie, O, Metairie,” put in the round-about at Causeway and Airline Grunch croons, “They’re putting up the Highway, people were absolutely sure the drivChristmas star, and viewing stands for Mardi ers would never get used to it,” she says. “People Gras.” Grunch encourages his fans to attend adjusted right away. with their “mawmaws and pawpaws and “About the time I started high school the Airline Shopping Center opened, and there was a Maison friends and neighbors; this is a rare event!” ids could be satisfied w ith small pleasures in

Holiday Special

DECEMBER 2012

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P H O T O G R A P H C O U R T E S Y T H E H I S T O R I C N E W O R L E A N S C O L L E C T I O N , T op

groceries at the Hill Store on Metairie Road on the New Orleans side of the railroad tracks. Frances Belloni fondly remembers walking past Beulah Ledner’s bakery on Metairie Road. “If I had any babysitting money, I’d ask if they had any damaged cakes –maybe one with the icing messed up.” That made for a special treat. East Jefferson High School was the only public high school on Jefferson Parish’s East Bank, and students took advantage of every local opportunity for teenage fun. “We all went to the Frostop and got a Lot-a-burger and a root beer float: it was across the street from Metairie Junior High (now Haynes Academy for Advance Studies),” Belloni notes. Christmas in Metairie wouldn’t have been complete without attendance at midnight Mass at St. Francis Xavier Church on Metairie Road. Hearing Julian Murray sing was a midnight Mass treat at St. Catherine of Sienna Church, also on Metairie Road. “We might go to a party that night, but we always went to midnight Mass,” Belloni explains. Another holiday event was the big bonfire that the Cuccia family had in a vacant lot across from their home near the public library on Metairie Road. “They were a big family, and Mr. Cuccia used to ride a horse in parades and he’d always wave at us.” Metairie also had its own movie houses: the Grand was in the 2000 block of Metairie Road, the Aereon was on Metairie Road at Severn and the Metry was on Frisco Street. And where deLimon Place is now, was the Do Drive In Theater. Chris Timmins lived nearby on Rosa Street. A little adept wire stripping could bring a speaker into a teenager’s own yard for added movie enjoyment. Timmins, who graduated from Archbishop Rummel High School, also remembers O’Shaughnessy’s Bowling Alley on Airline Highway: Good bowlers could earn money as soon as they were 18 and play in adult leagues. Timmins’ connection with Metairie goes back two generations. His grandfather, Charles P. Aicklen, was the first and only mayor of Metairie. Aicklen and his wife, Inez Mayeur Aicklen, and their two children, Audrey Aicklen Timmins and Charles P. Aicklen Jr., moved in 1923 from Audubon Boulevard in New Orleans to Crestmont Park, an early subdivision. Aicklen operated the Borden-Aicklen Auto Supply Company in New Orleans. He was also an active member of the Sertoma Club, a service organization. On June 19, 1927, The Times-Picayune ran a story headlined “Metairie Ridge Becomes a Town.” Timmins’ grandfather and a group of businessmen had collected signatures on a petition and Governor O.H. Simpson issued an act of incorporation for the Village of Metairie Ridge, and on July 13 the same year, the little town came into existence. Aicklen was named mayor. Metairie’s aldermen were W. A. Dunbar, J. J. Lecler, and A. J. McCullough; town marshal was W. J. Dwyer Jr.; and E. Howard McCaleb, who later became a judge, served as city attorney. The city lasted a brief 17 months. Disgruntled residents brought suit, claiming that the governor had no right to grant a town charter and calling into question the validity of the names on the petition. Timmins believes the underlying issue was town governance, and possible new laws limiting gambling establishments. Whatever the reason, the Supreme Court of Louisiana ultimately struck down the incorporation and agreed that the governor had no jurisdiction in the matter. Timmins loyally points out that his grandfather did manage to get gas service for Metairie, one good result of its brief life as a town. Timmins and his late wife Myrna lovingly researched C. P. Aicklen’s history and are proud of his accomplishments. The proclamation naming Aicklen as mayor of Metairie still hangs prominently in his grandson’s Baton Rouge home. myneworleans.com

DECEMBER 2012

L OCAL C O L O R

HOME

Home at Christmas The season is especially important to Sue Ellen and Joseph Canizaro. B Y B O N N I E W A R R E N

p hotogra p hed b y c H E R Y L G E R B E R

he C hristmas season is a special time for S ue E llen and

Joseph “Joe” Canizaro. Their Metairie Club Gardens home takes on a special glow with festive decorations, but it’s in their sacred chapel that the true meaning of Christmas is celebrated by paying homage to the birth of Jesus with a solemn Mass shared with family and friends. “When we built our new home, one of our first requests to our architect was to design a chapel,” Joe explains. “We wanted it to be at the core of our home in a sunny spot overlooking the chapel fountain This page: Designed by architect Peter A. Trapolin, AIA, and and garden.” built by Michael LaForte Jr., the Canizaros’ home is a showWhile the Canizaros’ home is an architectural and interior design gem that case that has been featured in Architectural Digest and on was featured on several pages of Architectural Digest magazine and on the the cover of The Language of Interior Design, a book writcover of the book entitled The Language of Interior Design by Alexa Hampton, ten by their interior designer Alexa Hampton. Facing page: the magazine’s internationally acclaimed interior designer, it’s also a warm Thomas Bruno, New Orleans sculptor and furniture maker, and inviting home that’s often shared with nonprofit groups, such as a Longue made the altar and benches for the chapel that’s at the core Vue House & Gardens fundraising event, and religious groups associated with of the Canizaros’ home; a 17th-century painting depicting their Catholic faith. the ascension of Christ is affixed to the ceiling. First-time visitors may marvel at the grandeur of the antiques and accesso-

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DECEMBER 2012

Top left: The broad loggia allows light to flood the house through a series of arched windows and French doors. Top right: The dramatic dining room is a study in grandeur with columns framing the glass French doors that overlook the pool and side garden; interior designer Alexa Hampton designed the table and chairs, making the chairs larger and more comfortable than usual antique chairs. Bottom right: The 1708 painting by Sebastiano Ricci of St. Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits), is entitled “Holy Family with St. Ignatius.” Bottom left: Sue Ellen’s favorite painting is “Young Girl with Bowl” by William Adolphe Bouguereau. 62

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ries, yet it’s the Canizaros’ collection of religious art that takes center stage in the home. “I began collecting in 1993, and today we have about 50 catalogued religious works of art,” Joe explains as he conducts a personal tour of each room, explaining in great detail the title, history and information about each artist. “Someday I hope all of the paintings will be part of a religious art gallery for the public to enjoy.” Designed by New Orleans architect Peter M. Trapolin, AIA, and built by Michael A. LaForte Jr. of Vintage Construction Company of New Orleans, Inc., the house took four years to construct. “Peter did an outstanding job designing our home, Michael was a great contractor and we can’t say enough good things about Alexa, who gave us everything we wanted in a formal, yet comfortable, home,” says Joe, founder, chairman and CEO of Columbus Properties LP, a commercial real estate development company; president of First Trust Corporation that includes the First Bank & Trust; and a wellknown philanthropist. “We are pleased that so many of the antiques and accessories in our home came from the great antique shops in New Orleans,” Sue Ellen says, adding that local artisans did a first-class job on the details throughout the house. Resource: Christmas decorations by The Plant Gallery.

“This as an ideal home for us,” she says when asked how she feels about their showplace home that graces a tree-lined broad boulevard in one of the finest neighborhoods in the New Orleans area. “It is always a pleasure to share our home with family and friends. The dining room is one of my favorite spaces, and it’s a joy to entertain with intimate lunches and dinners.” Adds Joe: “It’s always good to come home to such pleasant surroundings, and I’m ever-humble in appreciation for the blessing of having such a comfortable home.” Sue Ellen and Joe concur that the Christmas season is their favorite time of the year to enjoy their home. He says they especially like the chapel, with its handcrafted pews and alter created by Thomas Bruno, New Orleans sculptor and furniture maker. The sacred art treasures make it even more special at Christmastime. Top: The sun-filled living room is furnished with fine antiques and accessories, many of which were selected from New Orleans antique shops; internationally acclaimed Alexa Hampton is credited with the interior design. Left: Sue Ellen and Joseph “Joe” Canizaro in their Metairie Club Gardens home adorned for the Christmas holiday season. myneworleans.com

DECEMBER 2012

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THEMENU TABLE TALK

RESTAURANT INSIDER

FOOD

LAST CALL

DINING LISTINGS

The Grill Room’s Chef Kristin Butterworth

TABLE TALK:

Changing of the Chefs PAGE 66

J E F F E R Y J O H N S T on P H O T O G R A P H

myneworleans.com

DECEMBER 2012

T HE M EN U

T A B L E T A L K

Changing of the Chefs Felder and Butterworth add new flair to New Orleans fare BY JAY FORMAN

ran d on

F e l d er

Le Foret was recently promot-

ed as executive chef of the Central Business District finedining destination. Notably, the 26-yearold Felder’s work shows a focus and refinement uncommon to chefs this young. A graduate of Culinard in Birmingham, Ala., Felder returned home to his native New Orleans to intern at Commander’s Palace. They soon hired him on full-time, and he spent the next two years there, soaking up skills and experience. Commander’s excels at preparing chefs for high volume, high-pressure execution. This skill set was complemented by Felder’s next job at Stella!, where he worked as sous chef for a year before moving to Le Foret to work alongside his former colleague, Carlos Briceno. “Chef Carlos was my executive chef at Stella!, and he had left to come over here and just said great things,” Felder recalls. “Then I met the owners, and it just seemed so right to come over here. It is a beautiful restaurant and a perfect fit.” An opulent layer cake of a space, Le Foret offers private dining and a courtyard on the fourth floor, a third-floor event space, a spillover dining room on the second floor and a lushly appointed main dining room on the first. In terms of accommodations, the only thing a person might reasonably ask for would be perhaps a little more light. The Grill Room’s Hudson Valley Foie Gras While the overarching theme is French, Felder enjoys working within the framework of traditional New Orleans flavors, refining them and sometimes adding a dash of “Creole flair.” For example, his softshell crab gets dusted in cornmeal and pan-fried, then plated with a corn maque choux. Peppery arugula is the base for a light salad rounded out with mirliton, lump crabmeat and cherry tomatoes dressed in Creole mustard vinaigrette. “We just put on a dish of seared red snapper with a fricassee of baby squash, wild mushrooms and baby limas in a Creole corn sauce,” he says. “We get most of our

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The Grill Room’s La Belle Farm Duck

produce from Covey Rise Farms.” Le Foret may be best enjoyed when diners stick closer to the French and contemporary dishes. Among the best at a recent meal was a torchon of foie gras. Utterly creamy wedges of foie gras shared a plate with toasted banana bread and fig jam. Aged balsamic contributed acidity and black truffle added depth of flavor. Carryover dishes from the old menu include the Le Foret champignons, a pâté composition artfully arranged to resemble mushrooms in a field (“That one was too pretty to take off,” Felder says) and an appetizer of prosciutto-wrapped grilled quail with potato gnocchi. Going into winter, Felder hopes to add some wild game dishes, perhaps featuring venison or elk, and will run osso buco as well. Recommended is the five-course tasting menu, a relative bargain at $60. “That menu changes monthly.” Like Le Foret, the Windsor Court recently announced a change of executive chef. But unlike JEFFERY JOHNSTON PHOTOGRAPHS

Two New Tastes

Le Foret, the new talent for the Grill Room came from outside the orgaLe Foret nization. Kristin Butterworth was 129 Camp St. working at Lautrec, the fine-dining 553-6738 arm of the Nemacolin Woodlands LeForetNewOrleans.com Resort in Pennsylvania when, D Tue-Sun, closed Mon. unbeknownst to her, the Windsor The Grill Room Court’s general manager and a few Windsor Court Hotel other hotel principals came in for 300 Gravier St. dinner. They were so impressed 596-4513 with her tasting menu that they GrillRoomNewOrleans.com invited her down to New Orleans B, L, D daily to interview. “The rest is history,” Butterworth says. With a resume stacked with high-end resort dining, including famous names like The Inn at Little Washington, she was reasonably confident that there would not be too many adjustments to make in the transition to the Windsor Court Hotel. What she hadn’t counted on was a hurricane. “Probably the biggest challenge was getting hit by (Hurricane) Isaac about two weeks in,” she says. “But if I can make it through that, it should be smooth sailing from there on out, right?” Butterworth rode out the experience on-site with her sous chef and her executive pastry chef, taking care of the guests that flocked to the hotel to ride it out and avoid the widespread power outages. “It was fun in a way. It was hard and stressful and really long hours during that stretch, but it really solidified the dynamics of my management team.” Butterworth launched her new menu in mid-September. She spent some time getting to know local purveyors and figuring out how to fit the sourcing into her system. She describes the Grill Room’s new style as “refined Southern.” “We’re taking food that people are familiar with and are approaching it in a way that they haven’t seen before,” she says “Taking it to that next level and making it really clean and crisp and beautiful.” For example, on the dinner menu she riffs on the local traditional Monday meal of red beans and rice with fried chicken. Her version switches out buttermilk-fried quail for the poultry and she sets the red beans and rice component into a savory custard. Other restyled comfort foods include a couscous macaroni-andcheese made with Fiscalini white cheddar, black truffle and freshsnipped chive. She has a nice touch with soups, including a delicate white bean version optioned out with shaved black truffle and honey-candied Allan Benton ham. Lacquered pork products also featured in a recent amuse shooter of butternut squash soup, finished Shake It Up off with candied bacon. “The In other chef shakeup news, squash is roasted, cooked down Jared Tees recently left Besh with leeks and onions, puréed and Steak House to take over finished off with a little coconut the kitchen at Manning’s milk,” she says. “For the candied Restaurant on Fulton Street. bacon, we cook it crispy, baste it Here is to the hope that with syrup and then sprinkle on Chef Tees turns it into what some Cajun seasoning and put it it should rightly be – the in the oven at a low temperature sports bar with the best food to set the glaze.” in town. Taking over Tees’s Along with the Grill Room, her spot at the Steak House responsibilities include the Polo is Chef Todd Pulsinelli, Lounge, suite service, banquet funcwho shifted over from the tions and more. Familiar figures like American Sector outpost in sommelier Sara Kavanaugh help to the Besh collection to man ensure some continuity with this new transition. the helm at Harrah’s. myneworleans.com

DECEMBER 2012

T HE M E N U

R E S T A U R A N T IN SID ER

Roots Rambles: New places, new faces BY ROBERT PEYTON

Chef Phillip Lopez and Maximilian Ortiz

W e are honoring M aximi l ian O rti z

in this issue for his work at Root, the restaurant he and chef Phillip Lopez operate in the Warehouse District. The two are set to open a second restaurant early next year, and it promises to be one of the most interesting debuts of 2013. They are calling it Square Root (1800 Magazine St.), and Lopez described it to me as the “grown-up” version of their first venture. There will be 15 or so seats around an entirely open kitchen on the first floor, and a tasting menu of around a dozen small courses will be the only option. Reservations will essentially be required, both because of the small number of seats and to allow diners to alert the chef to any food allergies well in advance of the meal. Lopez plans to offer pairings of wine, beer, cocktails and non-alcoholic pairings with the food. The second floor will feature a more casual, à la carte menu of charcuterie and small plates, and will have lounge-like seating. This is an ambitious plan, but Lopez is an ambitious chef. He said he wants no less than to garner attention from the Michelin guide, something no restaurant in New Orleans has done to date. As I write, Lopez and Ortiz haven’t decided on a price for the tasting menu, but I would expect it to be a bargain compared to what you’d pay at restaurants in New York, Chicago or Los Angeles for the

By the time this issue hits the stands, Dominique Macquet should have opened his eponymous restaurant Dominique’s on Magazine (4213 Magazine St.). It is the latest in a series of fine-dining Dominique’s Wagyu beef restaurants Macquet meatballs and spaghetti has helmed in New Orleans. and chimmichurri sauce; and Royal Red Macquet is a native of the island of shrimp ceviche with Vietnamese cilantro, Mauritius, and though his primary trainlime and habanero peppers. Dominique’s ing is in French cuisine, his food isn’t on Magazine is a partnership with Mike limited to one country. Macquet’s menus Schexnayder, who’s also an owner of Le have featured elements of the cooking of Foret in New Orleans and the Foundry in South America, Italy, the Caribbean and Thibodaux. Macquet is a talented chef, Japan, among others. Look for the return and his return to Magazine Street is welof Macquet’s Wagyu beef meatballs and come news. spaghetti; sweetbreads with potato purée 68

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same sort of tasting-menu approach. I am a huge fan of Root, so I’ll be there to see what Lopez and his crew can pull off. Look for a more detailed report in my online column, “Haute Plates,” sometime in March on MyNewOrleans.com.

A few restaurants have recently shifted locations on Magazine Street. Saucy’s BBQ (4200 Magazine St.), which until May was located in Metairie, has taken over the space which formerly housed Ignatius Eatery. Ignatius (3121 Magazine St.), meanwhile, has moved to the former location of a Rue de la Course coffee shop. Saucy’s specialty is their dry-rub, smoked St. Louis-cut pork ribs, but they also put out some pretty tasty pulled pork and brisket. Ignatius serves classic Creole and Cajun dishes, such as poor boys, gumbo, red beans and rice, jambalaya and shrimp Creole. Specialty sandwiches include shrimp rémoulade, grilled alligator sausage and chicken salad poor boys. Saucy’s is open Monday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., and 5 to 9 p.m. On Saturday they stay open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., and on Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Call Saucy’s at 301-2755 to place a pick-up order or to find out more. Ignatius serves lunch and dinner Thursday through Sunday (they’re closed Tuesday and Wednesday). You can reach Ignatius at 899-0242. Questions? Comments? Suggestions? Email: rdpeyton@gmail.com S A R A E S S E X B R A DL E Y P H O T O G R A P H S

myneworleans.com

DECEMBER 2012

T HE M EN U

FOOD

Claws and Effect A lobster tale BY DALE CURRY

hey say foo d ies wi l l d o anything for

the perfect meal. I believe it. I just proved it. We were ending our three-week trek through Maine and Nova Scotia when we got the wacky idea to carry live lobsters home on the plane. Our daughter’s family would enjoy them immensely. Personally, I had eaten so much lobster that my mercury level was probably off the charts and I could happily go a few months without devouring another one. But, the grandchildren. Oh! Would they ever love them! En route to Portland, where we would fly out the next morning, we returned to our favorite lobster pound near Bar Harbor and packed up four two-pounders and two smaller ones, covered in seaweed, iced and sealed tight. They slept happily parked in our rental overnight in the chilly outside. At first we worried that the box wouldn’t fit in the overhead or some problem would arise although we had been assured by the airline that it was all right to carry them on. As a matter of fact, the stewardesses and rested, spent about 20 minutes rewrapping our begged us to forget and leave them on the plane, and all who saw the “Live box and creating another handle. Lobsters” on the package cheered us on. Could this story have a good ending? I didn’t We were scheduled to arrive in New Orleans at 6 p.m. just in time for a 7:30 think so – but it did. p.m. lobster dinner. But, as we boarded the plane in Portland, Maine, we disThe first thing we did upon arriving home was to covered that the airline had rerouted us on a different schedule and we, in fact, cut open the lobster box, finding every single one would not arrive until 8:30 p.m. Too late for grandchildren on a school night. still kicking. Alive! Dinner is saved! Well, we tried to switch flights, airlines – anything – all to no avail and rested Was it worth it? It was if you saw the look on our assured that we would move the dinner to the next night since the lobster 9-year-old grandson’s face when he lifted a big one pound people said the lobsters would live for two days. out of its seaweed or the site of the happy faces All was well, we thought. Until about two-thirds of the way to Atlanta, stewwhen the shells were cracked and the succulent ardesses asked for a doctor on the plane, then a certain medicine if anyone was meat dipped into butter. carrying it and then the sad news that we would make an unscheduled landing There was even resolution to the fact that I wasn’t in Charlotte, N.C. feeling so well and couldn’t eat most of my lobster. At least 10 paramedics, doctors, policemen and airline officials paraded in That, added to the children’s leftovers, gave us deliand out of the plane until we were told we could get off the plane for a few cious lobster chowder the next night. minutes. Most of us deplaned and headed directly to the bar across the conAh, two perfect meals. course. Unfortunately, the passenger passed away, and before all of the paperwork was completed, our flight from Atlanta to New Orleans had taken off. 2 cups half-and-half Lobster Chowder Next, we’re in Atlanta and are told the only flight left to New Salt and freshly ground black 1 pound cooked lobster meat* Orleans that night was about to leave from another terminal a pepper to taste 4 tablespoons butter train ride away. So it was good night in an airport hotel in Atlanta, 1 tablespoon Worcestershire 3 tablespoons flour luggage still checked and sleeping for six hours in our clothes. sauce 6 green onions, chopped The hotel was good for toothbrushes. Lobsters slept in the room. 8 shakes Tabasco 4 cups lobster stock made from The handle on the lobster box had long since broken, and 2 tablespoons sherry boiling shells, canned lobster my husband was carrying the bulky box in his arms. We opened stock, bottled clam juice or Chop lobster meat into 1/2the box and added ice that night in the hotel. Next morning, we water inch chunks. rewrap the box, creating a handle, only to have airline security 2 medium potatoes, peeled and Melt butter in a heavy pot. Add take it apart again and peek at our little wet friends. Everyone cut into 1/2-inch cubes flour and stir to make a blonde took an interest and one airline official said she had never seen 1 cup corn kernels, preferably roux. Add green onions and sauté a live lobster before. We tried to smile in our second-day clothes, cut from fresh corn until soft. Gradually stir in hair askew and patience exhausted. Airline personnel, chipper

DECEMBER 2012

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EUGENIA UHL PHOTOGRAPH

stock. Add potatoes, cover and simmer until potatoes are done. If fresh, add corn when adding potatoes; if cooked, add when potatoes are done. Add lobster and remaining ingredients and simmer 10 minutes. Serve with crackers or hot French bread. Serves 4 to 6. *The easiest way to get lobster meat is to buy frozen lobster tails, preferably when they’re on sale, thaw and boil in salted water for 15 to 20 minutes, depending on size, and remove meat from shell. Or, buy live lobsters and boil in salted water (1/4 cup salt to 1 gallon water) for 15 minutes for small and 20 minutes for large.

Cranberry Sauce With Orange, Ginger, Pineapple and Pecans* 1 cup sugar 2 cups water 1/4 cup maple syrup 1 pound fresh cranberries 1/4 cup fresh orange juice 1/4 cup julienned orange rind 1 tablespoon granted orange zest

DECEMBER 2012

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1 1

tablespoon finely chopped fresh ginger tablespoon coarsely chopped candied (or crystallized) ginger cup pecans, or your favorite nut, coarsely chopped

Place the sugar and water in a large saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low and cook 10 to 15 minutes, or until the sugar syrup begins to thicken slightly and turn a pale amber color. Add the maple syrup and the cranberries and cook, stirring occasionally, until the cranberries begin to pop. Add the orange juice, orange rind and orange zest and cook another 5 to 10 minutes, or until the sauce begins to thicken slightly. Add the fresh and crystallized ginger and cook 2 minutes. The sauce should be full of flavor and slightly thickened. (If the sauce still seems thin – remember, it will thicken as it chills – remove the cranberries and flavorings with a slotted spoon and place in a bowl. Boil the liquid in the pot over a moderate-high heat until

it’s thickened slightly, about 10 additional minutes, if needed. Place the cranberries back in the slightly thickened sauce.) Remove the sauce from the heat and add nuts, stirring well. Let cool completely. Place in a clean glass jar and cover; refrigerate for up to 10 days or freeze for up to 6 months. Makes about 6 cups. *As a judge in the James Beard cookbook contest last year, I received a number of cookbooks, including two from Maine. So while I’m on the subject, I looked into what people of that chilly state will eat during the holidays and came up with two promising recipes to add to my usual traditional, local dishes. The cranberry sauce sounds luscious and is from Notes from a Maine Kitchen by Kathy Gunst (Down East, publisher.) Equally enticing is a side dish containing sweet potatoes and white potatoes from Maine Classics by Mark Gaier and Clark Frasier (Running Press).

Root Cellar Gratin 6 sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced very thin (no more than 1/8-inch thick) 6 white potatoes, peeled and sliced very thin (no more than 1/8-inch thick) Kosher salt Freshly ground black pepper 2 cups heavy cream

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter an 8-by-8-inch, 2-quart casserole. Place a layer of sweet potatoes slightly overlapping each other in the bottom of the casserole. Follow with a layer of white potatoes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Repeat the process, finishing with the sweet potatoes. Pour the heavy cream over the potatoes. Cover the casserole with foil. Bake for 1 hour. Remove the foil from the casserole and bake until the sweet potatoes are golden brown, about 20 more minutes. Remove from the oven and let sit for 10 minutes. Cut the gratin into squares and remove the squares from the casserole with a metal spatula. Serve immediately. Serves 6.

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DECEMBER 2012

THE MENU

LAST CALL

Innovation Within Tradition BY TIM MCNALLY

his

time

year

has

a l ways

been

devoted to ceremony and traditions. As we all know and have experienced, “The Old” – Mr. Bingle, Celebration in the Oaks, Caroling In the Square – must also make room for “The New” – checking emails at midnight Mass, taking family photos on the iPad, turducken. New Orleans isn’t so hidebound with Creole and family traditions that we can’t make room for new events, new experiences and new friends. That is particularly so when it comes to two of our favorite holiday pastimes, drinking and eating. Sorry, make that four: partying and socializing. Oh, then there’s football and shopping. Okay, six. Never mind with the counting. We like a lot of activities and events this time of year. A wonderful New Orleans tradition, and perfect after a great meal in colder weather, is café brûlot, invented right here by Jules Alciatore of Arnaud’s fame in the late 1800s. It has been updated, along with a little retroaction with the use of a Taiwanese tea maker, at The Windsor Court’s Grill Room and Polo Lounge. No shooting flames, but more infused with spice and spirits flavors. A beautiful holiday treat.

DECEMBER 2012

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Café Brûlot In Upper Chamber 2 sticks cinnamon 8 whole cloves peel of 1/2 lemon peel of 1 orange 2 whole star anise 10 dashes Regan’s Orange Bitters 1 Tablespoon sugar 4 Tablespoons ground coffee 1 rosemary sprig 2 crushed cardamom pods In Lower Beaker, directly over flame 1 ounce Landy VSOP Cognac 2 ounces Cointreau Noir 5 ounces water

Heat, pour into cup, savor and enjoy. Yield 2 cups

As prepared tableside by Christine Jeanine Nielsen, mixologist at The Windsor Court. S A R A E S S E X B R A DL E Y P H O T O G R A P H

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DECEMBER 2012

THE MENU

$= Average entrée price of $5-$10; $$=$1115; $$$=$16-20; $$$$=$21-25; $$$$$=$25 and up.

5 Fifty 5 Restaurant Marriott Hotel, 555 Canal St., 553-5555, French Quarter, 555Canal. com. B, L, D daily. This restaurant offers innovative American fare such as lobster macaroni and cheese, seasonal Gulf fish with crab and mâche salad with boudin. Many of the dishes receive an additional touch from their woodburning oven. $$$$

7 on Fulton 701 Fulton St., 525-7555, CBD/ Warehouse, 7onFulton.com. B, L, D daily. Upscale and contemporary dining destination in the Warehouse District. $$$$ 13 Restaurant and Bar 517 Frenchmen St., 942-1345, Faubourg Marigny, 13Monaghan. com. B, L, D daily. Open until 4 a.m. Late-night deli catering to hungry club-hoppers along Frenchmen Street. Bar and excellent jukebox make this a good place to refuel. $

Abita Brew Pub 72011 Holly St., (985) 892-5837, Abita Springs, AbitaBrewPub.com. L, D Tue-Sun. Famous for its Purple Haze and Turbodog brews, Abita serves up better-thanexpected pub food in their namesake eatery. “Tasteful” tours available for visitors. $$

DINING GUIDE Andrea’s Restaurant 3100 19th St., 8348583, Metairie, AndreasRestaurant.com. L Mon-Fri, D daily, Br Sun. Indulge in osso buco and homemade pastas in a setting that’s both elegant and intimate; off-premise catering. New Orleans Magazine Honor Roll honoree 2009. $$$ Antoine’s 713 St. Louis St., 581-4422,

Bayona 430 Dauphine St., 525-4455, French

Arnaud’s 813 Bienville St., 523-5433, French Quarter, Arnauds.com. D daily, Br Sun. Waiters in tuxedos prepare Café Brulot tableside at this storied Creole grande dame in the French Quarter; live jazz during Sun. brunch. $$$$$

The Beach House 2401 N. Woodlawn St., 456-7470, Metairie. L Wed-Fri, D daily. Gumbo, steaks, lobsters, burgers and seafood are accompanied by live music each and every night. $$$

Audubon Clubhouse 6500 Magazine St.,

Besh Steak Harrah’s Casino, 8 Canal

212-5282, Uptown. B, L Tue-Sat. Brunch Sun. Closed Mon. Nested among the oaks in Audubon Park, the beautifully-situated Clubhouse is open to the public and features a kid-friendly menu with New Orleans tweaks and a casually upscale sandwich and salad menu for adults. $$

August Moon 3635 Prytania St., 899-5129,

Aloha Sushi 1051 Annunciation St., 566-

Austin’s 5101 W. Esplanade Ave., 888-5533, Metairie, AustinsNo.com. D Mon-Sat. Mr. Ed’s newest upscale bistro serves contemporary Creole fare, including seafood and steaks. $$$

A Mano 870 Tchoupitoulas St., 508-9280, Warehouse District, AManoNola.com. L Fri, D Mon-Sat. A Mano is Adolfo Garcia’s take on authentic regional Italian cuisine. Executive chef Joshua Smith handles day-to-day duties at this Warehouse District spot. “A mano” means “by hand” in Italian; fitting for a restaurant where much of the pasta and charcuterie are made in-house. $$

Ancora 4508 Freret St., 324-1636, Uptown, AncoraPizza.com. L Fri-Sat, D Mon-Sat. Authentic Neapolitan-style pizza fired in an oven imported from Naples keeps pizza connoisseurs coming back to this Freret Street hot-spot. The housemade charcuterie makes it a double-winner. $$

Basil Leaf Restaurant 1438 S. Carrollton Ave., 862-9001, Uptown, BasilLeafThai.com. L Mon-Sat, D daily. Thai food and sushi bar with a contemporary spin is served in this date-friendly establishment; private rooms available. $$

French Quarter, Antoines.com. L Mon-Sat, D Mon-Sat, Br Sun. This pinnacle of haute cuisine and birthplace of Oysters Rockefeller is New Orleans’ oldest restaurant. (Every item is á la carte, with an $11 minimum.) Private dining rooms are available. $$$$$

Acme Oyster House 724 Iberville St., 5225973, French Quarter; 3000 Veterans Blvd., 309-4056, Metairie; 1202 N. Highway 190, (985) 246-6155, Covington; AcmeOyster.com. L, D daily. Known as one of the best places to eat oysters. $$ 0021, Warehouse District, SunRayGrill.com. L, D Mon-Sun. A large list of rolls, hot rice bowls, Asian-inspired soups, salads, cocktails and more. Visit daily between 11-6:30 p.m. for Sake Hour: half-priced sake and three rolls for the price of two. $$

space, renovated largely by Laurentino himself, is charming. $

899-5122, Uptown, MoonNola.com. L, D MonFri, D Sat. Lots of vegetarian offerings and reasonable prices make this dependable Chinese/ Vietnamese place a popular choice for students and locals. Take-out and delivery available. $

The Avenue Pub 1732 St. Charles Ave., 586-9243, Uptown, TheAvenuePub.com. L, D daily (kitchen open 24 hours a day). With more than 47 rotating draft beers, this pub also offers food including a cheese plate from St. James, a crab cake sandwich and the “Pub Burger.” $ Bacchanal Fine Wines and Spirits 600 Poland Ave., 948-9111, Bywater, BacchanalWine.com. L, D daily. The pop-up that started it all, this ongoing backyard music and food fest in the heart of Bywater carries the funky flame. Best of all, the front of house is a wine shop. $$

Barcelona Tapas 720 Dublin St., 8619696, Riverbend, LetsEat.at/BarcelonaTapas. D Tue-Sun. Barcelona Tapas is chef-owner Xavier Laurentino’s homage to the small-plates restaurants he knew from his hometown of Barcelona. The tapas are authentic, and the

Quarter, 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, weatherpermitting. $$$$$

St., 533-6111, CBD/Warehouse District, HarrahsNewOrleans.com. D daily. Acclaimed Chef John Besh reinterprets the classic steakhouse with his signature contemporary Louisiana flair. New Orleans Magazine’s Chef of the Year 2007. $$$$$

The Bistro at Maison De Ville 733 Toulouse St., 528-9206, French Quarter, BistroMaisondeVille.com. L, D Thu-Mon. Chef and co-owner Greg Picolo has a deft hand with panéed frog legs at this historic New Orleans institution. Other good choices include his house-smoked salmon rillettes and his duck sampler. $$$$$

CBD/Warehouse District, TheBonTonCafe.com. L, D Mon-Fri. A local favorite for the old-school business lunch crowd, it specializes in local seafood and Cajun dishes. $$$$

Bouche 840 Tchoupitoulas St., 267-7485, Warehouse District, BoucheNola.com. L, D Tue-Sat. Bouche is a mix of lounge, cigar bar and restaurant with an open kitchen serving largely Southern food in portions Bouche calls “Partailles” – something larger than an appetizer but smaller than an entrée. $$$ Boucherie 8115 Jeannette St., 862-5514, Riverbend, Boucherie-Nola.com. L, D Tue-Sat. Serving contemporary Southern food with an international angle, Chef Nathaniel Zimet offes excellent ingredients, presented simply. New Orleans Magazine’s Best New Restaurant 2009. $$ Brennan’s 417 Royal St., 525-9711, French Quarter, BrennansNewOrleans.com. Br, L, D daily. The institution that turned breakfast into a celebration and introduced bananas Foster to the world is one of the city’s most storied destinations. Enjoy a brandy milk punch in the courtyard while you’re there. $$$$$

Brigtsen’s 723 Dante St., 861-7610, Uptown, Brigtsens.com. D Tue-Sat. Chef Frank Brigtsen’s nationally-famous Creole cuisine makes this cozy Riverbend cottage a true foodie destination. $$$$$ Broken Egg Cafe 200 Girod St., (985)

Bistro Daisy 5831 Magazine St., 899-6987,

231-7125, Mandeville. B, Br, L daily. Breakfastcentric café in turn-of-the-century home offers a sprawling assortment of delicious items both healthy and decadent. $$

Uptown, BistroDaisy.com. D, Tue-Sat. Chef Anton Schulte and his wife Diane’s bistro, named in honor of their daughter, serves creative and contemporary bistro fare in a romantic setting along Magazine Street. The signature Daisy Salad is a favorite. $$$$

Brooklyn Pizzeria 4301 Veterans Blvd., 833-1288, Metairie, EatBrooklyn.net. L, D daily (Drive thru/take out). Pie shop on Vets specializes in New York-style thin crust. The pizza is the reason to come, but sandwiches and salads are offered as well. $

Blue Plate Café 1330 Prytania St., 3099500, Uptown. B, L Mon-Fri, B Sat. Breakfasts and lunches are the hallmarks of this neighborhood spot. The Ignatius sandwich comes equipped with 10 inches of paradise. Breakfast is served all day on Sat. $

Broussard’s 819 Conti St., 581-3866, French

The Bombay Club Prince Conti Hotel,

Quarter, Broussards.com. D daily. Chef-owner Gunter Preuss brings his pedigree and years of experience to the table in offering up some of the city’s best Creole cuisine in an opulent French Quarter setting. New Orleans Magazine Honor Roll honoree 2006. $$$$$

830 Conti St., 586-0972, French Quarter, TheBombayClub.com. D Mon-Sun. Popular martini bar appointed 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. $$$$

Byblos 1501 Metairie Road, 834-9773,

Bon Ton Cafe 401 Magazine St., 524-3386,

Café Adelaide Loews New Orleans Hotel,

Metairie; 3218 Magazine St., 894-1233, Uptown; 3301 Veterans Memorial Blvd., 8307333 Metairie; 29 McAlister Drive, Tulane University; ByblosRestaurants.com. L, D daily. Upscale Middle Eastern cuisine featuring traditional seafood, lamb and vegetarian options. $$

New Deals and Dishes at Vega Tapas Café 2051 Metairie Road, Metairie, 836-2007, VegaTapasCafe.com

Since Vega Tapas Café introduced the idea of ‘little plates’ to New Orleans in 1996, the team has been delighting taste buds with ingenious creations that marry a Mediterranean cuisine with indigenous Louisiana produce and seafood. Chef and owner, Glen Hogh, never seems to run out of new ideas. He has just come up with “Zarzuela de Mariscos,” a bouillabaisse-type of dish seasoned with spicy-saffrontomato broth with a mixture of scallops, mussels, shrimp, calamari and Gulf fish. Also, don’t forget about the café’s Media Mondays – half-priced wines by the bottle – and Twosdays – Happy Hour all night featuring $2 drinks. – M irella cameran 76

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300 Poydras St., 595-3305, CBD/Warehouse District, CafeAdelaide.com. B Mon-Sun, L Mon-Fri, D Mon-Sun. This offering from the Commander’s Palace family of restaurants has become a power-lunch favorite for businessmen and politicos. Also features the Swizzle Stick Bar. $$$$

Café Burnside Houmas House Plantation, 40136 Highway 942, (225) 473-9380, Darrow, 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. $$

Café Degas 3127 Esplanade Ave., 945-5635, Mid-City, CafeDegas.com. L Wed-Sat, D WedSun, Br Sun. Light French bistro food including salads and quiche make this indoor/outdoor boîte a Faubourg St. John favorite. $$$ Café du Monde 800 Decatur St., 525-0454, French Quarter; One Poydras Suite 27, 5870841, New Orleans; 3301 Veterans Blvd., Suite 104, 834-8694, Metairie; 1401 West Esplanade, Suite 100, 468-3588, Kenner; 4700 Veterans Blvd., 888-9770, Metairie; 1814 N. Causeway Approach, Suite 1, (985) 951-7474, Mandeville; 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. $

Café Equator 2920 Severn Ave., 888-4772, Metairie, cadeequator.com. L, D Mon-Sun. Very good Thai food across the street from Lakeside Mall. Offers a quiet and oftoverlooked dining option in a crowded part of town. $$

Café Freret 7329 Freret St., 861-7890, Uptown, CafeFreret.com. B, L, D Fri-Wed. Convenient location near Tulane and Loyola universities makes this a place for students

(and dogs) to indulge in decadent breakfasts, casual lunches and tasty dinners – and their “A la Collar” menu. $$

Café at Gambino’s 4821 Veteran’s Memorial Blvd., 885-3620, Metairie, Gambinos.com. L Mon-Fri. Café nested in Gambino’s Bakery is a favorite local lunch spot featuring muffelattas, salads and soups. Afterward, pick up some Italian cookies to take back to the office. $

Café Giovanni 117 Decatur St., 529-2154, Downtown, CafeGiovanni.com. D Mon-Sun. Live opera singers three nights a week round out the atmosphere at this contemporary Italian dining destination. The menu offers a selection of Italian specialties tweaked with a Creole influence and their Belli Baci happy hour adds to the atmosphere. $$$$ Café Luna 802 Nashville Ave., 269-2444, Uptown. B, L daily. Charismatic coffee shop in a converted house offers a range of panini, caffeinated favorites and free Wi-Fi. The front porch is a prime spot for people-watching along adjacent Magazine Street. $ Café Maspero 601 Decatur St., 523-6250, French Quarter. L, D daily. Tourists line up for their generous portions of seafood and large deli sandwiches. $

Café Minh 4139 Canal St., 482-6266, MidCity, CafeMinh.com. L Mon-Fri., D Mon-Sat. Closed Sun. Chef Minh Bui brings his fusion-y touch with Vietnamese cuisine to this corner location. French accents and a contemporary flair make this one of the more notable crosscultural venues in town. $$

Café Negril 606 Frenchmen St., 944-4744, Marigny. D daily. Frenchman Street music club draws locals in with their lineup of live Reggae and blues. Tacos and BBQ in back are a plus for late-night revelers. $

Café Nino 1510 S. Carrollton Ave., 865-

Carmo 527 Julia St., 875-4132, Warehouse

9200, Carrollton. L, D daily. Non-descript exterior belies old-school Italian hideaway serving up red-sauce classics like lasagna, along with some of the more under-the-radar New York-style thin crust pizza in town. $$

District, CafeCarmo.com. L Mon-Sat., D TueSat. Caribbean-inspired fare offers a creative array of vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free fare in a sleek location on Julia Street. One of the few places in the city where healthy dining is celebrated rather than accommodated. $$

Café Opera 541 Bourbon St., 648-2331, Inside Four Points by Sheraton, French Quarter. B, L daily, D Thurs-Sat. Chef Philippe Andreani serves Creole and Continental classics on the site of the old French Opera House. Choices include crabmeat beignets with corn maque choux as well as fried green tomatoes with shrimp remoulade. Validated parking is offered for dine-in. $$$

Cake Café 2440 Chartres St., 943-0010, Marigny, NolaCakes.com. B, L daily. The name may read cakes but this café offers a whole lot more, including fresh baked goods and a full breakfast menu along with sandwiches. A popular place to while away a slow New Orleans morning with a coffee and a slice. $

Camellia Grill 626 S. Carrollton Ave., 3092679, Uptown; 540 Chartres St., 533-6250, Downtown. B, L, D daily, until 1 a.m. Sun-Thu and 3 a.m. Fri-Sat. The venerable diner has reopened following an extensive renovation and change in ownership (in 2006). Patrons can rest assured that its essential character has remained intact and many of the original waiters have returned. The new downtown location has a liquor license and credit cards are now accepted. $

Capdeville 520 Capdeville St., 371-5161, French Quarter, CapdevilleNola.com. L, D Mon-Sat. Capdeville is an upscale bar-bistro with a short but interesting menu of food that’s a mix of comfort and ambition. Burgers are on offer, but so are fried red beans and rice – a take on calas or Italian arancini. $$

Carmelo Ristorante 1901 Highway 190, (985) 624-4844, Mandeville, RistoranteCarmelo.com. L Fri-Sun, D MonSat. Italian trattoria serves old-world classics. Private rooms available. $$ Casamento’s 4330 Magazine St., 895-9761, Uptown, CasamentosRestaurant.com. L TueSat, D Thu-Sat. The family-owned restaurant has shucked oysters and fried seafood since 1919; closed during summer and for all major holidays. $$ CC’s Community Coffee House Multiple locations in New Orleans, Metairie and Northshore, CCsCoffee.com. Coffeehouse specializing in coffee, espresso drinks and pastries. $

Chateau du Lac 2037 Metairie Road, 831-3773, Old Metairie, ChateauduLacBistro. com. L Mon-Fri, D Mon-Sat. This casual French bistro offers up classic dishes such as escargot, coq au vin and blanquette de veau. A Provençal-inspired atmosphere and French wine round out the appeal. $$$$

Checkered Parrot 132 Royal St., 592-1270, French Quarter, CheckeredParrot.com. B, L, D Mon-Sun. The Checkered Parrot is an upscale sports bar with a large menu, featuring nachos, fajitas, wings in seven flavors, wraps and burgers, and an outdoor patio. $$ Chiba 8312 Oak St., 826-9119, Carrollton, chiba-nola.com. L Thurs-Sat, D Mon-Sat. Contemporary restaurant on Oak Street features an extensive list of special rolls,

myneworleans.com

DECEMBER 2012

T HE M E N U steamed buns and fusion-y fare to go along with typical Japanese options. Late night hours are a plus. $$$

Chophouse New Orleans 322 Magazine St., 522-7902, CBD, ChophouseNola.com. D daily. In addition to USDA prime grade aged steaks prepared under a broiler that reaches 1,700 degrees, Chophouse offers lobster, redfish and classic steakhouse sides. $$$

Clancy’s 6100 Annunciation St., 895-1111, Uptown, ClancysNewOrleans.com. L Thu-Fri, D Mon-Sat. Their Creole-inspired menu has been a favorite of locals for years. $$$

Cochon 930 Tchoupitoulas St., 588-2123, CBD/Warehouse District, CochonRestaurant. com. L Mon-Fri, D Mon-Sat. Chefs Donald Link and Stephen Stryjewski showcase Cajun and Southern cuisine at this Warehouse District hot spot. Boudin and other pork dishes reign supreme here, along with Louisiana seafood and real moonshine from the bar. New Orleans Magazine named Link Chef of the Year 2009. Reservations strongly recommended. $$ Commander’s Palace 1403 Washington Ave., 899-8221, Uptown, CommandersPalace. com. L Mon-Fri, D Mon-Sun, Br Sat-Sun. The Grande Dame in the Garden District is going strong under the auspices of Chef Tory McPhail. The turtle soup might be the best in the city, and its weekend Jazz Brunch is a great deal. $$$$$

DINING GUIDE Coquette 2800 Magazine St., 265-0421, Uptown, Coquette-Nola.com. Br Sun, L WedSat, D Mon-Sat. A bistro located at the corner of Washington and Magazine streets. The food is French in inspiration and technique, with added imagination from chef Michael Stoltzfus (New Orleans Magazine’s Best New Chef 2009). $$$ Corky’s Bar-B-Q Restaurant 4243 Veterans Blvd., 887-5000, Metairie, CorkysBarBQ.com. L, D daily. Memphis-based barbecue chain offers good hickory-smoked ribs, pork and beef in a family setting with catering service available. $ Court of Two Sisters 613 Royal St., 5227261, French Quarter, CourtOfTwoSisters. com. Br, D daily. The historic environs make for a memorable outdoor dining experience. The famous daily Jazz Brunch buffet and classic Creole dishes sweeten the deal. $$$$$ Crabby Jack’s 428 Jefferson Highway, 8332722, Jefferson. L Mon-Sat. Lunch outpost of Jacques-Imo’s chef and owner Jack Leonardi. Famous for its fried seafood and poor boys including fried green tomatoes and roasted duck. $ The Creole Grille 5241 Veterans Blvd., 889-7992, Metairie, TheCreoleGrille.com. L, D Mon-Sat. This quaint, upscale restaurant offers a variety of classic New Orleans cuisine, fresh fish and homemade soups and salads with early bird and daily chef specials. $$

Cooter Brown’s 509 S. Carrollton Ave.,

Crépes a la Carte 1039 Broadway St.,

866-9104, Uptown, CooterBrowns.com. L, D daily. Riverbend-area sports bar serves up the city’s largest selection of beers along with great bar food. The cheese fries are a rite of passage, and the Radiator’s Special poor boy makes for a great late-night meal. $

866-236, Uptown, CrepeCaterer.com. B, L, D daily. Open late. An extensive menu of tasty crêpes, both savory and sweet, make this a great spot for a quick bite for college students and locals. $

Copeland’s 1001 S. Clearview Parkway, 620-7800, Jefferson; 1319 West Esplanade Ave., 617-9146, Kenner; 1700 Lapalco Blvd., 364-1575, Harvey; 680 N. Highway 190, (985) 809-9659, Covington; 1337 Gause Blvd., (985) 643-0001, Slidell; CopelandsofNewOrleans.com. L, D daily, Br Sun. Al Copeland’s namesake chain includes favorites such as Shrimp Ducky. Popular for lunch. $$

Copeland’s Cheesecake Bistro 4517 Veterans Blvd., 454-7620, Metairie; 2001 St. Charles Ave., 593-9955, Garden District; CopelandsCheesecakeBistro.com. L, D daily. Dessert fans flock to this sweet-centric Copeland establishment which also offers extensive lunch and dinner menus. $$$

District, LePavillon.com. L, D daily, Br Sun. Franco-American cuisine with Louisiana influences is served in the environs of the Le Pavillon Hotel. The Southern-style breakfast features its decadent Bananas Foster Waffle “Le Pavillon.” $$$

Dakota 629 N. Highway 190, (985) 8923712, Covington, RestaurantCuvee.com/ Dakota. L Tue-Fri, D Tue-Sat. A sophisticated dining experience with generous portions. $$$$$ The Delachaise 3442 St. Charles Ave., 8950858, Uptown, TheDelachaise.com. L Fri-Sat, D daily. Elegant bar food fit for the wine connoisseur; kitchen open late. $$

Dick and Jenny’s 4501 Tchoupitoulas St., 894-9880, Uptown, DickAndJennys.com. L Tue-Fri, D Mon-Sat. A funky cottage serving Louisiana comfort food with flashes of innovation. $$$$

Dickie Brennan’s Bourbon House 144 Bourbon St., 522-0111, French Quarter, BourbonHouse.com. B, L, D daily. Classic Creole dishes such as redfish on the halfshell and baked oysters are served with classic Brennan’s style at this French Quarter outpost. Its extensive bourbon menu will please aficionados. $$$$ Dickie Brennan’s Steakhouse 716 Iberville St., 522-2467, French Quarter, DickieBrennansSteakhouse.com. L Fri, D daily. Nationally recognized steakhouse serves USDA Prime steaks and local seafood in a New Orleans setting with the usual Brennan’s family flair. $$$$$

Decatur St., 522-0571, French Quarter, CrescentCityBrehouse.com. L Fri-Sun, D daily. Contemporary brewpub features an eclectic menu complimenting its freshly-brewed wares. Live jazz and good location make it a fun place to meet up. $$$

Domenica The Roosevelt Hotel, 123 Baronne St., 648-6020, CBD, DomenicaRestaurant. com. L, D daily. Executive Chef Alon Shaya serves authentic, regional Italian cuisine in John Besh’s sophisticated new restaurant. The menu of thin, lightly topped pizzas, artisanal salumi and cheese, and a carefully chosen selection of antipasti, pasta and entrées, feature locally raised products, some from Besh’s Northshore farm. $$$$

Crescent City Steakhouse 1001 N. Broad

Domilise’s 5240 Annunciation St., 899-

St., 821-3271, Mid-City, CrescentCitySteaks. com. L Tue-Fri & Sun, D Tue-Sun. One of the classic New Orleans steakhouses, it’s a throwback in every sense of the term. Steaks, sides and drinks are what you get at Crescent City. New Orleans Magazine’s Steakhouse of the Year 2009 and Honor Roll honoree 2007. $$$$

9126, Uptown. 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. $

Crescent City Brewhouse 527

The Crystal Room Le Pavillon Hotel, 833 Poydras St., 581-3111, CBD/Warehouse

Dong Phuong 14207 Chef Menteur Highway, 254-0296, N.O. East. L Wed-Mon. Vietnamese bakery and restaurant in the community of Versailles makes great banh mi sandwiches and interesting baked goods both

savory and sweet. Unbeatable prices. $

Drago’s 3232 N. Arnoult Road, 888-9254, Metairie; Hilton Riverside Hotel, 2 Poydras St., 584-3911, CBD/Warehouse District; DragosRestaurant.com. L, D Mon-Sat. This famous seafooder specializes in charbroiled oysters, a dish they invented. Raucous but good-natured atmosphere makes this a fun place to visit. Great deals on fresh lobster as well. $$$$

Dry Dock Cafe & Bar 133 Delaronde St., 361-8240, Algiers, TheDryDockCafe.com. Br Sun, L, D daily. Fancier daily specials have been added to the menu of this casual neighborhood seafood joint in historic Algiers Point near the ferry landing. Burgers, sandwiches and fried seafood are the staples. $$

El Gato Negro 81 French Market Place, 525-9752, French Quarter, ElGatoNegroNola. com. B Sat-Sun, L, D daily. Popular spot near the Frenchmen Street clubs serves up authentic Central Mexican cuisine along with handmuddled mojitos and margaritas made with fresh-squeezed juice. A weekend breakfast menu is an additional plus. $$ Elizabeth’s 601 Gallier St., 944-9272, Bywater, Elizabeths-Restaurant.com. B, L TueFri, D Tue-Sat, Br Sat-Sun. This eclectic local restaurant draws rave reviews for its Praline Bacon and distinctive Southern-inspired brunch specials. $$$

Emeril’s 800 Tchoupitoulas St., 528-9393, CBD/Warehouse District, Emerils.com. L Mon-Fri, D daily. The flagship of superstar chef Emeril Lagasse’s culinary empire, this Warehouse District landmark attracts pilgrims from all over the world. $$$$$

Fat Hen Grill 1821 Hickory Ave., 287-4581, Harahan, FatHenGrill.com. B, L, D daily. Breakfast gets re-imagined and dressed up at this Harahan diner headed by Chef Shane Pritchett, formerly of Emeril’s Delmonico. The house special is the Womlette, an omelet baked on a waffle. $$

Feelings Cafe 2600 Chartres St., 9452222, Faubourg Marigny, FeelingsCafe.com. D Thu-Sun, Br Sun. Romantic ambiance and skillfully created dishes, such as veal d’aunoy, make dining here on the patio a memorable experience. A piano bar on Fridays adds to the atmosphere. $$$$ Fellini’s Café 900 N. Carrollton Ave., 4882155, Mid-City, FellinisNewOrleans.com. L, D daily. With décor inspired by its namesake Italian filmmaker, this casual indoor/outdoor spot on Carrollton Avenue serves large portions of reasonably-priced Mediterranean specialties such as pizza, pastas and hummus. $ Fiesta Latina 1924 Airline Drive, 469-5792,

Fresh Florida Stone Crabs Back at The Chophouse 322 Magazine St., 522-7902, Chopchousenola.com

Freshly flown in from Florida, stone crabs are available again at The Chophouse restaurant in the Central Business District. Served with a special house sauce, they will be at their succulent best until next spring. If crabs don’t tempt your taste buds, you can always revert to the consistently excellent, traditional offerings. USDA Grade Prime for all the steak cuts, which are wet-aged for 28 days and served Pittsburgh style – i.e. charred on the outside. – M irella cameran

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Kenner, FiestaLatinaRestaurant.com. B, L, D Tue-Sun. 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. $$

Five Happiness 3605 S. Carrollton Ave., 482-3935, Mid-City, FiveHappiness.com. L, D Mon-Sun. This longtime Chinese favorite offers up an extensive menu including its beloved mu shu pork and house baked duck. It’s a popular choice for families as well. $$ Flaming Torch 737 Octavia St., 895-0900, Uptown, FlamingTorchNola.com. L, D daily, Br Sat-Sun. French classics including a tasty onion soup make this a nice place for a slightly upscale lunch while shopping along Magazine Street. $$ Frank’s 933 Decatur St., 525-1602, French

Quarter, FranksRestaurantNewOrleans.com. L, D daily. Locally inspired Italian sandwiches such as muffulettas and Genoa salami poor boys are served here in the heart of the French Quarter. $$$

Galatoire’s 209 Bourbon St., 525-2021, French Quarter, 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. $$$$$ The Galley Seafood Restaurant 2535 Metairie Road, 832-0955, Metairie. L, D TueSat. A great local place for seafood, both fried and boiled. Famous for its softshell crab poor boy, a Jazz Fest favorite. $$ Gautreau’s 1728 Soniat St., 899-7397, Uptown, GautreausRestaurant.com. D, Mon-Sat. Upscale destination serves refined interpretations of classics along with contemporary creations in a clubby setting nested deep within a residential neighborhood. New Orleans Magazine named Sue Zemanick Chef of the Year 2008. $$$$$ Gott Gourmet Café 3100 Magazine St., 522-7902, Uptown, GottGourmetCafe.com. L, Tue-Fri, D, Tue-Sun. Upscale-casual restaurant serves a variety of specialty sandwiches, salads and wraps, like the Chicago-style hot dog and the St. Paddy’s Day Massacre – Chef Gotter’s take on the Rueben. $$ Gracious Bakery + Café 1000 S. Jeff Davis Parkway, Suite 100, 301-3709, MidCity, GraciousBakery.com. B, L Mon-Sat. Boutique bakery in the ground floor of the new Woodward Building offers small-batch coffee, baked goods, individual desserts and sandwiches on breads made in-house. Catering options are available as well. $ The Green Goddess 307 Exchange Alley,

301-3347, French Quarter, GreenGoddessNola. com. Br, L daily, D Thu-Sun. Located in a tiny space, the Green Goddess is one of the most imaginative restaurants in New Orleans. The menu is constantly changing, and chefs Chris DeBarr (New Orleans Magazine’s Best New Chef 2006) and Paul Artigues always have ample vegetarian options. Combine all of that with a fantastic selection of drinks, wine and beer, and it’s the total (albeit small) package. $$

The Grill Room Windsor Court Hotel, 300 Gravier St., 522-1994, CBD/Warehouse District, GrillRoomNewOrleans.com. B, L, D daily, Br Sun. Jazz Brunch on Sunday with live music. Featuring modern American cuisine with a distinctive New Orleans flair, the adjacent Polo Club Lounge offers live music nightly. $$$$$

GW Fins 808 Bienville St., 581-FINS (3467), French Quarter, GWFins.com. D daily. To ensure the best possible flavors at GW Fins, owners Gary Wollerman and Tenney Flynn provide dishes at their seasonal peak by flying in products from around the globe. That commitment to freshness and quest for unique variety are two of the reasons why the menu is printed daily. $$$$$

Herbsaint 701 St. Charles Ave., 524-4114, CBD/Warehouse District, Herbsaint.com. L Mon-Fri, D Mon-Sat. Enjoy a sophisticated cocktail before sampling Chef Donald Link’s (New Orleans Magazine’s Chef of the Year 2009) menu that melds contemporary bistro fare with classic Louisiana cuisine. The banana brown butter tart is a favorite dessert. $$$$$ Hevin 5015 Magazine St., 895-2246, Uptown. L, D Mon-Fri. Chef Kevin Vizard brings casual, family-friendly fare to a quiet, residential stretch of Magazine Street. “Po-Ninis”, i.e.

pressed poor boys, are a specialty, and daily “hot plates” are offered as well. $

The prix fixe options are a good way to taste a lot for not much money. $$$$

Horinoya 920 Poydras St., 561-8914, CBD/ Warehouse District. L Mon-Fri, D daily. Excellent Japanese dining in an understated and oft-overlooked location. The chu-toro is delicious and the selection of authentic Japanese appetizers is the best in the city. $$$

Irene’s Cuisine 539 St. Philip St., 5298811, French Quarter. 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. $$$$

Hoshun Restaurant 1601 St. Charles Ave., 302-9716, Garden District, HoshunRestaurant. com. L, D daily. Hoshun offers a wide variety of Asian cuisines, primarily dishes culled from China, Japan, Thailand and Malaysia. Their five-pepper calamari is a tasty way to begin the meal, and their creative sushi rolls are good as well. $$

House of Blues 225 Decatur St., 529-BLUE (2583), French Quarter, HouseOfBlues.com. L, D daily. World-famous Gospel Brunch every Sunday. Surprisingly good menu makes this a compliment to the music in the main room. Patio seating is available as well. $$

Hunt Room Grill Hotel Monteleone, 214 Royal St., 523-3341, French Quarter. D daily. Enjoy elegant dining and a great wine selection in the historic Monteleone hotel. $$$ Il Posto Café 4607 Dryades St., 8952620, Uptown, ilPostoCafe-Nola.com. B, L, D Tue-Sat, B, L Sun. Italian café specializes in pressed panini, like their Milano, featuring sopressata, Fontina, tomatoes and balsamic on ciabatta. Soups, imported coffee and H&H bagels make this a comfortable neighborhood spot to relax with the morning paper. $

Impastato’s 3400 16th St., 455-1545, Metairie, Impastatos.com. D daily. Bustling Italian restaurant on the edge of Fat City serves homemade pasta in a convivial atmosphere. Chef/Owner Joe Impastato greets guests warmly and treats them like family.

Iris 321 N. Peters St., 299-3944, French Quarter, IrisNewOrleans.com. L Thu-Fri, D Mon, Wed-Sat. This inviting bistro offers sophisticated fare in a charming setting. The veal cheek ravioli is a winner. New Orleans Magazine’s Best New Restaurant 2006. $$$$ Jack Dempsey’s 738 Poland Ave., 9439914, Bywater, JackDempseysLLC.com. L Tue-Fri, D Wed-Sat. Local favorite nestled deep in the heart of the Bywater is known for its stuffed flounder and baked macaroni served in generous portions. $$$

Jacques-Imo’s Cafe 8324 Oak St., 8610886, Uptown, JacquesimosCafe.com. D Mon-Sat. Reinvented New Orleans cuisine served in a party atmosphere are the cornerstones of this Oak Street institution. The deep-fried roast beef poor boy is delicious. The lively bar scene offsets the long wait on weekends. $$$$ Jamila’s Café 7808 Maple St., 866-4366, Uptown. D Tue-Sun. Intimate and exotic bistro serving Mediterranean and Tunisian cuisine. The Grilled Merguez is a Jazz Fest favorite and vegetarian options are offered. $$ Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville Café 1104 Decatur St., 592-2565, French Quarter, MargaritavilleNewOrleans.com. L, D daily. Parrotheads and other music lovers flock to Jimmy’s outpost along the more local-friendly stretch of Decatur. Strong bar menu and stronger drinks keep them coming back. $$

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T HE M E N U

DINING GUIDE

Joey K’s 3001 Magazine St., 891-0997, Uptown, JoeyKsRestaurant.com. L, D MonSat. A true neighborhood New Orleans restaurant with daily lunch plates keeps it real along this rapidly gentrifying stretch of Magazine Street. Red beans and rice are classic. $

Paul Prudhomme’s landmark restaurant helped introduce Cajun food to a grateful nation. Lots of seasoning and bountiful offerings, along with reserved seating, make this a destination for locals and tourists alike. $$$$

The Joint 701 Mazant St., 949-3232, Bywater, AlwaysSmokin.com. L, D Mon-Sat. Some of the city’s best barbecue can be had at this locally owned and operated favorite in Bywater. $

KyotoNola.com. L, D Mon-Sat. A neighborhood sushi restaurant where the regulars order off-the-menu rolls. $$

Juan’s Flying Burrito 2018 Magazine St., 569-0000, Uptown; 4724 S. Carrollton Ave., 486-9950, Mid-City. L, D Mon-Sun. Hard-core tacos and massive burritos are served in an edgy atmosphere. $ Jung’s Golden Dragon 3009 Magazine St., Uptown, JungsGoldenDragon2.com. L, D daily. This Chinese destination is a real find. Along with the usual you’ll find spicy cold noodle dishes, dumplings and a Beijing-style breakfast on the weekends. This is one of the few local Chinese places that breaks the Americanized mold. $

Kyoto 4920 Prytania St., 891-3644, Uptown,

La Boca 857 Fulton St., 525-8205, Warehouse District, LaBocaSteaks.com. D Mon-Sat. This Argentine steakhouse in the blossoming Fulton Street corridor specializes in cuts of meat along with pastas and wines. Specials include the provoleta appetizer and the Vacio flank steak. New Orleans Magazine’s Chef of the Year 2006. $$$

Lakeview Harbor 911 Harrison Ave., 4864887, Lakeview, Lakeview-Harbor.com. L, D daily. Burgers are the name of the game here at this restaurant which shares a pedigree with Snug Harbor and Port of Call. Rounded out with a loaded baked potato, their halfpound patties are sure to please. Daily specials, pizza and steaks are offered as well. $

Kosher Cajun New York Deli and Grocery 3520 N. Hullen St., 888-2010,

La Macarena Pupuseria & Latin Cafe

Metairie, KosherCajun.com. L Mon-Fri & Sun, D Mon-Thu. Great kosher meals and complete kosher grocery in the rear make this Metairie eatery a unique destination. The matzo ball soup is a winner and catering is available for parties of any size. $

8120 Hampson St., 862-5252, Uptown. L, D Mon-Fri, Br,L, D Sat & Sun. This cash-only and BYOB restaurant has recently overhauled their menu, now including a large selection of vegan and vegetarian items, as well as a tapas menu. $$

K-Paul’s Louisiana Kitchen 416

La Petite Grocery 4238 Magazine St.,

Chartres St., 524-7394, French Quarter, ChefPaul.com/KPaul. L Thu-Sat, D Mon-Sat.

891-3377, Uptown, LaPetiteGrocery.com. L, D Tue-Sat. Elegant dining in a convivial atmo-

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sphere quickly made this place an Uptown darling. The menu is heavily French-inspired with an emphasis on technique. $$$

La Provence 25020 Highway 190, (985) 626-7662, Lacombe, LaProvenceRestaurant. com. D Wed-Sun, Br Sun. John Besh (New Orleans Magazine’s Chef of the Year 2007) upholds time-honored Provençal cuisine and rewards his guests with a true farm-life experience, from house-made preserves, charcuterie, herbs, kitchen gardens and eggs cultivated on the property, an elegant French colonial stucco house. $$$$$

valet parking. $$$

Le Salon Windsor Court Hotel, 300 Gravier St., 596-4773, CBD/Warehouse District. L Buffet Mon-Fri. Also, Afternoon Tea, ThuSun, Seating at 2 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. Formal afternoon tea with harpist or string quartet served in a sophisticated atmosphere. A local mother-daughter tradition. $$

Liborio’s Cuban Restaurant 321 Magazine St., 581-9680, CBD/Warehouse District, LiborioCuban.com. L Mon-Sat, D Tue-Sat. Authentic Cuban favorites such as Ropa Vieja and pressed Cuban sandwiches along with great specials make this a popular lunch choice. $$$

La Thai Uptown 4938 Prytania St., 8998886, Uptown, LaThaiUptown.com. L, D TueSun. Uptown outpost of the Chauvin family’s ingredient-driven Thai-Cajun fusion cuisine. The summer rolls are good as is the tom kar gai soup. Lunch specials are a good deal and vegetarian dishes are offered as well. $$

Lil’ Lizzy’s 1500 Esplanade Ave., 569-8997, Mid-City. B Mon-Sat, L Mon-Fri. Spot local and national politicos dining at this favored Creole soul restaurant known for homey classics like fried chicken and Trout Baquet. $

Latil’s Landing Houmas House Plantation, 40136 Highway 942, (225) 473-9380, Darrow, HoumasHouse.com. L Sun, D Wed-Sun. Nouvelle Louisiane, plantation-style cooking served in an opulent setting features dishes like rack of lamb and plume de veau. $$$$$

Lilette 3637 Magazine St., 895-1636, Uptown, LiletteRestaurant.com. L, D Tue-Sat. Chef John Harris’ innovative menu draws discerning diners to this highly regarded bistro on Magazine Street. Desserts are wonderful as well. $$$$$

Le Meritage 1001 Toulouse, 522-8800,

Lola’s 3312 Esplanade Ave., 488-6946,

French Quarter, LeMeritageRestaurant.com. D Tue-Sat. This restaurant blends fine wines with Southern-flavored cuisine for a memorable fine-dining experience in a casual environment. Chef Michael Farrell’s well-rounded menu features suggested wine and food pairings, along with full or half servings both by the glass and by the plate. Complimentary

Mid-City. D daily. Garlicky Spanish dishes and great paella make this artsy Faubourg St. John boîte a hipster destination. $$$

Lüke 333 St. Charles Ave., 378-2840, CBD, LukeNewOrleans.com. Br Sat-Sun, B, L, D daily. John Besh (New Orleans Magazine’s Chef of the Year 2007) and executive chef

Copeland’s Debuts New Dishes

Various locations including 701 Veterans Blvd., Metairie, 831-3437, CopelandsOfNewOrleans.com

My friend and I were trying to figure out when it wouldn’t be a good time to go to Copeland’s of New Orleans. Whatever you fancy, they’re cooking it; from plentiful appetizers, soups, salads and burgers to classic New New Orleans dishes, USDA prime 28 day aged steaks and stellar seafood. We haven’t even mentioned their handcrafted cheesecake, which is now available to be shipped anywhere in the country. With all these temptations it’s no wonder the restaurant is now in a dozen locations. – M irella cameran

Matt Regan characterize the cuisine “Alsace meets New Orleans in an authentic brasserie setting.” Germanic specialties and French bistro classics, house-made patés and abundant plateaux of cold, fresh seafood. New Orleans Magazine’s Best New Restaurant 2007. $$$

Mahony’s 3454 Magazine St., 899-3374, Uptown, MahonysPoBoys.com. L, D Mon-Sat. Along with the usual poor boys, this sandwich shop serves up a Grilled Shrimp and Fried Green Tomato version dressed with remoulade sauce. Sandwich offerings are augmented by a full bar. $

Mandina’s 3800 Canal St., 482-9179, MidCity, MandinasRestaurant.com. L, D daily. Quintessential New Orleans neighborhood institution reopened following an extensive renovation. Though the ambiance is more upscale, the same food and seafood dishes make dining here a New Orleans experience. $$

Maple Street Café 7623 Maple St., 3149003, Uptown. L, Mon-Sat, D, Mon-Sun. Casual dinner spot serving Mediterranean-

inspired pastas and entrées, along with heartier fare such as duck and filet mignon. $$

The Marigny Brasserie 640 Frenchmen St., 945-4472, Faubourg Marigny, MarignyBrasserie.com. B, L, D daily. Chic neighborhood bistro with traditional dishes like the Wedge of Lettuce salad and innovative cocktails like the Cucumber Cosmo. $$$ Martin Wine Cellar 714 Elmeer Ave., 8967300, Metairie, MartinWine.com. L daily. Wine by the glass or bottle to go with daily lunch specials, towering burgers, hearty soups, salads and giant, deli-style sandwiches. $

Mat & Naddie’s 937 Leonidas St., 8619600, Uptown, MatAndNaddies.com. L MonFri, D Thu-Mon. Cozy converted house along River Road serves up creative and eclectic regionally-inspired fare. Crab cakes with cucumber slaw makes for a good appetizer and when the weather is right the romantic patio is the place to sit. $$$$

Middendorf’s Interstate 55, Exit 15, 30160 Highway 51 South, (985) 386-6666, Akers, MiddendorfsRestaurant.com. L, D Wed-Sun.

Historic seafood destination along the shores of Lake Maurepas is world-famous for its thin-fried catfish filets. Open since 1934, it transitioned to its next generation of owners when Horst Pfeifer purchased it in 2007. More than a restaurant, this is a Sunday Drive tradition. $$

Mike’s On the Avenue 628 St. Charles Ave., 523-7600, CBD, MikesOnTheAvenue. com. L Mon-Fri, D Mon-Sat. Mike Fenelly and Vicky Bayley have re-opened one of New Orleans most inventive restaurants in Mike’s On the Avenue. Fennelly’s California-Asian cuisine may lack the novelty it enjoyed in the 1990s, but it’s every bit as good. $$$$ MiLa 817 Common St., 412-2580, French Quarter, MiLaNewOrleans.com. L Mon-Fri, D Mon-Sat. Latest offering from husband-andwife chefs Slade Rushing and Allison VinesRushing focuses on the fusion of the cuisines of Miss. and La. Signature dishes include Oysters Rockefeller “Deconstructed” and New Orleans-style barbecue lobster. New Orleans Magazine’s Best New Restaurant 2008. $$$$

Mona’s Café 504 Frenchmen St., 949-4115, Marigny; 4126 Magazine St., 894-9800, Uptown; 1120 S. Carrollton Ave., 861-8174, Uptown; 3901 Banks St., 482-7743, Mid-City. L, D daily. Middle Eastern specialties like baba ganuj, tender-tangy beef or chicken shawarma, falafel and gyros, stuffed into pillowy pita bread or on platters. The lentil soup with crunchy pita chips and desserts such as sticky sweet baklava round out the menu. $ Mondo 900 Harrison Ave., 224-2633, Lakeview, MondoNewOrleans.com. Br Sun, L Wed-Fri, D Mon-Sat. Susan Spicer’s take on world cuisine isn’t far from her home in Lakeview. Make sure to call ahead because the place has a deserved reputation for good food and good times. $$$

Morton’s, The Steakhouse The Shops at Canal Place, 365 Canal St., 566-0221, French Quarter, Mortons.com/NewOrleans. D daily. Quintessential Chicago steakhouse serves up top-quality slabs of meat along with jumbo seafood. Clubhouse atmosphere makes this chophouse a favorite of Saints players and businessmen alike. $$$$$

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DECEMBER 2012

T HE M EN U Mosca’s 4137 Highway 90 West, 436-9942, Avondale. D Tue-Sat. Italian institution near the Huey Long Bridge dishes out massive portions of great food family-style. Good bets are the shrimp mosca and chicken à la grande. Note: Cash Only. $$$

Mother’s 401 Poydras St., 523-9656, CBD/ Warehouse District, MothersRestaurant.net. B, L, D daily. Locals and tourists alike endure long queues and a confounding ordering system to enjoy iconic dishes such as the Ferdi poor boy and Jerry’s jambalaya. Come for a late lunch to avoid the rush. $$

Mr. Ed’s Seafood and Italian Restaurant 1001 Live Oak St., 838-0022, Bucktown; 910 W. Esplanade Ave., #A, 4633030, Kenner. 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. $$

Muriel’s Jackson Square 801 Chartres St., 568-1885, French Quarter, Muriels.com. L, D daily, Br Sun. Enjoy pecan-crusted drum and other New Orleans classics while dining in the courtyard bar or any other room in this labyrinthine, rumored-to-be-haunted establishment. $$$$

Naked Pizza 6307 S. Miro St., 865-0244, Uptown (takeout & delivery only), NakedPizza. biz. L, D daily. Pizza place with a focus on fresh ingredients and a healthy crust. The Mediterranean pie is a good choice. $

Napoleon House 500 Chartres St., 5249752, French Quarter, NapoleonHouse.com.

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DINING GUIDE L, D Thu-Tue. Originally built in 1797 as a respite for Napoleon, this family-owned European-style café serves local favorites: gumbo, jambalaya, muffulettas and for sipping, a Sazerac or lemony Pimm’s Cup. $$

Quarter. D daily. A sophisticated and casual wine bar serving bistro fare – seafood bouillabaisse and meats, soups, salads, a broad selection of cheeses, pâtés and a huge wine list. $$$$

Nine Roses 1100 Stephen St., 366-7665,

Palace Café 605 Canal St., 523-1661,

Gretna, NineRosesResturant.com. L, D SunTue, Thu-Sat. The extensive Vietnamese menu specializes in hot pots, noodles and dishes big enough for everyone to share. Great for families. $$

CBD/Warehouse District, PalaceCafe.com. L Mon-Sat, D Mon-Sun, Br Sun. Dickie Brennan-owned brasserie with French-style sidewalk seating and house-created specialties of Chef Darrin Nesbit at lunch, dinner and Jazz Brunch. Favorites here include crabmeat cheesecake, turtle soup, the Werlein salad with fried Louisiana oysters and pork ”debris” studded Palace Potato Pie. $$$$$

NOLA 534 St. Louis St., 522-6652, French Quarter, Emerils.com. L Thu-Sun, D daily. Emeril’s more affordable eatery, featuring cedar-plank-roasted redfish; private dining. $$$$$

Parkway Bakery and Tavern

5619, Mandeville, Nuvolaris.com. D daily. Dark woods and soft lighting highlight this Northshore Creole Continental-Italian fusion restaurant famous for crabmeat ravioli, veal dishes, seafood specialties and delectable desserts. $$$$

538 Hagan Ave., 482-3047, Mid-City, ParkwayBakeryAndTavernNola.com. L, D daily, closed Tue. Featured on national TV and having served poor boys to presidents, Parkway 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. $

One Restaurant and Lounge

Pascal’s Manale 1838 Napoleon Ave.,

Nuvolari’s 246 Girod St., (985) 626-

8132 Hampson St., 301-9061, Uptown, OrleansGrapevine.com. L Tue-Fri, D Mon-Sat. Black seating and herbaceous sage-colored walls form a dining room where every seat is a view into the open kitchen and the chefs creating contemporary comfort food on a seasonally changing menu. The bar is also known for cranking out clever cocktails. New Orleans Magazine’s Best New Restaurant 2005. $$$$

Orleans Grapevine Wine Bar and Bistro 720 Orleans Ave., 523-1930, French

895-4877, Uptown. L Mon-Fri, D Mon-Sat. Vintage New Orleans neighborhood restaurant since 1913 and the place to go for the housecreation of barbecued shrimp. Its oyster bar serves icy cold, freshly shucked Louisiana oysters and the Italian specialties and steaks are also solid. $$$$

Patois 6078 Laurel St., 895-9441, Uptown, PatoisNola.com. Br Sun, L Fri, D Wed-Sat. The food is French in technique, with influences from across the Mediterranean as well

as the American South, all filtered through the talent of Chef Aaron Burgau (New Orleans Magazine’s Best New Chef 2009). Reservations recommended. $$$

Paul’s Café 100 Pine St., (985) 386-9581, Ponchatoula, PaulsCafe.net. B, L daily. Best known for its strawberry daiquiris, Paul’s also cooks up egg breakfasts and lunches including all manner of sandwiches and poor boys. $ The Pelican Club 312 Exchange Place, 523-1504, French Quarter, PelicanClub.com. D daily. Tucked into a French Quarter alley, Pelican Club 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. $$$$$

PJ’s Coffee Multiple locations throughout Greater New Orleans, PJsCoffee.com. The city’s first iced-coffee spot that pioneered the coffee house experience in New Orleans and introduced us all to velvet ices, drinkable granitas and locally made Ronald Reginald vanilla. A wide assortment of pastries and bagels are offered as well as juices and fresh ground or whole bean coffees. $ Port of Call 838 Esplanade Ave., 523-0120, French Quarter, PortOfCallNola.com. L, D daily. It’s 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. $$

Praline Connection 542 Frenchmen St., 943-3934, Faubourg Marigny, PralineConnection.com. L, D daily. Down-

home dishes of smothered pork chops, greens, beans and cornbread are on the menu at this homey Creole soul restaurant. $$

Ralph Brennan’s Red Fish Grill 115 Bourbon St., 598-1200, French Quarter, RedFishGrill.com. L, D daily. Chef Austin Kirzner cooks up a broad menu peppered with Big Easy favorites like BBQ oysters, blackened redfish and double chocolate bread pudding. $$$$$

Ralph’s On The Park 900 City Park Ave., 488-1000, Mid-City, RalphsOnThePark.com. Br Sun, L Wed-Fri, D daily. A modern interior, a view of City Park’s moss-draped oaks and contemporary Creole dishes such as City Park salad, turtle soup and BBQ Gulf shrimp. The bar gets special notice for cocktails. $$$$

The Red Maple 1036 Lafayette St., 3670935, Gretna, TheRedMaple.com. L Tue-Fri, D Tue-Sat. This West Bank institution since 1963 is known for its seafood, steaks, wine list and some of the best bread pudding around. $$$$

Reginelli’s Pizzeria 741 State St., 8991414, Uptown; 3244 Magazine St., 895-7272, Uptown; 5608 Citrus Blvd., 818-0111, Harahan; 817 W. Esplanade Ave., 7126868, Kenner; 874 Harrison Ave, 488-0133, Lakeview; Reginellis.com. L, D daily. Pizzas, pastas, salads, fat calzones and lofty focaccia sandwiches are on tap at locations all over town. $$

Arnaud’s Remoulade 309 Bourbon St., 523-0377, French Quarter, Remoulade.com. L, D daily. Granite-topped tables and an antique mahogany bar are home to the eclectic menu of Famous Shrimp Arnaud, red beans and rice and poor boys as well as specialty burgers, grilled all-beef hot dogs and thin-crust pizza. $$

René Bistrot 700 Tchoupitoulas St., 613-2350, CBD/Warehouse District, LaCoteBrasserie.com. B, L, D daily. Fresh local seafood, international ingredients and a contemporary atmosphere fill the room at this hotel restaurant near the Convention Center. $$$

Restaurant August 301 Tchoupitoulas St., 299-9777, CBD/Warehouse District, RestaurantAugust.com. L Mon-Fri, D daily. James Beard Award-winning chef (New Orleans Magazine’s Chef of the Year 2007) John Besh’s menu is based on classical techniques of Louisiana cuisine and produce with a splash of Euro flavor set in a historic carriage warehouse. $$$$$

R’Evolution 777 Bienville St., 553-2277, French Quarter, RevolutionNola.com. L, D Mon-Fri, Br, D Sun, open late Fri-Sat. R’evolution is the partnership between chefs John Folse and Rick Tramonto. Located in the Royal Sonesta Hotel, it’s an opulent place that combines the local flavors of chef Folse with the more cosmopolitan influence of chef 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. $$$$$

Ristorante Da Piero 401 Williams Blvd., Kenner, RistoranteDaPiero.com. L Tue-Fri, D Tue-Sat, 469-8585. Homemade pastas and an emphasis on Northern Italian cuisine make this cozy spot in Kenner’s Rivertown a romantic destination. $ Rib Room Omni Royal Orleans Hotel, 621 St. Louis St., 529-7046, French Quarter, OmniHotels.com. B, L, D daily, Br Sun. Old World elegance, high ceilings and views of Royal Street, house classic cocktails and Anthony Spizale’s broad menu of prime

rib, stunning seafood and on weekends, a Champagne Brunch. $$$

Riccobono’s Panola Street Café 7801 Panola St., 314-1810, Garden District. B, L daily. This breakfast spot at the corner of Burdette and Panola streets has been waking up bleary college students for years. The omelets are good, as are the Belgian waffles. Offers daily specials as well. $

Rio Mar 800 S. Peters St., 525-3474, CBD/Warehouse District, RioMarSeafood. com. L Mon-Fri. D Mon-Sat. Seafood-centric Warehouse District destination focuses on Latin American and Spanish cuisines. Try the bacalaitos and the escabeche. The tapas lunch is a great way to try a little of everything. Save room for the Tres Leches, a favorite dessert. New Orleans Magazine’s Chef of the Year 2006. $$$$

Ristorante Filippo 1917 Ridgelake Drive, 835-4008, Metairie. L Mon-Fri, D Tue-Sat. Creole-Italian destination serves up southern Italian specialties bathed in red sauces and cheese alongside New Orleans classics like pan-fried gulf fish and plump shellfish. $$$ River 127 Westin New Orleans Canal Place, 100 Rue Iberville, 566-7006, French Quarter. B, L, D daily. Continental cuisine with Louisiana flare in a dining room that overlooks the Mississippi River and French Quarter. $$$$

Rivershack Tavern 3449 River Road, 8344938, Jefferson, TheRivershackTavern.com. L, D daily. Home of the Tacky Ashtray, this popular bar alongside the Mississippi levee offers surprisingly wide-ranging menu featuring seafood, poor boys and deli-style sandwiches along with live music. Open late. $

Rock-N-Sake 823 Fulton St., 581-7253, CBD/Warehouse District, RockNSake.com. L

Fri, D Tue-Sun. Enjoy fresh sushi along with contemporary takes on Japanese favorites in this club-like setting in the Warehouse District. Open until midnight on Fri. and Sat., this makes for a unique late-night destination. $$$

Root 200 Julia St., 252-9480, CBD, RootNola. com. L Mon-Fri, D Sun-Thur, open late Fri-Sat. Chef Philip Lopez opened Root in November 2011 and has garnered a loyal following for his modernist, eclectic cuisine. Try the Korean fried chicken wings and the Cohiba-smoked scallops crusted with chorizo. $$$$ Royal Blend Coffee and Tea House 621 Royal St., 523-2716, French Quarter; 204 Metairie Road, 835-7779, Metairie; RoyalBlendCoffee.com. B, L daily. Known for their frozen Café Glace and a wide selection of coffees and teas, as well as pastries, daily specials and hearty breakfasts. $

Ruth’s Chris Steak House 3633 Veterans Blvd., 888-3600, Metairie. L Fri, D daily, Br Sat-Sun; 228 Poydras St. in Harrah’s Hotel, 587-7099, L, D daily, Br Sat-Sun; RuthsChris. com. Filet Mignon, creamed spinach and potatoes au gratin are the most popular dishes at this area steak institution, but there are also great seafood choices and top-notch desserts. $$$$$

Sake Café 2830 Magazine St., 894-0033, Uptown, SakeCafeUptown.com. L, D daily. Creative and traditional Japanese food in an ultramodern décor. Sushi and sashimi boats, wild rolls filled with the usual and not-sousual suspects and a nice bar with a number of sakes from which to choose. $$$ Sammy’s Po-Boys and Catering 901 Veterans Blvd., 835-0916, Metairie, SammysPoBoys.com. L Mon-Sat, D Sun.

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T HE M E N U Bucktown transplant offers a seafood-centric menu rounded out with wraps, kid meals, and catering options all at a reasonable price. $

Satsuma Café 3218 Dauphine St., 3045962, Bywater; 7901 Maple St., 309-5557, Uptown; SatsumaCafe.com. B, L daily (until 7 p.m.). Two locations bring healthy, inspired breakfast and lunch fare, along with freshsqueezed juices, to the University Section of Uptown. $ Semolina 4436 Veterans Blvd., Suite 37, Metairie, 454-7930, Semolina.com. L, D daily. This casual, contemporary pasta restaurant takes a bold approach to cooking Italian food, emphasizing flavors, texture and color; many of the dishes feature a signature Louisiana twist, such as the Muffuletta Pasta and Pasta Jambalaya. Popular entrees include Grilled Chicken Alfredo, Chicken Marsala and Veal Parmesan. $$

Serendipity 3700 Orleans Ave. 407-0818, Mid-City, SerendipityNola.com. D nightly. Chef Chris DeBarr brings his eclectic and far-ranging style of cuisine and classicallyinspired cocktails to an outpost in American Can. A late-night option as well. $$

Slice 1513 St. Charles Ave., 525-7437, Uptown; 5538 Magazine St., 897-4800; SlicePizzeria.com. L, D Mon-Sat. Right on the Avenue, order up slices or whole pizza pies done in several styles (thin- and thickcrust) as well as pastas, seafood, paninis and salads. $

Slim Goodies Diner 3322 Magazine St., 891-EGGS (3447). B, L daily. This diner offers

DECEMBER 2012

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DINING GUIDE up an exhaustive menu heavily influenced by local cuisine. Try the Creole Slammer, a breakfast platter rounded out with Crawfish Étouffée. The laid-back vibe is best enjoyed on the patio out back. $

Snug Harbor 626 Frenchman St., 949-0696, Faubourg Marigny, SnugJazz.com. D daily. The city’s premier jazz club serves cocktails and a dining menu loaded with steaks, seafood and meaty burgers served with loaded baked potatoes. $$$$

Stein’s Market and Deli 2207 Magazine St., 527-0771, Uptown, SteinsDeli.net. B, L, D Tue-Sun. New York meets New Orleans. The Reuben and Rachel sandwiches are the real deal and the half-sours and pickled tomatoes complete the deli experience. $

Stella! 1032 Chartres St., 587-0091, French Quarter, RestaurantStella.com. D daily. Global cuisine with a Louisiana blush by native son chef Scott Boswell. Dishes are always inventive and flavorful from appetizer to dessert. The wine list is bold and the service “stellar.” Boswell was New Orleans Magazine’s 2005 Chef of the Year. $$$$$ Sun Ray Grill 619 Pink St., 837-0055, Old Metairie; 1051 Annunciation St., 566-0021, CBD/Warehouse District; 2600 Belle Chasse Highway, 391-0053, Gretna; 2424 Williams Blvd., Kenner, 305-4704; SunRayGrill. com. L, D Mon-Sun. This local chain offers a globally influenced menu with burgers, steaks, sesame crusted tuna, sandwiches and salads. $$

Surrey’s Café and Juice Bar 1418

Magazine St., 524-3828, Coliseum Square; 4807 Magazine St., 895-5757, Uptown; SurreysCafeAndJuiceBar.com. B, L daily. Laid-back café focuses on breakfast and brunch dishes to accompany fresh-squeezed juice offerings. Health-food lovers will like it here, along with fans of favorites such as peanut butter and banana pancakes. Note: Cash only. $$

Tan Dinh 1705 Lafayette St., 361-8008, Gretna. B, L, D Wed-Mon. Roasted quail and the beef pho rule at this Vietnamese outpost. $$

Theo’s Pizza 4218 Magazine St., 894-8554, Uptown; 4024 Canal, 302-1133, Mid-City; TheosPizza.com. L, D daily. The thin, crackercrisp crust pizzas are complemented by the broad assortment of toppings which include a lot of local ingredients. Cheap prices make this an economical choice along upscale Magazine Street and a delicious choice in Mid-City. $$ Three Muses 536 Frenchmen St., 298-8746, Marigny, TheThreeMuses.com. D Sun-Mon, Wed, Fri-Sat. Three Muses is a bar-restaurant serving the eclectic cuisine of chef Daniel Esses. The menu changes, but expect Esses’ take on Italian, Spanish, North African and Korean cooking. Local bands provide music on a regular basis. $ Tommy’s Cuisine 746 Tchoupitoulas St., 581-1103, CBD/Warehouse, TommysNewOrleans.com. D daily. Classic Creole-Italian cuisine is the name of the game at this upscale eatery in the Warehouse

District. Appetizers include the namesake Oysters Tommy, baked in the shell with Romano cheese, pancetta and roasted red pepper. $$$$$

Tony Angello’s 6262 Fleur de Lis Drive, 488-0888. Lakeview. D, Tue-Sat. Creole-Italian favorite serves up fare in the completely restored Lakeview location. Ask Tony to “Feed Me” if you want a real multi-course dining experience. $$$$ Tout de Suite Cafe 347 Verret St., 3622264, Algiers. B, L, D daily. Neighborhood coffeehouse/café in historic Algiers Point offers a light menu of soups, salads and sandwiches for a quick meal or carryout. $$

Tracey’s Irish Restaurant & Bar 2604 Magazine St., 897-5413, TraeysNola.com, Uptown. L, D daily. A neighborhood bar with one of the best messy roast beef poor boys in town. The gumbo, cheeseburger poor boy and other sandwiches are also winners. Grab a local Abita beer to wash it all down. Also a great location to watch “the game.” $ Trey Yuen 600 N. Causeway Blvd., (985) 626-4476, Mandeville, TreyYuen.com. L Tue-Fri & Sun, D Tue-Sun. Chinese cuisine meets with local seafood in dishes like their Szechuan Spicy Alligator and Tong Cho Crawfish; private rooms available. $$

Tujague’s 823 Decatur St., 525-8676, French Quarter, TujaguesRestaurant.com. D daily. For more than 150 years this landmark restaurant has been offering Creole cuisine. Favorites include a nightly six-course table

d’hôté menu featuring a unique Beef Brisket with Creole Sauce. New Orleans Magazine’s Honor Roll honoree 2008. $$$$$

Upperline 1413 Upperline St., 891-9822, Uptown, Upperline.com. D Wed-Sun. Consummate hostess JoAnn Clevenger and talented Chef Nathan Winowich make for a winning combination at this nationally heralded Uptown favorite. The oft-copied Fried Green Tomatoes with Shrimp Remoulade originated here. $$$$

Vega Tapas Café 2051 Metairie Road, 8362007, Metairie. D daily. Innovative establishment offers fresh seafood, grilled meats and vegetarian dishes in a chic environment. Daily chef specials showcase unique ingredients and make this place a popular destination for dates as well as groups of friends. $$

Venezia 134 N. Carrollton Ave., 488-7991, Mid-City. L Wed-Fri & Sun, D Wed-Sun. Casual neighborhood Italian destination known for its thin-crust pizzas. Good lunch specials make this a popular choice as well. $$

Vincent’s Italian Cuisine 4411 Chastant St., 885-2984, Metairie, L Tue-Fri, D Tue-Sat; 7839 St. Charles Ave., 866-9313, Uptown. L Tue-Fri, D Mon-Sun; VicentsItalianCuisine. com. Snug Italian boîte packs them in yet manages to remain intimate at the same time. The cannelloni is a house specialty. $$$ Wolfe’s 1041 Dumaine St., 593-9535, French Quarter. L Fri, D Tue-Sat. Chef Tom Wolfe has reinvented the former Peristyle, opening up the doors for full expression of his inventive, contemporary New Orleans cuisine. The menu changes seasonally. Complimentary valet. $$$

Wolfe’s in the Warehouse 859

Convention Center Blvd., 613-2882, CBD/ Warehouse District. B, L, D daily. Chef Tom Wolfe brings his refined cuisine to the booming Fulton Street corridor. His Smoked Kobe Short Ribs are a good choice. $$$

Ye Olde College Inn 3000 S. Carrollton Ave., 866-3683, Uptown, CollegeInn1933. com. D Tue-Sat. The Carrollton institution moved next door into brand-new digs but serves up the same classic fare, albeit with a few new upscale dishes peppering the menu. $$$ Yuki Izakaya 525 Frenchmen St., 9431122, Marignuy. D Tue-Sun. Authentic Japanese Izakaya serves small plates to late-night crowds at this unique destination on Frenchmen. Try the Hokke Fish or the Agedashi Tofu. An excellent sake menu rounds out the appeal, as does the sexy, clublike ambiance. $ Zea’s Rotisserie and Bar 1525 St. Charles Ave., Lower Garden District, 5208100; 1655 Hickory Ave, Harahan, 738-0799; 4450 Veterans Memorial Blvd., Metairie, 780-9090; 1325 West Esplanade, Kenner, 468-7733; 1121 Manhattan Blvd., Harvey, 361-8293; 110 Lake Drive, Covington, (985) 327-0520, ZeaRestaurants.com. L, D daily. This popular restaurant serves a variety of grilled items as well as appetizers, salads, side dishes, seafood, pasta and other entrées, drawing from a wide range of worldly influences. Zea’s also offers catering services. $$$

Antoine’s Annex 513 Royal St., 525-8045, French Quarter, Antoines.com/AntoinesAnnex. Around the corner from the oldest continuously operated restaurant in the country, Antoine’s Annex serves French pastries, including individual baked Alaskas, ice cream and gelato, as well as panini, salads and coffee. They also deliver.

Bee Sweet Cupcakes 5706 Magazine St., 891-8333, Uptown, BeeSweetCupcakes.net. Open Mon-Sat. Tiny shop sells its namesake treats with a New Orleans twist. Try the Bananas Foster or the Pralines and Cream flavors. Daily specials are offered, as well as catering orders for weddings and parties.

Bittersweet Confections 725 Magazine St., 523-2626, Warehouse District, BittersweetConfections.com. Freshly baked cookies, cupcakes and specialty cakes. Serving handmade chocolate truffles, fudge, caramels, gelato, ice coffee, chocolate-dipped strawberries and fresh squeezed lemonade. Children’s birthday parties, chocolate tasting parties, custom chocolates and truffle party bar. Call for details.

Blue Dot Donuts 4301 Canal St., 2184866, Mid-City, BlueDotDonuts.com. B, L daily. Heard the one about the cops that opened a donut shop? This is no joke. 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.

Zoë Restaurant W New Orleans Hotel,

Blue Frog Chocolates 5707 Magazine

333 Poydras St., 2nd Floor, 207-5018, ZoeNewOrleans.com. B, L, D daily, L Mon-Sat. Completely redone in both décor and cuisine, each restaurant features a separate menu by executive chef Chris Brown. $$$

St., 269-5707, Uptown, BlueFrogChocolate. com. French and Belgian chocolate truffles and Italian candy flowers make this boutique a great place for gifts.

SPECIALTY FOODS

com. Located in the second floor of a renovated warehouse, above Cochon and Cochon Butcher, is a place to host gatherings both large and small. Catering menus feature modern Louisiana cooking and the Cajun cuisine for which chef Donald Link is justifiably famous.

Gambino’s Bakery Multiple locations. 8857500, Gambinos.com. This local bakery chain has become part of the fabric of New Orleans. Famous for its Doberge cakes, King Cakes, red velvet cakes, icing-enrobed petite fours, Italian cookies and pastries. Nationwide shipping is available.

Magic Seasonings Mail Order (800) 457- 2857. Offers Chef Paul Prudhomme’s famous cookbooks, smoked meats, videos, seasonings and more. Online shopping available at shop.ChefPaul.com.

St. James Cheese Company 5004 Prytania St., 899-4737, Uptown, StJamesCheese.com. Specialty shop offers a selection of fine cheeses, wines, beers and related accouterments. Look for wine and cheese specials every Friday.

Sucré 3025 Magazine St., 520-8311; 3301 Veterans Blvd., 834-2277; ShopSucre. com. Desserts nightly. Open late weekends. Chocolates, pastry and gelato draw rave reviews at this new dessert destination. Beautiful packaging makes this a great place to shop for gifts. Catering available.

Calcasieu 930 Tchoupitoulas St., 5882188, Warehouse District, CalcasieuRooms.

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myneworleans.com

DECEMBER 2012

BEST OF DINING2012 Top Places, People and Discoveries

So this guy is looking at a menu and asks the waiter, “What is the soup du jour?” “How should I know?” the waiter responds. “They change it every day.” We expect, and get, more from our restaurant professionals in a town where the dining industry is a passion as well as an economic development tool. On any day our range of soups could include not only the regular fare but also dark-rouxed gumbos or savory bisques. What does change every day is restaurants’ news. For that, the flow is steady and the challenges many, as we continue to look for the best in an everchanging industry. Each year our restaurant writing staff huddles in a closed conference room to discuss the best of dining for the past 12 months. As always, the choices are many. Those who we select are all certifiably excellent, but we know that there are other worthy choices out there, too. That is why year after year we keep looking – because there are always new pots to be stirred.

CHEF OF THE

YEAR

Alon Shaya Food as happiness W he n A l o n S ha y a was

7 years old, his grandparents came over from Israel to spend the summer with him in Philadelphia. “The whole time, my grandmother was in the kitchen, cooking up a storm,” he recalls. “I’d open the front door and this aroma would hit me in the face. And I remember not so much being excited about the food, as I was excited that she was there. Ever since, I’ve associated food with togetherness and just being happy.” Shaya began working in restaurants when he was 14. As chance would have it, his first employers were Italian. He felt innately comfortable around that food, as it shared some similarities with the Israeli food he grew up with, ingredients like olives, goat cheese and roasted eggplant. And while he didn’t consciously set out to cook Italian, this confluence of family and serendipity laid the groundwork for what would later become Domenica. Domenica has enjoyed praise from the get-go, but it has leveled up in the past year. Early press brought John Besh’s name to the fore, but now it is all about Shaya – and with good reason. A combination of practical

GREG MILES PHOTOGRAPH

business sense – Shaya has leveraged the popularity of his Neapolitan-style pizzas to include a delivery service and a broader array of offerings – is one reason. But a bigger reason is that his tech-

nical ability and his personal expressiveness have come into harmony with his dishes, which are turned out by a focused and highly attenuated staff. “We all really know each other well – a lot of them

have been here since day one,” Shaya says of his crew. “Things just flow.” Domenica’s genesis and more recent evolution is the product of two significant journeys. The first, the

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DECEMBER 2012

cornerstone, was Shaya’s extended stint in Italy in 2007 leading up to the opening, where he absorbed Italian cuisine from both technical and cultural perspectives. The second was a trip to Israel a year and a half ago as a guest of the Jewish Federation of New Orleans, where he cooked for a number of charity events as well as a Shabbat dinner, culminating with a meal for Israeli troops in the Golan Heights. “That trip just really moved me and just gave me a flashback to my childhood,” he says. Shaya came back inspired, and influences began to appear on the menu at Domenica shortly thereafter. The cavernous room is carved out of the Old World opulence of the Roosevelt Hotel. It contrasts with the rustic feel of paper placemat menus and glasses made from recycled wine bottles. It is clearly a sophisticated place, but it makes an effort to keep itself grounded. Light dishes, such as Shaya’s tender Octopus Carpaccio, exist alongside showier set pieces, such as a whole roasted cauliflower dressed with sea-salt and whipped goat cheese. An earthy tagliatelle with rabbit and porcini mushrooms warms like a hug. But despite the assortment of choices, a diner here could be utterly satisfied without getting past the charcuterie plate. Among the house-cured meats is a garnet-hued bresaola, and for spreads there’s a particularly silky duck liver pâté enhanced with Moscato. The prosciutto moves so fast that they import it from Italy, but all other items are made in-house. It isn’t just the meats, though – cheeses add another dimension, like a surprisingly mild blue from Sardegna and a sharp pecorino. The accompaniments include, lately, a pickled fennel along with warmed olives and Shaya’s addictive mostarda made with candied fruits underscored with sharp mustard. “That’s the way I like to eat,” Shaya says. “Mix and match like 30 different flavors all off the same platter.” A tip from Shaya – drape a ribbon of shaved lardo over his torta fritta. The heat from the savory beignet causes the lard to meld into the pastry, doubling-down the goodness. Israeli influences can be seen in a new pizza featuring puréed eggplant first roasted under the cherry-red coals of his woodburning oven. Topped with extra-virgin olive oil, goat cheese and tomatoes, it gets finished with tahini. “Now there is nothing Italian about tahini, but the flavors on the pizza really come together,” he says. Most notably though, these influences aren’t fusion; they’re expression. Domenica is and always will be Italian. But Domenica now speaks more pointedly with Shaya’s voice. “Of course I have to balance it because we are an Italian restaurant, and people are expecting Italian,” he points out. “Southern cuisine plays just as much of a role in that as well. So you’ll see the menu now as compared when we opened three years ago as still holding onto this Italian backbone but with these hints of Israeli and Southern low-country coming through.” It has been a big year both professionally and personally for Shaya, who got married in March. When not busy at Domenica, he enjoys entertaining at home. While on honeymoon in Barcelona, he bought a paella pan, which figures in his home cooking along with a Big Green Egg smoker. He likes shopping at Hong Kong Market on the West Bank, and is also a fan of Ideal Market on Broad and Banks streets in Mid-City, where he goes for tortillas and fresh salsas. “I hit the farmers markets’ for proteins. I get Bayou Farm’s chicken for the smoker and goat from Bill Ryals. I cook Italian all day long at Domenica, so I like to mix it up at home.” In this way, Shaya remains connected to the boy in the kitchen at summertime. “I roast bell peppers over the open flame on my gas stove just like my grandmother did,” he says. “And now whenever I roast a bell pepper like that, I think of her.”– J a y F o r m a n Domenica, 123 Baronne St., 648-6020, DomenicaRestaurant.com 88

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RESTAURANT YEAR OF THE

Restaurant R’evolution A new order in dining W he n A l fred G roos

returned to New Orleans in April 2006 to take the position of general manager at the Royal Sonesta Hotel, he brought a vision for the property. Groos had been the director of food and beverage at the hotel before pursuing other opportunities, and he had a sense that the hotel could be more than it was. He wanted to make every aspect of the hotel match the building’s beautiful architectural elements, so that guests would have a truly authentic New Orleans experience. His first step was to open Irvin Mayfield’s Jazz Playhouse, making the hotel a destination for New Orleans’ indigenous music. He then opened a PJ’s Coffee Café in the hotel’s lobby; another hometown staple. His most significant contribution, however, was to dramatically change the hotel’s dining scene. In 2010, chefs John Folse and Rick Tramonto first announced their partnership and their plans to open Restaurant R’evolution in the Royal Sonesta. It seemed an odd pairing at the time, but R’evolution, which debuted in June of this year, is the most important restaurant to open in New Orleans in the last decade, if not longer. Chef John Folse is a native of Louisiana. He was born in St. James Parish in 1946, and his flagship restaurant, Lafitte’s Landing, made him a name both locally and nationwide.

Folse is an evangelist for Louisiana cuisine and has taken rustic cooking to new levels of sophistication. Chef Rick Tramonto was born in New York, and began his career in the restaurant industry out of necessity. He left high school in 1977 to work at a Wendy’s OldFashioned Hamburger chain, but thereafter his resumé includes stints at some of the best restaurants in the country, including Tavern on the Green; Gotham Bar & Grill; Aurora; Trio; and ultimately the restaurant for which he is best known, Tru. These two chefs don’t obviously go together, but then again they almost certainly called the person who came up with the peanut butter and jelly sandwich insane, so there you go. In retrospect, it’s a brilliant pairing for a restaurant that aims to both pay homage to and reinvent classic Creole and Cajun cooking. That homage starts in the restaurant’s décor. Wood in the bar is stained with indigo, and an entire glass-encased wall displays some of chef Folse’s culinary antiques. There is an etched glass panel between the bar and a dining room with a mural depicting the seven nations that have influenced Louisiana cooking provides a classic recipe for Creole turtle soup. Pocket doors slide out to divide the various dining spaces, and the service is as attentive as at any of the city’s finest establish-

From left: chef Rick Tramonto, general manager Alfred Groos, chef John Folse

ments. The attention to detail doesn’t stop there. The china is Limoges, the stemware is by Riedel and hand-blown glass ornaments grace every table. The restaurant was designed by the Johnson Studio, with whom chef Tramonto had worked in the past, and from the beginning there was a focus on New Orleans. Chef Folse took the architects around New Orleans and the surrounding region, pointing out elements he felt were important. Many, like the pocket doors, ended up in the restaurant’s final build-out. But while the restaurant’s physical space, décor and service are noteworthy, it’s the food that prompted us to name Restaurant R’evolution the Restaurant of the Year for 2012. R’evolution has one of the larger and more diverse menus in the city. It is an amalgam of the food that chefs Folse and Tramonto are famous for cook-

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ing and, at its best, it achieves a harmony that surpasses their individual output. Creole snapping turtle soup is served with deviled quail eggs and garnished with madeira. Corn and crab soup is transformed into a cappuccino flavored with black truffle, and frog legs stuffed with crabmeat are flavored with fennel and saffron. The restaurant has a serious charcuterie service as well, and the curing meats and sausages can be seen in the Market Room, where diners can sit at a table made from cypress pulled from a local swamp and eat while watching cooks man the grills and wood-burning oven that comprise only a small part of the massive kitchens. Chef Tramonto’s influence is perhaps most noticeable in the caviar selections, which include whitefish and salmon roes, wasabi tobiko, traditional garnishes and a choice of

black caviars from the United States, Germany and Israel, with a combination of them all topping out at $200. Did I mention that this is the kind of restaurant where the wine list is presented to diners on iPads? Pastas are another area where chef Tramonto’s hand is most evident. Linguine with Manilla clams, garlic, thyme and chile oil; rigatoni with Roman-style ragu, tomatoes, olives and ricotta; and bucatini with shrimp fra diavolo with fennel, Calabrian chiles and fried mint are some of the options. Chef Folse’s cooking is more evident in dishes such as the crawfish-stuffed flounder Napoleon served with an artichoke and oyster stew and fried crawfish boulettes, and the tryptich of quail, which features the game bird fried, boudin-stuffed and glazed with absinthe. There is far too much to the menu for this piece to be com-

prehensive. Suffice to say that there’s a great deal of variety, and there’s likely something to meet just about anyone’s taste. What is amazing is that the restaurant seems able, at least at this junction, to pull off this varied menu. There is a sense when you enter R’evolution that you’re in a serious restaurant, albeit one with the relaxed atmosphere you’d expect in New Orleans. The amount of money spent on this restaurant is, if not immediately evident when you walk in the door, obvious by the time you walk out. It wasn’t money spent frivolously; everything in this place is clearly there by design. It is because of that attention to detail that we’re proud to name Restaurant R’evolution our Restaurant of the Year for 2012. – RO B E R T P E Y T ON Restaurant R’evolution, Royal Sonesta Hotel, 777 Bienville St., 553-2277, RevolutionNola.com

myneworleans.com

DECEMBER 2012

JoAnn Clevenger A swirl of people I n l ate A ugust , J o A n n

Clevenger was bunkered down at her “hurricane house” in Mississippi waiting out Hurricane Isaac, when a friend called to give her the news. “JoAnn, it’s raining inside Upperline,” he said. Clevenger’s stomach

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want to bring it in. So I talked to New York and told them I would pay the rent on the storage for it, and they said OK.” Along with the stout, she also brought in the Sunday New York Times, which was nearly impossible to find in New Orleans back then. The hooks were baited and people came. The Abbey was a hit, especially with media types. Clevenger’s stories could fill volumes, with other jobs that include running a fleet of flower carts before being sued by the state for operating without a florist’s license. So when she opened Upperline in 1982, it was primed to be an interesting place It has lived up to that promise. Other than Isaac, the most recent storm to beset it was finding a replacement for her longtime chef Ken Smith, who left in 2010. Clevenger cycled through a few chefs, none of whom clicked, until a friend helped her rethink the interview process. It was then that she found Dave Bridges, who came on in September. While the menu retains many of the defining legacy dishes, such as the Fried Green Tomato with Shrimp Remoulade, Bridges has added an infusion of new ideas and contemporary twists. This includes a recent play on muffulettas, featuring sautéed veal sweetbreads plated with burrata and finished with olive salad, as well as an inventive Ya Ka Mein featuring foie gras. At Upperline, guests will find Clevenger’s passions served with gregarious hospitality. “You see how good New Orleans has been to me?” she says. “Every city has interesting people ... In the 19th century, the people who didn’t fit in came here. The black sheep. The creative ones. And this swirl of people still dances on today. Aren’t we all just so lucky to be a part of it?”

– J.F.

Upperline, 1413 Upperline St., 891-9822, Upperline.com

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HONOR ROLL

dropped. The Times-Picayune had just awarded her restaurant four beans. Now a hurricane had peeled her roof back like the lid on a tin of sardines. The office on the second floor flooded, causing the ceiling in the dining room below to collapse. For most people, it would have been devastating. “At one moment I was high on the review, and then the next I was way down here,” Clevenger says. “But that’s life, right? Highs and lows. It really has been a roller coaster all these years.” In January, Upperline will turn 30. Few restaurants are as closely associated with the personality of their owner. An energetic spitfire in a bun and glasses, Clevenger holds court in the rambling yellow townhouse that over the decades has collected as many accolades as it has paintings. Popular locally and nationally, it straddles a unique spot at a literary, culinary and artistic crossroad. These characteristics also define Clevenger. A voracious reader,

Clevenger grew up the daughter of Louisiana sharecroppers. Early on, she found her escape through cookbooks and magazines. The colorful photos of artfully arranged party foods enraptured her, taking her to places she couldn’t have otherwise imagined. While in high school, her mother became seriously ill and was brought to Charity Hospital. Clevenger came along to care for her. Her mother passed away a year and a half later, and Clevenger stayed in New Orleans. An intelligent and bookish young woman, she finished high school here and then entered Tulane University on scholarship, but found it not to her taste. She was soon drawn into the vibrant cultural scene of the French Quarter of the late 1950s and ’60s. The French Quarter back then was a far different animal. “You could go to the poultry market on Decatur Street and buy a duck. They’d take the feathers off right there,” Clevenger recalls. Possessing an uncommon combination of bohemian energy and business savvy, she began her entrepreneurial career with a bar tucked into a carriageway on Bourbon Street. Called Andy’s, the cover charge was a quarter and it soon attracted the likes of Ritchie Havens. “It was a wonderful time,” she says. “We made absolutely no money.” After Andy’s, Clevenger sniffed out a big break. “An ex-Filipino yo-yo champion owned the lease on this bar,” she says, managing this statement with a straight face. “I bought it and it became The Abbey.” People thought she was crazy, because Decatur Street at the time was a backwater. But she dressed it up with stained glass and, in a distributing coup, began selling Guinness on tap. “Nobody in the southeast U.S. had it at the time,” she says, laughing. “Local distributors didn’t

RESTAURATEURS YEAR OF THE

Ti Martin and Lally Brennan Adventures of “The Cocktail Chicks”

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I am n ot sure there ’ s a n other cit y i n A merica

where a story about the Restaurateurs of the Year starts out in a cocktail direction. OK, you’re right; there isn’t another place like this. And two of the reasons that’s so are cousins, Ti Martin and Lally Brennan. Ti and Lally, third-generation Brennans in our village’s hospitality industry, are to-the-core true New Orleanians. They possess a royal blood line mainlined to our food culture, and they’re keepers of the flame of the New Orleans lifestyle. Notably, they operate three prime dining destination restaurants, Commander’s Palace, Café Adelaide and SoBou, all featuring dishes that define our community heritage. Oh, and it needs to be mentioned that they love to have a good time. These self-proclaimed “Cocktail Chicks” only want to be around people who are like-minded about enjoying life to the max, which takes in about 98 percent of our population and 100 percent of our visitors. “We grew up around New Orleans food and entertaining,” Lally notes with a smile. “From the time we were very young, we have been around food and drinks, and our families knew the joy of sharing these pleasures with many friends.” Ti adds, “Aunt Adelaide was a larger-than-life New Orleans personality. She was a major presence in any room she occupied. Usually she wore a swizzle stick necklace that she used often for its intended purpose of stirring her drink. Mom [Ella Brennan] also played a big role in my life when it came to cuisine and managing a restaurant.” There cannot be better teachers for learning about culinary and beverages along with restaurant operations than previous generations of Brennans. Case in point is Commander’s Palace, one of the true grande dames of legendary American restaurants. Under Ti and Lally’s watch for the past 30 years, the restaurant not only has continued its excellence, it has also enhanced its vaunted position as a defining star-presence in America’s culinary firmament. Lally is fond of telling the story that when they began the work for the Commander’s Palace Cookbook, a perennial bestseller, the first chapter was about cocktails. “Our publisher wanted to have a meeting to explain to us that a cookbook from a fine dining restaurant wasn’t about beverages. For us, we never even considered any other approach.” Check out pg. 1 of the book. The one marked, “Drinks.” Then there’s Café Adelaide, fronted by the Swizzle Stick Bar. The challenge was to create a restaurant for New Orleanians in the transient atmosphere of Loews Hotel. Leading with a cocktailcentered effort, and then moving the guest into a Creole dining experience, Café Adelaide would be the kind of place in which the namesake would love to hang out.

“We refer to Café Adelaide as ‘Commander’s Lite,’” Martin playfully notes. “It’s been a wonderful success, and every night there’s the most amazing group of local people mingling with visitors from all over the world, coming together to enjoy mixologist Lu Brow’s special creations, some traditional and others are a bit more out there. “Aunt Adelaide’s favorite expression was that she was ‘eating, drinking and carrying-on.’ That phrase was always in our mind when designing the menus for food, wine and cocktails at her namesake establishment.” Establishing a beachhead in this city’s most-famous neighborhood, in 2012 the Cocktail Chicks opened SoBou on Chartres Street, bringing to the fore new skills at providing quite casual dining, and again using adult beverages as an important come-hither to eat, stick-around to drink, or vice versa, experience. “If you look at the (French) Quarter, it’s divided into Upper and Lower, but the north-south quadrants don’t have a name. Yes, we understand that New Orleanians don’t care about or identify with compass points, but maybe this part of the Quarter will become known as South of Bourbon. SoBou seems right to us,” Martin said, with some hope that the designation would catch on. What will catch on is the small-plate menu, playfully built on Creole and Cajun cuisines, alongside fun cocktails, such as the Rum Dum Dum and Dale’s Daiquiri, concocted by a new New Orleanian, Abigail Gullo, whom Ti and Lally imported from New York and is already accepted as a full-fledged local. Ti and Lally will relate when asked that their “brain trust” of chefs, mixologists, wine experts and servers are the team that really makes it all work. Yes, that’s true to a certain extent. It honestly starts at the top, with the Cocktail Chicks, then ends up on the table or bar with you. – T i m M c N a l l y

Commander’s Palace, 1403 Washington Ave., 899-8221, CommandersPalace.com; Café Adelaide, 300 Poydras St. 595-3305, CafeAdelaide.com, SoBou, 310 Chartres St., 552-4095, SoBouNola.com

Ti Martin (standing) and Lally Brennan

myneworleans.com

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restaurant like Bella Luna was both lucrative and fulfilling. The way he looked at it, he was being paid to socialize and hang out with friends. Hurricane Katrina put an end to Bella Luna, and after taking some time away from the industry, Ortiz applied for a job at August. He was hired, and ended up working for chef John Besh at August, Lüke and La Provence. Ortiz says that he learned a great deal about customer service and attention to detail from

for food. He told me, “Horst always forced us to try everything, so it was a good learning experience. It was the foundation for my current food knowledge.” Though he had planned to go to law school after college, he discovered that working in a

Besh. “With both of them it was about going the extra mile,” he told me. It was while working for Besh that Ortiz met chef Phillip Lopez, with whom he’s currently working at Root and the upcoming Square Root. Both Ortiz and Lopez were helping

Maximilian Ortiz Passion of a saint Let us get this out of

the way up front. Maximilian Ortiz of Root attends most Saints games in face paint and attire modeled after the Star Wars character Darth Maul. I assume that if you’re reading this magazine, you’re a fan of the Saints. I am a fan of the Saints as well, and have been for all of my 43 years. Ortiz isn’t like us; he is a fanatic. I mention this at the start of this piece because it’s an important part of his public persona, but if all you know about Ortiz is that he goes to Saints games dressed as Darth Saint, you don’t really know him. I met Ortiz when he was working at Restaurant August. My first impression was that he was a friendly, enthusiastic guy who knew a hell of a lot about wine. That was several years ago, but my impression hasn’t changed much. He is still friendly, he’s still enthusiastic and he still knows a hell of a lot about wine. The things that struck me about

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with chef Besh’s efforts to feed first responders after Katrina when they met. Ortiz remembers the time as being incredibly busy, as chef Besh was one of the first restaurateurs to re-open after the storm. Later Ortiz and Lopez worked again at Rambla, the now-closed restaurant in the International House Hotel, and it was while there that they decided to open their own place. That restaurant, Root, opened in November 2011. It has been wildly successful, and Ortiz and Lopez have an even more ambitious restaurant, Square Root, slated to open early in 2013. Theirs has been a productive partnership, based on mutual respect and friendship. I opened this article with a mention of Ortiz’s Saints fanaticism because it’s in contrast to his demeanor on the job. When he’s working, Ortiz is relaxed. He is ready to suggest a wine pairing or explain a menu item. If he doesn’t know the answer to a question immediately, he’s got the selfconfidence to say so and then go get it. I have watched him run pre-service meetings, and I’ve watched him deal with difficult customers. He is unflappable in an industry where chaos is the norm. Above all, Ortiz knows that his business is about giving diners a good experience, and he takes that responsibility seriously. I think I’m a pretty good judge of people, and I honestly believe him when he tells me that he enjoys what he does. There is no doubt it’s work; his girlfriend once told me that she takes occasional shifts at the restaurant because she feels like it’s the only time she gets to see him, but such are the sacrifices one makes for one’s passion. And it’s a passion for Maximilian Ortiz. That is why he’s our honoree for Maître d’ of the Year 2012. – R . P .

Root, 200 Julia St., 252-9480, RootNola.com

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MAÎTRE

Ortiz when I first met him are the same things that led us to name him Maître d’ of the Year 2012. Ortiz graduated from Jesuit High School in 1996, and he started working in restaurants while attending Loyola University. When his roommate and current business partner Nick Shay got a job at Bella Luna, Ortiz soon followed. There he worked under Horst Pfeiffer, whom Ortiz credits for his understanding and passion

MIXOLOGIST OF THE YEAR

Kirk Estopinal

Kohnke, who were putting together a bar the likes of which New Orleans had never seen. To be called Cure, it was the bar New Orleans deserved, they all thought, and it was going to be on Freret Street. At the time, nothing of note was there; all the businesses had abandoned the thoroughfare. But Freret Street still carried a lot of traffic heading Uptown and downtown. Cure opened, and so did eyes. It was a true oasis among a lot of boarded up

Orleans bar in its soul.” It was also a grand success, garnering national attention both in travel publications and in trade magazines. Then another funny thing happened: Freret Street came alive. More businesses opened up, investments were made and customers came in droves. The great success of Cure caused the team to seriously consider an offer from a hotel investment group to put a bar in the new Hotel Modern on

buildings. But it was cool – very, very cool. Estopinal says, “I really hate it when people say we’re a New York bar. Cure isn’t that at all. It is a New Orleans bar, done by New Orleanians, in a style that we have never enjoyed before. But it’s a New

Lee Circle. That bar, Bellocq, named after the New Orleans photographer who chronicled life in Storyville, is another great expression of what New Orleans is and was all about. Bellocq is nothing like Cure, but it is local. Now comes the opportunity

Raising the bar

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A fter H urrica n e

Katrina, Kirk Estopinal had to leave this city and ended up in Chicago. He was happy to find any work he could. But returning home was never far from his thoughts. He was doing pretty well in the Windy City and soon tried something new: working behind the bar instead of waiting tables and managing a restaurant. He loved it – everything about it. The people he met were interesting; he was able to learn a new craft; he enjoyed creating new drinks; and he liked the additional income. He even thought Chicago was a cool town, which it is, except when it was a cold town. At those moments, and there were quite a few, his thoughts returned to the semi-tropical clime of his hometown. In 2008, he came home – this time to stay. He planned his return to coincide with the Tales of the Cocktail festival in July, hoping to find a couple of spirited people who could hire him. Turns out this was one part of his plan where he underestimated the new cando spirit in New Orleans. He found a lot of folks ready to put him to work. He met a few guys, notably Neal Bodenheimer and Matt

Cure, 4905 Freret St., 302-2357, CureNola.com; Bellocq, The Hotel Modern, 936 St. Charles Ave., 962-0911, TheHotelModern. com/Bellocq; Perestroika, 1113 Decatur St., 581-1112

to pursue a bar in the Lower Decatur Street area of the French Quarter. There is a rework going on there and Pravda, the vodka bar, is now Perestroika, the rum bar. “We thought a rum bar, along the lines of what Old Havana offered, would fit very well in that neighborhood,” Estopinal explains. With the different styles of bars, in different sections of town, each with a unique focus on its menus, the guys can provide employment in the right slot to the right people. “Maybe someone would be a better fit into Bellocq than Cure or Perestroika; well, we can do that. It opens up some great possibilities for serious professionals who want to make a mark in this business. We aren’t interested in people who are just passing through. We are all dedicated to an extraordinary level of quality and service,” he says emphatically. Are they done yet? Not by a long shot. They have other concepts and aspirations that are going to be realized. These guys are serious about their craft and their business. New Orleans after Katrina is a different town than before the storm. But at its core, it’s the same place culturally. That is the important part. New business leaders, talented at what they do and aspirational, are fueling some pretty amazing projects. Kirk Estopinal is a New Orleans mixologist, creating something entirely new, but in the footsteps of this town’s greatest bartenders, like the legendary Henry C. Ramos. By the way, when you see Estopinal, congratulate him on his brand-new baby boy. Estopinal’s wife, Melanie, is also from New Orleans, and the young man’s name is Rex. Nice of the family to write the perfect ending to this tale, which is also a great beginning. – T.M.

myneworleans.com

DECEMBER 2012

START-UP YEAR French Truck Coffee

A whi l e back , G eoffre y

Meeker’s cousin, who worked at Chez Panisse, came to visit. She brought some freshly roasted coffee from California OF for him to try. Upon tasting it, THE Meeker had an epiphany. “I couldn’t believe the difference between that and every other cup of coffee I’d ever had,” he recalls. His cousin left, promising to send more. But when the next shipment arrived after its long journey by mail, it wasn’t the same. “I suddenly realized that roasted coffee is really a lot like baked goods, and that freshness really matters,” Meeker says. “I saw there was a big disconnect between the process of roasting coffee and its consumer.” No stranger to the restaurant business – Meeker is the former Food and Beverage director of the W Hotel on Poydras Street, as well as a graduate of the New England Culinary Institute – he also saw an opportunity. The result is French Truck Coffee, a local micro-roaster with an online-ordering portal that’s elevating the quality of coffee in New Orleans. Perhaps you’ve seen him around town in his eye-catching canary-yellow 1975 Citroen, making deliveries to retail outlets such as St. James Cheese as well as to residential customers. Meeker works with a green broker, buying his beans directly off the docks. He then roasts them to order in his 5-kilo roaster. “The small roaster gives me a lot of flexibility,” Meeker says. “If you’re cooking in small batches you have better control and the

Little. Yellow. Different.

John Keife and Jim Yonkus, co-proprietors

result is a more nuanced flavor and better product.” He offers a variety of drip and espresso-roast coffees. Singleorigin beans, currently in vogue, allow drinkers to isolate the nuances of a specific region. Ethiopian Harrar, for example, has a distinct note of blueberries, while Guatemalan puts forth a whiff of dark chocolate. Specialty coffees like these are best enjoyed in single-cup pour-over method. No special equipment is necessary; the most important thing is to grind the coffee and brew it immediately. Freshness really matters; the closer to its roasting, the better the brew. By the time this issue hits the stands, Meeker will have relocated from the Carrollton area to a new space on Erato Street, giving him a centralized location as well as a place for customers to grab a cup of coffee and to observe the roasting process. Also, check out his website where you can buy beans that will be roasted to order and delivered to your doorstep by the signature little yellow truck. – J . F . French Truck Coffee, 1020 Erato St., 298-1115, FrenchTruckCoffee.com

WINE SHOP YEAR OF THE

Keife & Co. A continental approach H ow far is it from the

bayou to the River Seine? Or from the Atchafalaya to the Danube? Not as far as you might think. John Keife became interested in learning about and selling wine in retail operations in South Louisiana, Baton Rouge and New Orleans, but when he first visited a wine store in

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Europe, he was really smitten. “Those shops are comfortable, not an intimidating atmosphere,” he says. “They are open and airy, with plenty of product, much of it different from the way American stores are stocked. There is an emphasis on regionality. The shelf rackings with fine woods are against the walls, going from floor to ceiling. It’s quite welcoming.” Keife & Co., New Orleans Magazine’s Wine Shop of the Year, is located on the corner of Howard Avenue and Carondelet Street, just off Lee Circle, in the bustling Warehouse District. When you

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enter, you’ll see what Keife saw when he was in Europe. The chandeliers don’t look out of place at all. Keife’s partner, noted New Orleans cheese monger, Jim Yonkus, has set up a refrigerated case in the center of the store and stocked it with cheeses, patés, olives, meats and specialty items that are fresh and party-ready, perfect accompaniments to an intriguing selection of wines and spirits. Keife has thought this thing through. “You really don’t need 50 California Chardonnays. You quickly come to a point where too many of them are tasting alike. But wines from Italy, with strong geographic differences, using different grapes, you want to have a good number of those on hand.” Keife and Yonkus have tasted every item in the store, and they have notes to assist the purchaser. That also means they have tasted a lot of merchandise that isn’t in the store. They are trying to bring to their clients wines and spirits that aren’t necessarily mainstream. Jim notes, “Sometimes people will try something at a restaurant, or in another market, and they make a note of it. We will do all we can to obtain that item for them. There are a lot of wines and spirits that are available here in New Orleans, but they usually aren’t seen on a retailer’s shelves. That’s the stuff we are looking for, in addition to the usual items.” People are coming from every part of town, on both sides of the river, to see what all the fuss is about. Even visitors to town have been told about Keife & Co. and are placing orders through their hotel, or personally visiting the store. “The most European city in America deserves a Europeanstyle bottle shop.” – T.M. Keife & Co., 801 Howard Ave., 523-7272, KeifeAndCo.com

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CONCEPT YEAR OF THE

Hot (Dog) time in the old town tonight I n 2 0 1 1 New O r l ea n s e x perie n ced

an explosion in the number of hamburgerfocused restaurants that continues on today. That trend was followed in 2012 by another flare-up, but this time it was hot dogs causing the excitement. As surely as Twelfth Night precedes Fat Tuesday, the Year of the Hamburger has been followed by the Year of the Hot Dog, and both of the meat-in-a-bun phenomena continue forward even now. Yet, New Orleans has been on this turf before. Anyone who has ever walked the streets of the Vieux Carré at 1 a.m. after a night of doin’ whatcha’ wanna’ has enjoyed the unequaled (at that moment) gourmet experience of a Lucky Dog laden with chili, onions and mustard, purchased from a cart shaped like a bun enveloping a wiener, too-conveniently located on every Bourbon cross-street corner and accompanied by whatever liquid remained in your now well-worn go-cup. Then there are the legions of families over many years that, for a special night out, have headed into a rustic Bud’s Broiler and ordered the Broiler Puppy, Nos. 7 through 9, with or without onions, chili, smoke sauce and grated cheese, noted as cheddar. Those are the progenitors to a new generation of specialty hot dog and sausage dining destinations. The new breed of dog is custom-made to a chef’s specifications and ultimately placed on an especially-crafted-for-this-purpose bun. New Orleans has always loved her hot dogs. Maybe not like New York, Chicago or Milwaukee, but in their own way, hot dogs are embedded in the fabric of this town. It is just that we have never really seen restaurants passionately and singularly devoted to raising this friendly food to an art form.

Now we have. The first and maybe still top dog is Dat Dog located across from the original location. The menu here is simple, straightforward and delicious. Founders and operators, New Orleanians Skip Murray and Georges Constantine have kept Dat Dog fun – and always faithful to quality. Their motto: The world is a better place with Dat Dog. No one doubts it. Along come Nasr Nance and Ahmad Shakir and their emporium, Dreamy Weenies, specializing in Kosher-style dogs with a heavy nod to New Orleans spice, but also something for the vegan and halal diner. It is an interesting balancing act for a hot dog outlet. Then there’s Diva Dawg, Ericka Lassair’s Creole take on the trend with locally made dogs and brioche buns. Try the Red Bean Chili or the Sweet Fire Oyster Dog topped with

andouille ketchup. Ya’ won’t find those on the streets of New York. Even some of the new-wave burger joints, like Truburger, are into the dog act with tasty tubes and fresh locally made buns. The dogs at the ’Dome are fun, but why wait for a Saints game to enjoy a great hot dog? Let us go get one now. – T . M . Dat Dog, 5030 Freret St., 899-6883, DatDogNola.com; Dreamie Weenies, 740 N. Rampart St., 872-0157, DreamyWeenies.com; Diva Dawg, 1906 Magazine St., 304-8777, DivaDawgNola.com; Truburger, 8115 Oak St., 218-5416, TruburgerNola.com

myneworleans.com

DECEMBER 2012

Bistro of the Year

La Crêpe Nanou What started as a casual dessert crêpe place in 1983 has over the years evolved into one of the city’s most beloved bistros. Romantic, bustling, quintessentially French, yet unpretentious all at the same time, La Crêpe Nanou gets our vote for Bistro of the Year. And if the long line scares you off, keep in mind they now offer lunch on Fridays, the perfect time to slip in for a bowl of Moules Marinières. – J . F . La Crêpe Nanou, 1410 Robert St., 899-2670, LaCrepeNanou.com

Doughnut shop of the year

Blue Dot Donuts

Raw Bar OF THE YEAR

– R . P .

LÜKE With John Besh, it’s never just what you expect, which is always wonderful. It is the unexpected that brings so much pleasure. The seafood bar at Lüke amazes. Even though it appears to be an afterthought, taking valuable space on the cocktail bar, you’ll be amazed at the fresh seafood selection of crab, mussels, shrimp, ceviche and oysters from every corner of America, including the coast of Louisiana. During Happy Hour, those are 50 cents each. Tell anybody on the West Coast you’re eating oysters in a John Besh restaurant for 50 cents each. They will tell you to your face you’re a liar. You are not. – T . M . Lüke, 333 St. Charles Ave., 378-2840, LukeNewOrleans.com

DECEMBER 2012

A good doughnut is the perfect comfort food, but good doughnuts are hard to find. Fortunately for residents of Mid-City, Brandon Singleton, Dennis Gibliant and Ronald Laporte opened Blue Dot Donuts on Canal Street in April 2011. Their specialties include a maple and bacon long-john; a peanut butter and jelly doughnut; and freshly cut and fried glazed doughnuts. Whatever you choose, you’ll leave happy.

myneworleans.com

Blue Dot Donuts, 4301 Canal St., 218-4866, BlueDotDonuts.com

Middle Eastern RESTAURANT of the year

Mona’s on Banks Street Tucked away on an oak-shaded stretch of Banks Street in Mid-City is Mona’s. While there are others scattered around town, there’s something about this one’s relaxing surroundings that set it apart. Or perhaps it’s the attached Middle Eastern grocery store, stuffed with hard-to-find ingredients and exotic spices. Enjoy a sweet glass of Lebanese tea with a vegetarian platter while reclining in a booth, all at prices that will leave change to shop next door afterward. – J . F . Mona’s Café, 3901 Banks St., 482-7743

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Neighborhood restaurant of the year

Liuzza’s Liuzza’s has been serving fried seafood, poor boys and Creole Italian specialties at the corner of Bienville and North Telemachus streets since 1947. The frozen schooners of beer and soft drinks served at Liuzza’s are almost as iconic as the white stucco structure that houses the restaurant. Though the restaurant has changed hands over the years, the food and friendly service have remained consistent. – R . P .

Chef and owner Samantha Castagnetti

Liuzza’s, 3636 Bienville St., 482-9120, Liuzzas.com

Continental italian restaurant of the year

The Italian Barrel In this city in the South, settled over the years mainly by Italians from the Southern end of their peninsula, the Northern Italian cuisine of The Italian Barrel, beautifully created and served by chef and owner Samantha Castagnetti, a lady of Verona, is pure magic. Authentic dishes of lighter sauces, cheeses, meats, fish and vegetables are a treat for the palate and the nose. The place is intimate in both size and service. Reservations are always necessary. A very good sign. – T . M .

SARA ESSEX BRADLEY PHOTOGRAPHS

The Italian Barrel, 430 Barracks St., 569-0198, ItalianBarrel.com

Breakfast restaurant of the year

Ruby Slipper Café The Ruby Slipper Café is proof that a restaurant doesn’t have to be old to be a classic. Since Jennifer and Erich Weishaupt opened the small Mid-City café in 2008, it’s been wildly popular. The café is committed to using fresh, local products and serving excellent food. Though their lunch is also a hit, the Ruby Slipper stands out at breakfast. – R . P . Ruby Slipper Café, 139 S. Cortez St., 309-5531, TheRubySlipperCafe.net

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Covington entrepreneur Larry Smith, then relatively fresh out of college, asked basketball Hall of Famer and Louisiana hoops legend Pete Maravich if he wanted to play some pick-up basketball. Maravich said he’d love to, but the basketball great then invited Smith, the owner of a building supply store with which Maravich had done business, to come with him to an earlymorning young businessmen’s breakfast later that week. Smith checked his busy schedule and regretfully declined. Just a matter of days later, Maravich was dead, the victim of an unexpected heart attack at the age of 40. To this day, 25 years later, Smith still regrets his decision not to accompany Maravich to the breakfast. “That was probably the biggest mistake of my life, not going with him that year,” says Smith, who became close friends with Maravich during the Louisiana State University legend’s latter years. “It’s the biggest regret of my life.” For Smith and many of Maravich’s other friends and family members — as well as the entire sports world — the hoops star’s sudden passing, the result of a rare congenital heart defect, was a major shock. In fact, at the time of his death, he was playing basketball in California with a small group of friends, including Focus on the Family founder James Dobson, for whom Maravich had taped a radio interview shortly before. Dobson has since said that his friend’s final words, uttered less than a minute before Maravich collapsed on the court, were, “I feel great.” Almost immediately, reaction to Maravich’s death represented an outpouring of grief for the man who, perhaps more than anyone, had put Louisiana basketball on the map. Times-Picayune reporter Marty Mulé wrote that Maravich “turned a state and a region on to basketball.” “Maravich, one of the flashiest, most flam-

R obert La n dr y I l l ustratio n , F A C I N G P A G E

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boyant players in the history of college and professional basketball, turned the South into a fertile basketball area with his exploits at LSU,” Mulé penned on the front page of the Jan. 6, 1988, Times-Picayune. Maravich’s basketball career – both his record-setting, near-mythical college years at LSU and his time with New Orleans-Utah Jazz in the professional NBA – had been marked by showmanship and supreme confidence bordering on, according to some, arrogance. But by the time of his death, friends said Maravich had transformed to a down-to-earth, humble, loyal man dedicated to his born-again Christian faith and his community, especially children. Gone were the persistent problems with alcohol and spiritual wandering that had plagued the few years immediately after his retirement from basketball in 1980. After he converted to Christianity in ’82, a reassuring peace and tranquility had settled over Maravich’s once-troubled soul. In fact, a few years before his death he said he wanted to be remembered not as a hoops star, but as a faithful servant of Christ. Laser-like Focus Now , a quarter - ce n tur y after his u n time l y death ,

those who knew and loved Maravich reflect on what could have been if the basketball superstar-turned-devoted community figure had lived a full life, or even been alive today. “When Pete Maravich turned his life over to Jesus Christ, he became a markedly different human being,” says Bud Johnson, a former LSU sports information director who now works for the university alumni association. “His all-consuming attachment to his sport left little room for a well balanced life. His laser-like focus suddenly was directed toward Christianity and spreading the word. “He transferred his ability to concentrate on writing lyrical prayers, making talks to young people and giving his time and money to those less fortunate than himself,” Johnson adds. “He could call up the scriptures as effortlessly as he did making a behind-the-back pass.” Smith recalls coaching youth basketball players with Maravich in Covington, where the former basketball superstar had settled after retirement, and seeing him interact with the youngsters on the court. Smith says that while Maravich would playfully show flashes of his hoops skills, dribbling the ball between his legs and joshing with the kids, his devotion to making the youths’ lives better was abundantly evident. “He’d be out there with the kids horsing around,” Smith says. “He’d be out there doing drills with them, and you could just tell he loved it.” But Maravich’s story began several decades before in Aliquippa, Pa., where he was born in 1947, the son of famed basketball coach Peter “Press” Maravich, who quickly began teaching his offspring the fundamentals of the hardwood game. The younger Maravich then spent hours practicing what would become the staples of his college and pro careers – trick plays, behind-the-back passes and head fakes. After successful prep careers at Daniel High School in South Carolina and two North Carolina schools, Broughton High and Edwards Military Institute, it was during his high-school years that he picked up his celebrated nickname, “Pistol,” from his proclivity for launching a shot from his side, as if drawing a revolver. After Press Maravich became the varsity coach at LSU, he offered Pete a spot in the Tiger basketball program. The younger Maravich immediately became a star, first for the LSU freshman team, then for the varsity squad, racking up record numbers of points and posting game scoring totals in the dozens. By the time Pete graduated from LSU in 1970, he had tallied an 100

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NCAA-record 3,667 career points by averaging a whopping 44.2 per game over a three-year varsity career, also a college standard. That is in addition to a slew of other game, season and career marks, many of which still stand; three straight first-team All-America selections; and several player-of-the-year accolades in 1970. In addition, he helped turn around a moribund LSU program that went 3-20 in the season before he arrived on campus, guiding the Tigers to a 20-8 record during his senior campaign. Maravich’s legend only grew from there. The Atlanta Hawks took him with the third overall pick in the 1970 NBA draft. His first two pro seasons were somewhat rocky, but during his third year with the Hawks, the Pistol exploded, averaging 26.1 points and 6.9 assists per game, numbers that improved in ’73-’74. That performance, as well as the creation of an expansion NBA franchise in New Orleans, spurred Maravich to return to the Pelican State in 1974, where he became the centerpiece of the newly created New Orleans Jazz. Coming Home I t took both M aravich a n d the team a seaso n

or two to warm up – with injuries hampering the Pistol’s output – but by the 1976-’77 outing, he posted his best season as a professional, leading the league in scoring with more than 30 points per game, including 13 40-point-plus games and a 68-point tour de force against the Knicks. The Jazz’s decision to bring Maravich back home was paying off for everyone – the team, Maravich and Louisiana basketball fans, who embraced the LSU grad’s flashy, gritty performances. It was pure hardwood kismet. “Whatever happened, the New Orleans Jazz and Pistol Pete Maravich captured the imagination of the fans,” says Barry Mendelson, who served as the executive vice president of the Jazz during Maravich’s time with the squad. “It was magical.” Unfortunately, the wave of enthusiasm quickly crashed. Knee injuries and a burgeoning problem with alcohol began to hamper Maravich’s performance, and the Jazz franchise languished both on the court and in the financial ledgers. In 1979, the operation moved to Salt Lake City, which signaled the end of the magic Mendelson described. Maravich’s knee problems worsened, and he was benched for much of the campaign. But in January 1980, the Jazz placed the Pistol on waivers where he was picked up by the Celtics, who were building a 1980s dynasty with Larry Bird and company. But, thanks to worsening knee issues, Maravich wasn’t as productive and retired at the end of the season. His final career pro stats: 24.2 points and 5.4 assists per game. (In addition, Maravich played before the advent of the three-point line, the existence of which would have greatly boosted his scoring totals.) The Jazz retired his number in 1985 (something the New Orleans Hornets later did as well), and Maravich was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in ’87. In the two years following his retirement life was anything but rosy for Maravich, who became a recluse and drifted spiritually until becoming born again in 1982. From that point on, the Pistol found a tranquility and dedication to his community and church family, especially in his adopted hometown of Covington. He and his wife, Jackie, had two sons, Jaeson and Josh, both of whom played high school and collegiate hoops. Jaeson has followed in his father’s footsteps in another way, hosting the type of youth basketball camps his father sponsored in his retirement years. Maravich’s sudden and premature death has only added to his legacy and mystique. Twenty-five years later, his place in the pantheon of all-time basketball greats is secure, eternal and shining. “Pete Maravich was one of the greatest offensive stars in the

“Once a disciple of basketball in football country, Pete spread the word of Christ to every audience he could find. His basketball camp for young boys concentrated on spirituality, nutrition, making life changes and adjustments and then basketball.”

history of basketball, setting scoring marks that still stand to this day despite playing during a period that predated the three-point line,” says Naismith Hall of Fame president and CEO John L. Doleva. “He was not only a great player but a true ambassador to the game.” On the day after the Pistol’s death, The TimesPicayune columnist Peter Finney, who authored Pistol Pete: The Story of College Basketball’s Greatest Star in 1969, wrote that only seeing Maravich play live could truly capture what the legend was capable of on the hardwood. But even watching game film from the Pistol’s career reflects his genius, Finney penned in the Jan. 6, 1988, issue of the paper. “While film remains, everyone took away special images, many lost forever, of the kid in the floppy socks, with the pipe-cleaner physique, and those large, soulful eyes,” Finney wrote. He added: “But that was Pistol Pete. Instinctive. Inventive. Incredible.” While many journalists and fans remember Maravich’s exploits on the court, it was his life after his 1982 conversion to evangelical Christianity that truly defined his life and legacy. Johnson says his friend made a considerable impact through his youth camps, which stressed spiritual and moral strength as much as on-court excellence. “Once a disciple of basketball in football country, Pete spread the word of Christ to every audience he could find,” Johnson says. “His basketball camp for young boys concentrated on spirituality, nutrition, making life changes and adjustments and then basketball. He sought out campers who had weight problems, or those who were angry or moody. He corresponded with many of them, and frequently sent them excerpts from the Bible.” Johnson says that religious commitment burned brightly in his friend until the very end, despite growing health issues. “I saw Pete a few months before he died,” Johnson says. “His color was awful. He had lost weight. But I remember he gave me a pamphlet with a Christian message. He was dedicated to his faith until the very end.” Another friend, Larry Smith of Covington, says Maravich’s death was a jolt to both the local community and Smith personally. “It was very upsetting to me,” he says. Soon after his friend’s passing, Smith visited Jackie, Pete’s widow, at the family home in Covington. He says Jackie asked him to take Jaeson and Josh to basketball practice, something their father would have wanted even after his passing. It was the least Smith could do to honor the memory of a man who had changed Smith’s life so deeply. “He has a good heart, and he was easy to talk to,” Smith says of Maravich. “People said he was introverted, but I didn’t see that. He had already become born again.” And a quarter-century hasn’t dimmed such affection from those close to Maravich. Neither has the passage of time eroded the impact the Pistol had on the sport of basketball. His on-court genius and fearless, inventive play helped open up the game and presaged the high-octane offenses that now dominate the college and pro game. LARRY BERMAN PHOTOGRAPH

But it was perhaps Maravich’s pure passion for the game – and, later, for his family, his friends and his faith – that truly defined the essence of Pistol Pete. “Pete was a very caring guy,” another Maravich friend, Steve Davis, was quoted saying by The Times-Picayune after Maravich’s passing. “A lot of people didn’t know that. He didn’t get the publicity for that part of his life that he got for his basketball ... You don’t go around making stories about people doing that. But he did a lot of things for this community that people didn’t know about.” myneworleans.com

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Food, Fun & Family

During the Holidays

While those dreaming of a white Christmas in New Orleans may not get their wish of snow-covered rooftops and tall, dense fir trees, New Orleans is certainly a winter wonderland all its own with the charm of flickering gas lanterns, twinkling Christmas lights, jazzy carols and holiday cheer. In this region, spending time with friends and family is a priority year-round, but the holiday months bring loved ones even closer. From music and dance productions to lights displays, shopping and dining, the region’s wide variety of ways to share the company of loved ones makes for a memorable, activity-filled holiday season you’re sure to remember. Find a way to celebrate the season with your friends and family among these regional favorites.

Dining If you haven’t heard of Theo’s Neighborhood Pizza, it’s time to visit the right neighborhood. With two successful locations in Uptown and Mid-City New Orleans, Theo’s is taking their popular pizza design across parish lines and into Elmwood. The new South Clearview location is slated to open this month. Known for its thin, crisp and yet surprisingly thick-enough crust, Theo’s original pie creations, hot sandwiches and fresh salads are the perfect answer to a night out with the family or a mid-day lunch break. Head there after work and enjoy unparalleled weekly drink specials (with purchase of food) that include $1.50 Domestic Longnecks on Mondays, the insanely popular $1.50 Domestic and Import Drafts on Tuesdays, and 1/2-Off Wine on Wednesdays. Monday through Friday, 102

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enjoy weekly $7.99 lunch specials of a sandwich or 1-topping pizza plus a drink. View the full menu, including Theo’s long list of spectacular specialty pizzas, at TheosPizza.com. Visit your nearest neighborhood location at 4024 Canal St., 4218 Magazine St., or 1212 S. Clearview Parkway in the Elmwood Shopping Center. Five Happiness, New Orleans’ award-winning Chinese restaurant, offers a delicious menu of Sichuan and Hunan specialties in a newly renovated 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. The well-known and affordable

Imperial Room is available at Five Happiness for private parties, receptions or other functions and holds from 50-150 people. Serving options are customized for each party, ranging from sit-down dinners to buffets or cocktails with hors d’oeuvres and prices ranging from $20$45 per person. For those not wanting to cook during the holidays, Five Happiness happily serves lunch and dinner on Five Happiness

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Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. For more information, call 482-3935 or visit FiveHappiness.com. Crescent City Steak House

For more than 75 years, Crescent City Steak House has served their famous prime cuts of USDA aged beef in sizzling butter to generations of New Orleans families. The restaurant, still operating from its original site at 1001 North Broad St., is the oldest familyowned steakhouse in New Orleans and was named as one of “America’s Top 10 Steakhouses” by Playboy. Recently, this historic restaurant was also featured in Southern Living and was used for its iconic interior in the filming of both Treme and Memphis Beat. One thing people may not know about Crescent City is the quality of their ingredients, many of which are grown by the restaurant. Crescent City makes every dish and sauce from scratch, uses “day of” vegetables and dry ages and hand cuts their steaks onsite. Their version of the sazerac was just named one of the best in the city. For the holidays, their dining room will be festively decorated and open for business on Christmas Eve as well as New Year’s Eve. Two private rooms are available for holiday parties, rehearsal dinners and more. Visit CrescentCitySteaks.com or call 821-3271 for more information. A restaurant as revered as Arnaud’s has an original way of doing things. Recognizing the magnetism of Classic Creole Cuisine, Arnaud’s serves the true classics with something on the menu to appeal to all. Open for 94 years, Arnaud’s continues to carry on the traditions that make the restaurant unique and like no other. Holidays are the time when families and friends gather for leisurely meals

and enjoy the spirit of New Orleans. The proprietary Casbarian family makes certain that guests are in for a seasonal treat. Guests can expect that Arnaud’s magnificent public dining rooms, 13 private dining rooms and classic bars are beautifully ornamented with holiday decorations. Not only will the restaurant be dressed for the season, but Arnaud’s offers a special Holiday Reveillon Menu. Arnaud’s will open for lunch from 11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. on Dec. 12-21, and they will be open from 12 p.m.-8:30 p.m. on Christmas Eve. Special holiday cocktails such as Seasonal Champagne Punch, Cherry Bounce and the Dickens Toddy will be featured at the French 75 Bar. With critically acclaimed food, ambiance and service, Arnaud’s ensures a memorable and authentic holiday dining experience. For more information or to make reservations, call 523-5433 or visit ArnaudsRestaurant.com. Arnaud’s

When local Pastry Chef Megan Forman opened Gracious Bakery + Café in August, she knew precisely what she wanted to do. “Keep it focused on breads, pastries and unique desserts,” Megan says. “Excellent customer service and a friendly atmosphere were also at the top of the list.” An alumna of Bayona and Sucré, Megan offers up an assortment of classic pastries, including a few with a twist such as her pretzel croissant and the hazelnut “Kermit” cruffin, a cross between a croissant and a muffin. Desserts include individual black forest cakes, and an in-house bread program provides the foundation for her artisan sandwiches, including favorites like smoked ham with pecan-cheddar spread, pepper jelly and shaved apple. Located in the ground floor of the striking new Woodward Design + Build headquarters, Gracious offers

small-batch roasted coffee, breakfast and lunch Monday through Saturday. Catering packages are available, as is local delivery. Seasonal favorites like gingerbread will sweeten your holidays. For more information, call 301-3709 or visit them at GraciousBakery.com. Every year in New Orleans, locals tell Chef Andrea Apuzzo, Chef-Proprietor of Andrea’s Restaurant, how excited they are about the restaurant’s fourcourse Fall & Reveillon menu. Offered through Dec. 31, this special $55 menu ($90 with wine included) features such starters as Antipasto Andrea, Tortellone All’Anita (housemade pasta stuffed with duck and topped with demi-glace sage sauce) and Staciatella Zuppa or Tomato Mozzarella Caprese. Made with the freshest ingredients, Chef Andrea’s entrées include Roasted Tender Rabbit or Pheasant, Pan Seared Squab, Sautéed Venison or Red Snapper, and Grilled Beef T-Bone. A dessert of Chestnut Cake served with Nocello Sauce satisfies any sweet tooth. Andrea’s Restaurant, located in Metairie, will be open on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, and the restaurant will host a New Year’s Eve party complete with live music and a dance floor. Additionally, Capri Blue will offer a delicious small plate menu and host live music from 7-11 p.m. Open for 27 years, Andrea’s uses Louisiana ingredients and proudly makes their own pastas and pastries. The restaurant is available for banquets and special events, as well as for catering your holiday party. For more information and reservations, call 834-8583 or visit AndreasRestaurant.com. The Court of Two Sisters

For a uniquely Creole holiday experience, visit The Court of Two Sisters at historic 613 Rue Royale in the French Quarter. In true Creole myneworleans.com

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fashion, this award-winning restaurant will uphold the tradition of the Creole Reveillon holiday meal. This year’s famous Reveillon menu at The Court of Two Sisters begins with Turtle Soup Au Sherry, followed by a salad of Crab Cakes with Creole Mustard Vinaigrette. Entrée choices include Trout Amandine served with rosemary potatoes and asparagus, Veal Medallions with lemon braised artichoke hearts and garlic mashed potatoes and Fig Glazed Duck Breast with pecan rice pilaf. The menu concludes on a sweet note with a delicious Rum Cake. Coffee and tea are included. The menu runs from Dec. 1 through 24 for only $45 per person. Return to The Court of Two Sisters on New Year’s Eve and ring in the New Year with a spectacular meal. The four-course $75 dinner includes hors d’oeuvres, salad, entrée and dessert. Call 522-7261 or visit CourtofTwoSisters. com for reservations. Have you wandered Magazine Street lately? Indulge in a little neighborhood shopping and break for a bite at one of Uptown’s most popular casual dining destinations, Gott Gourmet Café. Chef Dave Gotter uses fresh herbs, produce and ingredients in his vast menu of culinary creations, which range from the succulent Crab & Brie Omelet to the House-Shaved Prosciutto and Grilled Asparagus Salad with a white truffle oil drizzle. With drinks as decadent as their dishes, Gott Gourmet pleases with their original Blueberry and Strawberry Mimosas as well as their tantalizing Bloody Mary, with its unique garnish of fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, olives and pickled cucumbers. Enjoy pet-friendly sidewalk seating while sipping an afternoon cocktail, or bring the family for an unforgettable Saturday or Sunday brunch. Vegetarianand eco-friendly, Gott Gourmet is an award-winning, true community establishment. Catering is also available. For more information, visit GottGourmetCafe.com or Facebook. com/GottGourmetNola for specials and updates, or call 373-6579. The Audubon Clubhouse Café is forever popular with Uptown locals and Magazine Street shoppers. If you are looking for a place to enjoy a delicious breakfast or lunch, the views of Audubon Park’s majestic oaks from the dining room and verandah contribute to a great experience. And with the 104

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holidays upon us, it’s time to celebrate the season with friends and coworkers. Reservations are encouraged for parties of six or more and small groups of up to 20 or so are very much welcomed. Also, consider the Audubon Clubhouse as a distinctive venue for your holiday party. Created as a replica of an Acadian home with burning fireplace, Audubon’s catering team transforms the Café into the perfect place for social and corporate holiday parties. It’s warm, cozy and inviting. For more information on this and other Audubon Special Event Venues, visit AudubonInstitute.org/events/ private or call 212-5282. And don’t forget that you can always give a gift for the holidays with an Audubon Clubhouse Gift Certificate. Audubon Clubhouse Café

Come in from the cold this month and experience Chophouse New Orleans. Locals and tourists alike have been thrilled by their refreshingly uncomplicated menu, awarding them with Opentable Diners’ Choice awards for Best Food, Best Service, Best Ambiance, Notable Wine List and Good for Groups. A prime steakhouse, Chophouse serves only USDA Prime for every steak, including filets. The menu also offers notable seafood selections, such as fresh Florida stone crabs – served cold, the succulent and juicy claws are accompanied with a special house sauce. This holiday season, Chophouse welcomes guests during regular hours on Christmas Eve (5 p.m.-10 p.m.), and on New Year’s Eve, join in the celebration at Chophouse with a fourcourse meal paired with a bottle of champagne (5 p.m.-2 a.m.). Chophouse New Orleans is open daily at 5 p.m.; they feature live music nightly. For information and reservations,

call 522-7902, visit them online at ChophouseNola.com or Facebook.com/ chophousenola. Situated on historic River Road in Old Jefferson is one of New Orleans’ best-kept secrets, which isn’t really a secret anymore. Recently featured on the Food Network’s Diners, Drive-ins and Dives, Rivershack Tavern has made its way into the national spotlight in all of its beloved quirkiness. Described as everything from a honky-tonk to a neighborhood tavern, small-town restaurant and sports bar, this one-of-a-kind local gem brings more than meets the eye, and there’s a lot to meet the eye. With walls covered in fascinating local memorabilia and bar stools that resemble human legs, the Rivershack’s atmosphere is lively and colorful. One may not expect such culinary greatness from a honkytonk, but the Rivershack offers up unforgettable specials, such as peanutcrusted soft shell crab, and menu favorites, such as fried mushrooms or the “Shank You” burger, a juicy combo of fresh beef and Louisiana hot sausage. In recent years, owner Donnie Thomas and Chef Mike Baskind have done little to change the eclectic nature of this decades-old restaurant, but through subtle touches here and there, Rivershack has achieved a New Orleans charm all its own. Visit TheRivershackTavern.com. Rivershack Tavern

Located in the heart of the New Orleans Arts District is Rene Bistrot: A French bistro with an American passport. The popular Master Chef, Rene Bajeux, brings his French bistrostyle restaurant to the New Orleans Renaissance Arts Hotel. Menu items include Onion Soup “Rene,” oyster bar and plateau, roasted Portuguese Sardines and Tarte Flambee Traditional

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Alsatian Tart. Join Rene Bistrot for some holiday cheer on Christmas Day from 11 a.m.–7 p.m., and enjoy a three-course meal for $48 per person. Call 613-2330 for reservations or visit renebistrotneworleans.com. MiLa is located in the New Orleans Central Business District inside the Renaissance Pere Marquette hotel, and is the culmination of both the marriage of chefs Slade Rushing and Allison Vines-Rushing and their respective home states’ cuisines – Mississippi and Louisiana. Signature dishes include such fan favorites as: Oyster Rockefeller

MiLa

“Deconstructed”, Pan-Roasted Sweetbreads, New Orleans Barbeque Lobster, Sweet Tea Brined Rotisserie Duck, Crispy Skinned Red Snapper, and Roasted Rack of Lamb. Visit the restaurant this holiday season, and make reservations by calling 412-2580 or visit MiLaNewOrleans.com. Rouses’ team of professional chefs worked in some of the finest restaurants in the country, and they use the very best of what’s fresh and what’s local to make Rouses’ prepared foods and desserts. This holiday season, leave everything to Rouses and you’ll have more time to spend with friends and family. Rouses’ new chef-inspired appetizers, entrees, dressings and complete holiday meals capture the true flavors of Louisiana. In the bakery, look for seasonal favorites like pecan, apple and sweet potato pies and cream pies. Of course, it’s also fun to share the cooking with family, especially when you’re using the local ingredients we all love. Rouses has Louisiana oysters for your dressing, wild-caught Louisiana shrimp for your mirliton casserole, Louisiana blue crabs for your gumbo,

and locally grown sweet potatoes, rice and pecans for your side dishes and desserts. Find your local Rouses by visiting shop.rouses.com.

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When it comes to dining in the holiday season, nothing tastes sweeter in the cold winter months than a sugary, seasonal once-a-year dessert. Share good times with friends and family at Copeland’s of New Orleans and Copeland’s Cheesecake Bistro this month and try one of their chef-inspired desserts such as the Apple Bavarian Tart, Pumpkin Pecan Cheesecake and

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Pumpkin Bread Pudding. Copeland’s now ships America’s Best Cheesecake nationwide. Plan your family’s holiday meals now, and order online at CopelandsOfNewOrleans. com or CopelandsCheesecakeBistro. com. Ship their signature creamy style cheesecakes with a buttery pecan crust as gifts to family and friends wherever they are. Enjoy Cookies & Cream, Turtle, Black and White Tuxedo and more. You may also give the gift that keeps giving – receive a $25 Gift Card for free when you purchase $100 in gift cards. Visit Copeland’s restaurants online and like them on Facebook for more info and to receive weekly specials. For more than 170 years, Antoine’s Restaurant has been making holiday history in the heart of the French Quarter, serving French-Creole cuisine with excellent service in an inviting comfortable setting. With 14 unique dining rooms, each offering its own historical charm, it’s no wonder Antoine’s has served guests such as General Patton, the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, President Roosevelt and more. This month, visit Antoine’s for a special holiday brunch. The special $29.00 brunch includes a complimentary mimosa and your choice of a Crab Cake or Fresh Spring Salad appetizer, an entrée of either Poached Egg Cochon or Soft Shell Crab Florentine, and a

Antoine’s Restaurant decadent dessert of Classic Cheesecake topped with a rich blueberry sauce. The three-course brunch is available for groups of 15 or less and is exclusive of tax, gratuity and additional alcohol. Throughout December, a very special guest will be greeting brunch goers and their families – Santa Claus never misses his favorite holiday brunch in the French Quarter at Antoine’s. He will also be on

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hand to greet guests on Fri., Dec. 21, and Christmas Eve. For more info or reservations, visit Antoines.com or call 581-4422. Martin Wine Cellar

Add some “spirit” to your holiday season, with the help of Martin Wine Cellar, your one-stop shop for wine, liquor and holiday catering. From holiday gifts to stocking your own collection or providing food and drink for holiday gatherings, Martin Wine Cellar has you covered. Gift giving is easy with more than 20 pre-wrapped wine and food gifts ranging from $12$150. With a gift card, your loved ones can choose from a terrific selection of wines or single malt scotches, small batch barrel Bourbons, ports and Champagnes. Martin Wine Cellar’s welltraveled experts are happy to assist in the selection of any product. Don’t forget to stock up on Champagne or Prosecco for New Year’s. These quality bubblies start at only $7.99. Take the stress out of holiday cooking, and let Martin Wine Cellar cater your next party or holiday feast. Seven new items recently added to their traditional catering menu include Lobster Mac ‘n’ Cheese, Goat Cheese Fritters, Shrimp Pesto Pasta and more. View the catering and holiday menus and find additional information at MartinWine.com. Let Martin’s cater your next event to perfection.

Shopping & Entertainment New Orleans’ own Janie Taylor, a star with New York City Ballet, and her husband, Sebastien Marcovici, also a principal dancer with NYCB, perform as guest artists in Delta Festival Ballet’s 31st Annual Nutcracker production. Ms. Taylor, an alumna of the Giacobbe Academy of Dance, performed in Delta

Festival Ballet and New Orleans Youth Ballet productions before joining the NYCB. Acclaimed by critics and fans, she brings New York glamour and stellar performances to the stage in her first local appearance since leaving

New Orleans. Artistic Directors Joseph Giacobbe and Maria Giacobbe are proud to welcome her home. Delta Festival Ballet’s Nutcracker, accompanied by the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra, is a lavish professional production with a cast of 130 dancers, 175 beautiful costumes, elaborate sets and superb dancing by the company’s professional artists. Performances take place Dec. 21 at 7 p.m. and Dec. 22 and 23 at 2 p.m. at Tulane’s Dixon Hall. Call 888-0931 for ticket information. Plan your holiday season and include Freret Street. This historic corridor, conveniently located Uptown, has made a recent resurgence in popularity among New Orleans residents for its diversity in food, drink, shopping and other services. The New Freret combines the innovative with the traditional and features dozens of reasons to work, live or play in the area. Gift certificates are available from most of the merchants on the corridor ranging from restaurants to spa services and garden plants to yoga classes. Book your after-work party at any of the

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venues for great food and drinks in a family friendly atmosphere. The Freret Market will have a special Holiday Sale and a Freretstivus Event on Saturday, Dec. 1 and 8 from Noon-5 p.m., and featuring food, gifts, art, music and flea at the intersection of Freret and Jena streets. Walk like a Freretian and enjoy a fresh yet traditional New Orleans adventure. Plan your Holidays and shop local at TheNewFreret.com. Take a special trip to the North Pole at this year’s Magic Christmas in Lights at Bellingrath Gardens & Home, located just 20 miles southwest of Mobile, Ala. Guests may visit the gardens during the day from 8 a.m.–5 p.m. From 5–9 p.m., guests who stroll through the Gardens will see more than 3 million sparkling lights in nearly 1,000 displays throughout the 65-acre estate. Enjoy live holiday music, see the Bellingrath Museum Home decorated in its holiday finery, and savor a bite at the Magnolia Café, serving lunch and dinner. Holiday decorations, ornaments and gifts are available at The Bellingrath Gift Shop. Magic Christmas in Lights runs through Dec. 31, and is closed on the 25th. Discounted tickets for Magic Christmas in Lights and for the Bellingrath Museum Home are available on-line at Bellingrath.org. Pre-purchased tickets must be purchased at least one day before your visit. Group rates are available. Additionally, consider the Party Tent at Magic Christmas in Lights for your holiday or corporate gathering. For more information, please visit Bellingrath.org or the Magic Christmas In Lights Facebook page. Locals know there’s no better way to experience the power and history of the mighty Mississippi River than with a trip aboard the last remaining authentic steamboat on the river. Ninth in a line of steamboats dating back to the 1880s, the Steamboat Natchez provides guests with a magnificent, one-of-a-kind view of New Orleans and an unparalleled atmosphere of New Orleans tradition, food, music and romance. Step aboard and listen to the calls of the Steam Calliope as you depart from the heart of the French Quarter. Make your way through the museum-quality steam engine room and listen as the river comes alive

through the live historic and port narration during the two-hour cruise. Delicious New Orleans cuisine and libations are available. Enjoy a sunset on the river during the Dinner Jazz Cruise. Tap your toes to the Grammy-winning Dukes of Dixieland Jazz band as you feast on decadent entrees and dazzling specialty drinks. Private rooms are available for events and wedding parties, and menus can be personalized to your event. Sail away with the Steamboat Natchez. Visit the steamboat online and make reservations at SteamboatNatchez.com. Give the gift of music this holiday with a spring subscription to the New Orleans Opera. See the Bible come alive on March 15 and 19 with Camille Saint-Saëns’ Samson and Delilah in this ancient story of secrecy, conspiracy and tragedy. On April 12 and 14, Giacomo Puccini’s masterpiece, Madame Butterfly, will bring a tear to your eye with this tale of the beautiful young Japanese maiden CioCio San, who gives up her heart and her heritage for an American sailor, only to be abandoned and betrayed. Learn more about the New Orleans Opera online by visiting NewOrleansOpera.org or call the box office at 529-3000 for tickets and additional information.

Travel Looking for your vacation accommodations this holiday season? ResortQuest by Wyndham Vacation Rentals is the Northern Gulf Coast’s largest and most experienced management company with 35 years and more than 3,200 homes and condos along the Gulf Coast, all the

way from Panama City Beach, Fla., to Gulf Shores, Ala. and Orlando. With properties extending across 160 miles of white sand and emerald waters, plus resorts close to all the Orlando attractions, ResortQuest by Wyndham Vacation Rentals offers vacationers more than just a beach vacation. Looking for a boisterous nightlife? Visit Panama City Beach. How about a Caribbean atmosphere with European sophistication? Try Destin. Want peace and quiet in the form of barrier reefs and undercrowded beaches? Navarre and Pensacola Beaches provide respite from bustling hot spots. How about theme parks and sophisticated dining? Orlando’s the answer. From family-friendly resorts or romantic cottages for two to multi-million-dollar beachfront homes, ResortQuest has a destination and accommodation perfect for any traveler. For more information or to find your travel destination, visit WyndhamVacationRentals.com and find them on Facebook. With the holiday season upon us and 2012 coming quickly to a close, Turquoise Place, The Beach Club and Spectrum Resorts would like to say thank you for bringing your family and friends to their exquisite properties throughout the year. They also invite you to visit once more this year to celebrate the holidays and/or ring in the New Year in a special way. Gather friends and family for your own special holiday feast, and the gourmet kitchen and balcony grill at your 3- or 4-bedroom Turquoise Place residence will provide the ultimate setting. If you prefer leaving the preparation to others, then relax with your group at the Beach Club, where you park your car and settle in for a true holiday getaway weekend. The Beach Club venues will offer holiday buffets, a traditional meal before you move the party over to the Village Hideaway and enjoy nine flat-screen TVs, video arcades, golf simulator, pool tables and more. To learn more, go to SpectrumResorts.com and plan the holiday you won’t forget. When visiting Houston during the holidays, location is everything. The Houston Galleria is truly a one-stop-shop for holiday purchases and family fun. It

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is all within walking distance call 523-3341 or visit The Grand Hotel Marriott Resort, Golf Club and Spa from what’s been described HotelMonteleone.com. as the “Jewel of the Galleria Area”, the Hilton Garden Inn, For more than 150 years, located at 3201 Sage Road. The Grand Hotel Marriott This highly rated hotel offers Resort, Golf Club and Spa just what travelers are looking has been known throughout for in the holiday season. the South as “The Queen Walk half a block to the of Southern Resorts,” and world-renowned Galleria it never looks better than mall or take the hotel’s during the holidays. From complimentary shuttle to any massive live oaks covered in of the city’s award winning lights to the spectacular tree restaurants within a 5-mile next the resort’s fireplaces radius of the hotel. Do not in the lobby, come take a miss out on the Galleria’s holiday escape to the Grand spectacular 55-foot tall Hotel in Point Clear, Ala. Restaurant, and live music in the Christmas tree twinkling The gingerbread replica of popular Carousel Bar & Lounge. with 450,000 lights and 5,000 sparkling the resort is a must see in the hotel’s ornaments. Take some time to relax near Take advantage of Papa Noel savings dining room. through Dec. 27, which vary from 15 the fireplace in the hotel’s cozy lobby Consistently ranked a top Marriott percent off the selling rate and are based hotel for guest satisfaction, The with a cup of complimentary hot cocoa. upon promotional availability. Blackout Make sure to try the HGI’s delicious Grand Hotel Marriott Resort, Golf dates apply. breakfast buffet in the morning before Club and Spa is a AAA Four Diamond Now through Dec. 25, take part in departing – it’s the best in the Galleria. AwardTM hotel. The Grand boasts two a French holiday dining tradition at Robert Trent Jones Trail golf courses, 10 Visit the hotel’s website, Criollo Restaurant. The multi-course tennis courts, indoor and outdoor pools HoustonGalleriaArea.hgi.com, for great Reveillon Menu features such dishes and a 20,000-square-foot Europeanrates, packages and promotions. Book as Muscovy Duck and Papillote of style spa. To make reservations at your holiday vacation today. Flounder. After dinner, take a spin in The Grand Hotel, visit MarriottGrand. the historic Carousel Bar & Lounge com or call (251) 928-9201. Dating back to 1886, Hotel and catch some of New Orleans’ finest Monteleone has welcomed guests singers and musicians several nights a This January and February, ring in into the New Orleans French Quarter week. On Saturday, Dec. 15, bring the the Carnival season, Mardi Gras, in with its majestic entry at the foot of kids to Monte the Lion’s Children’s beautiful Bayou Lafourche, a severalRoyal Street. Discover New Orleans Holiday Party with seatings at 10 a.m. time recipient of the Southeast Tourism this holiday season by staying in one and 2 p.m. Tickets are $40 for children Society Top 20 Event designation. Mardi of the city’s finest and most historical and $55 for adults. Gras on Bayou Lafourche features over landmarks, complete with luxurious For more information or reservations, 15 parades, Carnival balls, tableaus rooms, superb dining at Criollo and parties that bring thousands to this Southeast Louisiana area. Familyoriented festivities abound in Lafourche communities beginning three weekends prior to Fat Tuesday, as well on the day itself. In Cajun tradition, families gather in their front yards along the parade routes to barbecue, boil seafood, eat, socialize and enjoy the parades. This is also a great time of year to venture outdoors and see Louisiana’s unique wetlands on one of the area’s many available swamp tours, or learn about the area’s history at the Jean Lafitte National Park Wetlands Acadian Culture Center. Go back in time during a visit to Laurel Valley Plantation and the E. D. White historic site. Find endless events and attractions at VisitLafourche.com and experience all Lafourche has to offer.

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Holiday Gift Guide

AURALUZ

ADLER’S 722 Canal St. Lakeside Shopping Center Towne Center, Baton Rouge (504) 523-5292 AdlersJewelry.com Always keep New Orleans close to your heart with Adler’s exclusive sterling silver Streetcar charm, designed by contemporary British jewelry line, Links of London. The tiny, detailed charm is perfect when worn alone or added to a charm bracelet. $85.00 available exclusively at Adler’s.

4408 Shores Drive, Metairie (504) 888-3313 www.shopauraluz.com Snoozies! The perfect gift. Keep your feet warm with these sock/ slippers made of soft sherpa fleece on the inside and colorful patterned brushed fleece on the outside. Nonskid soles and completely machine washable. Just one of the many items you’ll find at AURALUZ.

Eclectic Home

Boudreaux’s Jewelers 701 Metairie Road, Metairie (504) 831-2602 4550 Highway 22, Mandeville (985) 626-1666 7280 Corporate Blvd., Baton Rouge • (225) 928-6868 www.boudreauxsjewelers.com For over 70 years, Boudreaux’s Jewelers proudly represents many quality watch and jewelry designers, as well as providing custom-designed and manufactured creations. Our fine craftsmen and professional staff can help you find the precious gift that will find its way through generations.

8211 Oak St., New Orleans (504) 866-6654 www.eclectichome.net Eclectic Home is truly its name sake–elements from a variety of sources, systems, or styles. A Unique home furnishings boutique offering upholstery, case goods, rugs, lighting, accessories, gifts and more. Design Consulting also available upon request.

Edible Arrangements 1650 Gretna Blvd., Suite 5 Harvey • (504) 367-7798 Our Christmas holiday collection is filled with bright & beautiful gifts for everyone on your list. Choose the perfect gift from dozens of festive winter fruit bouquets with all your favorite holiday pineapple shapes, gourmet chocolate & more. Add a touch of delicious elegance to your holiday celebrations with our Elegance Platters filled with fresh strawberries covered in gourmet chocolate, beautifully arranged on a keepsake platter.

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Fleur D’Orleans 3701 A Magazine St., New Orleans (504) 899-5585 www.fleurdorleans.com Fleur d’ Orleans known for jewelry inspired by New Orleans designs, now features brilliant gems, hand cut by master craftsmen. Carnelians dangle from deep garnets set in 14kt vermeil. Perfect gifts for the holiday from $38 to $250.

The Guerlain Spa The Guerlain Spa at The Roosevelt New Orleans offers the perfect indulgence this holiday season: A gift certificate for a treatment uniquely tailored for a loved one, a friend or even yourself. Gift certificates can be purchased at the world-famous Guerlain, located at The Roosevelt New Orleans, 123 Baronne St., (504) 335-3190 or online at www.therooseveltneworleans.com.

Jose Balli Jewelry Jose Balli Jewelry designs symbolize the spirit, culture, and heritage of Louisiana. Whether received as a gift or purchased personally, each piece of jewelry is created to serve as a lasting reminder of shared experiences and to be a cherished keepsake.

K&M Jewelry Show your love of the city through this beautifully bracelet by K&M Custom Jewelry Designs. Made to order and specifically for you, each bracelet can be made in silver or with gold accents and features the iconic fleur de lis. See the entire collection at www. kandmcustomjewelry.com or call toll free a (866) 725-2636.

Mandarina Duck

Judy at the Rink 2727 Prytania St., New Orleans (504) 891-7018 Beautiful gold lamp by Elaine Gleason. Come to Judy’s for your all of your holiday gifts and our large selection of holiday decorations. Local artists and jewelry available. Free gift wrapping and parking. Shop local!

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Mandarina Duck Black is a new fragrance for men. Minimal, elegant, modern… The new fragrance reflects a strong character without stridencies. Mandarina Duck Black, is MASCULINE, MATURE, ELEGANT, INTENSE. Available at Dillard’s.

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Mignon for Children

Mary’s Kitchen and Bath 732 N. Rampart St., New Orleans (504) 529-4465 Mary’s Kitchen & Bath has all the tools to make anyone’s culinary dreams come true. With Breville Juicers, express your creativity from straight carrots to all combinations of fruits, vegetables and spices, serve your family and friends delicious, freshly prepared “cocktails” this holiday season.

2727 Prytania St. in the Rink, New Orleans (504) 891-2374 Mignon for Children has been an iconic presence in New Orleans for more than 50 years, specializing in fine clothing, toys, books, music, gifts, and unique New Orleans items. Stop by to see our fabulous selection of holiday clothing and gift items for all of the children on your list!

Ralph Brennan Restaurant Group 550 Bienville St., New Orleans www.neworleans-food.com Treat your favorite foodie to the award-winning Ralph Brennan’s New Orleans Seafood Cookbook. This lush 432-page volume includes 170 triple-tested recipes, 143 color photographs, a Seafood Cook’s Manual, seafood and wine pairing suggestions and comprehensive ingredients sourcing. It’s a must for every cookbook collection!

Perlis Clothing 6070 Magazine St., New Orleans • 895-8661 1281 N. Causeway Blvd., Mandeville • (985) 674-1711 perlis.com Looking for a great gift for the man in your life this holiday season? Look no further than Perlis! We carry attractive leather accessories and wallets from Bosca. For the man who likes to keep it simple without compromising the details, these wallets and money clips hold it all while still looking handsome with a contrast interior.

Sabai Jewelry Gallery 3115 Magazine St., New Orleans (504) 897-6211 Warm gold tones and pearls for the Holiday Season. Shop at Sabai Jewelry Gallery for the perfect gift or a special holiday jewels for yourself. We have wonderful jewelry for men and women with prices as delightful, starting as low as $30 Open Christmas eve till 5:00.

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Saint Germain (504) 522-1720 • www.saintgermainneworleans.com Saint Germain located on the second level of The Shops at Canal Place, will have a jewelry show Friday, December 7th and Saturday, December 8th 10:00am till 6:00pm. Designers from around the world will be represented along with a Personal Appearance by Stella Flame of New York City. Come and enjoy beverages and desserts during our jewelry event.

Salon Tereska 613 Metairie Road, Metairie (504) 832-3900 www.salontereska.com Looking for a great, versatile gift for the holidays? Salon Tereska, an Old Metairie staple for 10 years, offers gift cards. Already festively wrapped, it’s like giving a beautiful makeover, a pampering experience, or a feeling of confidence as a gift for this Holiday Season!

Symmetry A circle of pavé diamonds surround large carved cabochon emeralds held by bezel set diamond tipped prongs in an exquisite pair of art deco design earrings. The earrings are crafted in 18 karat white gold. Currently made as clip earrings, pierced post/clip conversion is possible. $8000.00

The Shop at The Collection The Pantry At West Jefferson Medical Center 1101 Medical Center Blvd., (5040 349-1124 • wjmc.org Last minute holiday shopping?! Check out West Jeff’s Gift Shop. We have gourmet chocolates, pastries, cakes, and kitchen decor. You can place cake orders for next day pick-up. Our shop also has holiday gifts, inspirational gifts, home decor, Fleur De Lis items and much, much more. Hours: Saturday Sundays · Noon to 5pm

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Tableware and Fine Paper Products by Caskata 533 Royal St., New Orleans (504) 598-7147 • www.hnoc.org Caskata’s artisanal tableware effortlessly combines elegance and durability. The Shop at The Collection carries plates, bowls, and serving pieces in several designs along with fine paper products. Peony bowl shown features lead-free glaze and 23-karat gold and platinum. 4” bowl, $40 • 13” bowl, $140.

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The Woodhouse Day Spa 4030 Canal St., New Orleans (504) 482-NOLA Nola.WoodhouseSpas.com Used and recommended by spas and dermatologists, Clarisonic Sonic Skin Cleansing Systems use a patented sonic frequency of more than 300 movements per second to gently, yet thoroughly remove 6X more makeup and 2X more dirt and oil than cleansing with your hands alone. Cleaner skin is the first step toward healthier skin. And healthier skin is smoother, more radiant and more beautiful.

TOUS Sensuality becomes perfume. TOUS launches TOUS Sensual Touch, a floriental fragrance created by Veronique Nyberg. Available at Dillard’s.

Wellington & Company   505 Royal St., New Orleans (504) 525-4855 • www.wcjewelry.com Wellington & Company offers a selection of fine jewelry, estate and vintage watches.  We are happy to offer one hour complimentary parking at the Omni Royal when you shop with us.  Image: 18K White Gold Diamond & Emerald Necklace.

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Legal Services Daily life is full of situations in which minute details can make an enormous difference. Being on the wrong or right side of the law in such a situation can be life altering and result in any number of consequences for you, your family or your business. Whether you’re navigating a lengthy business contract or needing help after a serious injury, law firms large and small across New Orleans and the Gulf South are available to help, no matter your legal dilemma. If you need representation, consider the following attorneys and firms. Since 1942, Herman, Herman & Katz LLC, (HH&K) has worked tirelessly to protect the rights of New Orleans citizens, and today the results of those efforts are clear. HH&K has argued before the U.S. and Louisiana Supreme courts, and in courts across the U.S. HH&K attorneys have achieved significant results for plaintiffs in milestone cases including Vioxx, Big Tobacco and BP.

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Locally, HH&K fights for those affected by natural and manmade disasters, including hurricanes, tainted Chinese drywall and the 2010 BP oil spill. The firm serves as Plaintiffs Liaison Counsel in Chinese drywall, is Co-Lead Counsel in the BP Oil Spill litigation, and is legal counsel to the N.O. City Council. HH&K’s partners have been named to Best Lawyers in America and the American Trial Lawyers Hall of Fame; they are also Adjunct Professors at Tulane and Loyola law schools. Through high quality work and a commitment to public justice, HH&K continues its tradition of excellence. For more information, call 581-4892 or visit HHKLawFirm.com. From protecting citizenry to protecting local businesses, attorneys in the region face challenges large and small. These challenges require the knowledge and focus that an experienced firm can provide. The attorneys of Fowler Rodriguez Valdes-Fauli have been recognized both locally and internationally as legal experts in the areas of: international law; commercial transactions; litigation; maritime; environmental; insurance; energy; and defense of liabilities, including personal injury defense and product liability; tax; real estate; and estate planning. George J. Fowler, III and Antonio J. Rodriguez, both managing partners in the New Orleans office, have been selected for inclusion in the 2011 edition of The Best Lawyers in America® in the specialty of Maritime Law. This is the fifth consecutive year that Mr. Fowler and Mr. Rodriguez have been recognized as a Best Lawyer in this field of practice. The firm has offices in New Orleans, Miami, Houston, Gulfport, Mobile, Bogota, and Cartagena, and affiliated offices throughout Latin America.

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TRYTHIS A

HOW-TO

FOR THE MONTH

Exploring Big Lake By ERROL LABORDE

his picture was taken a few days after

Christmas a couple of years ago. The site is Big Lake, the path that encircles the pond, not really a lake, adjacent and to the left of the New Orleans Museum of Art. Once, the pond was part of what was the park’s old South golf course; however, under the post-Hurricane Katrina remodeling, and according to the designs of the park’s Master Plan, Big Lake’s borders have been turned into a recreation area. People walk, jog, skate and, in rare cases, drive miniature police cars throughout the day. My own routine is to park at the boathouse area across from Christian Brothers School. From there I walk the lake’s path, which is three-quarters of a mile long. Along the way there are gradual variations in elevation and lots of visual varieties including native plants, frequently a flock of Canada Geese and occasional pelicans diving into the lake. Near the museum is a bridge, which is good for turtle-spotting by looking near where the tree roots reach the water. If you want to stretch the trek to a mile, once you get to the bridge go around the lagoon next to it, making the circle past the Girl Scout cabin and then alongside the museum and back to the Big Lake path. (For some reason, I always go clockwise around the lake, though I’m usually the only one. Big Lakers are a counter-

Travel

clockwise crowd.) On some days the fleet of pedal boats at the boathouse is out in force, but no ship at sea is more striking that the Venetian gondola that’s hired, usually later in the afternoon, mostly for special occasions. I have been known to stand on one of the bridges, watch the gondola glide slowly under it and tell the passengers on board that Venice is over there, pointing to the east. It turns out they already knew that. If you haven’t tried Big Lake you should. It is a special place. Just watch out for the police. They come in different sizes.

Hyatt French Quarter Opens After $20 Million Update

800 Iberville St., 586-0800, FrenchQuarter.Hyatt.com

Few can deny that $20 million hotel renovations are a sign of city resurgence. So we’re glad to tell you about the reincarnation of the old D. H. Holmes Department store on Canal Street. A few months ago it reopened as the Hyatt French Quarter. A city block from Bourbon Street, it offers all the conveniences of a modern hotel, such as MP3 players in every room. Its décor is traditional New Orleans style delivered in a contemporary way. The same is true of the restaurant Powdered Sugar Market and the bar Batch where handcrafted cocktails will be enjoyed. – M i rella c amera n

Health

First-Class Neurological Care in the Gulf South The Advanced Neurodiagnostic Center in New Orleans 2905 Kingman St., Metairie, (866)820-0780, AdNeuro.com

Suffering from headaches, back pain, or memory problems? You might want to consider The Advanced Neurodiagnostic Center in New Orleans, a one-stop shop for expertise in neurological and neuromusculoskeletal conditions. It offers comprehensive neurodiagnostic testing for patients, which detects conditions based in the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord). Both types of neurodiagnostic testing: imaging and scans (e.g. x-ray, CT, MRI, PET scans)

and electrical impulse testing detection (e.g. EEG, EMG) are conducted. Board-certified physicians diagnose and treat a range of issues. The Advanced Sleep Center can help with all sleep problems from insomnia to Restless Leg Syndrome. – M i rella c amera n

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STREETCAR

The Social Significance of the New Morning Call B Y E R R O L L A B O R D E

ife was as simple as powdered

sugar over a warm beignet and a hot cup of real coffee blended with steamed milk. Those were the days when Morning Call was located in the French Quarter on Decatur Street. A family drive through the French Quarter would include a stop for café au lait and beignets either at Café Du Monde or Morning Call, a couple of blocks down river. The stand was open 24 hours a day, providing a hangout for the French Quarter’s characters. There was also automobile curb service, so the kids could be in their pajamas, which were destined to be sugar-coated. Morning Call was a happy place that was as much a visual experience as a place for libation. Inside was a classic marble counter with a wooden frame lined with light bulbs. Waiters, wearing white jackets and paper service caps, would hustle the orders. There is no better aroma than that of café au lait and beignets. The essence of Morning Call was its own perfume. Then one day something went wrong and this happy, simple place turned into a symbol of urban upheaval against the onslaught of the suburbs. The city announced plans to overhaul the French Market area. Whatever was to be done didn’t sit well with Morning Call’s management, and, in an announcement that would be equivalent to Mr. Bingle moving to Metairie, in 1974 Morning Call said it was shutting down its century-old location and moving to a hot new area called Fat City next to Lakeside Shopping Center. To those who care about cities, the move was jarring. From historic Decatur to a street called Severn! Moreover, Lakeside Shopping Center across the street was attracting the big-name stores that once lined Canal Street. And Fat City! Some people were saying that the French Quarter was dead, and the future was there. We know enough of the future to know that it’s never totally predictable. True, Mr. Bingle did move to Metairie when D. H. Holmes left Canal Street for Lakeside. And downtown retail did, as in most cities, shift to suburban shopping centers. Nevertheless, Fat City with its fake Vieux Carré facades, fizzled while the French Quarter, where the facades and the history are real, thrives. Morning Call established a new niche on Severn Avenue mostly of locals. Meanwhile, Café Du Monde on Decatur never stopped serving beignets or providing its own essence of beignet fragrance to the riverfront, and received global publicity from being in the French Quarter. Where the downtown department stores were, there are now ritzy hotels (including one with the name Ritz), which, unlike the department stores, add weekend and night activity to the scene. Where Morning Call used to be, there have been various restaurants though the 128

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years, but still, to those who remember, the ghost of what was there haunts. Now the haunting is over. Morning Call has come back to the city, expanding to the structure best known as the Casino Building in City Park. There is no big river near it, like there was in the French Quarter, but there is the last remaining section of Bayou Metairie. And, if you count the nearby oaks as being living objects – which they are – the neighborhood has history that predates the French Quarter. Better yet, the place, as a classic neon sign proclaims, is open 24-hours and there will be curb service so that a new generation of pajamas can get powdered in sugar. Like the old spot on Decatur Street, this is a happy place – and it epitomizes urban revival. As for the French Quarter, it isn’t what it used to be, but since it’s a living neighborhood, it never is what it used to be. While its architecture and culture have been preserved, it flows with life’s changes. And Morning Call – it seems like it should have always been there in City Park. It just took 38 years to discover that. ARTHUR NEAD I L L USTRATI O N