New Orleans Magazine July 2015

july 2015

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JULY 2015 / VOLUME 49 / NUMBER 10 Editor-in-Chief Errol Laborde Managing Editor Morgan Packard Art Director Tiffani Reding Amedeo Contributing Editor Liz Scott Monaghan Food Edit­or Dale Curry Dining Edit­or Jay Forman Wine and Spirits Edit­or Tim McNally Restaurant Reporter Robert Peyton Home Editor Bonnie Warren web Editor Kelly Massicot Staff Writer Melanie Warner Spencer Interns Lani Griffiths and Morgan Heuer SALES MANAGER Kate Sanders (504) 830-7216 / Kate@MyNewOrleans.com Senior Account Executive Jonée Daigle Ferrand Account Executives Sarah Daigle, Lauren Lavelle, Lisa Picone Love

Production Manager Staci McCarty Production Designers Monique DiPietro, Claire Geary, Antoine Passelac, Ali Sullivan traffic coordinator Jessica DeBold Chief Executive Officer Todd Matherne President Alan Campell Executive VICE PRESIDENT Errol Laborde Vice President of Sales Colleen Monaghan DIRECTOR OF MARKETING AND EVENTS Cheryl Lemoine Distribution Manager John Holzer Administrative Assistant Denise Dean SUBSCRIPTIONS Sara Kelemencky WYES DIAL 12 STAFF (504) 486-5511 Executive Editor Beth Arroyo Utterback Managing Editor Aislinn Hinyup Associate Editor Robin Cooper Art Director Jenny Hronek

NEW ORLEANS MAGAZINE Printed in USA A Publication of Renaissance Publishing 110 Veterans Memorial Blvd., Suite 123 Metairie, LA 70005 Subscriptions: (504) 830-7231

MyNewOrleans.com

New Orleans Magazine (ISSN 0897 8174) is published monthly by Renaissance Publishing, LLC., 110 Veterans Blvd., Suite 123, Metairie, LA 70005; (504) 828-1380.

Subscription rates: one year $19.95; Mexico, South America and Canada $48; Europe, Asia and Australia $75. An associate subscription to New Orleans Magazine is available by a contribution of $40 or more to WYES-TV/Channel 12, $10.00 of which is used to offset the cost of publication. Also available electronically, on CD-ROM and on-line. Periodicals postage paid at Metairie, LA, and additional entry offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to New Orleans Magazine, 110 Veterans Blvd., Suite 123, Metairie, LA 70005. Copyright 2015 New Orleans Magazine. No part of this publication may be reproduced without the consent of the publisher. The trademark New Orleans and New Orleans Magazine are registered. New Orleans Magazine is not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts, photos and artwork even if accompanied by a self-addressed stamped envelope.

The opinions expressed in New Orleans Magazine are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the view of the magazine managers or owners.

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contents

64 FEATURES

IN EVERY ISSUE

ON THE COVER

54 late night eats

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With a list that includes fine dining, breakfast, so many different types of cheese fries and everything in between, our “Late Night Eats” feature, starting on pg. 54, leaves no reason to drive-through when you have the late night munchies ever again.

Where even the after hours have their “after”

By Lauren LaBorde

64 top female achievers

10 Portraits of Success Profiles by Kimberley Singletary

INSIDE “The New Late Night”

18 speaking out

Editorial, plus a Mike Luckovich cartoon 20

JULIA STREET Questions and answers about our city

143 Try This

“A Need for Speed at NOLA Motorsports” 144 STREETCAR

“On the Oswald Trail”

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Photographed by Marianna Massey

contents

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THE BEAT

LOCAL COLOR

THE MENU

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MARQUEE

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IN TUNE

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table talk

Entertainment calendar

“A Feast of Fridays”

“Nothing Vanilla About It”

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PERSONA

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80 restaurant insider

New Anchor Camille Whitworth

Read & Spin

A look at the latest albums and books

“Avo, Nolavore and Rebellion”

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Biz

JAZZ LIFE

FOOD

“Plight of the Community Banks”

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“Live From Bohemia”

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education

“Going Fourth: An Independence Day bounty”

“Norman Francis’ Xavier Commitment”

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LAST CALL

“A Promise’s Ghost”

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DINING GUIDE

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HEALTH

“Are All Calories Equal?”

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HEALTHBEAT

The latest news in health from New Orleans and beyond

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MODINE’S NEW ORLEANS

“The Trouble With Robots”

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Joie d’Eve

“Season’s Reasons”

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CHRONICLES

“Shore Leave”

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HOME

“Good Bones: These guys feel the pulse of their restored home”

DIAL 12 D1 Enjoy the iconic tale of pride, changing times and the transformative power of friendship in Great Performances Driving Miss Daisy on Fri., July 17 at 9 p.m. on WYES-TV/Ch. 12. Angela Lansbury and James Earl Jones star in the Broadway hit. WYES continues to carry out its mission of serving greater New Orleans, southeast Louisiana and the Mississippi Gulf Coast with educational, entertaining and enlightening programming. Thank you for your continued support through our 58 years on television. Keep in touch with all things WYES – “like” us on Facebook at wyes.neworleans and follow us on Twitter and Instagram @WYESTV.

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inside

The New Late Night

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heater critic Rex Reed was once in town, and during a discussion he said of his hometown, New York City, that it was no longer a late night place. That surprised me for the town immortalized in song by the line, “I want to wake up in the city that never sleeps.”

Such a statement is hard to quantify, but I suspect it’s true – and if it’s true for Manhattan it’s probably true for all cities, except Las Vegas, but including New Orleans.

We are still mostly a late night town, though not as late as we used to be. Among the reasons people go home earlier, are, I suspect, the comforts of home, including TV and various videos with seemingly limitless options. Also, while in earlier days people would go out to escape the temperature, modern controls have made the home more comfortable. In addition, as people have sprawled to the suburbs and beyond they cannot stay out as late because of the commute. People may also feel more secure being home.

Nevertheless, New Orleans remains a late night town in reputation if not always in fact. Our cover story about late night dining shows that the spark is still there. That is appropriate because, by my count, the city has made three contributions to the culture of eating late. They are: Reveillons. These Christmas dinners were not originally what they have become today, where they are featured holiday meals at restaurants. Originally Reveillons were bountiful meals served after Christmas Eve midnight Mass. In the days when Catholics would have to fast for hours before receiving communion, the thought of a Reveillon was worth staying awake for; that was the ultimate late night experience.

After Ball Breakfasts. This is a lasting custom where the most popular dish is grillades and grits served buffet-style to invited guests at a hotel or country club. There are usually pastries, too. Even here there has been a tug toward the earlier hours. Once, by tradition, the breakfast was never served until 1 a.m.; now it’s usually available closer to the more civil 11 p.m. Late night just got shorter.

The French Quarter. We are one of the few cities that has a genuine, functioning entertainment district contained within a few blocks.

We natives spend little time walking the old streets late at night, but the French Quarter sets the image of the city for around-the-clock play. Far more civilized is the act of having coffee and beignets, a repast that’s available 24 hours a day. Enriched by the sounds of an occasional tugboat toot from the river, – the distant echo of a trumpet from somewhere and the clopping of mules – post-midnight dining in that setting can stretch toward sunrise. As the coffee steams, late night munchies can easily become early morning dining, too.

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Events Calendar Right on the homepage of MyNewOrleans.com is our daily events calendar. Our calendar is user-friendly in both access and submitting your own events. Do you have an upcoming event for your business? Or maybe you want to see what’s going on this weekend. Look no further than the MyNewOrleans.com events calendar.

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meet our sales team

Colleen Monaghan Vice President of Sales (504) 830-7215 Colleen@myneworleans.com

Kate Sanders Sales Manager (504) 830-7216 Kate@myneworleans.com

Jonee Daigle-Ferrand Senior Account Executive (504) 830-7257 Jonee@myneworleans.com

Sarah Favret Daigle Account Executive (504) 830-7220 SarahD@myneworleans.com

Lisa Picone Love Account Executive (504) 830-7263 Lisa@myneworleans.com

Lauren Lavelle Olinde Account Executive (504) 830-7298 LaurenL@myneworleans.com

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SPEAKING OUT

Support the St. Roch Market Defeat the Creeps

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here should be a special place in hell for those who vandalize. They should spend eternity confined in a room where each night they’re forced to paint a wall, and each morning they wake up to discover that someone with even less talent has sprayed over their work. We can only hope that one day they will mature and realize the wrongs of their reasoning and their actions.

We should all support the revived St. Roch Market on St. Claude Avenue. It is not hard to want to do. The food is good; the ambiance is festive; the mission (to save a neighborhood) is worthy. We also need to take a stand so that the creeps of the night don’t win.

There were once several public markets around town. They were envisioned as neighborhood places where farmers and artisans could bring their products. Eventually they all closed, victims of the emergence of supermarkets as well as the expanding suburbs. Now there has been an effort to bring these places back. What they once were can never work again, but they can be places where small vendors can sell their prepared food and drinks and where customers can pick and choose in a common space.

On a recent Wednesday night visit, the crowd was big but not overwhelming. The mix included mainline folks and the tattooed set, all various races and ages. It had a good community feel. We began at the bar with an Old-Fashioned and then picked and chose from the various counters. We sat at an inside table, which was just as well because the seating area outside was full.

You could sense the energy of the St. Claude District revival.

But then there are the creeps. A few nights earlier, five peo-

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ple dressed in black with knit caps down to their eyes broke several windows and spray painted the side of the newly scrubbed building. Security tapes caught them in action. (We hope that eventually those tapes can be used to convict them.)

By that Wednesday their graffiti had mercifully been painted over. Their cryptic message made reference to “yuppies.”

Our guess is that they were white because “yuppiedom” seems to be a white political zealot’s hang-up. Related to gentrification, the stereotype is that of professional white people sitting on their porches sipping merlot in a spot where poor people once sat. The stereotype overlooks that those of

create more jobs; more jobs create more opportunities for the poor to seek a better standard of living.

No neighborhood has ever been made better by being allowed to decline. New Orleans is blessed with old neighborhoods lined with fine homes, including shotguns and doubles that were built for everyday families; some are now shuttered, some are restored. The future is in giving people incentive to invest in the properties.

In its last days, the former St. Roch Market was a depleted building noted as a place to buy Cowan turtles and good crawfish, but the times were against it. The new market fits in with the reality of today’s world.

Not far from the St. Roch

“It’s a damn shame; the folks that came to ruin this,

they hurt the neighborhood. The good thing about it is the people who live in the neighborhood have come to clean up.” – Mayor Mitch Landrieu after the recent defacing of the newly opened St. Roch Market all races want life’s amenities, too, as well as the right to live in a decent neighborhood where, among their choices, they can enjoy markets and live comfortably. They also want their neighborhoods to be free of vandals, including those who would deface other people’s property.

Upgraded neighborhoods create a demand for more services; more services

Market is the famous cemetery by the same name. In it there is small chapel known as the place where the needy often leave a replica of a body part (an ex voto) as a part of a prayer for cure. As our prayer for the neighborhood to be rid of vandals, we would leave a replica of an eye with hope that one day those with vision will have overcome the forces of darkness. n

AN ORIGINAL ©MIKE LUCKOVICH CARTOON FOR NEW ORLEANS MAGAZINE

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JULIA STREET /

WITH POYDRAS THE PARROT

TH E PUR S UIT TO AN S W E R E T E RNA L Q U E S TION S

Blanche’s streetcar journey to her home at 632 Elysian Fields Ave., is possible only in the world of fiction and artistic license. Because the directions mention actual transit lines of the day, they can sound plausible but have always been impossible because of some rather major details that Tennessee Williams left out.

From 1923 until it stopped running in ’48, the Desire streetcar line ran from Canal and Bourbon streets, up Bourbon then along Pauger, Dauphine, Desire, Tonti, France and Royal streets before returning to Canal Street.

So far, so good. However, if you were to cross the street to pick up the Cemetery Streetcar and try to get off six blocks from Elysian Fields Avenue, you’d quickly discover Tennessee had given you really bad directions. At no point along its route did the Cemeteries line pass anywhere near Elysian Fields Avenue. In fact, anybody trying to get to Elysian Fields from the streetcar’s Canal street stop would have to travel a minimum of about 22 blocks, not six, to get to their destination. That is a bit of a hike!

Dear Julia, I hope, some day, to show my grandkids around New Orleans. The Desire streetcar is gone, but I would love to retrace its route for old-time’s sake. I have always loved the Tennessee Williams Play, A Streetcar Named Desire, and what I specifically hope to do is ride the same route that Blanche followed on her way home. The directions in the play say to “… take a street-car named Desire, and then transfer to one called Cemeteries and ride six blocks” getting off at Elysian Fields, where Stella and Stanley lived. Can you please let me know the best way to do this?

Darren Lindenson Dallas, TX

Dear Julia Street, My father was employed by The F. S. Wertz Cracker Company in New Orleans in the 1930s.

I have not been able to find any information on the company and where they would have been located in town. They were later bought out by the American Biscuit Co., Chicago. I would appreciate any information.

Thanks, John Keyser Summit, MS

Win a chappy’s restaurant gift certificate

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Here is a chance to eat, drink 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 $25 gift certificates at Chappy’s Restaurant on Magazine Street. 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 John Keyser, Summit, Mississippi; and Darren Lindenson, Dallas, Texas.

JULY 2015 / myneworleans.com

photo courtesy of Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C. 20540 USA

I am sorry to tell you, but I believe the family lore connecting your dad with the F. S. Wertz company in the 1930s may have gotten a bit scrambled over the years.

New Orleans city directories from the ’30s show no entries for F. S. Wertz & Co. or any bakers sharing your surname. While I don’t doubt that one of your ancestors may have worked for F. S. Wertz, I feel certain that any such employment was neither during the Depression nor in New Orleans.

While there most certainly was an F. S. Wertz & Co., which was famous for baking crackers, they were based in Reading, Pennsylvania. Just before the turn of the 20th century, large corporate conglomerates began snapping up independent bakeries, bringing them under progressively larger corporate umbrellas. In early 1898, one such group, the American Biscuit & Manufacturing Company, which was headquartered in Chicago, acquired F. S. Wertz & Co.’s Reading, Pennsylvania plant. Later that year, the American Biscuit Company merged with the New York Biscuit Company and the United States Biscuit Company to form the National Biscuit Company. In October 1902, the National Biscuit Company closed the F. S. Wertz & Co. bakery at 120 South Third St. in Reading, Pennsylvania. Five hundred employees were left jobless.

Soon thereafter, a former employee purchased the shuttered plant and changed its name.

Dear Julia and Poydras, I have a question for you about the Jefferson airplane – not the namesake rock band, but the actual aircraft

that used to perch atop the old Crash Landing nightclub in Metairie. Do you happen to know the exact model of the plane, how long it was there and what happened to it? I know the plane was later removed but have long wondered about its fate and current status. Did a collector buy it? Did it ever fly again?

Jane Scheridan River Ridge Before there was a rock band known as Jefferson Airplane, there was the Crash Landing nightclub at 2645 N. Causeway Blvd., which had as its gimmick a real airplane mounted on the roof of what was otherwise a plain, boxy little building. The Crash Landing, which opened in 1973, didn’t last long, but the rooftop decoration stayed put until April ’83.

The nightclub’s rooftop aircraft was a 1950s-era Super Constellation, Model 1049. Lockheed produced 579 Super Constellations for both the military and civilian market. The vast majority of these aircraft were retired and scrapped in the 1960s and ’70s.

Although the Metairie plane initially escaped the scrap heap and went on to become a suburban landmark, it hasn’t survived.

In early 1983, when the property which had been the Crash Landing again changed hands, new owners had the plane removed.

There is no doubt as to the aircraft’s current status. According to a classified advertisement, which appeared in The Times-Picayune on April 22, ’83, the Lockheed Super Constellation, Model 1049, which formerly adorned the Crash Landing’s rooftop, was stripped for parts and sold as scrap for pennies on the dollar. n

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the beat MARQUEE

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PERSONA

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BIZ

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EDUCATION

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HEALTH

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CRIME FIGHTING

”I’ve wanted to be an anchor since I was tiny. ...

I always grew up in media, in reporting, in publishing, in writing. As little girls we were never allowed to say, ‘We went to summer camp and it was great.’ (Our parents) made us write essays.” – Camille Whitworth

persona pg. 26

GREG MILES PHOTOGRAPH

THE BEAT / MARQUEE

OUR TOP PICKS FOR JULY EVENTS

cheryl gerber PHOTO

BY LAUREN LABORDE

Don’t Let it Go

Getting in the Spirit

Brooks is Back

Before she became the singer of every 8-yearold’s favorite song and before John Travolta butchered her name at the Oscars, Idina Menzel was primarily known as a Broadway star, having originated the role of Maureen in the musical Rent. She then originated another show-stopping role as Elphaba in Wicked. She appeared in some smaller productions before landing the role responsible for perhaps Disney’s biggest hit song in years: Elsa in the animated film Frozen, singer of the ubiquitous “Let it Go.” This is a performer who needs to be seen live, and you can do that July 30 at the Saenger when she presents a concert. Information, SaengerNOLA.com

July in the French Quarter becomes Cocktail Camp when Tales of the Cocktail commences (July 15-19). This year’s event includes a “restaurant week,” where restaurants offer lower-priced prix fixes with corresponding cocktails; “Breakfast Club” series, where you can hear from an industry expert over brunch; and the usual tastings, seminars, parties and more. Information, TalesOfTheCocktail.com

Returning to Louisiana for the first time in 18 years, country singer Garth Brooks and his wife, opener Trisha Yearwood, will be at the Smoothie King Center for a three-night engagement (July 10-12). Known for “The Thunder Rolls” and barroom favorite “Callin’ Baton Rouge,” Brooks released Man Against Machine, his first album in 13 years, in November. Information, SmoothieKingCenter.com

CALENDAR July 6-12. The New Movement’s Megaphone Marathons comedy festival, The New Movement. Information, TNMComedy.com

July 11. El Encierro: The Running of the Bulls, Central Business District/French Quarter. Information, NolaBulls.com

July 9-12. Tulane Summer Lyric presents Once Upon a Mattress, Tulane’s Dixon Hall. Information, SummerLyric.tulane.edu

July 11. Bastille Day Fête, Spanish Plaza. Information, BastilleDayNola.com

July 10-12. Audac!ty Dance Collective presents “Evening at the Gallery,” Marigny Opera House. Information, MarignyOperaHouse.org

July 16-26. Peter Pan, Rivertown Theaters for the Performing Arts.

Information, RivertownTheaters.com

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performance from the All Things Shakespeare student program, Aug. 6-9; and Oscar Wilde’s The Importance of Being Earnest, July 11-25, directed by Jessica Podewell and featuring local favorite actors including Clare Moncrief and James Bartelle.

Podewell spoke to us about the production.

Why was The Importance of Being Earnest chosen for the festival, especially since it isn’t a Shakespeare play?

SPOTLIGHT

The Importance of Being Funny

Festival’s production of Oscar Wilde classic is gonna be good – period.

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he play’s the thing at Tulane every summer, where The New Orleans Shakespeare Festival takes over with well-done productions of the classics, workshop productions featuring students and plays taking a different approach to the Bard’s words. This year’s festival got started last month, but you can still catch Incarnate, a production from the New Orleans-based Compleat Stage company that uses dance, live music and visual art, July 15-22; a

There are tons of Shakespeare festivals where you get the Shakespeare plays and then you normally get couple of good ol’ standard traditionals from those big, big writers.

Old, creaky, wonderful plays.

[Earnest] was actually supposed to be a lab production, but we had wonderful success with [theater company] Compleat Stage last year, and they’re coming back to do a full run of Incarnate. So it’s something a lot of fests around the country do, but this had to do with calendars and wonderful opportunities bringing it all together.

Since this a classic play, what approach did you take to it to make it fresh? I say “creaky,”

but Earnest is so vibrant. I teach and the thing that’s so interesting is so often I get kids bringing in pieces

they want to work on: half of the time you run into kids still wanting to do Earnest.

There’s 18-year-olds who want to do Lady Bracknell monologues. It’s so great. It’s satire: [Oscar Wilde] didn’t like the Victorian upper class.

It’s the same group of people who sent him to jail, so it’s biting satire against the upper crust. In a lot of ways it’s still about class structure, a very contemporary issue. It’s just unbelievable funny … you can’t go through three lines without a laugh. I’m not contemporizing it; we’re just doing The Importance of Being Earnest. It’s good goddamn play anyway you slice it.

Your father, Buzz Podewell, was the co-founder of the festival. What is it like to carry on his legacy? It’s a lovely

festival full of lovely people and it really does feel like home. I know he was able to direct Earnest once and had a great time with it. It’s been nice going through and trying to decipher his scribbles in the script. He was very proud of the festival when he first started. It’s a wonderful traditional to carry on.

For more information on The Importance of Being Earnest and the New Orleans Shakespeare Festival at Tulane, visit NewOrleansShakespeare.org. n

July 18. The Avett Brothers in concert, Champions Square.

Information, Champions-Square.com

July 31. My Morning Jacket in concert, Champions Square.

Information, Champions-Square.com

July 20-Aug. 2. Tulane Summer Lyric presents Hello, Dolly!, Tulane’s Dixon Hall. Information, SummerLyric.tulane.edu

July 30-Aug. 2. Satchmo SummerFest, French Quarter.

Information, fqfi.org/satchmo

July 20. Smashing Pumpkins and Marilyn Manson in concert, Champions Square. Information, Champions-Square.com

Aug. 1. Whitney White Linen Night, New Orleans Arts District.

Information, NewOrleansArtsDistrict.com

Craig Mulcahy PHOTOGRAPH

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THE BEAT / PERSONA

Camille Whitworth News anchor has dream job and stormy memories

BY LAUREN LABORDE

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n New Orleans, news anchors seem to function as journalists, community advocates and public figures all in one, and that was especially true for WDSU’s Camille Whitworth when she covered Hurricane Katrina nearly 10 years ago. The event is fresh in her mind as her station prepares coverage for the big anniversary, which is being branded as “Katrina 10,” and also because of a memento she keeps framed on her desk: a crumpled piece of notepad paper from when she reported live from Baton Rouge’s River Center after the storm, where she also helped to unite separated families through broadcasts. The paper is from man who was looking for his 77-year-old

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missing mother, whom Whitworth wasn’t able to help find. For the anniversary, she wants to track down that man and see if he ever found his mother. Whitworth also is going through a personal storm, as she’s still dealing with the aftermath of her mother’s unexpected death this past year. I met her at the Howard Avenue station after a long day to talk about Katrina, her family and her childhood.

Q: What are some of your memories covering the storm? During Katrina my assignment was to hang out in Ochsner. We could go live from there, but once the storm hit everything was wiped out, so we were locked in the hos-

pital. And they said if you leave this hospital, you’re not allowed to come back, because at that time they were saying there was martial law, rioting, all this stuff. We were afraid to leave the hospital for fear of what was out there.

We were gonna get hurt, killed? We didn’t know. We stayed in the hospital, and the things we saw were amazing. The way that hospital organized, rallied the troops, helped the patients. When Katrina hit, I say it was my alarm clock, 2:30 in the morning.

That glass atrium in the big Ochsner on Jefferson Highway crumbled, and all the family members were sleeping down there.

All these people just went running through the hospital. That’s how I found my doctor, during the storm. So 10 years later whenever I go to Ochsner GREG MILES photograph

Q: How do you like to Age: “I’m a Pisces.”

Born/raised: Houston/ New Orleans Education: Hampton University for undergrad; graduate studies at Indiana University-Purdue University Favorite movie: “Steel Magnolias if I want a good cry. Good Will Hunting if I’m channeling my intellectual side and My Best Friend’s wedding if I need a good laugh.”

Favorite TV show: “The Royals” Favorite hobby: oil painting, tennis Favorite restaurant: Cafe Amelie and anything John Besh Favorite food: My Aunt Beverly’s seafood gumbo and anything chocolate for dessert Favorite book: The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho Favorite vacation spot: “Any beach, anytime, anywhere” and see that atrium, it gives me chill bumps and literally draws tears to my eyes because I’ll never forget that that’s where I was when the most devastating thing happened to this region.

Q: Was that always your

dream to be an anchor? I’ve wanted to be an anchor since I was tiny. My family owns the New Orleans Tribune newspaper. That’s my mom’s side [the McKenna family].

On my dad’s side they own the Roanoke Tribute in Virginia. So I always grew up in media, in reporting, in publishing, in writing. As little girls we were never allowed to say, “We went to summer camp and it was great.” They made us write essays.

relax with your free time?

Relax? (Laughs) I guess I like to veg out and watch senseless TV. Get lost in a book.

Honestly it’s been a very tough time for me in the last six months with my mother’s death … in terms of downtime it’s just one of those things where we’re getting her estate together. It’s really taking a toll because it was unexpected. I leave here, and then I go to make sure insurance is taken care of, bank accounts are closed out. That’s been a real heavy load on my plate for the last six months.

We lived two doors down from each other. She was 67, young. When that happens, your whole life changes. I had someone tell me that when your mother dies, your tears will taste different. Your pain comes from a different source; it’s a deep, guttural, horrible sort of pain. But it also drives me. My mother was very supportive of my career. She was my No. 1 fan. She would always come up with bright ideas for things for me to do or say on the air. If I ever got tired or weary, she was my source of strength. With that I have to continue.

My mother would always come up with stuff, and she would call and say, “You need to do a story on this.” But she would also go to crime scenes and say, “How come you guys aren’t out here?

There’s cop cars out here,” and I’d say, “Mom, get away from the crime scene!” n

True confession My guilty pleasure is reality TV.

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THE BEAT / BIZ

Plight of the Community Banks Small institutions take a stand against big regulation

By Kathy Finn

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uring an era when just about anyone with a bank account understands the meaning of “too big to fail,” giant banking corporations are everyday stuff. Their names loom large in business districts ranging from urban centers to rural communities, where tiny banking institutions once were the norm.

In the early 1980s, when names like Chase and Bank of America were but slivers of their eventual monolithic selves, many owners of small banks fretted that expansion by the big names represented the beginning of the end. Homespun “community banks,” they warned, would one day exist only in memory.

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Decades later, community bankers are still sounding alarms.

“The decline in community banking is a troubling trend for the economy as a whole, but particularly for small businesses,” New Orleans banking executive Guy Williams said in May. The CEO of Gulf Coast Bank and Trust Co., Williams made the comment during a news conference in which a University of New Orleans researcher released a study of banking trends that shows community banks in a state of decline.

Consolidation in the banking industry at large during the past 20 years sharply reduced the number of institutions operating in the United States and hit the community bank sector disproportionately hard, UNO Professor Kabir Hassan reported. The total number of small banks shrunk during that period by more than 50 percent, while the ranks of larger institutions decreased by about 18 percent.

The merger wave not only cleared many small-institution names from Louisiana’s banking landscape, but also swept bigger companies, including Hibernia, First National Bank of Commerce and the venerable Whitney National Bank, off the map.

In greater New Orleans

today, national giants Capital One and JPMorgan Chase Bank hold more than 45 percent of all bank deposits, according to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.

Meanwhile, only a handful of Louisianabased institutions – including IberiaBank Corp. and First NBC Bank Holding Co., with more than $12 billion and $3 billion, respectively – exceed the size benchmark of $1 billion in assets that the UNO study used to define community banks.

“Community banks have been getting the short end of the stick in the financial sector, and it’s only gotten worse since the financial crisis and megabank bailouts,” U.S. Sen. David Vitter, who chairs the Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee, said at the press conference.

This wave of worry among community bankers stems from growing regulatory pressures.

Vitter’s reference to the financial crisis and bailouts of 2008-’09 was apt. It is in the wake of those events that federal regulators have sought new ways of preventing bankers from repeating mistakes of the past.

The federal government has heaped layer after layer of new laws on banks. Whether any of it will keep bankers from making stupid lending jason raish illustration

Against the Odds Here are some key points from the recent University of New Orleans study entitled “National and Regional Trends in Community Banking,” by Kabir Hassan: Average return on assets for community banks declined 8 percent, while that of larger banks grew by 10 percent.

Average net income for larger banks outpaced that of community banks by 292 percent.

The rate of asset growth in community banks was 220 percent less than in larger institutions.

decisions remains to be seen.

But what’s clear is that complying with all the regulations is costly.

In order to document that they’re following the letter and intent of every banking law, large institutions today employ legions of auditors and compliance officers who monitor every aspect of banking activity.

Not surprisingly, the burden of regulatory compliance is hitting community bankers particularly hard. Less able to bear the costs of hiring additional staff to deal with the regulations, many owners of small banks are putting their institutions up for sale.

The trend is one that Virginia-based banking industry Gregory Feldmann focused on in predicting last year that consolidation among banking institutions will sharply pare the ranks of small lenders.

While politicians continue to debate the evils of “too big

to fail,” he says, the corollary question is whether some banks are “too small to thrive.”

In comments he made last fall, Feldmann said the United States could see 300 bank mergers annually in the near term, with as many as 2,000 institution names vanishing during the next five to seven years.

More than a half-dozen mergers were completed or announced in Louisiana during the past year, according to the state Office of Financial Institutions.

Veteran New Orleans banker Kyle Waters, a former executive of Hibernia and of Omni Bank before it merged into IberiaBank, recently gave an indication of the action ahead.

Waters and a few of his colleagues formed a new consulting business whose sole purpose is to provide evaluation services to small banks that are seeking buyers and to institutions that are looking to grow by acquiring smaller ones.

He predicted that merger activity will pick up in Louisiana and along the Gulf Coast.

Meanwhile, longtime supporters of community banks hope to focus public attention on the value of such institutions to local residents and to small business development and growth.

Gulf Coast Bank and Trust Co.’s Williams urged that community bank supporters write letters to lawmakers demanding regulatory relief for small institutions.

“It is imperative that industry regulations take into account the vital role of community banks in the U.S. economy so that we can get back on the right track,” he said.

In the era of “too big to fail,” the question remains if community banks are too small to survive. n

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THE BEAT / EDUCATION

Prescription for Success Norman Francis’ Xavier commitment

By Dawn Wilson

S

uccess stories often hinge on pivotal moments, and the story of Xavier University’s transformation from an obscure, liberal arts college overlooking the Palmetto Canal in New Orleans to a nationally recognized university contains many such ones.

One occurred in 1968, when the school’s founding Catholic order, The Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament, decided to appoint a layman university president in defiance of Catholic tradition.

President Norman C. Francis, who spent most of his adult life at

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Xavier in some capacity, ranging from math student in 1948 to top administrator, retired the end of June after 47 years directing Xavier’s rise to prominence.

As early as the mid1980s, Xavier had earned a reputation for excelling in getting black students into medical schools.

Now that recognition as expanded even further.

A 2015 National Science Foundation report says that Xavier ranks third in the nation for graduating black students who eventually obtain terminal degrees in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.

In recent years, the university’s relatively small enrollment of about 3,000 has included a significant number of Vietnamese and foreign students from as far away as Cameroon, West Africa. Its school of pharmacy, one of only two in Louisiana, has graduated thousands of pharmacists since its opening in 1970.

The pharmacy school has been so successful that Francis says that people don’t ask New Orleans area pharmacists if they graduated from Xavier. They ask, “When did you go?”

Then in 2005, Hurricane Katrina destroyed most of Xavier’s woodframed buildings, opening the way for constructing a modern-looking campus to match its cutting-edge academic performance.

Francis describes the past decade as the Renaissance Period, a time that FEMA money and private donations led to major infrastructure improvements. The new buildings expanded the school’s green rooftop theme, creating a signature skyline that brightens the scenery along Interstate 10 heading toward downtown New Orleans. This swathe of green is also the basis for the school’s catchy marketing phrase “beneath the green roofs,” which literally describes the campus and figuratively describes the nourishment that happens in the classroom.

In the spring, Francis says he traveled to six cities around the country raising money for scholarships. Along the way, he talked with hundreds of Xavier alumni who are now doctors, lawyers, social workers and health care administrators.

“For me, it was just a reaffirmation of why we were founded,” Francis cheryl gerber photograph

says. “They are all doing what Xavier set out to do – to create a more humane and just society.

That’s our mission.”

Founded by Saint Katharine Drexel, a wealthy nun canonized by Pope John Paul II in 2000, Xavier’s focus 90 years ago was to provide higher education for black students in the South, who were not allowed to attend white schools. As the only historically black Catholic college in the nation, it always had special standing. But after the Civil Rights Movement opened a path for a more inclusive society, Xavier was in the right place at the right time with the right leadership to carve out a much-needed niche in higher education.

Francis remembers the defining period when Xavier expanded its focus to emphasize the sciences. He says that he and his team of faculty and staff were troubled by a report that showed a dismal application rate for blacks to medical school. With the dedicated efforts of chemistry professor J.W. Carmichael, who still advises pre-med students, Xavier committed itself to encouraging black students to major in the sciences. The school held summer science programs for high school students that drew promising students from New Orleans and other communities.

Perhaps the most critical academic decision came in the early 1980s, when the university instituted common testing for all sections of similar courses such as biology, chemistry and algebra, Francis says. Instead of professors devising their own exams, departments created an exam to be taken by all students taking the same course. This action was designed to ensure that students would be taught the same material at the same level of challenge.

“It forced the teachers to keep on their toes,” he says.

“That’s how we built this science machinery.”

Students who enroll at Xavier know that they aren’t entering a fun-loving atmosphere. “Xavier is a not a party school,” Francis says. “They come knowing that they are going to be challenged.”

Another contributing factor in academic success, according to Francis, is maintaining some out-of-fashion ideas about lifestyle. In contrast to the dormitory rules that govern most public universities today, Francis says that Xavier still enforces curfews, some of which allow students to be out “too late” in his view.

Francis, now 84, has led a rich life. A native of Lafayette and son of uneducated parents, his career included being the first black graduate of Loyola University Law School and the nation’s longest serving college president. He has met three popes, every president since John F. Kennedy and countless celebrities. George W. Bush awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest honor for civic service.

In retirement, Francis plans to spend more time with his wife, Blanche, who was an active partner in his academic journey until she began suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. He made a vow to love and cherish Blanche immediately after graduating from law school, just before being drafted and shipped to Germany to serve in a medical unit of General Patton’s peacekeeping force. After finishing military service, he committed to spending at least two years at Xavier as Dean of Men. “Nobody can say I didn’t live up to my commitment,” Francis says. “But that [marriage] vow trumps a commitment. I’m going home now.” n

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THE BEAT / health

Joel Hitchcock Tilton

Shedding pounds Are All Calories Equal?

by Brobson Lutz M.D.

S

ummer and dieting go together like shrimp and rice. While it may be intuitive to move from the caloricheavy comfort foods of winter to a lighter fare in summer, there’s another powerful incentive to decrease summer caloric in-

take: Warmer weather means less clothing and more visible flab, especially when a swimming suit is involved.

Even with the lighter foods of summer, excess calories still flow, what with snowballs, ice cream and other foods associated

with summer sweetness. An example is corn on the cob, a starch that’s only one biochemical equation away from a sugar molecule, even before it’s lathered with butter.

As a Tulane Medical School graduate and also a degree holder from Tulane’s even more prestigious School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, I thought I knew a thing or two about nutrition. One hot day last May, a farmer put me in my place. This farmer was no hayseed.

“Eating raw vegetables is a good way of reducing calories,” says Joel Hitchcock Tilton, an English major turned urban farmer to whom top local chefs turn for local sourcing of herbs and vegetables. “Raw vegetables give you less calories. I am constantly nibbling raw beans, edible flowers and salad greens as I garden.

They have fewer calories.”

Tilton and Jim Seely, another post-Katrina transplant to New Orleans, established Paradigm Gardens. They leased a vacant lot from Felicity Redevelopment and transformed it into an urban oasis of plants growing, hens laying and goats making milk.

Joel Hitchcock Tilton’s Paradigm Gardens “The path to better health is imminently attainable, even in the Crescent City during the dog days of summer. Our best foods are not processed. Every living thing on Earth can get every bit of nutrients they need from the natural world. That doesn’t mean that supplements or fortified foods are necessarily bad, just that they’re acting as a replacement for proper nutrition.

“So what is proper nutrition? This is a question that Dr. Westin Price sought to answer in the early 20th century, and it took him around the globe. His fascinating discoveries are documented in meticulous detail in his paradigm-shifting book Nutrition and Physical Degeneration. Dr. Price wrote that our Western diet rich in canned foods, sugar, devitalized fats and oils, refined grains and pasteurized milk was causing all manner of tooth decay, infectious diseases and degenerative illnesses.

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“Each group of remote indigenous peoples that Dr. Price visited had wildly different diets, as you would imagine between groups as geographically and culturally separated as Arctic Inuits and African tribesmen. However, they shared certain elements in common in terms of food and preparation. The types of foods that allow humans, despite geographic or ethnic differences, to thrive are whole, natural foods like whole grains, tubers, insects, fish, fruits, vegetables, organ meat, bone marrow, raw milk and milk products and meat with its fat. These traditional cultures often prepared their foods in ways that increased the vitamin content as well as the bioavailability of minerals. These methods include sprouting, fermenting, sour leavening and soaking.

“New Orleans often gets a bad rap for decadent, artery-clogging cuisine, but we’re also a city full of healthy food options. In addition

cheryl gerber photograph

“Wait a minute,” I say.

“A calorie is a calorie. Five hundred calories of carrots equals 500 calories of cake. A calorie is a calorie regardless of what food you eat.”

“I disagree,” said Tilton.

“Cooking makes foods easier to digest. Eat raw and your body burns more calories in breaking it down to digestible molecules and your intestines work harder churning the undigestible fibers.”

So what exactly is a calorie? According to the Urban Dictionary they are tiny, microscopic creatures that sneak in closets like clothes moths. But instead of making holes in your woolies, calories go to work with miniature needles and threads to tighten all your clothes. (A warning: adult discretion required when using the online Urban Dictionary. I recently received a hospital email inviting me to a meeting for new providers. I responded with a blast email citing the Urban Dictionary definition for providers that caused me to be called on the carpet.

But I digress.)

Officially chemists measure the caloric content of a specific food by placing a weighed portion of a specific food inside a sealed metal container pumped to capacity with high concentration

oxygen to hasten combustion. The metal container is submerged in a measured amount of water, a spark inside the oxygen rich container catches the food on fire, and the chemist measures the rise in the water temperature as the food turns to ash. A calorie is the amount of energy needed to raise the temperature of 2.2 pounds of water 1.8 degrees Fahrenheit. The more heat the food source produces, the higher its caloric count.

Tilton and I agree more than we disagree. The less you mess with your food, the more nutritious it is and the less likely it is to carry any foodborne illness. The proof is literally in the pudding.

Foodborne outbreaks traced to central food processing abound. Hamburger meat is more likely to be contaminated with disease causing E. coli than a single hunk of beef. The recall of Blue Bell ice cream shows how easy it is to contaminate the processed food chain. You increase your chance of bringing foodborne pathogens into your kitchen by buying even partially processed vegetables such as pre-chopped green onions.

For low-cal eating, the trick isn’t just in the food but in the preparation, or lack thereof. n

DR. WILLIAM HUDSON, Medical Director

By Appointment (504) 486-4500 4005 Toulouse • Mid-City New Orleans 70119

Dr. Hudson

RegenesisSpa.com

to the numerous farmers markets open multiple days of the week, there has been an explosion of urban gardens around the Big Easy. Many have sprouted up in myriad blighted lots left in the wake of Katrina, and many more have taken root in yards and lots of nonprofits.”

To sample produce, herbs and flowers from Paradigm Gardens, book a reservation at supporting restaurants Meauxbar, Patois and Coquette. Event planners are using their venue for business brunches, wedding receptions and simple sunset picnics centered on a homemade wood-burning oven for roasting meats and cooking pizza. And if the timing is right, you just might get to milk a goat in the shadow of that church with the golden steeple in downtown New Orleans.

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THE BEAT / HEALTHBEAT The CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Week Report recently published findings stating severe vision loss was most prevalent in the South. The report found that “the South was home to three-quarters of the United States counties with the highest prevalence of severe vision loss.” To lower the risk of vision loss, an additional report by the NPR “Shots” blog suggested catching diseases such as cataracts, glaucoma, macular degeneration or diabetic retinopathy – the most common causes of vision loss in adults – early on through regular eye exams will lower the rust of vision loss.

East Jefferson General Hospital recently announced a technology addition to aid in the quality of patient care. MedCPU is support software that gives doctors and care physicians immediate access to notes, dictation and medical data to ensure the most accurate and appropriate course of treatment for each patient. EJGH will be the first healthcare facility in Louisiana to introduce this technology into its medical community.

Recently, Oschner Medical Center began enrolling patients for a national study (the Carotid Revascularization and Medical Management for Asymptomatic Carotid Stenosis Study, CREST-2) determined to find the best treatment of carotid atherosclerotic stenosis. Carotid atherosclerotic stenosis is the nar-

rowing of the carotid – a major artery that supplies the head and neck area with oxygenated blood – which shows no symptoms. Stroke research has vastly improved in the last 20 years as strokes became the fourth most common cause of death in the U.S. CREST-2 is being used to compare three methods of stroke prevention in order to find the safest and most effective option for those with carotid artery narrowing. Dr. Charles Sternberg, chief of vascular and endovascular surgery as well as the principal investigator for the CREST-2 study at Oschner, said in a statement, “the information from this study will help us learn more about the best treatment for stroke prevention we can provide our patients.”

– Kelly Massicot

CORRECTION: In a news item about University Medical Center New Orleans managing West Jefferson Hospital (June 2014 edition), UMC was referred to as the new regional children’s hospital. UMC New Orleans won’t specialize in pediatric healthcare; the company is the flagship academic medical center of LCMC Health, which operates Children’s Hospital.

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LOCAL COLOR in tune / READ+SPIN / JAZZ LIFE / JOIE D’EVE / MODINE GUNCH / CHRONICLES / HOME

As summer kicks into full gear, it’s the perfect time to take advantage of a couple of the great free summer concert series going on around town. ... Just a quick ferry ride across the river at the Algiers Ferry Landing, the Wednesdays on the Point concert series continues.

Be sure to catch Bonerama on July 8 or Amanda Shaw (right) on the 29th.”

in tune pg. 38

cheryl gerber photograph

LOCAL COLOR / IN TUNE Dayve Hawk

Wolfman’s Prowl A feast of Fridays BY mike griffith

A

s summer kicks into full gear, it’s the perfect time to take advantage of a couple of the great free summer concert series going on around town. Every Friday this month, Tipitina’s continues their Free Fridays concert series. I especially recommend Walter “Wolfman” Washington on July 3 and Papa Mali with Mike Dillon Band on July 17. Just a quick ferry ride across the river at the Algiers Ferry Landing, the Wednesdays on the Point concert series also continues. Be sure to catch Bonerama on July 8 or Amanda Shaw on the 29th.

Of course, the big July event is The Essence Festival. This year the festival begins with Kevin Hart’s What Now? Tour on Thursday evening and continues with three evenings of music wrapping up Sunday night. This year features an insanely tight lineup of women on the cutting edge of music.

Over the course of the weekend one can see Erykah Badu, India.Arie, Mary J. Blige and Esperanza Spalding’s Emily’s D+Evolution project. If that weren’t enough, Kendrick Lamar and Mystikal will be there for good measure. Lamar’s new album To Pimp A

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Butterfly is a masterpiece; this should be a profound performance.

For those looking for a 1990s throwback, we have a couple shows that fit the bill. On July 20, The Smashing Pumpkins and Marilyn Manson will be playing Champions Square. I can’t say that I have any idea how this show will go, but it will definitely be a spectacle. A week later on July 28, German Industrial legends, KMFDM will be at The Civic.

On July 15, the Death Grips will play One Eyed Jacks. The Death Grips’ sound is an aggressive and fascinating blend of industrial noise and hip-hop.

I am not sure why their music works as well as it does; hopefully the live show will lend some insight.

On July 6, there will be an impressive double bill at One Eyed Jacks. The evening will begin with EZTV’s twee spin on power pop. Their upcoming record Calling Out is reminiscent of Big Star, XTC and Belle and Sebastian – definitely worth a listen. After EZTV, Netherlands-based multi-instrumentalist Jacco Gardner will deliver his distinct brand of baroque psychedelic rock. Gardner is also touring on the

Sister Festivals At the end of this month Jazz Fest’s sister festival, The Newport Folk Festival, starts up on July 24. When Jazz Fest started in 1970, the founder of Newport Folk, George Wein, was brought in to oversee the production. Both Jazz Fest and Newport strive to preserve musical heritage while expanding out into the world of contemporary music. The Newport Folk Festival has done an excellent job of expanding out into the indie rock and pop movements over the past few years. This year acts include: The Decemberists, Sufjan Stevens, Jason Isbell, Roger Waters, First Aid Kid and many more. Keep an eye on our website for my daily updates during the festival. release of a new record, Hypnophobia, which is already a strong contender for my top records of the year.

On July 7, Dayve Hawk will bring his chillwave Memory Tapes project to Gasa Gasa. A couple of nights later on the 9th, Gasa Gasa is back with The Secret Sisters. The Secret Sisters are the traditional country duo of Laura and Lydia Rogers.

You can expect soaring duets and that classic country sound. On July 25, lo-fi alt rockers Pony Farm will be at Gasa Gasa as well. What I have heard of this band sounds like recordings made with friends and siblings on a boombox in someone’s bedroom, yet there’s a sincere complexity that works perfectly with the lo-fi approach.

Finally this month, My Morning Jacket and Lucius are coming to Champions Square on July 31.

MMJ’s new record, The Waterfall, features some of Jim James’ best vocal work. This is a great double bill. Make sure to arrive in time to catch Brooklynbased indie pop outfit, Lucius. Their record Wildewoman was one of my favorite albums of last year.

Lucius was also omnipresent at the Newport Folk Festival last year, seeming to play with just about everyone. I would expect to see them take the stage for a song or two with MMJ. n

Note: Dates are subject to change. Playlist of mentioned bands available at: bit.ly/InTune7-15

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To contact Mike about music news, upcoming performances and recordings, email Mike@MyNewOrleans.com or contact him through Twitter @Minima.

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LOCAL COLOR / READ+SPIN

HISTORY: As the 10-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina approaches, this month The Historic New Orleans Collection releases The Katrina Decade: Images of an Altered City by photographer David G. Spielman with essays by Jack Davis and John H. Lawrence. This 168-page hardcover-bound volume features more than 125 of Spielman’s sometimes haunting, sometimes heartening black-and-white images reminiscent of Walker Evans’ work for the Farm Security Administration during the Depression. The book is available at THNOC, at local bookstores and online, and there will be a companion exhibition on view Aug. 22 through Jan. 9, 2016, at THNOC’s art gallery at 400 Chartres St. in the French Quarter.

FICTION: In The Gates of Evangeline, author Hester Young leads the reader through a dreamy, Southern gothic mystery from the East Coast to Louisiana. The story follows Charlie Cates, who’s grieving over the death of her preschool-aged son, Keegan.

When Cates begins dreaming of children in danger, she travels to a small town in Louisiana and delves into the 30-year-old case of a missing 3-year-old and the wealthy Deveau family’s plantation. Inspired by a family tradition of haunting premonitions, Young’s novel is powerful and captivating.

ROCK: Melodic, high-energy rock is at the root of The Breton Sound’s music. The New Orleans band’s five-track EP, Don’t Be Afraid of Rock & Roll: Volume 1, was released in the spring. The original tracks include a duet with Cherie LeJeune on the lovely “Love You More.”

The album was funded in part by a successful Indiegogo campaign and was recorded throughout the South in Atlanta, Memphis and New Orleans. Many will recognize the band from appearances at Jazz Fest and the Voodoo Music Experience and are familiar with vocalist and guitarist Jonathan Pretus from his time with Cowboy Mouth. The band has several shows scheduled throughout Louisiana and Texas in July and August, including a gig during the Red Dress Run on Aug. 8.

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BY melanie warner spencer Please send submissions for consideration, attention: Melanie Spencer, 110 Veterans Memorial Blvd., Suite 123, Metairie, LA 70005.

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LOCAL COLOR / JAZZ LIFE

Live From Bohemia

Aurora Nealand and Tom McDermott on stage

BY JASON BERRY

S

everal months ago at writer Michael Tisserand’s invitation, I parked myself at a table of Buffa’s Bar on Esplanade Avenue, a gateway to the Marigny, and watched a silent movie starring Buster Keaton and a train. Music was provided on the spot by the keyboard magician Tom McDermott and his musical sidekick, Aurora Nealand, who plays soprano sax among other instruments.

The evening was a throwback to simpler times (before my birth and most of yours’) when films were silent and musicians played in orchestra pits as part of the show, or in Buffa’s case, on a side corner of the stage. After the screen went dark, McDermott and Nealand played on.

“We sometimes make $300 a night from CD sales at Buffa’s,” McDermott reflected in late May, with Nealand off for a residency. They reunite July 1 at Lincoln Center in New York City for a swing dance with Nealand’s band, the Royal Roses. There will be no Buffa’s gigs until September.

Watching two musicians of such talent for no cover (Buffa’s also serves food) is an anchoring reminder that despite crime, rising rents and real estate prices in this town that keeps reinventing itself, a bohemian culture is still pretty strong. If we ever lose that Bohemia the city will veer toward being antiseptic. The outside-of-time milieu that drew Tennessee Williams to these

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parts has had a magnetic pull on McDermott, Nealand and others in the flourishing community of musicians steeped in traditional music, like Helen Gilet, a Belgian, and locals such as Harry Hardin.

This resurgent movement of New Orleans-Style jazz has its innovators adding new improvisational layers. Many of these musicians are drawn to traditional jazz as a root sound, something to build on, from outposts beyond the local brass band culture.

Nealand grew up in California; McDermott in St. Louis. His range as a pianist and collector of rhythms, from ragtime, boogie-woogie and tango to Brazilian and Afro-Cubano, occupies a rare level of artistry and puts McDermott in the line of New Orleans piano players that stretches back from Allen Toussaint to James Booker, Professor Longhair and Jelly Roll Morton.

Nealand has her own way of redefining a “skill set.” I am not aware of anyone else in New Orleans as immersed in the music of Sidney Bechet.

Her CD A Tribute to Sidney Bechet showcases the Royal Roses; she plays soprano sax and clarinet with all the swinging fire that makes Bechet so special – and difficult to play.

Nealand stretched out beautifully on a follow-up CD, The Lookback Transmission, with an opening song, “Ferry Man” about a ride across the river to “golden fields.” One

could put a song like this in a canon of New Orleans traditional jazz, but it fits just as neatly as a work of popular music, too. The challenge is getting what we used to call airplay by generating impact via the Internet, hoping to hit into a radio dial, finding a distribution mechanism to beat Thursday night sales at Buffa’s.

City of Timbres, the new Nealand-McDermott CD, is a gem. McDermott is fluent on the blues standard, “Make Me A Pallet on the Floor,” which Nealand endows with a voice equal parts sultry and sweet.

Her take on “Moanin’ Low,” the cry of a lady mistreated, is full of exuberance. Every time I hear Aurora sing I remind myself that this same woman channels Bechet on soprano sax.

This disc includes vocalist Sarah Quintana in French on a rendition of “La Nouvelle Orleans,” a Hoagy Carmichael composition about the city no longer stamped with its French name of origin.

Quintana does a beautiful job of massaging the melody with Nealand on the accordion. In McDermott’s enchantment with choro music of Brazil and Cuban Habañera, he moves easily into “La Ultima Noche Que Pasé Contigo” (Last Night Spent with You), a sweet duet with Nealand.

Why some enterprising hotelier doesn’t hire these two for a showcase of mutual benefit is beyond me, but they’ll always have Buffa’s. n

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LOCAL COLOR / MODINE’S NEW ORLEANS

Trouble With Robots Adventures in modern times

BY MODINE GUNCH

I

t is always the way: I’m relaxing in a nice hot bathtub when the house phone rings. One second later, the cell phone wails “Dumb Ways to Die,” which is its ringtone ever since I let my granddaughter Lollipop fool with it. Both phones are on the kitchen counter at the other end of the house.

I should ignore them. But what if one of my kids is dead in a ditch and needs me right away?

So I streak to the kitchen in my bath towel and snatch up both phones at once.

I put the house phone to my ear. It is a robo-call. The robot informs me there has been an alarming rise of crime in my area but I can now protect myself with a security system at a special promotional price ...

Well. I tell this robot, in a mean voice, to never call me again. I even drop the bad-word bomb.

Then from the cell phone in my other hand, I hear “Gramma?!”

Thank you, modern technology.

Life ain’t fair. I never say bad words to actual live people – even the ones who call and tell me, in a heavy accent, that

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my computer is infected and I must type in a code so they’re enabled to take control and correct it. I just say “No computer here, thank you,” and hang up, because I heard that if you type in that code, they can see all your passwords and access your bank account. Not that it would be worth their effort. They would probably just feel sorry for me.

Now, my daughter, she toys with them.

“Something wrong with the computer?

Oh nooo! OK. I’m turning it on,” she says.

But she ain’t. She is making a sandwich.

“Okay. Give me the code. Speak slowly, please.” She spreads her peanut butter.

“Capital P ... R ... Eeeee ... Oh my God! It burst into flames! Aaaaaeeeee!” And she hangs up and eats her sandwich.

I ain’t that mean.

But it ain’t right that a conglomerate can call my house and get a human being – naked or not – whenever they want, but when I got to call them for something important, like maybe their website don’t work, I get a robotic voicemail menu.

Which I’m always supposed to pay close attention to because it has recently been changed. And then they play music,

which wouldn’t be so bad if they didn’t interrupt every 30 seconds to tell me I could reach them faster by going to their website.

A long time ago, you might get a nice operator named Shirley who would connect you with a human person. OK, maybe Shirley wasn’t so nice. Maybe she was snotty and talked in a singsong voice. But she could hear you. And she had not recently been changed.

But don’t get me wrong. I got no problem with certain robots. I am very polite to the Roomba that cleans my floors. One day it might learn to scrub out the toilet. I am also nice to the robot that gives me driving directions – even though I would be happier with one that strapped my grandkids into their five-point car seat harnesses.

(Why don’t we just use bungee cords?

It would be easier and the kids would love it when you stopped short.)

But they shouldn’t speak until spoken to. Robots, I mean. They shouldn’t be calling me.

And now I’ve yelled a bad word at a baby. His name is Leekus, and he ain’t literally my grandson. His real grandma is my sister-in-law Larva. He calls her “Larma” and me “Gramma,” for reasons of his own. Being 18-months-old, he don’t do a lot of explaining.

But like any smart baby, he knows how to work FaceTime on his grandma’s smartphone. And right now, I have a view of his little face on my phone screen. I am looking up his nose.

“Gramma didn’t say that,” I lie. “It was the teevee. Did you know Larma’s got cookies? Run get one!” The view jerks around and bounces off a wall, and then I’m looking up at Larva’s ceiling fan. Evidently he threw the phone when he went for the cookie. I hear wailing in the distance.

I turn off my cell phone, turn off the ringer on the house phone and go back to the tub and turn on the hot water.

The robots and babies can wait. n

LORI OSIECKI ILLUSTRATION

myneworleans.com / JULY 2015

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LOCAL COLOR / JOIE D’EVE

Season’s Reasons Summer perfection

BY EVE CRAWFORD PEYTON

I

went out to lunch with some coworkers recently, and I begged to sit outside.

“You’re insane,” they said, which is exactly what my husband says when I beg to sit outside in pretty much any month other than October or March.

“Come on,” I pleaded. “It’s so sunny and warm! It’s freezing in the office!”

They were unmoved. We ate inside.

“Don’t you love summer here?” I asked a friend a couple of days later.

“Um, no,” she said.

“There’s nothing you like about summer?”

I prodded.

“Snowballs,” she said. “And it’s easier to park by the universities. That’s it, and both of those things are canceled out by termite swarms, hurricanes, mosquitoes and humidity. Summer here sucks.”

But I don’t think summer here sucks at all. Here are five reasons I love New Orleans summers, even if it means I’m crazy.

Thunderstorms. The constant late afternoon thunderstorms are oddly soothing.

I love the way the air feels just before and after it rains; I love the smell that comes up

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off the sidewalk right as the first few drops start to soak in.

At the risk of A) stepping on Tim McNally’s toes and B) sounding like a total lush, I will go ahead and say that drinking is better in the summer. There are just so many perfect summery cocktails, from fruity Pimm’s Cups to bracing gin and tonics with extra lime wedges, to say nothing of crisp, chilled white or pink wines or a nice cold Abita Strawberry. Being slightly tipsy in the humid air reminds me, I think, of my summers back home during college, when I was obsessed with Nancy Lemann’s Lives of the Saints and I would lean against my friend Antoine on his parents’ front porch swing and sigh, “Ah, wastrel youth,” while exhaling a perfect stream of cigarette smoke from my pouty teenaged lips.

Tomatoes. Well, no, not just tomatoes.

Also blueberries and peaches and watermelon and squash and all sorts of fresh produce. But especially tomatoes. There isn’t anything much better than a tomato sandwich on good bread with salt and pepper and lots of mayo … except maybe my

favorite lemon-and-garlic-heavy no-cook tomato sauce. I could spend an entire summer just drinking cocktails and eating fresh tomatoes and snowballs.

Linen. Seersucker. Sundresses.

All of my favorite clothes fit into these categories, and summer is the only socially acceptable time to wear the first two. I fell a little bit more in love with my husband when he tried to pinpoint when an event had occurred by saying, “Well, I know I was wearing seersucker, but I felt a little awkward about it, so it was either between Easter and Memorial Day or else possibly just like a week after Labor Day?” It is OK to be kind of lazy. Yes, we still get work done, of course, but there’s no homework to fret about for the kids and everyone is so wiped out by the heat that our expectations are low. Feed the kids cold sandwiches; let them run through the sprinkler in lieu of a bath one night; stay up late watching movies because sleeping in and being late for summer camp isn’t the same as being late for school.

And in the true spirit of summer-sanctioned laziness, I close not with a pithy insightful ending that pulls it all together, but with a quote from one of my favorite Ellen Gilchrist short stories: “It was June in New Orleans, Louisiana, and it was exactly as hot as it was supposed to be.”

Bring on the summer! n

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Excerpted from Eve Crawford Peyton’s blog, Joie d’Eve, which appears each Friday on MyNewOrleans.com.

jane sanders ILLUSTRATION

LOCAL COLOR / Chronicles

Shore Leave Time off the ship

BY CAROLYN KOLB

I

n the course of a year, as many as 7,000 cargo and cruise ships might go through New Orleans, and some 300,000 seamen from 100 different countries might have go ashore.

Do not be surprised at those numbers. Sharon Reames of the Cruise and Tourism Department of the Port of New Orleans notes that “the larger cruise ships have up to 1,200 crew members,” and those ships regularly stop here. But, “the crew only gets a certain amount of time off: they might get in about 6 a.m. and leave at 4 p.m.”

Time is money, and a ship in port isn’t transporting people or goods.

Increasing automation, the need for round-the-clock attention to details and, for American seamen, intense government regulation are now the rule. According to Jordan P. Biscardo, Maryland-based National Communications Director, Seafarers International Union members must register with the local union office in

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Harvey within 24 hours after leaving a ship. Afterwards, they go home. It is different for foreign workers, even those with visas.

Just getting time off the ship might be a problem.

The importance of shore leave was the topic this March at a U.S. Department of Transportation meeting in Washington, D.C. Rules are proposed asking that terminal and port operators, as well as ship owners, offer reasonable access to shore leave in U.S. ports to boost morale, reduce fatigue and increase retention rates of workers.

Groups offering help for foreign crewmembers on shore leave are most often non-profit religious organizations. “They don’t push religion,” Reames explains. “They help (the seamen) and they provide a serene atmosphere.”

“They have been living in a metal box in the middle of an ocean – it’s an isolating type of lifestyle,” explains

Baptist Minister Norman Mangum of Global Maritime Ministries. A chance to visit Wal-Mart, go to a mall, make phone calls, watch television and maybe have a little peace and quiet: it’s not much but it means a lot. His group picks up crews from the cruise terminal with a bus, brings them to Wal-Mart and can also bring them to the Global Ministries center at 3635 Tchoupitoulas St. (PortMinistries. com). There are snacks, television and a place to go online or make phone calls, plus books and games.

Seamen can have their mail sent there, and if they need a willing ear when they want to talk, they find that, too. The organization has been active since 1962; it also covers ships docking in St. Bernard Parish and has a site upriver in Reserve.

The Catholic Church has an Apostleship of the Sea, and the Stella Maris Center (honoring Mary, Star of the Sea) in Destrehan picks up seamen from the refineries and grain elevators along the river and near the Huey P. Long Bridge, offering a chance to shop, relax, play basketball and get in touch with family. They will also bring communion on board ships and will bless a ship on which a death has occurred – something seamen from the Philippines appreciate, says Deacon Wayne Lobell.

Staff from all religious port services keep in touch; on a recent weekend Stella Maris hosted Global Ministries and the Norwegian Seamen’s Church for a crawfish boil.

The Norwegian Seaman’s Church at 1772 Prytania St., under the Reverend Frank Torbjorn Skofteland, offers regular church services (including one jazz service a month) and has a hostel available for visitors. Currently the church is exploring changing to a local non-profit organization, still serving the Scandinavian maritime community as they have since 1906, and keeping up with their tradition of hosting jazz concerts and an annual event in early winter with Norwegian food and crafts.

As Rev. Skofteland explains, the Norwegians on board ships these days are most often the captain, engineer or first officer. He sometimes goes on board, bringing Norwegian candies and magazines, and just listens. Sometimes, a friend who speaks your own language may be just what’s needed.

The religious groups serving seaman also gather together each year at the St. Louis Cathedral for the annual Maritime Mass, held in the fall (on a Sunday without a Saints home game). Afterwards they walk to the river, and each group prays and then tosses a wreath into the water in memory of those lost at sea.

In the end, the groups serving seamen want to assure that they have a happy voyage. n cheryl gerber photograph

myneworleans.com / JULY 2015

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LOCAL COLOR / HOME

Good Bones

These guys feel the pulse of their restored home

BY BONNIE WARREN PHOTOGRAPHED BY CHERYL GERBER

D

r. Dodd Denton and William “Will” Winebrenner moved to New Orleans from Washington, D.C. in 2012, purchased an historic treasure on Carondelet Street and immediately began working to restore it to its original pristine condition – with a completely new kitchen, heating and cooling system and much more. “I fell in love with the house the first time I saw it on Realtor.com,” says Wine-

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brenner, an interior designer. “I had always wanted to own a center hall cottage and this one was the perfect choice for us.”

While Denton settled in to his job as a physician on the Ochsner Medical Center staff, Winebrenner took command of the renovation. “We redid the house from top to bottom, adding a state-of-the art kitchen and a large master bathroom,” he says. “My biggest chal-

lenge was re-glazing every window in the house, while salvaging as much of the original glass as possible. I also spent many sleepless nights agonizing over the layout of the new kitchen, with my goal to make it very functional and still have it fit

FACING PAGE: The grand living room features 13-foot-tall ceilings and 11-foot-tall windows that adjoin the front porch. TOP LEFT: The grand dining room features vintage farm chairs around a table made from old floors from an historic French chateau. TOP RIGHT: Dr. Dodd Denton, standing, and William “Will” Winebrenner with Sam, their rescue dog, in the den of their historic home. BOTTOM RIGHT: Built in 1875, the stately center hall cottage features a broad front porch and 11-foot-tall walk out windows in the two front rooms.

with original interior architectural integrity of the house.”

The 24-month renovation taught both Denton and Winebrenner much about their new home. “It’s amazing how solid and flexible the bones of the house are, with the floor rafters made of cypress, as is 98 percent of the house,” Winebrenner says. “I do think one of the major successes of our changes was gaining a 21st-century kitchen in an 1875 house.”

He also says that Steve Bowie, of Steve Bowie Custom Cabinetry, is one of the

heroes of the renovation for building the kitchen cabinets, “He is an outstanding craftsman.”

“There is a special curb appeal to the house that sits six feet above the ground,” Denton says. “The broad front porch is one of our favorite places to relax. When the weather is nice we spend a lot of time hanging out on the porch with each other and friends, drinking coffee or wine and watching the world go by.”

With Winebrenner adding, “The 11-foottall pair of windows in the two front myneworleans.com / JULY 2015

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TOP LEFT: A fine antique bed from noted furniture maker Charles Lee dates to about 1860; Lee was renowned for making ornately carved beds. TOP RIGHT: The new bathroom features a claw-foot tub and large shower. BOTTOM LEFT: The coat rack in the foyer is dressed with summer hats.

BOTTOM RIGHT: New Orleans artist Matteo Nievert was commissioned to create the mural in the foyer.

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ABOVE: The completely new kitchen features custom cabinets by Steve Bowie of Steve Bowie Custom Cabinetry.

rooms – a living room and study – serve as doors to the front porch, and I think it’s great to throw open all of the front windows and just walk out onto the porch.”

Another interesting change Winebrenner made to the floor plan was to take what was probably the original sleeping porch and turn it into a closet. “I added armoires and chests of drawers to create a ‘built-in’ look,” he says. “In the bathroom we added a large shower and a claw-foot tub.”

The mural in the front hallway by New Orleans artist Matteo Nievert, who earned his MFA degree from Tulane University, is one of Denton’s favorite things about the stately

home furnished with fine antiques, classic chandeliers and handsome drapes covering the windows of the formal rooms.

Denton explains that he loves the location of the home. “I like the proximity to Mardi Gras parade routes just two blocks away, and Martin’s Wine Cellar is a block behind us,” he says.

“We are close to everything, but it’s still quiet.”

He pauses and then says, “We loved our lives in Washington. Yet I always say people talk about three things in D.C. – politics, bad traffic and their jobs – while in New Orleans people talk about four things: the Saints, the next or last festival, food and music. In D.C. it’s all about working; in New Orleans it’s about living.” n myneworleans.com / JULY 2015

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New Orleans is a late night town where “last call” is a myth, and that goes for dining, too. Sure, in every city you can get a terrible slice of pizza on that city’s equivalent of Bourbon Street, a hot dog – or some other form of street meat – on a street corner or greasy diner food in the wee hours, but in New Orleans you can also find some dignified eats during these undignified hours of the night (but if you want, you can get all those other things, too). Here is a list of 20 places serving food until at least 2 a.m., and some way beyond 2 a.m., on some nights of the week. With a list that includes fine dining, breakfast, so many types of cheese fries and everything in between, there’s no reason to go through a drive-through when you have the late night munchies ever again.

open 24 hours

Dat Dog Open until 3 a.m. Fri.-Sat. 601 Frenchmen, St., 309-3362 and other locations, DatDogNola.com This rapidly expanding chain even ventured into the food court business recently when it opened an outpost in Metairie’s

late night fine dininG

Lakeside Shopping Center, but perhaps its first big move was to erect a massive, two-story location on the site of an unused lot on Frenchmen Street. A huge, hulking presence, and impossible to miss because of its trademark, Dr. Bob-esque color scheme, it serves as Frenchmen’s drunk food Mecca. Basic

drunk food

has breakfast

franks, gourmet sausages and a few vegetarian options (and, if you’re a New Orleans vegetarian, there’s the “Sea Dog”: tempura fried cod) are customizable with toppings, but there are also some special dogs with corresponding toppings, too. There are several cheese fries options, including the bacon ranch ched-

has booze

dar fries and Anna’s White Trash Fries, which are dressed like nachos and then some. ( Known for: Dogs with customizable toppings and cheese fries ( Don’t miss: The crawfish étouffée special with crawfish sausage, bacon ranch cheddar fries

Mimi’s in the Marigny Open until 2 a.m. Sun.Thurs.; until 4 a.m. Fri.-Sat. 2601 Royal St., 872-9868, MimisMarigny.com In Spain you eat late into the night, and you can mimic that experience at Mimi’s in the Marigny, where its tapas menu has been holding court as a New Orleans late night food favorite for years.

Even during its peak popularity, when DJ Soul Sister hosted her Saturday night dance parties (she’s since moved to the Hi-Ho Lounge) and the bar topped local best-of lists, you could still bank on quality food between turns on the dance floor or at the pool table.

Goat cheese croquettas, which are lightly fried but lacking in a thick, bready batter, come drizzled

with honey; toasts come topped with mushrooms and melted manchego; a plate of figs and dates stuffed with bleu cheese hits all the sweet and savory marks. The “trust me” gets you a mystery tapas dish according to the chef’s whim. ( Known for: Spanish tapas ( Don’t miss: Goat cheese croquettas, manchego toast

Wood Pizza Bistro & Taphouse Open until 2 a.m. Thurs.-Sat. 404 Andrew Higgins Drive, 281-4893, WoodPizzaNewOrleans.com

Cleo’s Open 24 hours daily 165 Roosevelt Way, 522-4504 It is truly an odd thing to find a full Middle Eastern eatery inside of a convenience store at an otherwise quiet corner in the CBD. While the harsh lighting will never let you forget that you’re eating in a convenience store, Cleo’s chic dining environment and food

presentations will help to counteract that. Cleo’s serves typical Middle Eastern fare, such as hummus, labneh, falafel and gyro, but done better than most places in the city. In addition, there are also some breakfast items if you’re starting or ending your day here (the distinction fades when it gets really late). A godsend for vegetarians looking for late-night grub, Cleo’s shows that food con-

sumed at nontraditional hours doesn’t have to be completely unhealthy.

Bonus: If you’re one of the many people moving to the neighborhood’s proliferating apartment complexes, they deliver. ( Known for: Middle Eastern standards done well ( Don’t miss: Cleo’s Special (contains hummus, baba ghanoush, grape leaves, kibbie and labneh)

There are a few places serving good Neapolitan pizza around town, but the relatively new Wood Pizza Bistro & Taphouse has the distinction of serving this kind of pizza really late on the weekends. It also boasts a big patio covered with elegantly strung lights. Both the service and some of the non-pizza menu items are hit and miss, but the pizza is done well, perfectly crisped from the oven and featuring the usual toppings suspects. Scallops and cauliflower roasted in the wood oven and served with a black sesame flecked yogurt sauce is a popular small plates option. ( Known for: Neopolitan pizza, small plates and beer ( Don’t miss: Tutti carne pizza and wood oven roasted scallops

Bouligny Tavern

Open until 2 a.m.

Fri.-Sat. 3641 Magazine St., 891-1810, BoulignyTavern.com

Dot’s Diner All locations listed open 24 hours daily 2317 Jefferson Highway, Jefferson, 831-3681; 4150 Jefferson Highway, Jefferson, 833-9349; 10701 Jefferson Highway, River Ridge, 738-9678; 2239 Williams Blvd., Kenner, 441-5600; DotsDiner.com While the aesthetic here is allAmerican 1950s roadside diner with its neon logo and sassy diner waitress mascot, the vibe of Dot’s Diner is distinctively Jefferson Parish yat (the slogan heard all over radio stations: “I’m not ya mama, but ya always at home at Dot’s Dinah”). At the 2317 Jefferson Highway location, you’ll find tables full of friends and families congregating, or diners solo reading the paper, as well as employees of the nearby Ochsner hospital stopping before or after shifts. Some trivia: An important scene in the movie Blaze, about Earl Long and his romance with stripper Blaze Starr, was supposedly filmed at that location, although it wasn’t Dot’s at the time. It also offers items for those on Atkins. ( Known for: 1950s diner theme and breakfast food ( Don’t miss: Crawfish Creole Biscuit with Crawfish Julie Sauce

With a mid-century modern interior and plenty of flirty, Don Draper-esque executives hanging around, the vibe here is like a swinging 1960s cocktail party without the creepy Jell-O molds.

The specialties here are refined bar snacks, some recalling the bar’s 1960s-style environs.

The trio of deviled eggs features a cast of rotating toppings like smoked salmon with crème fraîche and roe, duck confit and Comté cheese. There’s also a whole section of the menu devoted to fried things, including well-seasoned fries with aioli and fluffy, salty Gouda beignets.

From chef John Harris of the neighboring Lilette, Bouligny is its casual, hipper, but still pretty expensive, sister.

On weekends, when the bar has late-night hours, the place gets very crowded with gorgeous people. ( Known for: Midcentury modern décor, refined bar snacks, fine wine and small plates ( Don’t miss: Deviled eggs, Gouda beignets and fries and aioli

Backspace Bar & Kitchen Open until 5 a.m. daily 139 Chartres St., 322-2245, BackspaceNola.com Capitalizing on the literary history of the French Quarter, this Chartres Street bar has themed decor, comfortable antique furniture and generously sized cocktails bearing names like Death in the Afternoon. The theme only goes so far, as you’re more likely to hear late 1990s grunge rock blaring from the speakers than jazz. But what truly matters is that this place is open until 5 a.m. and still has good food, like a juicy meatloaf sandwich (get it with cheddar) that destroyed all my bad meatloaf memories stemming from childhood, and what it claims to be the best burger in the French Quarter. Who knows if that’s fact or fiction, but at 4 a.m. one might be prone to hyperbole. ( Known for: A fun literary theme ( Don’t miss: The hot meatloaf sandwich with cheddar

Markey’s Open until 2 a.m. daily 640 Louisa St., 9430785, MarkeysBar.com Because this is a bustling Bywater bar, getting a lot of traffic from young, punky folks fresh off a swim at the neigh-

St. Lawrence Open until 2 a.m. daily 219 N. Peters St., 525-4111, SaintLawrenceNola.com If you’re stumbling around the French Quarter late at night you might be tempted to order a slice of pizza and giant frozen daiquiri from one of Bourbon

boring Country Club, it can get pretty busy here and the kitchen can be inconsistent.

The menu is basic bar food with things like quesadillas, baskets of chicken fingers and onion rings and fries, but on a good night the Buffalo wings are some of the best in the

Street’s several outposts of Mango Mango (or a number of other similar places). But walk a few blocks over to N. Peters Street at St. Lawrence, where they have frozen Pimm’s cups and “elevated bar fare.” You will find excellent fried chicken; if you can’t commit to a full plate of that there’s an appetizer of sweet-spicy Crystal wings with a creamy goat cheese dip-

city. The wings are dredged in a light batter and fried, giving them an ideal level of crispiness, tossed in a bright red, buttery, spicy sauce. Get the blue cheese dressing on the side, which is a cool, chunky foil to the wings – once you’re done the wings you’ll be

ping sauce. There is also lots of Gulf seafood on the menu, crawfish deviled eggs and mac-and-cheese with Gouda and cheddar. Since this place is named after the patron saint of cooks and chefs, it’s a great place to hit after a shift. ( Known for: Elevated southern bar fare ( Don’t miss: Fried chicken and frozen Pimm’s cups

frantically looking around for anything at all to dip in that dressing. Just be sure to wipe your fingers before hitting the shuffleboard table. ( Known for: Basic bar food, shuffleboard ( Don’t miss: Buffalo wings with bleu cheese sauce

Buffa’s Open 24 hours daily 1001 Esplanade Ave., 949-0038, BuffasRestaurant.com A rowdy dive bar outside the French Quarter with a back room staging a wide variety of entertainment, from comedy to music of various genres, warrants a 24-hour menu of pub grub. The food and service can be spotty depending on the hour, but the Buffa’s Burger has garnered legions of devotees that will argue – drunkenly, most likely – that it’s better than that of the more well known neighbor Port of Call. Another favorite is the fried rice, which tastes even better after you’ve been waiting 20 minutes for it. ( Known for: Divey atmosphere, a popular burger ( Don’t miss: Buffa’s burger and fried rice

Camellia Grill Open until 2 a.m. Fri.-Sat. 626 S. Carrollton Ave., 309-2679

Morning Call Open 24 hours daily 56 Dreyfous Drive, 3001157, NewMorningCall CoffeeStand.com Even though it’s mostly a tourist place, many diehard locals would admit that Cafe du Monde is still good. There is an equally diehard contingent

of locals that would say that Morning Call, a similar coffee-and-beignets place that was first in the French Quarter but then moved out to Metairie, has even better beignets than Cafe Du Monde. That is a fight that will never get settled, but the Morning Call location in City Park is a more pleasant trek, with ample

parking and prime location. The restaurant serves New Orleans food, too, but it’s best to stick with the classic: beignets and frozen, iced or hot cafe au lait. Note: Cash only. ( Known for: Beignets and cafe au lait ( Don’t miss: Beignets and cafe au lait

When this classic New Orleans diner closed following Hurricane Katrina, people wrote gushing notes on the padlocked doors like it was the Wall of Love in Verona. It eventually came back, and it feels mostly the same – there’s still a line out the door at all times, hilarious grill cooks still sliding patrons their chili cheese omelets down the marble bar. They opened an outpost in the French Quarter that wasn’t as good and no longer carries the Camellia Grill name, but the Riverbend location is still going strong. Go there for latenight breakfast food and desserts like pie grilled in butter and “freezes,” something between a shake and a slush, in different flavors. ( Known for: Breakfast food, “freezes” and pie ( Don’t miss: Chili cheese omelette with pecan pie and a chocolate-cherry freeze

Root Open until 2 a.m. Fri.-Sat. 200 Julia St., 252-9470, RootNola.com Before he went on to create Square Root, the Lower Garden District prix fixe restaurant for serious foodies, chef Phillip Lopez – a veteran of John Besh

13 Monaghan Open until 4 a.m. daily 517 Frenchmen St., 942-1345, 13Monaghan.com The Frenchmen Street stalwart sometimes feels like the eye of the storm, attracting a laid-back

kitchens and the now-closed Rambla – opened his first restaurant, Root, in the Warehouse District spot that formerly housed short-lived Houston import Feast. The menu specializes in deconstructed versions of familiar foods, spanning styles from the American South to India, and somehow the many

components on the menu come together harmoniously.

Especially composed are the desserts; a recent one featured coffee, cardamom and Corn Pops ice cream. If you’ve been drinking and you’re craving fried food, Root has a dignified appetizer option version of chicken and biscuits: Fried wings with a

buttermilk dipping sauce, miso butterscotch biscuits and a sweet potato sorghum butter to spread on the hot bread. ( Known for: Playful deconstructions of new-American and international cuisine ( Don’t miss: “Sweet tea” country fried chicken wings and anything on the dessert menu

crowd despite the madness happening outside. It is probably one of the few places to find a large selection of vegetarian and vegan bar food, including a breakfast burrito with scrambled eggs or tofu, vegan chili and the barbecue tofu sandwich. Per-

haps the most famous item here is the Tater Tachos, a mound of the fried tots piled high with all the nacho fixins. There is also a rotating list of daily specials and, because this is a Monaghan’s enterprise, there’s frozen or hot Irish coffee and hot buttered rum

for to keep your hands warm while catching Krewe du Vieux. ( Known for: Vegan and vegetarian bar food, plus plenty for carnivores ( Don’t miss: “Srirachos,” Tater Tachos served with a Sriracha ranch dipping sauce

Avenue Pub Kitchen open until 2 a.m. Mon.-Thurs.; 4 a.m. Fri.-Sat. 1732 St. Charles Ave., 586-9243, TheAvenuePub.com There is a disclaimer on Avenue Pub’s website saying, “We are a beer bar, not a restaurant!” The bar did once have a bar menu with a legendary duck sandwich, so maybe that warning is to temper expectations of the patrons who experienced those glorious days. But the food here is still very good, especially when paired with the bar’s selection of craft beers, which

ranks among the best in the city. Chefs Carlie Worden and Joel White’s menu of hardy pub grub includes burgers, the Kentucky Hot Brown sandwich and a menu of fries that ranges from the fancy-sounding pommes frites to the gutbusting Dump Truck Fries, topped with béchamel, roasted pork, grilled onions and port wine au jus foie gras burger. Lighter options include house made hummus and a cheese plate from St. James Cheese Company. ( Known for: Hearty, beer-friendly pub grub ( Don’t miss: Dump Truck Fries

Hoshun Open until 2 a.m. daily 1601 St. Charles Ave., 302-9717, HoshunRestaurant.com This giant spot on St. Charles Avenue is one of the few places selling Asian food late at night that isn’t a convenience store or a gastropubs selling trendy permutations of Asian standards. The menu runs the gamut of Asian cuisine, with Chinese standards, sushi and Asian-Cajun creations (spring rolls with alligator, crawfish and oysters). Inexpensive but with luxe interiors, this is a great place to go with a big group of people who can’t agree on what to eat. ( Known for: Pan-Asian cuisine, Asian-Cajun mashups ( Don’t miss: Roasted pork ribs with Chinese five-spice

L’enfant Terrible at Molly’s at The Market Open until 2 a.m.

Thurs.-Sat. 1107 Decatur St., LEnfantTerribleNola.com Molly’s has been the site of a rotating cast of kitchen tenants, from a truly awful mac-and-cheese place to a purveyor of refined tacos, but the latest – I hope – is here to stay. The menu is a selection of globetrotting bar snacks, with an emphasis on fresh, local ingredients. Crinkle fries are topped with a curried béchamel-like sauce with peppers and scallions; rangoon are filled with a creamy buffalo chicken and served with a soy dipping sauce; their twist on a Scotch egg is wrapped in boudin and fried. Let us hope this pop-up stays permanent. ( Known for: Globetrotting bar snacks using fresh ingredients ( Don’t miss: Buffalo chicken rangoon

Bud’s Broiler City Park, Metairie locations listed open 24 hours daily; Jefferson Highway until 4 a.m. Fri.-Sat. 500 City Park Ave., 486-2559; 2008 Clearview Parkway, Metairie, 889-2837; 4101 Jefferson Highway, Jefferson, 837-9419; BudsBroiler.com It is Louisiana’s own greasy hamburger chain, and a clas-

sic for families and up-to-nogood youth in the suburbs.

The chain has several locations shoved into strip malls or besides interstates and last year expanded to Covington, but the best one is its City Park Avenue outpost, which has fully recovered after a fire in 2014. Go here for charbroiled hamburgers, thin-cut fries topped with chili cheese and Bud’s signature hickory sauce,

which tastes like a smoky ketchup. If you’re longing for a Hubig’s, try a fresh-fried cherry hand pie topped with powdered sugar, which turns into a delicious paste when sprinkled on the hot pie. ( Known for: Greasy, but good, fast food standards ( Don’t miss: Charbroiled burgers, chili cheese fries with hickory sauce and cherry hand pies

HM Honorable Mentions All of the places mentioned above are full-service restaurants or bars with ample seating. But because it’s worth knowing, here are a few places that didn’t quite fit in, either because they’re food trucks or pop-ups, or places with nowhere to sit besides the curb outside. The bright red La Cocinita food truck (LaCocinitaFoodTruck.com) serves up Latin American street food, like a bowl with rice, black beans and quest fresco topped with chipotle crema, outside the Rendezvous bar on Magazine Street until 2 a.m. Friday and Saturdays. Congreso Cubano (facebook.com/CongresoCubano) serves empanadas, ham croquettes and the signature Cuban sandwich on the back patio of the Hi-Ho Lounge until 2:30 a.m. Saturdays during DJ Soul Sister’s HUSTLE dance parties. For late night poor boy shops, local favorites are Gene’s Po-Boys (GenesPoBoys.com) and Verti-Marte (525-4767), both open 24 hours. n

top female

achievers portraits of success by kimberley singletary photographed by jeffery johnston

It is no longer novel that women are achieving great success in their fields, many of which were once exclusive to men.

While there’s no longer novelty in the news, there are, among all people, discoveries in the storytelling. We present here 10 women whose stories are worth knowing, as we look for the spark and the moment that propelled them to what they have become. We honor these women not so much for breaking new ground, but for expanding the territory.

beverly church

executive editor, st. charles avenue magazine From as far back as she can remember, Bev Church knew the importance of giving back.

“My mom was president of the Junior League,” she says. “Even when we were tiny, I remember going to meetings with her. She was on so many different boards and made such a difference.”

Church has continued her mother’s legacy.

Through decades of volunteering, she has sought to make a difference in the city she loves.

“I started teaching in public schools at McDonogh No. 1,” she says. “At one point I became the education chairman for the chamber and helped start the Dollars for Scholars program. We were trying to get people involved with trying to fix the public schools. It was an almost impossible task.”

Church is well versed in what it takes to go “dialing for dollars.” In the mid-1980s she put her talents to work for City Park, helping to raise approximately $500,000 to restore Storyland.

When she chaired the Audubon Zoo’s fundraiser Zoo-To-Do in 1999, the event raised over $1 million.

Following Hurricane Katrina, Anne Milling asked Church to join approximately 10 women who made up a group that called themselves the “Women of the Storm.” The group raised $120,000 – enough to fly 120 women to Washington D.C. and deliver hand-written notes to every congressman and senator inviting them to come to New Orleans. “We ended up getting a huge amount of support from Congress,” she says.

Church also helped found St. Charles Avenue magazine, a sister publication to New Orleans Magazine both of which are published by Renaissance Publishing Company LLC. Celebrating its 20th

year of publishing this year, the magazine highlights the philanthropic efforts of New Orleans citizens from all walks of life. For two decades Church has served as Executive Editor and penned the magazine’s entertaining column. A four-time published author on entertaining, she continues to speak about the topic nationwide.

Always running full speed ahead, Church’s latest project is helping to raise $1.3 million for YAYA (Young Aspirations, Young Artists) with Kay Kerrigan and Baty Landis. “They’re building an art center in Central City, right across from Harmony Oaks. “We’re going to be able to impact not just the surrounding neighborhood, but 11 nearby schools.”

mentor: My mother, Beverly Reese. She set an example for all of us that volunteering was important.

Defining Moment: That would probably be Katrina. I think experiencing the unexpected made us all look at life differently. I had just published my fourth book and was supposed to go on tour, but I didn’t care about that. All that mattered was helping my family, being there for them and bringing our city back.

Advice for Young Women: Pick one thing that you’re passionate about and go for it – try to make a difference and make this world better every single day.

Goals: To be the best wife, mother, motherin-law, grandmother and sister I can be. My family is first. When you have a close-knit family, everything else falls into place.

Favorite thing about what I do: I love being executive editor of St. Charles Avenue because we can help so many nonprofits get their message across. I’m so proud we’re hosting the second annual Wine, Dine & Design event Oct. 8 and 9 for Operation Homefront. The money raised will go to help returning wounded warriors and veterans and their families in Louisiana and Mississippi.

jennifer hale

sideline reporter, the NFL on fox, fox sports

Jennifer Hale has held a lot of titles in her life. From captain of the Louisiana State University cheerleading squad, homecoming queen and Miss LSU, she moved on to a career that started with serving as a political intern at CNN’s Washington D.C. bureau, then continued to various news anchor and reporter positions in Alabama and Louisiana before joining WVUE Fox 8 New Orleans in 2009 to anchor a four-hour morning show.

Along the way, Hale took home multiple Edward R. Murrow awards, as well as Emmy and AP Awards for journalistic excellence.

Then, one day, her whole career path changed. After years in politics and news, the NFL came calling. After branching out to do some sports reporting for WVUE, it wasn’t long before Hale was offered the position of sideline reporter for FOX Sports in 2011.

In the past few years she’s been on the field, covering the biggest games and names in professional athletics for NFL on Fox and Fox Sports Southwest.

“Definitely one of the biggest highlights is when I get to come home and cover a Saints game,” Hale says, noting another of her top memories will always be speaking with Anthony Davis of the New Orleans Pelicans this past April after the team beat the San Antonio Spurs to go on to the NBA playoffs for the first time. “I will always remember that game,” she says. “It was such a rush.”

An athlete throughout her life, including years in gymnastics, track and field and cheerleading, Hale says she’s been thrilled to make the move into the sports world.

“I’ve always been a huge sports

fan,” she says. “It’s how my dad and I connected when I was growing up. In graduate school I wanted to go into either politics or sports, but the sports door just never opened up for me. I guess it’s funny how things work out.”

Mentor: I’ve been blessed to have

had so many positive influences on my life. My dad, who passed away when I was 18, he always pushed me to keep improving. My mom is my moral compass: I’m grateful to her for instilling a strong Catholic faith in me. In the sports world, Dick Stockton, Laura Okmin, Suzy Kolber and Mike Detillier have been wonderful mentors.

Defining moment: No doubt when the NFL on Fox called and offered me a job.

Advice for young women: Females in the sports industry are judged harshly, so I’ve learned to always be overly prepared. Protect your reputation: it’s all you have. Always conduct yourself as a professional. Be kind to everyone, but only listen to the input of a trusted few.

Goals: This summer I’m starting a new endeavor to mentor females who are aspiring sports journalists. Many young women who are considering going into the field have questions about how to get started or how to handle certain situations, yet there are few resources available. I also can’t wait for the new Wellness Center to open at Thibodaux Regional Medical Center! I treasure my role as a health spokesperson for TRMC, especially since I lost my dad so early to heart disease.

Favorite thing about what I do:

There’s nothing like the energy and atmosphere of Game Day. No matter how many NBA or NFL games I call, it’s always a rush!

sean yseult

artist and bassist, star & dagger If you’re at all a fan of heavy metal, you may recognize Sean Yseult as the female bassist from the multiplatinum heavy metal band White Zombie. Yseult formed the band, along with singer Rob Zombie, in 1985 while both were attending Parsons School of Design.

“We toured for 11 years, were nominated for two Grammys and sold over 6 million records,” she says. “It was a great run.”

Around the time the group disbanded in 1998, Yseult moved to New Orleans. “I had been here while we were touring and I just loved it,” she says. “I’d never seen anything like it before.”

Yseult continued her music career – playing with bands like The Famous Monsters, Rock City Morgue and briefly for The Cramps.

“I always promised myself I’d get back to photography and design,” she says.

A few years after opening a bar with her then-boyfriend, now-husband, called The Saint in 2002, she did just that. “In ’05, I started my own design company, featuring hand-drawn graphic designs that I scanned and put on scarves and pillows and things,” she says, adding that her work was picked up by stores including Barneys, Fred Segal and Liberty of London.

Striking gold with everything she touches, Yseult’s photography earned the artist her first solo show at New Orleans’ Scott Edwards Gallery in 2012. Her second show, entitled “Soiree D’Evolution: Tableaux Vivants et Nature Mortes,” is currently on display at the Scott Edwards Gallery through Aug. 9. The show features large pieces – four-by-six-foot photographs – depicting what she describes as “lavish gatherings from a sordid secret society in New Orleans in the 1870s.”

“I was inspired by the Dutch masters to create these large scale tableauxs,” she says. “Each photo took about a month to create. I had to create all the props, the models – everything.”

Yseult says this latest show also helped her grab some attention from the east. “I’m so excited to report that I’m going to be doing my first show in New York this fall in Soho at the Sacred Gallery.”

Mentor: For graphic design, it would be Henry Wolf; I was fortunate enough to study under him. For photography, I’ve been very inspired and encouraged by local photographers Louviere + Vanessa and David Halliday. For music, I’d say Joan Jett and Ivy from The Cramps.

Defining moment: It has to be this show at the Scott Edwards Gallery right now, and of course my first New York City show. In music, I think it would be the time White Zombie did these two large festivals in England – an all-metal fest called Castle Donnington and an alternative show called the Reading Festival, I believe.

No band had ever done those back to back. At Donnington I was only the second female to ever be on that stage.

Advice for young women: My advice is the same for everyone: Do what makes you happy. Ultimately, you’ll be good at it and make other people happy.

Goals: Create more photography and do more shows. Also I want to start doing soundtracks – I actually just got asked to do one here in town. I also want to record a new record with Star & Dagger.

Favorite thing about what I do:

There’s never a dull moment. There are always more projects that I’ll never have time for.

carolyn r. barber-pierre assistant vice president for student affairs, tulane university and co-founder, casa samba

Everyone, regardless of sexual orientation, race or religion, should be treated equally and with respect.

It seems like a simple concept, but it’s something Carolyn R. Barber-Pierre has spent her career working toward.

Since 1984, Barber-Pierre has held a variety of positions at Tulane University, including associate dean of students, director of multicultural affairs and director of special services.

Since 2003, she has served as the university’s assistant vice president for student affairs, eventually adding to her role with director of the Center for International Students and Scholars and the Office of Multicultural Affairs, LGBT Student Life and Religious Life – an office she created almost 30 years ago.

When pressed to pick a few of her proudest accomplishments, BarberPierre named growing the Office of Multicultural Affairs, including specifically the office’s mentoring program. “We’ve had alumni come back and tell us, ‘If it wasn’t for this office and my mentor, I don’t know if I would have made it.’”

She also notes her work on the Martin Luther King Week for Peace – a weeklong collaborative celebration between Tulane, Xavier, Dillard and Loyola universities. “We’re ready to celebrate our 30th year,” she says. “It’s very exciting.”

And to relax? Barber-Pierre, along with her husband, has run Casa Samba, a samba dance group, since the late 1980s. The nonprofit offers dance classes, weekly free kids' classes and routinely performs at events throughout New Orleans.

“The idea started as a new Mardi Gras club,” Barber-Pierre explains. “I always wanted to be in a parade, and my husband is a musician who has

studied Brazilian music and folk art.”

The krewe, Quilombo, paraded for a few years before morphing into what’s now known as Casa Samba.

Casa Samba members have performed for Mardi Gras in Washington D.C., opened for Sergio Mendez at the Houston International Fest and even demonstrated their skills on national commercials for Toyota and American Express.

Mentor: Definitely my mother. She

was such a courageous woman who loved her family and really encouraged me to go after my dreams. She was my confidante, my inspiration. With work, I would say Dr. Ron Mason. I have been honored to work with him regarding improving diversity issues.

Defining moment: I think either the death of my mom, 20 years ago, or the birth of my son. They were so close together. My son was born Aug. 27 and my mom died Sept. 3.

Advice for young women: There’s so much, I guess because I work with young women everyday. Be responsible. Choose thoughts and actions that lead you on a path to success. Take responsibility for your actions. Love yourself more than anything or anyone.

Most importantly, maybe do things that intimidate and inspire you.

Goals: I would say I’d like my legacy to be having developed an international cultural center at Tulane. When I retire, I want to focus on developing a cultural center for the African diaspora arts her in the city. We have so many cultural groups here and no center where that’s celebrated.

Favorite thing about what I do: I love to dance. That makes me happy.

It’s how I relieve stress – really connecting with the music.

dr. laura t..murphy director and founder, the modern slavery research project

Growing up in Luling, Louisiana, Laura T. Murphy says she always felt surrounded by the issue of slavery.

“It’s so much a part of the fabric of our history and culture here,” she says, noting that, for her, it instilled a call to action to devote her life to its study, ultimately leading to a Ph.D. in AfricanAmerican studies from Harvard.

“I was working on my thesis in 2004 on historical slavery, specifically the way people remembered it, when I picked up this newspaper article whose title was something about modern slavery. I remember my first reaction was horror – I was so offended that someone would use that word to reference something in modern day. But then I kept reading about human trafficking, people being used for profit, held captive against their will under the threat of violence.”

Murphy says it was a life changing moment for her. “I had this realization: ‘How could I spend my life studying slavery as if it’s not happening anymore?’ I had to do something to help.”

Commonly recognized more as an overseas problem, human trafficking knows no borders. “In the world there are currently an estimated 36 million people living enslaved,” she says. “Fifty-five thousand of those are living in the U.S.” Since coming to teach at Loyola University in 2010, where she serves as director of African American Studies, Murphy has founded the Survivors of Slavery speakers project, which has since spread nationwide. She also co-founded the Modern Slavery Research Project, which includes the New Orleans Human Trafficking Working Group, a group dedicated to addressing the issue locally.

The group recently conducted a study with New Orleans nonprofit Covenant House, an organization devoted to children in crisis, including many that end

up living on the streets.

“We found that 14 percent of the kids we talked to met the government definition of being victims of human trafficking – forced to sell sex or drugs,” she says. “That means about 86 kids every year are being victimized in our own backyard.”

A big part of the problem, she says, is education. “We’ve been going into schools and helping students make that connection between what’s going on now and historical slavery,” she says. “We’re giving them the knowledge to protect themselves from exploitation. They may not realize there are ways out.”

Mentor: I would have to say one has

been Kevin Bales, a sociologist who works on the Modern Slavery Research Project with me. He also co-founded the organization Free the Slaves. He’s dedicated his life to this issue and in general just has unending concern for humans all over the world. I strive to be more like him.

Defining moment: Reading that article (see above) changed everything. I felt this responsibility to do something.

Advice for young women: Apply for everything. See what happens. There are so many opportunities that we assume we won’t get so we don’t even try.

Goals: Every five years I do what I call a radical self-assessment, in terms of where I want to be 10 years from now career-wise. But this year I’m looking a lot to the other things in life. I want to be on the water more. Just be a nicer person in general, spend more time with the people I love.

Favorite thing about what I do: That has to be working with survivor activists. They’ve lived through such horror and come out of it so empowered and engaged.

melissa a.weber, aka dj soul sister

dj artist, radio programmer and music writer If you had told Melissa A. Weber that someday she would be the most well known female DJ in New Orleans, the multiple-award-winning “Queen of Rare Groove,” she never would have believed you.

“I was horribly shy,” she says. “I always loved music – my family is full of musicians – but I never would have thought of myself as any kind of performer.”

Introduced to funk music by her older male cousins, Weber says she quickly became what’s known as a “crate digger.”

“I’m all vinyl,” she says. “It’s all about the thrill of the hunt. I spent every Saturday in high school scavenging garage sales.” For Weber, the goal is always to find and celebrate the unknown musicians of the past. “I love the 1970s and mid-’80s, the soul music that wasn’t on the top 40 charts. Those 45s where maybe there were only 200 pressed.”

One day, while watching a new station called MTV, Weber saw something she’d never seen before. “Yo MTV Raps came on, and there was this group, Salt-n-Pepa … and Spinderella,” she says. “I was about 12 or 13 years old. I’d never seen a woman manipulate records that way. It was amazing.”

During her freshman year of college she got her first job in music.

“I was licking envelopes and answering phones at WWOZ,” she says. “I never wanted to be on the air. But then, one day, the woman who did voiceovers left and she said I really needed to think about doing it.”

After a 10-minute lesson on the basics of being a DJ from the boyfriend of a friend, Weber says she was off and running. “Everything just came naturally,” she says.

DJ Soul Sister was born.

It wasn’t long before Weber’s midnight show, “Soul Power,” got bumped up to 8 p.m., her current time slot. It is currently the longest-running rare groove radio

show in the country.

A veteran of the New Orleans festival circuit, Weber is more than a performer, she’s a recognized authority on the funk, soul, disco, hip-hop and rare groove music and musicians. She has interviewed musicians including George Clinton and Chuck Brown, and been a feature on documentaries, lectures, panel discussions and presented her own “Musically Speaking” film series.

It seems fitting that the “Queen of Rare Groove” is herself a rare breed.

“I keep asking people if they know of any other female DJs who do rare groove,” she says. “So far, they’ve all said no. I thought someone would take my place by now, but so far, nobody’s come forward.”

Mentor: That would have to be my mom.

She didn’t get what I did at first, but she always supported me – driving me to and from my midnight shows every night.

Defining moment: When the station moved my show from midnight to 8 p.m. I fought it. I was terrified people wouldn’t like me. That first show I got phone calls from George Porter Jr. and Snooks Eaglin. That’s when I finally though, “OK, this might be a good idea.”

Advice for young women: Don’t be afraid to go into an industry with no or few women. Just make sure you’re assertive and you take care of business.

Goals: Write more. Do more research.

This fall I’m starting graduate school studies at Tulane for their Master of Arts degree in musicology. I’m really excited about that. I want to teach.

Favorite thing about what I do: Making people happy and making myself happy.

I don’t play a single song I don’t love.

heather lolley

director of restaurant operations, link restaurant group “I’ve found my niche,” says Heather Lolley, director of restaurant operations for Link Restaurant group.

Every day Lolley is charged with overseeing the operations of five downtown restaurants: Pêche, Herbsaint, Cochon, Butcher and Calcasieu. Link Restaurant Group is led by restaurant veterans Donald Link and Stephen Stryjewski.

A veteran of the restaurant industry, where she got her first start at the age of 18 working as a hostess for Houston’s on St. Charles Avenue, Lolley honed her customer service skills for years working at various restaurants, including Landry’s in Lakeview and Emeril’s Delmonico, before she was first introduced to Donald Link and Tim Jackson in 2000 when she became a bartender at Herbsaint.

“In 2004, I became the floor manager at Herbsaint,” she says. “Then Katrina hit.”

Lolley says Link demonstrated true leadership skills throughout the ordeal.

“He paid us through the hurricane,” she says. “It was amazing. He really took care of us.”

Link opened Cochon, along with Stryjewski, in 2006. “When the general manager left I threw my hat in the ring,” Lolley says. She got the position.

Butcher and Calcasieu soon followed in 2009, the same year Lolley returned to Herbsaint, this time in the role of general manager. “As the business grew, we had to start building a corporate structure,” she says. In ’11, Lolley was offered the job of director of restaurant operations.

“My job is to develop the managers, to conduct the weekly meetings and to deliver the vision from the chef to the managers and the staff,” she says. “It’s a

nice ballet when it all comes together.”

Lolley says she’s most excited about the recent expansion in her job description. “We recently started our own foundation,” she says. The Link Stryjewski Foundation “is something I’m really excited about. YEP and Kingsley House will be our main charities.

“I’m excited to start hosting our own events for these organizations,” she says. “Both are getting to the root of the problem – offering young people a secure, safe place to learn that allows them to make better choices and create more opportunities for themselves.”

Lolley says Link Restaurant Group has been involved in charity work for years, lending their support to events like Boudin & Beer and Hogs for the Cause, as well as directly to organizations like the Tipitina’s Foundation and the Edible Schoolyard.

Mentor: My mother. She’s always been

able to walk in other people’s shoes and see the good in anyone and put people at ease – all-important things in the service industry. I’d say Donald (Link) and Steven (Stryjewski), too. They are two very different minds working toward the same goal and have taught me so much.

Defining moment: I’d have to say Katrina. It pushed me to take a chance and take that general manager job.

Advice to young women: Believe you’re worth it. You can do anything you want. You’re strong enough and you deserve it.

Goals: I want to get more involved on a community level. I like the direction we’re going in. I want to see us make greater effects for our city.

Favorite thing about what I do: It doesn’t feel like a job. It feels like I’m hanging out with friends and family, people I enjoy spending time with.

stephanie grace Political Columnist, The Advocate

For Stephanie Grace, there’s nothing quite like political writing.

“There’s this fun side to it, all the strategy, like in sports,” she says. “But it’s about something so real and important. As a columnist, I like the idea of being able to maybe nudge people in a certain direction.”

A Massachusetts native, Grace’s first job was working on polls at CBS News.

“I found that I enjoyed news as much as politics,” she says. Grace soon moved to Washington D.C., where she worked as a researcher for the Washington bureau of the Los Angeles Times.

After returning to school for a master’s degree in journalism at Colombia University, she returned to the LA Times as an intern and freelancer at their Washington bureau before taking a job at the Philadelphia Enquirer covering the courts.

She says the time she spent in courts would serve her well in her next venture. In 1994, Grace was hired by The Times-Picayune as a political reporter.

“Politics in Louisiana were so much more colorful than in D.C.,” she says.

“With local and state politics you just get such better access to people.”

She says by far her favorite Louisiana politician is Harry Lee. “He was a giant character,” she says. “He’d say anything."

Grace says she vividly remember one of her earliest assignments. “I was covering the nutria problem that was happening in Jefferson Parish,” she says. “At one point I found myself out with the sheriff, in the middle of the night, riding around in a truck shooting giant rats. It was totally surreal.”

From Mary Landrieu’s first run for governor, to the beginning and the end of Ray Nagin – Grace has been there, covering it all as Louisiana’s only female political columnist.

“It’s a great show,” she says, adding that after years covering corruption she has hope for the future of state politics. “In general, I think the message has been sent and received – the rules have changed.”

Mentor: My parents. My dad

was in academic medicine and my mom was a teacher. They loved what they did and really encouraged us to do the same, even if it’s not the easiest or most lucrative choice. I suppose that makes it easier for me to take risks.

Defining moment: Hurricane Katrina. I had been with The Times-Picayune for 11 years at that point ... We had to hold people accountable, while also giving people a place to talk.

I think that time was when I finally knew New Orleans was home.

Advice for young women: When you’re starting out, try a lot of different things. There are so many factors when deciding what to do with your career – things like structure, autonomy, and maybe most importantly, what the people are like in that field. Do they share your values? Do you laugh at the same things? I love journalists. They’re my tribe.

Goals: Journalism is changing so quickly – there are so many financial and technical challenges. One of my goals is to help preserve the heart and soul of what we do. I also would really like to keep stretching different writing muscles. I like to keep things fresh.

Favorite thing about what I do:

I love that I get to go to interesting places, meet interesting people and ask interesting questions and then share what I learn with other people.

jax frey artist

Fifteen thousand paintings – that’s how many artist Jax Frey has sold in just her “Little Views” series.

The collection depicts iconic images from New Orleans and throughout Louisiana on diminutive, four-inch by four-inch canvases. Frey’s work is collected by art lovers both local and abroad, with customers as far away as Norway and Japan.

Born and raised in New Orleans, Frey left home after college and proceeded to build up a successful career in sales while traveling and living in various states and countries.

After a while, however, she says she became homesick.

“To cope, I’d do these little sketches of things I remembered from home, little things that I was missing, like gumbo and etouffée,” she says.

Seven years ago, Frey finally returned to New Orleans.

While she again began work in sales, art was always on her mind. “I’d see this wonderful art on my travels, gorgeous paintings that I could never afford. So, at one point, I just thought, “I’ll just go home and do one myself.”

Six years ago she created her first painting from one of her sketches.

“It was huge,” she laughs. “It barely fit in my car.” She slowly began selling her work at festivals and art shows.

“Stores and galleries liked me and my sales just increased,” she says, noting it was not long before she quit sales and started selling her 74

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own work full time. She now works from her home, spending about a week on each mini painting.

“They’re highly texturized and very colorful,” she says, noting that her favorite subjects for her mini paintings are local buildings.

“There’s just something about trimming a huge building down in my mind to this tiny square.”

Now that she’s finally home, Frey says she’s never leaving again.

“I need to be here,” she says. “It has been such an embracing experience, coming home. This is where I belong.”

Mentor: At one point I was studying to become a life coach and my own coach gave me some advice that I live by. I asked him how I should go about starting my business and listed off all these things I could do. “Do all of it,” he said. I still do that, when there’s a problem I do everything I can think of and let the solution work itself out.

Defining moment: I think it was that point, that panic point, when I found myself unable to be able to keep up with the orders for my art.

I guess that’s when I knew I was on the right path.

Advice for young women: For artists in particular, I’d say don’t just study art, study business. The fact that I have such a strong sales background I think has really served me well.

Goals: They’ve been changing recently. My big one right now is that I want to become so ingrained in this city – just an integral part of it. I want to know everybody. That’s my goal for this year, to meet everyone.

Favorite thing about what I do:

When I discover something new with my painting, that’s the fun of it. Every time I sit down to paint I learn something.

patricia molina, m.d., ph.d. richard ashman, ph.d. professor and head, department of physiology, LSUHSC and director, alcohol and drug abuse center of excellence, LSUHSC

“We lost all of our tissue samples and more than half of our department,” says Dr. Patricia Molina, M.D., Ph.D., describing the toll Hurricane Katrina took on the LSUHSC Department of Physiology. In 2008, Molina was named head of the ailing department. “It was my job to help rebuild and reignite what was once a vibrant and successful department.

She says she’s proud of the results. “We really have a strong training program for this area’s health workers and we’re doing some exciting research – on the affects of alcohol use on brain injury for example. We’re getting a lot of grants from the NIH, and our faculty is receiving some good recognition.”

After falling in love with research not long after completing her M.D. at the Universidead Francisco Marroquin in Guatemala, Molina has conducted studies on a wide range of topics, the majority focusing on alcohol and drug abuse. In 2009, she became the director of the LSUHSC’s Alcohol and Drug Abuse Center of Excellence.

“The goal of this center has always been to be a community resource,” she says. “We’ve really found a niche that nobody else has investigated, namely how alcohol affects areas of the body like the liver, intestines and muscles.”

Molina says the center is making efforts to become known in the community. “We’ve taken field trips to LSU, for example, to teach students about how alcohol affects the brain. And we’re going to have our first community focused event, educating teachers and counselors, as well as medical professionals, Aug. 10 and 11.”

“We want to provide a better understanding of how alcohol and drugs of abuse impact our health and behavior to our trainees and community at large,”

she says, while working toward her goal to make the center a resource for researchers, health care providers and the community at large.

Mentor: My first and most influential

mentor was my mother. From her I learned organizational skills, discipline, perseverance and pride in a job well done. Since her I have had multiple mentors, including John J. Spitzer, M.D.; Greg J. Bagby, Ph.D.; Chuck Lang, Ph.D.; Mike Levitzky, Ph.D.; and Naji N. Abumrad, M.D. Defining moment: There are two defining moments in my career: the birth of my first son and Hurricane Katrina. The first was the pivotal event that led me to change directions from clinical medicine to biomedical research in an effort to maintain a better balanced life. The second gave me the opportunity to rebuild our department at LSU and to serve as a leader and mentor for our trainees and faculty.

Advice for young women: Dream big and work to achieve your dreams. Do not settle for less. Believe in your ability to succeed and do not let anyone tell you it can’t be done. Be willing to work hard for something that you believe in. Know what you want, and once you do, go after it with all your might.

Goals: In addition to the goals at the center, I want to make the department of physiology at LSUHSC a first class academic setting where students are challenged, encouraged, and rewarded; faculty are appreciated and encouraged to achieve their full potential; and research provides new knowledge to be integrated into our understanding of health and disease.

Favorite thing about what I do: Promote, encourage and challenge trainees and junior faculty. To see them achieve their potential and recognize their talent is the most rewarding part of my job. n

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FOOD

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DINING LISTINGS

After extensive renovations, Ice Cream 504 opened in September 2014 and quickly established a neighborhood fan base, including the many new businesses along the bustling Freret Street corridor.

table talk pg. 78

jeffery johnston PHOTOGRAPH

THE MENU / TABLE TALK

Almond Peach Petit Four ice cream at Ice Cream 504

Nothing Vanilla About It Ice cream that tastes like home guest column by Rebecca Friedman

I

n a city known for oppressive summers, one might expect to find an infinite array of icy desserts. But in this snowball stronghold, ice cream has long played second fiddle. Apart from a handful of established local stalwarts such as Angelo Brocato, many of the city’s other purveyors are chain shops that focus more on mountains of mix-ins than the ice cream beneath.

Enter two new artisanal ice cream parlors that serve up nostalgia by the scoop. Both Ice Cream 504 and Kream proudly churn out ice creams based on old family recipes, tweaked for

contemporary tastes.

Michael Southall of Ice Cream 504 learned the craft in Napoleonville from his talented Aunt Ruby: “You can give her a cardboard box and she will make a meal from it – a very tasty meal.”

Southall’s break into the ice cream business came several years ago over a game of pool.

His opponent happened to own French Market Produce and, as luck would have it, was looking for a new ice cream vendor. Two weeks later, Michael made his first delivery of five flavors, including Almond Peach Petit Four, which he

We All Scream…

Ice Cream 504 2511 Jena St. 914-5138 IceCream504.com Wednesdays through Sundays

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Kream 8116 Oak St. 510-4447 Thursdays through Sundays

Salon by Sucré 622 Conti St. 267-7098 ShopSucre.com Wednesdays through Mondays

developed as a teenager for his peach-loving father. That flavor has gone on to become one of the best sellers on the menu. “People revolt if they come in and I’m out of it,” says Southall.

As his ice cream developed a following through French Market Produce, Michael’s friend and now business partner James Comeaux encouraged him to open a scoop shop. The two looked at various properties before falling in love with an old shotgun house just off Freret Street a few blocks from Michael’s home. “It was the most run down of all of them,” Southall recalls, “but I knew this was where I wanted it to be.”

After extensive renovations, Ice Cream 504 opened in September 2014 and quickly established a neighborhood fan base, including the many new restaurants and businesses along the bustling Freret corridor.

The shop offers 14 flavors of ice cream at any given time, as well as snowballs. “I think what I offer is a very nostalgic product,” Southall says.

“For most people, it takes them back to childhood. I get a kick out of it when I watch people taste it.”

By way of example, Southall cites one customer in particular. “Her jeffery johnston PHOTOGRAPH

Quite a Pair Looking for savory with your sweet? At Salon by Sucré chef Tariq Hanna combines Sucré’s otherworldly gelato with a menu ranging from killer Wagyu “sliderettes” and Belgian fries to a refined afternoon tea service.

Gelato appears in the form of strawberry paired with orange blossom panna cotta, an affogato of espresso poured over an elegant scoop of vanilla (when iced coffee just won’t cut it) and a Banana ‘Fosteresque’ sundae featuring brown butter pecan gelato. face just came to life and she said, ‘Oh my God, this reminds me of the ice cream socials we used to have at church!’” He also says that such a reaction isn’t uncommon.

Southall uses local ingredients whenever possible and tries to keep everything “as pure as I can.” In addition to the Almond Peach Petit Four, menu highlights include Strawberry Cheesecake, Coffee (which features a local brew), Lemon Chiffon and seasonal flavors, such as Fig. “I like terrorizing the customers when they come in,” laughs Michael, “and when they say ‘Ugh, fig!’

I sort of force them to taste it.

Oddly enough, I would say seven or eight out of 10 of those people buy it because it’s not what they’re expecting.”

On Oak Street, Marie Cawthon is putting her own home-style spin on ice cream. Hailing from Tennessee, Cawthon recalls nightly ice cream-making sessions with her grandmother, whose simple recipe of heavy cream, milk, sugar and eggs – no fill-

ers – forms the “old school” base of the flavors at Kream.

“That’s the taste I remember – it was always summer, and the memory of my grandmother.”

At a dinner party Cawthon hosted a couple of years ago, her friend Vincent Cook sampled her homemade ice cream and declared, “I want to put this in a shop.” He and several partners renovated the cozy space just down from busy nightspots Oak and Ale, with an eye to attracting a crowd in search of a sweet ending to the evening. “You have a lot of people who go on dates in this city,” says Cawthon. “You can come in for a date night, share an apple pie à la mode, and kind of get to know more about the person you’re with in a welcoming environment.”

Kream turns to local farmers markets for the majority of its ingredients and takes a seasonal approach to flavors. “When strawberry season is over, we won’t have strawberry ice cream,” says Cawthon. And they keep the list of offerings focused – with four to six flavors that rotate weekly, along with a selection of homemade popsicles.

A few flavors of note: Salted Caramel, Rockiest Road and an incredibly rich Chocolate top the ice cream list, as do Cucumber Mint and Strawberry Lemonade on the popsicle side. Cawthon is also busy concocting new flavors, including New Orleans Trash (which she promises will contain “everything you’ve ever wanted in an ice cream”) and Breakfast Cereal, made with cereal milk.

Kream is unveiling customized ice cream sandwiches as well, allowing customers to pair a house-made cookie (from a selection including whoopee pie, oatmeal raisin and more) with the ice cream of their choice.

There is no sweeter way to bring out the kid in us this summer. n

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News From the Kitchens Avo, Nolavore and Rebellion

BY ROBERT PEYTON

Avo

Nolavore

Rebellion Bar & Urban Kitchen

I first met chef Nick Lama when we were placed in the same group of judges for the New Orleans Po Boy Festival last November. At the time, he was the chef de cuisine at Gautreau’s, one of my favorite restaurants in the city.

Chef Lama recently opened his own restaurant, Avo, at 5908 Magazine St., in the space that most recently housed Martinique Bistro.

The redesign by architect Brooks Graham was substantial; the interior dining room feels more open, the result of both physical changes and the generally lighter color scheme. There are about 30 seats in the dining room, including the bar, and another 50 or so on the covered patio.

Avo is Italian for “grandfather,” and the name is significant. Large-format photographs of Lama’s family adorn the walls, including one of his great-grandparents at a tavern they owned on Bienville Street, the Bizot Beer Garden. While Lama clearly honors his family’s Sicilian roots, his cooking at Avo borrows from all of Italy’s regional cuisines.

Lama told me that Italian cooking is about using fresh, local ingredients at their best, preparing them simply and letting their flavors come through. Most products he uses are locally sourced.

The menu changes seasonally as a result, and pastas are made in-house.

Avo is currently open for dinner every day but Tuesday and Sunday, from 5:30 to 10 p.m., and by the time you read this, may also be open for brunch. Call 509-6550 to make a reservation.

As it happens, I also met chef Anne Lloyd at another judging opportunity, this time at a fundraiser for Trinity Episcopal School. Just as was the case with chef Lama, I was impressed by chef Lloyd’s knowledge of food and palate. In conversation, I learned that she owned a catering company, but it wasn’t until I drove by the space at 2139 Baronne St., and saw the Nolavore name on the building that I put two and two together and stopped in for a visit.

In addition to catering events for up to 200 guests, Nolavore also sells prepared foods at the New Orleans Food Co-Op in the Healing Center at 2372 St. Claude Ave., and through Good Eggs, an online vendor of local products. (GoodEggs.com/nola).

Chef Lloyd has plans to begin offering pick-up of Nolavore’s prepared foods (rolls, dips, composed salads and other dishes using local ingredients) from the Baronne Street location for customers ordering online, and Nolavore also offers a commercial-grade commissary kitchen, which is a service that appears to be much in demand in New Orleans these days.

If all of that weren’t enough, chef Lloyd is exploring the possibility of hosting a farmers’ market in property’s parking lot.

To find out what’s happening now, visit Nolavore.net or call 914-3161.

Seung Hong and Michael Tran opened Rebellion Bar & Urban Kitchen at 748 Camp St. in May, taking over the building that for the last several years housed Phil’s Grill. The renovation opened the place up a bit, and if nothing else the eclectic Asian-centric menu fits better with the giant bamboo in the back patio than did burgers and fries.

I hesitate to use the term “fusion,” because it has negative connotations, but dishes at Rebellion recall the cuisines of China, Japan, Vietnam, Korea and Mexico, for starters.

Fortunately executive chef David Dickensauge and chef de cuisine Steven O’Neill pull off the balancing act.

Sure, there’s a dill crumble on the grilled yellowtail neck, and the octopus in the “Tako Taco” isn’t exactly traditional, but the ingredients fit together in my experience.

Take the Aburi Hokkaido, for example – a seared scallop topped with sea urchin roe, garnished with Meyer lemon and served over a nori (seaweed) purée. It is the first seaweed purée I’ve tasted, as far as I can remember, and while it wasn’t the most appealing color, it was tasty.

It is a large menu, and as I write, I haven’t gotten past the small plates section. I have enjoyed what I’ve had, though, and I’m intrigued enough by the remainder that I’ll be back.

Rebellion Bar & Urban Kitchen is open for lunch Mondays through Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., with plans for dinner service soon. Call 298-7317 to learn more.

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SARA ESSEX BRADLEY PHOTOGRAPHs

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THE MENU / FOOD

Going Fourth

An Independence Day bounty

by Dale Curry

EUGENIA UHL PHOTOGRAPH

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Classic Wartime Pound Cake 8 ounces unsalted butter 1 1/3 cup sugar 1/4 teaspoon salt 4 large eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 teaspoon almond extract 1 teaspoon lemon zest 1 teaspoon orange zest 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg 2 cups sifted cake flour Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan.

In a large bowl of an electric mixer, cream together the butter, sugar and salt. Beat on high speed until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes.

Scrape the sides and bottom of bowl.

In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs, vanilla and almond extracts, lemon and orange zests and nutmeg.

Gradually add the egg mixture to the sugar mixture. Beat on medium speed about 5 minutes.

Scrape the sides and bottom of bowl.

On low speed, slowly add the sifted cake flour until the batter comes together. Finish mixing by hand with a rubber spatula. Pour into the prepared pan.

Bake for 60 to 70 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes and remove from pan. Cool right side up.

Top with orange juice glaze, if desired.

Serves 8 to 10

A

merican food can be described by its regions, such as south Louisiana where immigrants set the standards – a melting pot of French, Spanish, Italian, African, Caribbean and native American. However, when looked at from other shores, Americana can mean hot dogs, hamburgers and apple pie. Or steak and potatoes, pizza and barbecue.

We love it all, and a Fourth of July menu can include boiled shrimp and beer can chicken.

One local establishment, The American Sector Restaurant, celebrates Americana all year long.

Beef short ribs, baked macaroni, corn dogs and chicken pot pies.

Americans love sweets, evidenced by huge dessert sections in the majority of community cookbooks and by restaurant menus everywhere. Take American Sector’s Wartime Pound Cake with Fresh Berries, and S’mores Pie with Roasted Marshmallow Fluff.

“Here we do a play off of some of the dishes from the (World War II) time frame,” says Raymond St. Pierre, executive chef of the National World II Museum.

One of the dishes customers love is spaghetti. “We make a homemade pasta with an old-style meatball – one large meatball on the plate served with homemade tomato sauce. A customer recently said it brought him back to the dinner table when he was a kid.”

Other dishes that reflect Americana are an openfaced roast beef sandwich featuring old-fashioned pot roast served on Texas toast with mashed potatoes and brown gravy, and Peacemaker Oyster Dip, made like

a sous chef’s grandmother’s oyster dressing.

Speaking of hamburgers and apple pie, chef Brack May, chef-owner of Cowbell, can tell you a few things about that.

“We are a diner, and Americana is really what I focus on,” May says. “A lot of it came from necessity or from immigrants and it morphed over time, depending on where it was from. A lot of Creole food has reached Americana, done the same way for a long period of time. It’s based on local ingredients.”

Orange Juice Glaze 1/2 cup sugar

Juice from 1 orange Juice from 1/2 lemon Whisk sugar and juices together. Heat in a microwave in a microwave-safe bowl for 20 seconds. Stir until sugar is completely dissolved. Pour over pound cake while still warm.

For a Fourth of July dessert, serve with fresh strawberries and blueberries. Orange juice glaze can be poured over berries as well.

Cowbell Apple Pies Dough: 4 cups all-purpose flour 1/2 cup sugar 1 teaspoon kosher salt 2 cups cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes 1/2 cup ice water Pie filling: 3 Tablespoons butter 1 pound Golden Delicious apples 2 1/2 pounds Granny Smith apples 1/4 cup white sugar 1/4 cup dark brown sugar 1 Tablespoon lemon juice 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg Pinch kosher salt

1 Tablespoon bourbon 2 Tablespoons tapioca starch or 3 Tablespoons potato starch* To make the dough, place the dry ingredients in a food processor. Add the butter and pulse to chop the butter. Add the ice water and stir with a fork until all ingredients are moistened. Do not over mix. Turn the contents out onto a sheet of aluminum foil and shape it into a rough ball. Wrap the dough in foil and refrigerate for at least 2 hours or until firm.

To make the filling, place butter in a large pot and melt over medium heat. Peel and seed apples and cut into 1/2inch slices, then halve them (like a quarter moon cut in half). Turn the flame up and add the apples, sugar, lemon juice, spices and bourbon. Cook for 5 minutes or so, until some liquid begins to come out of the apples. (Golden delicious apples may start to break down, and that’s OK.) Fold in the starch of your choice and cook for 3 more minutes. Cool and reserve.

When dough and filling are cooled, preheat oven to 375 degrees. Roll dough into 6-inch circles, about 1/8-inch thick.

Place 1/2-cup of filling in the center of each. Use an egg wash (1 egg, 2 Tablespoons water, pinch salt) to brush the outside of the circle. Fold the outside of the dough over on itself repeatedly every 2 inches, until you form a “freeform” pie. Place the pies on a sprayed or parchment-lined cookie sheet. Brush the outside of the pies with heavy cream, dust with raw or plain white sugar and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, rotating the pan at least twice. (At Cowbell, May cools them on a rack and reheats them for 8 minutes at 350 degrees before serving.)

Serve with vanilla ice cream.

Cowbell serves them with vanilla ice cream, crème anglaise and caramel sauce, Makes 6 individual pies *These starches are available at Whole Foods Market and some other groceries. Cornstarch may be substituted. myneworleans.com / JULY 2015

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THE MENU / LAST CALL

Happy Returns A Promise’s Ghost cuts the humidity BY tim mcnally

J

uly is that wonderful month when New Orleans experiences what everyone accuses us of all the rest of the year: heat and humidity. We cannot feign ignorance or surprise when some visitor or newcomer says, “How do you stand this?” We would like to answer, “Stand what?” But in July, the real truth is on our brow.

That makes it all that much more special when large-scale events like Essence Festival and Tales of the Cocktail (TOTC) return this month, bringing thousands of guests to our midst. They have been here before, so there should be no surprises from the climate.

In honor of TOTC, one of the largest gatherings of mixologists in the world, we are featuring two cocktails this month, created by Jeff Grdinich, General Manager, and Christine Jeanine, mixologist, at the new restaurant Angeline in the French Quarter. The key to these drinks, the sturdy and reliable Gin & Tonic and A Promise’s Ghost, is that two of the main ingredients, tonic water and strawberry simple syrup, are both made fresh in-house to assure achieving the ideal balance and presence of aromas and flavors. As a Gin & Tonic is self-explanatory, look to the recipe for the second below.

Perfect refreshments on a July afternoon? Absolutely. n

A Promise’s Ghost 1 ounce Pimm’s No. 1 liqueur 3/4 ounce Pisco, Peru 3/4 ounce Strawberry simple syrup 1/4 ounce Lemon juice 2 ounces Gruet Brut Sparkling Wine, New Mexico Shake all ingredients together. Double strain. Pour into a flute-style glass.

Top with sparkling wine. Garnish with long lemon peel twist.

As created and served at the new Angeline Restaurant, located in the Hotel Provincial, 1032 Chartres St.

bradley PHOTOGRAPH 8 4sara JULY 2015 / myneworleans.com | essex

THE MENU / DINING GUIDE H= New Orleans Magazine award winner / $ = Average entrée price. $ = $5-10 / $$ = $11-15 / $$$ = $16-20 / $$$$ = $21-25 / $$$$$ = $25 and up.

American

nightly. Jazz Brunch on Sunday. $$$$$

Zea’s Rotisserie and Grill Multiple Locations, ZeaRestaurants.com. L, D daily. Drawing from a wide range of worldly influences, this popular restaurant serves a variety of grilled items as well as appetizers, salads, side dishes, seafood, pasta and other entrées. Also offers catering services. $$$

Manning’s 519 Fulton St., 593-8118. L, D daily, Br Sat-Sun. Born of a partnership between New Orleans’ First Family of Football and Harrah’s Casino, Manning’s offers sports bar fans a step up in terms of comfort and quality. With a menu that draws on both New Orleans and the Deep South, traditional dishes get punched up with inspired but accessible twists in surroundings accented by both memorabilia and local art. $$$

Bywater–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Elizabeth’s 601 Gallier St., 944-9272, ElizabethsRestaurantNola.com. B, L MonFri, D Mon-Sat, Br Sat-Sun. This eclectic local restaurant draws rave reviews for its praline bacon and distinctive Southern-inspired brunch specials. $$$

H Maurepas 3200 Burgundy St., 2670072, MaurepasFoods.com. D Thu-Tue, Br Sat-Sun. Pioneering farm-to-table restaurant with an ingredient-driven menu that changes daily. Clever cocktails a plus as well. $$ Satsuma Café 3218 Dauphine St., 3045962, SatsumaCafe.com. B, L daily (until 5 p.m.). Offers healthy, inspired breakfast and lunch fare, along with freshly squeezed juices. $

carrollton–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Bourré 8115 Jeanette St., 510-4040. L, D Tue-Sun. “Elevated” street food along with quality daiquiris and reconsidered wings are the draw at this newcomer from the team behind Boucherie. $$

CITY PARK––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Café NOMA 1 Collins Diboll Circle, NO Museum of Art, City Park, 482-1264, CafeNoma.com. L, (snacks) Tue-Sun. Sleek bar and café in the ground floor of museum offers a thoughtful array of snacks, sandwiches and small plates that are sure to enchant, with a kids’ menu to boot. $$

CBD/Warehouse District––––––––––– The Grill Room Windsor Court Hotel, 300 Gravier St., 522-1992, GrillRoomNewOrleans.com. B, L, D daily, Br Sun. Featuring modern American cuisine with a distinctive New Orleans flair, the adjacent Polo Club Lounge offers live music

Pete’s Pub Intercontinental Hotel, 444 St. Charles Ave., 585-5401, IcNewOrleans.com/dining/petes_pub. D Mon-Fri. Casual fare and adult beverages are served in this pub on the ground floor. $$ Q&C Hotel/Bar 344 Camp St., (866) 247-7936, QandC.com. B, D daily. Newly renovated boutique hotel offering a small plates menu with tempting choices such as a Short Rib Poor Boy and Lobster Mac and Cheese to complement their sophisticated craft cocktails. $$

H Root 200 Julia St., 252-9480, RootNola. com. L Mon-Fri, D daily. Chef Philip Lopez opened Root in November 2011 and has garnered a loyal following for his modernist, eclectic cuisine. Try the country fried chicken wings and the Cohiba-smoked scallops crusted with chorizo. $$$$ H Restaurant August 301 Tchoupitoulas St., 299-9777, RestaurantAugust.com. L Fri, D daily. James Beard Award-winning chef John Besh’s menu is based on classical techniques of Louisiana cuisine and produce with a splash of European flavor set in an historic carriage warehouse. $$$$$ Tivoli & Lee 2 Lee Circle, 962-0909, TivoliAndLee.com. B, L, D daily, Br SatSun. Progressive Southern cuisine is the focus. Rabbit sliders, poke salad and pickled shrimp redefine locally sourced ingredients, and craft cocktail and bourbon menus round out the appeal. Craft cocktail bar Bellocq serves specialty and locally influenced libations. $$$ Walk-On’s Bistreaux & Bar 1009 Poydras St., 309-6530, Walk-Ons.com. L,

D, daily. Burger, sandwiches, wraps and more made distinctive with a Louisiana twist are served at this sports bar near the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. $$

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. $$$$$

Warehouse Grille, 869 Magazine St., 322-2188, WarehouseGrille.com. L, D daily, Br Fri-Sun. Creative fare served in an art-filled environment. Try the duck crêpes or the lamb spring rolls. $$

Rib Room Omni Royal Orleans Hotel, 621 St. Louis St., 529-7046, RibRoomNewOrleans.com. L, D daily, Br Sat-Sun. Old World elegance and high ceilings, house classic cocktails and Anthony Spizale’s broad menu of prime rib, stunning seafood and on weekends a champagne brunch. $$$

Wolfe’s in the Warehouse 859 Convention Center Blvd., 613-2882. 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. $$$

Downtown–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– The Grill 540 Chartres St., 522-1800.

B, L, D daily. A diner with local character straffed by local characters. $

Faubourg Marigny–––––––––––––––––– The Marigny Brasserie 640 Frenchmen St., 945-4472, MarignyBrasserie.com. L, D daily. Chic neighborhood bistro with traditional dishes like the Wedge of Lettuce salad and innovative cocktails such as the cucumber Cosmo. $$$ Snug Harbor 626 Frenchman St., 949-0696, SnugJazz.com. D daily. This jazz club serves cocktails and a dining menu loaded with steaks, seafood and meaty burgers served with loaded baked potatoes. $$$$

French Quarter–––––––––––––––––––––– Continental Provisions 110 N Peters St., Stall 23, 407-3437. Open daily.

Artisan purveyors including Bellegarde Bakery and Cleaver & Company team up to reclaim a foothold for quality food in the tourist Ground Zero of the French Market. Sandwiches, breads, cheeses and more. $$ Hard Rock Café 125 Bourbon St., 5295617, HardRock.com. L, D daily. Local outpost of this global brand serves burgers, café fare and drinks in their rock memorabilia-themed environs. $$ The Pelican Club 312 Exchange Place, 523-1504, PelicanClub.com. D daily.

GARDEN DISTRICT–––––––––––––––––––––––– Cheesecake Bistro by Copeland’s, 2001 St. Charles Ave., 593-9955, CopelandsCheesecakeBistro.com. L, D daily. Shiny, contemporary bistro serves Cajun-fusion fare along with its signature decadent desserts. Good lunch value to boot. $$ District Donuts Sliders Brew, 2209 Magazine Street, 570-6945, DonutsAndSliders.com. B, L, D daily. Creative sliders (hello, pork belly) and super-creative donuts (think root beer float) are the hallmarks of this next-generation café. $

Metairie–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– café B 2700 Metairie Road, 934-4700, cafeB.com. D daily, L Mon-Sat. Br Sun. Ralph Brennan offers New American bistro fare with a Louisiana twist at this family-friendly neighborhood spot. $$$ Caffe! Caffe! 3547 N. Hullen St., 2679190. B, L Mon-Sat. & 4301 Clearview Parkway, 885-4845. B, L daily; D MonSat. CaffeCaffe.com Healthy, refreshing meal options combine with gourmet coffee and espresso drinks to create a tasteful retreat for Metairie diners at a reasonable price. Try the egg white spinach wrap. $ Heritage Grill 111 Veterans Memorial Blvd., 934-4900, HeritageGrillMetairie. com. L Mon-Fri. This lunch-only destination caters to the office crowd and offers a freshly squeezed juice menu to go along with its regular menu and express two-course lunch. $$ Martin Wine Cellar 714 Elmeer Ave., 896-7300, MartinWine.com. Wine by the glass or bottle to go with daily lunch

Summer is up at Marti’s Marti’s Restaurant, 1041 Rue Dumaine, 522-5478, MartisNola.com.

Summer in the Crescent City may spell, heat, humidity and hurricanes but at Marti’s Restaurant it also brings new dishes such as: Lobster Salad, Roasted Oysters and the gourmet Tennessee Williams’ Burger. 1041 Rue Dumaine has been a culinary and social hotspot in the city since the early 20th century, when it was a 24-hour oyster bar. The latest incarnation is succeeding in reestablishing it as a nostalgic watering hole, an upscale bistro and a French Quarter classic. –Mirella Cameran

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cheryl gerber photograph

specials, towering burgers, hearty soups and salads and giant, deli-style sandwiches. $

L Tue-Sat, Br Sun. A kid-friendly menu with local tweaks and a casually upscale sandwich and salad menu. $$

Vega Tapas Café 2051 Metairie Road, 836-2007, VegaTapasCafe.com. D Mon-Sat. 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. $$

Camellia Grill 626 S. Carrollton Ave., 3092679. B, L, D daily. A venerable diner whose essential character has remained intact and many of the original waiters have returned. Credit cards are now accepted. $

Mid-City–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Parkway Bakery and Tavern 538 Hagan Ave., 482-3047, ParkwayPoorBoys.com. L, D Wed-Mon. Featured on national TV and having served poor boys to presidents, it stakes a claim to some of the best sandwiches in town. Their french fry version with gravy and cheese is a classic at a great price. $

NORTHSHORE–––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Dakota 629 N. Highway 190, (985) 892-3712, TheDakotaRestaurant.com. L Tue-Fri, D Mon-Sat. A sophisticated dining experience with generous portions. $$$$$

Riverbend–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Carrollton Market 8132 Hampson St., 252-9928, CarrolltonMarket.com. D TueSat. Modern Southern cuisine manages to be both fun and refined at this tasteful boîte. $$$

Uptown–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Audubon Clubhouse 6500 Magazine St., 212-5282, AudubonInstitute.org. B,

GG’s Dine-O-Rama 3100 Magazine St., 373-6579, GGsNewOrleans.com. B Sat, L, Tue-Sun, D Tue-Fri, Br Sun. Upscalecasual 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. $$ Martin Wine Cellar 3827 Baronne St., 8997411, MartinWine.com. Wine by the glass or bottle with cheeses and snacks to-go. $ Slim Goodies 3322 Magazine St., 891 EGGS (3447), SlimGoodiesDiner.com. B, L daily. This diner offers an exhaustive menu heavily influenced by local cuisine.

Try the Creole Slammer, a breakfast platter rounded out by crawfish étouffée.

The laid-back vibe is best enjoyed on the patio out back. $ Stein’s Market and Deli 2207 Magazine St., 527-0771, SteinsDeli.net. B, L, D TueSun. New York City meets New Orleans.

The Reuben and Rachel sandwiches are the real deal and the half-sours and pickled tomatoes complete the deli experience. $

Surrey’s Café and Juice Bar 1418 Magazine St., 524-3828; 4807 Magazine St., 895-5757, SurreysCafeAndJuiceBar. com. B, L daily. Laid-back café focuses on breakfast and brunch dishes to accompany freshly squeezed juice offerings.

Health-food lovers will like it here, along with fans of favorites such as peanut butter and banana pancakes. Cash only. $$ Tracey’s Irish Restaurant & Bar 2604 Magazine St., 897-5413, TraceysNola.com.

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. $

H Upperline 1413 Upperline St., 891-9822, Upperline.com. D Wed-Sun. Consummate hostess JoAnn Clevenger and talented chef Dave Bridges make for a winning combination at this nationally heralded favorite. The oft-copied fried green tomatoes with shrimp remoulade originated here. $$$$

H Wayfare 4510 Freret St., 309-0069, WayfareNola.com. L, D daily. Creative sandwiches and southern-inspired small plates. $$ Ye Olde College Inn 3000 S. Carrollton Ave., 866-3683, CollegeInn1933.com. D Tue-Sat. Serves up classic fare, albeit with a few upscale dishes peppering the menu. $$$

Asian Fusion/Pan Asian Little Tokyo Multiple locations, LittleTokyoNola.com. L, D daily. Multiple locations of this popular Japanese sushi and hibachi chain make sure that there’s always a specialty roll within easy reach. $$

Bywater–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Red’s Chinese 3048 St. Claude Ave., 304-6030, RedsChinese.com. D Wed-Mon. Assertive, in-your-face Chinese fare by chef Tobias Womack, an alum of Danny Bowien’s Mission Chinese. The Kung Pao Pastrami and Delta Broccoli are good options. $$

CBD/Warehouse District––––––––––– Horinoya 920 Poydras St., 561-8914. L, D daily. Excellent Japanese dining. The chutoro is delicious and the selection of authentic Japanese appetizers is the best. $$$ Rock-N-Sake 823 Fulton St., 581-7253, RockNSake.com. L Fri, D Tue-Sun, late night. Fresh sushi and contemporary takes on Japanese favorites in an upbeat, casual setting. $$$

Faubourg Marigny–––––––––––––––––– Bao and Noodle 2700 Charters St., 272-0004, BaoAndNoodle.com. L, D daily. Housemade noodles and a more authentic take on Chinese fare sets this neighborhood startup apart. Try the soup dumplings if available $$

French Quarter––––––––––––––––––––––– V Sushi 821 Iberville St., 609-2291,

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DINING GUIDE VSushiMartini.com. D daily, late-night.

Creative rolls and a huge list of fusion dishes keep party-lovers going late into the night at this combination sushi and martini bar. $$$

Garden District––––––––––––––––––––––– Hoshun Restaurant 1601 St. Charles Ave., 302-9716, HoshunRestaurant.com.

L, D daily. Offers a wide variety of Asian cuisines, primarily dishes culled from China, Japan, Thailand and Malaysia.

Five-pepper calamari is a tasty way to begin the meal, and their creative sushi rolls are good. Private dining rooms available. $$

H Tan Dinh 1705 Lafayette St., 3618008. B, L, D daily. Roasted quail and the beef pho rule at this Vietnamese outpost. $$

Kenner––––––––––––––––––––––– –––––––––––– Little Chinatown 3800 Williams Blvd., 305-0580, LittleChinatown.net. L, D daily.

One of the city’s best Chinese restaurants is secreted away on William’s Boulevard in Kenner. Try the roast duck or roast pork, either one is terrific, as well as their short menu of authentic dishes that (for the most part) avoid Americanized Chinese fare. $$

Lakeview––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Lakeview Pearl 6300 Canal St., 3095711, LakeviewPearl.com. L, D Mon-Sat. A long list of specialty rolls rounds

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out the offerings of this Asian-Fusion restaurant. $$

Minh Bui and Cynthia Vutran bring a fusion touch to Vietnamese cuisine with French accents and a contemporary flair. $$

nese options. Extensive sake list and late night happy hours are a plus. $$$

Aloha Sushi 619 Pink St., 837-0055, SunRayGrill.com. L Tue-Fri, D, Tue-Sun. Fresh fish and creative rolls, along with gluten-free options such as rolls in bowls, sushi burritos and other lunch friendly Japanese fare featured. $$

Five Happiness 3605 S. Carrollton Ave., 482-3935, FiveHappiness.com. L, D daily.

This longtime Chinese favorite offers up an extensive menu including its beloved mu shu pork and house-baked duck. $$

St., 891-8280, JungsChinese.com. L, D daily. This Chinese destination is a real find. Along with the usual you’ll find spicy cold noodle dishes and dumplings.

One of the few local Chinese places that breaks the Americanized mold. $

CoNola Grill & Sushi 619 Pink St., 8370055, CoNolaGrillSushi.com. L, D TueSun. Eclectic cafe with DNA from both Sun Ray Grill and Aloha Sushi Bar puts out southern-inspired fare backed by an Americanized sushi menu, a kids menu and more. Along with a Sunday brunch, there’s something for everyone at this independent restaurant. $$$

MoPhoMidCity.com. L, D Wed-Mon. Vietnamese cuisine meets southern Louisiana in this upscale casual hybrid by chef Michael Gulotta. Mix-and-match pho and an interesting poor boy menu rounds out the appeal. $$$

H Magasin 4201 Magazine St., 896-

Riverbend–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– H Ba Chi Canteen 7900 Maple St., 373-

Kyoto 4920 Prytania St., 891-3644, KyotoNola.com. L, D Mon-Sat. A neighborhood sushi restaurant where the regulars order off-the-menu rolls. $$

Metairie––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

H Royal China 600 Veterans Blvd., 831-9633. L daily, D Tue-Sun. Popular and family-friendly Chinese restaurant is one of the few places around that serves dim sum. $$

MARRERO–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Daiwa, 5033 Lapalco Blvd., 875-4203, DaiwaSushi.com. L, D daily. Japanese destination on the Westbank serves an impressive and far-ranging array of creative fusion fare. $$$

Mid-City––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– H Café Minh 4139 Canal St., 482-6266, CafeMinh.com. L Mon-Fri, D Mon-Sat. Chef

H MoPho 514 City Park Ave., 482-6845,

5628. L, D Mon-Sat. The kitchen plays fast and loose with Vietnamese fare at this eclectic outpost on Maple Street. Try the caramelized pork “Baco”. $

H Chill Out Café 729 Burdette St., 8729628. B, L daily, D Mon-Sat. Thai food and breakfast favorites like waffles and pancakes can both be had at this affordable college-friendly hangout. $

Uptown–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Chiba 8312 Oak St., 826-9119, Chiba-Nola.com. L Wed-Sat, D Mon-Sat. Contemporary restaurant features fresh, exotic fish from all over the world and fusion fare to go along with typical Japa-

H Jung’s Golden Dragon 3009 Magazine

7611, MagasinCafe.com. L, D Mon-Sat. Pho, banh mi and vegetarian options are offered at this attractive and budgetfriendly Vietnamese restaurant. Café sua da is available as well. $

WEST BANK––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Nine Roses 1100 Stephen St., 366-7665, NineRosesResturant.com. L, D Sun-Tue, Thu-Sat. The extensive Vietnamese menu specializes in hot pots, noodles and dishes big enough for everyone to share. $$

Bakery/Breakfast Café du Monde Multiple Locations, CafeDuMonde.com. This New Orleans institution has been serving fresh café au lait, rich hot chocolate and positively addictive beignets since 1862 in the French

Market 24/7. $ CC’s Coffee House Multiple locations in New Orleans, Metairie and Northshore, CCsCoffee.com. Coffeehouse specializing in coffee, espresso drinks and pastries. $

CBD/Warehouse District––––––––––– H Merchant 800 Common St., 571-9580, MerchantNewOrleans.com. B, L daily. Illy coffee and creative crêpes, sandwiches and more are served at this sleek and contemporary café on the ground floor of the Merchant Building. $

H Ruby Slipper Café 200 Magazine St., 525-9355; 1005 Canal St., 525-9355, TheRubySlipperCafe.net. B, L daily, Br Sun. Homegrown chain specializes in breakfast, lunch and brunch dishes with unique local twists such as bananas Foster French toast and barbecue shrimp and grits. $$

CARROLLTON––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Breads on Oak, 8640 Oak St., 324-8271, BreadsOnOak.com. B, L Wed-Sun. Artisan bakeshop tucked away near the levee on Oak Street serves breads, sandwiches, gluten-free and vegan-friendly options. $

City Park––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Morning Call 56 Dreyfous Drive, City Park, 885-4068, NewOrleansCityPark. com/in-the-park/morning-call. 24 hours a day; cash-only. Chicory coffee and beignets coated with powdered sugar make this the quintessential New Orleans coffee shop. $

Faubourg Marigny––––––––––––––––––– H Ruby Slipper Café 2001 Burgundy St., 525-9355, TheRubySlipperCafe.net.

B, L daily, Br Sun. Homegrown chain specializes in breakfast, lunch and brunch dishes with unique local twists such as bananas Foster French toast and barbecue shrimp and grits. $$

Mid-City––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Gracious Bakery + Café 1000 S. Jeff Davis Parkway, Suite 100, 301-3709, GraciousBakery.com. B, L daily. Boutique bakery on the ground floor of the Woodward Building offers small-batch coffee, baked goods, individual desserts and sandwiches on breads made in-house.

Catering options available. $

H Ruby Slipper Café 139 S. Cortez St., 525-9355, TheRubySlipperCafe.net.

B, L daily, Br Sun. Homegrown chain specializes in breakfast, lunch and brunch dishes with unique local twists such as bananas Foster French toast and barbecue shrimp and grits. $$

Barbecue

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

Lower Garden District––––––––––––– Voodoo BBQ 1501 St. Charles Ave., 5224647, VoodooBBQAndGrill.com. L, D daily.

Diners are never too far from this homegrown barbecue chain that features an array of specialty sauces to accompany its smoked meats and seafood. $$

Metairie––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Voodoo BBQ 2740 Severn Ave., 353-4227, VoodooBBQAndGrill.com. L, D daily.

Diners are never too far from this homegrown barbecue chain that features an array of specialty sauces to accompany its smoked meats and seafood. $$

Burgers

French Quarter––––––––––––––––––––––– Bayou Burger, 503 Bourbon St., 5294256, SportsBarNewOrleans.com. L, D daily. Sports bar in the thick of Bourbon Street scene distinguishes its fare with choices like Crawfish Beignets and Zydeco Bites. $$ Port of Call 838 Esplanade Ave., 5230120, PortOfCallNola.com. L, D daily. It is all about the big, meaty burgers and giant baked potatoes in this popular bar/ restaurant – unless you’re cocktailing only, then it’s all about the Monsoons. $$

Lakeview––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Lakeview Harbor 911 Harrison Ave., 486-4887, NewOrleansBestBurger.com.

L, D daily. Burgers are the name of the game at this restaurant. Daily specials, pizza and steaks are offered as well. $

METAIRIE–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Cheeseburger Eddie’s, 4517 W Espla-

nade Ave., 455-5511, AustinsNo.com/ Cheeseburger-Eddie-s.html. L, D Mon-Sat. Hickory-grilled burgers are the main draw at this casual spot but tacos, tamales, poor boys and more are also served. $

Riverbend–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– H Cowbell 8801 Oak St., 298-8689, Cowbell-Nola.com. L, D Tue-Sat. Burgers and homemade sauces on potato rolls are the specialty here, along with other favorites like skirt steak. $$

Uptown––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– H The Company Burger 4600 Freret St., 267-0320, TheCompanyBurger.com. L, D Wed-Mon. Custom-baked butter-brushed buns and fresh-ground beef patties make all the difference at this excellent burger hotspot. Draft beer and craft cocktails round out the appeal. $

French

CBD/Warehouse District––––––––––– Chateau du Lac 857 Fulton St., 301-0235, ChateauduLacWarehouse.com. L Tue-Fri, D Mon-Sat. This casual French bistro, run by chef-owner Jacques Saleun, offers up classic dishes such as escargot, coq au vin and blanquette de veau. $$$$ Le Foret 129 Camp St., 553-6738, LeForetNewOrleans.com. D Mon-Sat. Sophisticated fine dining melds southern cuisine and classic French with modernist influences in an elegant setting. $$$$

Faubourg St. John––––––––––––––––––––

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DINING GUIDE H Café Degas 3127 Esplanade Ave., 9455635, CafeDegas.com. L, D Wed-Sat, Br Sun. Salad Niçoise, Hanger steak and frites are served in a lovely enclosed courtyard at this jewel of a French bistro. $$

French Quarter––––––––––––––––––––––– Broussard’s, 819 Conti St., 581-3866, Broussards.com. D daily, Br Sun. CreoleFrench institution also offers beautiful courtyard seating. $$$$

H Marti’s 1041 Dumaine St., 522-5478, MartisNola.com. D daily. Classic French cuisine, small plates and chilled seafood platters like Grand Plateau Fruits De Mer are the calling cards for this restaurant with an elegant “Old World” feel. $$$

Lacombe–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– H La Provence 25020 Highway 190, (985) 626-7662, LaProvenceRestaurant. com. D Wed-Sun, Br Sun. Chef John Besh 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. $$$$$

Metairie–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Chateau du Lac 2037 Metairie Road, 8313773, ChateauduLacBistro.com. L Tue-Fri, D Mon-Sat. This casual French bistro, run by chef-owner Jacques Saleun, offers up classic dishes such as escargot, coq au vin and blanquette de veau. $$$$

Uptown––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Bistro Daisy 5831 Magazine St., 8996987, BistroDaisy.com. D Tue-Sat. Chef Anton Schulte and his wife Diane’s bistro serves creative and contemporary bistro fare in a romantic setting. The signature Daisy Salad is a favorite. $$$$

H Coquette 2800 Magazine St., 2650421, CoquetteNola.com. L Wed-Sat, D Wed-Mon, Br Sun. The food is French in inspiration and technique, with added imagination from chef Michael and his partner Lillian Hubbard. $$$ Flaming Torch 737 Octavia St., 895-0900, FlamingTorchNola.com. L Mon-Fri, D daily, Br Sat-Sun. French classics including a tasty onion soup and often a sought-after coq-au-vin. $$

H La Crêpe Nanou 1410 Robert St., 899-2670, LaCrepeNanou.com. D daily, Br

Sun. Classic French bistro fare, including terrific moules and decadent dessert crêpes, are served nightly at this neighborhood institution. $$$ La Petite Grocery 4238 Magazine St., 891-3377, LaPetiteGrocery.com. L TueSat, D daily, Br Sun. Elegant dining in a convivial atmosphere. The menu is heavily French-inspired with an emphasis on technique. $$$ Lilette 3637 Magazine St., 895-1636, LiletteRestaurant.com. L Tue-Sat, D MonSat. Chef John Harris’ innovative menu draws discerning diners to this highly regarded bistro. Desserts are wonderful as well. $$$$$

Gastropub

Abita Springs–––––––––––––––––––––––––– Abita Brew Pub 72011 Holly St., (985) 892-5837, AbitaBrewPub.com. L, D TueSun. Better-than-expected pub food in its namesake eatery. “Tasteful” tours available for visitors. $$

CBD/Warehouse District–––––––––– Gordon Biersch 200 Poydras St., 5522739, GordonBiersch.com. L, D daily. Local outpost of this popular chain serves specialty brews made on-site and crowdpleasing lunch and dinner fare. $$ Victory 339 Baronne St., 522-8664, VictoryNola.com. D Tue-Sat. Craft cocktails served by owner and acclaimed bartender Daniel Victory, as well as refined small plates and gourmet pizza. $$

French Quarter––––––––––––––––––––––– H Cane & Table 1113 Decatur St., 5811112, CaneAndTableNola.com. L Sat-Sun, D daily. Open late, this chef-driven rustic colonial cuisine and rum and “proto-Tiki” cocktails make this a fun place to gather. $$ Orleans Grapevine Wine Bar and Bistro 720 Orleans Ave., 523-1930, OrleansGrapevine.com. D daily. Wine is the muse at this beautifully renovated bistro, which offers vino by the flight, glass and bottle.

A classic menu with an emphasis on local cuisine. $$$

H Patrick’s Bar Vin 730 Bienville St., 200-3180, PatricksBarVin.com. D daily.

This oasis of a wine bar offers terrific selections by the bottle and glass. Small plates are served as well. $$

Lower Garden District––––––––––––– The Tasting Room 1926 Magazine St., 581-3880, TTRNewOrleans.com. D WedSun. Flights of wine and sophisticated small plates are the calling cards for this wine bar near Coliseum Square. $$

Mid-City–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Trèo 3835 Tulane Ave., 304-4878, TreoNola.com. L Wed-Sat, D Tue-Sat. Craft cocktail bar also serves a short but excellent small plates menu to accompany its artfully composed libations. $$

Uptown––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– The Avenue Pub 1732 St. Charles Ave., 586-9243, TheAvenuePub.com. Kitchen open 24/7. With more than 43 rotating draft beers, this pub also offers food, including a cheese plate from St. James Cheese Co. and the “Pub Burger.” Counter service only. $ Bouligny Tavern 3641 Magazine St., 8911810, BoulignyTavern.com. D Mon-Sat. Carefully curated small plates, inventive cocktails and select wines are the focus of this stylish offshoot of John Harris’s nationally acclaimed Lilette. $$ The Delachaise 3442 St. Charles Ave., 895-0858, TheDelaichaise.com. L SatSun, D daily. Cuisine elevated to the standards of the libations is the draw at this lively wine bar and gastropub. Food is grounded in French bistro fare with eclectic twists. $$

Italian

Avondale–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– H Mosca’s 4137 Highway 90 West, 4638950, MoscasRestaurant.com. D Tue-Sat. Italian institution dishes out massive portions of great food, family-style. Good bets are the shrimp Mosca and chicken à la grande. Cash only. $$$

Bywater–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– H Mariza 2900 Charters St., 598-5700, MarizaNewOrleans.com. D Tue-Sat. An Italian-inspired restaurant by chef Ian Schnoebelen features a terrific raw bar, house-cured charcuterie and an array of refined adult beverages served in the industrial/contemporary setting on the ground floor of the Rice Mills lofts. $$$

CBD/Warehouse District–––––––––– H Domenica The Roosevelt Hotel, 123

Baronne St., 648-6020, DomenicaRestaurant.com. L, D daily. Chef Alon Shaya serves authentic, regional Italian cuisine.

The menu of thin, lightly topped pizzas, artisanal salumi and cheese, and a carefully chosen selection of antipasti, pasta and entrées, feature locally raised products, some from chef John Besh’s Northshore farm. $$$$ Mother’s 401 Poydras St., 523-9656, MothersRestaurant.net. B, L, D daily. Locals and tourists alike endure long queues and a confounding ordering system to enjoy iconic dishes such as the Ferdi poor boy and Jerry’s jambalaya. Come for a late lunch to avoid the rush. $$ Red Gravy 4125 Camp St., 561-8844, RedGravy.com. B, Br, L, D, Wed-Mon. Farm-to-table Italian restaurant offers a creative array of breakfast items such as Cannoli Pancakes as well as delectable sandwiches and more for lunch.

Homemade pastas and authentic Tuscan specialties like Cacciucco round out the dinner menu. $$ Tommy’s Cuisine 746 Tchoupitoulas St., 581-1103, TommysNewOrleans.com. D daily.

Classic Creole-Italian cuisine is the name of the game at this upscale eatery. Appetizers include the namesake oysters Tommy, baked in the shell with Romano cheese, pancetta and roasted red pepper. $$$$$

Faubourg Marigny––––––––––––––––––– Praline Connection 542 Frenchmen St., 943-3934, PralineConnection.com. L, D daily. Down-home dishes of smothered pork chops, greens, beans and cornbread are on the menu at this Creole soul restaurant. $$

French Quarter––––––––––––––––––––––– Café Giovanni 117 Decatur St., 529-2154, CafeGiovanni.com. D daily. Live opera singers three nights a week. A selection of Italian specialties tweaked with a Creole influence and their Belli Baci happy hour adds to the atmosphere. $$$$ Chartres House, 601 Chartres St., 5868383, ChartresHouse.com. L, D daily. This iconic French Quarter bar serves terrific Mint Juleps and Gin Fizzes in its picturesque courtyard and balcony settings.

Also famous for its fried green tomatoes and other local favorite dishes. $$$ Irene’s Cuisine 539 St. Philip St., 529-

BRAVO’s “Top Chef” Compton Opens Compère Lapin Compère Lapin, 535 Tchoupitoulas St., Reservations: (866) 226-4727, CompereLapin.com It was worth the wait! “Top Chef” alum Nina Compton has opened her restaurant, Compère Lapin. Situated in the downtown Warehouse Arts District in the city’s newest boutique hotel, Old No. 77 Hotel & Chandlery, Compton combines her diverse culinary expertise with inspiration from her new New Orleans home. Compton fell in love with the Crescent City during the filming of BRAVO’s Season 11 “Top Chef” in which she was both the runner up and the fans’ favorite. Compton, originally from St. Lucia, was Chef de Cuisine at Scarpetta at the Fontainebleau Miami Beach and is now owner and executive chef at Compère. – M.C.

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cheryl gerber photograph

881. 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. $$$$

H Italian Barrel 430 Barracks St., 569-0198, ItalianBarrel.com. L, D daily.

Northern Italian dishes like Braciola di Maiale as well as an exhaustive pasta menu tempt here at this local favorite that also offers al fresco seating. $$$ Muriel’s Jackson Square 801 Chartres St., 568-1885, Muriels.com. L, D daily, Br Sun. Enjoy pecan-crusted drum and other local classics while dining in the courtyard bar or any other room in this labyrinthine, rumored-to-be-haunted establishment. $$$$ Napoleon House 500 Chartres St., 524522-4152, NapoleonHouse.com. L Mon-Sat, D Tue-Sat. Originally built in 1797 as a respite for Napoleon, this family-owned European-style café serves local favorites gumbo, jambalaya and muffulettas, and for sipping, a Sazerac or lemony Pimm’s Cup are perfect accompaniments. $$ NOLA 534 St. Louis St., 522-6652, Emerils.com. L Thu-Mon, D daily. Emeril’s more affordable eatery, featuring cedar-plankroasted redfish; private dining. $$$$$ Ralph Brennan’s Red Fish Grill 115 Bourbon St., 598-1200, RedFishGrill.com.

L, D daily. Chef Austin Kirzner cooks up a

Luncheons, Banquets and Rehearsal Dinners

broad menu peppered with local favorites such as barbecue oysters, blackened redfish and double-chocolate bread pudding. $$$$$ Arnaud’s Remoulade 309 Bourbon St., 523-0377, 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. $$

H R’evolution 777 Bienville St., 5532277, RevolutionNola.com. L Wed-Fri, D daily, Br Sun. An opulent place that combines the local flavors of chef John Folse with the more cosmopolitan influence of chef Rick Tramonto. Chef de cuisine Chris Lusk and executive sous chef Erik Veney are in charge of day-to-day operations, which include house-made charcuterie, pastries, pastas and more. $$$$$

H Tujague’s 823 Decatur St., 525-8676, TujaguesRestaurant.com. L Sat-Sun, 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. $$$$$

Lakeview––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– H Tony Angello’s 6262 Fleur de Lis Drive, 488-0888, TonyAngellos.com. D TueSat. Creole-Italian favorite serves up fare.

Ask Tony to “Feed Me” if you want a real multi-course dining experience. $$$$

NORTHSHORE–––––––––––––––––––––––––––– H Del Porto Ristorante 501 E. Boston

834-8583, AndreasRestaurant.com. L Mon-Sat, D daily, Br Sun. Osso buco and homemade pastas in a setting that’s both elegant and intimate; off-premise catering. $$$

St., (985) 875-1006, DelPortoRistorante. com. L, D Tue-Sat. One of the Northshore’s premier fine dining destinations serving Italian food that makes use of locally sourced meats and produce. $$$

Semolina 4436 Veterans Blvd., Suite 37, 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. $$

Amici 3218 Magazine St., 300-1250, AmiciNola.com. L, D daily. Coal-fired pizza is the calling card for this destination, but the menu offers an impressive list of authentic and Creole Italian specialties as well. $$

Vincent’s Italian Cuisine 4411 Chastant St., 885-2984, Metairie, VicentsItalianCuisine.com. L Tue-Fri, D Mon-Sat. Snug Italian boîte packs them in, yet manages to remain intimate at the same time. The cannelloni is a house specialty. $$$

Mid-City––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– H Liuzza’s 3636 Bienville St., 482-9120, Liuzzas.com. L, D daily. Classic neighborhood joint serves favorites like the “Frenchuletta,” stuffed artichokes and andouille gumbo. Kid’s menu offered.

Cash only. $$ Ralph’s On The Park 900 City Park Ave., 488-1000, RalphsOnThePark.com. Br Sun, L Tue-Fri, D daily. A modern interior and contemporary Creole dishes such as City Park salad, turtle soup, barbecue Gulf shrimp and good cocktails. $$$$

Uptown–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Pascal’s Manale 1838 Napoleon Ave., 895-4877, PascalsManale.com. L MonFri, D Mon-Sat. Vintage neighborhood restaurant since 1913 and the place to go for the creation of barbecued shrimp. Its oyster bar serves icy cold, freshly shucked Louisiana oysters and the Italian specialties and steaks are also solid. $$$$ Vincent’s Italian Cuisine 7839 St. Charles Ave., 866-9313, VicentsItalianCuisine.com. L Tue-Fri, D Tue-Sun. Snug Italian boîte packs them in yet manages to remain intimate at the same time. The cannelloni is a house specialty. $$$

Louisianian Fare

CBD/Warehouse District––––––––––– H Annunciation 1016 Annunciation St., 568-0245, AnnunciationRestaurant.com.

D Mon-Sat. Chef Steven Manning brings

Famous Fried Chicken and Seafood

BURGERS, FRIES & MARTINIS, TACOS, SHAKES, WINGS & COLD BEER

A Mr. Ed’s Restaurant

Metairie–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– H Andrea’s Restaurant 3100 19th St.,

Monday- Saturday Lunch & Dinner 4517 W. Esplanade @ Clearview Metairie • (504) 455-5511

RAW • FRIED • GRILLED Metairie 3117 21st Street 504-833-6310 Monday-Saturday French Quarter 512 Bienville St.

one block from the River at Decatur

504-309-4848 | 7 days a week myneworleans.com / JULY 2015

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DINING GUIDE a refined sensibility to this refined Warehouse District oasis along with his famous fried oysters with melted brie. $$$ Bon Ton Cafe 401 Magazine St., 5243386, TheBonTonCafe.com. L, D Mon-Fri. A local favorite for the old-school business lunch crowd specializing in local seafood and Cajun dishes. $$$$ Café Adelaide Loews New Orleans Hotel, 300 Poydras St., 595-3305, CafeAdelaide. com. B, D daily, L Mon-Fri. This offering from the Commander’s Palace family of restaurants has become a power-lunch favorite for business-people and politicos.

Also features the Swizzle Stick Bar. $$$$

H Cochon 930 Tchoupitoulas St., 588-2123, CochonRestaurant.com. L, D, Mon-Sat. Chefs Donald Link and Stephen Stryjewski showcase Cajun and Southern cuisine at this hot spot. Boudin and other pork dishes reign supreme here, along with Louisiana seafood and real moonshine from the bar. Reservations strongly recommended. $$ Drago’s Hilton Riverside Hotel, 2 Poydras St., 584-3911, DragosRestaurant. com. L, D daily. This famous seafooder specializes in charbroiled oysters, a dish they invented. Great deals on fresh lobster as well. $$$$ Emeril’s 800 Tchoupitoulas St., 5289393, EmerilsRestaurants.com. L Mon-

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Fri, D daily. The flagship of superstar chef Emeril Lagasse’s culinary empire, this landmark attracts pilgrims from all over the world. $$$$$

H Herbsaint 701 St. Charles Ave., 5244114, Herbsaint.com. L Mon-Fri, D MonSat. Enjoy a sophisticated cocktail before sampling chef Donald Link’s menu that melds contemporary bistro fare with classic Louisiana cuisine. The banana brown butter tart is a favorite dessert. $$$$$ Mulate’s 201 Julia St., 522-1492, Mulates.com. L, D daily. Live music and dancing add to the fun at this worldfamous Cajun destination. $$ Palette 700 Tchoupitoulas St., 613-2350, B, L, D daily. Creole, Cajun and French flavors all come together at this restaurant in the Renaissance Hotel near the Convention Center. $$

Central City–––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Café Reconcile 1631 Oretha Castle Haley Blvd., 568-1157, CafeReconcile.org. L Mon-Fri. Good food for a great cause, this nonprofit on the burgeoning OCH corridor helps train at-risk youth for careers in the food service industry. $$

Darrow–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Café Burnside Houmas House Plantation, 40136 Highway 942, (225) 473-9380, HoumasHouse.com. L daily, Br Sun. Historic plantation’s casual dining op-

tion features dishes such as seafood pasta, fried catfish, crawfish and shrimp, gumbo and red beans and rice. $$ Latil’s Landing Houmas House Plantation, 40136 Highway 942, (225) 473-9380, HoumasHouse.com. D Wed-Sun. Nouvelle Louisiane, plantation-style cooking served in an opulent setting features dishes like rack of lamb and plume de veau. $$$$$

Faubourg Marigny–––––––––––––––––––– Feelings Cafe 2600 Chartres St., 9452222, FeelingsCafe.com. D Wed-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. Vegan menu offered. $$$$ Horn’s 1940 Dauphine St., Marigny, 459-4676, HornsNola.com. B, L daily, D Thu-Mon. This casual, eclectic watering hole offers offbeat twists on classics (the Jewish Coonass features latkes to go with the crawfish etouffée) as well as the usual breakfast and lunch diner fare. $

French Quarter––––––––––––––––––––––– Acme Oyster House 724 Iberville St., 5225973, AcmeOyster.com. L, D daily. Known as one of the best places to eat oysters. $$

H Arnaud’s 813 Bienville St., 523-5433, ArnaudsRestaurant.com. D daily, Br Sun.

Waiters in tuxedos prepare Café Brûlot tableside at this storied Creole grande dame; live jazz during Sun. brunch. $$$$$ Antoine’s 713 St. Louis St., 581-4422, Antoines.com. L, D Mon-Sat, Br Sun. This pinnacle of haute cuisine and birthplace of oysters Rockefeller is New Orleans’ oldest restaurant. (Every item is á la carte, with an $11 minimum.) Private dining rooms available. $$$$$

H The Bistreaux New Orleans Maison Dupuy Hotel, 1001 Toulouse St., 5868000, MaisonDupuy.com/dining.html. L, D daily. Dishes ranging from the casual (truffle mac and cheese) to the upscale (tuna tasting trio) are served in an elegant courtyard. $$ The Bombay Club Prince Conti Hotel, 830 Conti St., 586-0972, TheBombayClub. com. D daily. Popular martini bar with plush British décor features live music during the week and late dinner and drinks on weekends. Nouveau Creole menu includes items such as Bombay drum. $$$$ Café Maspero 601 Decatur St., 523-6250, CafeMaspero.com. L, D daily. Tourists line up for their generous portions of seafood and large deli sandwiches. $ Court of Two Sisters 613 Royal St., 522-7261, CourtOfTwoSisters.com. Br, D

daily. The historic environs make for a memorable outdoor dining experience.

The famous daily Jazz Brunch buffet and classic Creole dishes sweeten the deal. $$$$$

KillerPoboys.blogspot.com. L, D Wed-Mon. This quasi-popup operating out of the Erin Rose Bar serves some of the city’s best poor boys, including one featuring glazed pork belly. $

Criollo Hotel Monteleone, 214 Royal St., 681-4444, CriolloNola.com. B, L, D daily. Next to the famous Carousel Bar in the historic Monteleone Hotel, Criollo represents an amalgam of the various cultures reflected in Louisiana cooking and cuisine, often with a slight contemporary twist. $$$

K-Paul’s Louisiana Kitchen 416 Chartres St., 596-2530, ChefPaul.com/KPaul. L Thu-Sat, D Mon-Sat. 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. $$$$

H Dickie Brennan’s Bourbon House 144

H MiLa 817 Common St., 412-2580,

Bourbon St., 522-0111, BourbonHouse. com. B, L, D daily. Classic Creole dishes such as redfish on the halfshell and baked oysters served. Its extensive bourbon menu will please aficionados. $$$$

MiLaNewOrleans.com. L Mon-Fri, D Mon-Sat. Latest offering from husbandand-wife chefs Slade Rushing and Allison Vines-Rushing focuses on the fusion of the cuisines of Miss. and La. $$$$

Galatoire’s 209 Bourbon St., 525-2021, Galatoires.com. L, D Tue-Sun. Friday lunches are a New Orleans tradition at this world-famous French-Creole grand dame. Tradition counts for everything here, and the crabmeat Sardou is delicious. Note: Jackets required for dinner and all day Sun. $$$$$

Royal House, 441 Royal St., 528-2601, RoyalHouseRestaurant.com. L, D daily. B Sat and Sun. Poor boys, jambalaya and shrimp Creole are some of the favorites served here. Weekend breakfast and an oyster bar add to the crowd-pleasing appeal. $$$

House of Blues 225 Decatur St., 3104999, HouseOfBlues.com/NewOrleans. L, D daily. Surprisingly good menu complements music in the main room. Worldfamous Gospel Brunch every Sunday.

Patio seating available. $$

SoBou 310 Chartres St., 552-4095, SoBouNola.com. B, L, D daily. There is something for everyone at this “Modern Creole Saloon.” Decidedly unstuffy with an emphasis on craft cocktails and wines by the glass. Everything from $1 pork cracklins to an extravagant foie gras burger on accomplished yet eclectic menus. $$

Killer Poboys 811 Conti St., 252-6745,

H Tableau 616 S. Peter St., 934-3463,

TableauFrenchQuarter.com. L, D daily, Br Sun. Gulf seafood such as trout amandine and classic Creole brunch dishes like eggs Sardou are the highlights of this Dickie Brennan restaurant that shares space with Le Petite Théâtre on the corner of Jackson Square. $$$

Kenner–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Copeland’s 1319 W. Esplanade Ave., 6179146, CopelandsofNewOrleans.com. L, D daily, Br Sun. Al Copeland’s namesake chain includes favorites such as Shrimp Ducky. Popular for lunch. $$

Lakeview–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– H Cava 789 Harrison Ave., 304-9034. D Mon-Sat. Fine dining (and excellent wine list) at this high-end Cajun and Creole restaurant that makes customer service a big part of the experience. $$$

Metairie/Jefferson–––––––––––––––––– Acme Oyster House 3000 Veterans Blvd., 309-4056, AcmeOyster.com. L, D daily.

Known as one of the best places to eat oysters. $$ Austin’s 5101 W. Esplanade Ave., 8885533, AustinsNo.com. D Mon-Sat. Mr. Ed’s upscale bistro serves contemporary Creole fare, including seafood and steaks. $$$ Copeland’s 1001 S. Clearview Parkway, 620-7800; 701 Veterans Blvd., 831-3437, CopelandsofNewOrleans.com. L, D daily, Br Sun. Al Copeland’s namesake chain includes favorites such as Shrimp Ducky.

Popular for lunch. $$ Crabby Jack’s 428 Jefferson Highway, 833-2722, CrabbyJacksNola.com. L MonSat. Lunch outpost of Jacques-Imo’s.

Famous for its fried seafood and poor boys including fried green tomatoes and roasted duck. $ Drago’s 3232 N. Arnoult Road, 888-9254, DragosRestaurant.com. L, D Mon-Sat. This famous seafooder specializes in charbroiled oysters, a dish they invented.

Great deals on fresh lobster as well. $$$$

Mid-City––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– H Katie’s Restaurant and Bar 3701 Iberville St., 488-6582, KatiesInMidCity. com. L, D Mon-Sat, Br Sun. Creative poor boys, local dishes such as gumbo and Sunday brunch make this a neighborhood favorite. $$ Lil’ Dizzy’s Café 1500 Esplanade Ave., 569-8997, LilDizzysCafe.com. B, L daily, Br Sun. Spot local and national politicos dining at this favored Creole soul restaurant known for homey classics like fried chicken and trout Baquet. $

H Mandina’s 3800 Canal St., 482-9179, MandinasRestaurant.com. L, D daily.

Though the ambiance is more upscale, the food and seafood dishes make dining here a New Orleans experience. $$

H Redemption 3835 Iberville St., 3093570, Redemption-Nola.com. L Wed-Fri & Sun, D Wed-Sun. Chef-driven “Revival”

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DINING GUIDE Creole fare served in an inspiring former church. $$$

H Toups’ Meatery 845 N. Carrollton Ave., 252-4999, ToupsMeatery.com. L, D Tue-Sat. Charcuterie, specialty cocktails and an exhaustive list of excellent à la carte sides make this restaurant a carnivore’s delight. $$$

NORTHSHORE––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Acme Oyster House 1202 N. Highway 190, Covington, (985) 246-6155, AcmeOyster.com. L, D daily. Known as one of the best places to eat oysters. $$ Gallagher’s Grill 509 S. Tyler St., (985) 892-9992, GallaghersGrill.com. L, D TueFri, D Sat. Chef Pat Gallagher’s destination restaurant offers al fresco seating to accompany classically inspired New Orleans fare. Event catering offered. $$$

Riverbend––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– H Boucherie 1506 S. Carrollton Ave., 862-5514, Boucherie-Nola.com. L, D Tue-Sat. Serving contemporary Southern food with an international angle, chef Nathaniel Zimet offers excellent ingredients presented simply. $$ Brigtsen’s 723 Dante St., 861-7610, Brigtsens.com. D Tue-Sat. Chef Frank Brigtsen’s nationally famous Creole cuisine makes this cozy cottage a true foodie destination. $$$$$

University Area––––––––––––––––––––––– H Dunbar’s 501 Pine St., 861-5451. Beloved budget-friendly Creole institution in an unlikely spot – Loyola University’s Broadway campus – but the excellent jambalaya, fried chicken and red beans and rice haven’t changed. $

Uptown––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– H Apolline 4729 Magazine St., 894-8881, ApollineRestaurant.com. D Tue-Sun, Br Sat-Sun. Cozy gem serves a refined menu of French and Creole classics peppered with Southern influences such as buttermilk fried quail with corn waffle. $$$ Casamento’s 4330 Magazine St., 8959761, CasamentosRestaurant.com. L Tue-Sat, D Thu-Sat. The family-owned restaurant has shucked oysters and fried seafood since 1919; closed during summer and for all major holidays. $$ Chappy’s 6106 Magazine St., 208-8772, Chappys.com. D nightly, Br Sun. Tradition reigns supreme at Chappy’s on a genteel

stretch of Magazine Street near Audubon Park. Classics such as shrimp and eggplant casserole will be sure to please. $$$ Clancy’s 6100 Annunciation St., 8951111, ClancysNewOrleans.com. L Thu-Fri, D Mon-Sat. Their Creole-inspired menu has been a favorite of locals for years. $$$ Commander’s Palace 1403 Washington Ave., 899-8221, CommandersPalace.com.

L Mon-Fri, D daily, Br Sat-Sun. The grande dame is going strong under the auspices of James Beard Award-winner chef Tory McPhail. Jazz Brunch is a great deal. $$$$ Dick and Jenny’s 4501 Tchoupitoulas St., 894-9880, DickAndJennys.com. L Thu-Fri, D Mon-Sat, Br Sun. A funky cottage serving Louisiana comfort food with flashes of innovation. $$$$ Domilise’s 5240 Annunciation St., 899912. L, D Mon-Wed, Fri-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. $

H Gautreau’s 1728 Soniat St., 899-7397, GautreausRestaurant.com. D Mon-Sat. Upscale destination serves refined interpretations of classics along with contemporary creations. $$$$$ Jacques-Imo’s Cafe 8324 Oak St., 8610886, Jacques-Imos.com. D Mon-Sat. Reinvented New Orleans cuisine served in a party atmosphere. The deep-fried roast beef poor boy is delicious. The lively bar scene offsets the long wait on weekends. $$$$ Joey K’s 3001 Magazine St., 891-0997, JoeyKsRestaurant.com. L, D Mon-Sat. A true neighborhood restaurant with daily lunch plates; red beans and rice are classic. $ Mahony’s 3454 Magazine St., 899-3374, MahonysPoBoys.com. L, D daily. 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. $ Mat & Naddie’s 937 Leonidas St., 8619600, MatAndNaddies.com. D Mon-Tue, Thu-Sat. Cozy converted house serves up creative and eclectic regionally inspired fare. Shrimp and crawfish croquettes make for a good appetizer and when the weather is right the romantic patio is the

place to sit. $$$$

WEST BANK––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Copeland’s 2333 Manhattan Blvd., 3641575, CopelandsofNewOrleans.com. L, D daily, Br Sun. Al Copeland’s namesake chain includes favorites such as Shrimp Ducky. Popular for lunch. $$

Pizza Reginelli’s Pizzeria Multiple Locations, Reginellis.com. L, D daily. Pizzas, pastas, salads, fat calzones and lofty focaccia sandwiches are at locations all over town. $$ Theo’s Pizza Multiple Locations, TheosPizza.com. L, D daily. The crackercrisp crust pizzas are complemented by a broad assortment of toppings with a lot of local ingredients at cheap prices. $$

Bywater–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– H Pizza Delicious 617 Piety St., 6768282, PizzaDelicious.com. Authentic New York-style thin crust pizza is the reason to come to this affordable restaurant that began as a pop-up, but they also offer excellent salads sourced from small farms and homemade pasta dishes as well. Outdoor seating a plus. $

Uptown–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– H Ancora 4508 Freret St., 324-1636, AncoraPizza.com. D Mon-Sat. Authentic Neapolitan-style pizza fired in an oven imported from Naples. The housemade charcuterie makes it a double-winner. $$ Slice 1513 St. Charles Ave., 525-PIES (7437); 5538 Magazine St., 897-4800; SlicePizzeria.com. L, D daily. Order up slices or whole pizza pies done in several styles (thin- and thick-crust) as well as pastas, seafood, panini and salads. $

Seafood

Akers–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Middendorf’s Interstate 55, Exit 15, 30160 Highway 51 South, (985) 3866666, MiddendorfsRestaurant.com. L, D Wed-Sun. Historic seafood destination along the shores of Lake Maurepas is world-famous for its thin-fried catfish fillets. Open since 1934, it’s more than a restaurant, it’s a Sun. drive tradition. $$

CBD/Warehouse District––––––––––– H Borgne 601 Loyola Ave., 613-3860,

Louisiana seafood with an emphasis on Isleños cuisine (descendants of Canary Islanders who settled in St. Bernard Parish) is the focus of this high-volume destination adjacent to the Superdome. $$$

H Pêche 800 Magazine St., 522-1744, PecheRestaurant.com. L, D Mon-Sat. Award-winning southern-inspired seafood destination by chef Donald Link serves whole roasted Gulf fish from its massive, wood-burning oven. An excellent raw bar is offered as well. $$$

French Quarter––––––––––––––––––––––– Bourbon House 144 Bourbon St., 5220111, BourbonHouse.com. B, L, D daily.

Local seafood, featured in both classic and contemporary dishes, is the focus of this New Orleans-centric destination.

And yes, bourbon is offered as well. $$$ Deanie’s Seafood 841 Iberville St., 5811316, Deanies.com. L, D daily. Louisiana seafood, baked, broiled, boiled and fried is the name of the game. Try the barbecue shrimp or towering seafood platters. $$$

H GW Fins 808 Bienville St., 581-FINS (3467), GWFins.com. D daily. Owners Gary Wollerman and twice chef of the year Tenney Flynn provide dishes at their seasonal peak. On a quest for unique variety, menu is printed daily. $$$$$

H Kingfish 337 Charters St., 598-5005, CocktailBarNewOrleans.com. L, D daily.

Gulf seafood and nouvelle Creole dishes such as smoked rabbit gumbo are the main draws at this establishment helmed by Greg Sonnier, as well as the excellent bar program by mixologist Chris McMillian. $$$ Landry’s Seafood 400 N. Peters St., 5580038, LandrysSeafood.com. Kid-friendly and popular seafood spot serves of heaping platters of fried shrimp, Gulf oysters, catfish and more. $$ Le Bayou, 208 Bourbon St., 525-4755, LeBayouRestaurant.com. L, D Mon-Sat. Blackened redfish and Shrimp Ya-Ya are a just a few of the choices at this seafood-centric destination on Bourbon Street. Fried alligator is available for the more daring diner. $$$ Oceana Grill 739 Conti St., 525-6002, OceanaGrill.com. B, L, D daily. Gumbo, poor boys and barbecue shrimp are served at this kid-friendly seafood destination. $$

BorgneRestaurant.com. L, D daily. Coastal

Tourists and locals still in love with Vincent’s Vincent’s Italian Cuisine, 7839 St. Charles Ave., 866-9313; 4411 Chastant St., Metairie, 885-2984; VincentsItalianCuisine.com As Taylor Swift tells us, some things never go out of style. So it is with Vincent’s Italian cuisine, which started in Metairie in 1989 and expanded to a second location on St. Charles Avenue in ’97. Its success might be down to quality of the fresh ingredients: meats, fish, cheese and produce is all delivered daily. However, it’s also the consistency with which Vincent’s produces great Southern Italian comfort food time after time, be it the House Veal and Spinach Cannelloni or the daily specials. The relaxed ambiance and the fact they’ll remember your name doesn’t hurt either. – M.C.

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cheryl gerber photograph

Pier 424, 424 Bourbon St., 309-1574, Pier424SeafoodMarket.com. L, D daily.

Seafood-centric restaurant offers long menu of traditional New Orleans fare augmented by unusual twists like “Cajun-Boiled” Lobster prepared crawfish-style in spicy crab boil. $$$

Uptown–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Kenner–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Landry’s Seafood 8000 Lakeshore Drive, West End, 283-1010, LandrysSeafood.com.

Kid-friendly and popular seafood spot serves of heaping platters of fried shrimp, Gulf oysters, catfish and more. $$

Mr. Ed’s Seafood and Italian Restaurant 910 W. Esplanade Ave., Ste. A, 463-3030, AustinsNo.com. L, D Mon-Sat. Neighborhood restaurant specializes in seafood and Italian offerings such as stuffed eggplant and bell pepper. Fried seafood and sandwiches make it a good stop for lunch. $$

Metairie–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Austin’s Restaurant, 5101 W. Esplanade Ave., 888-5533, AustinsNo.com. D MonSat. Signature steak, seafood and Italian specialties reign at this dinner-only destination. Catering offered as well. $$$ Deanie’s Seafood 1713 Lake Ave., 8314141, Deanies.com. L, D daily. Louisiana seafood, baked, broiled, boiled and fried, is the name of the game. Try the barbecue shrimp or towering seafood platters. $$$ Mr. Ed’s Seafood and Italian Restaurant 1001 Live Oak St., 838-0022, AustinsNo.com. L, D Mon-Sat. Neighborhood restaurant specializes in seafood and Italian offerings such as stuffed eggplant and bell pepper. Fried seafood and sandwiches make it a good stop for lunch. $$

Frankie & Johnny’s 321 Arabella St., 243-1234, FrankieAndJohnnys.net. L, D daily. Serves fried and boiled seafood along with poor boys and daily lunch specials.

Kid-friendly with a game room to boot. $$

West End–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Steakhouse

CBD/Warehouse District––––––––––– H Besh Steak Harrah’s Casino, 8 Canal St., 533-6111, HarrahsNewOrleans.com. D daily. Acclaimed chef John Besh reinterprets the classic steakhouse with his signature contemporary Louisiana flair. $$$$$ Chophouse New Orleans 322 Magazine St., 522-7902, ChophouseNola.com. D daily. In addition to USDA prime grade aged steaks prepared under a broiler that reaches 1,700 degrees, Chophouse offers lobster, redfish and classic steakhouse sides. $$$

H Desi Vega’s Steakhouse 628 St. Charles Ave., 523-7600, DesiVegaSteaks. com. L Mon-Fri, D Mon-Sat. USDA Prime steaks form the base of this Mr. John’s offshoot overlooking Lafayette Square, but Italian specialties and a smattering of locally inspired seafood dishes round out

the appeal. $$$

Prime steaks and local seafood. $$$$$

H La Boca 870 Tchoupitoulas St., 525-

H Doris Metropolitan 620 Charters

8205, LaBocaSteaks.com. D Mon-Sat. This Argentine steakhouse specializes in cuts of meat along with pastas and wines.

Specials include the provoleta appetizer and the Vacio flank steak. $$$

St., 267-3500, DorisMetropolitan.com. L Sat-Sun, D daily. Innovative, genre-busting steakhouse plays with expectations and succeeds with modernist dishes like their Classified Cut and Beetroot Supreme. $$$$

Morton’s The Steakhouse 365 Canal St., One Canal Place, 566-0221, Mortons. com/NewOrleans. D daily. Private elevator leads to the plush, wood-paneled environs of this local outpost of the famed Chicago steakhouse popular with politicians and celebrities. $$$$

Galatoire’s 33 Bar & Steak 215 Bourbon St., 335-3932, Galatoires33BarAndSteak. com. L Fri, D Sun-Thu. Steakhouse offshoot of the venerable Creole grande dame offers hand-crafted cocktails to accompany classic steakhouse fare as well as inspired dishes like the Gouté 33: horseradish-crusted bone marrow and deviled eggs with crab ravigote and smoked trout. Reservations accepted. $$$

Ruth’s Chris Steak House Harrah’s Hotel, 525 Fulton St., 587-7099, RuthsChris.com.

D daily, Br Sat-Sun. Filet mignon, creamed spinach and potatoes au gratin are the most popular dishes at this area steak institution, but there are also great seafood choices and top-notch desserts. $$$$$

Garden District––––––––––––––––––––––– H Mr. John’s Steakhouse 2111 St. Charles Ave., 679-7697, MrJohnsSteakhouse.com. D Tue-Sat, L Friday. Wood paneling, white tile and USDA Prime Beef served sizzling in butter are the hallmarks of this classic New Orleans steakhouse. $$$

French Quarter––––––––––––––––––––––– Dickie Brennan’s Steakhouse 716 Iberville St., 522-2467, DickieBrennansSteakhouse.com. L Fri, D daily. Nationally recognized steakhouse serves USDA

Metairie––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Ruth’s Chris Steak House 3633 Veterans Blvd., 888-3600, RuthsChris.com. L Fri, D daily, Br Sat-Sun. 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. $$$$$

Mid-City––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– H Crescent City Steaks 1001 N. Broad St., 821-3271, CrescentCitySteaks.com. L Tue-Fri & Sun, D daily. One of the classic New Orleans steakhouses. Steaks, sides and drinks are what you get. $$$$

H Milkfish 125 N. Carrollton Ave., 2674199, MilkfishNola.com. L, D Thu-Tue.

#sushideviledeggs #rocknsake

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DINING GUIDE Filipino cuisine like adobo and lumpia is served, further expanding dining opportunities. $$

always has ample vegetarian options.

Combine all of that with a fantastic selection of drinks, wine and beer, and it’s the total (albeit small) package. $$

Vegan/Vegetarian

CBD/Warehouse District–––––––––––

Lower Garden District––––––––––––– H The Green Fork 1400 Prytania St., 267-7672, GreenForkNola.com. B, L Mon-Sat. Fresh juices, smoothies and vegetarian-friendly fare make The Green Fork a favorite for lovers of healthy food.

Catering is offered as well. $$

World Byblos Multiple Locations, ByblosRestaurants.com. L, D daily. Upscale Middle Eastern cuisine featuring traditional seafood, lamb and vegetarian options. $$

Bywater–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– H Booty’s Street Food 800 Louisa St., 266-2887, BootysNola.com. B, L, D daily.

Street food culled from countries around the globe is the muse of this creative establishment, where papadum from India resides confidently alongside Peruvian ceviche. $$ The Green Goddess 307 Exchange Place, 301-3347, GreenGoddessRestaurant.com.

L, D Wed-Sun. One of the most imaginative local restaurants. The menu is constantly changing, and chef Paul Artigues

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Johnny Sanchez 930 Poydras St., 304-6615, JohnnySanchezRestaurant. com. L, D daily. Contemporary Mexican mecca offering celebrity chef cachet to go along with the locally sourced produce accompanying the Bistec a la Parilla.

Popular happy hour and downtown locale next to South Market District add to the appeal. $$$

949-4115. L, D daily. Middle Eastern specialties such as 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. $

Faubourg St. John–––––––––--–––––––––– H 1000 Figs 3141 Ponce De Leon St., 301-0848, 1000Figs.com. L, D Tue-Sat. Vegetarian-friendly offshoot of the Fat Falafel Food Truck offers a healthy farm-to-table alternative to cookie-cutter Middle Eastern places. $$

H Lüke 333 St. Charles Ave., 378-2840,

French Quarter–––––––––––––––––––––––

LukeNewOrleans.com. B, L, D daily, Br Sat-Sun. Chef John Besh and executive chef Matt Regan serve Germanic specialties and French bistro classics, housemade patés and abundant plateaux of cold, fresh seafood. $$$

Bayona 430 Dauphine St., 525-4455, Bayona.com. L Wed-Sat, D Mon-Sat. Chef Susan Spicer’s nationally acclaimed cuisine is served in this 200-year-old cottage. Ask for a seat on the romantic patio, weather permitting. $$$$$

Palace Café 605 Canal St., 523-1661, PalaceCafe.com. L Mon-Sat, D daily, Br Sun. Dickie Brennan-owned brasserie with French-style sidewalk seating and house-created specialties of chef Darrin Nesbit. Favorites here include crabmeat cheesecake, turtle soup, the Werlein salad with fried Louisiana oysters and pork “debris” studded Palace potato pie. $$$$$

El Gato Negro 81 French Market Place, 525-9752, ElGatoNegroNola.com. Central Mexican cuisine along with handmuddled mojitos and margaritas made with freshly squeezed juice. A weekend breakfast menu is an additional plus. $$

Faubourg Marigny––––––––––––––––––– H Mona’s Café 504 Frenchmen St.,

Kenner––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– H Fiesta Latina 1924 Airline Drive, 4682384, FiestaLatinaRestaurant.com. B, L, D daily. A big-screen TV normally shows a soccer match or MTV Latino at this home

for authentic Central American food.

Tacos include a charred carne asada. $$

Lakewood–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– H Mizado 5080 Pontchartrain Blvd., 885-5555, MizadoCocina.com. L daily, D Mon-Sat. Sleek restaurant offers modern Mexican cuisine featuring pan-Latin flavors and influences. Small batch tequila and a ceviche bar make it a party. $$

Lakeview––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– H Mondo 900 Harrison Ave., 224-2633, MondoNewOrleans.com. L Mon-Fri, D Mon-Sat, Br Sun. Chef Susan Spicer’s take on world cuisine. Make sure to call ahead because the place has a deserved reputation for good food and good times. $$$

METAIRIE––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Vega Tapas Café 2051 Metairie Road, 836-2007, VegaTapasCafe.com. D MonSat. Fun, eclectic small plates destination offers creative fare keeps guests coming back with frequent regionally inspired specialty menus served with humor and whimsy. $$

Mid-City––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Juan’s Flying Burrito 4724 S. Carrollton Ave., 486-9950, JuansFlyingBurrito. com. L, D daily. Hard-core tacos and massive burritos are served in an edgy atmosphere. $ Lola’s 3312 Esplanade Ave., 488-6946,

LolasNewOrleans.com. D daily. Garlicky Spanish dishes and great paella make this artsy boîte a hipster destination. $$$

H Mona’s Café 3901 Banks St., 4827743. L, D daily. Middle Eastern specialties such as 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. $

H Taqueria Guerrero 208 N. Carrollton Ave., 484-6959. B, L, D, Tue-Sat. Friendly staff and authentic Mexican cuisine make this affordable neighborhood restaurant a neighborhood favorite. $

Upper 9th Ward–––––––––––––––––––––– Kebab , 2315 Saint Claude Ave., 3834328, KebabNola.com. L, D Fri-Mon. The menu is short and tasty at this kebab outpost along the revitalized St. Claude Avenue corridor. $

Uptown––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– H Café Abyssinia 3511 Magazine St., 894-6238. L, D daily. One of a just few authentic Ethiopian restaurants in the city, excellent injera and spicy vegetarian fare make this a local favorite. $$

H Irish House 1432 St. Charles Ave., 595-6755, TheIrishHouseNewOrleans.com.

L Mon-Fri, D daily, Br Sat-Sun. Irish pub dishes such as shepherd’s pie and fish and chips are featured here, as well as creative cocktails like Irish iced coffee. Check the

schedule of events for live music. $$ Jamila’s Mediterranean Tunisian Cuisine 7808 Maple St., 866-4366. D TueSun. Intimate and exotic bistro serving Mediterranean and Tunisian cuisine. The Grilled Merguez is a Jazz Fest favorite and vegetarian options are offered. $$ Juan’s Flying Burrito 2018 Magazine St., 569-0000, JuansFlyingBurrito.com. L, D daily. Hard-core tacos and massive burritos are served in an edgy atmosphere. $

H Mona’s Café 4126 Magazine St., 8949800; 1120 S. Carrollton Ave., 861-8174.

L, D daily. Middle Eastern specialties such as 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. $

H Panchita’s 1434 S. Carrollton Ave., 281-4127. L, D daily. Authentic, budgetfriendly Mexican restaurant serves tamales, mole and offers free chips and salsa as well as sangria. $

H Patois 6078 Laurel St., 895-9441, PatoisNola.com. L Fri, D Wed-Sat, Br Sun. 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.

Reservations recommended. $$$

Specialty Foods

CBD/Warehouse District––––––––––– Calcasieu 930 Tchoupitoulas St., 5882188, CalcasieuRooms.com. For gatherings both large and small, the catering menus feature modern Louisiana cooking and the Cajun cuisine for which chef Donald Link is justifiably famous.

French Quarter––––––––––––––––––––––– Antoine’s Annex 513 Royal St., 525-8045, Antoines.com/Antoines-Annex. Open daily. Serves French pastries, including individual baked Alaskas, ice cream and gelato, as well as panini, salads and coffee. Delivery available.

Metairie–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Sucré 3301 Veterans Blvd., 834-2277, ShopSucre.com. Desserts daily. Open late weekends. Chocolates, pastry and gelato draw rave reviews at this dessert destination. Beautiful packaging makes this a great place to shop for gifts. Catering available.

gets all the press, but returning customers are happy with the classics as well as twists like peanut butter and jelly.

Blue Frog Chocolates 5707 Magazine St., 269-5707, BlueFrogChocolates.com. Open daily, closed Sundays in summer. French and Belgian chocolate truffles and Italian candy flowers make this a great place for gifts.

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

Sucré 3025 Magazine St., 520-8311, ShopSucre.com. Desserts daily & nightly.

Open late weekends. Chocolates, pastry and gelato draw rave reviews at this dessert destination. Beautiful packaging makes this a great place to shop for gifts.

Catering available. n

Mid-City––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– H Blue Dot Donuts 4301 Canal St., 2184866, BlueDotDonuts.com. B, L Tue-Sun. The Bacon Maple Long John gets all the press, but returning customers are happy with the classics as well as twists like peanut butter and jelly.

Uptown––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– H Blue Dot Donuts 5236 Tchoupitoulas St., 941-7675, BlueDotDonuts.com. B, L Tue-Sun. The Bacon Maple Long John

If you feel that a restaurant has been misplaced, please email Managing Editor Morgan Packard at Morgan@MyNewOrleans.com.

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Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort

End of Summer Travel

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ummer is nearing its end, but long, hot days remain. The end of summer is the perfect time to squeeze in one last vacation, whether that means cooling off in the sparkling Gulf of Mexico, having a cold cocktail in a French Quarter courtyard or enjoying the air conditioning in nearby shops and museums. It is certainly not too late to enjoy the summer, and plenty of nearby destinations and attractions welcome you for a visit. The Gulf region offers a number beautiful landscapes, from the shady hills of Central Mississippi to the beaches of the Gulf of Mexico and the swamps and marshes of Cajun Country. There is plenty to do and see: family-friendly festivals, romantic hideaways, shopping excursions, beachside fun and historical tours and museums. Take an end-of-summer adventure this month and explore it all.

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Mississippi Vicksburg invites you to celebrate summertime along the Mississippi River where you can explore American history, listen to Mississippi music, and find out what Southern charm is all about.

From four world-class casinos to some of the most fascinating historic sites, Vicksburg offers an authentic Southern experience you don’t want to miss.

From educational museums to historic tour homes, you can relive history at Vicksburg’s attractions. Living history demonstrations will be held at the Vicksburg National Military Park in June and July. The Lower Mississippi River Museum and Catfish Row Children’s Art Park, which includes a splash fountain, are musts for the kids.

Just be sure to leave some time to check out the live music scene, eat at Vicksburg’s signature restaurants and browse the numerous boutiques and antique shops throughout the city.

For more to see and do in Vicksburg, go to VisitVicksburg.com or call (800) 221-3536.

Big Bay Lake is a one-of-a-kind planned community on Mississippi’s largest private recreational lake. Located just outside of Hattiesburg, Big Bay Lake blends seamlessly into its natural surroundings. Homesites are available on the water starting at $100,000. Both the homes and homesites within this community provide unique opportunities to create the perfect home or weekend getaway.

It is time to relax, unplug, make memories and create new traditions at Big Bay. Whether you’re a boating or a fishing enthusiast, or just a family who loves to make a big splash, Big Bay Lake is simply about the lure of the water. Come enjoy sunkissed, fun-filled days at Big Bay Lake, “where the little things make life ... BIG!” Big Bay Lake is only 90 minutes from New Orleans. Call for a boat tour today at (877) 4BIG-BAY or visit BigBayLake.com.

rentals, kayak, boogie board rentals, miniature golf, YOLO boarding and much more. Sandestin also offers up complimentary weekly entertainment at the Village and throughout the resort all summer long. From Wednesday night concerts to Tuesday night fireworks shows, the events are endless.

Take advantage of Sandestin’s free night offer this summer! Enjoy a free night with the purchase of three or more when using code FREE4 or FREE5. From the beach to the bay, find your best summer vacation at Sandestin. Visit Sandestin.com/nom or call (866) 544-1026 for details.

The contagiously delicious and fresh menu of The Ruby Slipper Cafe continues to spread flavor across New Orleans, and now the Gulf Coast as the popular eatery recently announced it will be opening its fifth and newest location in historic Downtown Pensacola, Florida, at 509 South Palafox St. Already present in Mid-City, Marigny, French Quarter and CBD, The Ruby Slipper is known for adding New Orleans flair to traditional breakfast, brunch and lunch menus.

Specialty cocktails such as the Ruby Slipper Mimosa and housemade Bloody Mary are perfect complements to favorites such as their Bananas Foster Pain Perdu and House Specialties like Eggs Cochon and the Chicken St. Charles.

If you’re planning to travel this summer to a beach locale, consider Pensacola, where The Ruby Slipper Cafe’s downtown location is scheduled to open July 1. Visit The Ruby Slipper online at TheRubySlipperCafe.net and find all five locations on Facebook. Dine in Mid-City at 139 S. Cortez St., in CBD at 200 Magazine St., in the Marigny at 2001 Burgundy St., in the French Quarter at 1005 Canal St., and very soon at 509 South Palafox St., Pensacola, Florida.

Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort Henderson Park Inn.

Florida The beach is calling your name with a free night! The No. 1 resort on Florida’s Emerald Coast, Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort, is offering a complimentary night with the purchase of three or more this summer, making your getaway an even better one! The perfect destination for your 2015 vacation, Sandestin offers a sensational summer from sunrise to sunset with a free night’s stay and a full slate of complimentary events and activities that take guests from day to evening and beach to bay in style.

Complimentary activities encourage exploration of the resort’s fun-filled 2,400-acre playground, select children’s activities, bicycle

Had a rough week at work? Need a break from the kids? Grab your swimsuit and sunscreen, get in the car and head to the alwaysbeautiful Emerald Coast. Your destination: Henderson Park Inn. Your goal: relaxation.

At this adults-only Gulf-front boutique hotel, privacy seekers will find the ultimate sanctuary for romance. The Inn boasts 36 intimate rooms, luxury amenities and charming terraces, and is the only all-inclusive hotel in the region. Enjoy complimentary beach chairs/umbrellas, bicycles, gourmet breakfast, boxed picnic lunches, sunset drinks at the “Tiki” bar, as well as wine, chocolates and roses upon arrival. myneworleans.com / JULY 2015

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Dine on-property in the evening at Beach Walk Café, Destin’s only fine dining located directly on the emerald waters of the Gulf Coast offering unique opportunities such as “Toes in the Sand” and “Sky View Deck” dining overlooking the sugar white sands and glimmering waters.

Visit HendersonParkInn.com or call (888) 836-1105 for rates and reservations.

attractions such as championship golf, deep-sea fishing, Dolphin Cruises, Waterville USA Waterpark and more!

This area boasts some of the best fishing around – enjoy reeling in a big catch on the Gulf. Shoppers will want to update their late summer and fall wardrobe with a stroll through the area’s many shops and boutiques. Kids enjoy mini-golf, thrill rides, go-karts and other activities. Visit GulfShoresRentals.com today to begin planning your late summer adventure.

Summers are made for trips to the beach, and now is the time to plan one more trip before school starts. Travelers who book an USA Today recently named one top historic hotel from the entire August beach vacation with Newman-Dailey Resort Properties along South to its national Top 10 Historic Hotels list: The Grand Hotel the sugar white sand beaches of South Walton and Destin, Florida, Marriott Resort, Golf Club & Spa in Pt. Clear, Alabama. This summer, will enjoy added savings. head East on I-10 and see why USA Today readers love The Grand.

From Aug. 3 through Labor Day, Newman-Dailey is offering up to While The Grand Hotel finished sixth on the national list, it has been a 30 percent off standard summer rates on its premier South Walton favorite of Louisiana families since 1847. Check in and plunge into one and Destin vacation rentals. As an added bonus, guests who book of the Grand pools. Play golf or discover FootGolf. Experience great with Newman-Dailey will enjoy the “Be Free Bundle,” which includes spa treatments. Sail a Hobie cat or fish on The Grand’s pier. Create discounts to area restaurants and activities, complimentary beach memories and sandcastles on The Grand beaches. Salute the military service and the Newman-Dailey gift card with participating vacation with daily cannon firings followed by afternoon tea. Shop boutiques rentals. and galleries in Fairhope. End the day enjoying a sunset stroll along Travelers may select from a wide range of cozy townhomes, Mobile Bay and a wonderful meal of fresh seafood or steaks. spacious beach houses, well-appointed penthouses and Gulf-front Visit GrandHotelMarriott.com for package options or call condos, including two- and three-bedroom luxury condos at Jade (251) 928-9201.

East Towers.

Celebrating 30 years serving the Emerald L’Auberge Casino & Hotel Baton Rouge Coast, Newman-Dailey consistently receives the “Certificate of Excellence” on TripAdvisor.

Call (800) 225-7652 or visit DestinVacation. com to learn more.

Alabama

There is still time for a trip to the sandy beaches of Gulf Shores/Orange Beach before the end of summer and before school is back in session. Make your end of summer plans today and enjoy a family vacation with Gulf Shores Rentals, an area favorite for vacation rentals and planning for more than 20 years.

Summer savings abound and Labor Day specials await. With over 175 properties ranging from one-bedroom condos to sixbedroom beach homes, Gulf Shores Rentals can help arrange the perfect vacation package for you! For each night you stay, you’ll receive complimentary tickets to area 100

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Louisiana L’Auberge Casino & Hotel Baton Rouge spans across 575 acres of land in the heart of South Baton Rouge. This truly unique casino entertainment complex captures the feel of a Southern river lodge. Embracing local culture and cuisine, L’Auberge Baton Rouge offers a genuine Louisiana experience and exudes a Laissez les bon temps rouler atmosphere of fun.

L’Auberge Baton Rouge features an expansive 74,000-square-foot casino with nearly 1,500 slot machines, 50 table games, a 12-story hotel with over 200 rooms and a rooftop pool, as well as three restaurants and a casino bar with breathtaking views of the Mississippi River. L’Auberge also features a multi-purpose event center for concerts, banquets and other events, and additionally, the complex includes outdoor festival grounds.

To find out more about L’Auberge Casino & Hotel Baton Rouge, visit MyLAuberge. com or find them on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.

Travel less than an hour southwest of New Orleans and you’ll enter Louisiana’s Bayou Country – Houma, Louisiana. Embark on a unique summer adventure with thrilling swamp tours, a wildlife park and alligator farm, world-class charter fishing and a wide assortment of festivals and fetes.

In Houma, you don’t just see the sights; you become a part of them!

On July 4, salute the flag with family fun at the Houma Independence Day Celebration, which features a parade, memorial ceremony, beauty pageant, bike race, fun run, live music, games, food and fireworks.

In Houma, there’s always something for the kids to do. Beat the heat with the 16th annual Summer Fun Kids Day, a fun-filled indoor festival on July 18 at the HoumaTerrebonne Civic Center, which will feature fun and interactive exhibits, video game trailers, a rock wall and inflatables, a vendor marketplace plus live on-stage entertainment. Stay the entire weekend and let Houma be your passport to adventure!

For more information, call (985) 8682732 or visit HoumaTravel.com.

This summer put your feet up and allow someone else to take care of the details.

At the InterContinental New Orleans, a wide range of opulent guest rooms and suites await. From oversized guestrooms and spacious balcony rooms to luxurious suites and rooftop fitness amenities, the InterContinental New Orleans imparts a sense of unparalleled luxury and efficient sophistication. Indulge in oversized beds and high thread count linens as you lounge in a plush robe and slippers. Cool off and relax in their rooftop pool or break a sweat

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with some cardio or weightlifting in their state-ofthe-art fitness center. Located in the heart of the CBD, the InterContinental is mere steps from the French Quarter and the city’s top attractions.

A full range of contemporary dining options are available at the Intercontinental New Orleans – from light-hearted fare at Pete’s to the exquisite Southern Louisiana inspired dishes of Trenasse (a 2015 OpenTable Diners’ Choice), you’ll delight your palate with the flavors of New Orleans.

InterContinental New Orleans’ current “Imagine NOLA” special rate is available to Louisiana residents looking for a leisurely escape from their routine. Visit ICNewOrleans.com or call (800) 445-6563.

The Hyatt French Quarter Hotel is a historic hotel in one of the city’s oldest and most popular neighborhoods: The French Quarter! The property resides in the former D.H. Holmes building and offers 254 guest rooms and more than 10,660 square feet of customizable function space located in one central area of the hotel’s first floor. With 10 meeting rooms, the Hyatt French Quarter can accommodate meetings, events and weddings, up to 300 people.

Hyatt French Quarter Enjoy their market-inspired eatery, Powdered Sugar, and the artisan lobby bar, Batch, which showcases a collection of quality Bourbons and flask service. The Visit beautiful Bayou Lafourche for a wide array of unique Louisiana popular and award-winning Red Fish Grill owned and operated by events and destinations. Get your fishin’ rods and coolers ready this Ralph Brennan Restaurant Group, is also part of the Hyatt French summer and fall for a variety of exciting fishing rodeos and tournaments.

Quarter, as well as The Hard Rock Café, serving casual cuisine and The Golden Meadow – Fourchon International Tarpon Rodeo takes place live music during the week. The Hotel is located at 800 Iberville St. July 2, and the Leeville Fishing Rodeo is set for Oct. 3-4.

For more information, visit FrenchQuarter.hyatt.com.

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On July 4, Thibodaux will light up the sky as part of the Let Freedom Ring Festival at Peltier Park, where festivalgoers celebrate with fireworks, family, food and fun.

Summer is also a great time of year to venture into 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. History buffs will enjoy going back in time at historic Laurel Valley Plantation.

Find endless events and attractions at VisitLafourche.com and experience all Lafourche has to offer.

An unconventionally historic New Orleans hotel, the Old No. 77 Hotel & Chandlery is the new incarnation of a building that began its life in 1854. Just steps from the French Quarter, it served as a coffee warehouse before being purchased by E.J. Hart & Company who operated a chandlery trading in everything sailing ships needed to stock their voyages from the Port of New Orleans. In a nod to its heritage, the Old No. 77 Hotel & Chandlery takes its name from its original address, 77 Tchoupitoulas St., and has undergone a transformation to create the one of the most exciting new hotels in New Orleans. Featuring hardwood floors and exposed brick, the comfortable rooms of the Old No. 77 showcase a modern sensibility while providing luxurious amenities.

Last month, the Old No. 77 proudly welcomed renowned chef Nina Compton to New Orleans with the opening of her highly anticipated

new restaurant, Compère Lapin at the hotel. Compton channels the delectable diversity of her culinary background while incorporating the rich food traditions of New Orleans.

For information and reservations at Old No. 77 Hotel & Chandlery, visit Old77Hotel.com. •

Old No. 77 Hotel & Chandlery

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Looking & Feeling Younger: Cosmetic Improvements & Skin Care

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he summer sun can certainly be harsh on a person’s body, but often time and age do a number on a person’s skin as well. Fortunately, the region plays host to a number of skin care and health professionals who specialize in turning back the hands of time. If you’re looking to remove some of the signs of aging, options include everything from minimal injections and peels to plastic surgery or personalized health programs. From skin care to cosmetic surgery and cosmetic dentistry, discover the latest trends, technologies and products available to protect and rejuvenate your body. The following area resources may be just the ticket to your own personal fountain of youth.

A STUNNING COLLECTION OF 50 TRADITIONAL (AND SOME NON-TRADITIONAL) LOUISIANA RECIPES. AN ABSOLUTE MUST HAVE FOR YOUR KITCHEN, OR THE PERFECT GIFT FOR A LOUISIANA FOOD LOVER.

Author Stanley Dry — Louisiana Life “Kitchen Gourmet” columnist, former senior editor of Food & Wine magazine and accomplished cook — brings history, culture and spice together in his first book, The Essential Louisiana Cookbook, a Louisiana Life product by Renaissance Publishing. From classics, such as red beans and rice and a variety of delectable gumbos, to modern creations sure to become weeknight traditions, this collection of recipes will be a go-to for native Louisianans and those new to the state’s rich culinary landscape.

$16.95 TO ORDER VISIT LOUISIANACOOKBOOK.COM

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Skin Care & Cosmetic Procedures As we age, so does our skin. Collagen decreases, cell turnover slows and antioxidant protection diminishes. Earthsavers makes correction and prevention as easy as 1, 2, 3.

1) Retinol (Vitamin A) forces cell turnover from a normal 28 days to 3-5 days promoting younger, firmer skin.

2) L-Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C) is a superstar, providing the best defense against free radicals and protection at the cellular level. It also corrects by breaking up pigment, which evens skin tone.

3) Finally, Physical Sunscreen with Zinc and Titanium gives maximum topical protection by putting a physical layer between you and the sun (also computer screens, light bulbs and windows).

Retinol and L-Ascorbic will give you maximum correction while L-Ascorbic and Physical Sunscreen will give you maximum prevention. Want to turn it up a notch? Earthsavers has you covered! Their products contain the most advanced ingredients such as hydroxy acids, peptides and stem cells for maximum results. Transform your skin and attain radiant, glowing, youthful skin. Visit Earthsavers in Uptown New Orleans (5501 Magazine St.), Metairie (3301 Veterans Blvd.) and Mandeville (3414 Highway 190) today! Shop online at EarthsaversOnline.com.

Westbank Plastic Surgery is a small private practice consisting of Jonathan Boraski M.D., D.M.D., F.A.C.S. and his dedicated staff. He is certified by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons and is among the best in his field. Dr. Boraski specializes in breast reconstruction as well as cosmetic, other reconstructive procedures and microsurgery. He trained at Louisiana State University and is highly respected in the field of breast reconstruction. He and his talented staff possess a patientoriented philosophy, providing top-quality reconstructive procedures, cosmetic surgery and medical care.

• Facelifts • Rhinoplasty (Nose) • Eyelids • Otoplasty (Ears) • Breast Augmentation • Breast Lift (Mastopexy) • Breast Reduction • Breast Reconstruction (Including DIEP Flaps) • Abdominoplasty • Body Contouring • Fat Transfer • Labiaplasty • Liposuction • BOTOX • Juvederm • Skin Cancers • Fat Injections • Chemical Peels (Agressive & non aggressive) • Massages • Facials • Waxing • Fraxels • Clear and Brlliant

Services include abdominoplasty, facial procedures, breast surgeries, liposuction, bracheoplasty, fat injections, body contouring procedures, treatment of skin cancers and breast reconstruction. They also provide cosmetic services such as chemical peels (aggressive and non-aggressive), Botox and Juvederm. The practice also provides facials, massages, waxing, Fraxel and Clear + Brilliant.

They accept most health insurance plans and offer financing for patient services. Call the office for details on monthly specials 504-349-6460 or visit their website at WestbankPlasticSurgery.com.

Regenesis Medical Spa and Laser Skin Clinic, New Orleans’ premier medical aesthetic spa, provides clients with the most advanced, minimally invasive, results-oriented anti-aging skin rejuvenation treatments in a safe, modern, luxurious spa environment. Services are performed by Dr. William Hudson, a double board-certified Family Medicine and Geriatric Physician who has additional training and certifications in Aesthetic Medicine.

Using the latest laser technology, Regenesis can erase the signs of Aging and UV sun damage, giving you a more youthful and revitalized appearance. IPL Photo facials color-correct skin and remove sunspots providing you a clearer, flawless complexion.

Regenesis’ Fraxel laser tightens skin, improves skin texture, stimulates collagen production, minimizes pores and reduces fine lines and wrinkles. These non-ablative laser treatments have minimal-to-no downtime, enabling clients to return to normal activities following treatment. Dr. Hudson offers a variety of procedures including laser hair removal, microneedling, laser skin resurfacing, scar and stretch mark treatment and blood vessel and pigment corrections.

WESTBANK PLASTIC SURGERY, LLC Cosmetic, Reconstructive & Microsurgery

Board Certified Plastic Surgeon Jonathan C. Boraski, M.D., D.M.D., F.A.C.S.

• Facelifts • Rhinoplasty (Nose) • Blepharoplasty(Eyelids) • Otoplasty (Ears) • Facial Reconstruction

• Breast Reconstruction (Including DIEP Flaps) • Breast Augmentation • Breast Lift (Mastopexy) • Breast Reduction

• Gynecomastia • Bracheoplasty • Abdominoplasty • Body Contouring • Fat Transfer/Grafting

• Liposuction • Hand Surgery • BOTOX • Juvederm

Esthetic Treatments Massages, Facials, Waxing, Chemical Peels (aggressive & non aggressive), Fraxel, Clear + Brilliant, We offer the full line of Dermaware products

504-349-6460

1111 Medical Center Boulevard • Suite South 640, Marrero, LA 70072

Call or visit our website to check out our monthly specials

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For a free consultation and a full list of treatments (including Botox, dermal fillers and more), visit RegenesisSpa.com or call (504) 486-4500.

Dr. Kelly Burkenstock’s Skin Body Health is the South’s hallmark anti-aging institute that incorporates skin rejuvenation with anti-aging medical disciplines to provide an exceptional healthcare experience. Dr. Burkenstock trains internationally and is a member of the International Academy of Cosmetic Dermatology. Comprehensive in her approach, Dr. Burkenstock uses treatments including lasers, Botox, and fillers to achieve younger looking skin, employs cutting-edge laser technology to improve and smooth the body’s appearance, and offers a variety of treatments to improve health and assist in the prevention and management of diabetes, high blood pressure, thyroid, weight gain and menopause.

Dr. Burkenstock offers a number of programs and packages including the popular “Ageless RX” and “Dare to Be Thin!®” programs that use her comprehensive Skin Body Health approach to attain a youthful health and weight. A variety of Club Renew filler and Botox packages are also available. Additionally tattoo removal services erase what you once thought was permanent.

Her goal is to achieve beautiful skin and excellent health at any age. Office locations are in Mandeville and Metairie. For more information, visit SkinBodyHealth.com or call (504) 888-2829.

Cosmetic Dentistry & Treatments

Looking and feeling younger go hand in hand. Cosmetic dentistry is one of the easiest and often least expensive ways to get a more youthful look and a gorgeous, radiant smile that boosts not only your own mood but also that of those around you. Dr. Deborah Lesem has been providing stunning results with cosmetic dentistry in the New Orleans area for over 20 years.

With her artistic skills, experience and technical knowledge of the latest materials and techniques, she has transformed many patients who were reluctant to smile into confident patients who are proud to flash a stunning smile.

Many cosmetic procedures can be done very comfortably without anesthesia (shots) and in only one or two visits. Some procedures may even be partially covered by dental insurance. If you’re interested in finding out how cosmetic dentistry could give you a more beautiful, youthful appearance, call Dr. Lesem’s Family Dental office at 504-286-3880 to schedule your cosmetic consultation today.

Wyatt Family Dentistry, the practice of Dr. Lisa Wyatt, is proud to announce its expansion with a second location opening in Metairie Village Shopping Center on Metairie Road this summer.

For brighter, younger looking smiles, Wyatt Family Dentistry’s cosmetic offerings include Botox, Dermafil, Pellevé and bleaching.

With a goal of treating patients like family, Dr. Wyatt’s highly trained team is dedicated to providing each patient with outstanding care with quality general, cosmetic, restorative, surgical and sedation dentistry. They strive to provide the best care and maintain the highest standard for safety and cleanliness.

The practice incorporates the latest in cutting-edge technology exemplified by their new in-house, one-day crown CAD/CAM 3D printer.

Well known among the community and dental professionals, Dr. Lisa Wyatt has been working with patients of all ages for more than 30 years, first as a dental hygienist and later as an associate dentist. She is able to treat the general public as well as those with special medical needs in hospitals or nursing homes.

For more information or to schedule an appointment, call (504) 613-5499 or visit LisaWyattDDS.com.

DeFelice Dental is committed to a conservative approach in patient care – focusing on preventative measures and maintenance as well as on patient education. They provide top quality care in a relaxed atmosphere. For patients who may require more complex treatment, the DeFelice Dental team provides comprehensive care with a gentle, caring touch.

Services provided at the practice include gentle cleanings, toothcolored fillings, nonsurgical gum care, teeth whitening, porcelain veneers, natural looking crowns and implants. In addition to visual cancer screenings completed during appointments, Velscope oral cancer early detection technology is available for patients needing or requesting more advanced screening.

Prior to leading his team at DeFelice Dental, Dr. Tre DeFelice worked as the Clinical Director of a unique specialty practice in New Orleans, where he planned, delivered and coordinated patient treatment along with a team of dental specialists, gaining tremendous experience and knowledge along the way. Dr. DeFelice spends many hours in continuing education to advance in areas of comprehensive patient care, esthetics and dental implants.

DeFelice Dental is conveniently located on at 1900 N. Causeway Blvd., near I-10. For more information, visit DeFeliceDental.com or call (504) 833-4300.

At Second Line Family Dentistry, Drs. Thibodaux & Ferguson offer a wide range of services to meet the needs of your entire family. Call and make an appointment today for excellent dentistry in a comfortable environment!

815 N. Causeway Blvd., Metairie 504.833.2220 SecondLineFamilyDentistry.com

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Second Line Family Dentistry, the practice of Drs. Ryan Thibodaux and Mayda Ferguson, offers three caring pledges to patients. First, they use a unique two-doctor approach when listening to patients’ chief concerns while incorporating the most modern techniques and technologies, such as digital X-rays and intra-oral photography to pinpoint areas needing attention.

Second, Drs. Thibodaux and Ferguson offer treatment options in a clear, concise way. They understand that there is always a better place to be than the dental chair, and patients can expect scheduling that maximizes efficiency and minimizes the stress of each visit. Third, Second Line Family Dentistry works to offer payment options that fit your lifestyle. Regardless of how or when you choose to act in regards to your dental health, they’re available to support you along the way.

While providing comprehensive services from preventative exams to restorative and cosmetic procedures, Second Line Family Dentistry also offers special services such as CEREC restorations and Simply Straight Smiles for children and adolescents. For more info, visit SecondLineFamilyDentistry.com or call (504) 833-2220.

Dr. Joseph J. Collura has worked at the forefront of cosmetic dentistry for more than 30 years, providing top-quality care and brighter smiles to patients all over the New Orleans region. He specializes in cosmetic dentistry, advanced restorative dentistry, single-tooth to complete mouth implant treatment, root canal therapy, non-surgical gum care and prevention and treatment of bite-related problems, and he has been honored with a guest faculty position with the prestigious Scottsdale Center for Dentistry. The Center, led by world-renowned faculty, provides the latest in programs, seminars and hands-on training.

Dr. Collura’s Metairie-based practice features individualized care and advanced methods of cosmetic dentistry. He offers a full range of services to create a healthier, more attractive smile, including tooth-colored fillings, porcelain crowns (caps), porcelain fixed bridges, porcelain veneers, procera crown and tooth whitening. He is licensed by the Louisiana State Board of Dentistry for conscious sedation and nitrous oxide analgesia.

For more information or to make an appointment, visit DrCollura.com or call (504) 837-9800. •

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Women’s Health T

he summer months are traditionally a bit slower, which may mean it’s the perfect time to make that follow-up doctor’s appointment or fit in that annual exam before the busyness of fall and the school year resume. From routine visits to primary care physicians and OB/GYN specialists to one-time treatments of a specific health concern, the metro area is brimming with experts and resources for a variety of women’s health issues. Diet and nutrition, mammography, cardiovascular care, orthopedics, and fertility are just a few of the varieties highlighted here. The following trusted healthcare providers and resources are few area favorites that may be able to help you or your family stays active, healthy and happy this summer.

Diet & Nutrition

Women experience a variety of health changes and concerns over a lifetime, and in a city as flavorful as New Orleans, eating can often have its own impact. Jessica Schultis, Registered Dietitian Nutritionist, offers personalized nutrition counseling that can help find solutions to a variety of nutritional concerns, especially as they relate to weight management, diabetes, high blood pressure and/or cholesterol, pregnancy and breastfeeding, celiac disease, chronic disease prevention and more.

“I will help you determine and reach your personal nutrition goals. No gimmicks, pills, or quick fixes – just real food in a healthful way,” says Schultis, a New Orleans native. After receiving a B.S. degree in Biological Sciences and Nutritional Sciences from LSU, she went on to complete her dietetic 110

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internship and Masters in Exercise and Nutrition Science from Lipscomb University in Nashville before working professionally in both Tennessee and Louisiana.

Schultis offers one-hour initial assessments with clients and a variety of follow-up packages as well as additional services such as grocery store tours, nutritional recipe analysis, and group presentations. For more info, visit JessicaSchultisRDN.com or call 504-455-2031.

Mammography

New 3-D Mammography, or tomosynthesis assisted mammography, represents a tremendous breakthrough in the fight against breast cancer and is now available at East Jefferson General Hospital (EJGH). Where traditional mammography gives your physician three views of the breast, 3-D

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gives them hundreds of images with the same low-dose of radiation.

Especially applicable for premenopausal women with dense breasts or those with increased risk factors, 3-D can not only be an enhanced diagnostic tool, it can reduce the number of unnecessary biopsies or false positive readings.

Dr. Mary Beth Lobrano, Radiologist at East Jefferson General Hospital refers to 3-D Mammograph in glowing terms, “3-D represents the greatest single breakthrough in our fight against breast cancer I have seen since I started practicing medicine.”

Requiring no more time or preparation for the patient, 3-D offers many advantages to those patients who fit the profile outlined above. Ask your doctor if 3-D mammography is right for you. Find out more about EJGH offerings at EJGH.org.

OB/GYN & Fertility

The specialized healthcare team of Tulane Center for Women’s Health meets the unique healthcare needs of women by providing comprehensive care for the challenges faced in every phase of a woman’s life. Specializing in the areas of general obstetrics and gynecology, maternal fetal medicine, reproductive endocrinology and fertility, minimally invasive surgery, female pelvic and reconstructive surgery and gynecologic oncology, the center operates on the belief that every woman not only has the right to good obstetric and gynecologic care, but that she is a partner in her care. Continued evaluation and implementation of Obstetrics & Gynecologic best practices promotes the delivery of safe and quality patient care for women throughout the region.

With over 100 years of involvement in patient care, research, and resident education, you can “Trust Our

Experience.” Call (504) 988-8070 today to meet your healthcare needs by scheduling an appointment at their Metairie office.

For over three decades, New Orleans has been home to one of the nation’s leading, state-of-the-art clinics specializing in new infertility treatment. The Fertility Institute has more than 30 years of successful in vitro fertilization (IVF) and continues to be recognized for its excellence by health insurance companies providing benefits for infertility and in vitro fertilization.

Employing traditional treatments and the latest advances in reproductive technology, including IVF, intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), pre-implantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) and cryopreservation of eggs, they offer hope for families who have trouble conceiving or who have genetic abnormalities that may cause a difficult quality of life for a child.

The Fertility Institute is a pioneer in the Gulf South and the first to perform IVF in the region and achieve a pregnancy with its first IVF. With a team of five physicians and additional staff, the Fertility Institute has accomplished over 16,000 pregnancies from all forms of fertility treatment including those who have suffered from recurrent miscarriages. Offices are located in Mandeville, Metairie and New Orleans with the addition of a second state-of-the-art IVF laboratory located in Baton Rouge.

Schedule appointments by calling (800) 375-0048 and learn more by visiting FertilityInstitute.com.

Primary Care

CrescentCare Health and Wellness provides a variety of primary care and women’s health services (including OB/GYN), as well as pediatric care for the whole family. The community-based health

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center provides affordable, accessible healthcare regardless of income or insurance status. Additional services offered at the center include behavioral health, infectious disease referrals, nutrition counseling and a dental suite (coming soon). Services are provided on a sliding scale based on income or through an insurance provider. Medicare and Medicaid are accepted.

Note: As a National Health Service Core site, CrescentCare is also seeking qualified health professionals dedicated to making a community impact in very powerful ways. Visit the website to explore available positions.

The new facility is now open at 3308 Tulane Ave. in MidCity. For more information, call (504) 207-CARE (2273) or visit CrescentCareHealth.org.

Cardiovascular Care

Worried about unsightly varicose or spider veins this summer? These veins may be caused by a serious underlying condition called venous disease, which occurs when vein vessels become damaged and blood flows backward causing the veins to stretch, swell and twist. Symptoms of venous disease include swelling or heaviness in legs, calf pain or cramping, visible varicose or spider veins, itchiness or excema, skin discoloration or ulcers on the legs. Venous disease can progressively get worse over time, so it is important to be checked if you think you may be at risk.

The Vein Center at Cardiovascular Institute of the South (CIS) in Houma diagnoses and treats venous disease with minimally invasive procedures, resulting in less pain, cosmetic improvement and quicker recoveries for patients.

CIS cardiologists have received national recognition for the prevention, detection and treatment of cardiovascular disease.

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To schedule an appointment, call 800-425-2565 or visit Cardio.com to learn more.

The Venacure EVLT procedure uses a minimally invasive endovenous laser to treat varicose veins with a success rate as high as 98 percent – measurably better than painful surgical alternatives. It requires no general anesthesia and offers minimal risk and shorter recovery time. Generally, the procedure takes less than one hour in a doctor’s office and offers immediate relief with minimal-to-no scarring. Patients can usually resume normal activities immediately. The VenaCure EVLT procedure delivers a precise dose of energy into the faulty vein wall, collapsing it. This process, called ablation, cures the condition and diverts blood flow to nearby functional veins. The resulting increased circulation significantly reduces the symptoms of varicose veins and improves their surface appearance.

Tulane Heart & Vascular Institute is a leading provider for EVLT procedures in the Greater New Orleans region. For more information or to schedule an appointment, visit TulaneHeart.com or call (504) 378-5080.

Thibodaux Regional Medical Center, located in Lafourche Parish, is the one of the first to offer an innovative new technology that can save the lives of those suffering from hardto-diagnose heart arrhythmias. One of the problems with an arrhythmia is that it tends to come and go, and while seeing a physician or undergoing tests, the arrhythmia may not be identified. The slim LINQ heart monitor is the smallest device on the market and takes just minutes to place during an easy, outpatient procedure.

“The LINQ heart monitor is an implantable device that’s inserted under the patient’s skin next to the sternum over

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the heart,” said Dr. Al Timothy, cardiologist at Thibodaux Regional. “It monitors the heart rhythms and detects otherwise undetectable rhythms.” The LINQ makes an arrhythmia easier to identify because it monitors the heart’s rhythms 24 hours a day for up to three years. The LINQ gathers data, sends it to a mobile device in the patient’s home, which then transmits the information back to the physician’s office.

For more information on the LINQ heart monitor, call the Heart and Vascular Center of Thibodaux Regional at (985) 493-4703.

Orthopedics

Dr. Alexis Waguespack is a fellowship-trained spine specialist and board-certified orthopedic surgeon providing treatment of cervical, thoracic, lumbar and sacral spine disorders, including scoliosis, spondylolisthesis and kyphosis (aka adult deformity).

She also treats cancer and leukemias to the spine in addition to the common disorders such as pinched nerves (stenosis) and herniated disc of the spine.

Dr. Waguespack is one of few specialists in the country experienced at treating adult deformity using the latest advancement in minimally invasive surgery for spinal deformity/ scoliosis, offering superior results and quicker recoveries. She is one of few Louisiana physicians treating often-misdiagnosed SI joint pain (which accounts for some 25 percent of patients with long-standing lower back pain) with outstanding success rates using a minimally invasive outpatient procedure.

Dr. Waguespack is a member of the North American Spine, Society, Society of Lateral Access Surgeon, SMISS, and the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, and she maintains Eastbank, Westbank and Uptown offices. For more information, call (504) 392-7123.

Sleep Apnea

Do you and your partner sleep in separate rooms because “somebody” is snoring? Are you tangled up in hoses and masks from a CPAP? Dr. Jim Moreau can help with that. Through the use of a proven, custom-fitted oral appliance worn during sleep, Dr. Moreau adjusts the lower jaw down and forward to open the airway and prevent sleep apnea and snoring. Dr. Moreau works with your physician to monitor progress toward success. Better yet, medical benefits may apply. A better night’s sleep means

sweeter dreams, more productive days and a healthier future.

Call for a consult at (985) 302-3576.

Hormone Therapy

Hormone Therapy Centers of America (HTCA) is a nationwide provider of bio-identical hormone pellet therapy services.

President and Cofounder of HTCA, Dr. Ty Richardson says, “We want our patients to live happier and healthier lives through proper and natural hormone balance, while enjoying total wellness. We seek out physicians like Dr. Stefanie Schultis, who have well-established practices and are highly respected among their peers. Once we identify these physicians, we give them the best training, the very best pellets on the market today, and educate their patients about the benefit and safety of bioidentical hormone pellet therapy replacement.”

The HTCA hormones are derived from plant compounds and act just like the hormones produced by your body. They are fused into small pellets and inserted under the skin. Dr. Stefanie Schultis, based in Covington, offers this service for men and women. For more information, visit ht-ca.com or call Dr. Schultis at (985) 898-1940.

Hospice

Anyone looking for compassionate and dignified care for their terminally ill loved ones should take a look at the services offered by Canon Hospice. The caring team at Canon is dedicated to a hospice ministry that helps patients and families accept terminal illness positively and resourcefully. Their stated goal is to “allow our patients to live each day to the fullest and enjoy their time with family and friends.”

With special expertise in pain management and symptom control, Canon Hospice designs individualized plans of care for each patient based on their unique needs. Home Based Services provide doctors, nurses, social workers, pastoral care and volunteers. For patients with more intensive symptom management needs, Canon has an Inpatient Hospice Unit. This unit provides 24-hour care in a home-like environment where patients are permitted to receive visits at any hour.

For more information, visit CanonHospice.com or call (504) 818-2723. •

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Aging Parents & Active Seniors Lambeth House

R

esources and services abound throughout Greater New Orleans for aging adults and their families, from specially trained medical professionals in a variety of disciplines to home care helpers, retirement living opportunities and legal representation. Aging brings a number of changes – some related to health and others related to lifestyle. If you have a loved one looking for a relaxed, worry-free independent living situation, or perhaps someone needing assistance with a few tasks at home, your options are plentiful. Resources also exist for health issues such as Alzheimers’s disease, hearing loss and necessary rehabilitation after surgeries or procedures. Aging adults may want to get a head start on planning for their estate and other arrangements, and there are a number of local professionals experienced at such tasks. Peruse the following area experts for assistance with any changes your family may be experiencing as it relates to age.

Hearing

Retirement Living & Memory Care

For more than 20 years, the Doctors of Audiology at Associated Hearing have been impacting patients lives throughout the community by reconnecting those with hearing loss to their loved ones. Drs. Daniel Bode, Alaina Johnson and Courtney Cooke create customized treatment plans for patients based upon their individual lifestyles and listening environments. Through specialized testing, lifestyle assessments, the latest diagnostic equipment and state-of-the-art consultation rooms, the patient is given a custom report, detailing their hearing loss, the specific sounds that are impaired and the technology that will be utilized to improve their communication abilities with their friends and family.

A recent addition to their services of patient care includes treatment for tinnitus and sound sensitivity disorders, which affect more than 50 million Americans. Using a specific protocol involving sound therapy and counseling, patients with these conditions are treated with the goal of achieving complete habituation to the condition.

The Associated Hearing team looks forward to continuing to improve and expand the remarkable experiences and services offered to patients. For more information and appointments, visit AssociatedHearingInc.com.

Vista Shores is a luxury senior living and memory care community located on Bayou St. John. Vista Shores’ residents enjoy chefprepared meals in the bistro, socialize over coffee or cocktails in the lounge and take in beautiful sunsets on the wrap-around porch.

Vista Shores is owned and operated by Schonberg and Associates, an assisted living and memory care provider dedicated to providing exceptional care and beautiful accommodations to the Greater New Orleans area through communities that include Vista Shores in New Orleans, Beau Provence in Mandeville, Park Provence in Slidell, Ashton Manor in Luling and The Suites at Sugar Mill Point in Houma. Schonberg communities offer highly specialized Memory Care programs – each staff member has been trained in Alzheimer’s and dementia care to enrich the lives of memory care residents and enable them to function at their highest level.

Vista Shores, Beau Provence, and Ashton Manor are all recipients of the national Dementia Care Specialists Distinguished Provider Award, the highest level of recognition that can be awarded to assisted living communities that provide the most exemplary resident-centered care.

For more information, visit VistaShores.com or call (504) 288-3737.

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The opening of Poydras Home’s Oak House Assisted Living addition in 2013 brought the full complement of gracious living options to its residents. Located on three acres in scenic Uptown New Orleans, Poydras Home is a continuing care retirement community that has been serving the needs of New Orleanians since 1817. Poydras Home residents can age in place by partaking in Garden House (independent living), Oak House (assisted living) or the Historic House (nursing care), and PHASE (adult day program). All rooms are private and overlook manicured grounds. Poydras Home’s state of the art memory support areas, Seasons and Hunter House, provide unparalleled services with unique individualized activities and a secured outdoor garden and walking path.

Poydras Home is known nationally for its quality of care and innovative programs that allow residents to enjoy life to the fullest in a beautiful and historic setting. Known for highly individualized care, Poydras Home is the only full continuum of care community with dementia care and an adult day program in the Greater New Orleans Area. For more information, visit PoydrasHome.com or call (504) 897-0535.

When it comes to aging well, Lambeth House, a full-service retirement center, offers the best of all worlds – independent living for active adults (ages 62 and over) plus a full continuum of care, including Assisted Living, Nursing Care and Memory Care.

Nestled in the heart of Uptown New Orleans, Lambeth House offers a cultural program committed to enrichment of the mind, body and spirit. The full array of amenities for active seniors includes a new fitness center with a stunning indoor salt-water swimming pool, an art studio, a meditation room and garden, fine and casual dining options and engaging activities and social events.

In the words of one resident, “There is something to do here all day, every day, if you want to.”

“Today’s new generation of retirees want choices. They want to be active and to age well,” says President/CEO, Scott Crabtree.

At Lambeth House, residents do just that. For more information, please call (504) 865-1960.

Peristyle Residences offers Residential Assisted Living and Memory Care in the comfort of luxurious and secure homes.

Peristyle Residences’ alternative senior living model offers homes with private bedrooms and congregate dining and living areas for seniors who may no longer be able to safely live at home but who do not need or prefer more traditional settings such as nursing homes and assisted living facilities.

There are five beautiful homes within great neighborhoods in New Orleans, Metairie, and the West Bank. Peristyle Residences offers care, supervision, and compassion to seniors and convenience and peace of mind for families and friends. These small communities foster the development of sincere relationships between caregivers and residents. Families are encouraged to decorate and furnish the homes with familiar items that are comforting and keep memories vivid. Healthy meals are prepared on-site and an array of stimulating activities keeps residents active at home.

Peristyle Residences are licensed by the Louisiana Department of Health & Hospitals, and all caregivers are trained in dementia care, received background checks and have several years of senior living experience. Schedule a tour at PeristyleResidences.com or by calling (504) 259-0326.

Home Care & Rehabilitation

The John J. Hainkel, Jr. Home & Rehabilitation Center, founded in 1891, is located at 612 Henry Clay Ave., nestled among beautiful oak trees and lush greenery outlined by porches and patios. The Center accepts both long-term residents and residents who have

offer them

independence

The Right Care, Right at Home.

504.780.8128

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recently undergone surgery or experienced a serious illness or accident and want to return home after rehab. The facility provides a wide range of health care services including but not limited to Physical, Occupational, Speech and Recreational Therapies.

The Hainkel Home works to maintain and enhance the quality of life of all of residents and clients while fostering the selfsufficiency of clients and families by providing restorative care and recreational activities. The enhanced art program encourages residents to improve their dexterity and fine motor skills whether modeling with clay or painting. The music program brings weekly visiting musicians and frequent visits from students of the Loyola School of Music and a neighboring charter school. Additionally, the daily exercise program keeps everyone on their toes.

For more information or to schedule a tour of the beautiful facility, contact Admissions Coordinators Erin Hamilton (504) 7562844 or Laura Glazer (504) 919-4058.

As our nation’s healthcare system changes, Nurses Registry remains a leader in the home care industry. Nurses Registry celebrates 90 years of service to the Greater New Orleans community in the art and science of nursing. Their 30-day re-hospitalization rates have been equal to or better than the national top 20 percent of agencies with patient satisfaction also ranking at the top. Their founder, Rose Mary S. Breaux, RN, BSN, believed it an honor and privilege to serve the sick and aging in our community and to “treat the whole patient – Body, Mind and Spirit.”

The dynamic organization implemented a Care Transition program to assist patients moving from hospital to home. Nurses Registry has also developed the Have A Heart cardiac program to help CHF patients and families heal and move toward safe selfmanagement. Additionally, Health Coaches give special help to those with CHF, COPD and other at-risk patients.

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Nurses Registry provides services across the healthcare spectrum: Home Health, Private Duty Nursing, Medical and NonMedical Aide Services, Home Infusion and customized services.

Call (504) 736-0803 or (866) 736-6744 today for a free, in-home assessment or visit MyNursesRegistry.com for more info.

Home Care Solutions offers highly personalized caregiver services and Geriatric Care Management services to help loved ones in Greater New Orleans extend their independence. Locally owned and operated for over 22 years by licensed social workers, Home Care Solutions has particular expertise in dignified, compassionate Alzheimer’s care.

All home care services begin with a professional assessment visit. A care manager then designs a plan of care specific to the client’s needs while incorporating family input. Carefully selected and trained caregivers provide assistance with activities of daily living and companionship, supported by routine care manager supervisory visits. Aging Life Care/Geriatric Care Management is a holistic, client-centered approach to caring for older adults or others facing ongoing health challenges. Providing answers at a time of uncertainty, this guidance leads families to actions and decisions that ensure quality care and an optimal life for those they love, thus reducing worry, stress, and time off of work.

Home Care Solutions is a member of the Home Care Association of America and the Aging Life Care Association. It is also a licensed Personal Care Attendant Agency. For more information, call (504) 828-0900 or visit HomeCareNewOrleans.com.

There are many reasons an individual may need help around the home, and help can easily be found with Right at Home’s in-home care and assistance. Whether a family member needs help with tasks around the home, assistance recovering from a hospital stay, or someone to

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simply check in on them throughout the week, Right at Home of Metro New Orleans has the ability to assist in a number of scenarios.

Visit MetroNewOrleansRAH.com to view common scenarios of the universal challenges of aging that many families experience and see what kinds of services may benefit you and your family.

You can also complete a short Care Assessment that allows Right at Home the ability to tailor care to your needs with personalized suggestions. Right at Home Caregivers are specially trained to provide just the services your loved one needs. Caregivers modify the care plan for your family member as needs change, allowing them to live at home as long as possible, which gives you peace of mind knowing your loved one is receiving quality care, right in their own home.

For more information, visit MetroNewOrleansRAH.com or call (504) 780-8128.

Alzheimer’s Support

Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive brain disease impacting 82,000 Louisiana seniors and 230,000 unpaid family caregivers.

There is currently no way to prevent it, cure it, or slow it down.

The Alzheimer’s Association helps with Alzheimer’s care, support, and research. Their mission is to eliminate Alzheimer’s disease through the advancement of research, to provide and enhance care and support for all affected, and to reduce the risk of dementia through the promotion of brain health.

Need help? Community Resource Finder, ALZ.org/crf is a place that you can find support groups, programs, events, and community services from at-home care to medical services.

At ALZ.org, you can also find ways to personally help end the disease by becoming a champion for the cause.

For additional help or guidance, call their 24/7 Helpline at

(800) 272-3900. You can also follow the association on Twitter (@ALZ_LA) and like them on Facebook (Alzheimer’s Association Louisiana Chapter).

Prescriptions & Medical Equipment

For over 55 years, people have turned to Patio Drugs for help in managing their healthcare needs. Patio Drugs has helped individuals and families understand their medications, both prescription and over-the-counter, since 1958 and provides free prescription delivery throughout East Jefferson.

In addition to being a full-service pharmacy, the oldest independent pharmacy in Jefferson Parish, Patio Drugs is also a leading provider of home medical equipment. For everything from a Band-Aid to a hospital bed, Patio Drugs is your one-stop source for all home medical equipment needs.

Patio Drugs has over 55 years of experience in specialized compounding services. No two people are the same. Their pharmacists work with physicians to customize medication doses and dosage forms to meet the individual needs of each patient. Some of their compounding services include: Hormone Replacement Therapy, Gluten Free Formulations, Medicated Troches, Sugar Free Preparations, Preservative Free Formulas, Transdermal Gels and Sterile Injections.

Whether you need prescriptions, medical equipment or specialized compounding services, call Patio Drugs, 5208 Veterans Blvd. in Metairie, (504) 889-7070. Patio Drugs, “Large Enough to Serve You, Yet, Small Enough to Know You.”

Dale Gedert has focused on foot care for more than 40 years.

He brings his expertise to Greater New Orleans with Therapeutic Shoes, a shopping resource for those suffering from a wide variety of conditions such as arthritis, diabetes, flat feet, heel spurs, plantar

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fasciitis, bunions, calluses, edema and leg length discrepancies, as well as knee, hip and back pain and more.

“We specialize in custom accommodative foot orthotics, stylish extra depth shoes, diabetic shoes, custom shoes, shoe modifications, compression wear and diabetic socks,” says Gedert. ”We’ve got over 175 styles and color of men’s and women’s shoes.”

Therapeutic Shoes features an in-house orthotic lab with certified personnel who handle all custom orthotics and shoe modifications. They offer a large selection of compression wear, as well as socks shaped to fit the foot for reducing fatigue and preventing circulation problems. They offer UV Total Recovery Shoe Sanitizer for those who’ve been treated for toenail fungus by a podiatrist or medical professional to prevent reinfection.

Therapeutic Shoes is located at 408 Maine St. in Jefferson. For more information and hours, call (504) 832-3933.

Legal Planning & Representation

Blue Williams, LLP, has been providing high-quality representation to clients throughout the Gulf South in commercial litigation, healthcare and construction law, and business matters since 1982. By recruiting motivated and experienced attorneys in diverse areas of law, Blue Williams is able to provide a full spectrum of services and create lasting solutions to the legal dilemmas faced by clients. The firm’s attorneys practice in 17 areas of law, including Commercial Litigation, Estate and Tax Planning, Disability and Elder Law Planning, Corporate Law, Healthcare Law, Construction Litigation, Insurance Law, Products and Professional Liability and more.

Blue Williams has a history of rising to the challenge and has defended clients in multi-million dollar exposure cases. The

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firm provides services to clients nationally, though primarily in Louisiana, and these clients range from Fortune 500 companies to international corporations, local businesses and individuals.

Attorneys spend a significant amount of time with each client to be certain of the client’s individual needs and all available options.

For more information on Blue Williams’s commitment to providing lasting solutions, visit BlueWilliams.com or call (800) 326-4991.

Pre-planning & Arrangements

Create a legacy that endures. As unique as New Orleans, Lake Lawn Metairie Funeral Home and Cemeteries is set among the majestic oaks and gentle beauty of the past, offering a unique and lasting memorialization in one of the country’s most renowned resting places. Explore exclusive options for a traditional burial and cremation remembrance each as personal, simple or elaborate as you choose.

Lake Lawn Metairie Funeral Home and Cemeteries demonstrates an ongoing commitment to community here in the Greater New Orleans area by giving back to the community they serve. In addition to compassionately serving families during their time of need, the professionals at Lake Lawn Metairie Funeral Home and Cemeteries proudly offer a number of free outreach programs designed to honor those who serve, keep families safe, fight for a cause, and comfort those who grieve through the Dignity Memorial® provider network.

Metairie Cemetery recently received national recognition and was awarded a Certificate of Excellence from TripAdvisor for exceptional reviews. For additional information concerning preplanning, don’t hesitate to contact Lake Lawn Metairie at (504) 486-6331 or visit their website at LakeLawnMetairie.com. •

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Summer

Special

Along with heat and humidity, Summer Specials in New Orleans run the gamut to bring you everything you desire at just the perfect time.

Antoine's

Boscoli foods, inc.

Boudreaux’s Fine Jewelers

713 Rue St. Louis, New Orleans (504) 581-4422 | Antoines.com This summer we will be offering our new $ 20.15 "Spring into Summer" lunch special: a three course lunch special with three choices for each course. Happy hour specials are all summer with our $4 house wine and cocktails , $3 domestic beers, $4 imported beers from 4-7 p.m.

(504) 469-5500 Boscoli.com Celebrate July 4th with Boscoli Family! Boscoli Family's Dirty Martini Olive Juice and pickled vegetables are a must in Bloody Mary's and Dirty Martini's.

See Boscoli.com for additional recipes, including "Boscoli Party Dip," featuring their famous Muffuletta Olive Salad.

Do & see locally!

701 Metairie Road, Metairie (504) 831-2602 4550 Highway 22, Mandeville (985) 626-1666 7280 Corporate Blvd., Baton Rouge (225) 928-6868 BoudreauxsJewelers.com Since 1933, the craftsmen of Boudreaux’s Jewelers have taken enormous pride in designing exquisite creations of outstanding quality and enduring value. To this day, Boudreaux’s has offered distinguished pieces from many of the world’s finest watch and jewelry designers.

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names like Tommy Bahama, Flax, Comfy Crocs and our very own exclusive lines like Banana Blue. Open seven days a week.

Bra Genie HQ Store: 2881 Highway 190, Mandeville (985) 951-8638 7539 Corp. Blvd. Suite 180, Baton Rouge (225) 223-6114 | TheBraGenie.com Empreinte: As close as you’ll get to a custom made bra. Cool. Smooth. Discreet.

Exclusive French engineered lace that lifts and supports but is completely seam free, smooth and has no “show through” under clothing. Only available at Bra Genie.

Copeland’s of New Orleans CopelandsOfNewOrleans.com Copeland’s of New Orleans is featuring Summer Salads & Small Plates!

Big Flavors new for Summer. Try the Crawfish Zydeco Salad or the Bacon Oyster Peacemaker during lunch or dinner. Open seven days a week and don’t forget Sunday Brunch!

Chappy’s Restaurant 6106 Magazine St., New Orleans (504) 208-8772 Chappys.com Chappy’s is your neighborhood restaurant by the park. Enjoy two-course dinners starting at $19. Specialties include Oysters Rockefeller over spinach with Brie, and the Seared Tuna Salad. Open for dinner daily at 5 p.m. Sunday threecourse brunch is only $15 (except holidays). Free parking in Perlis lot next door.

California Closets 3211 N. Causeway Blvd., Metairie 504.828.5705 CaliforniaClosets.com More than 35 years ago we innovated a new industry – custom designed and installed storage. Today we are proud to be recognized as the leaders in the industry we first created all those years ago.

California Drawstrings 812 Royal Street NOLA 3652 Magazine, NOLA 216 Main Street Bay Saint Louis, MS CaliforniaDrawstrings.com Locally owned since 1984 California Drawstrings offers a huge variety of cotton and linen resort wear for men and women.

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The Court of Two Sisters

CoNola Grill & Sushi 619 Pink St. Metairie (504) 837-0055 CoNolaGrillSushi.com CoNoLa Grill & Sushi is a new and innovative restaurant located in the heart of Old Metairie. CoNoLa offers a grassrootsstyle southern cafe menu, as well as a full service American sushi bar. Both provide multiple Cajun cuisines to be enjoyed by the whole family.

613 Royal St., New Orleans (504) 522-7261 CourtOfTwoSisters.com The Court of Two Sisters, known for its large dining courtyard, serves a lavish daily Jazz Brunch buffet. At night choose from its à la carte dinner menu or a four-course dinner. Complete menus available at CourtOfTwoSisters.com.

Reservations are recommended.

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Cristy Cali’s (504) 407-5041 CristiCali.com The Claddagh ring, an Irish tradition, has hands embracing a heart with a crown, symbolizing friendship, love and loyalty. Cristy’s New Orleans version also features a fleur-de-lis. The wearer determines the ring’s meaning by the direction of the heart and the hand in which the ring is worn.

Five Happiness

Hoshun Restaurant

3605 S. Carrollton Ave., New Orleans (504) 482-3935 FiveHappiness.com Come to Five Happiness and let the ambience and friendly staff take you to a new level of dining experience. This award-winning restaurant always strives to achieve its best. Private party and banquet rooms are available.

1601 St. Charles Ave., New Orleans (504) 302-9717 HoshunRestaurant.com Chinese or Japanese? Can’t decide? Hoshun is your answer! They offer an extensive menu from classic Chinese dishes to Japanese sushi and everything in between (like Vietnamese pho or pad thai). Stick with one cuisine or mix and match!

Open daily until 2 a.m.

French Market ECLECTIC HOME 8211 Oak St., New Orleans (504) 866-6654 ElecticHome.net With 17 years of experience and a 7,000 square foot home furnishings and design center on historic Oak Street in New Orleans, customers have a one-of-a-kind shopping experience exploring furniture, lighting, accessories and so much more from diverse styles and resources. The store is eye-candy for all that enter and is a true reflection of eclectic design.

We provide design consulting for both residential and commercial interiors nationwide.

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FrenchMarket.org.

The French Market is open seven days a week and is the perfect place to take a break during summertime. Find six blocks of shopping, live entertainment daily at cafes, free Jazz Yoga and Jazz Pilates programs and special events like the Bastille Day Bartender & Waiters Race.

Louisiana Children’s Museum 420 Julia St., New Orleans (504) 523-1357 LCM.org Engage your imagination in New Orleans’ most playful place for children and families! Pilot a tugboat, design a house or stand inside a giant bubble.

Explore 30,000 square feet of hands-on exhibits and discover just how much fun learning can be.

ENJOY complimentary cocktail tastings MEET cool celebrity judges WIN a 2-night hotel stay & VIP Sushi Fest tickets

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New Orleans Hotel Collection, Hotel Le Marais

Louisiana Custom Closets New Orleans: (504) 885-3188 Covington: (985) 871-0810 Baton Rouge: (225) 753-3001 LouisianaCustomClosets.com Louisiana Custom Closets represents the pinnacle of quality in storage solutions. Because they are the manufacturer, their professional design staff can create personalized spaces for you. Locally owned since 2003. Choose your style, choose your finish and take your storage space from simply neat to simply fabulous.

717 Conti St., New Orleans (504) 525-2300 NewOrleansHotelCollection.com Authentic, independent and quality driven, each hotel offers its ow n story.

From the chic, modern atmosphere Hotel Le Marais to the historical and elegant Audubon Cottages, the New Orleans Hotel Collection is set apart by its distinctive style, personalized service and superb location.

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720 Orleans Ave., New Orleans (504) 523-1930 OrleansGrapevine.com Continuing its long tradition of serving high quality cuisine, soak in the Southern atmosphere Orleans Grapevine Wine Bar & Bistro has to offer as you sip vino from one of the largest selections of wines by the bottle in the French Quarter.

Red Gravy

Mr. Ed's Family of Restaurants 512 Bienville St. at Decatur (504) 309-4848 3117 21st St., Metairie (504) 833-6310 MrEdsOysterBar.com Mr. Ed’s Oyster Bar & Fish House has expanded to the French Quarter. Now offering two unique locations and one great menu. The location on Bienville is open seven days a week for lunch and dinner, serving seafood, poor boys and raw and grilled oysters. Both locations offer a stand up oyster bar for guests to enjoy.

Orleans Grapevine Wine Bar & Bistro

Ralph Brennan Catering (504) 539-5510 RalphBrennanCatering.com New Orleans’ premier caterer for groups from 100 to 1,200 people! Let them match your palate, theme and budget in your home, restaurant or venue of your choice. They are dedicated to servicing a seamless, professional and above all memorable experience.

125 Camp St. (504) 561-8844 RedGravyCafe.com Let Madame de Cuisine Roseann feed you the family recipes she grew up with – like Mussels Fra Diavolo and Pappardelle Bolognese. Everything she serves is farm to table, handmade with love and dedicated to tradition. Handmade gluten free pasta available, too.

Serving brunch Wed.-Mon., 8 a.m–2 p.m. Come and eat, she always makes too much!

ADVERTISING SECTION

QUEORK 838 Chartres St. (504) 481-4910 Queork.com Specializing in luxury cork handbags and accessories made from genuine cork. Waterproof, scratch proof, stain resistant, and virtually weightless compared to leather. Pictured: Flapper Cork handbag, $159.

Rock-n-Sake 823 Fulton St., New Orleans (504) 581-7253 RockNSake.com Rock-n-sake has a brand new look coming this summer! Stay tuned as we bring you an enhanced and updated dining experience along with the award-winning sushi you know us for... our atmosphere is about to get even more rock-n!

South Street Linen 5 South St., Portland, Maine (774) 234-7678 SouthStreetLinen.com Our Jane Dress is our "I can't take the heat one more second, but I need to look good" dress. Small stand up collar, inseam pockets, pin tucks. Light weight linen, in lots of colors, priced at $159.

Kind of perfect! •

R’evolutionary Catering

Trashy Diva Lingerie 712 Royal St. 2044 Magazine St. (504) 299-3939 TrashyDiva.com Make a splash in the retro-inspired Esther Williams Classic Dot Two-Piece swimsuit in red with white polka dots from Trashy Diva Lingerie. Shop our selection of perfect figure flattering swimwear in polka dots, stripes, solids, florals and nautical prints.

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(225) 751-1882 sales@revolutionarycatering.com Transform your occasion with fine dining and event management services from Chef John Folse’s R’evolutionary Catering. Our experienced, professional staff will bring your special event to the next level, combining exquisite cuisine with dazzling presentation. From casual meetings to extravagant affairs, choose R’evolutionary Catering.

Greg Abry, Abry Brothers Nicolas Bazan MD.,Ph.D., LSU Neuroscience Center John Blancher, Rock-N-Bowl & Ye Olde College Inn Yvonne Blount, Antoine’s Restaurant William Burk IV, Burk Property Investments Joseph C. Canizaro, Chairman, First Bank and Trust, Founder Ralph Capitelli, Capitelli and Wicker Law Firm Joseph Carrere, Keenan Capital Emmett Chapital Jr., Chapital Cardiology Clinic LLC Mason Couvillon, Dardis Couvillon & Associates John Dardis, Dardis Couvillon & Associates Lew Derbes, Stewart Enterprises, Inc. Brandt Dufrene, First National Bank, USA Bill Ellsworth, Ellsworth, LeBlanc, & Ellsworth George Fowler III, Fowler Rodriguez, Valdea Fauli Frank France, Kehoe-France, Inc., Director David Gallo, Gallo Mechanical Contractors, Inc. James Garner, Sher Garner Cahill Richter Klein & Hilbert, LLC Jeff Haynes, Neville Properties William Hines, Jones Walker Steven Hubbell, Stokes & Hubbell Capital Mgt., Inc. Dan Jacob, N.O. Medical Mission Ronald Karcher, Ronald L. Karcher Construction Co. Thomas Kitchen, Stewart Enterprise, Inc. Victor Kurzweg, Consolidated Companies Mel Lagarde III, HCA Delta Div. James LaPorte, Ericksen, Krentel & LaPorte, LLP, President Robert Lupo, Lupo Enterprises Todd Matherne, Renaissance Publishing Robert Menard, P.A. Menard Inc.

Larry Merington, Stewart Enterprise, Membership Chair Jane Nalty, Willwoods Community Michael Nolan, Fifth District Savings Bank, Director Larry Oney, Risk Technology Institute/ Hammerman & Gainer Inc. A.J. Palermo, Canteen Corp.

James Pellerin, Pellerin Milnor Claiborne Perrilliat, Packard Truck Lines, Inc. Leon PochĂŠ Jr., Vice President Peter Quirk, Walk Haydel & Associates, Inc. Louis Rodriguez, TCI Packaging Stanton Salathe, Salathe Oil Company Thomas Sandeman, Picadilly Restaurants, LLC Jack Scariano Jr., Scariano Brothers Dominick Sciortino, St. Bernard Drugs, Inc., Past President Henry Shane, Favrot and Shane Co., Inc. M. Gordon Stevens, New Orleans Steamboat Co. Frank Stewart Jr., Stewart Capital, LLC Matthew Ungarino, Ungarino and Eckert, LLC Michael Vales, Vales Management, Inc. Scott Whittaker, Stone Pigman, Walther Whittman, LLC Joseph Wink Jr., Wink, Incorporated/Universal Consolidated Services Robert Wooderson, Gibbs Construction

Chaplains: Monsignor Andrew Taormina Very Reverend Joseph Doyle Very Reverend Neal McDermott Assisting Chaplain Fr. Ronnie Calkins

Join these Catholic leaders and their spouses each month for Mass, dinner and a great Catholic speaker.

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TRY THIS

Symmetry Celebrates 40 years of Jewelry Design Symmetry Jewelers, 8138 Hampson St., 861-9925, Symmetry-Jewelers.com When jeweler Tom Mathis set up Symmetry Jewelry in the Riverbend area of New Orleans, his concept was to return jewelry making to a true art form. Today, he’s celebrating 40 years of success. To mark the occasion, Mathis is reintroducing some of his most popular designs.

Originally created by hand from sheets of metal and hand carved, these designs are now being made in 3D versions using computer aided design technology. Mathis has also revived his monogrammed jewelry with a new series of shadowbox designs using gold and Sterling Silver combinations.

Covington Orthopedic Offers State of the Art Therapies Covington Orthopedic, 19343 Sunshine Ave., Covington, (985) 892-5117, CovingtonOrtho.com Using Stem Cells and Platelet Rich Plasma (PRP) to aid in the recovery of soft tissue injuries and arthritic conditions is cutting-edge orthopedic treatment. These are some of the innovative options offered by Dr. Kevin Darr at Covington Orthopedic & Sports Medicine Institute. Concentrated platelets found in PRP contain reservoirs of bioactive protein, including growth factors that initiate and accelerate tissue repair and regeneration. By adding Stem Cells they have the potential to form new tissue. Dr. Darr, a board-certified orthopedic surgeon also offers an Accelerated Recovery Program – Mirella Cameran cheryl gerber photographs

A Need For Speed Circling NOLA Motorsports

By Kelly Massicot

T

he “Try This” summer has been full of non-stop, adrenaline-filled events.

Skydiving and fly boarding have now been followed by a “need for speed” that had to be mollified. NOLA Motorsports filled that need and then some.

An afternoon filled with fast cars and sharp turns ensued when we made our way across the Huey P. Long Bridge to the NOLA Motorsports facility in Avondale.

NOLA Motorsports is a 1,700-acre property with a multi-million dollar track and facility. The area is the site of a world-class racetrack, which holds national and international racing competitions, a convoy of exotic cars, a 40-acre karting facility for the kids – or the young at heart – and motorcycle options are available.

Drive your own vehicle on a real racetrack, try out one of their fleet of racecars or accompany a trained racecar driver in a Mustang Challenge FR500S. On our trip to the NOLA Motorsports facility, we had the pleasure of accompanying their racecar driver in the Mustang Challenge. This is a vehicle undeniably made for speed and the experience – even in the passenger seat – is unlike any other. You twist and turn your way through 2.75 miles of track, hitting 16 speedy turns throughout. With no windows and speeds reaching well over 100 mph, the wind hits your face and swooshes past your helmet. You hear nothing but the revving of the engine and the sound of the tires screeching along the pavement. My heart was beating as we hit each turn, not certain we were going to make it without tipping over. After two laps, the screams of laughter – much like when you’re on a rollercoaster – and a high-five from the driver, we made our way back into the covered pit area in one adrenaline-filled piece. Because of the sporadic bouts of rain throughout the day, we were unable to reach the speeds of a normal day, but that didn’t take away from the overall feeling of the track experience.

Racecar driver is one of those jobs found high on the list of answer to the question, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” NOLA Motorsports offers each person’s inner child the opportunity to fulfill the dream of putting on that helmet, hoping in an authentic racecar and racing down a state of the art racetrack. Times for each of the vehicle options are offered throughout the summer. To drive, one must be 18 years of age with a valid driver’s license and ability to operate a manual transmission.

For information on the facility and how to schedule your motor experience, visit NolaMotor.com or call 302-4875. n myneworleans.com / JULY 2015

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On the Oswald Trail By errol laborde

“Y

ou’re from New Orleans! You know who else is from there?” John, our tour guide in Dallas, asked. “Yes,” I answered, “and you know who was named John?”

You can look at the fine museums, performance center and nouveau modern buildings in Dallas; you can experience a bit of the quaint Texas of lore in a downtown neighborhood called West End, where Stetsons and boots can be purchased at Wild Bill’s Western Store or you can have dinner at the YO Ranch Steakhouse, where the menu includes rattlesnake chili and buffalo filet. You can do all those things, but it’s hard to ignore nearby Dealey Plaza and the sixth floor of the building on the corner overlooking Elm Street.

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Our tour guide dutifully showed us the other attractions, but then as John turned a corner not far from a grassy knoll, the interest level increased as though flipped by a switch – this is why we were really there.

Whenever there is talk about the events of Nov. 22, 1963, there is always a mental asterisk. We have been conditioned to believe that there is a still an unsolved conspiracy, even after a half-century’s worth of global sleuthing.

There is a lot to question, such as if any other evil force was behind the assassination, but there is one factor that is absolute: Lee Harvey Oswald did it – and he was acting alone from the Texas Book Depository. The murder weapon was his rifle. His past was that of a fanatic out to take his place in infamy. To John the tour guide New Orleans is a wonderful place to visit, but there is another asterisk. It is also the birthplace of Oswald.

By late 1963 the assassin-to-be was living in a one-story rooming house in Dallas’ Oak Cliff neighborhood. John drove us to the place, which is now known as the Oswald Rooming House. Patricia Hall, the granddaughter of the woman who owned the building back then, greeted us. At the time, 16 men lived in the building scattered across different rooms.

There was a common sitting room with a worn sofa and a black-andwhite TV and a kitchen. The décor was basic Americana froufrou.

“Let me show you Lee’s room,” she said. Had Oswald spent the rest of his life in a jail cell it would have seemed spacious compared to this tiny room that contained simply a bed, chest of drawers and a chair. Here a 24-year-old loner likely thought through killing the most important person in the world, who had lived all is life in spacious mansions.

After the assassination, and with Dallas in turmoil, Oswald returned

briefly to the house that afternoon to get a jacket. (He had left his other one in the book depository.) That tiny room would provide his last moment of solitude. From there he began walking, with a pistol in his pocket, through the neighborhood.

By then the police were primed for a manhunt. We know the rest of the story: When a patrolling officer stopped the shooter, who no doubt looked suspicious, Oswald shot and killed him. He then ran into a nearby movie house where he was spotted, wrestled down, arrested and taken to jail by a band of eager cops.

From that day, Patricia Hall’s life has been one of remembering Oswald, largely for tips. She was 11 at the time, but claims to remember playing games with Oswald and some of the guys on the front lawn. Oswald would bring some notoriety to the neighborhood, but according to John, property values have generally stayed low. Neighborhoods of assassins are apparently soft on the market.

Not far away was another home where Oswald lived before his divorce from his Russian-born wife Marina. It was in the small backyard there that Oswald, dressed in black, posed for a picture, taken by Marina, showing him with a rifle and pistol and a copy of a newspaper called The Militant. That was the pose of a man with a mission.

The picture would eventually become famous from being on the cover of Life Magazine.

For Patricia Hall the case still is not totally closed. In the hours that followed the crime, she recalled, the FBI and other police rushed to the house. He grandmother watched as they entered Oswald’s room and carried away his possessions, as well as the towels and sheets. “They said they would return the sheets,” she said, “but they never did.”

Maybe one day there will be another knock on the door. n ARTHUR NEAD ILLUSTRATION