New Orleans Magazine May 2014 by Renaissance Publishing

MAY 2014

myneworleans.com

$4.95

WYES Presents NOVA “D’Day’s Sunken Secrets”

april/may 2014 | www.acadianaprofile.com

May 2014 VOLUME 48 NUMBER 8 Editor 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 Lauren LaBorde Staff Writer Melanie Warner Spencer Intern Lexi Wangler Senior Account ExecutiveS

Jonée Daigle Ferrand, Kate Sanders Account Executives

Sarah Daigle, Elizabeth Schindler Sales Assistant Erin Maher Azar, Jenni Buckley Web/Production Manager Staci McCarty Production Designers Antoine Passelac, Ali Sullivan Chief Executive Officer Todd Matherne President Alan Campell Executive VICE PRESIDENT/Editor-in-Chief Errol Laborde Vice President of Sales Colleen Monaghan DIRECTOR OF MARKETING AND EVENTS Kristi Ferrante Distribution Manager Christian Coombs Administrative Assistant Denise Dean SUBSCRIPTIONS Erin Duhe

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 (504) 828-1380 Subscription Hotline:

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

Online at MyNewOrleans.com

New Orleans Magazine (ISSN 0897 8174) is published monthly by Renaissance Publishing, LLC., 110 Veterans Blvd., Suite 123, Metairie, LA 70005; (504) 8281380. Subscription rates: one year $19.95; Mexico, South America and Canada $48; Europe, Asia and Australia $75. An associate subscription to New Orleans Magazine is available by a contribution of $40 or more to WYES-TV/Channel 12, $10.00 of which is used to offset the cost of publication. Also available electronically, on CD-ROM and on-line. Periodicals postage paid at Metairie, LA, and additional entry offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to New Orleans Magazine, 110 Veterans Blvd., Suite 123, Metairie, LA 70005. Copyright 2014 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

EAST MEETS SOUTH PAGE

FEATURES 62 east meets south Asian cuisines and regional flavors are combing into one pho pot. by Dale Curry 72 men and their cakes Guys sharing their recipes by Bonnie Warren 76 Proof of pampering A burgeoning spa business is Rubbing it in. by Melanie Warner Spencer

IN EVERY ISSUE

ON THE COVER

8 12 14 135 136

Iris’ Gulf Shrimp in Coconut Broth from our “East Meets South” feature. Turn to page 62 to check out more delicious recipes.

INSIDE “One Banh Mi, Extra Gravy Please” speaking out Editorial, plus a Mike Luckovich cartoon JULIA STREET Questions and answers about our city Try This “The Natchez Isn’t Just for Tourists” STREETCAR “The Road to West End”

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Photographed by Eugenia Uhl

PERSONA PAGE

CONTENTS THE BEAT 20 22 24 26 28 30 32 34 36

MARQUEE Entertainment calendar PERSONA “Joy the Baker,” Joy Wilson newsbeat “Beignets in the Register” Biz “Low Orbit: Michoud is engineering a comeback” Education “How to Design a School Board” newsbeat “Port Invests in the Dream” HEALTHBEAT The latest news in health from New Orleans and beyond Crime Fighting “The Legacy of Harold Myers” newsbeat “Good Numbers for Airport”

MUSIC PAGE

LOCAL COLOR 40 44 46 48

50 52 54 56

THE SCOOP “New Orleans Second Lines Continue Their Traditions” music “Rummaging Through the Rack” Read & Spin A look at the latest albums and books CAST OF CHARACTERS “Gianna Salande: Making miracles at St. Alphonsus” MODINE’S NEW ORLEANS “LOL: Smartphone adventures” Joie d’Eve “Gaining Control” CHRONICLES “Typecast:” New Orleans printers HOME “Antiques Dealer Gay Wirth’s Home”

THE MENU 84 86 88 90

table talk “Steak Houses of Different Styles” restaurant insider “The Sammich, Rio Mar and Waffles on Maple” LAST CALL “2 GINGERS Honey Ginger Stream” DINING GUIDE

DIAL 12 D1 Reshaping a Greater New Orleans: Criminal Justice ~ Change By Decree premieres on WYES-TV/Channel 12 on Thurs., May 15 at 7 p.m. The program measures the impact of the police and jail consent decrees. WYES and The National World War II Museum invite the public to a free screening of NOVA “D’Day’s Sunken Secrets” on Thurs., May 22, at The National World War II Museum’s Solomon Victory Theater. Reservations are a must and are available at wyes.org. If you can’t make the screening, be sure to tune in on May 28 at 8 p.m. Mark your calendars for June 13 & 14 for the highly anticipated WYES beer tastings at Mardi Gras World. Go to wyes.org for all event details.

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TABLE TALK PAGE

IN SID E

One Banh Mi, Extra Gravy Please

y “ sloppy roast d u c k ” poor boy was

dressed with mayo, pickled vegetables, herbs and spicy pork pâté. This was a long way from the standard roast beef dressed with gravy poor boy, but cultural influences often take international leaps. Technically the sandwich before me was known as a banh mi, the Vietnamese version of what we think of as a poor boy. Restaurateurs encourage the association, including on the menu at MoPho where there is no attempt to describe the sandwich as anything other than a “po-boy.” Many places have their own version of a sandwich made on elongated bread. Vietnamese in Philadelphia might sell a “Vietnamese Hoagie,” in New York perhaps a “Vietnamese submarine.” What distinguishes our classic poor boy though, is the local version of French bread; mostly perfected by German bakers, with an outside crispiness found nowhere else. Here though is where the banh mi provides stiff competition. There are those, and I know this dances with heresy – and I am not saying it’s an overwhelming trend – who say that the baguette used for the banh mi is actually better than our native French bread. French baking techniques are used in the Vietnamese version, which has the added advantage of rice flower mixed with wheat that provides an extra lightness. In a town dominated by Leidenheimer, Dong Phuong, a Vietnamese bakery on Chef Menteur Highway has become the leading purveyor of the banh mi bread. All food is fusion, including the recipes featured in our cover story, and the imagination wonders where current fusion will take us. Traditional New Orleans bread pudding, for example, was made with leftover French bread. Could banh mi bread pudding be in our future? Or maybe the bread is so good, there will not be any left over at all.

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O N TH E WEB

IT’S SNOW BALL TIME It’s almost summertime in New Orleans, which means snow ball season is here. Check out writer Kristen Himmelberg’s story on where to get your snow ball fix in New Orleans, including old favorites and new stands on the scene, at MyNewOrleans.com/snowballs.

FOOD AND FESTING IN ACADIANA The spring issue of sister publication Acadiana Profile is on newsstands. This month features festival fashions, New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival and Festival International de Louisiane, and four new Acadiana restaurants worth trying. Visit AcadianaProfile.com to see the issue.

“LIKE” US ON FACEBOOK For daily updates from MyNewOrleans.com, information on upcoming events and stuff that’s buzzing around the web, be sure to like us on Facebook. Visit our page at Facebook.com/NewOrleansMagazine, give us a like, and be sure to comment and join the conversation!

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S P E A KI N G O U T

May 2014, Into the Future

his month is an important one in chronicling the city ’ s

history, both politically and historically. Mitch Landrieu will have been inaugurated to his second term as mayor of New Orleans as will a city council with three of seven new members. By sheer coincidence their four years will correspond to the buildup toward celebrating the city’s tricentennial in 2018. The actual date on which New Orleans was incorporated as a city was May 7, 1718. Landrieu and the council will get to pilot the city through the end of its first three centuries. Amazingly through war, pestilence, crime, tropical events and one of the worst flooding disasters in American history, New Orleans reaches its tricentennial generally beloved and physically in decent shape. There will never be a perfect moment in the city’s history, but there are times when we should be able to step back and say that our city is a good place to live. Now is such a time. Many cities cannot make such a boast. Historically some executives – governor, presidents and mayors – have stumbled badly during their second term, a situation often compounded by warring factions and approaching lame duck status. Nevertheless, second terms, which are often less burdened by purely political considerations, can also be a time to achieve greatness. Landrieu, whose second term could be diverted by a run for the governorship, has a chance to deliver the city to the doorstep of its tricentennial as a city that works. There are those who still exploit race as a political tool, but as a strong bi-racial middle class emerges such tactics should soon be tossed into the heap of bygone politics. Few mayoral appointments are as important as that of police chief. For Landrieu’s choice, Ronal Serpas, the next four years are his chance to make a major mark in shaping the department. Few police chiefs ever last through two four-year mayoral terms.

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Serpas, who has had the full support of Landrieu, might. Over the next few years there will be the guidelines of the federal consent decree to implement. Those plus reforms already in place could make Serpas the leader of a much better department than what he took over. Last month the city council abolished residency requirements, which had the effect of limiting the pool of potential recruits. Now the chief can search for the best nationwide. Though everyone is talking about the tricentennial, we know of few efforts other than at City Park, which has targeted its master plan to be completed by then, though most will have been in place by that date. Our friends at WYES-TV, working with the Historic New Orleans Collection, also are planning special presentations. As for a civic contribution, we have urged before and will do so again, that the lakefront be made a priority for the anniversary. The river is well celebrated but its big bend alone would not have made the area a desirable place to build a city had it not been for a lake and its outlets, which increased the commerce opportunities. At the very least we hope the tricentennial provides a lakefront tower to draw attention to an underutilized resource. This month opens the doors to many possibilities for the next four years. May we see the emergence of a golden age in esprit and cooperation. New Orleans has a great story to tell. Now is a chance to make the story even better.

AN ORIGINAL ©MIKE LUCKOVICH CARTOON FOR NEW ORLEANS MAGAZINE

JULIA STREET

W IT H P O YD R A S THE PARROT

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

Dear Julia and Poydras, My late mother grew up in the 1920s and used to talk about a Prohibition-era soft drink called Whistle. Have you ever heard of it? Do you have any idea of its flavor? Sincerely yours, Harold Ramier River Ridge

Whistle was a product of the Whistle Bottling Company of New Orleans, Inc., a short-lived franchise that operated only from 1919 to ’26. When Whistle opened its factory at 416-418 Canal St. in April 1919, New Orleans was already acquainted with the Chattanooga-based sweet orange beverage. At the time, at least seven other Whistle factories were in operation at: Chattanooga, Tenn.; Dallas; Evansville, Ind.; Greenville, S.C.; St. Louis; Birmingham; and New York City. Daily output of the New Orleans plant was 24,000 bottles. As Whistle established itself in the New Orleans market, it made a point of touting its simplicity and purity. It was said to have contained only three ingredients: pure Louisiana cane sugar, orange juice and triple-distilled water. One wonders, however, just how much sugary goodness was crammed into each bottle; I suspect it was a staggering amount. Whistle’s period advertisements made a point to tell

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

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PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY THE HISTORIC NEW ORLEANS COLLECTION

consumers the product’s cloudiness simply “denotes its rich substance” and that the drink was “full of rich goodness and energy.” Whistle later moved further out along Canal Street but it didn’t remain in the New Orleans market very long. The Whistle Bottling Company of New Orleans liquidated in 1926.

Dear Julia, After viewing the movie, Philomena, I seem to remember many years ago riding the streetcar, and on the corner of Peniston Street and St. Charles Avenue there was a large stone home used for unwed mothers. This was in the 1960s and early ’70s. I have looked it up and have really found nothing on the house or group that ran it. Is there a site or any information on the home with which you can enlighten me? Carl Scully N ew O rle a ns

The facility you’re recalling was the Volunteers of American Maternity Home at 1514 Peniston St., between St. Charles Avenue and Pitt Street. In midJanuary 1964, in response to increasing community demand for maternity and childcare services, VOA broke ground for a larger and more modern nursery. The VOA Maternity Home on Peniston Street remained in operation through the 1970s. Open all hours, it was described in a newspaper listing of local charities as being a treatment-oriented group home for expectant mothers who could receive services there for up to six months. The facility charged what it described as “basic medical fees” and served the metropolitan New Orleans area.

Dear Julia and Poydras, For years I’ve been intrigued by a little brick structure on Loyola University’s campus, tucked away between the back of Holy Name of Jesus Church and Marquette Hall. It was apparently built as a seismic observatory and dedicated in the memory of a young man named Nicholas D. Burke. Can you please let me know if it still serves its original purpose? Also, do you know anything about the Burke boy in whose honor it was built? Thank you. Shannen Dolenson N ew O rleans

Nicholas Daniel Burke was the oldest son of prominent wholesale grocer William P. Burke and his wife, Mary A. Cahill. Intelligent and well regarded by his teachers and classmates, young Nicholas was considered to be one of Loyola College’s top students. He died suddenly of blood poisoning in July 1909 at 15 years old. He was laid to rest in Metairie Cemetery. The following year, Burke’s family asked Loyola officials how best to honor their late son, who had an aptitude for science. When a seismic observatory was proposed, the Burkes underwrote its construction in Nicolas’ memory. Built in 1910, the Nicholas D. Burke Seismic Observatory was the newest in a series of 15 such earthquake detection laboratories the Society of Jesus operated at Jesuit institutions throughout the United States and Canada. Measuring only 20-by-20 feet and standing only 18 feet high, the tiny building was equipped with two Wiechert 80 kilogram seismographs, one horizontal and the other vertical. The observatory remains in use.

myneworleans.com

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Dear Julia, I know the bronze statue of Benjamin Franklin that now stands in Lafayette Square isn’t the original marble one which Hiram Powers sculpted in the 1870s, but I know nothing about the present statue. Can you enlighten me? Guisele Markel Lafayette

Henry Wadsworth Gustine, a Civil War veteran and resident of Chicago, often visited New Orleans, always stopping to pay his regards to the statue of Benjamin Franklin in Lafayette Square. Gustine continued his pilgrimage for more than 40 years, but one day he arrived to find the statue had been removed and a vacant pedestal left in its place. Weather and time had compromised the pedestal’s structural integrity and damaged the statue. Consequently, the city thought it best to take the statue down and store it at the public library. Unfortunately, there was no money to commission a replacement statue. Having visited New Orleans and found his beloved statue had been removed, Gustine was distressed to hear the city lacked the means to replace it. Returning to Chicago, Gustine raised enough money to commission a new bronze statue of Benjamin Franklin, which the aged veteran donated to the city of New Orleans. Before it could be installed, something had to be done about the original pedestal, which was not sufficiently sound to bear the weight of the new statue. The New Orleans Typothetae and other printers’ organizations came to the rescue. In recognition of Benjamin Franklin’s contributions to the printing industry, the groups donated a new pedestal. 16

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Dear Julia, My grandfather used to tell me about Sam the Waffle Man. He would make me so jealous when he’d describe the hot and fresh sugar-dusted waffles people used to be able to buy from people like Sam, who used to travel though local neighborhoods, peddling all sorts of delicious things. Can you tell me anything else about Sam? There were other waffle men, but Sam was Grandpa’s favorite. Michael Castain New Orleans

Although he’s fondly remembered as “Buglin’ Sam, the Waffle Man,” his name wasn’t Sam, it was Matthew Andrew Antoine Desire Dekemel. His father, also named Matthew Dekemel, started a waffle business when the family still lived in San Antonio. It was the younger Matthew who, in the 1920s and ’30s, sold hot waffles throughout New Orleans. Bugles have no valves, and as such, are not especially well-suited to subtle musical expression. It would be a mistake, however, to dismiss Matthew Dekemel as just being a waffle seller who tooted a regulation U.S. Army bugle to attract customers to his waffle wagon. Selling waffles was just his day job. At night, he was a professional jazz musician who played with Sharkey Bonano and Tony Almerico, and was heard on local radio. In later life, Matthew Dekemel was a policeman, and when he retired from law enforcement, called races at the New Orleans Fair Grounds. He died in 1967 at the age of 64.

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THEBEAT MARQUEE

PERSONA

BIZ

EDUCATION

HEALTH

CRIME FIGHTING

NEWS

persona:

Joy Wilson PAGE 22

L a n i T r o c k P H O T O G RA P H

myneworleans.com

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T HE BE A T OUR

MARQUEE

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

LAUREN

LABORDE

through the looking glass

ph o t o c o u r te s y o f n o m a . o r g

The NOLA Project is known for staging productions of Shakespeare plays in NOMA’s sculpture garden, but this May it stages an update on another familiar story. Andrew Larimer directs Pete McElligott’s Adventures in Wonderland, a choose-your-ownadventure-style adaptation of the well-known story of Alice. Audiences can choose among three tracks depending on how active they want their viewing experience to be: they can follow the Red Queen as she attempts to take over Wonderland, they can dash madly around the garden with Alice and the Cheshire Cat or they can sit leisurely with chairs and blankets to take in the Mad Hatter’s tea party. The show runs Wednesday, Thursday, Sunday and two Fridays, May 7-25. Information, NOLAproject.com

Party on the Bayou

C H E R Y L G E R B E R P H O T O G RA P H

Spend time along Bayou St. John before New Orleans’ oppressive summer commences, especially because May festivals provide plenty of reasons. For some bayou booty popping, the free Mid-City Bayou Boogaloo (May 16-18) includes Big Freedia among three stages worth of music, along with food vendors, kids’ activities and an art market. New Orleans Greek Festival (May 23-25) provides Memorial Weekend fun with boxes of baklava, lamb spinning on the rotisserie, ouzo daiquiris and plenty occasion to yell “opa!” Wear a toga to get free admission on the Sunday of the fest. Information, TheBayouBoogaloo.com and GreekFestNola.com

May 6. Il Divo presents “A Musical Affair: The Greatest Songs of Broadway Live,” Saenger Theatre. Information, SaengerNola.com May 7, 14, 21 and 28. YLC Wednesday at the Square,

Lafayette Square. Information, WednesdayAtTheSquare.com May 9. Ogden Museum of Southern Art’s Sippin’ In Seersucker, The Shops at Canal Place. Information, OgdenMuseum.org

In a city where every day could be called a “wine and food experience,” the New Orleans Wine & Food Experience (May 21-24) takes it to the extreme. On the wine side, there are wine dinners at restaurants around the city and the Vinola tasting of high-end bottles; food events include the massive Grand Tasting and the Big Gateaux Show, in which pastry chefs showcase sweets alongside burlesque dancers. The favorite Royal Street Stroll is a total takeover of the French Quarter street with wine and food tents. Information, nowfe.com

May 9-24. Young Frankenstein at Rivertown Theaters. Information, RivertownTheaters. com

C H E R Y L G E R B E R P H O T O G RA P H

NOWFE

May 9, 10, 11, 17, 23 and 30. New Orleans Film Society’s Moonlight Movies, various locations. Information, NewOrleansFilmSociety.org

May 9-24. Death of a Salesman at Le Petit Théatre. Information, LePetitTheatre.com

May 10. NOBA presents Parsons Dance, Mahalia

NOBA presents Parsons Dance, May 10

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C H E R Y L G E R B E R P H O T O G RA P H

For every tribute it seems to be the person is already dead. I wanted to pay homage to someone whose music changed my life, and I wanted to do it now and not wait for them to be dead. (Choosing Erykah Badu) was a no-brainer for me, because I’m such a fan. I worked in radio for years, and at the particular time her music came out I had been bombarded with all types of music, and I was disgusted. She came out with a message, and that saved music for me. What about Badu’s music speaks to you? In particular, as a black woman, I think she spoke so plain. There’s an unspoken language among us as black woman. It’s a knowing. And that’s something she was able to bring out in her music that we had conversations about it. She was like a girlfriend next door. It’s like she went into our dairies, went in our heads, in such a profound way … proclaiming her beauty and our beauty in her music, our strength, our downfalls, SPOTLIGHT After debuting at the New Orleans Fringe our triumphs. At that time it was all cookieFestival in 2009 and travelling to Houston cooker, bubblegum bullshit – there was no and Oklahoma City, New Orleans writmessage. She also opened the door for sever and producer Pamela Davis-Noland’s eral other artists: Jill Scott came through Badu-izms: A Tribute to Erykah, a musical Pamela Davis-Noland talks about that door, Lauryn Hill came, lots of strong tribute to the neo-soul goddess, returns her tribute to Erykah Badu. black woman. She was saying, “I’m here, I’m to New Orleans May 11 at its biggest locastrong, I’m beautiful, I’m black, it’s my mestion yet, The Joy Theater. This tribute has sage.” It gave me a voice to say this is exactly how I feel … I extra cachet: Davis-Noland got blessing from the artist herself feel like I’m that woman in my work. when she talked to Badu backstage at the New Orleans Jazz & The Joy Theater is the show’s biggest venue yet. It started from Heritage Festival in 2009 (she also got legal clearance to use humble beginnings on St. Claude Avenue, and we took it all Badu’s music). Davis-Noland says Badu’s mother and sister the way to other cities and now it’s back to New Orleans on have seen the show, in which Badu’s catalogue is interpreted Canal Street. It’s our first time doing a theater like this. The show through musical vignettes, but she’s hoping for Erykah to make started as a rag-tag, shoestring budget Fringe Fest show, now an appearance this year. “We have not been blessed with Miss it’s this amazing thing. Every time we do it, Erykah has a new Erykah’s presence yet … but we’re crossing our fingers for the song or message, and we incorporate it every time. The music Mother’s Day show,” she says. “She’s always invited.” Davischanges every time, the cast and even the scenes change, but Noland talked to us about the show. the message is still the same. It’s about women, empowerment, How did the idea come about? The idea came about in 2006 … I love and relationships. saw a production at Dillard University that was a tribute to Fats For more information on Badu-izms: A Tribute to Erykah, visit Waller. Watching it, I wanted to pay tribute to someone with TheJoyTheater.com. music in that way.

to badu

Jackson Theater. Information, NobaDance.com May 11. Spoon in concert, Civic Theatre. Information, CivicNola.com

May 12. Modest Mouse in concert, Civic Theatre. Information, CivicNola.com

May 24. “Walking Dead” Escape experience, MercedesBenz Superdome. Information, TheWalkingDeadEscape.com

May 13-18. War Horse, Saenger Theater. Information, SaengerNola.com

May 31. Tune-Yards, Sylvan Esso in concert, Republic NOLA. Information, RepublicNola.com

Arena Football – New Orleans Voodoo, May 24, 30

31-June 1. New Orleans Oyster Fest. Information, NewOrleansOysterFestival.org

May 24, 30. Arena Football – New Orleans Voodoo games, Smoothie King Center. Information, AFLVoodoo.com

New Orleans Oyster Fest, May 31-June 1

myneworleans.com

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T HE BE A T

PERSONA

Joy Wilson aka “Joy the Baker” BY LAUREN LABORDE

t f eel s a b i t s u r r e a l whe n J o y W i l s o n w a l k s

up to me on Royal Street, brandishing a basket of tiny strawberry cream scones. Before this moment I hadn’t actually met Wilson, but I felt like I knew her – along with thousands of other strangers on the Internet. Wilson runs the popular Joy the Baker blog (JoyTheBaker.com) which, as the name implies, includes recipes for baked treats but also gorgeously photographed soups, smoothies, sandwiches and whatever else piques Wilson’s envie. Sure, everyone with an Instagram account may consider herself a food blogger these days, but Joy the Baker has gotten accolades from London Times and Saveur, which led to a cookbook deal. Wilson was previously based in L.A., but to the delight of her New Orleans fans she now calls the French Quarter her home. I met with Wilson and talked to her about her blog and her recent move while I struggled not to scarf down all those scones in one sitting. Is it weird that strangers know so much about your life? I think it’s really cool. It feels strange sometimes but it’s definitely a privilege to have people feel like they know me; I really like that. I was sitting on my balcony the other day and at my house having a little cocktail, and some girl walked by and was like “JOY THE BAKER!” And I was like “Wow, that’s crazy.” And also, I’m at my house, which is sort of weird. She definitely knows where I live now. What lead to moving to New Orleans? The crawfish (laughs). A lot of it had to do with the food, though. I felt very lucky in California 22

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because a lot of the food is really incredible and also pretty specific. California healthy, or Mexican influence – there’s all kinds of food in California. I felt like there wasn’t really anything going on here represented well in California. When I would come here to visit – I think I’ve been here six times in the last few years, the last year and a half, I’ve come a lot – the food and the people are so special. I just wanted to be inspired by it, so that’s why I moved. Also it’s much cheaper to live here than Los Angeles. How did Joy the Baker start? My dad taught me how to bake; he was just a really enthusiastic home cook. And as soon as I could get a job, which was like 15, I went to work at an ice cream shop. So I’ve always worked in the food service industry, and I would finagle my way into baking jobs because I loved it but I didn’t have the experience. So I had this trick of always bringing baked goods to my job interviews: like, here’s these cookies I

At a Glance

Age: 32 Born/raised: Los Angeles, Calif. Education: Cal State University, Northridge Favorite movie: Vertigo Favorite TV show: “The Fugitive” Favorite band/musician: Fleetwood Mac Favorite restaurant: Boucherie Favorite FOOD: Biscuits, extra butter Favorite HOBBY: “Really fast bicycle riding without a helmet. Don’t be like me.” Favorite BOOK: East of Eden Favorite vacation spot: Costa Rica M i c h a el F r i ed m a n P H O T O G RA P H

baked for you, but also I’m showing you that I know how to bake. Because I had to fudge my resume. I worked in bakeries as I was putting myself through school and when I was done with school – I studied English literature – I thought, I’m not a writer right now because I’m not writing, but I am a baker right now because I’m baking every day, because I go to this job at 3 in the morning and that’s what I actually am. I started blogging some of the stuff I was making in the bakery. I’d go home and blog after that, and that’s how it started, six years ago. It was crazy (juggling both), but I think I like to work a lot. I learned this about myself: I always have to be working. I used to have two restaurant jobs, then I would do my blog at night. I’d get up in the morning, try to make something for the blog before I go into my first restaurant job, shoot it, badly – I’m a self-taught photographer, too – I’d go do my jobs, and then at 1 in the morning when the restaurant staff is all going out for drinks and stuff I’d say, “I’m going to go home and work on my blog.” My friends made so much fun of me. They didn’t understand why I wouldn’t go out drinking instead of going home to write about muffins. I didn’t have a really good reason because my job wasn’t paying my bills at all, it was just something I was totally obsessed with, and so I got so much ridicule. But it worked out. What was the first thing that happened that made you realize it was catching on? I think it was maybe three years ago, I realized

I was trudging along, doing my blog, maybe 50 people were reading it, which was awesome. But then I got named one of the 50 best food blogs by the London Times and I was like, what is that? This is really a thing a bunch of people are doing. It made me feel like, oh, I think can really turn this into a thing that I do for a while. You have a cookbook out now and you’re working on a new one. My second cookbook comes out Oct. 14. It’s called

Homemade Decadence. It’s just really special, rich treats that any home cook could make. It’s not stuff that’s dumbed down – it’s still really special and takes a little patience and skill, but it’s meant to be approachable. There’s a whole brunch chapter, which I’m really into. Then things like cookies and pies and a whole ice cream chapter. It feels like something you would reach for when you want to make something sweet, because everything’s in there. What advice would you give people to kick-start their baking hobby? I think it’s best to start with something basic and get

really good at that, because baking is about proportions – you can’t really mess up those proportion. Like biscuits are three cups flour, one and a half cups of the liquid, and that isn’t negotiable or you’ll come out with something totally different. To that you can add blueberries, strawberries, chocolate chips, whatever you want, but that ratio has to be set in stone. And so I think learning what the ratios are and how to respect certain ratios is key to starting to bake. There are so many things that can go wrong. When people ask me questions, like “Why is my cookie flat?” Well there are probably millions of reasons why your cookies are flat. But if you learn the proportions and a few techniques, I think you’ll be good. What do you make on lazy days when you need to feed yourself but aren’t going to blog about it? Scrambled eggs and corn

tortillas with Crystal hot sauce and whatever vegetable I can shove in there – it’s really not glamorous. And then I stand in the kitchen, just blank my mind and stand there and eat it. It’s so good. True confession: I don’t actually have a huge sweet tooth. I would always choose potato chips over chocolate chip cookies. myneworleans.com

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Beignets in the Register The Southern Food and Beverage Museum (SoFab) announced a new and distinct project this year, the National Culinary Heritage Register, a list of culinary products, processes, inventions, traditions and establishments that are at least 60 years old and have contributed significantly to the development of American cuisine and its culture. Qualifications for the register include: An association with the origin of, or a take on, a distinctly American food or beverage; an association with the origin of, or being well-known for, a specific regional food or beverage; or an association with a traditional and/or uniquely American way of preparing a food or beverage. Though SoFab focuses on Southern Food, the Culinary Heritage Register is a national project, and so its first listings include the McGinnis Sisters Special Food Stores of Pittsburgh, Penn., West Hollywood, Calif.’s Dominick’s Restaurant and our own Historic

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French Market in New Orleans. “We are honored to be included and recognized as a culinary heritage site,” says Amy Kirk Duvoisin, French Market Marketing Director, of the recognition. “The French Market is a place I have known since childhood,” adds Jon Smith, SoFab’s Executive Director. “It is crucial to me that we maintain our connection to the true food culture of New Orleans. Our placement on the National Culinary Heritage Registry confirms what we locals have known all along.” SoFab is also responsible for bringing the city events such as The History of Brewing in New Orleans, a presentation on brewing hops in the Big Easy; Kids’ Menu: Storytelling with Nancy Wilson of Mam Papaul’s Food Products; and a series on New Orleans’ Best Ethnic Restaurants with Ann Benoit, author of Broussard’s Restaurant and Courtyard Cookbook. – L E X I W A N G L E R

c he r yl ge r be r ph o t o g r a ph

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T HE BE A T

BIZ

SNC’s Dream Chaser on the runway at NASA’s Dryden Flight Research Center

Low Orbit

Michoud is engineering a comeback B y K a t h y F inn

o r n e a r ly 3 0 ye a r s the e a s te r n New O r le a n s

industrial site loosely known as Michoud was well known for one reason: It was where Lockheed Martin – and its predecessor company, Martin Marietta – built the external fuel tanks used by NASA’s space shuttles. More than 130 of the massive tanks rolled out of the Michoud Assembly Facility before NASA pulled the plug on the shuttle program in 2010. Today, a single fuel tank stands outside the main plant at Michoud, serving as both a remnant of an era and a reminder of the difficulty of returning this sprawling industrial park to full productivity. The task is, indeed, a challenge. But as the past 18 months have shown, the mission may not be impossible. Recently, officials from Lockheed Martin – one of the major tenants still working at the site – joined with executives from partnering company Sierra Nevada Corporation to announce progress on a new space-related project at Michoud. The two companies have teamed up to build a new “space plane” that’s designed to shuttle passengers to and from the International Space Station and provide transportation for other types of activities in the realm known as “low Earth orbit.” The seven-passenger vehicle, which its designers have dubbed Dream Chaser, will look like a little brother to the original space shuttle, with its wings modified into an upward tilt and with a much smaller cargo capacity. Sierra Nevada Vice President Mark Sirangelo says Dream Chaser is a multipurpose craft that could be used to do equipment mainte26

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nance in space, and eventually could become the vehicle of choice for private citizens yearning to take a flight into the great beyond. The company, in fact, is one of the contractors working with Virgin Airlines founder Richard Branson to develop Virgin Galactic as the world’s first commercial space line. “Dream Chaser is a space utility vehicle that will be usable by many people,” Sirangelo says. “It’s going to spend a lot of time running back and forth into space.” Sierra Nevada contracted with Lockheed Martin to build Dream Chaser after becoming one of three companies vying to develop a new generation of commercial space vehicles for NASA. Both of its rivals – SpaceX and Boeing – are designing wingless capsules that would land by splashing down in an ocean. Dream Chaser, on the other hand, is a “lifting body” craft that would launch from atop an Atlas 5 rocket and re-enter the Earth’s atmosphere horizontally, landing on a runway just like any other airplane. Sirangelo says any runway that can accommodate a Boeing 737 will be able to receive Dream Chaser, meaning it could land in airports throughout the world. At Michoud, Lockheed will build the Dream Chaser’s frame, wings, rudder and other components using a process that shapes carbon fibers into tough composite materials. When complete, the structure will be shipped to other sites for final assembly of the vehicle. Because the composite process at Michoud is highly mechanized, the project employs only 15 workers, but the good news for the local economy is, much more work is under way at Michoud. Dream Chaser is one of three local projects Lockheed Martin has ph o t o c o u r te s y o f NASA

under way. Since 2011, the company has been working on the Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle program, building a capsule designed for NASA’s use in deep space. More recently the company has begun building fuel tanks that will hold liquefied natural gas, capitalizing on Louisiana’s shale-fracking industry. The company has a contract from a Finnish company to build two of the 90-foot tanks, and more contracts are likely to follow. All together, Lockheed’s projects are keeping some 300 workers busy at Michoud. At the same time, and under the same roof, Boeing is at work on a new Space Launch System for NASA that eventually will carry Lockheed’s Orion capsule into deep space. Meanwhile, to help replace more of the jobs lost when the old space shuttle program ended, local economic developers are chasing commercial enterprises that might be interested in becoming a tenant at Michoud. Within the last two years, wind turbine manufacturer Blade Dynamics set up shop in the park, as did film and video producer Big Easy Productions. Activity at Michoud also got a boost from a large new building for the U.S. Coast Guard that houses the base support unit and a new exchange facility, or PX, on the campus. In addition, Michoud is home to the USDA’s National Finance Center, which employs some 1,300 people; the National Center for Advanced Manufacturing, which supports projects such as the composite manufacturing for Dream Chaser; and B-K Manufacturing, a provider of services to the aerospace industry. Roy Malone, NASA’s director of the Michoud Assembly Facility, says that while the industrial site is a long way from its peak employment of some 6,000 people during the heyday of the space shuttle program, the return of so much activity to the site is a hopeful sign. Michoud’s current managers are aiming to offset the costs of operating the facility and further grow employment by targeting more commercial tenants. “Now in this factory we have a multi-tenant work force, with NASA programs in progress right across the aisles from commercial activities,” Malone says. He says that a decade ago, during the latter years of the space shuttle program, slightly more than 3,000 people worked at in various programs at Michoud. “Today we are over 3,000 employees once again,” he says.

Bulking up at Michoud

Jacobs Technology Inc. currently oversees the daily operations of the Michoud Assembly Facility, under contract with NASA. The company is working to help increase the number of commercial tenants sharing space with big government contractors and can both pay rent to NASA and tap into the services available on-site, including a testing lab, machine shop capabilities and services of the National Center for Advanced Manufacturing. Tenants that currently call Michoud home include: • The Boeing Company, developing the next-generation human-rated deep space rocket, the Space Launch System; • Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company, building the Orion MultiPurpose Crew Vehicle, portions of Sierra Nevada’s Dream Chaser plane and fuel tanks to hold liquefied natural gas; • National Center for Advanced Manufacturing, a partnership of NASA, the state, University of New Orleans and Louisiana State University; • USDA’s National Finance Center, providing data center hosting and payroll and personnel support for 640,000 federal employees; • U.S. Coast Guard’s base support unit and exchange facility; • Blade Dynamics, a UK manufacturer of advanced wind turbine rotors; • B-K Manufacturing, an Alabama provider of hardware and components for government and private contractors. myneworleans.com

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T HE BE A T

EDUCATION

How to Design a School Board There needs to be a better way by D awn R u t h

tate officials are itching to rid themselves of

the responsibility of overseeing most of New Orleans’ public schools, but even after a half-dozen years of study, no one has devised a return plan that isn’t fraught with risk. Yet there’s a perfectly sound solution to the problem: The character of the Orleans Parish School Board needs change so that it reflects the reality of the current education landscape. That transformation can only be accomplished by changing the way board members are elected. The only way to reduce the friction and self-serving power plays dominating the school board for most of the past 30 years is to return to an all at-large member board. All seven members should be elected with the support of the majority of the voters of the city. Before 2005, the school system was made up of scores of neighborhood schools, but after Katrina swept so many of them away only a handful were left. Nowadays more than 90 percent of the city’s students attend open enrollment charters schools that collect 28

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students by bus from all over the city. Everything has changed for schools, students and parents, yet the school board is still stuck in the past: its membership is divided into seven districts, which means each member is elected from a small part of the city. This seven-district pie creates a situation where members frequently push conflicting agendas based on the narrow interests of their constituents or their own self-serving desires. No one is elected to serve the interests of the city as a whole. Such a structure only leads to constant bickering and policy stalemates as illustrated by the current board’s long delay in hiring a new superintendent. According to a 2010 report by the Bureau of Governmental Research and Tulane University’s Cowen Institute, the sub-district trend for school board make-up developed in the United States four decades ago with the intention of increasing diversity in membership. The report says that in 1987, the OPSB switched to a board consisting of five-district elected members and two at-large members. In ’92, the report says the board eliminated both at-large members and replaced them with district members. J OS E P H D ANI E L FI E D L E R I L L US T RA T ION

Obviously, that change didn’t work out. By 2005, the board was running one of the worst school districts in the country and the feds were rooting around in OPSB financial records looking for missing money. Not too long afterwards, one of its former chairmen was convicted of corruption and sent to prison. The state’s decision to seize the “failing” schools after the storm was the best thing to ever happen to New Orleans public school children. In less than a decade, the state’s Recovery School District’s willingness to turn school operations over to semi-independent charter operators has resulted in astonishing results. Last year, the Louisiana Department of Education reported that “only 5.7 percent of [New Orleans] students attend a failing school today – down from 65 percent in 2005.” Only the highest performing of the state’s RSD charter schools are eligible to return to OPSB control under present state policies, but so far none have been willing to take the step. That reluctance isn’t surprising. What school leaders with historical memory would want to plunge their schools back in to the fractious, dysfunctional orb that surrounds OPSB politics? Reason says let well enough alone, but powerful people support the notion that schools must return to local control at some point, whether the RSD charters want to return or not. The toughest decision facing education policy makers is how to achieve that without risking the erosion of the gains of the past nine years. Numerous well-meaning civic-minded groups have spent countless hours debating how to restructure the school board in a way that would rid it of internal strife and the resulting incompetence. The conundrum is this: How to neutralize the conflicting political agendas that plague the elected governmental body governing the futures of thousands of school children? Most, if not all, of the proposals for restructuring the school board include vague references to replacing some elected officials with appointed members, presumably people with upstanding backgrounds and some kind of educational expertise. Bad idea, very bad idea. According to the BGR and Cowen Institute report, mayors have been given the authority to appoint school members in some of the nation’s school districts. A current school board member said in a recent political campaign that he supports mayoral appointments for New Orleans, but if fate is kind, this method will never gain traction. No offense intended to New Orleans’ current mayor, but recent history dictates skipping this option. Former Mayor Ray Nagin, self-described reformer turned felon, spent much of his second term in office padding his private bank account by exchanging cash for political favors. After spending days considering the evidence, a jury of his peers convicted him of taking bribes from city contractors. What kind of school board would the city have today if he had had the power to choose members from a list of his fellow crooks? One might argue that Nagin is an exception to the rule, but federal prisons have housed more than one New Orleans area mayor in the past few years. Nagin’s conviction followed Jefferson Parish Mayor Aaron Broussard’s trip to the pen for abusing political power. Three years before Broussard exchanged business suits for prison garb, Mandeville’s former mayor, Eddie Price, plead guilty to corruption charges. As the BGR and Cowen Institute said in 2010, “There is no perfect solution for school governance in New Orleans. But one thing is clear: We can and must improve upon past governance structures.” Amen to that sentiment. But the nation’s democratic traditions require an elected school board, and the only way to get one that looks to the future and not the past is to elect city-wide members who reflect the city’s needs as a whole entity. At the very least, the two-at-large members need to be restored. myneworleans.com

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N EWSBEAT

Port Invests in the Dream The idea of traveling for travel’s sake may seem foreign and easy to forget as we buy faster cars and fly in even faster planes. For the cruise ship industry, however, the old adage still holds true: Half the fun is in getting there. Residents of New Orleans, especially those who live downtown, are no strangers to cruise ship traffic and cruise ship tourists. The latter are always a source of a mild curiosity – tourists whose final destination isn’t New Orleans? According to Carnival Cruise Lines, that particular percentage of visitors to the Crescent City is about to rise. On Mon., April 14, New Orleans’ largest cruise ship to date, with a capacity of 3,646 passengers, arrived in the Port of New Orleans to begin year-round Caribbean departures. Predicted to carry more than 400,000 passengers from the port annually, the Carnival Dream commemorated its debut with the presentation and exchange of traditional maritime plaques between Carnival Cruise Lines and Port of New Orleans officials. Immediately after, the ship launched its maiden voyage on a six-day cruise through the Caribbean.

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To accommodate a vessel of Carnival Dream’s unprecedented size, the Port of New Orleans invested $2.3 million in upgrading and expanding the Erato Street Cruise Terminal. At 130,000 tons and 1,004 feet long, the Carnival Dream provides additional luxuries, such as: a 303-foot-long water slide; a 23,750-square-foot Cloud 9 Spa; more than two dozen bars, restaurants and lounges; a halfmile outdoor promenade circling the deck; and 1,823 staterooms and suites serviced by a staff of 1,367 crew members. The Carnival Dream builds on Carnival Cruise Lines’ position as the No. 1 cruise operator in New Orleans, with two year-round ships. In 2012, the Cruise Lines International Association conducted a study that found spending by Carnival and other cruise operators in Louisiana topped $399 million, generating 7,548 jobs and $294 million in personal income. Cruise Lines International Association also ranked New Orleans the sixth largest cruise port in the country. – L E X I W A N G L E R

ph o t o c o u r te s y o f c a r n i v a l - n ew s . c o m

HEALTHBEAT

The Hainkel Home

INTRODUCING NEW PARKSIDE RED UNIT: • Private and Semi- Private Rooms • Skilled Services including Speech, Physical, Occupational Therapy • Licensed Practical and Registered Nurses on duty 24 hours a day. • Respiratory & IV Therapy & Tracheotomy Care • Adult Day Health Care Services and more! 612 Henry Clay Avenue, New Orleans, LA 70118 Ph: 504.896.5904 Cell: 504.616.3714 Fax: 504.896.5904 32

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The consumer healthcare website Nerd Wallet Health analyzed 100 of the most common treatments at 89 of Louisiana’s largest hospitals to determine the most affordable hospitals in the state. Topping the list were the Baton Rouge Medical Center in Baton Rouge (ranking at No. 1 for

affordability for treatments such as shingles and hernia), the American Legion Hospital in Cowley (No. 2 for emphysema and pneumonia) and the LSU Medical Center in Shreveport (No. 3 for severe heartburn and spinal fusion). The rankings included only the top 10 hospitals, and New Orleans did not make the list.

In March The Lancent, a general medical and specialty journal, published findings associating smoke-free legislation with reduced hospital visits for asthma and in premature births. Researchers in the study concluded that smoke-free legislation “has the potential to reduce the substantive disease burden associated with second-hand smoke exposure, particularly in children.” Since its 2007 statewide smoking ban in public places, schools, workplaces and restaurants (excluding bars), legislation to attempt further bans in bars, casinos and to prohibit smoking within

25-feet of places where smoking already is banned has been rejected by the Louisiana State Legislature. The New York Times reported soon after the study was published in The Lancet that, “… the new analysis did not prove that smoke-free laws caused the improvements in children’s health.” Citing that researchers didn’t evaluate other possible contributing factors, such as taxes on tobacco products and advertisement bans. Citing the need for further studies, researchers said, “this study provides strong support for World Health Organization recommendations to create smoke-free environments.”

The Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center announced that 53 percent, or 92 of 175, LSUHSC New Orleans graduating medical students participating in the National Resident Match Program this year, chose to remain in Louisiana to complete medical training. “All of our residency programs filled,” Dr. Steve Nelson, Dean of the School of Medicine at LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans said in a

statement. “The increased number of positions – up to 182 this year – bodes well for Louisiana’s future. The supply of physicians practicing in Louisiana not only affects access to care, but also local economies and the larger state economy.” The statement also noted that the percentage of LSUHSC New Orleans medical graduates going into primary care rose from 43 percent in 2013 to 57 percent this year.

– MELANIE WARNER SPENCER

myneworleans.com

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T HE BEA T

CRIME FIGHTING

He Hoped to Help The legacy of Harold Myers by A llen J o h nson J r .

“I

t will be five years in May,” Donna Myers says. She is referring to the sudden death in 2009 of her husband, Harold Leland “Max” Myers Jr., an iconic 30-year employee at the Louisiana Workforce Commission. Myers, 54, died in a collision with a stolen truck that New Orleans police chased into Jefferson Parish. The four occupants included three 16-year-old New Orleans youths, who pleaded guilty and were sentenced in connection with Myers’ death. Today, nearly five years later, she says, the criminal penalties alone would never satisfy Harold “Max” Myers. “Harold would have wanted them to have jobs … provided they straighten out,” Donna Myers told me. In 2010, she attended the sentencing of the driver of the stolen truck. In an emotional address to Judge Robert Pitre of the 24th Judicial District Court 34

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in Metairie, she cited a passage from a previous New Orleans Magazine article about her late husband. “‘A friend lamented that Myers would have wanted to find a job for the person who was driving the stolen truck.’ Truer words were never spoken,” Donna Myers told the court. Bernardine Dupre, a 47-year employee of the state department of labor and Myers’ former supervisor, says “Max wanted to help people. He wouldn’t want to keep anybody down.” Myers’ passion for helping disadvantaged job seekers inspired the creation of a labor department service award, which he reluctantly accepted. “Max believed he had a job to do and he had to do it well,” says Dupre, now a manager of a New Orleans job placement office. “He didn’t need awards.” Or motivation. “He would take his own car and bring people to job interviews,” Dupre recalls, chuckling “He was passionate. He did anything to help you. He would stay at the office late – sometimes ’til 8 p.m. at night – to help employers” put people to work. He extolled tax credits available to employers who hired military veterans, ex-felons or inner-city youths seeking summer jobs. He helped job applicants stay afloat, showing them how to apply for food stamps and other public assistance. “He really cared about people,” Myers says. “He felt people deserved a second chance.” A native New Orleanian, Harold Myers attended New Orleans Academy. He played football at Nicholls State University then transferred to Louisiana State University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in 1976. He applied to the Louisiana Department of Labor in October ’77. There, he found work and love. Donna Terrebonne met Harold Myers briefly at his hiring interview. One year later, in November 1978, they were both employer representatives. She worked at the Job Service office at Houma while he was assigned to a branch at LaPlace. She recalls they began talking on the phone about office equipment issues. One day, her co-workers hosted a birthday party for her at the Thibodaux Job Service office. Harold appeared. “We began dating after that,” she recalls. There was more good news at the labor department that month. Louisiana’s stubborn unemployment rate fell to 5.9 percent in November 1978, down from 7.3 percent in November ’77. They got married. They had no children. During 27 years of marriage they did things together that many couples postpone until late in life – or never do at all. They traveled to all 50 states, visiting national parks, museums and major college football games, including the annual Army-Navy classic. They bought r o be r t l a n d r y I L L US T RA T ION

T-shirts at each game. They posed for pictures at “welcome” signs at each state. She retired from the labor department with 33 years of service. He had 31 years. He would keep working while they planned adventurous trips they would soon take together as a retired couple. “We wanted to travel to Europe. He loved seeing the United States. We had been to Alaska and the Yukon Territories. He wanted to go again,” Donna Meyers says. The night he died, Harold Myers had one year and four months left before his scheduled retirement from the labor department. On May 18, 2009, Harold Myers left a New Orleans Zephyrs baseball game that stretched into extra innings. Donna’s car was in the shop that night. Otherwise, she says, she probably would have been with him. He headed towards the Metairie home he shared with his wife and ailing mother. Around the same time, a New Orleans police officer reportedly obtained a supervisor’s permission to pursue a stolen 2004 Chevrolet Avalanche, then speeding toward Jefferson Parish. At the intersection of Bonnabel Boulevard and the Interstate-10 Service Road, the stolen truck blew through a red light. The Avalanche slammed into Myers’ car, dragging it 200 feet into a nearby building. Harold Myers died on the scene. Ironically, Louisiana’s unemployment rate jumped to 6.7 percent in May 2009; up from 4.0 percent at the same time in ’08. Donna Myers remarks to sentencing Judge Robert Pitre have lost none of its emotional power since her address to the court four years ago. “I miss Harold deeply,” she said then. “My life will never be the same. I will never see the deep love my husband showed me, the love that was so evident in his eyes when he looked at me. I will never be able to touch his wonderful loving face or feel his lips on my lips, never be able to hear his unmistakable voice say my name and say how much he loves me …” She admonished Christopher Williams, the teenage driver of the stolen truck who pleaded guilty to causing her husband’s death and to an unrelated armed robbery May 13, urging him to make the most of his 15-year prison sentence: “Take advantage and change; don’t ever put another family through this. Make a change for the better.” Afterward, Donna Myers continued to live in their Metairie home and care for her husband’s mother. Flora Mae Haik Myers died last November 2013; she was 83. On a recent day, Donna Myers sifted through Harold’s papers. She reads aloud from a letter of condolences from the owners of an oilfield service company based in Lafayette. “When we first started our company we had no employees,” she says. “Max was part of our growth.” In four years, the company expanded to 17 locations in two states, aided by Myers guidance”in hiring matters. After Hurricane Katrina, Myers volunteer and to speak to disadvantaged teens in Kenner about preparing to enter a competitive job market. “Life is unfair, and they’ll have a tougher go at it, but that will only make them tougher,” Myers told The Times-Picayune in a 2006 story. “If they stick with us, they will be shocked at the opportunities that will open up to them.” Donna says hardship was a familiar theme of Harold’s punchline advice to friends, family and job seekers: “He’d say things like, ‘Life is unfair; you have to roll with the punches,’ and ‘Nobody ever promised you that life would be fair.’ “He also liked to say – ‘You have to suck all the nectar to life.’ “He lived life to the fullest,” Donna says of her beloved husband, almost five years after his sudden death. “Who knew he would die young?” myneworleans.com

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Good Numbers for Airport For the fourth year in a row, Louis Armstrong International Airport continues to experience an astounding increase in passenger volume. At the end of 2013, airport statistics reported moving over 9.2 million passengers through its terminals, making an 18 percent increase over ’09, which saw 7.8 million passengers fly through the facility. New Orleans continues to be a top flight destination for leisure, conventions and business. Further cementing this and the city’s continued growth was the March presentation of the “Fastest Growing Airport Award” to Louis Armstrong International Airport at the fourth annual U.S. Annie Awards on March 27, 2014. Made annually to airports that have made remarkable air service achievements, Armstrong International was awarded due to the great percentage increase in passenger volume for the year ’13. “The importance of this award is that it highlights the renaissance New Orleans has been going through,” says Director of Aviation at Armstrong, Iftikhar Ahmed. “We continue to focus on air service, not only maintaining our present service but 36

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growing with new airlines and new routes. Our latest achievements have been the arrival of Alaska Airlines with direct service to Seattle, beginning in June 2014, a direct flight to San Diego via Southwest Airlines beginning in April and the return of VacationExpress.com with their seasonal non-stop service to Cancun, Mexico and new service to Montego Bay, Jamaica.” Armstrong International also set a passenger ranking record in March, having been ranked in 2013 as No. 37 among 812 U.S. airports in domestic enplanements and deplanements, increasing at a growing rate of 4 percent per calendar year. Before Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans was ranked at No. 40 among the nation’s busiest airports. After the storm, the ranking dropped to No. 56. Available carriers at Louis Armstrong International Airport include Air Tran Airways, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Frontier Airlines, JetBlue Airways, Southwest Airlines, Spirit Airlines, US Airways, United Airlines, Air Canada, Air Alaska and Aero Mexico.

– LEXI WANGLER

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LOCALCOLOR THE SCOOP

MUSIC

READ+SPIN

CHARACTERS

JOIE D’EVE

MODINE GUNCH

CHRONICLES

HOME

“To those of you who sit at the computer to search for music, cyberspace has its kicks, but the old world is a ton more fun.” Consider “a pilgrimage to the Louisiana Music Factory, an emporium of vinyl and compact discs in its new, sunlit location on Frenchman Street.”

Music:

Rummaging Through the Racks PAGE 44 M a r i a n n a M a s e y P H O T O G RA P H

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L OCAL C O L O R

T H E S C O O P

Cross the Canal Second Line on Feb. 26, 2012

Reclaiming Joy

New Orleans second lines continue their traditions BY morgan packard

ew Orleans second lines are

mo v e a b l e

feasts of music, dancing, rhythm and community. They are also known for their inclusiveness, sweatiness, and too often, violence. Their roots can be traced back to 19th century fraternal black neighborhood benevolent societies, eventually called social aid and pleasure clubs, that were created to provide life insurance and burial services to members who were not able to obtain them otherwise. The first of these was the New Orleans Freedmen’s Aid Association, founded shortly after the end of the Civil War specifically for freed slaves. Soon after their creation, those organizations began to host parades in their neighborhoods to honor members who had died, and to promote their services. The jazz funerals hosted by these organizations may have begun in the tradition of West African circle dances, straightening into lines because of the restrictions city streets placed on the processions. These always included a band that played dirges from the church to the cemetery, switching to more joyful music for the turn back to the church. The family and neighborhood social aid and pleasure club that sponsored the funeral or party is known as the “main line,” with those who fall in behind them – just spectators in other cities –

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known as the “second line.” Second lines tend to begin at the clubhouse of the club that sponsors the parade, moving on to houses of members who have passed – and playing dirges there in their memories – and stopping at popular bars along the way that usually have ties to the club. As the parade moves, so do the vendors. Both bars, the most famous of which occupies the top and the back of a white pickup truck, and food vendors, often selling barbecue and ya ka mein, can be seen along many second line routes catering to those who are farther back in the parade who may not be able to get into the bars before the parade passes them by.

Second Line Calendar Sun., May 11, 1 p.m.: Original Big 7 Parade. Begins at their headquarters located at 1825 Elysian Fields Ave. Sun., May 11, 1 p.m.: Circle of Chiefs annual Downtown Super Sunday Indian Cha Wa Parade. Begins on Orleans Avenue at Bayou St. John at Moss Street; ends at Hardin Park. Sun., May 18, 1 p.m.: Divine Ladies Parade Sun., May 25, 1 p.m.: Money Wasters Parade Sun., June 15, 1 p.m.: Perfect Gentlemen Father’s Day Parade c h e r y l g e r b e r P H O T O G RA P H

Since for the members of these clubs and their families the club’s annual second line is an occasion that cannot be missed, it has also often been a time of violence. Several years ago, the city raised marching club security fees so high – sometimes as much as 10 times the old rate – that it seemed that second lines and other working-class parades might have to end in the face of costs they couldn’t afford. The most recent and memorable moment of violence was the Mother’s Day 2013 second line held by the Original Big 7. Only 20 minutes into the celebration, a 19-year-old man identified by police as Akein Scott fired into the crowd. According to the NOPD, 20 people sustained gunshot wounds –three of them left in critical condition. One of those was blogger and journalist Red Cotton. On June 14, 2013, Cotton published a piece in The Lens from her bed in the intensive care unit of University Hospital on her reflections on the parade, the shooting and what she and the city was going through. It included her thoughts on her shooter: “What should happen to the one who shot me? I don’t know. Maybe it’s too late for him. He’ll probably get a lot of time. Maybe most of his life will be spent in jail. I would like to meet him, talk to him, connect with him some kind of way. I feel bad for him throwing his life away like that over a momentary bad decision.” This time the city reacted differently to the violence. Both Mayor Mitch Landrieu and Police Chief Ronal Serpas made certain to separate the shooting from the celebration that it ruined in their statements. The NOPD soon arrested Akein Scott and his brother Shawn Scott for 20 counts of second-degree murder. Two weeks after the violence, the Original Big 7 held a “Redo” parade as a statement against the gun violence prevalent in the 7th Ward, where the club is based. The celebration included all three bands that were present at the original celebration and followed the same route. More than 500 people attended the boisterous and nonviolent parade, and even a momentary drizzle couldn’t subdue the crowd’s jubilant spirit. This year the majority of the second line season has already passed without headline violence, and the anniversary of the Mother’s Day shooting is upon us. I have personally seen New Orleanians and visitors alike from myriad backgrounds, social standings, tax brackets, races, religions and beliefs dance together to “Little Liza Jane” behind brass bands until they had to pass each other handkerchiefs to wipe at dripping sweat beads that reflected the happiness of that moment. Join in the celebrations, but please, leave the violence – and guns – at home.

The Original Big 7 and The Red Flame Hunters Started September 1995 in the St. Bernard Housing Development, the Original Big 7 has been second-lining through the 7th Ward on Mother’s Day since 2001. In the interest of supporting their neighborhood’s history, they began the Original Big 7 Culture and Heritage Division, which sets out to “celebrate the culture of New Orleans and pass it on to the next generation.” In the spirit of that mission, they are raising funds for, supporting and nurturing the Red Flame Hunters, the “first and only all-kids Mardi Gras Indian Tribe.” Each member designs, sews and performs in their own suits, which require hours of planning, hand-sewing, beading, adding feathers and practicing. For the past three years Justin “Tugga” Cloud, a student at McDonogh 35 Senior High School, has led the tribe. To learn more about the Original Big 7 Culture and Heritage Division and the Red Flame Hunters, and to donate to their cause, visit RedFlameHunters.com. myneworleans.com

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myneworleans.com

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L OCAL C O L O R

MUSIC

Rummaging Through the Racks Rites of spring at Louisiana Music Factory By Jason Berry

Birmingham, Ala. NPR did a feature yesterday on Morning Edition.” n th e f i r s t w a r m S a tu r d a y i n M a r c h I “People are listening.” made a pilgrimage to the Louisiana Music Factory, White boy’s name is Paul Janeway. He grew up singing an emporium of vinyl and compact discs in its Pentecostal music. Voice to stop a train. new, sunlit location on Cruising down a blues aisle and what Frenchman Street, a stone’s throw from “The first time I ever heard the numdo I see? Lipstick Traces: Lillian Boutté the State Museum at the Mint. ber ‘Didn’t He Ramble’ was in a street meets Christian Willisohn. This album is To those of you who sit at the comparade after the burial of a corpse. ... on the Blues Beacon label from 1991; puter to search for music, cyberspace He was the type of person who would Willisohn is Boutté’s pianist. Mmm, I has its kicks, but the old world is a throw a brick and hide his head. But see little brother John Boutté listed ton more fun. St. Paul and the Broken when he came home he was a saint.” as a back-up vocalist. John Boutté is Bones’ Half the City is front-and-center now famous from his cameos in the – The Baby Dodds Story as told to Larry Gara on the display rack as I enter. I know “Tremé” series. The title cut is credited immediately I will pay the $14.99 for to B. Spellman – the late great Benny Spellman. But it was Allen these guys and take it in my hands. Toussaint who composed the song. The city doesn’t investigate. “You’re the third person bought that today,” says the guy Lillian Boutté is a grand chanteuse; equal parts rhythm and blues behind the counter. “Who are those guys?” and smoky jazz. “White boy sounds like Otis Redding,” I report. “The band’s from 44

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M a r i a n n a M a s e y P H O T O G RA P H

I make a detour to the traditional jazz racks, and as I ritually do in this venerable place, start digging for Henry “Red” Allen. I have two of his CDs on the Chronological label, another on American Music and a fourth that I cannot pinpoint on account of shelving issues. Here is Allen looking about 30, lean and svelte on the Acrobat label. “Feeling Drowsy” was cut in 1929, some seven years after he left Algiers, while the last cut “The Crawl” is from ’46 when he had put on some weight. You can never go wrong buying a Red Allen record. Especially on sale at $9. I gather a Buckwheat Zydeco Best of Rounder Records with a version of “Ya Ya” I recall hearing on WWOZ. Buckwheat takes the Toussaint-Dorsey arrangement and uses the accordion like a bouncing piano, dropping lines, playing with the words; yes, I must have this one and it’s not bad at $12. But then I see that Nicholas Payton has done his own version of the Miles Davis classic, “Sketches of Spain.” Go ahead, Payton. I am not aware of anyone since Miles trying to do “Sketches of Spain” (but, disclosure: I’m fallible). I put this one in the stack, easing toward the used jazz rack and lo, Caliente! by Gato Barbieri, the master saxophonist from Colombia, is there for a mere $7.99. This, too, must be mine. But now I see Django Reinhardt’s Swingin’ With Django, and that gypsy guitarist with so much soul, on the Pro-Art Digital label, reduced to $8. I add it to the stack. But wait! Mavis Staples’ Have A Little Faith beckons, and I’ll never pass up Staples, especially her comforting tune of cosmic security, “God Is Not Sleeping.” Every atheist in America should listen to this song before bed at night. Agnostics, too. So I add Staples to my stack – which I find, somehow, is getting unwieldy. I add more. It gets difficult now that a Nat King Cole double-boxed set can be had for $12. And then, as I stagger from the back in the direction of the counter, I hear Johnny Adams singing extravagant pain. “I won’t cry/I won’t shed a tear/I’ll keep on lovin’ you, year after year.” As I waver toward the R&B section, lulled by that voice that stops me every time I hear it (Adams always seems to be searching for something, just what I’m not sure), a new voice arises, that of Al “Carnival Time” Johnson, prancing out of his 20s, singing hard, “You done me wrong!” “You have Johnny Adams and Al Johnson on the same CD,” I announce, in more of a question than declarative statement. “Compilation from the Ric & Ron records,” says my authority at the counter. Ric &Ron, of course. One of the glory labels of Crescent City R&B – Eddie Bo, Professor Longhair, Tommy Ridgley, Chris Kenner, Irma Thomas – so many of the stars in that firmament. This album – You Talk Too Much: The Ric & Ron Story, Volume 1 – is fresh in from England, where half of old blues and R&B ends up getting bought to be sold back to us. It is priced to cover the freight; I stand at the register, realizing my total will likely exceed the pay threshold of celebrity journalism. The guy at the counter is toting up the sale. “Take out Nat King Cole,” I say. “I love him, but a two CD-set ...” “Not today,” he says sympathetically. I am holding my wallet and ATM card. “Give me the subtotal first.” “You’re at a $116.” Angst hits my arm like a dagger jabbing. I know I’ll be coming back. “OK, hold off Nicholas and ‘Sketches of Spain.’” “You’re at $95 and change.” I hand him my plastic money card. Nicholas, forgive me. “Sketches of Spain,” next time. myneworleans.com

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HISTORY The height of crawfish season is upon us. Celebrate by noshing on a tasty mess of mudbugs while reading about their storied history. In Louisiana Crawfish: A Succulent History of the Cajun Crustacean journalist and Louisiana-native Sam Irwin heaps handfuls of hot history, juicy tall tales and delicious recipes into a spicy pot, resulting in a veritable handbook for crawfish novices and aficionados alike. FICTION With 11 simple words, Amy Conner sucks the reader in: “I am thirty-five years old and running out of time,” so begins The Right Thing, the debut novel by the New Orleans-based author which was Shortlisted in the Faulkner-Wisdom Writing Competition. Set in Jackson, Miss., the page-turning story follows two friends from different backgrounds as they navigate divergent paths and life in a small town. Meet the author at a book signing at the Garden District Book Shop on May 29 at 6 p.m. FUNK Gritty beats permeate “NY to NOLA,” the first track on Redemption, released this month by Glen David Andrews. A member of the famous New Orleans musical family and cousin of Troy “Trombone Shorty” Andrews, the musician also had frequent appearances playing himself on HBO’s “Treme,” series. Andrews sticks to his Blues, Jazz, Gospel and R&B roots in this project chronicling his journey through addiction, hell, salvation and redemption. Listen for guest stars Ivan Neville, Ben Ellman and Anders Osborne, while funkin’ out to raw grooves. SWING The cheerful three-part harmonies of the Boswell Sisters, render one hard pressed to sit still. Swingy jazz vocals bounce along like their quick jump to stardom. The classicallytrained sisters were heavily influenced by hometown New Orleans Jazz and performed and recorded on the stage, radio and later TV with heavy-hitters like Bing Crosby and Duke Ellington. With career’s spanning from the 1920s through Connie Boswell’s solo career in the ’60s, their legacy burns bright. Get the three-CD set of their music at the Historic New Orleans Collection and view the exhibition “Shout Sister Shout! The Boswell Sisters of New Orleans,” through Oct. 26. –melanie warner spencer Please send submissions for consideration, attention: Melanie Spencer, 110 Veterans Memorial Blvd., Suite 123, Metairie, LA 70005. 46

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L OCAL C O L O R

C A S T O F CH ARAC TERS

Gianna Salande Making miracles at St. Alphonsus

by G e o r g e G u r t n e r om e t i m e s i t t a k e s a m i r a c l e .

No matter where she goes, no matter what projects she undertakes, it seems Covington artist Gianna Salande’s heart from this day forward will forever be linked to a 160-year-old, weather beaten, brown brick church in the Irish Channel. “This is it,” Salande says about St. Alphonsus Church. “This is where I plan one day to come and never leave. It’s the day I’m looking forward to. I think about it. I dream about it all the time.” To be sure, Salande’s creative talents run far and wide: acrylics, oils, sculpture (metal and plaster), wildlife photography, taxidermy, restorations … Just when you think you’ve hit the bottom of that cornucopia of talents, she adds, “I also write poetry.” The old church seemed to be gasping its last when a group of people with preservationist and Irish Channel roots formed the Friends of St. Alphonsus in 1990 to restore cracked plaster and peeling walls and revive the old church to the splendors of its past. 48

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On this day, Salande slides into a pew as the old building cracks and moans under the weight of time and weather. “Back in 2005 I woke up and I was in another world,” she says. “I didn’t recognize my husband or my children. I had no idea who they were … or where I was. I couldn’t talk. I was having a stroke. Eventually I was taken to Phoenix and a neurosurgeon there who everybody recommended.” She continues, “I had been told I would need what’s called a ‘brain bypass’. They did surgery on me while I was awake and they tested me. I had regressed to a sixth-grade-level in math and English. But my doctor realized that I had all the blood vessels and neuro-connections and that this bypass procedure would not be necessary. In essence, my brain could rewire itself. “I knew it would be a long process, but I was so thankful. It was a miracle. It couldn’t have been anything else,” she says. “It was all part of a journey that eventually bring me into this building. My husband had left me, but then I met Matthew, the man who is now my fiancé. One day, Matt and I were at St. Mary’s Church (St. F RAN K M E T H E P H O T O G RA P H

Mary’s Assumption) across the street. When we left he said he wanted to show me something in this church so we walked over. As soon as I walked through the doors, I knew this was special. I knew that statue in the back of the church, was special! It was like the reason I was meant to be here. Matt knew it was special also. I knew it would play a major role in the rest of my life.” That statue was of the “reclining Jesus.” Just as the elements had wreaked havoc with St. Alphonsus Church, so, too, did it nearly destroy the popular statue. “Parts of the statue were missing,” Salande says. “Fingers were missing; it was eaten up by mold and was on the verge of being ‘recycled’ … that’s a term we use when a religious artifact is so damaged, artists take the pieces apart and they keep the strongest pieces so they can mark them and possibly use them in the future on a project that may need whatever is missing.” But Salande says, “I couldn’t let that happen. I was drawn to that statue.” She offered herself to the board of the Friends of St. Alphonsus, as a volunteer to “bring the statue back to life,” as one St. Alphonsus worker put it. “You come to a statue with this much damage, and you can’t just go in and slap plaster on it and paint over it. People rub their hands on the statue. They hug it … in the meantime mold is again forming on the inside. I knew this had to be a special restoration.” So special that Salande invented her own custom gel to protect the statue against damage from the climate and adoring hands. “I’ve worked on this statue alone for one solid year,” she says. “I come from across the lake three days a week. Through all this time I’ve been thoroughly vetted by the Friends, letters of recommendation, you name it. They’ve named me ‘artist in residence,’” she continues. “I’m so thankful for that. Because now every time I walk through those doors in the back, I feel like I’ve arrived. When I leave to go back across the lake I feel like I’m leaving a place where I really belong.” Salande has three children; the youngest of which is 13. She says, when he’s ready to “leave the nest,” she and Matt, her woodworking artist fiancé, will pack up their belongings on the north shore and move to the Irish Channel – and to St. Alphonsus. “I pray for that day,” she says. “I almost can’t wait. It’s like I was meant to be in this church for the rest of my life using all of my talents and all of my energy to bring it back to where it once was.” As she walks through the quiet building that has come to life with a knot of tourists in the back asking questions of a volunteer, she points to this statue of St. Ann that “is really in bad shape and needs work.” And “that statue of St. Jude is covered with powder and needs work. There’s a lot of work that needs to be done.” She jokingly says she’d like to ask Matt to build a loft up near the choir section so, “We’d never have to leave.” She gives a last “safety tug” to scaffolding that has been set up for her to do work near the entrance. A group of volunteers is explaining the history of the church to the visitors from out of town when one of the women breaks away from the group and wanders over to the reclining Jesus. She slowly reaches up to touch the statue, but pulls back. A volunteer says, “Go ahead! Touch it! It won’t break.” The visitor is captivated by the photos on the wall of the broken, rotted statue. She shakes her head in disbelief. Then she views the renovated icon – and finally touches it. “This is an absolute miracle,” the woman says. Gianna Salande smiles and nods. “That’s exactly how I feel,” she says. “A miracle. It can’t be anything else.” myneworleans.com

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L OCAL C O L O R

M O D I N E’S N EW O RLEAN S

LOL

Smartphone adventures by M o d i n e G u n c h

y moth e r - i n - l a w , M s . L a r d a , p a i d e x t r a

for a cell phone that don’t do nothing but make phone calls. She said she wanted a phone that knows it’s a phone, and she would take pictures with her camera, thank you very much. For years Ms. Larda has been proud to say she don’t do Internet, since it ain’t nothing but a passing fad and an excuse for the young people to talk in gibberish. Everything is either initials and numbers, like G4 and GIF, or something silly like Tweedle and BookFace. And don’t talk to her about LOL and ROFLOL. Whatever that is, it’s probably dirty, she says to me. She will just pass. But then she notices that whenever the grandkids are doing something kind of cute, like slurping up Plum Street snow balls, by the time she finds her camera they’ve moved on to something less cute, like spilling snow balls in her back seat. And whenever she goes out with her lady friends, they all whip out their cell phones and show zillions of grandkid pictures – videos even – while she’s digging around in her purse for a couple snapshots of hers. Finally she just taped a picture of the kids to the front of her phone, and that helped some, but not enough. And it turns out all her friends can spy on their teenage grandkids with FaceBook. Ms. Larda can’t, and it drives her nuts. She begins to suspect she’s made a mistake. She made a few mistakes before – a couple of them husbands were humdingers – and she knows the best thing to do is learn from them and get on with life. So she sneaks back to the store and tells the clerk she wants a smartphone with all the bells and whistles. She brings it home and takes it out of the box and looks at it. Then she picks up her house phone and calls my digital know-itall daughter, Gladiola. 50

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Gladiola is thrilled to rush right over and teach her everything. Unfortunately, she’s creating a monster. Turns out, Ms. Larda is one of them people who Tweets to the world what she had for breakfast and whether it went down good or made her constipated. She assumes everything on the Internet is true, and she learns how to press “forward,” so I and all her friends get warned, several times a day, that: our lipstick has arsenic in it, that if we hear a baby crying outside our bedroom window at night, it’s really a deranged murderer with a tape recorder luring us out there, so we should call the police; and that we can asphyxiate ourselves to death from passing gas in a closed-up room. She also reads that purse-snatchers have turned into phone snatchers and are snatching phones right out of your hand on the street. So she gets one of them purse-sized Kleenex packets and puts her smart phone in that, with a couple tissues on top. Then she puts her old phone, which don’t work no more, in her shirt pocket for distraction. It is a distraction all right. Whenever she comes to see me in the French Quarter and we’re walking down the street, she pulls out the old phone and waves it around and has imaginary conversations on it. If she wants to use her smartphone, she goes into the ladies’ room and locks herself in a stall. But wouldn’t you know, her trick backfires. She is at the Chalmette Movies with her friend Weezy, and Weezy has a sneezing fit, and Ms. Larda absentmindedly hands her the packet of Kleenex. Weezy takes a couple, then no more tissues come out, and so she drops the packet under the seat. It ain’t until she’s home again that, Ms. Larda realizes her smartphone is gone. She rushes right back to the theatre and goes to exactly where she sat – but the theatre has been all swept up. So she goes out back and stares at the dumpster. It is way too big for her to climb in and look for a phone. So she borrows the theatre manager’s phone, and she calls her own number, and very faintly, she hears the “Lone Ranger” theme song, which is her own special ring. It brings tears to her eyes. Thanks be to God she hadn’t figured our how to turn off the ringer before the show started, like she was supposed to. So she calls me, and she calls my brothers-in-law Lurch and Leech, and we all converge on this dumpster. I know I ain’t going to climb in there and wade around looking for a Kleenex packet. But just to say we tried, I climb up on the back of Lurch’s pick-up, and he drives up close to the dumpster, and I scooch myself up onto the cab. Laying flat, I’m parallel with the top and I can just see inside. I can hear Ms. Larda praying to St. Anthony, patron of lost objects, negotiating how much she’ll donate to the church poor box if we get the phone back, or if it would be cheaper to just buy another phone. Anyway, they must work out a deal because all of a sudden, I spot a Kleenex packet. Then Lurch remembers he has a fish net with a handle in the truck. He hands it up, and I lean way over, and would you believe, I get the packet, along with a baby diaper and an empty box of Milk Duds. So Ms. Larda has her smartphone back. And the rest of world has me and St. Anthony to thank for knowing to open the windows before we pass gas – you’re welcome. L O RI O SIEC K I ILL U S T RA T I O N

myneworleans.com

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J OIE D’ E V E

BLOGS FROM THE NEW NEW ORLEANS

Gaining Control

by E v e C r a w f o r d P e y t o n am,

adult,

what

c ou l d

best

described as “high-strung” or “tightly wound.” Those less charitable might call it “neurotic” or “borderline OCD” or “really annoying.” I sweat the small stuff, in other words. In some ways, I’ve made that work for me. It translates, professionally, to being “detail-oriented,” which means I think very carefully about whether the hyphen between “detail” and “oriented” should be there. (It should.) In my personal life, it translates into frequent hand-washing and special-ordered sanitizers and triple-washing the supposedly already triple-washed bagged baby spinach. I didn’t just wake up one morning like this. I was an oversensitive, anxiety-ridden child, too. If anything, I’ve gotten much better as an adult – because I can hide it slightly better and because I have more control over my life, and more control, at least for me, equals less anxiety. If, for instance, I know that I can just get into my own car and drive myself away from a social gathering I’m not enjoying, that knowledge alone makes me able to relax and enjoy myself, whereas when I was 6 or 7 or even 12, I would often just opt not to go to parties because I would get too stressed out just thinking about being stuck there. I hated — hated — going to school because I had even less con52

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trol there. I lived in fear of getting in trouble or being teased, and although the former rarely happened, the latter did, frequently. I would eat nothing for lunch except Campbell’s soup in a thermos; I was very finicky about clothes and picked outfits based on what felt best, not what matched; I read way above my grade level and was always lost in a book; and every day when we sang, “Puff the Magic Dragon,” I burst into tears without fail. All of these things, along with my pathological inability to fight back, made me an easy target. For the first two years of school, though, my life was made much more bearable by a wonderful, patient woman named Lisa Sirgo. Ms. Sirgo taught me for both kindergarten and first grade, and though she might have had to bite her tongue, she never once called me out on my quirks. Instead, she was gentle with me and gave me tools to combat my fears. When I freaked out during a fire drill – the noise, the chaos, the threat of danger – she provided my family with a list of all of the scheduled drills for the rest of the year so that I could know in advance. “And,” I recall telling my dad, “if the alarm goes off on a day when it’s not scheduled, then I will know for sure that I should be freaking out because the school is burning down!” When a sixth grade teacher who didn’t fully respect my delicate-specialsnowflake nature snapped at me in the cafeteria and I then started having panic attacks before lunchtime because I was scared it might happen again, Ms. Sirgo let me and my best friend eat lunch in her classroom for weeks – until I decided on my own that I was brave enough to face the lunchroom again. She would have been a special woman to have in my life at any age, but having her for those first two years was really crucial, I think, to my entire social development. Had I gotten a bully of a teacher or even just one who was too overburdened to pay much attention to me (I was neither a discipline problem nor struggling academically, so I would have been pretty easy to ignore while I sat quietly hyperventilating in the back of the classroom), I don’t think I would have come to love learning as much as I ultimately did. When I finished my thesis, I thanked Ms. Sirgo on the acknowledgments page because I really think a lousy kindergarten teacher could have soured me on school forever I have already written about how much I love the fact that Ruby is attending school in the neighborhood where I grew up, but I can’t even properly express how excited I was when I got an email from her school last week – from the new literacy specialist, Lisa Sirgo. The email ended with a P.S. to me, using my childhood nickname: “Yes, Katy, it’s the same Ms. Sirgo. I am looking forward to getting to know Ruby.” I ran into her at Morning Meeting and gave her a hug with Georgia on my hip. This morning I waved at her across the playground while Georgia toddled at my feet and Ruby clung to my waist. This is just one more reminder of why I’m glad to have come home to raise my kids. Ruby is a very different kid than I was, as I have said countless times. She may be just as nervous as I am in a situation, but she bulldozes in while I hang back. She is a leader, a do-er, a talker. She is hilarious and insightful and wise beyond her years. She is terrific. But she still can be a challenging kid – in some ways, even more challenging than I was. I have no doubt, though, that Ms. Sirgo is up to the challenge – and I know that however different we are, Ruby and I will now have one more thing in common. Excerpted from Eve Kidd Crawford’s blog, Joie d’Eve, which appears each Friday on MyNewOrleans.com. For comments: Info@NewOrleansMagazine.com. jane sanders illustration

myneworleans.com

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L OCAL C O L O R

C H R O N I C L ES

Typecast New Orleans’ printers have been getting the word out for 250 years. by C a r o l y n K o l b

“I

like running machines,” Justin Winston

says, explaining his affinity for printing. As a student at Fortier High School, Winston worked on the school paper and “a couple of times I took the paste-up to the printers.” “I looked at all the equipment – I thought this was great! And, I got a summer job there and I learned to use an offset press.” Winston wasn’t deterred by the fact that the former pressman had lost some fingers on the job. By 1960, he had bought a small offset press for $30. “It was just a little duplicator press. I didn’t even know where to buy ink.” As a student at the University of New Orleans (then LSUNO) he had part-time jobs at print shops. Winston once worked at Gosserand Superior Printers on North Claiborne Avenue. Leo Hall was the long-time operator of the shop, according to Rubin Cohen, whose father owned the tuxedo rental store next door. “Their big business was for posters on phone poles – like for bands and dances,” Winston says. “He was really good, he did some screens and offset, and some things with block type.” Winston also recalled a unique ink: “His gold: it really looked like gold leaf, and he never told anybody how to do it.” Continuing with his own equipment, Winston, “printed the first 54

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issues of The New Orleans Poetry Review.” He had to turn down an offer to print a novel for a local English professor who brought in a giant manuscript. The book would become The Confederacy of Dunces and John Kennedy Toole was Winston’s would-be customer. “I would have gone bankrupt publishing it, and he would have, too,” Winston wryly admits. Eventually Winston became an instructor in Graphic Arts at Jefferson Parish Schools’ Cullier Career Center in Marrero. “I taught offset, screen printing, composition – when I started there was no digital printing. I convinced them to get a computer.” After 23 years of successfully starting students in printing careers, Winston retired in 2013. In 1989, Florence Jumonville compiled a Bibliography of New Orleans Imprints: 1764-1864, when just being a printer could be dangerous. First in town was Denis Braud. Four years after setting up shop, Braud printed a manifesto from French colonists protesting the Spanish occupation of the city. Braud was arrested, explained that as the government’s official printer he was following orders and escaped execution or exile. After Braud came Antoine Boudousquie who printed Louisiana’s first literary work: poetry by planter Julien Poydras. An 1898 banquet program for a Printers Association Banquet still listed a Boudousquie in the business. c ou r t e s y of th e n e w o r l e a n s h i s to r i c n e w o r l e a n s c o l l e c t i o n

Also on that 1898 program was a representative of Hauser Printing, and today Gary Hauser is still a printer. “My grandfather started that company in 1898, Dad took over in 1935 and in 1968 I took it over,” Hauser says. The company founder had come here from Georgia, and before starting his own firm, was a machinist for the Picayune linotype machine, a major 19th-century innovation in printing. The giant linotype machines used hot lead to set rows of type. For decades, Tulane University had two of the machines in the basement at Gibson Hall. After a move to the Newcomb campus, the machines were finally dismantled and removed in the 1960s. The Hauser printing firm began in the 600 block of Poydras Street, when the area around Poydras and Camp streets was filled with newspaper offices. The firm moved to the 700 block of Poydras Street, at corner of St. Charles Avenue, and Hauser would merge later with American Printing to become Hauser-American at Magazine and Gravier streets. Ultimately the company was reorganized as Hauser Printing, and under Gary Hauser’s leadership moved to Jefferson Parish. “We survived Katrina with the building and equipment in good shape – but our customers and employees did not fare so well,” Hauser says. Another local firm, Harvey Printing, had lost its building in the storm. Merging with Hauser, it became Harvey-Hauser at Hauser’s Jefferson location. By 2010, Garrity Printing merged with Harvey-Hauser and the enterprise moved out of the Hauser building and into the Garrity headquarters. “I had a building that was going to be empty, and so in 2011, I went back into the printing business. It’s Gary Hauser Press, now,” he says. Hauser has seen printing go from the old letterpress using type, to offset printing (using plates – with a full image containing both type and illustrations – created in a process involving cameras and film) to today’s digital imaging. “Once computers came out, people started setting type and doing layout and design for themselves,” Hauser says. Today, he can do both printing and digital production. “The difference is in the length of the runs: for 500 copies and up we still do printing, under that it’s high quality digital images.” James Makkos’s background comes from “the creative writing side of things.” However, he likes the hands-on feel of old printing presses, and has four of his own (along with some 30,000 or so very old issues of The Times-Picayune.) “I print small run commissions, book covers, broadsides, CD covers for bands.” The Cleveland, Ohio, native has a Master’s degree in Creative Writing from UNO. Makkos hopes to make use of artwork from his old newspapers in new ways, and you can learn more from his websites: LanguageFoundry.org and NolaDna.org (the DNA is for “Digital Newspaper Archives). He has a particular goal for printing his own poetry: “When I put it on the page, it’s the bridge between language and painting.” Even after 250 years, New Orleans printers are still making an impression.

Assault on Paper Older printed material is endangered today. The pervasive use of online storage, digitization and microfilm has drastically reduced library newspaper collections, according to author Nicholas Baker’s 2001 book Double Fold: Libraries and the Assault on Paper. Downsizing had one good result: New Orleanian James Makkos, who teaches English at Delgado Community College, found a truckload of 1888-1929 issues of The TimesPicayune on Craigslist in the “free” listings. Makkos’ remarkable find was reported in the Columbia Journalism Review this January. Surprisingly, the copies may have come from the British Library, where they had gone through a Nazi bombardment only to be auctioned off in 1999. myneworleans.com

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L OCAL C O L O R

HOME

France Enchants

Antiques dealer Gay Wirth’s home reflects the best of the Old Country B Y B ONNIE WARREN

p h o t o g r a p h e d by c HER Y L GER B ER

ver wonder what the home of one of the finest, long-time antique dealers in New Orleans looks like? Welcome to the historic 1872 Garden District residence of Gay Wirth, owner of Wirthmore Antiques on Magazine Street. Though the house is an impressive two-story treasure, somewhat hidden from the street behind an iron fence abutted by thick shrubbery, once you walk inside the front door you’ll see that Wirth has the very best-of-the-best in the perfect setting offering the surprise of a light-filled garden room across the entire back of the house and a kitchen reminiscent of one you would find in a French country home.

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It is easy for Wirth to recollect the first time she saw her home. “I was transported to France,” she says. “I knew it was the perfect house for me since I love all things French, and, like many historic New Orleans homes, the architecture is definitely French-inspired.” Furnished with fine antiques and a rough-edged glass coffee table found in the Paris Serpette Flea Market, the comfortable living room features an early 18th-century Italian trumeau drop-leaf secretary in its original grotesque polychrome; a bust by George Dunbar rests on a pedestal next to the secretary; French rock crystal lamps flank the 18th-century Italian Directoire sofa.

Top: The space was renovated to accommodate the pair of small 18th-century Provenรงal walnut fan windows purchased in France; fine antiques furnishings include an 18th-century Provenรงal painted buffet, 18th-century French walnut Louis XV corner cabinets, 18th-century painted Venetian dining room chairs, 18thcentury walnut Provenรงal radassier (sofa) and an 18th-century French wood-and-iron chandelier. Left: Gay Wirth, owner of Wirthmore Antiques on Magazine Street. Right: Built in 1872, the two-story home in the Garden District features a broad balcony and lacy iron railings.

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Facing page, top: The 18th-century painted Italian bed is topped with a Venetian canopy. Facing page, bottom left: The 18th-century French walnut wine table and walnut Louis XV caned side chairs add elegance to the dining room; a French crystal-and-bronze chandelier provides lighting, while the rug is 19th-century Oushak; a lithograph by James Steg, left, and an Elmore Morgan painting add interest to the room. Facing page, bottom right: The kitchen was designed to look like one in a French country house; Daniel Ledocte, a local contractor, custom made the cabinet fronts and doors; the Lance gas range was made in Lacanche, in the Burgundy region of France; Wirth found the 18th-century limestone double sink in France; Daniel Ledocte, a local contractor whose motto is “Nothing is impossible,” installed it by creating a cement countertop he tinted to match the sink. This page, top: A 19th-century French limestone mantel adds interest to the garden room, which covers the entire back of the house; an 18th-century Mediterranean Louis XV buffet was converted to accommodate the TV; for a touch of whimsy, a glass-topped table with a base of hands and feet by Pedro Friedeberg joins the fine antiques in the room.

While Wirth has made improvements and changes to the home since she bought it more than 20 years ago, she knew it had the perfect French influence for her. One of the major changes was adding 10 feet to the garden room, having tall French doors especially crafted for the space. “The garden room is one of my favorite spaces since it’s always cheerful and filled with light through the five pairs of curved French doors,” she says. Then she tells the story about how she brought back the distinct fan-shaped small windows at the end of the room from one of her buying trips to

France: “I had to have them, although I didn’t know where they would be used. When we decided to remodel the garden room, I knew they were just right for the space.” Wirth’s house is full of stories to tell about her acquisitions. “I have to find the spirit in something before it’s added to my home,” she says. While her eagle eye for antiques has served her well in the 30-plus years she has had a shop on Magazine Street, and many of the antiques in her home are museumquality, there’s nothing off-putting about how she has fashioned the interior design of each room. The house has a comfortable, lived-in feeling that includes eclectic touches such as the modern glass table in the living room and the playful nude sculpture of a woman under another glass table in the garden room. Then there’s the nearby Pedro Friedeberg glass-topped table with a sculpture base of hands and feet. (Friedeberg is a Mexican surrealist whose work hangs in some of the finest museum collections around the world.) “Everything in my home has a story to tell,” says Wirth, as she recalls how she found the rough-edged glass coffee table in the Paris Serpette Flea Market and just had to have it. “Its beauty made me stop in my tracks, and I instantly knew it would be perfect for my home.” However, she resisted the impulse and came back to New Orleans – where she couldn’t get it off her mind. “I called Paris and said, ‘Ship it to me; I must have it.’” Imagine Wirth’s surprise when she found out the table had originally come from Chicago. One thing not missing from the house is comfort. “I enjoy the fact that my home is comfortable. You don’t need to sacrifice comfort when you have antiques,” she says. “Actually, a beautiful room with fine antiques should always be comfortable.” myneworleans.com

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east meets south Asian cuisines and regional flavors are combing into one pho pot by Dale Curry photographed by Eugenia Uhl

Thai Beef With Mint Soup. Recipe pg. 71

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MoPho’s Pepper Jelly Braised Cedar Key Clams With Crispy Bacon & Mint. Recipe pg. 72

ome years back, a restaurant opened with the theme of Asian-Cajun. I think that either location or Katrina knocked it off its course, but I thought at the time, “What a great idea!” Two of the tastiest cuisines on the planet joining forces on a plate. Even before that, pioneer-

ing chef Susan Spicer excited diners by tucking Asian and other ethnic accents into continental and Crescent City fare. Think combinations such as, spicy Thai salad with shrimp and rice noodles, guacamole with fresh ginger and wasabi paste, quick-fried rice with soy-glazed pork. Now, Vietnamese has

joined Cajun and Creole as reigning regional cuisines, and New Orleans is the place to go for all three. One chef called his creations Casion, but the term was just a joke among the kitchen staff. On the plate, however, Cajuns eat everything as do Asians, according to Matt Guidry, born and raised

in Abbeville. It is true that both eat not just the tenderloin on the pig but the head, feet and innards as well. “To me, it is all one big world of French colonial cooking,” says Guidry, who worked in New York for many years and owned several restaurants including Meauxbar Bistro in New Orleans, now closed. myneworleans.com

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Iris’ Gulf Shrimp in Coconut Broth. Recipe pg. 72

New Orleans and Vietnam were both colonized by the French, and many influences remain major staples of French cooking – French bread, for example. The pungent broth of the Vietnamese pho and the beautiful stock for the potau-feu had to be related. And both, like Cajun and Creole 64

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gumbos, are one-pot meals. It is a fact that New Orleans has one of the largest Vietnamese populations in the United States, but the locals’ growing addictions to pho, nuoc nom and banh mi aren’t the only Asian taste changes finding their way to local cooking.

Chef Mike Stoltzfus, chefowner of Coquette, tends to use Japanese ingredients when adding Asian touches to his Southern-style cooking. He shops at Hong Kong Market once a month, buying tamarind paste, nori and sambal chili base. Though Hong Kong sounds Chinese,

it’s located in a predominately Vietnamese shopping center in Gretna. Products in Asian markets, such as chili sauces and noodles, are common to various types of Asian cooking. Hong Kong’s array of fresh produce specializes in Vietnamese tastes, but many such as lemongrass, bean sprouts and

Coquette’s Smoked Catfish Dip. Recipe pg. 72

mushrooms, are favored by multiple cuisines. On Stoltzfus’ ever-changing menu you’ll occasionally find a smoked catfish dip with fish sauce and lime, served with kale and cilantro salad. A signature dish was tempura-fried shrimp with sambal vinaigrette.

“I added sambal to collard greens for depth of flavor,” he says. Sambal is a condiment with multiple variations. Sambal oelek combines chiles, brown sugar and salt, while sambal bajak adds garlic, kaffir lime leaves, tamarind, coconut milk and other ingredients. It is popular in Indonesia, Malaysia

and southern India. Stoltzfus grew up in Maryland but got his interest in Southern cooking from his Georgia-raised mother. He says he “cooks all over the map” but is now bringing out a Southern twist including plenty of Cajun, Creole and low-country favorites.

He recently served a Thai beef salad using local short rubs marinaded in fish sauce and wine, then grilled. He served it with broccoli, cauliflower and ground rice over a deboned hog’s head that was cooked for 48 hours. Like Stoltzfus, chef Ian Schnoebelen loves Japanese myneworleans.com

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GW Fins’ Charcoal Grilled Louisiana Pompano With Vietnamese-Style Mirliton Slaw and Spicy Blue Crab Fritters. Recipe pg. 73

and Thai flavors in his contemporary cooking at Iris, now closed, and Mariza. Though he describes himself as “a modern American chef,” he leans toward Asian-inspired cuisine. “Asian flavors go with everything,” he says. “There’s nothing they don’t go with.” Locals like highly flavored 66

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food and he gives them shrimp with coconut milk, baby bok choy and lemongrass. He serves Malaysian-spiced lamb chops and a lemongrass chicken soup. Customers are familiar with Asian ingredients, and he thinks the growing number of Vietnamese restaurants has a lot to do with it.

Chefs say they love eating in Vietnamese restaurants, yet when it comes to their own cooking, most lean toward Thai or Japanese influences. And seafood is often the subject. “People are more open to trying new seafood items,” says Tenney Flynn, chef-own-

er of GW Fins. Even raw fish is more appealing to locals than ever before, and Flynn successfully serves a scamp grouper raw with hot chilies, mint, preserved Meyer lemon and avocado oil. Sometimes he serves raw wahoo, big-eye tuna and scallops. “The Chinese had 7,000

Toups Meatery’s Umami Pickles and Cucumber Salad and Dressing. Recipes pg. 73

years of culinary history before we started burning meat,” he says. Using collars of large fish, a cut from the fish clavicle, is one interesting preparation he recently served from a 120pound big-eye tuna. “Asians have long done collars, and we’re just beginning to do them. (Fish) belly meat is

amazingly good; it’s like the filet mignon (of fish),” he says. A New Orleans take on the Southeast Asian approach to food can be found at MoPho, a popular Mid-City eatery run by Mike Gulotta. “It’s the food we like to eat,” he says of his business partners and himself. “We

worked in a lot of restaurants and took what we learned and together we offer a new face for Vietnamese cuisine – Southeast Asia by way of South Louisiana.” That includes not only the food but also the spirit and atmosphere. “We use their flavor profiles and our hospi-

tality and show guests a good time,” he says. As one who loves and uses the Vietnamese influences, he compares the similarities in locations – brackish water providing seafood, both former French colonies, great bread making skills and a love for the whole pig. Also the preference myneworleans.com

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Matthew Guidryâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Moules Indochine (Mussels in Red Chile, Coriander & Basil). Recipe pg. 73

of whole fish, rather than the cut pieces or fillets served in most restaurants. Gulotta grew up in New Orleans in a family that loved to cook. Their specialties were grits and grillades, fried shrimp, red beans and softshell crabs. He uses local specialties such as pepper jelly to braise clams in an Asian prep68

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aration. He offers pho any way you like it but tries to educate people on other preparations. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The pho brings them it, but I want to show them there are other things,â&#x20AC;? he says. Pho has been bringing them in since the immigration of Vietnamese to New Orleans in the mid-1970s. Coming from a similar

climate, Vietnamese began fishing and opening shops and restaurants in eastern New Orleans and on the West Bank. Seeds and vegetables brought from Vietnam germinated gardens along canals to supply native food. Outdoor markets opened up early on Saturday mornings and eventually attracted curious residents

other than Vietnamese. My first experience was in the early 1980s when I discovered Pho Tau Bay restaurant in Gretna. After doing stories on the market and the growing Vietnamese community in the eastern part of the city, my husband and I began driving regularly from River Ridge a good 10 to 15 miles for large

bowls of hot pho and spring rolls. Vietnamese restaurants began springing up all over, and we hit them all. Now we have one about a mile from home. Gulotta advises people to branch out and try the vermicellis, banh mis and Vietnamese flavors injected into Louisiana dishes in restaurants all over town. One famous New Orleans chef, Emeril Lagasse, started his own Asian restaurant in Orlando. He hired an Asian chef and puts New Orleans touches to some of the dishes, such as sesame ginger crawfish. He named the restaurant Tchoup-Chop in a nod to his flagship restaurant Emeril’s on Tchoupitoulas Street in New Orleans. The Florida restaurant is located in the Loews Royal Pacific at Universal and obviously adapts to the Asian-Polynesian theme of the resort. Katrina had its way with ethnic restaurants. Some Vietnamese restaurants bowed out entirely, as did many Chinese restaurants. Yet others, such as Japanese, seem to flourish. “After Katrina, there was a plethora of sushi restaurants,” says Wendy Waren, vice president of communications for the Louisiana Restaurant Association. Yet many Chinese restaurants closed and never came back in both Orleans and

Jefferson parishes. Eventually Vietnamese restaurants began popping up and “the trend for Vietnamese has really taken off in the last year.” There also are many new Japanese and some new Thai restaurants, she says. With more fine-dining chefs adding Asian-spired items to their menus, it’s not hard to find ethnic touches everywhere. And, for home cooks, a trip to the massive Hong Kong Market or other Asian groceries (see sidebar) makes it possible to experiment at home. I tried the following Beef Thai Soup that’s similar to the Vietnamese pho and found it to be easy to shop for and delicious. My husband and I also make pho, sometimes using the powdered pho seasoning and broth sold in Vietnamese markets, instead of taking on the lengthy process of making the stock myself. You can make this Thai stock ahead of time and put the soup together in short order for dinner. Another inspiration of mine was planting Thai basil last year to grow beside my sweet basil and other herbs. And sometimes I plant cilantro in the spring, knowing that the summer sun will kill it, but it’s great while it lasts. And if you don’t like cilantro, keep trying it. You may become addicted. It is the first step on the road to loving Asian flavors.

Thai Beef With Mint Soup The following recipe is adapted from Nina Simonds’ Asian Noodles (Hearst Books, 1997). 2 to 3 pounds beef marrow soup bones 6 slices fresh ginger (about the size of a quarter), peeled and smashed lightly 6 scallions, trimmed and smashed lightly 1 cinnamon stick 2 stars anise 12 cups water 4 1/2 Tablespoons fish sauce 3 Tablespoons soy sauce 1 teaspoon sugar 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1 teaspoon vegetable oil 1/4 cup thinly sliced garlic 1/of a 16-ounce bag flat rice noodles 1/2 pound boneless beef sirloin, trimmed of fat and gristle and cut into thin slices about 1 inch long 1 1/2 cups bean sprouts, rinsed and drained 1/2 cup fresh mint leaves, finely shredded 1/2 cup fresh Thai basil leaves, finely shredded Combine the beef bones, ginger, scallions, cinnamon stick, star anise, water, fish and soy sauces, sugar and black pepper in a large pot and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for 1 1/2 hours. Strain broth into a bowl and refrigerate. When cool, remove any fat from surface. Meanwhile, remove meat from bones and slice thin. Save marrow, discard bones and seasonings. When ready to serve, heat broth and add cooked meat and marrow. Keep warm. Heat a small frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the oil and heat until hot, about 30 seconds. Add garlic and stir-fry until lightly golden. Remove from heat and drain on paper towels. Place noodles in a medium pot and cover with hot tap water for about 15 minutes. Place over high heat and cook until just tender, a few minutes of boiling. Rinse under warm water and drain. Divide noodles among 4 large to 6 medium soup bowls, depending on size of servings. Add the uncooked beef to the bowls. Add bean sprouts and mint and Thai basil leaves to warm broth and bring almost to a boil. Ladle broth over noodles and beef. Sprinkle the fried garlic on top and serve immediately. Serves 4 if main course or 6 if appetizer myneworleans.com

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Crispy Fried Shallots 3 shallots, peeled and thinly sliced Canola oil for cooking Salt to taste Prepare shallots. Heat about 1 inch of oil to hot. Add shallot rings and fry until golden brown. Take up on paper towels and salt.

Coquette’s Smoked Catfish Dip MoPho’s Pepper Jelly Braised Cedar Key Clams* With Crispy Bacon & Mint 84 clams, rinsed well under cold running water to remove grit 2 Tablespoons fresh ginger, peeled and minced 2 Tablespoons garlic, minced 3 Tablespoons shallots, minced 2 teaspoons Thai chili paste 1/2 cup coconut oil or neutral oil 2 cups sweet cooking mirin (Japanese rice wine) 1/2 stalk lemongrass, crushed 2 cups coconut milk 3 Tablespoons unsalted butter 2 cups pepper jelly Juice and zest of 1 lime 10 leaves mint, picked and torn Salt to taste To garnish: mint leaves, 12 strips cooked crispy bacon, 1 cup fried shallot rings (see recipe or may be purchased in many Asian markets) and fresh mint leaves In a large braising pan set over medium-high heat, lightly toast the ginger, garlic, shallots and Thai chili paste in the coconut oil. When the aromatics become golden brown, add the clams followed by mirin and lemongrass stalk. Cover the pan and simmer until clams open, about 7 minutes. Once the clams have opened, remove the lid and add coconut milk, butter and one cup of pepper jelly. Simmer the clams for 1 additional minute and then add lime juice, zest and torn mint leaves. Season with salt to taste. To serve, remove the lemongrass stalk and portion the clams and broth into 6 warm bowls. Garnish with fresh mint leaves, crumbled crispy bacon, crispy shallots and a few dollops of the remaining pepper jelly. Serves 6 *Cedar Key clams are littleneck clams from Cedar Kay aquaculture farms in Riverview, Fla. Look for littleneck clams in seafood markets. Note: At MoPho, chef Gulotta uses shaved lardo instead of crispy bacon but also recommends the use of crispy bacon. He serves the clams with annatto beignets for dipping but says that warm crusty bread is just as satisfying.

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Iris’ Gulf Shrimp in Coconut Broth 1 onion, sliced 1 celery stalk, sliced 1 ounce (about 1-2 inches) fresh ginger, peeled and sliced 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil, divided 1 13.5-ounce can coconut milk 1 lemongrass stalk, crushed with a mallet 1 lime, juice and zest 2 kaffir lime leaves, bruised with a mortar and pestle Salt and pepper 1 head baby bok choy 3 dozen raw jumbo Gulf shrimp, peeled and deveined 3 ounces shimeji mushrooms 4 Tablespoons Thai basil, cut in chiffonade (thin strips) In a medium sauce pan over medium heat, sauté the onion, celery and ginger in 1 Tablespoon of vegetable oil. Add can of coconut milk, lemongrass, lime juice and zest, kaffir leaves, salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil and simmer for about 10 minutes. Strain and reserve. While broth is simmering, steam the baby bok choy for about 5 minutes or until cooked through. In a large skillet, heat 1 Tablespoon vegetable oil to hot and sear shrimp. Add mushrooms, flip the shrimp over and add the coconut broth to the pan. Simmer shrimp for a couple of minutes until just cooked through. Divide the steamed baby bok chop evenly into 6 bowls. Spoon 6 shrimp into each bowl with equal amounts of mushrooms. Spoon the broth over and top with the Thai basil. Serves 6

1 pound catfish fillets 8 ounces crème fraiche 3 Tablespoons fresh lime juice 1 1/2 Tablespoons Red Boat (or similar) fish sauce 3 Tablespoons malt vinegar Salt and pepper to taste Catfish can be cooked in several ways. At Coquette, chef Stoltzfus hot smokes the catfish at 225 degrees with pecan wood for 2 hours until they’re just cooked through. Or, you can cook them on a charcoal grill if smoking isn’t an option. The catfish can also be baked in the oven on a sheet pan at 250 degrees until cooked through. Before cooking, season catfish liberally with salt and pepper. Smoke, grill or bake until cooked through. Cool completely in the refrigerator. Once cool, place catfish in a food processor and purée for 30 seconds. It should still be chunky. Add remaining ingredients and buzz until smooth, about 30 more seconds. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Refrigerate if not using immediately. Once you’re ready to serve, let dip sit at room temperature for 15 minutes or so to soften slightly. Serve with sliced baguettes or crackers, or with salad and the following dressing and garnishes. Lime Dressing and Salad 1/4 cup fresh lime juice 1 Tablespoon fish sauce 2 Tablespoons rice wine vinegar 1 Tablespoon sriracha (hot chili sauce) 1 bunch cilantro 1 bunch flat-leaf parsley Small bunch leafy greens such as Tuscan kale or tat soi (dark green leaves also called spoon mustard) Thinly sliced red onion Slices of 2 peeled oranges Fresh horseradish To make dressing, mix lime juice, fish sauce, rice wine vinegar and sriracha. Tear cilantro and parsley off stems. Rinse and mix with greens and red onion to taste. Dress salad with lime dressing. Place salad in serving bowls with a large scoop of catfish dip. Garnish with orange and fresh grated horseradish. Serve with sliced baguettes or crackers. Serves 8 to 10 as dip only or 4 to 6 as lunch salad

GW Fins’ Charcoal Grilled Louisiana Lemonfish With Vietnamese-Style Mirliton Slaw and Spicy Blue Crab Fritters Mirliton Slaw 2 Tablespoons raw sugar Juice of 4 limes 4 Tablespoons fish sauce 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 teaspoon diced hot pepper (jalapeno, Anaheim or cayenne) with seeds 1 red bell pepper, finely julienned 1 yellow bell pepper, finely julienned 2 medium carrots, julienned 2 Tablespoons chopped cilantro leaves 2 Tablespoons finely diced green onions 2 mirlitons, finely julienned In a medium bowl, dissolve the sugar in the lime juice and fish sauce. Add other ingredients, stir thoroughly, cover and refrigerate until chilled. Blue Crab Fritters 3/4 cup all-purpose flour 1 Tablespoon baking powder 1 Tablespoon Chef Paul Prudhomme’s Shrimp Magic Seasoning 1 egg, lightly beaten 1 Tablespoon finely diced jalapeño or poblano pepper, seeds in tact 1/2 cup milk 1/2 pound jumbo lump crabmeat, picked for shell and cartilage 6 teaspoons pepper jelly Sift together dry ingredients. Mix in the egg and diced pepper until incorporated and thin with milk. Add picked crabmeat and gently fold it into the batter. Shortly before you’re ready to serve, scoop the batter 1 teaspoon at a time and fry in 350-degree oil until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Check for doneness and toss in warm pepper jelly if serving immediately. Alternatively, you may keep the fritters warm in a 200-degree oven. Gently melt the pepper jelly in a small saucepan or coffee mug in a microwave oven. Just before serving, toss the fritters with the warm pepper jelly.

Grilled Pompano 4 6-ounce skin-on fillets of pompano (or other firm-fleshed fish) Salt, black pepper and Chef Paul Prudhomme’s Shrimp Magic seasoning blend to taste Cooking spray Cilantro sprigs for garnish Thai basil sprigs for garnish Spray a cold grill with nonstick cooking spray. Spread 1 layer of coals in the pit. Light charcoal. When charcoal is coated in a white ash, you’re ready to cook. Rub fish with seasonings and spray with nonstick spray. Grill the fish, skin side down for 2 minutes. Rotate fish a quarter turn to make the crosshatch grill marks. Cook for another 2 minutes. Close top of grill and cook for about 3 more minutes. To serve, squeeze most of the liquid out of the slaw and place about 1/2-cup in the center of warmed plates. Drizzle 1 Tablespoon or so of the cilantro purée around the mirliton slaw and 1 teaspoon of the chili oil in a circle closer to the rim of the plate. Place the fritters, coated with pepper jelly (3 per plate) close to the slaw and put the fish fillet on top, skin up. Garnish with cilantro and Thai basil. Serves 4 *For Citris Chili Oil and Cilantro Purée recipes drizzled on plate mentioned above, please visit MyNewOrleans.com.

Toups Meatery’s Cucumber Salad and Dressing 6 ounces sherry vinegar 6 ounces good soy sauce 1/4 cup Dijon mustard 6 ounces canola oil Mix all ingredients except oil in a blender. Blend and slowly drizzle in canola oil. For salad, peel cucumbers, as many as you like, leaving strips of skin. Slice into 1/8-inch thick rounds with seeds in. Use 1 Tablespoon of dressing per sliced cucumber. Salt and pepper to taste. Dressing will hold in refrigerator for up to a week. Although Toups uses only cucumbers in his salad, tomatoes or other ingredients that you like can also be used. Makes 3 cups dressing

Matthew Guidry’s Moules Indochine (Mussels in Red Chile, Coriander & Basil)

Toups Meatery’s Umami Pickles 6 cups shredded carrots 1 1/2 cups dark balsamic vinegar 1/2 cup good soy sauce 1 cup water 1/8 cup dashi (Japanese broth)* 1 teaspoon black pepper Place carrots in a bowl. Bring all liquid and pepper to a boil and pour over carrots. Chill in refrigerator and use when cold. Will last up to a month. Makes 6 cups *Dashi is a soup stock made with dried bonito tuna flakes (katsuobushi), kombu (a seaweed also called kelp and sold in dried sheets) and water. Dashi-no-moto is this stock in instant form; it comes granulated, powdered and in a concentrate.

Mussels, about 15 to 20 per person Mussel broth: 1/4 cup olive oil 2 Tablespoons garlic, minced 1/2 cup coriander root, minced (or stems and leaves of cilantro to substitute) 2 1/2 Tablespoons fish sauce 1/2 bottle dry white wine 2 1/2 cups fresh chicken stock 2 1/2 teaspoons red curry paste 1 cup basil, chopped Garnish: chopped cilantro and lime segments Rinse mussels well in cold water, removing beards with a sharp knife. To make broth, combine all ingredients, except basil, in a sauce pan and bring to a rolling boil. Turn fire off. Add fresh basil. To make 1 serving at a time, add about 15 to 20 mussels to a sauté pan, about 1/2 cup of mussel broth and 1 Tablespoon of butter. Heat over medium-high heat, covered for 5 minutes or until the mussels are just opening. (You can do more than 1 serving at a time in a larger pot, doubling or tripling the amount of sauce.) Just don’t overcook! Serve hot in bowls, as the broth is the real attraction, with garnish on top. Serve with fresh baguettes. Serves 8 to 10 myneworleans.com

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Men AND THEIR

GUYS SHARING THEIR RECIPES BY BONNIE WARREN PHOTOGRAPHED BY MARY LOU UTTERMOHLEN

For five more “Men and Their Cakes,” visit MyNewOrleans.com

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John Casbon, President of First American Title Insurance Company

“After years of a busy life of building a business and serving on boards and enjoying desserts by chiefs on the road, it’s funny that I would be asked to make my favorite dessert: Black Out Cake. Life is so much fun and this really takes the cake … hmmmm. But the truth is, I have always been interested in cooking but was centered around the barbecue grill, not baking in the kitchen. Life is so interesting. And who doesn’t love chocolate cake with lots of thick layers of chocolate to drive you crazy. With most of us always on a diet, this definitely puts your diet on hold.”

Blackout Cake

Pudding: 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar 1/4 cup cornstarch 1/2 teaspoon salt 2 cups half-and-half 1 cup milk 6 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped 2 teaspoons vanilla extract Cake: 2 boxes Devils Food Cake Mix, and required additions (eggs, water, vegetable oil) Icing: 8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature 3 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted, 2 ounces unsweetened chocolate 2 ounces semi-sweet chocolate 4 Tablespoons butter 1 cup dry chocolate wafers or cookies Pudding: In a large saucepan, whisk together the sugar, cornstarch and salt. Stir in the half-and-half and milk. Add the chocolate and place the saucepan over medium heat, and begin stirring constantly. Keep the saucepan over heat and continue stirring until all of the chocolate has melted and all ingredients have mixed. The pudding will become much thicker. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla extract. Transfer to a medium-sized bowl and place plastic wrap over the surface of the pudding. Cool for at least 4 hours. Cakes: Prepare both boxes of cake mix according to the directions so that each box will fill two 8-inches round baking pans. Although you’ll bake 4 cake rounds, you only need 3 for this cake, so use the extra however you see fit. Allow the cakes to cool. Icing: In a stand mixer with a whisk attachment, mix the cream cheese into the confectioners’ sugar. It should form rough clumps. Place both chocolates and the butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Stir until the mixture is melted and combined. Pour the chocolate mix slowly into the stand mixer and turn it on low speed. Once the chocolate

is incorporated, turn the stand mixer to high speed for 1 minute. Assemble: Take the first cake round and center it on your serving dish or cake stand. Using a bit more than a third of the pudding, make a thick, even layer across the top. If your cake rounds are puffed in the middle, it will help to build the edge a bit higher than the center. Place the next cake round on top of the pudding layer, being sure to center it. Repeat another layer of pudding and top off with the third cake round. Use any remaining pudding to fill any gaps in the sides. Spread a smooth layer of icing over the cake with a rubber spatula, starting on the top and moving down the sides. Apply the icing in blobs, spreading it with short strokes to achieve a final, smooth appearance with long, light strokes. Place the wafers or cookies in a paper bag or folded-over section of parchment paper, and roll over it with a baking pin several times until they’re broken into fine crumbs. To cover the tops of the cake, simply spoon or sift the crumbs on top, then press lightly down with a dry paper towel to seat them. If you’d like to cover the sides, too, place the cake over a sink or other easy to clean area and throw small handfuls of crumbs at the side. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour. Serve straight from the refrigerator. myneworleans.com

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Dr. Timothy Harlan, Tulane University School of Medicine, Executive Director: Goldring Center for Culinary Medicine “This gingerbread is a variation on one of the first recipes that I created for a restaurant in Charlotte. It was a small shop, but there was no business in spite of a great location. One of the first things I did was to start baking about 5 a.m. The warm, safe, homey aroma of gingerbread is a draw with its mix of molasses, vanilla, cinnamon and ginger. Sales rose five-fold in a week. With a recent diagnosis of Celiac Disease, I have to eat gluten-free. There are a lot of great gluten-free flours on the market that make fantastic baked goods but if you prefer the original, you can find it on my website at Dr.Gourmet.com.”

Gingerbread Cake

1 large egg yolk 1 teaspoon Canola oil 1/2 cup Z-Sweet or Splenda 1/2 cup canned pumpkin 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 2 Tablespoons molasses 3 large egg whites 1 1/4 cup all purpose flour 3/4 whole wheat flour 1/4 teaspoon salt 2 Tablespoons baking powder 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 2 teaspoons ground ginger 1/4 cup wheat germ 1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk the egg yolk until smooth. Add the Canola oil and whisk together until smooth. Add the A-Sweet or Splenda, applesauce, pumpkin and vanilla extract and whisk until smooth. Whisk in the molasses. In a separate bowl whisk the egg whites until they begin to be very frothy and white. Do not bet into stiff peaks (the egg white should about triple in volume). Place the all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger and wheat germ in a sifter and sift into the mixing bowl. Gently fold the creamed mixture together with the flour mixture. Add buttermilk and fold until smooth. As soon as the mixture is well-blended, add the frothed egg whites and fold together until smooth Pour the batter into a lined 8-inch cake pan. Place in the preheated over and bake for 50 minutes.

Dr. Steve Price, Gastroenterologist at Metropolitan Gastroenterology Associates in New Orleans “I have always loved cakes – mostly eating them. Growing up, my mother always tried to teach me how to bake her cake, but she gave up on me and taught my wife, Kathy, who’s an amazing cook. Once she learned the recipe I really wanted to try it. So Kathy taught me. I am always amazed not only how much work one cake can be, but if you follow directions like in chemistry class the cake comes out perfect.”

Betty Lou’s Birthday Cake

Cake: 2 1/2 cups cake flour 2 teaspoons baking powder 1/4 teaspoon salt 2 sticks salted butter 2 cups sugar 4 large eggs separated 2 teaspoons vanilla 1 cup sour cream Preheat over to 350 degrees. Butter 2 8-inch cake pans. Mix flour, baking powder and salt, and set aside. Cream the butter in a large bowl with a mixer on medium speed until fluffy and light. Add the sugar, 1/2-cup at a time, and mix until fluffy and light. Add the egg yolks 1 one at a time and mix well between each. Add the vanilla. At low speed mix all the dry ingredients, starting with flour, then sour cream and ending with flour. Mix well after each addition. Use a separate bowl and clean beaters, and mix the egg white to soft peaks. Then very gently blend the egg whites into the batter with a spatula. Pour the batter in the pans and bake for 45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Butter Cream Frosting: 4 cups confectioner’s sugar 1 stick salted butter, softened 1 teaspoon vanilla 1 pinch salt 5 Tablespoons milk Mix all ingredients in a large bowl at medium speed until creamy.

Randy Fertel, Head of the Ruth U. Fertel Foundation and author of The Gorilla Man and the Empress of Steak: A New Orleans Family Memoir

“My ‘Aunt’ Clara – she was really a cousin – grew up two doors up the river from my mother’s home in Happy Jack in Plaquemines. She later lived in Home Place next door to my great uncle Martin, who was the great cook in the family and the source of Ruth’s Chris’ famous creamed spinach. Across the highway was Uncle Martin’s orange grove where we went to pick every Christmas, filling our trunk with heavy oranges and driving back to the city like a powerboat with our nose in the air. So, while the orange glaze can be skipped, including it for me makes it a Proustian experience.”

Aunt Clara Solis Purcell’s Orange-Glazed Rum Cake

Cake: 1 1/2 cup butter 2 1/2 cup sifted sugar 3 cup sifted flour 7 whole eggs 1 teaspoon rum extract 1 teaspoon vanilla Measure sugar and flour before starting (keep separate). Cream the butter and the sugar, adding sugar to creamed butter. Then add one egg at a time, beating after each addition. Then gradually add the flour, beating well after each addition. Add flavorings. Pour into an ungreased Angel Food or Bundt tube pan. Bake at 300 degrees for 1 hour and 10 minutes. Remove cake from pan when cooled. Clara writes, “I substitute 2 teaspoons of rum extract instead of 2 teaspoons rum and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Your choice.” Orange Glaze: 1/2 cup orange juice frozen concentrate Fresh orange zest (if desired addition) 1 Tablespoon butter 2 Tablespoons dark rum 1 cup confectioners sugar or 1/2 cup sugar Heat orange juice, butter and sugar until sugar is dissolved. Add rum. Pierce holes in cake. Saturate cake. Serve warm.

Lolis Eric Elie, Former Story Editor for HBO’s “Treme” and producer of the PBS documentary “Faubourg Tremé: the Untold Story of Black New Orleans.” “It was a Christmas in the late 1970s. My friend Langston and I used to make the rounds, sampling and comparing Christmas cooking. By the time we got to Artie’s house, we were on desserts. His mother had made a pound cake with pecans and chocolate chips. That to me is the definition of heaven most apt to make sinners straighten up and fly right. The original recipe called for three cups of sugar. I reduced that and made some other adjustments for Treme: Stories and Recipes from the Heart of New Orleans.”

Pound Cake Paul Trevigne

1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature 1 1/2 cups sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 6 large eggs 1/4 cup whole milk 1/4 teaspoon salt 2 1/2 cups cake flour 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips 1 cup pecans, chopped Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Butter an 8- or 10-inch Bundt pan. Combine butter with sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer, and beat on high until pale and fluffy, about 7 minutes. Stop the machine, scrape down the sides and add vanilla. Beat on medium for another 2 minutes. Add eggs 1 or 2 at a time, mixing on medium until well blended after each addition. Add milk and salt, and beat briefly. Reduce speed to low and add flour, a little at a time, until just incorporated. Remove the bowl from the mixer and fold in half of the chocolate chips. Sprinkle pecans into the prepared pan. Pour batter over. Evenly distribute the rest of the chocolate chips over the top. They will sink as the cake bakes. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 65 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool, then invert and unmold onto a platter. myneworleans.com

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PROOF OF pampering A BURGEONING SPA BUSINESS IS RUBBING IT IN

By MELANIE WARNER SPENCER PHOTOGRAPHED BY JEFFERY JOHNSTON

t isn’t your imagination if lately you’ve noticed friends and family booking manicures, massages and other treatments at the spa with greater frequency than most of us go to crawfish boils in the spring. As a culture, we seem to be rediscovering what our Roman, Egyptian and European ancestors already knew – a visit to the health spa is both time and money well spent. From facials and massages, manicures and pedicures and body scrubs and wraps, to a revival in the oldest type of spa treatment, hydrotherapy, there’s something for everyone and everyone seems to be indulging in something. The South Central region of the United States, which of course includes Louisiana, makes up 10 percent of the country’s spa indus-

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try, according to Allie Hembree, spokesperson for the International Spa Association (also included are Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Mississippi). All in all, the region is home to approximately 2,000 spas. The number of spa locations in the country as a whole grew from 4,140 locations in 1999 to 20,600 locations in 2009, according to the ISA. While growth has slowed considerably since ’09, the association’s research from a ’13 study showed only slight continued growth for locations, but a significant rise in the number of spa visits, which went up by 1 million. The local growth is evidenced, for example, in the form of Woodhouse Day Spa and Earthsavers, which both have opened new locations accommodating the rise in visits. Woodhouse, which began in

Victoria, Texas in 2001, has grown to include 35 locations across the U.S. including its most recent second New Orleans-area location in Slidell. Also, relatively new spas have cropped up around town including the Spa at Windsor Court, which is carving its royaltythemed niche in the landscape. Speaking of the royal treatment, Windsor Court is one of many spas to incorporate hydrotherapy into its repertoire. Rooted in the public and private bathhouses of the Roman Empire, hydrotherapy (formerly hydropathy) enjoyed its last heyday in the Victorian era, when the wealthy, worldly and royal would retire to spa towns throughout Europe to “take to the waters.” Whether sea bathing or soaking in artisanal springs, New Orleans has seen the waxing and waning

New Orleans Athletic Club’s swimming pool

of the tides concerning the hydrotherapy trend. In her controversial 1899 novel set in New Orleans, The Awakening, author Kate Chopin portrays the central character Edna Pontellier frequently bathing for health, wellness and recreation, both with her fellow female characters and alone in the now murky waters at the then resort town of Grand Isle. The water is in fact where Pontellier ultimately experiences her awakening, in keeping with the timeless belief of the cleansing and restorative properties of water. Sometimes New Orleanian Mark Twain weighed in on the subject in 1891, when he toured Europe. After discovering that the thermal springs in the famed French spa town Aix-les-Bain helped ease his rheumatism, he was quoted as saying it was “so enjoyable that if I hadn’t had a disease I would have borrowed one just to have a pretext for going on.”

Fast forward to the 1900s, when the New Orleans Athletic Club moved into its current location in the French Quarter. “The pool was built in 1929,” says Mike Walters, general manager of the New Orleans Athletic Club. “It was originally filled by an artesian spring that lies under the pool. It was filled and emptied daily with 55-degree water. It was that way for years before it was converted into a salt-water pool.” To this day, club members take advantage of the 83-degree waters, as well as benefit from the visual enjoyment of stunning architecture featuring the original marble surround and cast-iron columns. Water cures were at one time prescribed to treat nearly any disease known to man, though now we know that while hydrotherapy has it’s place, it isn’t the answer to everything that ails you. That said, slipping into a tub filled

with warm water, bath salts and essential oils is a luxurious ritual many practitioners attribute not only to their mental and physical health, but also to physical beauty. The Regal Retreat at the Windsor Court, for example, combines a full body scrub and steam shower with a stimulating ginger oil massage for one of its aforementioned hydrotherapy treatments. For a spa session steeped in local lore, try the mysterious and decadent $170, 70-minute Marie Laveau Voodoo love Bath & Massage at the Ritz-Carlton Spa. Incense, voodoo music chanted by a local priestess, candles, rose petals strewn throughout the room and the perfumed oil Marie Laveau is said to have prescribed to her clients are incorporated into this signature treatment. “The Perfumer Bourbon French was in operation when Madame Laveau

was practicing,” says spa director Daisye Sudaran. “They purchased her special blend for the voodoo love massage.” Also included in the Ritz-Carlton hydrotherapy repertoire is its $160, 45-minute Vichy Warm Stone Experience. For this treatment, a therapist combines hot stones and essential oilinfused water with varying temperature and pressure settings, offering an aromatherapy massage. The private room features a seven-head shower, custom marble table and is modeled after a Turkish hamam, which is the Turkish version of a Roman bath. Sudaran has been with the Ritz-Carlton Spa for 11 years and says the biggest changes in the business are that today’s worldly and well-traveled customers are savvier about treatment options, demanding improved services. Also, the technology has advanced and – consistent

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The 70-minute Marie Laveau Voodoo love Bath & Massage at the Ritz-Carlton Spa

with the rise in visits the industry is seeing as a whole – Sudaran says she sees an increase in the number and frequency of clients coming through the RitzCarlton for treatments. “Society in general is taking care of themselves in more of a therapeutic way, rather than using medicine,” says Sudaran. “About 30 percent of our guests are local. Some come every week, some every other week.” With the addition of fillers and injectables, such as Botox, Sudaran says the industry has had to develop better noninvasive treatments to keep up with the technology and to satisfy results-driven customers. Not only has it brought about improved techniques, but also better products. This crosses over from skin treatments

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to manicures, with options beyond the acrylic nails of the past to today’s long-lasting gel polish and shellac. At Belladonna Day Spa on Magazine Street, owner Kim Dudek has so far eschewed the more invasive treatments in favor of a more hands-on, natural approach. While hydrotherapy is popping up on menus as a new service for some spas, it has been on the Belladonna menu for years. Dudek recommends the 110-minute “Be Bamboozled” Zen body retreat. The $165 package includes time spent soaking in the still bath – a to-die-for claw-foot tub deep enough to envelope you in water up to your neck – followed by a scrub and massage. Additional hydrotherapy options include 30 minutes in the outdoor Jacuzzi for $25,

and time in the sauna (complimentary with hydrotherapy). Dudek, an aesthetician by training, opened Belladonna in its former location on St. Charles Avenue in 1989. Since that time, she has seen the spa scene go from the all-whiteand-chrome, clinical style to the more “touchy-feely” natural and organic atmosphere and everything between. The biggest change she has seen recently is a greater demand for quick treatments. “When we first came here, people wanted to stay all day,” says Dudek. “Now they want to get in and get out. They want to know how many treatments they can fit into a certain time frame. Speedy. It’s express pedi and express mani.” Both Suduran and Dudek say they have a large male

clientele. The Ritz-Carlton has enough male regulars to have invested in not only a male locker room and quiet lounge, but also a separate TV lounge for the men. Its menu of services is tailored to the special needs of a man’s skin. For example, the Monsieur Hot Towel Facial, $145 for 50 minutes, takes into consideration that most men shave their faces and therefore the exfoliation process is different than it would be for a woman’s skin. At Belladonna, Dudek says her customers are about 40 percent men. Individual and couple’s services are on the menu, but Dudek is seeing another trend on the rise in the group services arena, which used to be reserved for bridal and girlfriend getaways. “We’re starting to see grandmothers come in with moms, daughters and sons,” says Dudek. Earthsavers Relaxation Spa and Store, which began in 1990 as an environmental store on Magazine, has grown to include three locations. Like the other spas, it offers special packages designed for the male clientele. Its Men’s Day package combines a manicure, massage and facial for $165. Mud treatments, sea salt exfoliations, seaweed and honey and almond combinations typify Earthsavers’ menu of services. It is of course not unusual to find a gym at the hotel spa. For example, the Ritz-Carlton recently added a resistance and Pilates studio to its cardio gym. But don’t be surprised if you start seeing more gyms adding a spa. Franco’s is a great example of a fitness club capitalizing on the popularity of spa treatments. The athletic club’s O Spa offers a full spa menu of massage, body treatments, facials and nail services. Members can make a day of it and enjoy the O Spa Signature Spa Package, $220,

Spa at the Windsor Court

which includes a facial, massage, manicure and pedicure and lunch from the club’s Franco’s Grille. Champagne and light snacks found their way into the spa years ago, but the aforementioned grill is fast-becoming a business staple. At the Ritz-Carlton, the spa café is a secluded room where female guests can enjoy a beverage, a special menu of sandwiches, salads and other light fare, either alone or, for example, with a group celebrating a wedding, shower or birthday. Guests are welcome to relax in the café while donning their fluffy spa robes. While health spas incorporating mud treatments, hydrotherapy and even cafés may seem a far cry from their historic spa resort counterparts the similarities are growing. In the 19th and early 20th century, spas were as much about health and rejuvenation as they were about brokering business deals and seeing and being seen.

Families flocked to the resorts for vacation at the turn of the century, so for Dudek’s co-ed groups of four generations of family members to visit for a day at the spa, its clear that everything old is new again. Many of the famous spa resorts, primarily concentrated in the Northeastern U.S. shuttered or converted years ago into the more typical

recreational parks and resorts familiar today, but it’s likely that business deals going down at the bar, sauna or swimming pool at the New Orleans Athletic Club has never ceased to happen and more than one guest at the Ritz-Carlton spa likely lingered in the men’s lounge or cafe a little bit longer to hobnob with a celebrity or catch up with a friend.

Though some of us are only now embracing the spa and its health, recreational, social and business benefits, perhaps some were already in on the secret and just keeping it to themselves. Regardless, expect more spas and more and better treatment options to continue to bubble up in New Orleans like the warm waters of an artesian spring.

Spas You Should Know

Spa Aria at the Hotel Monteleone: 214 Royal St., 523-9990, SpaAria.com Balance Spa & Fitness at the Loews Hotel: 300 Poydras St., 595-5333, BalanceSpaNewOrleans.com Belladonna: 2900 Magazine St., 891-4393, BelladonnaDaySpa.com Buff Beauty Bar: 720 Carondelet St., 522-2833, BuffBeautyBar.com Earthsavers & WELL: Uptown, 5501 Magazine St., 899-8555; Metairie, 3301 Veterans Blvd., 835-0225; Mandeville, 3414 U.S. Highway 190, (985) 674-1133, EarthsaversOnline.com Franco’s O Spa: Mandeville, 100 Bon Temps Roule, 985-792-0270 Ritz-Carlton Spa: 921 Canal St., 524-1331 Spa at the Roosevelt Hotel: 130 Roosevelt Way, (800) 925-3673, WaldorfAstoria3.hilton.com Stone Creek Spa: Covington, 1201 Ochsner Blvd., (985) 801-7100 Spa at the Windsor Court: 300 Gravier St., 596-4736, WindsorCourtHotel.com/Spa Woodhouse: 4030 Canal St., 482-6652, NewOrleans.WoodhouseSpas.com

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THEMENU TABLE TALK

RESTAURANT INSIDER

FOOD

LAST CALL

DINING LISTINGS TABLE TALK:

Prime Time for Beef PAGE 84

Doris Metropolitanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s interior walls double as wine racks, and a mini retail counter offers steaks to-go.

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T HE M EN U

T A B L E T A L K

Doris Metropolitan. Classified Cut and Beetroot Supreme.

Steak Your Claim Chophouse 322 Magazine St. 522-7902 ChophouseNola.com Dinner nightly

Crescent City Steaks 1001 N. Broad St. 821-3271 CrescentCitySteaks.com Desi Vega’s Steakhouse 628 St. Charles Ave. 523-7600 DesiVegaSteaks.com Lunch Mondays-Fridays; dinner Tuesdays-Saturdays Doris Metropolitan 620 Charters St. 267-3500 DorisMetropolitan.com Dinner nightly

Prime Time for Beef Steak houses of different styles by Jay Forman

harpen your laguiole de table

and make sure your MasterCard is paid up, because there are some exciting new developments in the world of swanky beef. Between Doris Metropolitan, La Boca and Desi Vega’s Steakhouse, the breadth of styles now offered around town showcase the diversity of what this genre can offer. Nobody likes it when a flight gets cancelled, but in the case of Doris Metropolitan it turned out to be a good thing for New Orleans. Owner Doris Rebi Chia was passing through on his way to Miami to lock up a second location for his Costa Rica-based steakhouse when his flight got scratched. While overnighting in the French Quarter he noticed the former Alpine, and immediately recognized the site’s potential. He called his partner, Itai Ben Eli, right away and said, “Don’t sign the papers – we’re going to do this here instead.”Miami’s loss is New Orleans’ gain. Doris Metropolitan made an immediate impact when it opened last October, turning a shuttered property in the heart of tourist ground zero into a place locals 84

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would seek out rather than avoid. The elaborate dry aging room is the first thing you see. Interior walls double as wine racks, and a mini retail counter offers steaks to go – fitting because the owners got their start with a string of high-end butcher shops in Israel. “We like to describe it as a ‘New World Steakhouse,’” says manager Stavros King. “We take influences from all over and have just as much pride in our appetizers and entrées as much as we do in our steaks.” The well-rounded menu would stand on its own at any à la carte destination. The influence is global, albeit skewed toward Israel with a minor in the Mediterranean. One recommended appetizer would be their Calamari Salad, where tender curlicues of squid share the plate with saffron-scented potato cubes, chickpeas and a smoked eggplant cream sauce. But while the influences are global, much of the preparation is modernist. For their Beetroot Supreme, a hollowed-out beet is stuffed with ricotta, pine nuts and mascarpone and then cooked “sous vide.” Sous vide, that modernist trick by which

La Boca 870 Tchopitoulas St. 525-8205 LaBocaSteaks.com Dinner Mondays-Saturdays

portioned meats are cryovaced and held in a hot water bath, plays a fundamental role at Doris Metropolitan. Their steak prep process is three-fold: dry age, sous vide, then grill to order. This isn’t a gimmick – it gives chefs an edge on prep with the added bonus of having the low temp preserve the natural coloring of the meat. Regarding the steaks, the ribeye gets a particularly pronounced nuttiness from the dry-aging process. But if you want to try something different, order the “Classified Cut” – a name that if it weren’t on a high-end steakhouse menu would make people otherwise cross the street to avoid. “The owners won’t tell anyone what it is – not the wait staff, nobody – which can make it hard to explain,” Stavros admits. A mystery like that invites guesses; mine is that it’s a flap steak portioned extra-thick and made especially tender through the aging process. It is accompanied by J E F F ERY J OHN S TON PHOTOGRAPH

“Potato Surprise,” a cylinder of shaved, roasted potato cored and injected with a flavorful mashed potato filling, making for an osso bucco-esque presentation. In the Warehouse District, Argentine outpost La Boca recently moved into the former a Mano location on the corner of Tchoupitoulas and Julia streets. In the process it gained about 35 seats while claiming a prime position along a high-profile corridor of fine dining that counts Emeril’s and Cochon as neighbors. “The issue of limited space had come up several times over the years,” says chef Jared Ralls. “We got so busy we were having to turn away a lot of reservations, and we just hating having to do that.” Fans of the old location can be assuaged – the build-out took design cues from the original space and there are a lot of similarities in terms of feel and flow. The menu remains the same, by and large. The hallmark of this steakhouse is that you can find grass-fed cuts offered nowhere else in town; such as the Entraña Fina con la Piel – an outside skirt steak slow cooked with the skin on, which makes for a surprisingly crispy exterior. The Bife La Boca, a cut of sirloin flap steak marinated in lime and garlic, is my personal go-to choice and is served with a light char on the outside and a simple garnish of coarse salt and fanned avocado slices. When Ralls gets a chance to actually sit down and eat, he likes the Centro de Entraña from Painted Hills Ranch in Oregon. A unique characteristic of La Boca is its exclusively Argentine wine list. In the new space, the former charcuterie room has been refitted as a cedar-lined wine closet and the overall list has been increased by over 60 percent. Ralls is also enthusiastic about his Scotch menu, already at 45 choices and growing. For a steakhouse, price points are reasonable with many in the mid-$20s and valet parking is now offered for $5 – a real plus in a neighborhood where spaces are tough to come by. The most traditional of the three, Desi Vega’s Steakhouse speaks to that emptiness we all felt inside when Ruth’s Chris abandoned New Orleans for Florida following Katrina. That is no coincidence – owner Desi Vega spent years with that organization, working with Miss Ruth personally and opening numerous franchises nationwide before leaving it to open Mr. John’s. Essentially a sister restaurant to Mr. John’s, Desi Vega’s offers an identical menu with a few additions, such as the Bone-In Filet. The biggest distinction would be in atmosphere – Mr. John’s is more traditional with its wood wainscoting and tile floor, whereas Desi’s is more contemporary with soaring plate glass windows that look out over Lafayette Square. Desi’s has the added bonus of being open for lunch Monday through Friday. Steak-wise, your meat is rushed from a 1,800-degree oven, then served sizzling on a plate of with molten butter. The USDA Prime beef comes from cattle that are finished on corn, giving it the classic unctuous flavor profile most familiar to American steakhouses. This makes the filet especially tender and the ribeye a study in marbled glory. The sides are classic as well – but be sure to try the Andouille and Crawfish Mac and Cheese, a side that’s more attenuated to New Orleans flavors.

Charred Steaks and Crab Claws For “Pittsburg-Style” Steaks (cooked quickly at super-high heat and distinguished by a charred exterior) try Chophouse on Magazine Street near Poydras street. This also may be the only place in the city to serve Florida stone crab claws when in season – hurry over as they disappear mid-May. Crescent City Steaks in Mid-City carries the flame with its timeless shuttered booths, checkerboard floors and no-nonsense menu that has satisfied generations of local meat lovers. myneworleans.com

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

The Sammich, Rio Mar and Waffles on Maple by Robert Peyton Another

May

and

already

s e e ms

the

relatively cool weather we had to begin the year is a distant memory. In more northerly latitudes there’s a thing called Seasonal Affective Disorder; sufferers feel lethargic and moody as the temperature drops and the nights grow longer. I am self-diagnosing myself with an analogue to Seasonal Affective Disorder. Mine is Moist-heat Affective Disorder, because while we’re not there yet, in a month or two I’m going to be lethargic and moody about my energy bill, having to wear a suit and sweating while motionless.

The Sammich started as a pop-up in Chickie Wah Wah, the bar and music venue at 2828 Canal St. Early this year Michael Brewer opened a more permanent operation at 7708 Maple St., which was most recently a location of Singha Thai restaurant. The sandwiches here aren’t what you’d get if you visit a typical poor boy restaurant, though there are some common touches. There is a braised rabbit sandwich that reminded me in texture of a sloppy roast beef poor boy but with a much lighter flavor from green tomatoes, remoulade and a grapefruit-horseradish gastrique. Even a standard, like fried shrimp, are done a little differently here; the shrimp are coated in a Crystal hot sauce beurre blanc with tasso, pickled okra and pepper jelly. The tempura lobster sandwich comes with a spicy mango cream, and can be ordered as a half-sized portion from the small plates half of the menu. Those small plates are what set The Sammich apart from other “upscale” sandwich joints. French fries are cooked in duck fat and served with grated parmesan and aioli. Duck fat comes in again as the cooking medium for quartered red beets that come with a similar aioli spiked with jalapeño. Deviled eggs are stuffed with crab, capers and cornichons for a very local take on a very French dish. The Sammich has a casual vibe, with a full bar dominating onehalf of the dining room and seating options comprised partly of large wooden picnic-style tables. You place your order at the bar, and it’s then attached to a zip line that carries it directly (and ostentatiously) into the open kitchen at the rear. The Sammich has a tongue-in-cheek name, but the cooking here is very serious. The Sammich is located at 7708 Maple St., is open seven days a week from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., and you can find out what’s on the menu by visiting TheSammich.com or by calling (844) 726-6424. 86

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I heard Miles Prescott’s name when he took over the kitchen at the Country Club in the Bywater. It was his first executive chef job and he was only there a year, but his cooking impressed a lot of people. These days he’s the executive chef at Rio Mar as well as a co-owner with local restaurateur Nick Bazan. If you haven’t been to Rio Mar in a while, you owe it to yourself to pay a visit, because Prescott and his team are doing some outstanding things. Much of what made Rio Mar distinctive under local legend Adolfo Garcia is still on the menu. The grilled octopus, the Manchego with eggplant, the Serrano ham and the ceviches are all still available. But

Prescott is moving things more towards nuevo latino cuisine. A recent scallop tiradito featured a sauce made with the Peruvian chiles, aji panca and aji amarillo, for example. A piquillo pepper stuffed with mushrooms is topped by a béchamel sauce with ancho chiles and tarragon, is another. His signature dish is a fillet of fish (black drum when I was there) over roasted plantains (maduros) stuffed with Gulf shrimp and topped with a chayote (mirliton) and coconut slaw and a sauce made with soy, Dijon mustard and lime. This isn’t “fusion” food in the bad old sense of that term; this is a chef with a deep grounding and respect for tradition doing innovative things. Rio Mar is located at 800 S. Peters St., and is open for lunch Mondays through Fridays from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., and for dinner 5:30 to 10 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays. There is a happy hour featuring small plates (the restaurant is still the standout for tapas) from 5 to 7 p.m., Mondays through Fridays. Call 525-3474 to make a reservation or find out more.

When I went to check out The Sammich, I happened on a place right next door that I’d never heard of. It is called Waffles on Maple, and in addition to the fact that it has a menu focused almost exclusively on Belgian waffles, it’s also notable for being kosher. Chef Zev Attias is a graduate of the culinary program at Delgado, and has worked in restaurants both here and in New York. The menu features sweet offerings such as The Allman Brothers, which is topped with hot peach cobbler and whipped cream, and the Monkey Madness, which comes with bananas, chocolate sauce, whipped cream and sliced almonds. There are also savory waffles, with toppings like cheddar, jalapeño and sour cream and caramelized onions, mushrooms, Muenster cheese and black pepper. You can also build your own waffle. Waffles on Maple is a small place, with maybe 10 to 12 spots to eat inside. The restaurant is located at 7712 Maple St. and it’s open Mondays through Thursdays from 6 to 8 p.m., on Fridays from 6 p.m. to 3 a.m. and on Sunday from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. Questions? Comments? Suggestions? Email rdpeyton@gmail.com

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LAST CALL

New World New By Tim McNally

he European nationalities that settled New Orleans brought with them their love of spirits and

wines. Certainly the Spanish, French and Italians embraced not only their new New World home, but they also gave us, alongside the Caribbean and African population, drinks we still savor today. Spirits, in particular, were indigenous to the old homeland, and finding or creating substitutes in this foreign land was a difficult task. When it came to distillation, we were dependant on the boys from Scotland, many of who settled to our north in Kentucky. But not far away from that storied land (Scotland, not Kentucky) was Ireland, which also had a way with whiskey. Oh, yes, and beer. The Irish came here to do the hard work of building infrastructure, like canals, and had little time to create cocktails or spirits. Irish whiskey was a luxury. Kieran Folliard, a good son of Erin but with a firm stance in America, decided to develop an Irish Whiskey that lent itself to refreshing and cool cocktails. He did

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so, naming the new product in honor of two redheaded firebrands: his mother and his aunt. Created with the New World in Mind, 2 Gingers is maltier and sweeter than traditional Irish whiskey. The motto on the bottle is â&#x20AC;&#x153;Bring Your Own Luck.â&#x20AC;? Sounds like a great idea.

2 GINGERS Honey Ginger Stream 1.5 parts 2 GINGERS Irish Whiskey .5 part JDK & Sons 03 Premium Orange Liqueur .5 part Lemon Juice .5 part Honey Syrup 2 dashes Vanilla Extract Combine all ingredients in a shaker with ice. Shake and strain into a sugar-rimmed martini glass. Created by Jeb McGovern of the Irish House

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DINING GUIDE

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

in the French Quarter; live jazz during Sun. brunch. New Orleans Magazine’s 2011 Honor Roll winner. $$$$$

Ask for a seat on the romantic patio, weather permitting. $$$$$

5 Fifty 5 Restaurant Marriott Hotel,

Audubon Clubhouse 6500 Magazine St.,

555 Canal St., 553-5638, French Quarter, 555Canal.com. B, L, D daily. This restaurant offers innovative American fare such as lobster macaroni and cheese. Many of the dishes receive an additional touch from the woodburning oven. $$$$

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

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

7 on Fulton 701 Convention Center Blvd.,

August Moon 3635 Prytania St., 899-5122,

525-7555, CBD/Warehouse District, 7onFulton.com. B, L, D daily. Upscale and contemporary dining destination. $$$$

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

13 Restaurant and Bar 517 Frenchmen St., 942-1345, Faubourg Marigny, 13Monaghan. com. L, D daily, open until 4 a.m. Late-night deli catering to hungry club-hoppers. Bar and excellent jukebox make this a good place to refuel. $

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

Acme Oyster House Multiple locations: AcmeOyster.com. L, D daily. Known as one of the best places to eat oysters. $$

Ancora 4508 Freret St., 324-1636, Uptown, AncoraPizza.com. D Mon-Sat. Authentic Neapolitan-style pizza fired in an oven imported from Naples keeps pizza connoisseurs coming back to this Freret Street hot-spot. The housemade charcuterie makes it a double-winner. New Orleans Magazine’s 20011 Pizza Restaurant of the Year. $$

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

Antoine’s 713 St. Louis St., 581-4422, French Quarter, Antoines.com. L Mon-Sat, D Mon-Sat, Br Sun. This pinnacle of haute cuisine and birthplace of Oysters Rockefeller is New Orleans’ oldest restaurant. (Every item is á la carte, with an $11 minimum.) Private dining rooms are available. $$$$$ Arnaud’s 813 Bienville St., 523-5433, French Quarter, ArnaudsRestaurant.com. D daily, Br Sun. Waiters in tuxedos prepare Café Brûlot tableside at this storied Creole grande dame

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

The Avenue Pub 1732 St. Charles Ave., 586-9243, Uptown, 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.” $

Bacchanal Fine Wines and Spirits 600 Poland Ave., 948-9111, Bywater, BacchanalWine.com. L, D daily. The pop-up that started it all, this ongoing backyard music and food fest in the heart of Bywater carries the funky flame. Best of all, the front of house is a wine shop. $$

Barcelona Tapas 720 Dublin St., 861-9696, Riverbend, LetsEat.at/BarcelonaTapas. D TueSun. Barcelona Tapas is chef-owner Xavier Laurentino’s homage to the small-plates restaurants he knew from his hometown of Barcelona. The tapas are authentic, and the space, renovated largely by Laurentino himself, is charming. $ Basin Seafood & Spirits 3222 Magazine St., 302-7391, Uptown. L Thurs-Sun, D daily. The focus is on seafood at this uncluttered, contemporary joint venture between Colombian chef Edgar Caro from Barü Bistro & Tapas and Louisiana fishing guide Tommy Peters. Their generally lighter approach is represented in dishes such as whole grilled snapper as well as traditional favorites such as spicy boiled crawfish (in season). $$

Bayona 430 Dauphine St., 525-4455, French Quarter, Bayona.com. L Wed-Sat, D Mon-Sat. Chef Susan Spicer’s nationally acclaimed cuisine is served in this 200-year-old cottage.

Besh Steak Harrah’s Casino, 8 Canal

Bistro Daisy 5831 Magazine St., 899-6987, Uptown, BistroDaisy.com. D, Tue-Sat. Chef Anton Schulte and his wife Diane’s bistro, named in honor of their daughter, serves creative and contemporary bistro fare in a romantic setting along Magazine Street. The signature Daisy Salad is a favorite. $$$$

The Bombay Club Prince Conti Hotel, 830 Conti St., 586-0972, French Quarter, TheBombayClub.com. D daily. Popular martini bar appointed with plush British décor features live music during the week and late dinner and drinks on weekends. Nouveau Creole menu includes items such as Bombay drum. $$$$

Bon Ton Cafe 401 Magazine St., 524-3386, CBD/Warehouse District, TheBonTonCafe. com. L, D Mon-Fri. A local favorite for the oldschool business lunch crowd, it specializes in local seafood and Cajun dishes. $$$$

Boucherie 8115 Jeannette St., 862-5514, Riverbend, Boucherie-Nola.com. L, D Tue-Sat. Serving contemporary Southern food with an international angle, Chef Nathaniel Zimet offers excellent ingredients, presented simply. New Orleans Magazine’s Best New Restaurant 2009. $$

Café Adelaide Loews New Orleans Hotel, 300 Poydras St., 595-3305, CBD/Warehouse District, 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 businessmen and politicos. Also features the Swizzle Stick Bar. $$$$

Café Burnside Houmas House Plantation, 40136 Highway 942, (225) 473-9380, Darrow, HoumasHouse.com. L daily, Br Sun. Historic plantation’s casual dining option features dishes such as seafood pasta, fried catfish, crawfish and shrimp, gumbo and red beans and rice. $$

Café Degas 3127 Esplanade Ave., 945-5635, Mid-City, CafeDegas.com. L Wed-Sat, D WedSun, Br Sun. Light French bistro food including salads and quiche make this indoor/outdoor boîte a Faubourg St. John favorite. New Orleans Magazine’s 2010 French Restaurant of the Year. $$$

Café du Monde 800 Decatur St., 525-4544, French Quarter; multiple other 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. $

Café Equator 2920 Severn Ave., 8884772, Metairie, CafeEquator.com. L, D daily. Very good Thai food across the street from Lakeside Mall. Offers a quiet and oftoverlooked dining option in a crowded part of town. $$

Uptown, Brigtsens.com. D Tue-Sat. Chef Frank Brigtsen’s nationally-famous Creole cuisine makes this cozy Riverbend cottage a true foodie destination. $$$$$

Café Freret 7329 Freret St., 861-7890, Uptown, CafeFreret.com. B, L, D Fri-Wed. Convenient location near Tulane and Loyola universities makes this a place for students (and dogs) to indulge in decadent breakfasts, casual lunches and tasty dinners – and their “A la Collar” menu. $$

Broken Egg Cafe 200 Girod St., (985) 231-

Café Giovanni 117 Decatur St., 529-2154,

Brigtsen’s 723 Dante St., 861-7610,

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

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

Byblos Multiple locations: ByblosRestaurants. com. L, D daily. Upscale Middle Eastern cuisine featuring traditional seafood, lamb and vegetarian options. $$

Downtown, CafeGiovanni.com. D daily. Live opera singers three nights a week round out the atmosphere at this contemporary Italian dining destination. The menu offers a selection of Italian specialties tweaked with a Creole influence and their Belli Baci happy hour adds to the atmosphere. $$$$

Café Luna 802 Nashville Ave., 333-6833, Uptown. B, L daily. Charismatic coffee shop in a converted house offers a range of panini, caffeinated favorites and free Wi-Fi. The front porch is a prime spot for people-watching along adjacent Magazine Street. $

Café Maspero 601 Decatur St., 523-6250,

New Spring beer and pairing menu from Gordon Biersch 200 Poydras St., 522-2739, GordonBierschRestaurants.com

Gordon Biersch Brewery Restaurant is offering a limited edition beer “Maibock” from April 16 to May 25, or until supply runs out. A pairing menu will also be available. Maibock is a lager known as the “Rite of Spring,” and is named for the month of May. Its strong Einbeck-style has a warming, caramel malt goodness and uses noble Hersbrucker hops. Some highlights of the pairing menu are: Fried Calamari Starter, Strawberry Cheesecake, Flame Grilled NY Strip, Housemade Tacos, Cajun Pasta and Gorgonzola Pear Salad. Gordon Biersch, is a busy, upscale casual restaurant brewery located in the heart of downtown New Orleans. – M i r e l l a c a m e r a n 90

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French Quarter. L, D daily. Tourists line up for their generous portions of seafood and large deli sandwiches. $

and a slice. $

Camellia Grill 626 S. Carrollton Ave., 309-

City, CafeMinh.com. L Mon-Fri., D Mon-Sat. Chef Minh Bui and Cynthia Vutran bring their fusion-y touch with Vietnamese cuisine to this corner location. French accents and a contemporary flair make this one of the more notable cross-cultural venues in town. New Orleans Magazine’s 2010 Maître D’ of the Year. $$

2679, Uptown; 540 Chartres St., 522-1800, Downtown. B, L, D daily, until 1 a.m. SunThu and 3 a.m. Fri-Sat. The venerable diner has reopened following an extensive renovation and change in ownership (in 2006). Patrons can rest assured that its essential character has remained intact and many of the original waiters have returned. The new downtown location has a liquor license and credit cards are now accepted. $

Café Negril 606 Frenchmen St., 944-4744,

Capdeville 520 Capdeville St., 371-5161,

Marigny. D daily. This music club draws locals in with its lineup of live reggae and blues. Tacos and barbecue in back are a plus for late-night revelers. $

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

Café Minh 4139 Canal St., 482-6266, Mid-

Café Nino 1510 S. Carrollton Ave., 8659200, Carrollton. L, D daily. Nondescript exterior belies old-school Italian hideaway serving up red-sauce classics like lasagna, along with some of the more under-the-radar New York-style thin crust pizza in town. $$

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

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

Carmo 527 Julia St., 875-4132, Warehouse District, CafeCarmo.com. L Mon-Sat., D TueSat. Caribbean-inspired fare offers a creative array of vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free fare in a sleek location on Julia Street. One of the few places in the city where healthy dining is celebrated rather than accommodated. $$

Carmelo Ristorante 1901 Highway 190, (985) 624-4844, Mandeville, RistoranteCarmelo.com. L, D Wed-Mon, Sun-Mon. Italian trattoria serves old-world classics. Private rooms available. $$ Casamento’s 4330 Magazine St., 895-9761, Uptown, CasamentosRestaurant.com. L TueSat, D Thu-Sat. The family-owned restaurant has shucked oysters and fried seafood since 1919; closed during summer and for all major holidays. $$

CC’s Community Coffee House Multiple locations: CCsCoffee.com. Coffeehouse

specializing in coffee, espresso drinks and pastries. $

been a favorite of locals for years. $$$

Chateau du Lac 2037 Metairie Road,

CBD/Warehouse District, CochonRestaurant. com. L, D, Mon-Sat. Chefs Donald Link and Stephen Stryjewski showcase Cajun and Southern cuisine at this Warehouse District hot spot. Boudin and other pork dishes reign supreme here, along with Louisiana seafood and real moonshine from the bar. New Orleans Magazine named Link Chef of the Year 2009. Reservations strongly recommended. $$

831-3773, Old Metairie, ChateauduLacBistro. com. L Tues-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. A Provençal-inspired atmosphere and French wine round out the appeal. $$$$

Checkered Parrot 133 Royal St., 592-1270, French Quarter; 3629 Prytania St., Uptown; CheckeredParrot.com. B, L, D daily. The Checkered Parrot is an upscale sports bar with a large menu, featuring nachos, fajitas, wings in seven flavors, wraps and burgers and an outdoor patio. $$

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

Chiba 8312 Oak St., 826-9119, Carrollton, chiba-nola.com. L Wed-Sat, D Mon-Sat. Contemporary restaurant features fresh, exotic fish from all over the world and fusion fare to go along with typical Japanese options. Externsive sake list and late night happy hours are a plus. $$$

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

Clancy’s 6100 Annunciation St., 895-1111, Uptown, ClancysNewOrleans.com. L Thu-Fri, D Mon-Sat. Their Creole-inspired menu has

Cochon 930 Tchoupitoulas St., 588-2123,

Commander’s Palace 1403 Washington Ave., 899-8221, Uptown, CommandersPalace. com. L Mon-Fri, D daily, Br Sat-Sun. The Grande Dame in the Garden District is going strong under the auspices of chef Tory McPhail. The turtle soup might be the best in the city, and its weekend Jazz Brunch is a great deal. $$$$ Cooter Brown’s 509 S. Carrollton Ave., 866-9104, Uptown, CooterBrowns.com. L, D daily. Riverbend-area sports bar serves up the city’s largest selection of beers along with great bar food. The cheese fries are a rite of passage, and the Radiator’s Special poor boy makes for a great late-night meal. $

Copeland’s Multiple locations: CopelandsofNewOrleans.com. L, D daily, Br Sun. Al Copeland’s namesake chain includes favorites such as Shrimp Ducky. Popular for lunch. $$

Coquette 2800 Magazine St., 265-0421, Uptown, Coquette-Nola.com. L Wed-Sat, D Wed-Mon, Br Sun. A bistro located at the corner of Washington and Magazine streets. The food is French in inspiration and technique, with added imagination from chef Michael Stoltzfus (New Orleans Magazine’s Best New Chef 2009) and his partner

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Lillian Hubbard. $$$

Dakota 629 N. Highway 190, (985) 892-

Corky’s Bar-B-Q Restaurant 4243

3712, Covington, TheDakotaRestaurant. com. L Tues-Fri, D Mon-Sat. A sophisticated dining experience with generous portions. $$$$$

Veterans Blvd., 887-5000, Metairie, CorkysBarBQ.com. L, D daily. Memphisbased barbecue chain offers good hickorysmoked ribs, pork and beef in a family setting with catering service available. $

Court of Two Sisters 613 Royal St., 5227261, French Quarter, CourtOfTwoSisters. com. Br, D daily. The historic environs make for a memorable outdoor dining experience. The famous daily Jazz Brunch buffet and classic Creole dishes sweeten the deal. $$$$$

Crabby Jack’s 428 Jefferson Highway, 833-2722, Jefferson. L Mon-Sat. Lunch outpost of Jacques-Imo’s chef and owner Jack Leonardi. Famous for its fried seafood and poor boys including fried green tomatoes and roasted duck. $

Crépes a la Carte 1039 Broadway St., 866-236, Uptown, CrepeCaterer.com. B, L, D daily. Open late. An extensive menu of tasty crêpes, both savory and sweet, make this a great spot for a quick bite for college students and locals. $

Crescent City Brewhouse 527 Decatur St.,866-2362, French Quarter, CrescentCityBrehouse.com. L, D daily. Contemporary brewpub features an eclectic menu complementing its freshly brewed wares. Live jazz and good location make it a fun place to meet up. $$$

Crescent City Steaks 1001 N. Broad St., 821-3271, Mid-City, CrescentCitySteaks.com. L Tue-Fri & Sun, D daily. One of the classic New Orleans steakhouses, it’s a throwback in every sense of the term. Steaks, sides and drinks are what you get at Crescent City. New Orleans Magazine’s Steakhouse of the Year 2009 and Honor Roll honoree 2007. $$$$

Criollo 214 Royal St., Hotel Monteleone, 681-4444, French Quarter, 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. $$$ The Crystal Room Le Pavillon Hotel, 833 Poydras St., 581-3111, CBD/Warehouse District, LePavillon.com. B, D daily; L, MonFri. Franco-American cuisine with Louisiana influences is served in the environs of the Le Pavillon Hotel. The Southern-style breakfast features its decadent Bananas Foster Waffle “Le Pavillon.” $$$

The Delachaise 3442 St. Charles Ave., 895-0858, Uptown, TheDelachaise.com. L Fri-Sun, D daily. Elegant bar food fit for the wine connoisseur; kitchen open late. $$ Dick and Jenny’s 4501 Tchoupitoulas St., 894-9880, Uptown, DickAndJennys.com. Br Sun, L Tue-Fri, D Mon-Sat. A funky cottage serving Louisiana comfort food with flashes of innovation. $$$$ Dickie Brennan’s Bourbon House 144 Bourbon St., 522-0111, French Quarter, BourbonHouse.com. B, L, D daily. Classic Creole dishes such as redfish on the halfshell and baked oysters are served with classic Brennan’s style at this French Quarter outpost. Its extensive bourbon menu will please aficionados. New Orleans Magazine’s 2011 Oyster Bar of the Year. $$$$ Dickie Brennan’s Steakhouse 716 Iberville St., 522-2467, French Quarter, DickieBrennansSteakhouse.com. L Fri, D daily. Nationally recognized steakhouse serves USDA Prime steaks and local seafood in a New Orleans setting with the usual Brennan’s family flair. $$$$$

Domenica The Roosevelt Hotel, 123 Baronne St., 648-6020, CBD, DomenicaRestaurant.com. L, D daily. New Orleans Magazine’s 2012 Chef of the Year Alon Shaya serves authentic, regional Italian cuisine in John Besh’s sophisticated new restaurant. The menu of thin, lightly topped pizzas, artisanal salumi and cheese, and a carefully chosen selection of antipasti, pasta and entrées, feature locally raised products, some from Besh’s Northshore farm. $$$$

Domilise’s 5240 Annunciation St., 8999126, Uptown. 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. $

Dong Phuong 14207 Chef Menteur Highway, 254-0214, N.O. East. L Wed-Mon. Vietnamese bakery and restaurant in the community of Versailles makes great banh mi sandwiches and interesting baked goods both savory and sweet. Unbeatable prices. $

Drago’s 3232 N. Arnoult Road, 888-9254, Metairie; Hilton Riverside Hotel, 2 Poydras St., 584-3911, CBD/Warehouse District; DragosRestaurant.com. L, D daily (Hilton), L,

D Mon-Sat (Metairie). This famous seafooder specializes in charbroiled oysters, a dish they invented. Raucous but good-natured atmosphere makes this a fun place to visit. Great deals on fresh lobster as well. $$$$

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

El Gato Negro Multiple locations: ElGatoNegroNola.com. Popular spot serves up authentic Central Mexican cuisine along with hand-muddled mojitos and margaritas made with freshly squeezed juice. A weekend breakfast menu is an additional plus. $$

Elizabeth’s 601 Gallier St., 944-9272, Bywater, ElizabethsRestaurantNola.com. B, L Mon-Fri, D Mon-Sat, Br Sat-Sun. This eclectic local restaurant draws rave reviews for its praline bacon and distinctive Southerninspired brunch specials. $$$ Emeril’s 800 Tchoupitoulas St., 528-9393, CBD/Warehouse District, EmerilsRestaurants. com. L Mon-Fri, D daily. The flagship of superstar chef Emeril Lagasse’s culinary empire, this landmark attracts pilgrims from all over the world. $$$$$ Feelings Cafe 2600 Chartres St., 945-2222, Faubourg Marigny, FeelingsCafe.com. D WedSun, Br Sun. Romantic ambiance and skillfully created dishes, such as veal d’aunoy, make dining here on the patio a memorable experience. A piano bar on Fridays adds to the atmosphere. Vegan menu offered. $$$$ Fellini’s Café 900 N. Carrollton Ave., 4882155, Bayou St. John. L, D daily. With décor inspired by its namesake Italian filmmaker, this casual indoor/outdoor spot serves large portions of reasonably-priced Mediterranean specialties such as pizza, pastas and hummus. $ Fiesta Latina 1924 Airline Drive, 468-2384, Kenner, FiestaLatinaRestaurant.com. B, L, D daily. A big-screen TV normally shows a soccer match or MTV Latino at this home for authentic Central American food. Tacos include a charred carne asada. New Orleans Magazine’s 2010 Latin Restaurant of the Year. $$ Five Happiness 3605 S. Carrollton Ave., 482-3935, Mid-City, FiveHappiness.com. L, D daily. This longtime Chinese favorite offers up an extensive menu including its beloved mu shu pork and house baked duck. A popular choice for families as well. $$

Flaming Torch 737 Octavia St., 895-0900, Uptown, FlamingTorchNola.com. L MonSat, D daily, Br Sun. French classics including a tasty onion soup make this a nice place

for a slightly upscale lunch while shopping along Magazine Street. $$

Frank’s 933 Decatur St., 525-1602, French Quarter. L, D daily. Locally inspired Italian sandwiches such as muffulettas and Genoa salami poor boys are served here in the heart of the French Quarter. $$$ Galatoire’s 209 Bourbon St., 525-2021, French Quarter, Galatoires.com. L, D TueSun. Friday lunches are a New Orleans tradition at this world-famous French-Creole grand dame. Tradition counts for everything here, and the crabmeat Sardou is delicious. Note: Jackets required for dinner and all day Sun. $$$$$ Galatoire’s 33 Bar & Steak 215 Bourbon St., 335-3932, French Quarter. L Fri, D Sun-Thurs. Galatoires33BarAndSteak. com. Steakhouse offshoot of the venerable Creole Grande Dame offers hand-crafted cocktails to accompany classic steakhouse fare as well as inspired dishes like the Gouté 33 – horseradish-crusted bone marrow and deviled eggs with crab ravigote and smoked trout. Reservations are accepted. $$$ Galley Seafood 2535 Metairie Road, 832-0955, Metairie. L, D Tue-Sat. TheGalleySeafood.com. A great local place for seafood, both fried and boiled. Famous for its softshell crab poor boy, a Jazz Fest favorite. $$ Gautreau’s 1728 Soniat St., 899-7397, Uptown, GautreausRestaurant.com. D, Mon-Sat. Upscale destination serves refined interpretations of classics along with contemporary creations in a clubby setting nested deep within a residential neighborhood. New Orleans Magazine named Sue Zemanick Chef of the Year 2008. $$$$$ GG’s Dine-o-rama 3100 Magazine St., 373-6579, Uptown, GGsNewOrleans.com. B Sat, L, Tue-Sun, D Tue-Fri., Br Sun. Upscalecasual restaurant serves a variety of specialty sandwiches, salads and wraps, like the Chicago-style hot dog and the St. Paddy’s Day Massacre – chef Gotter’s take on the Rueben. $$ Gracious Bakery + Café 1000 S. Jeff Davis Parkway, Suite 100, 301-3709, MidCity, GraciousBakery.com. B, L Mon-Sat. Boutique bakery in the ground floor of the new Woodward Building offers small-batch coffee, baked goods, individual desserts and sandwiches on breads made in-house. Catering options are available as well. $

The Green Goddess 307 Exchange Place, 301-3347, French Quarter, GreenGoddessNola.com. L, D Wed-Sun. Located in a tiny space, the Green Goddess is one of the most imaginative restaurants in New Orleans. The menu is constantly changing, and chef Paul Artigues 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. $$ The Grill Room Windsor Court Hotel,

Gott Gourmet Grows into GG’s Dine-O-Rama

3100 Magazine St., 373-6579, GGsNewOrleans.com

Gott Gourmet on Magazine Street in the Garden District has rebranded as GG’s Dine-O-Rama and added dinner entrées, desserts and appetizers. The new name reflects the extended hours and expanded menu. Christy Parker, co-owner with chef David Gotter, says: “The success of Gott Gourmet showed us that people want first-class cooking in a comfortable environment; we’re excited to offer more opportunities to enjoy our refined comfort food.” Gott Gourmet will continue as the catering part of the business, while the focus on fresh, homemade and unique remains the same. – M . c . 92

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

GW Fins 808 Bienville St., 581-FINS (3467), French Quarter, GWFins.com. D daily. To ensure the best possible flavors at GW Fins, owners Gary Wollerman and New Orleans Magazine’s 2005 and 2001 Chef of the Year Tenney Flynn provide dishes at their seasonal peak by flying in products from around the globe. That commitment to freshness and quest for unique variety are two of the rea-

sons why the menu is printed daily. $$$$$

Herbsaint 701 St. Charles Ave., 524-4114, CBD/Warehouse District, Herbsaint.com. L Mon-Fri, D Mon-Sat. Enjoy a sophisticated cocktail before sampling Chef Donald Link’s (New Orleans Magazine’s Chef of the Year 2009) menu that melds contemporary bistro fare with classic Louisiana cuisine. The banana brown butter tart is a favorite dessert. $$$$$

Horinoya 920 Poydras St., 561-8914, CBD/ Warehouse District. L, D daily. Excellent Japanese dining in an understated and oftoverlooked location. The chu-toro is delicious and the selection of authentic Japanese appetizers is the best in the city. $$$ Hoshun Restaurant 1601 St. Charles Ave., 302-9716, Garden District, HoshunRestaurant.com. L, D daily. Hoshun offers a wide variety of Asian cuisines, primarily dishes culled from China, Japan, Thailand and Malaysia. Their five-pepper calamari is a tasty way to begin the meal, and their creative sushi rolls are good as well. $$

Bustling Italian restaurant on the edge of Fat City serves homemade pasta in a convivial atmosphere. Chef/Owner Joe Impastato greets guests warmly and treats them like family. The prix fixe options are a good way to taste a lot for not much money. $$$$

Irene’s Cuisine 539 St. Philip St., 5298811, French Quarter. D Mon-Sat. Long waits at the lively piano bar are part of the appeal of this Creole-Italian favorite beloved by locals. Try the oysters Irene and crabmeat gratin appetizers. $$$$

Iris 321 N. Peters St., 299-3944, French Quarter, IrisNewOrleans.com. L Fri, D Mon, Wed-Sat. This inviting bistro offers sophisticated fare in a charming setting. The veal cheek ravioli is a winner. New Orleans Magazine’s Best New Restaurant 2006. $$$$

Jack Dempsey’s 738 Poland Ave., 9439914, Bywater, JackDempseys.net. L Tue-Sat, D Wed-Sat. Local favorite nestled deep in the heart of the Bywater is known for its stuffed flounder and baked macaroni served in generous portions. $$$

House of Blues 225 Decatur St., 310-4999,

Jacques-Imo’s Cafe 8324 Oak St., 861-

French Quarter, HouseOfBlues.com. L, D daily. World-famous Gospel Brunch every Sunday. Surprisingly good menu makes this a complement to the music in the main room. Patio seating is available as well. $$

0886, Uptown, Jacques-Imos.com. D MonSat. Reinvented New Orleans cuisine are served in a party atmosphere at this Oak Street institution. The deep-fried roast beef poor boy is delicious. The lively bar scene offsets the long wait on weekends. $$$$

Il Posto Café 4607 Dryades St., 895-2620, Uptown, ilPostoCafe-Nola.com. B, L, D Tue-Sat, B, L Sun. Italian café specializes in pressed panini, like its Milano, featuring sopressata, Fontina, tomatoes and balsamic on ciabatta. Soups, imported coffee and H&H bagels make this a comfortable neighborhood spot to relax with the morning paper. $ Impastato’s 3400 16th St., 455-1545, Metairie, Impastatos.com. D Tue-Sat.

Jamila’s Mediterranean Tunisian Cuisine 7808 Maple St., 866-4366, Uptown. D Tue-Sun. Intimate and exotic bistro serving Mediterranean and Tunisian cuisine. The Grilled Merguez is a Jazz Fest favorite and vegetarian options are offered. $$

Jeff’s Creole Grille 5241 Veterans Blvd., 889-7992, Metairie, JeffsCreoleGrille.com. L, D Mon-Sat. This quaint, upscale restau-

rant offers a variety of classic New Orleans cuisine, fresh fish and homemade soups and salads with early bird and daily chef specials. $$

Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville Café 1104 Decatur St., 592-2565, French Quarter, MargaritavilleNewOrleans.com. L, D daily. Parrotheads and other music lovers flock to Jimmy’s outpost along the more local-friendly stretch of Decatur. Strong bar menu and stronger drinks keep them coming back. $$

Joey K’s 3001 Magazine St., 891-0997, Uptown, JoeyKsRestaurant.com. L, D MonSat. A true neighborhood New Orleans restaurant with daily lunch plates keeps it real; red beans and rice are classic. $

The Joint 701 Mazant St., 949-3232, Bywater, AlwaysSmokin.com. L, D Mon-Sat. Some of the city’s best barbecue can be had at this locally owned and operated favorite in Bywater. $ Juan’s Flying Burrito 2018 Magazine St., 569-0000, Uptown; 4724 S. Carrollton Ave., 486-9950, Mid-City. L, D daily. Hard-core tacos and massive burritos are served in an edgy atmosphere. $ Jung’s Golden Dragon 3009 Magazine St., 891-8280, Uptown, 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. This is one of the few local Chinese places that breaks the Americanized mold. New Orleans Magazine’s 2010 Chinese Restaurant of the Year. $ Kosher Cajun New York Deli and Grocery 3519 Severn Ave., 888-2010, Metairie, KosherCajun.com. L Mon-Fri & Sun, D Mon-Thu. Great kosher meals and complete kosher grocery in the rear make this Metairie eatery a unique destination. The

matzo ball soup is a winner and catering is available for parties of any size. $

K-Paul’s Louisiana Kitchen 416 Chartres St., 596-2530, French Quarter, 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. $$$$

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

La Boca 857 Fulton St., 525-8205, Warehouse District, 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. New Orleans Magazine’s Chef of the Year 2010 & 2006 Steakhouse of the Year. $$$ Lakeview Harbor 911 Harrison Ave., 4864887, Lakeview, BestNewOrleansBurger.com. L, D daily. Burgers are the name of the game here at this restaurant which shares a pedigree with Snug Harbor and Port of Call. Rounded out with a loaded baked potato, their halfpound patties are sure to please. Daily specials, pizza and steaks are offered as well. $ La Macarena Pupuseria & Latin Cafe 8120 Hampson St., 862-5252, Uptown. PupusasNewOrleans.com. L, D Mon-Sat, Br, L, D Sat & Sun, Br Sun. This cash-only and BYOB restaurant has recently overhauled its menu, now including a large selection of vegan and vegetarian items, as well as a tapas menu. $$

La Petite Grocery 4238 Magazine St., 891-3377, Uptown, LaPetiteGrocery.

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T HE M E N U com. L Tue-Sat, D daily, Br Sun. Elegant dining in a convivial atmosphere quickly made this place an Uptown darling. The menu is heavily French-inspired with an emphasis on technique. $$$

La Provence 25020 Highway 190, (985) 626-7662, Lacombe, LaProvenceRestaurant. com. D Wed-Sun, Br Sun. John Besh (New Orleans Magazine’s Chef of the Year 2007) upholds time-honored Provençal cuisine and rewards his guests with a true farm-life experience, from house-made preserves, charcuterie, herbs, kitchen gardens and eggs cultivated on the property, an elegant French colonial stucco house. $$$$$ La Thai Uptown 4938 Prytania St., 8998886, Uptown, LaThaiUptown.com. L, D TueSun. Uptown outpost of the Chauvin family’s ingredient-driven Thai-Cajun fusion cuisine. The summer rolls are good as is the tom kar gai soup. Lunch specials are a good deal and vegetarian dishes are offered as well. $$ Latil’s Landing Houmas House Plantation, 40136 Highway 942, (225) 473-9380, Darrow, 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. $$$$$

Le Salon Windsor Court Hotel, 300 Gravier St., 596-4773, CBD/Warehouse District. Afternoon Tea, Thu-Fri, seating at 2 p.m., Sat-Sun, seating at 11 a.m. & 2 p.m. Formal afternoon tea with harpist or string quartet served in a sophisticated atmosphere. A local mother-daughter tradition. $$ Liborio’s Cuban Restaurant 321 Magazine St., 581-9680, CBD/Warehouse District, LiborioCuban.com. L Mon-Sat, D Tue-Sat. Authentic Cuban favorites such as Ropa Vieja and pressed Cuban sandwiches along with great specials make this a popular lunch choice. $$$ Lil’ Dizzy’s Café 1500 Esplanade Ave., 5698997, Mid-City. B, L daily, D Thu-Sat. Spot local and national politicos dining at this favored Creole soul restaurant known for homey classics like fried chicken and Trout Baquet. $

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

Lola’s 3312 Esplanade Ave., 488-6946, MidCity. D daily. Garlicky Spanish dishes and great paella make this artsy Faubourg St. John

DINING GUIDE boîte a hipster destination. $$$

Lüke 333 St. Charles Ave., 378-2840, CBD, LukeNewOrleans.com. Br Sat-Sun, B, L, D daily. John Besh (New Orleans Magazine’s Chef of the Year 2007) and executive chef Matt Regan characterize the cuisine “Alsace meets New Orleans in an authentic brasserie setting.” Germanic specialties and French bistro classics, house-made patés and abundant plateaux of cold, fresh seafood. New Orleans Magazine’s Best New Restaurant 2007 and 2012 Raw Bar of the Year. $$$

Mahony’s 3454 Magazine St., 899-3374, Uptown, MahonysPoBoys.com. L, D MonSat. Along with the usual poor boys, this sandwich shop serves up a Grilled Shrimp and Fried Green Tomato version dressed with remoulade sauce. Sandwich offerings are augmented by a full bar. $ Mandina’s 3800 Canal St., 482-9179, MidCity, MandinasRestaurant.com. L, D daily. Quintessential New Orleans neighborhood institution reopened following an extensive renovation. Though the ambiance is more upscale, the same food and seafood dishes make dining here a New Orleans experience. New Orleans Magazine’s 2010 Neighborhood Restaurant of the Year. $$

Manning’s 519 Fulton St., 593-8118, Warehouse District. L, D daily. 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. $$$

Maple Street Café 7623 Maple St., 3149003, Uptown. L, D daily. Casual dinner spot serving Mediterranean-inspired pastas and Italian-style entrées, along with heartier fare such as duck and filet mignon. $$

The Marigny Brasserie 640 Frenchmen St., 945-4472, Faubourg Marigny, MarignyBrasserie.com. L, D daily. Chic neighborhood bistro with traditional dishes like the Wedge of Lettuce salad and innovative cocktails like the Cucumber Cosmo. $$$

9600, Uptown, MatAndNaddies.com. D MonTue, Thu-Sat. Cozy converted house along River Road 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. $$$$

Avondale. D Tue-Sat. Italian institution near the Huey Long Bridge dishes out massive portions of great food family-style. Good bets are the shrimp Mosca and chicken à la grande. New Orleans Magazine’s 2010 Honor Roll winner. Note: Cash Only. $$$

Maximo’s Italian Grill 1117 Decatur St.,

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

586-8883, French Quarter. MaximosGrill. com. D Daily. Italian destination on Decatur Street features a sprawling menu including housemade salumi and antipasti as well as old school classics like veal osso bucco. Private dining is offered for special events. New Orleans Magazine’s 2012 Continental Italian Restaurant of the Year. $$$

Middendorf’s Interstate 55, Exit 15, 30160 Highway 51 South, (985) 386-6666, Akers, MiddendorfsRestaurant.com. L, D Wed-Sun. Historic seafood destination along the shores of Lake Maurepas is world-famous for its thin-fried catfish fillets. Open since 1934, it transitioned to its next generation of owners when Horst Pfeifer purchased it in 2007. More than a restaurant, this is a Sunday Drive tradition. $$

MiLa 817 Common St., 412-2580, French Quarter, 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. New Orleans Magazine’s Best New Restaurant 2008. $$$$ Mona’s Café 504 Frenchmen St., 949-4115, Marigny; 4126 Magazine St., 894-9800, Uptown; 1120 S. Carrollton Ave., 861-8174, Uptown; 3901 Banks St., 482-7743, Mid-City. L, D daily. Middle Eastern specialties 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. New Orleans Magazine’s 2012 Middle Eastern Restaurant of the Year. $

Mondo 900 Harrison Ave., 224-2633, Lakeview, MondoNewOrleans.com. Br Sun, L Mon-Fri, D Mon-Sat. New Orleans Magazine’s 2010 Chef of the Year Susan Spicer’s take on world cuisine isn’t far from her home in Lakeview. Make sure to call ahead because the place has a deserved reputation for good food and good times. $$$ Morton’s, The Steakhouse The Shops at

Martin Wine Cellar Multiple locations: MartinWine.com. Wine by the glass or bottle to go with daily lunch specials, towering burgers, hearty soups, salads and giant, delistyle sandwiches. $

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

Mat & Naddie’s 937 Leonidas St., 861-

Mosca’s 4137 Highway 90 West, 463-8950,

Tujague’s unveils new look for new chef

823 Decatur St., 525-8676, TujaquesRestaurant.com

Tujague’s, the second oldest restaurant in the French Quarter, is staying up to date with a complete interior and exterior renovation. Owner Mark Latter has also hired chef Richard Bickford from Commander’s Palace to develop menus including both the à la carte and table d’hote options. New dishes include Oysters en Brochettte and Soft Shell Crab BLT Po’Boy. Still open seven days a week for lunch and dinner, and brunch on the weekends, there’s a monthly tasting menu and a new six-course wine paired menu. The newly decorated private rooms, some with balcony access, are also now open. – M . c . 94

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Mother’s 401 Poydras St., 523-9656, CBD/

Mr. Ed’s Seafood and Italian Restaurant 1001 Live Oak St., 838-0022, Bucktown; 910 W. Esplanade Ave., Ste. A, 463-3030, Kenner. AustinsNo.com L, D MonSat. Neighborhood restaurant specializes in seafood and Italian offerings such as stuffed eggplant and bell pepper. Fried seafood and sandwiches make it a good stop for lunch. $$

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

Naked Pizza 6307 S. Miro St., 865-0244, Uptown (takeout & delivery only), NakedPizza. biz. L, D daily. Pizza place with a focus on fresh ingredients and a healthy crust. The Mediterranean pie is a good choice. $ Napoleon House 500 Chartres St., 5249752, French Quarter, NapoleonHouse.com. 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, muffulettas and for sipping, a Sazerac or lemony Pimm’s Cup. $$ Nine Roses 1100 Stephen St., 366-7665, Gretna, NineRosesResturant.com. L, D SunTue, Thu-Sat. The extensive Vietnamese menu specializes in hot pots, noodles and dishes big enough for everyone to share. Great for families. $$ NOLA 534 St. Louis St., 522-6652, French Quarter, Emerils.com. L Thu-Sun, D daily. Emeril’s more affordable eatery, featuring cedar-plank-roasted redfish; private dining. $$$$$

Nuvolari’s 246 Girod St., (985) 6265619, Mandeville, Nuvolaris.com. D daily. Dark woods and soft lighting highlight this Northshore Creole Continental-Italian fusion restaurant famous for crabmeat ravioli, veal dishes, seafood specialties and delectable desserts. $$$$

Orleans Grapevine Wine Bar and Bistro 720 Orleans Ave., 523-1930, French Quarter, OrleansGrapevine.com. D daily. Wine is the muse at this beautifully renovated French Quarter bistro, which offers vino by the flight, glass and bottle. A classic menu with an emphasis on New Orleans cuisine adds to the appeal. $$$

Palace Café 605 Canal St., 523-1661, CBD/ Warehouse District, PalaceCafe.com. L MonSat, D daily, Br Sun. Dickie Brennan-owned brasserie with French-style sidewalk seating and house-created specialties of chef Darrin Nesbit at lunch, dinner and Jazz Brunch. Favorites here include crabmeat cheesecake, turtle soup, the Werlein salad with fried Louisiana oysters and pork ”debris” studded Palace Potato Pie. $$$$$

Parkway Bakery and Tavern 538 Hagan Ave., 482-3047, Mid-City, ParkwayBakeryAndTavernNola.com. L, D daily, closed Tue. Featured on national TV and 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. $

Pascal’s Manale 1838 Napoleon Ave., 895-4877, Uptown. L Mon-Fri, D Mon-Sat. Vintage New Orleans neighborhood restaurant since 1913 and the place to go for the house-creation of barbecued shrimp. Its oyster bar serves icy cold, freshly shucked Louisiana oysters and the Italian specialties and steaks are also solid. $$$$ Patois 6078 Laurel St., 895-9441, Uptown, PatoisNola.com. Br Sun, L Fri, D Wed-Sat. The food is French in technique, with influences from across the Mediterranean as well as the American South, all filtered through the talent of Chef Aaron Burgau (New Orleans Magazine’s Best New Chef 2009). Reservations recommended. $$$ Paul’s Café 100 E. Pine St., (985) 3869581, Ponchatoula, PaulsCafe.net. B, L daily. Best known for its strawberry daiquiris, Paul’s also cooks up egg breakfasts and lunches including all manner of sandwiches and poor boys. $

The Pelican Club 312 Exchange Place, 523-1504, French Quarter, PelicanClub.com. D daily. Tucked into a French Quarter alley, Pelican Club serves an eclectic mix of hip food, from the seafood “martini” to clay pot barbecued shrimp and a trio of duck. Three dining rooms available. $$$$$ PJ’s Coffee Multiple locations: PJsCoffee. com. The city’s first iced-coffee spot that pioneered the coffee house experience in New Orleans and introduced us all to velvet ices, drinkable granitas and locally made Ronald Reginald vanilla. A wide assortment of pastries and bagels are offered as well as juices and fresh ground or whole bean coffees. $ Port of Call 838 Esplanade Ave., 523-0120,

French Quarter, PortOfCallNola.com. L, D daily. It 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. $$

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

Ralph Brennan’s Red Fish Grill 115 Bourbon St., 598-1200, French Quarter, RedFishGrill.com. L Daily, D Mon-Thu & Sun. Chef Austin Kirzner cooks up a broad menu peppered with Big Easy favorites such as barbecue oysters, blackened redfish and double chocolate bread pudding. $$$$$

Ralph’s On The Park 900 City Park Ave., 488-1000, Mid-City, RalphsOnThePark.com. Br Sun, L Tue-Fri, D daily. A modern interior, a view of City Park’s moss-draped oaks and contemporary Creole dishes such as City Park salad, turtle soup, barbecue Gulf shrimp and good cocktails. $$$$ The Red Maple 1036 Lafayette St., 3670935, Gretna, TheRedMaple.com. L Tue-Fri, D Tue-Sat. This West Bank institution since 1963 is known for its seafood, steaks, wine list and some of the best bread pudding around. $$$$

Reginelli’s Pizzeria Multiple local locations: Reginellis.com. L, D daily. Pizzas, pastas, salads, fat calzones and lofty focaccia sandwiches are at locations all over town. $$

Arnaud’s Remoulade 309 Bourbon St., 523-0377, French Quarter, Remoulade. com. L, D daily. Granite-topped tables and an antique mahogany bar are home to the eclectic menu of Famous Shrimp Arnaud,

red beans and rice and poor boys as well as specialty burgers, grilled all-beef hot dogs and thin-crust pizza. $$

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

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

R’evolution 777 Bienville St., 553-2277, French Quarter, RevolutionNola.com. L WedFri, D Mon-Sun, BR Sun. R’evolution is the partnership between chefs John Folse and Rick Tramonto. Located in the Royal Sonesta Hotel, it’s an opulent place that combines the local flavors of chef Folse with the more cosmopolitan influence of chef Tramonto. Chef de cuisine Chris Lusk and executive sous chef Erik Veney are in charge of day-today operations, which include house-made charcuterie, pastries, pastas and more. New Orleans Magazine’s 2012 Restaurant of the Year. $$$$$

Ristorante Da Piero 401 Williams Blvd., 469-8585, Kenner, RistoranteDaPiero.com. L Tue-Fri, D Tue-Sat. Homemade pastas and an emphasis on Northern Italian cuisine make this cozy spot in Kenner’s Rivertown a romantic destination. $

Rib Room Omni Royal Orleans Hotel, 621

St. Louis St., 529-7046, French Quarter, RibRoomNewOrleans.com. L, D daily, Br SatSun. Old World elegance, high ceilings and views of Royal Street, house classic cocktails and Anthony Spizale’s broad menu of prime rib, stunning seafood and on weekends, a Champagne Brunch. $$$

Riccobono’s Panola Street Café 7801 Panola St., 314-1810, Garden District. B, L daily. This breakfast spot has been waking up bleary college students for years. The omelets and Belgian waffles are good. $ Rio Mar 800 S. Peters St., 525-3474, CBD/ Warehouse District, RioMarSeafood.com. L Mon-Fri, D Mon-Sat. Seafood-centric Warehouse District destination focuses on Latin American and Spanish cuisines. Try the bacalaitos and the escabeche. The tapas lunch is a great way to try a little of everything. Save room for the Tres Leches, a favorite dessert. New Orleans Magazine’s Chef of the Year 2006. $$$$ Ristorante Filippo 1917 Ridgelake Drive, 835-4008, Metairie. L, D Tue-Sat. CreoleItalian destination serves up southern Italian specialties bathed in red sauces and cheese alongside New Orleans classics like pan-fried Gulf fish and plump shellfish. $$$ River 127 Westin New Orleans Canal Place, 100 Rue Iberville, 533-5082, French Quarter. B, L, D daily. Continental cuisine with Louisiana flair overlooking the Mississippi River and French Quarter. $$$$ Rivershack Tavern 3449 River Road, 834-4938, Jefferson, TheRivershackTavern. com. L, D daily. Home of the Tacky Ashtray, this popular bar alongside the Mississippi levee offers surprisingly wide-ranging menu featuring seafood, poor boys and deli-style sandwiches along with live music. Open

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T HE M EN U late. $

Rock-N-Sake 823 Fulton St., 581-7253, CBD/Warehouse District, RockNSake.com. L Fri, D Tue-Sun. Fresh sushi and contemporary takes on Japanese favorites in a club-like setting. Open until midnight on Fri. and Sat.; a unique late-night destination. $$$

Root 200 Julia St., 252-9480, CBD, 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. New Orleans Magazine’s 2012 Maître D’ of the Year. $$$$ Royal Blend Coffee and Tea House 621 Royal St., 523-2716, French Quarter; 204 Metairie Road, 835-7779, Metairie; RoyalBlendCoffee.com. B, L daily. Known for its frozen Café Glace and a wide selection of coffees and teas, as well as pastries, daily specials and hearty breakfasts. $

Ruth’s Chris Steak House 3633 Veterans Blvd., 888-3600, Metairie. L Fri, D daily, Br Sat-Sun; 525 Fulton St. in Harrah’s Hotel, 587-7099, L, D daily, Br Sat-Sun; RuthsChris. com. Filet Mignon, creamed spinach and potatoes au gratin are the most popular dishes at this area steak institution, but there also are great seafood choices and top-notch desserts. $$$$$ Sake Café 2830 Magazine St., 894-0033, Uptown, SakeCafeUptown.com. L, D daily. Creative and traditional Japanese food in an ultramodern décor. Sushi and sashimi boats, wild rolls filled with the usual and not-so-

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DINING GUIDE usual suspects and a nice bar with a number of sakes from which to choose. $$$

Sammy’s Po-Boys and Catering 901 Veterans Blvd., 835-0916, Metairie, SammysPoBoys.com. L Mon-Sat, D daily. Bucktown transplant offers a seafood-centric menu rounded out with wraps, kid meals and catering options all at a reasonable price. $

Satsuma Café 3218 Dauphine St., 3045962, Bywater; 7901 Maple St., 309-5557, Uptown; SatsumaCafe.com. B, L daily (until 5 p.m.). Two locations offer healthy, inspired breakfast and lunch fare, along with freshly squeezed juices. $

Semolina 4436 Veterans Blvd., Suite 37, Metairie, 454-7930, Semolina.com. L, D daily. This casual, contemporary pasta restaurant takes a bold approach to cooking Italian food, emphasizing flavors, texture and color; many of the dishes feature a signature Louisiana twist, such as the Muffuletta Pasta and Pasta Jambalaya. $$

Serendipity 3700 Orleans Ave. 407-0818, Mid-City, SerendipityNola.com. D daily, Br Sun. An eclectic and far-ranging style of cuisine with classically inspired cocktails at an outpost in American Can. A late-night option as well. $$

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

Slim Goodies Diner 3322 Magazine St.,

891-EGGS (3447). B, L daily. This diner offers up an exhaustive menu heavily influenced by local cuisine. Try the Creole Slammer, a breakfast platter rounded out with Crawfish Étouffée. The laid-back vibe is best enjoyed on the patio out back. $

SoBou 310 Chartres St., 552-4095, French Quarter, SoBouNola.com. B, L, D daily. There is something for everyone at this “Modern Creole Saloon,” the latest offering from the Commander’s Restaurant Family. Decidedly unstuffy with an emphasis on craft cocktails and wines by the glass, diners will find everything from $1 pork cracklins to an extravagant foie gras burger on the accomplished yet eclectic menus. $$ Snug Harbor 626 Frenchman St., 9490696, Faubourg Marigny, SnugJazz.com. D daily. The city’s premier jazz club serves cocktails and a dining menu loaded with steaks, seafood and meaty burgers served with loaded baked potatoes. $$$$ Stein’s Market and Deli 2207 Magazine St., 527-0771, Uptown, SteinsDeli.net. B, L, D Tue-Sun. New York meets New Orleans. The Reuben and Rachel sandwiches are the real deal and the half-sours and pickled tomatoes complete the deli experience. $

Stella! 1032 Chartres St., 587-0091, French Quarter, RestaurantStella.com. D daily. Global cuisine with a Louisiana blush by native son chef Scott Boswell. Dishes are always inventive and flavorful from appetizer to dessert. The wine list is bold and the service “stellar.” Boswell was New Orleans Magazine’s 2005 Chef of the Year. $$$$$ Sun Ray Grill Multiple locations: SunRayGrill.com. L, D daily, Br Sun (at Annunciation). This local chain offers a globally influenced menu with burgers,

steaks, sesame crusted tuna, sandwiches and salads. $$

Surrey’s Café and Juice Bar 1418 Magazine St., 524-3828, Coliseum Square; 4807 Magazine St., 895-5757, Uptown; SurreysCafeAndJuiceBar.com. B, L daily. Laid-back café focuses on breakfast and brunch dishes to accompany freshly squeezed juice offerings. Health-food lovers will like it here, along with fans of favorites such as peanut butter and banana pancakes. Note: Cash only. $$

Tan Dinh 1705 Lafayette St., 361-8008, Gretna. B, L, D Wed-Mon. Roasted quail and the beef pho rule at this Vietnamese outpost. New Orleans Magazine’s 2010 Vietnamese Restaurant of the Year. $$ Theo’s Pizza Multiple locations: TheosPizza.com. L, D daily. The cracker-crisp crust pizzas are complemented by a broad assortment of toppings with a lot of local ingredients at cheap prices. $$ Three Muses 536 Frenchmen St., 2524801, Marigny, TheThreeMuses.com. L FriSun, D Sun-Mon, Wed-Sat. Three Muses is a bar-restaurant serving the eclectic cuisine of chef Daniel Esses. The menu changes, but expect Esses’ take on Italian, Spanish, North African and Korean cooking. Local bands provide music on a regular basis. $ Tommy’s Cuisine 746 Tchoupitoulas St., 581-1103, CBD/Warehouse District, 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. $$$$$

Tony Angello’s 6262 Fleur de Lis Drive, 488-0888. Lakeview. D Tue-Sat. Creole-

Italian favorite serves up fare in the completely restored Lakeview location. Ask Tony to “Feed Me” if you want a real multi-course dining experience. New Orleans Magazine’s 2010 Traditional New Orleans Italian Restaurant of the Year. $$$$

Tout de Suite Cafe 347 Verret St., 3622264, Algiers. B daily, L Tue-Sat, Br Sun. Neighborhood coffeehouse/café in historic Algiers Point offers a light menu of soups, salads and sandwiches for a quick meal or carryout. $$ Tracey’s Irish Restaurant & Bar 2604 Magazine St., 897-5413, TraeysNola.com, Uptown. L, D daily. A neighborhood bar with one of the best messy roast beef poor boys in town. The gumbo, cheeseburger poor boy and other sandwiches are also winners. Grab a local Abita beer to wash it all down. Also a great location to watch “the game.” $

Trey Yuen 600 N. Causeway Blvd., (985) 626-4476, Mandeville, TreyYuen.com. L Mon-Fri, D Daily. Chinese cuisine meets with local seafood in dishes like their Szechuan Spicy Alligator and Tong Cho Crawfish; private rooms available. $$ Tujague’s 823 Decatur St., 525-8676, French Quarter, TujaguesRestaurant.com. L Sat-Sun, D daily. For more than 150 years this landmark restaurant has been offering Creole cuisine. Favorites include a nightly six-course table d’hôté menu featuring a unique Beef Brisket with Creole Sauce. New Orleans Magazine’s Honor Roll honoree 2008. $$$$$

Upperline 1413 Upperline St., 891-9822, Uptown, Upperline.com. D Wed-Sun. Consummate hostess JoAnn Clevenger and talented chef Dave Bridges make for a winning combination at this nationally heralded

Uptown favorite, New Orleans Magazine’s 2012 Honor Roll winner. The oft-copied Fried Green Tomatoes with Shrimp Remoulade originated here. $$$$

Vega Tapas Café 2051 Metairie Road, 836-2007, Metairie. 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. $$ Venezia 134 N. Carrollton Ave., 488-7991, Mid-City, VeneziaNewOrleans.com. L Wed-Fri & Sun, D Wed-Sun. Casual neighborhood Italian destination known for its thin-crust pizzas. Good lunch specials make this a popular choice as well. $$ Vincent’s Italian Cuisine 4411 Chastant St., 885-2984, Metairie, L TueFri, D Mon-Sat; 7839 St. Charles Ave., 866-9313, Uptown. L Tue-Fri, D Tue-Sun; VicentsItalianCuisine.com. Snug Italian boîte packs them in yet manages to remain intimate at the same time. The cannelloni is a house specialty. $$$ Wolfe’s in the Warehouse 859 Convention Center Blvd., 613-2882, CBD/ Warehouse District. B, L, D daily. Chef Tom Wolfe brings his refined cuisine to the booming Fulton Street corridor. His Smoked Kobe Short Ribs are a good choice. $$$ Ye Olde College Inn 3000 S. Carrollton Ave., 866-3683, Uptown, CollegeInn1933. com. D Tue-Sat. The institution moved next door into brand-new digs but serves up the same classic fare, albeit with a few new upscale dishes peppering the menu. $$$

Yuki Izakaya 525 Frenchmen St., 943-1122, Marigny. D Mon-Sat. Authentic Japanese Izakaya serves small plates to late-night crowds at this unique destination. Try the Hokke Fish or the Agedashi Tofu. An excellent sake menu rounds out the appeal, as does the sexy, club-like ambiance. $ Zea’s Rotisserie and Grill Multiple locations: ZeaRestaurants.com. L, D daily. This popular restaurant serves a variety of grilled items as well as appetizers, salads, side dishes, seafood, pasta and other entrées, drawing from a wide range of worldly influences. Zea’s also offers catering services. $$$

Zoë Restaurant W New Orleans Hotel, 333 Poydras St., 2nd Floor, 207-5018, ZoeNewOrleans.com. B, L, D daily. Completely redone both in décor and cuisine, each section features a separate menu by executive chef Chris Brown. $$$

SPECIALTY FOODS Antoine’s Annex 513 Royal St., 525-8045, French Quarter, Antoines.com/AntoinesAnnex. Open daily. Around the corner from the oldest continuously operated restaurant in the country, Antoine’s Annex serves French pastries, including individual baked Alaskas, ice cream and gelato, as well as panini, salads and coffee. They also deliver. Bittersweet Confections 725 Magazine St., 523-2626, Warehouse District, BittersweetConfections.com. Open MonSat. Freshly baked cookies, cupcakes and specialty cakes. Serving handmade chocolate truffles, fudge, caramels, gelato, ice coffee, chocolate-dipped strawberries and freshly squeezed lemonade. Children’s birthday parties, chocolate tasting parties, custom chocolates and truffle party bar.

Blue Dot Donuts 5236 Tchoupitoulas St., 941-7675, Uptown. 4301 Canal St., 218-4866, Mid-City, BlueDotDonuts.com. B, L daily. Heard the one about the cops that opened a donut shop? This is no joke. The Bacon Maple Long John gets all the press, but returning customers are happy with the classics as well as twists like peanut butter and jelly. New Orleans Magazine’s 2012 Doughnut Shop of the Year.

Blue Frog Chocolates 5707 Magazine St., 269-5707, Uptown, BlueFrogChocolates. com. French and Belgian chocolate truffles and Italian candy flowers make this a great place for gifts. Calcasieu 930 Tchoupitoulas St., 588-2188, Warehouse District, 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.

Magic Seasonings Mail Order (800) 457-2857, ChefPaul.com. Offers chef Paul Prudhomme’s famous cookbooks, smoked meats, videos, seasonings and more. Online shopping available. St. James Cheese Company 5004 Prytania St., 899-4737, Uptown, 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; 3301 Veterans Blvd., 834-2277; ShopSucre.com. Desserts daily & nightly. Open late weekends. Chocolates, pastry and gelato draw rave reviews at this sdessert destination. Beautiful packaging makes this a great place to shop for gifts. Catering available.

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Antoine’s

3100 19th St. at Ridgelake, Metairie (504) 834-8583 • AndreasRestaurant.com

713 St. Louis St., New Orleans  (504) 581-4422 • Antoines.com

Andrea's Italian, Steak and Seafood Restaurant is not just for special occasions, its elegant, casual and affordable. Chef Andrea serves only the freshest fish amberjack, speckled trout, flounder, red snapper and redfish. Book one of their private rooms for up to 500 people. Andrea's is the perfect choice to take your mom for Mother's Day.

Since 1840, world-renowned Antoine’s Restaurant has set the standard that made New Orleans one of the greatest dining centers in the world. Antoine’s excellent French-Creole cuisine, service and atmosphere have combined to create an unmatched dining experience for both locals and visitors to New Orleans.

Bellocq

CC's Coffee House

Chef Gason Nelson

936 Saint Charles Ave., New Orleans (504) 962-0900

9131 Amber Drive, Baton Rouge CCsCoffee.com

504-450-4894 ChefGason.com • Twitter @chefgason

Bellocq, the award-winning lounge inside the Hotel Modern, recently launched their spring cocktail menu. Emphasizing low-proof cocktails, Bellocq's menu offers refreshing drinks that taste like spring. Cocktails, like the Laurens Patio with grapefruit liqueur, rum and salted grapefruit, are perfect for sipping in Bellocq's lush courtyard.

The goal of the rebranding was to fundamentally reflect that the locations embody a unique coffee house company with Southern charm - nod to its heritage but also modern touches. "We often say that CC's is a traditionally hip concept", Hayden says. "An eye on the past, but with a clear understanding of where it's going."

New Orleanian Chef Gason Nelson, founder of the personal chef service Full of Flavor, has been recognized as a James Beard scholar twice. With over 20 years of culinary experience, he has enjoyed roles as lead chef at fine restaurants and as a private chef to high-profile celebrities.

5101 W. Esplanade Ave., Metairie (504) 523-5433 • AustinsNO.com Austin’s Seafood and Steakhouse welcomes you to a casual upscale dining experience. Voted Best Restaurant in Metairie and Top 3 Steakhouses in the city. Local owner Ed McIntyre and his son, Austin, invite you and your family to enjoy his famous cuisine time and again. Great menu changes and specials for the new year. Private dining rooms are available for special occasions. Hours: Monday- Saturday 5 p.m.-’til.

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Austin’s Seafood & Steakhouse

Andrea's

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Chophouse New Orleans

The Court of Two Sisters

Broussard's

322 Magazine St., New Orleans (504) 522-7902 • ChophouseNola.com

613 Royal St., New Orleans  (504) 522-7261 • CourtOfTwoSisters.com

819 Conti St, New Orleans (504) 581-3866 • Broussards.com

The USDA Prime-only menu at Chophouse New Orleans also offers notable fresh seafood such as Florida Stone Crabs – served cold, the succulent and juicy claws are accompanied with a special house sauce. The restaurant's relaxed sophistication complements the great food and bustling, live entertainment nightly.

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 fourcourse dinner. Complete menus available at CourtOfTwoSisters.com. Reservations are recommended.

Broussard’s Restaurant has been a fixture in New Orleans for nearly a century, and after an extensive renovation continues to provide an atmosphere of understated elegance. Chef Guy Reinbolt offers a three-course Jazz Brunch on Sundays that showcases a New Orleans interpretation of traditional Continental European Cuisine, including favorites such as Eggs Versailles, French Toast Bread Pudding and Redfish Bonaparte.

Five Happiness

Hoshun Restaurant

Martin Wine Cellar

3605 S. Carrollton Ave., New Orleans  (504) 482-3935 • FiveHappiness.com

1601 St. Charles Ave., New Orleans (504) 302-9717 • HoshunRestaurant.com

714 Elmeer Ave., Metairie (504)896.7350 • MartinWine.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.

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 untill 2 a.m.

Martin Wine Cellar, known for its extensive selection of wine, spirits and beer, has been family-owned and operated since 1946. Enjoy Martin’s in Metairie for lunch daily, Sunday brunch or weekday dinner. Martin Wine Cellar offers catering for parties large and small to make your even seamless and memorable.

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Palace Café

Pascal’s Manale

605 Canal Street, New Orleans (504) 523-1661 • PalaceCafe.com

1838 Napoleon Ave., New Orleans (504) 895-4877

Palace Café is home of the original (and ever-popular) crabmeat cheesecake and white chocolate bread pudding. You may also know them for their temperature lunch – two courses for yesterday’s high temp (ie 85˚ = $8.50). The entree changes daily. Temperature lunch runs from Memorial Day to Labor Day, Monday –Friday.

This famous restaurant has been familyowned and-operated since 1913. Pascal’s Manale Restaurant is the origin of the wellknown Bar-B-Que Shrimp.The old-time oyster and cocktail bars offer raw oysters on the half-shell and all types of cocktails, as well as a great selection of fine wines. Fresh seafood, Italian dishes and delicious steaks are featured.

Ralph Brennan

RioMar

Rouses

(504) 539-5510 ralphbrennacatering.com

800 S. Peters St., New Orleans 525-3474 • RioMarSeafood.com

(985) 447-5998 Rouses.com

Ralph Brennan Catering & Events is now the exclusive caterer for the New Orleans Opera Guild Home, located in picturesque Garden District at 2504 Prytania St. This historic mansion comfortably accommodates up to 200 people and is available for weddings, receptions, dinners, luncheons, coffees, teas and beautiful social events. Call today to schedule a tour!

Experience seafood from a different perspective when dining at RioMar. Executive Chef/Owner Miles Prescott brings fresh Spanish and Latin American inspired seafood dishes to life by creating seasonal menus highlighted with local ingredients. Indulge in signature cocktails, Spanish wines and authentic tapas dishes!

Rouses' team of professional chefs use the very best of what’s fresh and what’s local to make Rouses prepared foods. They’re always sourcing new, fresh ingredients from around the state, and developing new twists on our local favorites. For locations, go to Rouses.com.

City Park Casino, New Orleans (504) 300-1157 MorningCallCoffeeStand.com

photo by denny culbert

Come enjoy café au lait, beignets and other local favorites at New Orleans' most famous coffee drinking place since 1870. The City Park location is open 24 hours, seven days a week and 364 days of the year. Live music on Sundays at the City Park locations; call us for weekly schedules!

DINING & ENTERTAINMENT

Morning Call Coffee Stand

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Restaurant R’evolution

SoBou

Sucré

777 Bienville St., New Orleans

310 Chartres St., New Orleans (504) 552-4095 • SoBouNola.com

3025 Magazine St. , New Orleans (504) 520-8311 3301 Veterans Blvd. | Metairie (504) 834-2277 • Shopsucre.com

504-553-2277 • RevolutionNola.com Located in the heart of the French Quarter in the landmark Royal Sonesta Hotel, Restaurant R’evolution’s cuisine is a modern and imaginative reinterpretation of classic Cajun and Creole styles. The restaurant is a celebration of the cultural fusion of the food and flavor that has shaped New Orleans’ culinary landscape.

Created by the Commander’s Family of Restaurants, SoBou is a spirited restaurant, offering cutting-edge cocktails & Louisiana street food-inspired small plates. Enjoy breakfast, lunch & dinner alongside an innovative cocktail, wine & bar program. Serve yourself from our beer and wine taps and then take your drinks outside to the patio to enjoy the cool weather.

Tujagues

Vega Tapas Café

Warehouse Grille

823 Decatur St., New Orleans 504-525-8676 • Tujagues.com

2051 Metairie Road, Old Metairie (504) 836-2007 • VegaTapasCafe.com

The second oldest restaurant in New Orleans! Located in the heart of the French Quarter, facing the historic French Market, Tujague's has retained its reputation for providing an unforgettable dining experience in the original Creole tradition. Tujague's has been a favorite for over 150 years, entertaining and satisfying the delightfully robust appetites of French Quarter patrons.

Vega Tapas Café began more than 16 years ago and has defined small plates in the New Orleans area. Chef Glen Hogh presents Spanish inspired cuisine with his personal flair in this casual, chic Old Metairie eatery. Come linger over a delicious mosaic of flavors and bring your taste for adventure.

869 Magazine St., New Orleans (504) 322-2188 • WarehouseGrille.com Facebook.com/warehousegrille Twitter.com/warehousegrille

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Sucré for any occasion. French macaroons, artisan chocolates, gelato, king cakes and beautiful pastries are all handmade in small batches here in New Orleans. Open Sun–Thurs 8am-10pm & Fri–Sat, 8am – midnight.

Creativity abounds at the home of food and fun the heart of the warehouse district. Funky décor, full bar with 40 beers on tap, private courtyard, flexible event spaces and plenty of parking, great food and good times await!

ADVERTISING SECTION

Mother's

Day 2

1. Allie Person, Stella & Dot (504) 722-6058 | stelladot.com/alliep

Consider giving mom this stunning tote from Stella & Dot for Mother’s Day and stylist, Allie Person, will treat you to a free hang-on bag – Stella & Dot’s most popular travel accessory valued at $39. Perfect for the graduate too…or you. We won’t tell. 2. Auraluz 4408 Shores Drive, Metairie (504) 888.3313 | ShopAuraluz.com

GIFT

Temple Tree Jasmine...the newest bath & body collection from Thymes. Softly fragranced with temple tree blossoms and jasmine sambac, entwined with honeysuckle, ylang ylang and damask rose and steeped in silky coconut milk. One of the many wonderful gifts you will find at AURALUZ. 3. Bea Connick's Apparel 108 S. Beach Blvd, Bay Saint Louis, Miss. Bea Connick's is a linen shop that specializes in Flax Linens perfect for business, social and casual attire. These linens are a blank canvas to accessorize with her hats, scarves, belts, arcopedico shoes, and Jewelry. Make the best of every occasion with a beautiful gift from Bea Connick.

4. Boudreaux’s Fine Jewelers 701 Metairie Road, Metairie (504) 831-2602 4550 Highway 22, Mandeville (985) 626-1666 7280 Corporate Blvd., Baton Rouge (225) 928-6868 | BoudreauxsJewelers.com Boudreaux’s Jewelers has been the local choice for over 79 years. Let Boudreaux’s experienced gemologists help make the most of your Mother’s Day. 5. Bra Genie 2881 Hwy 190, Mandeville (985) 951-8638 | TheBraGenie.com A perfect fitting bra is at the top of every mom’s wish list, and the solution to every woman’s “bra issue” is just a 20 minute drive to the Northshore! Discover why Bra Genie has been voted The Best Lingerie Store for the past 3 years!

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1. California Closets 3211 N. Causeway Blvd, Metairie T (504) 828-5705 | F (504) 828- 5702 CaliforniaClosets.com

Every motherยนs dream is an organized life. California Closets can make their dreams come true with custom storage systems for every room in the house. Our custom designed systems are available in a variety of colors with many options and accessories. Locally owned and serving South Louisiana since 1984.

2. Cristy Cali (504) 407-5041 | CristyCali.com Cristy Cali is bringing mothers and daughters together with this beautiful duo pendant that doubles as a bonding experience. Mother and daughter pull apart the two sides of the sterling silver heart to keep each other close in her own. Cristy Cali, available exclusively at select jewelers and online. 3. Edible Arrangements 1650 Gretna Blvd., Suite 5, Harvey (504) 367-7798 Edible Arrangements-Harvey specializes in creating delicious fruit designs overflowing with fresh strawberries, pineapple, grapes, oranges, cantaloupe and honeydew. Their arrangements are guaranteed fresh and are available in a variety of styles and sizes, and are perfect for showing Mom just how much you appreciate her! 4. Exterior Designs, Inc Beverly Katz, Landscape Designer (504) 866-0276 | ExteriorDesignsBev.com Exterior Designs, the original New Orleans courtyard designer, specializes in transforming outdoor areas into additional living space. From landscape architecture to site planning and construction, we offer a full range of services to commercial and residential clients. As a full-service designer and builder, problem yards are our specialty! 5. Fleur D'Orleans 3701a Magazine St, New Orleans (504) 899-5585 | FleurDOrleans.com Tourmalines surrounded by diamonds, a perfect earring for a Mother's Day gift or summer accessory. Designer Jann Fenner has just filled the shop with her new designs of earrings, necklaces in semi precious gems along with a new shipment of hand woven silk scarves, $32-$600.

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6. Franco’s on Magazine 2116 magazine St., New Orleans 504 218-4637 | FrancosMagazinEst.com

9 10

Membership to Franco’s on Magazine: It's a gift of "me time." It can add years to her life and life to her year. And because, for her, only the best will do, give mom a membership to Franco's on Magazine this Mother's Day. 7. Gulfport Outlet 10000 Factory Shops Blvd., Gulfport, Miss. (228) 867-6100 | PremiumOutlets.com Stop by Judy at the Rink for a great selection of Mother's Day gifts, Oyster mirror exclusively at Judy's. Judy a unique collection of original paintings, jewelry and artwork. Pick out something special for your mom for Mother's Day. 8. Judy at the Rink 2727 Prytania St.., New Orleans (504) 891-7018 Stop by Judy at the Rink for a great selection of Mother's Day gifts, Oyster mirror exclusively at Judy's. Judy a unique collection of original paintings, jewelry and artwork. Pick out something special for your mom for Mother's Day. 9. Louisiana Custom Closets New Orleans: (504) 885-3188 Covington: (985) 871-081 Baton Rouge: (225) 753-3001 LouisianaCustomClosets.com

Louisiana Custom Closets designs and installs custom shelving for closets, garages and utility rooms. The company’s #1 priority is customer service and customer satisfaction, provided by professional and experienced designers, installation crews. Please call for a free estimate. 10. Neiman Marcus Last Call Studio The Outlet Collection of Riverwalk 500 Port Orleans Place, Suite 100, New Orleans (504) 522-4269 The JB by Julie Brown stretch knit feather print dress in black and white, $99, is right on trend with the Jean-Michel Cazabat Olympe patent leather sandal, $169. Add a pop of color with a Lauren Merkin hot pink mini Marlow lambskin cross body handbag, $240.

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3 1. Saint Germain The Shops at Canal Place 333 Canal St., 2nd level (504) 522-1720 | saintgermainneworleans.com For someone special, this perfect Mother's Day: oxidized silver and diamond heart pendant and earrings by Mizuki. These special pieces represent one of many jewelry designers at Saint Germain located in Canal Place.

2.Symmetry Jewlers 8138 Hampson St., New Orleans (504) 861-9925 | symmetry-jewelers.com This pendant is a lovely way to show appreciation for all that our mothers mean to us. Tom Mathis' “Art Nouveau” styled pendant features a leaf and vine motif and can be personalized with the hand engraving of Mom's initials. It is custom made and available in all precious metals. 3. Therapeutic Shoes 408 Maine St., Jefferson 504.832.3933 Give Mom the gift of comfort this Mother's Day. We specialize in custom accommodative foot orthotics, stylish extra depth shoes, diabetic shoes, custom shoes, shoe modifications and compression wear. Call today to schedule an appointment. 4. The Historic New Orleans Collection’s Museum Shop 533 Royal St., New Orleans (504) 598-7147 | hnoc.org/shop The jewelry of Brandi Couvillion’s Waregarden Studio includes distinctive cuffs inspired by New Orleans. Hand-etched and coated in renaissance wax to protect against corrosion. Royal & Bourbon Street bracelet (shown) $130. 5. Tommy Bahama 500 Port of New Orleans Place Space A-148, New Orleans | TommyBahama.com Perfect for Mother’s Day, our Hibiscus Bracelets ($78) will pair effortlessly with everything and fit every woman. Find these emblems of true island sophistication now at our store at The Grand Boulevard at Sandestin®.

6. Trashy Diva 537 Royal Street | (504) 522-4233 829 Chartres Street | (504) 581-4555 2048 Magazine Street | (504) 299-8777 trashydiva.com Sweet Romance Jewelry from Trashy Diva is the perfect gift to give the mother in your life. The Garden Collar Necklace features delicate filigrees, brightly enameled flowers, and aurora crystal with a chain formed from 1930s metal dies. Treat mom with their vintage inspired clothing, accessories, shoes and lingerie. •

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Earthsavers Uptown | 5501 Magazine St. | (504) 899-8555 Metairie | 3301 Veterans Blvd. Ste. 140 | (504) 835-0225 Mandeville | 3414 US Highway 190 | (985) 674-1133 earthsaversonline.com The only acceptable services to Earthsavers are extraordinary ones. What makes their services exceptional is their attention to detail. From the serene environment and soothing music, to the highest quality products and spa services theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve perfected over the last 25 years, every service at Earthsavers is an unforgettable experience. They believe the most important part of an Earthsavers service is their experienced staff. They hire great people and train them to be the best, because amazing services begin with amazing service providers. Many of their spa trainers have been with them for over 10 years and their depth of knowledge benefits all Earthsavers clients. When you are in good hands, you can relax and leave the world behind. Earthsavers Uptown, Lakeside and Mandeville.

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Wellness Center at East Jefferson General Hospital 3726 Houma Blvd. | Metairie (504) 503-6868 | ejgh.org The massage program at the EJGH Wellness Center features a full range of massage styles and therapies that are both relaxing and beneficial to your overall health. Their licensed therapists perform massages in a calming and peaceful environment that best promotes healing. They provide full-body massages as well as focused massages on particular body zones, including deep tissue, Swedish, prenatal and reflexology. In addition, EJGHâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s massage program offers medically therapeutic massage options that are tailored to treat a host of chronic conditions. Clinical trial research shows that massages can lower blood pressure, reduce stress and by focusing on specific muscle groupings, can help alleviate pain and joint stiffness.

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S PA S & R E LA X ATION

Face and Body Institute

Grand Hotel

3900 Veterans Blvd., Suite 200, Metairie (504) 455-1000 | jansenplasticsurgery.com | ruthowensmd.net

1 Grand Blvd, Point Clear, Ala. (251) 928-9201 | marriottgrand.com

Flawless, healthy, younger-looking skin is the goal at the Face & Body Institute, under the direction of Dr. David Jansen and Dr. Ruth Owens. Patients experience a tranquil atmosphere with soothing music and always receive a warm welcome from the caring, professional and informative staff, who believe education is the key in ensuring successful outcomes. Each patient’s histology is thoroughly reviewed before customizing a skincare regime with a treatment plan. Dr. Jansen is board-certified in plastic and reconstructive surgery and Dr. Owens is board-certified in facial and reconstructive surgery. The expertise of these physicians along with experienced licensed aesthetician, Laura Schouest, makes for maximum results and radiant skin. The Face & Body Institute specializes in non-invasive treatments such as facials, dermaplaning, microdermabrasion, chemical peels and laser treatments to correct hyperpigmentation, wrinkles, texture, acne, pore size and hair removal. They also offer Venus Freeze, radio frequency and magnetic pulses that stimulate new collagen for skin tightening, and Coolsculpting, which results in fat reduction for small pockets of exerciseresistant fat with no downtime or surgery.

Head East on I-10 and escape to one of Conde Nast Traveler’s top resort spas – Spa at the Grand Hotel in Point Clear, Ala. Bathed in the charm and beauty and serenaded by the timeless rhythm of the sea, The Spa at The Grand invites you to step into a world of gracious hospitality and luxurious service cocooned in 550 of the most beautiful acres in the region. They are devoted to your complete well being and provide a serene environment designed to relax, revitalize and rejuvenate the mind, body and spirit. Allow yourself to drift gently for an hour, a day, a week, as they take you on the ultimate journey to renewed energy, joy and health in their 20,000-square-foot spa. After your Aromatic Warm Stone Massage and Signature Grand Facial, plunge into the Grand’s five pools, golf, dine or simply relax. June specials are available at America’s top historic hotel.

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Le Visage Day Spa 8110 Hampson Street | New Orleans

Softouch Permanent Makeup and laser Technology

(504) 265-8018 | levisagedayspa.com

2002 20th St. Suite B202 | Kenner

Spring is in the air, and you'll want to feel and look your best. Located Uptown in the Riverbend area, Le Visage Day Spa is the perfect one-stopspot for a relaxing and rejuvenating massage or facial. Or, beat the winter blues with the hottest spring nail colors. All Le Visage services start with relaxation therapy. Begin your mani or pedi with a tasty house-made fresh juice or warm tea. Rest your upper body with a warm neck and shoulder pillow before slipping into a hydrotherapy footbath. After rinsing the old, callused skin away, Le Visage experts restore the skin to tiptop shape. Next, enjoy a relaxing foot or hand/arm massage to increase blood flow and revitalize the skin and increase energy. Finally, spa-goers receive the finishing touch.

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504.305.4420 | softouchpermanentmakeup.com A comprehensive selection of beauty services are available at Softouch Permanent Makeup & Laser Technologies, from new treatments in facelift and skin tightening, to non-surgical technologies, laser hair removal, specialty skin treatments, laser tattoo removal, weight loss and detox, microdermabrasion and of course, permanent makeup. Whether youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re looking to trim down and tone up or simply looking for a spa day out, Softouch brings it all under one roof. Imagine waking up with your makeup in perfect conditionâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;the permanent makeup services by Softouch can improve the look of eyes, eyebrows and lips. Whether purely cosmetic or medical in nature, your needs are met by experts trained and certified in all fields of Permanent Cosmetics and under the care of Dr. Nicholas Angelica. A breakthrough product for tightening, toning, fine line and wrinkles, pore size and discoloration, NeriumAD is a one-step night cream that shows 30-60 percent results in five to 30 days.

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Waxing the City 4121 Magazine St. 504-899-1500 | waxingthecity.com/neworleans Spurred on by their loyal clientele and the belief that waxing is a lifestyle, not an occasional treat, the founders of Waxing the City created a dedicated waxing studio, offering access to expert waxing services without a trip to an expensive spa. At Waxing the City, licensed estheticians are not only waxing specialists, they are the ultimate professionals at their craft. They use hard wax (cerazul) and soft (cerasauve), both specifically formulated for Waxing the City. The only way to provide the very best wax experience is to start with the very best wax. Their wax not only offers gentle hair removal, it also soothes and comforts your skin. Waxing the City is a “no-tipping” salon – your best tip is to tell your friends and family about your experience. New customers receive 50 percent off their first service. As a company, Waxing the City prides itself on hiring the best and traincing them to be better. Their cerologists are sent to Denver for exclusive training in waxing. •

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pen your eyes this summer to the range of eye care options available across New Orleans. Pioneers in research and procedures, local ophthalmologists are making a splash in the medical community with new discoveries and technologies that might benefit you, a family member or even a pet. From routine eye exams to treating complex issues, these local health care providers offer a comprehensive list of services for those looking to improve their sight. Find out what’s new in eye care from the following local favorites.

The Tulane Eye MDs specialize in the care of cataract, cornea, glaucoma and retinal problems, along with ocular oncology and orbital reconstructive surgery, and children’s eye diseases. While training future generations of Eye MDs, these physicians have been instrumental in developing many of the innovative approaches to vision care and surgery in use today. Tulane’s Eye MDs have dedicated their lives to developing new and better treatments for their patients. The comprehensive services provided include the latest advances in premium cataract correction and retinal care, corneal damage stabilization and transplant procedures, pediatric eye treatments and surgeries, and innovative vision-correcting surgery for glaucoma patients. They also offer a full range of vision correction services, including contact lenses for the most difficult cases and iLasik, which offers the possibility of vision correction without the hassle of contacts or glasses. Dr. Alejandra Valenzuela, who has two certifications in Oculoplastics and cosmetic eyelid surgery, is now offering facial BOTOX injections. For more information or to make an appointment, call 504-988-5831 or 504-988-4334. For iLasik or BOTOX call 504-988-8866 or 855-311-5512.

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Acclaimed Eyecare Associates physicians Ronald Landry, MD, Donald Cerise, MD, William Perez, MD, Leni Sumich, MD, Chuck Stumpf, OD, and Terrell McGinn, OD are recognized leaders in vision care, providing quality medical and routine eye care to patients in the New Orleans area. These local doctors understand the special needs of their patients and how cultures vary by neighborhood and parish. They are dedicated to patient care and customer service, and have created a practice that covers generations

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of families from the first eye examination to refractive surgery and cataract removal. Advanced technologies at Eyecare Associates give cataract and other patients more choices for treatment to improve their vision than ever before. Additionally, Eyecare Associates offers the availability of contact lenses and glasses. For more information, or to schedule an appointment at their Metairie-based clinic, call 504-4559825 or visit EyecareNewOrleans.com. Established in 1996, Eye Center for Animals is a stateof-the-art surgical facility

offering comprehensive animal eye care services. Located in Mid-City, the Eye Center is committed to quality continuity of care for your pet’s vision and comfort and offers a world-class, cutting-edge surgery suite. Led by Dr. Paul da Costa, DVM, it is proudly the second facility in the world to pioneer micro-endoscopic lasering for glaucoma in dogs—a true game changer in glaucoma treatment. Glaucoma shunt surgery is offered as well as retinal surgery with multiple lasers, electroretinogram and ultrasound imaging. Additionally, the center is fully equipped for

advanced cataract surgery with lens implants and was selected to be the first to implant the foldable acrylic hydrophobic UV filtering lens in dogs. The trust and support of referring veterinarians has allowed the Eye Center to stay on the cutting edge with excellent surgical equipment while offering total eye care – ask your vet if you need a referral. The Eye Center is offering free Service Dog exams at the caring hands of the most experienced veterinary ophthalmologist in Louisiana throughout the month of May. Call 504-483-8704. •

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Peace of Mind Resources for mental health and well-being

ne of the most important aspects of one’s health is commonly the most over-looked. For those struggling with a common disorder or for the stress-laden simply in need of a check-up, resources exist in the community for people looking to improve their mental health and attain some peace of mind. From situational depression or anxiety to more complicated diagnoses, seek assistance from New Orleans area professionals who put your best interests first. From medical attention to social services, education and financial help, the following local resources will help isolate problems and find solutions. Show your mind some love this May, and seek the peace you deserve.

Medical Resources

River Oaks Hospital has provided quality treatment to individuals with mental illness since 1970. Services are available in three levels of care. When patients do not require medical supervision 24 hours a day, their partial hospitalization and intensive outpatient programs allow patients to receive the clinical and therapeutic treatment they need while being able to return home each day. For those needing the highest level of care, they offer inpatient psychiatric treatment for children, adolescents and adults. They also provide a medical detox on their dual diagnosis unit; treat trauma based disorders for adults as well as eating disorders for adolescents and adults. A wide variety of private insurances are accepted in addition to Medicare and Tricare. If you or a loved one are considering treatment, River Oaks provides confidential assessments. To schedule as assessment, call 504-734-1740. To learn more about services, trauma based disorders or eating disorders treatment visit riveroakshospital.com. As of April 2013, New Orleans residents suffering from pain have a new option for pain relief. Integrated Pain and Neuroscience is a group of exceptional providers led by Dr. Eric I. Royster, physician founder. Their vision is 116

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to offer comprehensive treatment for patients suffering from chronic pain. The providers at Integrated Pain and Neuroscience treat all causes of chronic pain including spine pain, orthopedic pain, neurologic pain and headaches. Dr. Eric Royster, Dr. Andrea O’Leary, Dr. Aaron J. Friedman and Kim Adkins PA-C, coordinate care to determine the most suitable, individualized treatment. In addition to medical management of pain they offer advanced nonmedication-based treatments including injectable therapies, implantable therapies, acupuncture and P-Stim. Nutritional consultation and massage therapy are soon to be added to the menu of available treatments. In many cases advanced treatments may be available the same day as the initial consultation appointment. For more information, visit PainIsAPuzzle.com or call 504-3009020. Integrated Pain and Neuroscience is located in the heart of Uptown New Orleans at 2801 Napoleon Ave. Avita Pharmacy was started in 2003 with a mission to provide the best possible pharmacy experience. Over the past 10 years, Avita has become a Full-Service Specialty Pharmacy providing HIV, Hepatitis C, Mental Health, Organ Transplant and other complex medication therapies ranging from oral, self-injectable and physician administered drugs. Avita has successfully partnered with community organizations, medical providers and caregivers for 10 wonderful years. Avita’s goal is to help patients live longer, healthier and more productive lives through medicationadherence programs, free delivery and much needed financial assistance programs. Avita loves to support community organizations though volunteering and sponsorship efforts. Did you know that Avita gives back to the community with each prescription we dispense? Let Avita fill your prescription today, and you will be giving back tomorrow! For more information, please visit AvitaPharmacy.com.

Family Services

Raintree Children & Family Services has been a fixture in the Greater New Orleans Area since 1926. For 88 years, this local nonprofit has repurposed to meet the many needs of Louisiana’s most vulnerable children. In the past, Raintree has served as a loving place to bring unwanted infants, a place to adopt orphaned children and even as a maternity home. Now in a similar capacity, Raintree provides nurturing foster homes in the community, a group home for teen foster girls, wraparound services for at-risk teen girls and case management services to families whose babies and toddlers experience developmental delays. In all, Raintree strives to meet the emotional and behavioral health needs of those in care. Each program develops a comprehensive service plan to ensure children’s success in all areas of health. As a nationally accredited organization by the Council on Accreditation, Raintree promotes quality services and high achievement in practice areas.

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Raintree provides educational information to the public on healthy child development, offers volunteer opportunities, and is always in need of foster parents. To learn more call 504-899-9045.

Education

Xavier University of Louisiana, the only historically Black, Catholic university in the U.S., is a private, co-educational institution offering a comprehensive liberal arts program and professional programs. Xavier is nationally recognized for its success in the sciences, where it annually leads the nation in the number of African American students earning undergraduate degrees in biology, chemistry and physics. The Doctor of Psychology (Psy.D.) in Clinical Psychology program curriculum is based on The Chicago School’s unique Engaged Professional Model of education. Centered on community service, this approach to instruction prepares students to apply their psychology education and training in significant ways that benefit the local community. Rigorous training and coursework develop a focused expertise that suits individual interests and career goals – selecting from unique specializations in areas such as Clinical Psychology in a Diverse and Multicultural Context or Behavioral Medicine/Health Psychology. Founded in 1979, The Chicago School is a regionally accredited nonprofit, private graduate school devoted to psychology and related behavioral and health sciences, serving more

than 4,500 students through more than 20 graduate degree programs at campuses nationwide. Call 800-721-8072 or visit TheChicagoSchool.edu/xula for more information.

FInancial Planning

Since 1992, Anthony J. Cangemi has provided trusted counsel, valuable advice and financial solutions to people across Greater New Orleans. In 2008, Cangemi became an Investment Advisor Representative (IAR) and Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor with Crescent City Retirement Group, LLC. Cangemi is dedicated to helping people increase their wealth, minimize their taxes, protect their assets and, most importantly, maintain their independence. Cangemi works with clients to create customized strategies offering principal protection and a lifetime income. Committed to both clients and the community, Cangemi offers time every Sunday on WRNO 99.5FM’s Financial Focus Radio from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. Cangemi works hard to ensure that his clients and the people he consults with enjoy this important time in their lives and feel comfortable financially. With a motto of “Retirement Planning … A bridge we can help you cross,” Cangemi focuses on five key retirement areas: preservation of capital, tax efficient strategies, income planning, distribution and health care planning. Schedule a consultation by calling toll-free 800-830-0655. •

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inding fun won’t be hard to do this summer. After such a long winter, everyone’s itching to explore the outdoors and lazy days that accompany the vacation-friendly season. Louisiana’s southeast region offers everything from big city attractions in New Orleans to small-town Cajun country dancing and expansive casino gaming. Nearby Mississippi offers a combination of art and history as well as recreation for families, and Alabama’s Gulf Coast is always a favorite for regional beachgoers. Find the perfect trip for your friends and family among the following favorite vacation destinations. A resource for pet owners rounds out this regional collection of summer travel recommendations.

Louisiana Take a break from the usual this summer and experience New Orleans in a way you haven’t before. Place yourself in the center of all that makes New Orleans unique with a comfortable, luxurious stay at the The Hilton Garden Inn French Quarter/ CBD. Located in the historic Commerce building in the heart of downtown, the hotel sits only two blocks from the charms of the French Quarter, providing an easy stroll to your favorite shops, the city’s best dining and entertainment options, as well as the Mercedes-Benz Superdome and Smoothie King Center. As part of a recently completed $3.5 million renovation, updates to the hotel include new furniture, carpet, bathrooms and halls for each guestroom and a total freshening of the lobby. Beat the summer heat and enjoy a bird’s eye view of the city at the rooftop pool deck. HGI French Quarter/CBD offers free WIFI to guests, and summer vacationers will receive 20 percent off on stays of two nights or more. HGI French Quarter/CBD invites you to “Come play in our backyard.” For full details on their summer offer, visit NewOrleansFrenchQuarterCBD.hgi.com. Visit beautiful Bayou Lafourche for a wide array of unique Louisiana events and destinations. The good times start rolling this spring and summer at the Thibodaux Firemen’s Fair &

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Parade on May 1-4. On June 6-8, The Bon Mangé Festival takes over Gheens with food, music and carnival rides. Get your fishin’ rods ready for the Golden Meadow-Fourchon International Tarpon Rodeo July 3-5 at Moran's Marina in Fourchon, and celebrate the 4th of July this year with fireworks, food and fun at the Let Freedom Ring Festival at Peltier Park in Thibodaux.

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Summer is also a great time of year to venture outdoors and see Louisiana’s unique wetlands on one of the area’s many available swamp tours, or learn about the area’s history at the Jean Lafitte National Park Wetlands Acadian Culture Center. Additionally, don’t forget to take the kids by the new Bayou Country Children’s Museum in Thibodaux for a day full of fun and adventure. Find endless events and attractions at VisitLafourche.com and experience all Lafourche has to offer.

From the live radio show at the Liberty Theater in Eunice, LA to the best in Cajun and zydeco music every Saturday night, to the fast paced thrill of live thoroughbred horse racing at Evangeline Downs Racetrack and Casino in Opelousas, La., St. Landry Parish captures the spirit and traditions of the people of Acadiana. Festivals and music events fill the month of May from the Music and Market Series (Friday afternoons) and Zydeco Extravaganza (May 25) in Opelousas to the Krotz Springs Sportsmen’s Heritage Festival (May 23-25). The fun continues with the annual Lebeau Zydeco Festival (July 5). Throughout the summer, St. Landry Parish offers live music jams, old fashion barn dances, antique shopping and more. To get a complete schedule of what’s happening in one of the most historic areas of the South, visit their Website: CajunTravel.com. St. Landry Parish, it’s gumbo for your soul!

Four Points by Sheraton French Quarter is located in the heart of the French Quarter on world-famous Bourbon Street. They offer 186 comfortable guest rooms, more than 4,000 square feet of market-leading meeting facilities, an outdoor pool, tropical courtyard, 24-hour fitness and more. Café Opéra, the Four Points’ full-service restaurant, features a classic New Orleans menu of Creole and continental cuisine. Guests

Four Points by Sheraton French Quarter

can also enjoy a wide selection of specialty drinks at the Puccini Bar. Four Points by Sheraton French Quarter is located on the site of the French Opera House (1859-1919), a legendary New Orleans cultural venue. Their performance series, “Opera Returns to Bourbon Street” features local operatic talent from the New Orleans Opera Association and local classical vocalist group Bon Operatit! Don’t miss their upcoming event, “Flora, Fauna, and Food: A History of Urban Gardening in New Orleans,” May 15 – June 26. Activities include an exhibit, panel discussions and other events related to urban gardening, markets and the garden-to-table movement in New Orleans. Four Points by Sheraton French Quarter is located at 541 myneworleans.com

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Bourbon St. For reservations and more, call 504-524-7611 or visit FourPoints.com/frenchquarter

Located in the heart of Arts District and within easy walking distance to the Convention Center and the French Quarter, the Hotel Modern New Orleans is a must-visit destination for sophisticated travelers. Understanding that the spirit of New Orleans is all about relaxation, The Hotel Modern greets guests with complimentary drinks and escorts them to their room as if they were staying at a close friend’s guesthouse – there is no front desk or lengthy check-in process. This summer, also enjoy complimentary parking and breakfast for two at the hotel's award-winning restaurant, Tivoli & Lee. Enjoy a classic American breakfast or a light option on the house when staying with The Hotel Modern on Sundays through Wednesdays. The guest rooms at The Hotel Modern were designed with an eclectic aesthetic that mirrors New Orleans’ juxtaposition of Old World charm with New World diversity. The Hotel Modern goes beyond the basics, offering an array of cultural amenities, such as thoughtfully curated books in every room and their lounge, Bellocq, named one of the Best Bars in America by Esquire Magazine in 2013. For reservations visit TheHotelModern.com.

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-squarefoot casino with nearly 1,500 slot machines, 50 table games, a 12-story hotel with more than 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 multipurpose 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.

French Quarter Phantoms is New Orleans’ No. 1 Walking Tour Company. Offering a variety of unique, entertaining and historically accurate tour options year round makes French Quarter Phantoms the perfect choice for locals and visitors to the city. Tours include Ghost & Vampire, True Crime, Tour Tremé or St. Louis No. 1 Cemetery Tours. French Quarter Phantoms’ Master Storytellers have been described as “the strangest bunch of real historians you’ll ever have the pleasure of spending time with!” Their signature tour, French Quarter Phantoms Ghost & Vampire Tour, features phantoms and he hovering mysteries of past tragedies. They thrill guests with laughs and chills up their spine, but nobody jumps out to pinch them. Adult participants on nighttime tours are also treated to BOGO Hurricane drinks the hour prior to each tour. Perfect for Spring Breakers and Vacation fun seekers, their fun and affordable tours have something in them for everyone. Online discounts are available. Visit FrenchQuarterPhantoms.com. 120

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Mississippi This Light of Ours: Activist Photographers of the Civil Rights Movement is on view at the Mississippi Museum of Art in Jackson, MS through Aug. 17. The exhibition presents the Civil Rights Movement through 157 black and white photographs by nine activist photographers who chose to document the national struggle against segregation from within the movement. Accompanying exhibitions include The Slave Series: Quilts by Gwendolyn A. Magee (on view through May 18) and Norman Rockwell: Murder in Mississippi (June 14 – Aug. 31). This Light of Ours is organized by the Center for Documentary Expression and Art. Major support for the exhibition has been provided by the Bruce W. Bastian Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts. Local presentation of this exhibition is made possible through the generous support of AT&T, Jones Walker LLP, Wynne and Bill Seemann, Mississippi Power Company, Jackson Convention & Visitors Bureau, Leslie Hurst, The Clarion-Ledger Media Group and Regions. Cost: $10 adults, $8 seniors, $5 students (includes admission to accompanying exhibitions). Free for children 5 and under. Free for museum members. For more information, visit MsMuseumArt.org or call 601-960-1515. Mississippi Museum of Art

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

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community provide unique opportunities to create the perfect home or weekend getaway. It’s time to relax, unplug, make memories and create new traditions at Big Bay. Whether you are a boating or fishing enthusiast, or just a family who loves to make a big splash, Big Bay Lake is simply about the lure of the water. Come enjoy 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.

shopping at boutiques and outlets, as well as family thrills such as mini-golf, exciting rides, go-karts and more. With more than 175 properties ranging from one-bedroom condos to sixbedroom beach homes, Gulf Shores Rentals can help arrange the perfect vacation package for you. Visit gulfshoresrentals.com and be sure to check out the Hot Deals page. You can also like Gulf Shores Rentals on Facebook and download their app for an additional 10 percent off and to receive updates at facebook.com/gsrentalsfanpage.

Metairie Small Animal Hospital

Alabama The transformation begins the moment your toes touch the sugar-white sand and you hear the sound of waves lapping the shore. Suddenly, you’re in a whole different state of connection. Life seems to slow down, senses are magnified and families are strengthened on the Alabama Gulf Coast. The area boasts 32 miles of pristine beaches and turquoise water, a variety of familyfriendly attractions, numerous restaurants for sampling their fresh coastal cuisine, nearby outlet shopping and more. Take a dip in the turquoise Gulf waters, enjoy a day at the zoo or waterpark, step back in time at historic Fort Morgan or feast on local seafood. There’s something for everyone on the Alabama Gulf Coast and with a vast selection of accommodations including condos, hotels and beach houses, you’re sure to find the perfect place for your family to make memories and reconnect. Visit GulfShores.com/neworleans to start planning your trip today Take your summer vacation to Gulf Shores and Orange Beach and experience the hospitality of Gulf Shores Rentals, one of the region’s favorite vacation destinations for more than 20 years. For each night reserved, guests receive complimentary tickets to area attractions such as championship golf, deep-sea fishing, Dolphin Cruises and Waterville USA Waterpark. Other bonuses include 14 points to The Track Amusement Center daily and unlimited daily movie rentals. Find something for everyone among the area's offerings: snapper season fishing excursions on the gulf, fashion-forward

Travel Resources In addition to 24/7 emergency care, comprehensive medical exams, grooming and the pet boutique, Metairie Small Animal Hospital (MSAH) has offered the best in small animal boarding services in the New Orleans area for more than 60 years. Pets, housed in climate-controlled compartments, are never left unattended and are monitored closely by doctors and staff. Dogs are kept in large, comfortable runs appropriate for their size. Each compartment is equipped with an elevated bench on which pets can rest as desired. Each area is accented with windows (made of an unbreakable material) to alleviate stressful feelings associated with being “closed in.” All dogs are walked a minimum of four times each day. Cats, housed in a separate area of the hospital, may stay in either a roomy area or a Kitty Condo, which comes equipped with elevated shelves for rest or play. Owners also have the option of reserving more than one compartment, giving your pet the freedom to explore two or more inter-connected enclosures. For a tour of MSAH boarding and treatment areas, or if you have additional questions, call 504-835-4266 or visit MSAH.com. •

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The Natchez Isn’t Just for Tourists By melanie warner spencer

s we stroll down St. Peters Street in the French Quarter, the unmistakable sound of calliope music grows louder. “That has to be coming from the boat,” I say to my husband, Mark. We both agree later that catchy Dixieland tunes being pumped out onto the streets by a 32-note steam calliope is a brilliant touch, effectively sprinkling a handful of fun dust all over the already jovial mood of people set to board a steamboat. The Natchez Steamboat has been cruising down the mighty Mississippi since 1975, but for this pair of nerdy writers, it’s infinitely more fun to pretend it has been paddling through the muddy waters since 1875. We begin to envision a young Samuel Clemens standing on the upper deck cookin’ up his soon to be famous (and infamous) Mark Twain pseudonym, despite the fact that the storyteller was piloting these waters 20 years before the birthdate we imagined for the ship – so we agree to ignore the facts in an effort not to break the spell.

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And indeed, what an enchanting spell. It is nothing short of magical to sip Champagne while the Dukes of Dixieland blow “Lazy River” in your ears and Capt. Steve Nicoulin climbs to his perch on the front of the vessel to shout commands at his crew through a large, white megaphone. Many of our fellow passengers opted for the spectacular idea of drinks and music on deck for $44 per person, but we decided to go for the full experience and enjoy a meal with our cruise for $74.50 each. The buffet brims with entrée choices, but we stick with the staffer’s suggestion of cornmeal-crusted fish and pork loin with a kickin’ Creole mustard sauce. Mark fell hard for the maque choux, while I set out with gusto to devour the shrimp and Andouille sausage gumbo. Through an act of what can only be described as divine intervention, I somehow have the foresight to reserve a table. This simple gesture allows us to avoid the somewhat chaotic process of wandering bewildered around the dining room in search of seating, while simultaneously balancing a plate piled precariously high with meats, sauces and sides and the aforementioned delectable gumbo bowl. Post dinner, we promenade the upper deck to catch the fine breeze, positing ourselves in a prime location at the back of the boat. Observing the powerful paddlewheel as it propels the vessel upriver at surprisingly high speed is an experience in and of itself. Mark recalls a movie in which the main character battles a similar paddle wheel and loses. This prompts me to suggest walking back to the front of the boat to enjoy the band. Dancing on deck to a Dixieland version of “Great Balls of Fire,” while whooshing past massive ships glowing in the night and taking in the city’s twinkling skyline, punctuated by the majestic and familiar outline of St. Louis Cathedral, is not only a recipe for romance, but also just about the most bewitching way I can think of to experience the history and charm of New Orleans. Steamboat Natchez, 586-8777, SteamboatNatchez.com

“Waxing the City” Opens on Magazine 4121 Magazine St., 899-1500, WaxingTheCity.com/NewOrleans

The city finally has a dedicated waxing salon. Waxing the City, which recently opened on Magazine Street in Uptown New Orleans, is a facial and body waxing salon for men and women. Part of a national chain, the studio uses its own trademarked waxing technique called “Cerology.” Technicians, trained at its Denver head quarters, use an exclusive, custom-formulated hard wax Cerazul and soft wax Cerasuave, to minimize sensitivity and make waxing as comfortable as possible. Offering waxing at competitive prices, the salon also operates a ‘no tipping’ policy. First time customers can enjoy 50 percent off their first service. – M i r e l l a c a m e r a n

event

Tivoli & Lee’s Whiskey Wednesday Challenge a hit! 936 St. Charles Avenue, 962-0909, TivoliAndLee.com/Events

Tivoli & Lee Restaurant in the Hotel Modern on Lee Circle is extending its Whiskey Wednesday Challenge Dinner Series. Developed by chef Marcus Woodham and Whiskey Evangelist Kimberly PattonBragg, the program has been such a success with locals and tourists that it’s being continued into the spring. Every Wednesday, guests are invited to try 12 Whiskeys with 12 food pairings. The Whiskeys showcase the best of American Whiskey and the food creations present the delights of Southern cuisine. Reservations are recommended. – M . C . myneworleans.com

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The Road to West End B Y ERR O L LA B O R D E

here is an entranc e from Orleans Parish

to Jefferson Parish where there is only space for one vehicle at a time, and in this instance it wasn’t my automobile that was gong to be first. I was totally deferent to the Mac truck cab pulling a flatbed that was heading my way. Slowly I backed my car along the thin street that connected to the main road. Once the truck had cleared I moved forward past the forbidding chain link fence and the sign that said Jefferson Parish. There is only a sliver of Jefferson Parish at the site better known as West End. In fact that very name is a bow to the city. This stretch of lakefront is on the western end of New Orleans but it is on neighboring Jefferson’s eastern end – nevertheless “West End” it has been and will likely always be. No one really thinks much about the geography behind the name anyway. “West End” today is more memory than reality. The narrow street, now badly dented by heavy trucks, was once the curved entrance to a row of seafood restaurants. Most prominent was Fitzgerald’s, a huge seafood house with a dining area that extended over the lake. At the entrance to the pier that connected to the restaurant there was a neon sign of a flapping fish. At different times there were different places along the strip including the My O My Club where the entertainment consisted of men dressed like women. (My, oh my.) Other restaurants included Swanson’s, Brunings and Maggie & Smitty’s, where diners sat at outdoor picnic tables long before the phrase al fresco became common. On busy nights the area was fragrant with the essence of seafood boil and fish fry. There was even a West End style of cooking. Fried seafood, of which the indigenous classic was the stuffed flounder, was always served on a bed of toast to absorb the grease. 136

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Next to it was a leaf of iceberg lettuce topped by a slice each of tomato and pickle, and a dollop of mayonnaise. A potato dish would be on the side. Few places grilled their seafood back then – fried or broiled were the options. Crabs were the most popular boiled item: “Lake Pontchartrain Blues” fresh from the lake. Boiled shrimp could be an alternative or an accompaniment, but seldom was there crawfish. That was some sort of junk food. Its era had not arrived. Katrina knocked out West End, but the truth is it was already dying. Fitzgerald’s and some of the other places had long closed by the time of the storm. There was just too much competition from other dining places. A person no longer needed to drive to the lakefront to have fresh seafood. A setback was even delivered from Rome when the rules prohibiting Catholics from eating meat on Friday were rescinded. For the seafood restaurants in Catholic New Orleans the biggest night of the week had lost its advantage. Brunings, though in a different location having recovered from a previous storm, was still in business at the time of the Katrina. Across a footbridge and down the Bucktown road, SidMars still had a busy screened porch dining area. In the yard was often a pile of crab nets. Now the Bucktown road doesn’t even exist, having been replaced by a Hoover Dam-like pumping facility. Where Fitzgerald’s was there is just the remains of an ornate concrete fence that lined the strip. Diners often timed their arrival to witness the sunset. Now the sun performs before an empty house. In many ways New Orleans is a better place since Katrina, but not at West End. Still, on a pretty day, someone having negotiated the road can stop to look through the rubble at the glimmer of the lake. The fragrance is now that of the sea breeze. ARTHUR NEAD ILLUSTRATION