New Orleans Magazine September 2012

SEPTEMBER 2012

Cassie STECK Worley, Chairman, the revived Le Petit Thêatre; drama teacher; actress.

WYES Presents “Reshaping A Greater New Orleans: Criminal Justice”

myneworleans.com

$4.95

September 2012 VOLUME 46 NUMBER 12 Associate Publisher/Editor Errol Laborde Managing Editor Morgan Packard Art Director Eric Gernhauser Associate Editors Haley Adams, Alex Gecan and

Sarah Ravits Contributing Editor Liz Scott Monaghan Food Edit­or Dale Curry Dining Edit­or Jay Forman Wine and Spirits Edit­or Tim McNally Restaurant Reporter Robert Peyton Home and Garden Editor Bonnie Warren Interns Gabrielle Bethancourt, Taylor Burley

and Annie Weldon

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

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

Sarah George Web Editor Haley Adams Chief Executive Officer Todd Matherne President Alan Campell Editor in Chief Errol Laborde Executive Assistant Kristi Ferrante SUBSCRIPTIONS/OFFICE ASSISTANT Amanda Mele Distribution Manager Christian Coombs

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

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

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

Online at www.MyNewOrleans.com

New Orleans Magazine (ISSN 0897 8174) is published monthly by Renaissance Publishing, LLC., 110 Veterans Blvd., Suite 123, Metairie, LA 70005; (504) 8281380. Subscription rates: one year $19.95; Mexico, South America and Canada $48; Europe, Asia and Australia $75. An associate subscription to New Orleans Magazine is available by a contribution of $40 or more to WYES-TV/Channel 12, $10.00 of which is used to offset the cost of publication. Also available electronically, on CD-ROM and on-line. Periodicals postage paid at Metairie, LA, and additional entry offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to New Orleans Magazine, 110 Veterans Blvd., Suite 123, Metairie, LA 70005. Copyright 2012 New Orleans Magazine. No part of this publication may be reproduced without the consent of the publisher. The trademark New Orleans and New Orleans Magazine are registered.

New Orleans Magazine is not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts, photos and artwork even if accompanied by a self-addressed stamped envelope. The opinions expressed in New Orleans Magazine are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the view of the magazine managers or owners.

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IN EVERY ISSUE 6 INSIDE “Whatever Happened to the Class of ’02?”

10 letters 12 speaking out Editorial, plus a Mike Luckovich cartoon

14 JULIA STREET Questions and answers about New Orleans

151 Try This “Bingeing and Bowling” 152 STREETCAR “The Day the Pies Burned”

THE BEAT 20 MARQUEE Entertainment calendar 22 PERSONA Co-anchor of WWL-TV/Channel 4 “Eyewitness Morning News,” Sally-Ann Roberts

26 28 32 34 38

newsbeat “St. Roch Market Makeover” Biz “Share the Wealth, Escape the Tax” newsbeat “New Orleans Lands Landing Craft Project” Education “A Case of Voucher Waste” HEALTHBEAT The latest news in health from New Orleans and beyond

40 newsbeat “From Lots to Crops”

LOCAL COLOR

42 THE SCOOP “Right In Your Backyard: Upscale and upstarts on Maple Street”

48 music “Uncle Lionel Batiste In Time” 49 Read & Spin A look at the latest CDs and books – with a local twist

52 CAST OF CHARACTERS “Shrine of the Times: Sister Carla Dolce and the battle for hope”

54 MODINE’S NEW ORLEANS “Catching Up With Tomatoes”

56 Joie d’Eve “Back to Work” 58 CHRONICLES “The Making of Broadmoor” 60 HOME “Boston on the Bayou: This home near City

PEOPLE TO WATCH PAGE

92

Park has the feel of two great cities.”

THE MENU

66 table talk “Top Shelf: Something new,

PAST TENSE

FOOD

PAGE

PAGE

104

70

CONTENTS FEATURES 92 People to Watch Our annual list of newly notables. Profiles by Haley Adams, Taylor Burley, Alex Gecan, Morgan Packard and Sarah Ravits

104 past tense Pics from the town that was

by John Magill

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SEPTEMBER 2012

110 Death of a daily When the end began for TimesPicayune staffers by Susan Finch

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68 70 74 76

something changed”

restaurant insider “Exploring the Possibilities” FOOD “Westward Wonders: Food from the coast” LAST CALL “You Really Can’t Make This Stuff Up” DINING GUIDE

DIAL 12 D1 Get the scoop on what’s happening around town when Steppin’ Out, New Orleans only weekly arts and entertainment program, returns for its 26th season on Fri., Sept. 14 at 6:30 p.m. The Man Who Ate New Orleans debuts Sept. 1 at 8 p.m. on WYES. The film follows the true story of New York Reverend Ray Cannata who moved to New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina to help rebuild.

While here, he fell in love with the city and decided to become the first person to eat at every restaurant in New Orleans. WYES continues its ongoing initiative exploring the progress of rebuilding a safer, stronger, smarter city post-Katrina in Reshaping A Greater New Orleans: Criminal Justice on Sun., Sept. 30 at 7 p.m.

ON THE COVER. Chairman of the Board of Governors, Le Petit Thêatre du Vieux Carré and Person to Watch Cassie Steck Worley J E F F E RY J O H N S TO N P hotograph ; makeup, megan marks ; H air , rachel S c H neller and M arissa C oss é , courtesy H 2 0 salon and spa

IN SID E

Whatever Happened to the Class of ’02?

T

here

is

something

frightening

about

the year 2002 already being nostalgic. More frightening, though, are the reasons why the year, isn’t entirely sweet in sentiment, in retrospect. Ten years ago, our annual People to Watch feature was in our July issue. The world was still reeling over what, by then, was commonly called “September 11th,” which had happened only 10 months earlier.

As horrific as that was, we in greater New Orleans would have another disaster only three years and a month or so later when the levees broke.

When looking at anniversary classes of People to Watch, there are some that became losers and others who became achievers.

What is curious about the 2002 class is that many are not around.

Names such as Ryan Rolette, Karen Carlson, Joe Sanchez, Dan Rajkowski and 3 Ring Circus – three gals with a dedication for staging traveling art shows – are seldom spoken. Their memories have faded we suspect, not because of any shortcomings on their part, but because by the time of our recovery, names and ideas had been reshuffled to be replaced by new groups of urban pioneers who would prove to be watchable in their own way.

We have never claimed that People to Watch is linked to sainthood, so that when we acknowledged Renee Gill Pratt who had recently been elected to the city council, time would prove that the U.S. Attorney was correct in watching the now-convicted former council member closely. Another then-new councilmember, Jay Batt, would find that post-Hurricane Katrina politics included outspoken neighborhood activists who had other ideas about who should serve.

Our cover image featured two guys, Bill Hines and Alex Martins, who were being honored for attracting the Charlotte Hornets of the NBA to New Orleans. The Hornets saga would have more ups and downs than a ball being dribbled down a court, but a decade later seems to have stabilized. Their work, which once seemed destined for naught, seems to have paid off.

We know that history can be such a tease. Among the honored people were Ashley Bowman and Drew Ramsey, who were being celebrated for being the third generation of management at Hubig’s pies. (Among the proposed modern innovations: selling pies via the Internet.) Ramsey was in the news lately, standing before the smoldering ruins of the company’s factory, proclaiming that Hubig’s would return.

And so it goes. We wish the class of 2012 well, and may readers of the future marvel at what great selections they were. And may man and nature offer no distractions.

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On the web FEATURING...

If you’re looking for a second helping of stories, events and opinions from New Orleans Magazine, click on over to MyNewOrleans.com.

The website is updated daily with blogs and events, and it includes stories from all of the magazines published by Renaissance Publishing.

This month, New Orleans foodie Robert Peyton provides a go-to guide for the best steaks throughout Louisiana. You can find his tasty feature on the website, or in the next Louisiana Life, available at newsstands around New Orleans.

Exclusively Online: Award-Winning Daily Blogs Mondays:

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

Tuesdays:

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

Wednesdays:

After Hours: Nightlife savant and New Orleans Press Club award-winner Ian McNulty gives us the scoop on what to do when the sun goes down. You know, when he can get out of bed to write about it.

Thursdays:

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

Fridays:

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

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

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LETTERS

Police, Cajun, Falstaff

Re: “Police and Katrina – in Retrospect,” Speaking Out column. May 2012 issue.

My husband and I have fallen in love with the Big Easy.

We will fly in from Tampa, Fla., whenever we have a chance. I always check out the New Orleans Magazine as soon as I get into town. I love the history features, and of course, the recipes.

The last “Speaking Out” feature was right on point regarding the police and Hurricane Katrina in retrospect. I have a feeling it took a lot of courage to print that article.

Food is always a main event for us when we go to New Orleans, but we have found ourselves going to the same places over and over again.

My question for you is: What are your top five favorite restaurants that serve authentic Cajun that are within a 20-minute cab ride from the Riverfront? We prefer more of a casual atmosphere than upscale since we only bring casual wear with us on our trips. But, if you suggest a more upscale restaurant that is a “must do,” we can pack appropriately if necessary. We have limited our dining experience mostly to the French Quarter since that’s what we are familiar with, but I know there are places in the area we are overlooking.

We are looking forward to your suggestions. Another question I have is: What is the history of the Falstaff factory that we see each time we go to and from the airport? I 10

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have an interesting memory of Falstaff beer growing up in Illinois – it was the first beer that I actually got drunk on.

Patty (and Garry) Adams St. Petersburg, Fla.

Ed. Reply: You have certainly covered the range with this letter. First, thank you for your thoughts about the police and Katrina. We continue to think that there are former cops sitting in jail right now who were victims of what was, at the time, a rudderless police department. As for Cajun food, it sounds like a cliché, but K-Paul’s in the French Quarter is the most important Cajun restaurant of all because it has created a new era of Cajun cooking. Two nearby seafood restaurants, both Louisiana-based chains, Landry’s and Mike Anderson’s, also offer Cajun-style dishes, In fact, there’s a bit of Cajun in most of the city’s menus.

Finally, Falstaff was once a nationwide brewery headquartered in St. Louis, Mo., that had a regional brewery here. The former brewery, featuring its famous sign with the order of blinking lights coded to forecast the weather, has been converted into an apartment complex.

Update

The contact information listed for Dr. Jayne S. Weiss in our August feature was incorrect; her correct information is: LSU Department of Ophthalmology, LSU Health Sciences Center, 3700 St. Charles Ave., New Orleans, 412-1200.

S P E A K IN G O U T

The T-P Fiasco, Part 3 And now the end

S

eptember will be a transitional month in the

cultural, social, economic, political and journalistic life of New Orleans. It will be the last month in nearly two centuries in which we are not served by a locally published daily newspaper.

Seldom has the community been as united as it is in its contempt for the Newhouse family’s decision to reduce publication of the The Times-Picayune from daily to three times a week. Now a once-respected daily that was so much of a voice in our recovery had been reduced to small-time status. New Orleans will be the largest city in the nation without a locally published daily. As a town that tries hard to be big league, we will also be the only city in the NFL (including Green Bay) and the NBA without a hometown pub.

Advance Publications (the Newhouse division under which The TimesPicayune is placed) has tried to dazzle us with talk about the web future, but the Internet and its various i-things is already omnipresent. Unlike a daily newspaper, the web will not be exclusive to anyone.

This is the third month in a row that we have editorialized on what we regard as the “T-P fiasco.” Never have we given so much editorial attention to one issue. The reason is that never in our history has there been a companion editorial voice muted on a particular issue, that being The Times-Picayune.

Already, the types of debate and discourse essential to a democracy have been compromised.

To Advance boss Steve Newhouse, New Orleans, we suspect, is another icon on his laptop – something to be dragged alongside Ann Arbor, Mich., as well as Birmingham, Mobile and Huntsville, Ala., four other cities where he has implemented his downsizing theory.

Though New Orleans is bigger and more globally important than those places, we are just another spot on his screen.

New Orleans will grow and be great despite the Newhouses, but as they prepare to downsize us, some thoughts about participants in this tragedy:

wisdom of local ownership.

To the area television stations: Now is your chance to take the lead in news as some of you have already done with your websites. You can be the genuine news leader.

To the new nonprofit news-oriented websites: We are pulling for you. It is important that you attract the funding that you deserve, not only for your news product but so that no one in high places can ever think that they can dominate the Internet.

To the citizens of New Orleans who have opposed the change: Keep on believing. Victories often come in

unpredictable ways following their own timetable.

To Ricky Matthews, the T-P’s new “publisher:”

Please do not be patronizing by trying to convince us that less is more and that worse is better.

To the Newhouses: We suspect that arrogance may prevent you from acknowledging the hurt you have done to New Orleans. We just hope that one day you will realize that in trying to envision the future, you were blinded to our soul.

To The Times-Picayune staff:

Please know that the vocal resistance is out of respect for the work that you and your departed colleagues have done. May you soon find the job satisfaction you deserve.

To Baton Rouge’s Advocate newspaper: We wish you the very best

at spreading into New Orleans and providing us with a daily newspaper.

You, more than anyone, can prove the 12

SEPTEMBER 2012

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AN ORIGINAL ©MIKE LUCKOVICH CARTOON FOR NEW ORLEANS MAGAZINE

JULIA STREET

W ITH P O Y D R A S TH E P A R R O T

TH 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

In operation from the mid1930s to the early ’60s, Sloppy Jim’s appears fairly tidy in this vintage postcard.

Dear Julia, In the June issue of New Orleans Magazine there’s a question regarding Sloppy Joe’s bar, which the writer thought may have been on Royal Street.

In the 1930s my dad had a store in the 200 block of Royal Street and I sort of remember that they did have a small bar across the street that was called Sloppy Jim’s, which I always thought was a funny name. I don’t know when they closed down. That was way back in the days of Solari’s, the Bienville Meat Market and a restaurant around the corner on Bienville Street that served the best, sloppiest roast beef poor boys.

Bob Dombourian Metairie

Sloppy Jim’s was in operation at its original location at 236 Royal St. from the mid1930s to the early ’60s. James 14

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V. Esposito was the owner of the popular watering hole.

In the mid-’40s, mixologist Marshall J. “Pappy” Broussard and Ray Weatherall bought Sloppy Jim’s, its name and the formula of its signature drink. Speaking to a TimesPicayune columnist in March ’45, Broussard described the Sloppy Jim cocktail as being “circus-pink” lemonade with a “kick.”

Dear Julia, My mother used to tell us children about the only employment she ever had prior to her marriage and becoming a homemaker and mother of six.

We often have wondered about this firm, what kind, where it was located, etc. This had to be in the early 1920s because she and my dad married in ’22.

The name of the concern was First & Kramer’s but we know nothing else about it. Is it still

in business in New Orleans? If so, where?

Audrey Enzor Carriere, Miss.

Fuerst & Kraemer was a popular confectionery store chain. The original New Orleans candy-making Fuerst & Kraemer company lasted only from 1902 to ’19 and was the dream-child of young entrepreneurs Irvin Fuerst and Albert Kraemer.

While it’s tempting to view the elegant and popular Fuerst & Kraemer sweet shops only through the rose-colored glasses of local nostalgia, the popular candy maker’s name and its New Orleans origins became in the 1920s little more than a marketing option for an out-of-state retailing conglomerate which had taken notice when Fuerst & Kraemer opened a location in Atlantic City, N.J.

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

This month’s winners are: Mary Levy-Brown, Hammond; and Eugene Doug Hall, Luling.

PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY THE HISTORIC NEW ORLEANS COLLECTION

A new beginning and the beginning of the end came in 1919, when Fuerst & Kraemer ceased to be locally owned and operated and became part of the candy-making arm of the New York-based United Retail Stores chain. Although early corporate plans allegedly revolved around acquiring and retaining several unique and successful candy makers, the new company’s board soon abandoned those plans. In February ’20, company spokesman Alex H. Sands explained to the New York advertising trade journal, Printers’ Ink, that “... rather than pay any considerable good will price for ‘going concerns,’” they would rely on sales and real estate prowess to “... establish our own stores and create our own good will.” At first, the strategy worked. Entrepreneur and confectioner Irvin Fuerst immediately and permanently relocated to New York City and the new company

experienced explosive expansion, opening numerous Fuerst & Kraemer stores in New Orleans and throughout the northeast. When, in the late ’20s, the last New Orleans Fuerst & Kraemer stores closed, the brand’s passing came quietly, without obvious attention or outcry from the local press. It is a bit ironic that Katz & Besthoff is said to have purchased in ’19 the original Fuerst & Kraemer formula for nectar syrup, only to disappear decades later in the wake of a national corporate buyout.

ent out on the streets of New Orleans. I am curious to know how the street musicians and performers operate. It seems many are in a regular spot as if the places are assigned. Is it a first come first serve arrangement or are places “reserved?”

Are there some unwritten courtesies that each performer respects? Are the performers required to have a permit? And anything else that you might fill me in on concerning this subject. I look forward to your response.

Mark A. Pieczonka

Dear Julia, Having traveled to New Orleans many times over the past 30 years or so, either for business or family visits (my wife is a displaced native of the West Bank), and thereby having many opportunities to explore this wonderful area, I’m fortunately now a resident of Mandeville. I have always been enthralled by the amount of tal-

Article XX City of New Orleans’ municipal code, Sections 30-1451 through 30-1485, concerns Street Entertainers. While performers must be licensed and may be more rigidly regulated when working in some specific areas, such as Bourbon Street or the Central Business District, I saw nothing in the code indicating assignment

Mandeville

of specific performance locations. To the best of my knowledge there’s a pecking order that’s observed as a courtesy among street performers but exact performance locations are determined by the artists themselves, not dictated city officials or regulators.

Dear Julia, I have been wanting to write to you about Jimmy Elledge for some time, and when I saw two different reports on the Internet I knew I had to get the real truth and scoop from you.

As a New Orleans nightclub frequenter in the 1970s through the early ’90s, I remember following Jimmy Elledge’s whereabouts to a certain degree, then lost contact of where he was appearing. My earliest recollection is seeing him perform at the Jimmy Elledge Club in Gretna, which later became the famous Fat Cat. I caught him a few times at the Red Maple, Tony Mandina’s and a club at

the Holiday Inn at Williams and Veterans that is now the Crowne Plaza. My husband and I went to see him perform at Visco’s lounge in Gretna, but he was a no-show because of illness.

There is a report on him on the Internet that stated he died on June 10, 2012, after complications following a stroke.

However, there’s another report that says this is false. Can you give me information on his career and if he is actually alive or has died?

Was “Funny How Time Slips Away” his only hit?

Beverly Hall Luling

James Presley Elledge passed away in Belle Chasse on June 10, 2012. He was the singer who had a remarkable five-octave vocal range and whose only hit was the song “Funny How Time Slips Away.” Clark-Ducote Funeral Home, in Belle Chasse, handled Elledge’s funeral

arrangements and published a detailed obituary that left no doubt that the decedent was the singer whose live performances you and your husband once enjoyed. Jimmy Elledge was laid to rest at Hope Mausoleum in New Orleans.

Dear Julia, I am a native New Orleanian, born and raised in the French Quarter on Royal Street. I now live in Hammond and love it here, but miss everything that makes New Orleans a great city.

My brother, Francis, recently sent me a favor from a Carnival ball that he attended back in 1948. Neither he nor I can remember what Carnival krewe the favor is from.

I hope that you can tell me something about it and what

the K of E, which appears on the favor, stands for.

Mary Levy-Brown Hammond

Even though there were few 1948 krewes that may have abbreviated their name “K of E,” ball favors don’t necessarily relate to a krewe’s yearly theme. I have never seen another example of your favor and cannot say with any certainty which krewe produced it.

Possible matches from the 1948 Carnival season include the krewes of Eurydice and Eros but, on closer examination, it’s hard to equate a decorated seashell with themes recalling Aztec sun worship or Middle Eastern desert romance. The same year, the Krewe of Elenians took at look at Life’s Fantasic

Cycle, tracing man’s journey from infancy to old age. The last of the K of E krewes was the short-lived Gretna organization, the Krewe of Eirene.

I was unable to determine the Krewe of Eirene’s ’48 theme but learned its ball took place in the Gretna High School gymnasium.

Julia on TV

Look for the Julia Street question on “Steppin’ Out,” every Friday at 6:30 p.m. on WYES/Channel 12.

The show features reviews, news and features about the New Orleans entertainment scene. Viewers who can answer Julia’s weekly question can call in for prizes. Tell ’em you read about the show in New Orleans Magazine.

THEBEAT MARQUEE

PERSONA

BIZ

EDUCATION

HEALTH

CRIME FIGHTING

NEWS

PERSONA:

Sally-Ann Roberts PAGE 22

MARYLOU UTTERMOHLEN PHOTOGRAPH

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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

SARAH

RAVITS

CLASSIC TALES, LIT UP The highly innovative Lightwire Theater, in conjunction with Corbian Visual Arts and Dance breathes new life into performance art, incorporating full-body puppets that are lined with electroluminescent wire that illuminates a darkened stage.

Last year they were highly acclaimed for Darwin the Dinosaur, and have since then traveled the world

with their fascinating theatrics. This month they will perform a double feature, The Ugly Duckling and The Tortoise & The Hare at the Contemporary Arts Center, featuring fascinating choreography and music that ranges from classical to jazz to pop. Check the website for exact show dates and times, as they have not yet been finalized as of press time.

Information, cacno.org.

Information, RepublicNola. com

BTEFoundation.org

TheAllwaysLounge.net

Sept. 7-9,14-16, 21-23,

Sept. 7. The Better Than

28-30. Bingo! The

Sept. 9 and 23. New Orleans Saints home games; Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Information,

A Musical Exhibit

On view through Sept. 16, “Dario Robleto: The Prelives of the Blues” is a multimedia exhibit at the New Orleans Museum of Art that explores the transference of music across multiple generations. The Texas-born artist, hailed for his thoughtful sculptures and his conceptual art, is dedicated to investigating American history and was inspired on several trips to New Orleans to delve into the culture of second lines, Social Aid & Pleasure Clubs, jazz funerals and club music. His exhibit shows how traditions are a crucial part of the city’s cultural identity, with a focus on how music links generations to one another and transcends race, time and death. Information, noma.org

Sept. 6. “Art of the Cup: Functional Comfort: Opening Reception;” Ogden Museum of Southern Art. Information, OgdenMuseum.org

Through Sept. 3.

Southern Decadence; throughout downtown. Information, SouthernDecadence.net Through Feb. 8, 2013. “Something Old, Something New;” Historic New Orleans Collection.

Information, hnoc.org

Winning Musical; The Always Lounge.

Information,

Ezra Foundation’s Ezra Open; Harrah’s New Orleans Casino Theater.

Information,

Sept. 7.

Yeasayer plus Daedelus; Republic.

Slash, Sept. 11

Ezra Open, Sept. 7

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SPOTLIGHT

A Tribute to the T-P

A Trio of Legends Lady legends Stevie Nicks, Melissa Etheridge and Gladys Knight will collaborate for a concert at the New Orleans Arena on Sept. 22. Presented by the AARP, the night promises to be full of new and old hits as each of the three songstresses have all boasted illustrious, award-winning careers as popular and genre-spanning musicians. Information, NewOrleansArena.com

NewOrleansSaints.com Sept. 11. Slash feat.

Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators plus Foxy Shazam; House of Blues. Information, HouseOfBlues.com Sept. 14. The fourth

annual New Orleans Burlesque Festival’s Bad

It would be an understatement to say that the recent changes at the soon-to-not-be daily newspaper have caused a stir on local and national levels.

The iconic newspaper and its dedicated employees (present and former) will be honored as it heads in a new direction on Sept. 29 at the Howlin’ Wolf, thanks to DashThirtyDash, a nonprofit that financially assists hundreds of Times-Picayune employees, freelancers and contractors who will lose their jobs or much of their livelihood when the newspaper ends daily publication Oct. 1. “Black, White and Read All Over” will take place from 6 to 9 p.m., with a pre-event patron party starting at 4:30. Former T-P staffers Becky Theim and Sheila Grissett, another alum who left the paper only last year, are among organizers.

(Kit Wohl and Babs Johnson are also heavily involved in the planning, along with many others). Information,

DashThirtyDash.org.

(Ed. Note: Read more about this on pg. 113)

Girls of Burlesque; House Of Blues. Information, HouseOfBlues.com

MahaliaJacksonTheater. com

Sept. 14. Honey Island

with The Chris Robinson Brotherhood; Tipitina’s Uptown. Information, tipitinas.com

Swamp Band & Red Baraat; Tipitina’s Uptown.

Information, tipitinas.com

An interview with Becky Theim:

What is the main mission of this benefit? To

ELIZABETH PERRIN PHOTOGRAPH

raise money to directly benefit Times-Picayune employees, freelancers and contractors who

past five years, newspapers in the United States have eliminated almost 40,000 jobs, or more than 11 percent of total industry employment. Another important point is that DashThirtyDash is also working to help freelancers and newspaper delivery people, who because of their independent

Picayune supporters and organizers Bob Marshall, Marie Gould and Sheila Grissett

are losing their jobs because of the newspaper’s end of daily publication. Many employees will face considerable challenges securing new employment at this stage of their careers, particularly if they want to remain in New Orleans. Even if they choose to pursue jobs with newspapers in other communities, they will confront tough odds: In the

Sept. 25. An Evening

Sept. 14-16. Stomp; Mahalia Jackson Theater. Information,

contractor status, aren’t eligible for severance or state unemployment benefits. We’re literally their safety net.

What is the entertainment for the evening?

Jason Patterson with Snug Harbor is helping us with music and we’re courting a number of New Orleans musicians. An early rally held for newspaper employees attracted Alex MacMurray,

Sept. 25. The

Supersuckers in concert; Howlin’ Wolf. Information, TheHowlinWolf.com Sept. 28. NolaLoyola:

Beats of the Streets: The New Orleans Brass Band Tradition; Roussel Hall (Loyola

Allen Toussaint, Kermit Ruffins, Armand St. Martin, Margie Perez and Bob Andrews, so we’re looking forward to some great music.

We’ll also have silent and live auctions and lots of socializing because a number of T-P alums are coming in from all over the country for this event and a staff reunion we’re holding the night before.

How has the daily newspaper affected you and what are your personal ties to it? I was a

reporter at The T-P from 1988-’94, and although that was a long time ago, it continues to be one of the most rewarding and fulfilling jobs I’ve had. I have a lot of friends in New Orleans, most of whom still work at the newspaper or only left in recent years.

Shortly after the terrible news broke about these changes coming to the paper, it dawned on me how exceptional – and rare – it’s that I still know so many people still working there, almost 18 years after I left. But that’s ending, so while I’m looking forward to seeing everyone, it will definitely be a bittersweet weekend.

University); calendar. loyno.edu Sept. 29. Fess’ “House

Party New Orleans Style;” Tipitina’s Uptown.

Information, tipitinas.com

The Chris Robinson Brotherhood, Sept. 25

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T HE BEA T

PERSONA

Sally-Ann Roberts

BY SUE STRACHAN

W

hile

most

of

N ew

O rleans

is

sleeping, Sally-Ann Roberts is waking up – 2 a.m., to be exact. As the co-anchor of WWLTV/Channel 4 “Eyewitness Morning News” since 1991, Roberts, along with longtime morning partner Eric Paulsen, have been the two people that New Orleanians wake up with – well, other than their family. (Roberts and Paulsen arrived at WWL-TV the same week with Paulsen joking he has one day seniority. He joined March 31, ’77; Roberts, April 1, ’77.)

Roberts’ early start means that she’s busy prepping for the day: she turns on the rerun of the 10 p.m. news to see what she may have missed; then tunes into CBS News and national news.

Next, she goes over her notes for the day’s stories, with her a.m. home routine ending with makeup – “a lot of makeup!” she says. Roberts is in the studio around 4 to 4:30 a.m.

Roberts joined WWL-TV as a City Hall reporter, working her way to becoming the anchor for the “Early Edition” at 5 a.m.

She moved to Weekend Anchor for 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. newscasts, then landed where she is today with Paulsen, who has always been her co-anchor for the “Morning News.”

Her day doesn’t end when the show goes off at 9 a.m., however. Roberts stays at the station until 12:30 or so, working on future stories, as well as her “Quiet Hero” series.

Roberts is also the older sister to “Good Morning America” anchor Robin Roberts, who now has MDS (myelodysplastic syndrome), a rare form of bone marrow cancer, which she recently got after being treated for breast cancer five years earlier. Robin Roberts needs a bone marrow transplant, and it just so happens that Sally-Ann Roberts is a perfect match, which is rare, as most donors aren’t related. To bring awareness to the importance of bone marrow

At a Glance Profession: Co-anchor of WWL-TV/Channel 4 “Eyewitness Morning News” Age: 59 Resides: New Orleans East Family: Husband, Ron Nabonne (married in 2007); three children with her first husband, Willie Craft (of whom she was a widow): Judith, Kelly and Jeremiah. Born/raised: Born Chandler, Ariz., while father was stationed at Williams Air Force Base.

As he rose through the ranks of the Air Force, the family subsequently lived in Sioux City, Iowa; Tuskegee, Ala.; Akron, Ohio; McGuire Air Force 22

SEPTEMBER 2012

Base in New Jersey (Near Trenton); Izmir, Turkey; then as a junior in high school, they moved to Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi, Miss. Education: Bachelor of Arts in Spanish (“But don’t expect me to say anything more than olé,” says Roberts); Masters degree in Communications – both from University of Southern Mississippi.

Favorite book: The Bible, of course.

Devotionals, including: Streams in the Desert, by L.B. Cowman and God is Calling, edited by A.J. Russell. I like biographies, such as Steve Jobs

by Walter Isaacson, and

myneworleans.com

memoirs, Coming Back Stronger by Drew Brees with Chris Fabry. Favorite movie: It’s a Wonderful Life Favorite TV show: “Chopped” or anything food competition-related such as “Top Chef” and “MasterClass.” Favorite food: I eat salmon at least two times a week – I’m trying to eat healthier.

Favorite restaurants:

Dooky Chase and Irene’s Favorite music/musicians: Gospel music. For musicians, Yolanda Adams and Irma Thomas. hobby: Crossword puzzles and Scrabble Favorite vacation spot: Cozumel, Mexico – I like beaches.

transplants – and the need for people to get on the National Bone Marrow Donor Program (marrow.org) – Roberts and WWL-TV started Perfect Match (wwwltv.com), which helps explain bone marrow donation via Be the Match (BeTheMatch. com), as well as organ donation, Louisiana Organ Procurement Agency (lopa.org). The site also showcases stories about people who have had donated bone marrow and those who have benefited from the donation of marrow and organs.

It is hard – OK, let’s say impossible – to not be moved by Roberts’ passion about informing people about becoming a bone marrow donor and the lives it can save. As of press time, her sister’s bone marrow transplant will have taken place. Through the many media facets available today to spread the word – or the gospel, so to speak – Roberts is sure to affect many more lives. And, of course, greet us in the morning with Paulsen, to let us know how New Orleans is doing.

What challenges do traditional media, such as TV, face today with the rise of social media? The reality is

that we have to jump on board and keep up with the technology.

People are getting their news in a different way now, such as Twitter and Facebook. We are inviting people to be included; we want them to send in their photos, videos and stories. We are living in the 21st century and we need to embrace it or become obsolete.

What do you think makes reporting news in New Orleans different than anywhere else? There’s so

much news here – due to our geographical location and our rich culture. New Orleans is a small MARYLOU UTTERMOHLEN PHOTOGRAPH

town, but a big city at the same time. The friendliness, the outgoing people and the community.

But I don’t wear rose-colored glasses. I know the problems with violence. I have friends who have lost their children to violence. There is tremendous sadness juxtaposed with the joy of living here.

But, I believe better days are ahead. People are moving here, and it’s going to make New Orleans a boomtown – the city is ripe for growth.

What community groups are you involved in? I like to call

what I do M&M: Mentoring and Marrow. I’m a mentor at Success Preparatory Academy, and on the board for Each One Save One. And I’m working with Perfect Match.

What is the test for getting on the bone marrow transplant registry? Just a cheek swab.

How are bone marrow transplants done? There are two

ways to help; it depends on

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the disease.

For 70 percent of the cases, the process is much like kidney dialysis: a needle in each arm attached to circulation machines to get the stem cells.

You have to lay still for four hours, which can be uncomfortable, but not painful.

The second way – which has to be done 30 percent of the time – is that the bone marrow or stem cells have to be obtained via the hip by a needle while you’re under general anesthesia. There is some pain, but it depends on the person.

I’ve interviewed a person who didn’t feel anything after the process, while another said it felt like he had been kicked by a mule. But at no time did anyone say that the discomfort they experienced wasn’t worth it, as you’re giving someone a new lease on life.

brother 12 years ago – and she’s cancer-free. Before the transplant, she had breast cancer and three types of lymphoma and was in and out of hospitals.

Part of your awareness campaign is to get people – particularly minorities – to be tested for the national registry. Bone mar-

row for stem cells needs to be the same as that person’s genetic makeup for it to work. There are about 10 million donors on the national bone marrow registry, but only seven percent of them are African-American.

The registry also needs Asians and Native Americans.

Most people will not find a match with a family member – only 30 percent do, while 70 percent need to turn to the registry.

What does having a bone marrow transplant do for a person with cancer? I’ve spoken to a

What story have you worked on – other than Perfect Match and bone marrow registry awareness – that has been most important to you? It was a feature story from

woman who received a bone marrow transplant via her

20 years ago: A call came in on the radio about police activity,

and when we got there I saw a policeman fighting back tears.

There were children in the house that hadn’t been cared for, and the neighbors had been calling the police about the neglect. The children were wearing clothes that were dirty and didn’t fit; the house reeked of urine. And yet, the only time the children cried was when they were separated from their mother.

Out of that came the series “Who’s Watching the Children.” It also stirred in me a need to adopt, as I had wanted to adopt since I was younger. It was always in the back of my mind, so Willie and I adopted our son, who’s now studying Shakespeare – and his dad is cheering him on from above!

True confession: As much as I like watching shows like “Chopped” and I live in a city that is a top food destination, I cannot cook. Fortunately, I’m married to a man who can and does.

N EWSBEAT

St. Roch Market Makeover New small businesses, hip nightspots and a vibrant art gallery scene are all part of a grassroots revival along St. Claude Avenue, the historic but long-neglected commercial corridor running between St. Roch, Marigny and Bywater neighborhoods.

Now, after a long wait, work has begun to return an important piece of this downtown area’s past.

City officials recently marked the groundbreaking on a project to restore and reopen the St. Roch Market, a relative of the better-known French Market and a vestigial reminder of the neighborhood market system that once thrived across New Orleans.

“We’re reclaiming this neighborhood,” Mayor Mitch Landrieu said at an event announcing the project. “And this building is going to be a symbol of the rebirth of the city.”

The market itself dates to 1875, when it was originally built as an open-air structure for food vendors supplying neighborhood residents. It was later enclosed and saw extensive renovations during the 1930s through a Works Progress Administration relief project. In more recent times, the building operated as a seafood market and poor boy shop, though the facility was a 26

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shadow of its former self by the time Hurricane Katrina hit and flooding put an end to business here.

By 2007, the St. Roch Market was one of 17 special recovery zones named by the Nagin administration, but despite plans and studies of the building, no work was completed.

Now, the city has budgeted $3.7 million to redevelop the old market for a new generation of food suppliers and commerce under its roof.

Plans call for restoration of the interior and exterior of the 8,600-square-foot market, with new electrical, plumbing and mechanical systems and new stalls for businesses that want to lease space, explains Dustin Bass, vice president of project contractor The Lathan Co. The same Mobile, Ala.-based company has completed historic restoration work on prominent local properties including the Cabildo, the Presbytere and the Pontalba Apartments.

In addition to the market makeover, the city plans to finish some $370,000 in landscaping work on the broad neutral ground stretching behind the market, creating an “art walk” along St. Roch Avenue.

The overall project is expected to wrap up in early spring 2013.

– I an M c N u l ty

T HE BE A T

BIZ

Share the Wealth, Escape the Tax It’s a great year for giving, estate planners say.

B y K athy F inn

S

ay

you ’ ve

reached

your

“golden” years and have socked away enough bounty to eventually leave your heirs a nice financial cushion.

Maybe, in fact, your nest egg totals well into the millions of dollars. If so, now would be a great time for you to remember the adage: You can’t take it with you.

Most wealthy people have done a modicum of estate planning by the time they reach “seniorhood,” but to the surprise of financial advisers, a lot of sophisticated, high-net-worth individuals and couples have failed as yet to seize on the rare opportunity presented by current estate and gift tax laws.

Here is the news in a nutshell: The heirs of a person who dies during 2012 leaving an estate valued up to $5.1 million will receive those assets completely free of federal estate tax.

The better news is, you don’t have to die to take advantage of the benefit. Through the end of 2012, a living individual may give up to $5.1 million – or $10.2 million for a married couple – to a child or grandchild without incurring the ordinarily hefty gift tax.

This unusual opportunity arises from a series of tax law changes made in Washington, D.C. When President Obama extended the George Bush-era tax cuts in late 2010, he also signed into law a large two-year increase in estate and gift tax exemptions that previously were capped at $1 million. As a result: n For a taxpayer who dies before Dec. 31, 2012, leaving an estate with a net

value of $5.1 million or less, the estate can pass to beneficiaries tax-free. Portions of the estate above that benchmark will be subject to a tax rate of 35 percent. n During 2012, living taxpayers can reduce their estate by giving away up to $5.1 million (or $10.2

Nuts and Bolts

Here are the key provisions of current tax laws that affect estate planning. These laws are slated to expire at the end of 2012.

Estate tax. Federal estate tax exemption this year stands at an all-time high of $5,120,000 per taxpayer. (The amount represents an inflation adjustment from the $5 million applicable in 2011.) The exemption applies to the estate of a person who dies in 2012 and didn’t make previous substantial gifts from the estate.

Gift tax. The lifetime exemption applicable to the federal gift tax also is $5,120,000 ($10,240,000 for a married couple) through the end of 2012. This exemption is in addition to, and doesn’t include, 28

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smaller annual gifts of up to $13,000 that are excluded from the tax under a separate provision.

Generation-skipping tax. The lifetime exemption from the generation-skipping transfer tax allows gifts in the same amounts as above to grandchildren and great-grandchildren. This exemption applies to the total of all gifts, whether made directly to children or to more remote descendants.

Givers should be aware that tax laws are always subject to a “clawback” – a future tax law change that could take back some of the benefits of current laws. An advisor can help assess the benefits and potential downsides of making gifts.

million for a married couple) without having to pay gift tax. Gift values above those caps will be taxed at 35 percent. n As an alternative, an individual or couple can give up to $5 million or $10 million to grandchildren or great-grandchildren without incurring gift tax, because the new exemptions also apply to the federal generation-skipping transfer tax.

Unless Congress and the president act to extend these laws – a possibility no one should count on – the above benefits will expire at year’s end. With estate, gift and generation-skipping tax exemptions slated to drop to $1 million on Jan. 1, 2013, and the related tax rates set to rise to 55 percent, both giving and dying will become more expensive next year.

“The pressure is on to make substantial gifts before the end of the year because nobody knows what will happen after the November election,” says Kenneth Weiss, a tax lawyer who heads the estate planning practice in the McGlinchey Stafford law firm in New Orleans.

Weiss says he’s been working with a number of clients to plan how they’ll use the gift provisions to pare down their estates before 2012 ends. The easiest method is simply to write checks to the lucky recipients. “Cash is always in good taste,” Weiss quips. But he adds that individuals’ wealth often lies not in their bank accounts but in closely held businesses, which makes giftgiving trickier.

In order to give away a portion of a business, the owner must obtain a valid assessment of the company’s value, and that figure must satisfy the Internal Revenue Service. “It takes some time to get a good and proper valuation of a business, so you don’t want to wait too long to start,” Weiss says.

Whatever the form of the gift – cash, stock, a business, real estate or collectibles – the donor also will have to make deci-

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sions about how the transfer will occur. Often, assets move from an owner into a trust for the future benefit of the recipient. If the beneficiary is a minor, there may be restrictions on when and how he or she receives the assets.

One of the most important benefits of making gifts under current law is the opportunity to move assets tax-free into other hands where they can grow larger through investment or appreciation.

By using the generation-skipping tax provision, for instance, parents could put up to $10 million into a trust for grandchildren and even future great-grandchildren in such a way that no tax will be due on the gift until the death of the great-grandchildren.

Meanwhile, the gift could greatly increase through investment, and the beneficiaries could use the income, possibly for a long time, without touching the principal.

Weiss points to another key feature of the federal gift tax law: It applies whether or not the gift is made to a relative.

“It’s particularly important to plan for nontraditional family units, like gay and lesbian, or heterosexual couples who don’t choose to get married,” he says. “A lot of New Orleans clients are in nontraditional family units, and the $5 million exemption is an important tool for them.”

Advisors are urging clients to examine their estate needs now in order to avoid facing difficult decisions at the end of the year.

Determining who should get what can be a thorny and emotionally challenging process. “There are issues of control and family that can lead to discord,” Weiss says.

But the benefits of plunging ahead may outweigh the consequences of a delay. “Next year the tax exemptions drop to $1 million and the tax rate for gifts above that amount goes to 55 percent,” Weiss notes. “So if you’re in a position to make a substantial gift to children or others, this is the year the year to do it.”

N EWSBEAT

New Orleans Lands Landing Craft Project New Orleans is the home of the Higgins Boat, an innovative amphibious landing craft that carried Allied troops to battle across the globe during World War II. Today, the New Orleans area is again producing an innovative, next-generation landing craft, one intended to serve many different missions for America’s modern military. It is also a project that means jobs for a local industry in flux these days.

The vehicle, called the “Ship-to-Shore Connector,” is an air-cushion-type hovercraft and the Navy recently awarded a $212 million contract to Textron Inc. to design and build it at the company’s Slidell facility.

“This is great news for Orleans, St. Tammany and the workers along the Interstate 10 corridor,” Sen. Mary Landrieu said in a statement.

It certainly comes at a critical time for the shipbuilding and defense industries in the region. Huntington Ingalls Shipyards earlier announced its plans to close its Avondale facilities, which build warships and support vessels for the Navy. And as recently as February, Textron 32

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Marine & Land Systems laid off about eight percent of its Louisiana workforce as part of company-wide personnel cuts.

The “Ship-to-Shore Connector” project calls for Textron to build an amphibious landing craft capable of carrying a 74-ton payload of tanks, other vehicles, supplies or troops and move at speeds of more than 35 knots. Hovercrafts such as this can deploy their cargo straight onto the beach without regard for shallow water, rocks or the condition of port facilities, and the Navy envisions using the vessel for missions ranging from amphibious assault to humanitarian assistance and disaster response.

The project is intended to replace the Navy’s current air-cushion landing craft, which has been around for about 20 years.

If the Textron prototype proves successful, the Navy has the option to order eight operational vehicles, valued at about $44 million each, which would push the total contract value to some $570 million. More work could be on the way if the Navy decides to replace its current fleet of 72 hovercraft with Textron’s next-generation vehicle.

The contract was highly competitive, and Textron beat teams that included Lockheed Martin to bring the work to Slidell.

Textron has local facilities in New Orleans proper and Slidell, where it also builds heavily armored ground vehicles for the military.

– I an M c N u l ty

T HE BE A T

EDUCATION

A Case of Voucher Waste

One newspaper’s revelation

By DAWN RUTH

I

n

its

current

condition ,

the

state’s voucher program could turn out to be the biggest waste of taxpayer money since the building of the Sunshine Bridge, Gov. Jimmie Davis’ boondoggle “bridge to nowhere.”

State education officials had the opportunity to ensure that the program would actually achieve academic benefits for students trapped in failing public schools, but they punted instead. The accountability measures proposed by Superintendant John White and adopted by the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education in July are more smokescreen than consequences for poor performance.

The measures allow the distinct possibility that some students could leave an average “C”-rated public school and spend their entire kindergarten through 12th grade years in a failing non-public one, if a parent so chooses. If there’s any logic to this scenario, it’s hidden in the muddy narrative that the department of education released to the public.

Calling the department’s public announcement a “muddy narrative,” of course, is a reference to White’s e-mail to the governor’s office about “muddying up the narrative” about the New Living Word School in Ruston. The New Living Word School is a religious school that the department originally approved to receive 300 voucher students, even though its principal admitted to a Monroe newspaper that the school didn’t have the room or the staff to teach them. The NewsStar reported that the school relied on DVDs to instruct a student body of about 120. Later, the newspaper obtained e-mails sent

by White outlining a strategy to shield legislative supporters from the negative news reports.

After the story broke, the department cut the number of the New Living Word School’s approved voucher students to 165, but according to The NewsStar, the

tuition increased from $1,800 to $6,300, an increase of $4,500 per pupil since May. Taxpayers will now pay $1.4 million for DVD instruction.

Wasted money isn’t the worst possibility. Lack of strong oversight means that children could spend important formative years in schools that aren’t better than the ones they left and possibly worse.

“More broadly, the proposed system calls on BESE to conduct The legislation setting up periodic reviews of participating private schools. It allows BESE to the voucher program allows penalize a school, but only after it’s found to have ‘demonstrated students from low- to modergross or persistent lack of basic academic competence.’ ate-income families to attend Short of no accountability standards at all, it is difficult to imagine non-public schools at taxpaya lower standard of performance than what the proposed system er expense if they attend “C,” “D” or “F”-rated schools, letter offers. Yet the proposal also allows waivers in some circumstances.” grades that the state attaches Bureau of Governmental Research report, July 24, 2012

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CHERYL GERBER PHOTOGRAPH

to public schools as part of stringent accountability measures.

Of the 956 “C,” “D” and “F”-rated public schools reported by the department of education’s website, nearly 40 percent are “C”-rated schools – not a sterling recommendation, but a giant leap above failing. As of the department’s July 23 report, 16 percent of students offered vouchers attended “C” schools, which means hundreds are moving from acceptable schools to schools that haven’t been rated and never will be.

In lackluster public schools, at least, teachers and principals are beginning to be held accountable for poor results – some critics say in draconian ways that any compassionate person would cringe to witness. Under new rules, teachers who receive three ineffective evaluations, which are linked to test scores, can be fired. Principals are replaced after three years of no growth in their school’s test scores.

Non-public schoolteachers and principals aren’t subjected to such pressure. Under measures adopted by BESE, voucher students must take the same standardized tests that public school students take, but only schools with more than 40 test-taking students will get rebuked for failing scores. After four years of receiving less than 50 out of 150 on a scoring measurement designed by education officials, the school could lose illegibility to acquire new voucher students. If there’s such a thing as less than an “F,” that measurement is it.

Such abysmal performance by a public school would lead to a state takeover.

The department’s public releases place much emphasis on attempts to create accountability measures on voucher schools that equal those applied to traditional and charter schools. They aren’t even close to equal, and there is no way to achieve it. The state can’t fire non-public schoolteachers or their DVDs.

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If anything, non-public schools should be held to higher standards to match the unstated assumption that they perform better than public schools regardless of the fact that there’s no evidence that they do.

Congress is still haggling over the Opportunity Scholarship Program, a voucher program operating in the District of Columbia, even though it isn’t achieving much. A study conducted by the National Center for Education Evaluation and Regional Assistance showed “no conclusive evidence that the OSP affected student achievement overall, or for the high priority group of students who applied from ‘schools in need of improvement.’”

Parents who received vouchers felt their children were in a better environment and more likely to graduate, the study indicated, but student surveys showed no difference in their children’s level of satisfaction.

Gov. Jindal’s often-stated claim that parents are the best judges of the correct schools for their children is a red herring. Taxpayers – even the childless ones – support public education because a healthy economy and civilized culture require educated citizens.

They offer a free education for the good of society, not for the good of individuals or to boost the declining enrollments of parochial and private schools.

Many groups and influential people pressed White for accountability standards and some of them accepted the outcome as better than nothing. The Bureau of Governmental Research, however, criticized White’s proposal before it became official and urged BESE to amend it in a way that would hold non-public schools “to a higher standard.”

“Otherwise,” the BGR’s report says, “The state will run a very real risk of throwing taxpayer money away and wasting precious years of children’s education.”

HEALTHBEAT On Sept. 13, East Jefferson General Hospital will host “Girls Night Out: Racing to a Better Metabolism.” Dr. Elise

Nicaud, along with other medical experts will spend an evening devoted to helping women safely boost metabolic rates to maximize health, fitness and energy levels. The seminar will take place in the facility’s Esplanade Rooms, and the $10-cover fee will benefit the March of Dimes organization. To register, call 456-5000.

Rebekah E. Gee, MD, MPH, FACOG, Assistant Professor of LSUHSC’s School of Public Health and Medicine was invited by the editors of Obstetrics and Gynecology, the official publication of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, to be the lead expert on health policy for a year’s worth of columns.

Gee’s “Health Policy in Practice” series, which debuted in July, helps doctors

understand and anticipate changes to the practice of medicine through health care reform proposals.

Gee was selected for her experience in the field of medicine; she served as the medical director for the maternity program of Title V, the state’s maternal health federal block grant program. She also was director of the Birth Outcomes Initiative and served as assistant secretary level position in Louisiana’s Department of Health and Hospitals, which is aimed at improving the health of women and children.

Dr. Aaron Karlin, Section Head of Pediatric Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation and Director of Ochsner’s Concussion Management Program warns studentathletes of the dangers of concussions, which take weeks to recover from, he says. A concussion is a brain injury that occurs when the brain bumps against the skull, which

can cause tearing or twisting of neuronal structures in the brain, which then causes a breakdown in the normal message flow within the brain. The Centers for Disease Control estimate that as many as 20 percent of all athletes in contact sports experience a concussion. Symptoms include headaches, fatigue, sleep disruption, sensitivity to light and noise, memory disruption, among others.

He recommends that any athlete with a concussion be monitored by a medical provider.

– S arah R a v its

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N EWSBEAT

From Lots to Crops Flooding following Hurricane Katrina and long-term blight have left New Orleans with a bumper crop of vacant lots; accompanying this bounty is an increase in concern over how the city can address it. Recently, however, a local nonprofit advocate for urban farming has begun an initiative aimed at turning more of those lots into resources to help produce fresh, healthy food while spurring some economic development, too.

This summer, the New Orleans Food and Farm Network launched Farm This Now!, a program designed to connect New Orleans residents who want to grow food on land in the city where they can garden or farm.

“People are coming to us constantly asking us about how they can do something like this and we thought we have to connect the access points and help make this easier,” says Sanjay Kharod, executive director of the New Orleans Food and Farm Network.

He says Farm This Now! grew out of residents’ frustration in trying to propose projects on vacant property they would see every day in their neighborhoods. One of the toughest obstacles to get40

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ting that done, he says, has been simply finding out who owns the lot and then navigating the process to get access to it and ensuring it can be farmed legally and sustainably.

The initiative includes an online map that pulls together public data on vacant lots around the city and a handbook explaining the different options available to purchase or lease the land.

“If you want to do this, we need to be able to say, ‘here are the tools and the pathways there for you so you don’t have to guess,’” says Kharod.

Kharod estimates that turning a standard 3,000-sqaure-foot New Orleans residential lot into a viable farm costs about $10,000, including raised beds, irrigation, fencing and permits. Once plugged in to the Food and Farm Network, aspiring farmers can get further development help. For instance, the group is starting an urban farming training program to teach would-be farmers about marketing and running a viable business so that they can keep their reclaimed plots thriving.

Find online resources for Farm This Now! And other Farm and Food Network projects at noffn.org.

– I an M c N u l ty

LOCALCOLOR THE SCOOP

MUSIC

READ+SPIN

CHARACTERS

JOIE D’EVE

MODINE GUNCH

CHRONICLES

HOME

MUSIC:

Uncle Lionel Batiste In Time PAGE 48 GREG MILES PHOTOGRAPH

myneworleans.com

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L OCAL C O L O R

T H E S C O O P

Maple Street Patisserie

Babylon Café

Right in Your Backyard Upscale and upstarts on Maple Street

By ALEX GECAN

L

mo n th w e c o n si d ere d O a k S tree t , the (closed Mondays), Cichowski’s breads and sweets one-time western main street of the Town of Carrollton, so this are available all around the city; the patisserie month we turned our attention to Maple Street, its eastern counprovides bread or buns for the College Inn, Lilette, terpart. Absent the taller buildings, reconditioned sidewalks and Café Degas and more, and its pastries are popping benches of the recently refurbished Oak Street, Maple Street, by contrast, has up in a dozen or so coffee shops unable to do their a much less polished aesthetic, overgrown with palms and street trees and own baking. checkered with more family homes – and student apartments for kids enrolled When they were scouting locations, “We walked in nearby Tulane and Loyola universities. up and down Maple Street and said, ‘This is it,’” says Despite healthy commerce, the Maple Street neighborhood generally tends Donohue. “Maple Street has a quiet, dignified to buck further development along the one-lane, one-way boulevard between Broadway and South Carrollton Avenue – but there are still plenty of familiar faces, and a couple of new ones, Ciro’s Côté Sud along the boulevard.

As of this writing, Kakkoii Japanese Bistreaux (7537 Maple St.) is awaiting its liquor license; meanwhile, New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees has secured permission from the city to open a Jimmy John’s Gourmet Sandwiches franchise (7621 Maple St.).

In terms of sit-down, full-service cuisine – and specialty fare – small dining rooms and rustic elegance are the rule on Maple Street.

In 2010, partners Ziggy Cichowski, a master baker originally from Poland, and Patricia Ann Donohue, an executive chef who cut her teeth in the Northeast before signing on with SoDexHo at Louisiana State University, teamed up to open one of those dining rooms at the Maple Street Patisserie (7638 Maple St., 403-1526).

Although the shop itself is only open for breakfast and lunch

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feeling to it. It’s the epitome of Uptown.”

Cichowski has brought decades of training – schooling, apprenticeships and professional gigs – to bear on Maple Street.

Whereas most Old World shops cleave either to bread baking or pastries, the moustached Pole – who’s also a former boxer and special forces soldier – is both a Master Baker and pastry chef, a rare combination. “Everybody wants to be a pastry chef, but nobody wants to bake,” asserts Donohue. “There are too many lazy people,” agrees Cichowski. “Nobody wants to get up at 2 in the morning.” He says he hasn’t taken a day off in years.

The bake shop’s décor is Spartan but comfortable; rich, dark wood soaks up light from tall French windows, offset by aromas of flour, fruit and coffee. There is a small sandwich menu for lunch, but the real feast – for all of the senses – is the case crammed with Technicolor pastries. Donohue gushes about the almond croissants, but Cichowski is perhaps best known for his stollen, a German fruit bread.

Maple Street’s old-world-Europe charm is equally evident at Ciro’s Côté Sud (7918 Maple St., 866-9551). Chef Olivier Guiot, a native of Toulon, France, grew up in the New Orleans restaurant culture, working at Ciro’s Pizza & Spaghetti House as a student.

When the owner retired, he bought the restaurant, and reopened it as Ciro’s Côté Sud, named for the Provençal coast on which he was born.

“At the time, Maple Street was a thriving business corridor,” says Guiot, acknowledging that there’s much greater competition now from the growing Oak Street and Freret Street shopping districts, as well as the ever-present Magazine Street powerhouse.

But the marriage of Italian fare and Provençal classics – “we’re pretty well known for our steamed (Prince Edward Island) mussels,” says Guiot – helps retain some local following.

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Ciro’s Côté Sud’s wine list is muscular, heavily featuring French white and reds with classic cocktails on the side, as well as a strong showing from West Coast labels; even better, almost all of their wines are available by the glass in stark contrast to the pareddown single-serving offerings common to most restaurants.

While Guiot cranks out New York-style pizza alongside French fare, on the same block, Figaro’s (7900 Maple St., 866-0100) bakes Neapolitan pies alongside Italian fare.

Figaro’s doesn’t feature as extensive a beverage program as its neighbor, but it has the advantage of more seating space and the ability to take credit cards (Ciro’s Côté Sud only takes cash and checks).

Breaking away from pizza and baked goods, Maple Street is also anchored by two Mediterranean restaurants, Jamila’s Café (7808 Maple St., 866-4366) and Babylon Café (7724 Maple St., 314-0010).

Husband-and-wife team Moncef and Jamila Sbaa run Jamila’s, which draws on traditional Tunisian recipes while taking advantage of Louisiana produce. Warm spices and classic herbs worked into lamb and couscous are de rigueur for the dining room menu, but at Jamila’s, the Sbaas don’t restrict the menu to Maple Street diners; they also schlep their crawfish bisque and merguez sausage out to Jazz Fest year after year.

Babylon Café hews more towards familiar Mediterranean favorites. Beans, lentils and chickpeas feature prominently; falafel and hummus are delicious and a large part of the menu is vegetarianfriendly, but not in a way that carnivores will mind (or even notice). Babylon is also slightly better suited to the lunch and take-out crowds, with earlier hours and simpler (but equally tasty) preparations, including a several of the usual suspects (gyro, kabob, shawarma) and a couple of oddballs.

Fresco Café & Pizzeria (7625 Maple St., 862-6363), a student

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Gae-Tana’s

SWAP

favorite, offers a mélange of Mediterranean-inspired pizza, hummus and signature sandwiches, as well as salads and cold Abita Amber.

The other ethnic cuisine in heavy representation on Maple Street is Thai. Sing Ha Song (7708 Maple St., 866-4411) and Chill Out Café (729 Burdette St., 872-9628) slit the lunch crowd, with breakfasters going to Chill Out and dinnertime diners going to Sing Ha Song. Chill Out Café offers dinner service, too, but their wheelhouse is breakfast, which they offer all day.

Shopping. Maple Street is also home to a string of small- and mid-sized boutique clothing stores.

Carolyn Billet’s Gae-Tana’s (7732 Maple St., 865-9625) sells clothing, shoes and accessories from well-known and not-so-wellknown designers, with an impressive selection of sunglasses, bags and heels. As of this writing, they were buying up items for their autumn offerings. “For September, we’re going to have colored jeans, printed jeans, jewel tones,” says Jennifer Casey, who buys

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styles for the shop. “A lot of jewel tones. Purple and green.”

She says that there will also be coated jeans – denim layered to look like leather, or to glow in metallic hues – as well as plenty of animal prints and bright colors, matched to new lines of accessories and tops.

At SWAP (7716 Maple St., 3046025), customers can hedge bets on when consignment items will go on sale. Items go on sale at increments of 20, 40 and 60 percent off, depending on how long they’ve been on the rack, so it’s up to the customer to decide how much they’re willing to pay – and how strongly they believe they can outsmart the competition.

The Encore Shop (7814 Maple St., 861-9028) is owned and operated by Symphony Volunteers; proceeds from the shop go to the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra. Encore operates on a consignment basis as well, but also accepts donations; the shop has been selling ladies’ fashion for almost four decades.

Odds and Ends. If you’re in the market for a jolt of caffeine, there’s a PJ’s (7624 Maple St., 861-5335) and, if you’re in the mood for mermaid-y consistency, a Starbucks (7700 Maple St., 864-0411).

An under-the-radar oddity on Maple Street is Hour Blast (7611 Maple St., Ste. 103; 301-1967). The boutique workout zone provides coached, hour-long training sessions incorporating treadmills, weights, floor exercises and loud music.

There are also a few bars and taverns along Maple Street – but we’ll leave that issue to our beverage experts.

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MUSIC

Uncle Lionel Batiste In Time Up from Treme

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n a to w n d efi n e d as mu c h by e x travaga n t c hara c ters

as congenital corruption or perilous geography, Uncle Lionel Batiste was rare. The old man who wore sunglasses all his waking hours anchored Treme Brass Band as bass drummer. When he died July 8, at 80 (or is it 81? There is confusion about the year of his birth), I was in Santa Fe 48

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on vacation, suffused with regret that I couldn’t make his sendoff.

He was a jaunty fellow with his rings and gold watch, lionized on Frenchmen Street and his prances through the French Quarter. He had the grin of a perpetual winner.

Several years ago he told me about his boyhood in Tremé, long before the city razed 14 blocks in an urban renewal disaster that ended up being a park, belatedly named for Louis Armstrong.

Presumably born on Feb. 2, 1931, he spent his early years at 1024 N. Robertson St. “In winter I used to work on the wood wagons,” he recalled, “and a vegetablepeddling wagon in summer.

On a slow day I’d pick up rags.” He sang for the fruits they sold, an illustration moved from his easy tenor baritone into a lilting falsetto reach.

“I got watermelons red to the rind I got some for a nickel, some for a dime.

So would you pay, Cause here come a watermelon man.”

“My daddy played music,” he continued, “but he didn’t play for no nightclubs. He played to entertain family and friends. A lot of my daddy’s friends were raised up in this neighborhood including Benny Jones’ daddy.” Jones, leader of the Treme Brass Band, was a decade younger than Batiste, a son of drummer Chester Jones, a veteran of the Eureka, Onward and Tuxedo brass bands. Chester gave Batiste his first gig.

“It was a nightclub across the river named Pepper Pot,” he explained. “I must have been about 12, 13 years old; but I had to stop. My mom didn’t like me coming in late.” He went to Joseph Craig middle school, “and a few weeks at Booker Washington” high school, before he quit, as did many black youths of his generation, to help support a family with 11 siblings. Jones comes from a family of seven boys and six girls.

He first marched in a parade with the Square G R E G M I L E S P hotograph

CD Matt Lemmler’s New Orleans Jazz Revival Band has just released Ubuntu, the latest effort from the innovative pianist and a couple dozen of his best friends.

Lemmler’s supergroup borrows talent from Shane Theriot, Brian Blade, Jason Marsalis, Mark Mullins, Kim Prevost, George Porter Jr. and many more. The tracks break from traditional New Orleans jazz, employing mandolins, balalaikas, flugelhorns and ocarinas.

PHOTOGRAPHY Photographer Richard Sexton has collaborated with the writing team of Randy Harelson and Brian Costello to compile New Roads and Old Rivers: Louisiana’s Historic Pointe Coupée Parish.

Assembled with the cooperation of the Pointe Coupée Historical Society, the book traces the nearly 300-year history of the parish, illuminated by hundreds of photos of its oxbow lakes, bayous, riverbanks, plantations, mounds and more.

HISTORY Civil War Historian Larry J. Daniel sheds new light on one of the war’s pivotal battles in Battle of Stones River: The Forgotten Conflict Between the Confederate Army of Tennessee and the Union Army of the Cumberland. In the chronological middle of the war, Union Gen. William S. Rosencrans faced off against Confederate Gen. Braxton Bragg (who was married to a Thibodaux girl and would go on to grow sugarcane in Louisiana after the war). Although the battle ended in a strategic draw, it confounded Confederate efforts to move into Middle Tennessee and reinvigorated demoralized Union forces. Daniel tells the story of the battle through the context of the two sides’ distinctive commanders.

FICTION New Orleans author Geoff Wyss’ recent compilation of short stories, How, earned the Ohio State University Prize in Short Fiction. The narrators and protagonists of his stories flee their circumstances, delude themselves, rationalize decisions and berate their contemporaries, all in search of the answer to the question: “How did it come to this?”

– A lex G ecan

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

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Deal Social Aid and Pleasure Club. “We started at Gravier, across Tulane Avenue, come straight down Rampart Street, pass through the 6th Ward, the 7th Ward, come back to the 6th Ward to Square Deal club.” The site was between Roman and Prieur streets, an area later demolished to make room for University Hospital.

“We wore shirts and pants, and ties; some wore suspenders, some wore belts. Of course we had the fans, umbrellas, baskets; they would decorate the baskets, umbrellas and streamers. The first year I paraded I was in green and white, and I had a decorated umbrella.”

As he became a bass drummer, marching for second line and funeral parades, Uncle Lionel developed a gritty take on death.

“I had a nephew got kilt. Back then they’d lay you out in the house with one or two bedrooms. They’d take the mattress, string it against the wall, put the remains in the front room. They’d serve coffees, crackers, little wine. It would last two days. Now my nephew, man’s name was Tank, he was the first to have his body rolled from the house to the church to the streets. From 1300 St. Philip St. to 1200 block of St. Philip Street, which was the Calvary Spiritual Church.”

To trumpeter James Andrews, who played as a youth in the Treme Brass Band, ”Uncle was all about show business – how to dress, how to bring the melody, [how to] keep the song. With a fine touch to the bass drum, he was always on top with the beat he had. And it was funky.”

The family plunged into elaborate planning for Batiste’s funeral. At the wake, the old man was literally standing up, a feat of embalming for which the mortician Louis Charbonnet drolly told The Times-Picayune’s Keith Spera, “You have to think outside the box.”

Such events in this town have that kind of tendency. When Lady Linda the gospel singer died, her grieving husband, Anthony “Tuba Fats” Lacen, said, “The wake is now open. Y’all can sing and enjoy yourselves. That’s the kind of person she was.” A saxophonist stood honking and rocking his horn in front of her open casket. A guy in a plush burgundy suit danced the alligator on the floor. A lady called Miss Lollipop, holding a clarinet, swirled a handkerchief as pranced in front of the coffin. On watching a video of this, the venerable University of New Orleans historian Jerah Johnson remarked, ”What will they think in Peoria?”

When James Andrews entered the Charbonnet-Labat “The biggest funeral I ever played was for Funeral Home to see Uncle Lionel propped upright a boy named Kirk. He was the hottest pimp against a pole, hands clasped with rings on his fingers, in Storyville. Diamonds in his garters and all leaning on his cane, he assumed it was a statue. “I went over his mouth. So many people came out, to the casket and thought, ‘Oh, no, they stole Uncle you woulda thought it was the president of before the funeral.’ It was different, and kinda awkthe United States that was dead. We had ward. But I would say this. For Uncle we did two weeks straight second-lines in tribute. I’m sure that’s the first three bands that day.” time that happened.”

– Kid Ory, as quoted in New Orleans That is right. Uncle Lionel Batiste was a standup guy.

Style by Bill Russell [Jazzology Press]

‘‘

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C A S T O F CH ARAC TERS

Shrine of the times Sister Carla Dolce and the battle for hope B Y G E O R G E G U R T N E R

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t 5 years ol d , Carla Dol c e w as barely

tall enough to see inside the coffin that held the body of her 15-year-old cousin. As the tiny girl stood on her toes trying to peer inside, a man walked up to the front of the parlor of the Lamana-Panno-Fallo Funeral home where the coffin sat on a bier for viewing. That man stood beside little Carla and lifted her up for a brief second, but it was time enough to leave a life-long impression on young Miss Dolce’s mind.

“I looked down and even at my young age, from that vision, from what I saw in that coffin, I realized that I, too, was going to die one day,” Sister Carla Dolce O.S.U., says three-quarters of a century later. “It was a traumatic experience, one that I thought about many times and wrestled with … but one which eventually led me to an inevitable conclusion: When I do die, when I join my cousin and other relatives and friends at the end of my life, I want that life to have been meaningful, to have meant something!”

Like her older brother, Carl, the one-time Superintendent of the Orleans Parish School Board, Carla chose a life of teaching and leading others through education.

The path chosen by Carla Dolce was as an Ursuline nun, the oldest serving religious order in New Orleans – although many Jesuits would disagree with that.

“It’s up for grabs,” Sister Carla says with her trademark smile. “Both the Ursulines and the Jesuits have served the people of New Orleans with great distinction over the past few centuries. Both orders are as much a part of New Orleans history as the Battle of New Orleans.” (More on that in a minute.)

During Sister Carla’s 56-year career as an Ursuline nun, she’s worked with ecumenical groups in the Parkchester neighborhood and as a classroom teacher, principal and president of Ursuline schools in St. Louis, Dallas, Houston, Springfield and Alton, Ill. She has worked on mission teams with Jesuits and Dominicans. “… And I’ve loved every second of it,” she says. And if there’s anything she loves more, it’s “… being back in my native New Orleans. God, how I love this city! You know I’ve thought about death and how I want to be laid out.

At first, I wanted to be cremated, but then I thought, ‘Hey, I never let anybody make an ash of me when I was alive, why would I want them to make an ash of me when I died?’ But what the heck! Being an Italian from New Orleans, I figured it all out: Right before I die, I’m going to eat three jars of artichoke hearts, die and be cremated. They’ll put my ashes into the empty artichoke jars and spread them at pre-selected spots I’ve served around the country … One of them, of course, will be spread over my native New Orleans!”

There is laughter all around at the typical wisecrack from Sister Carla. Then again, nobody is really sure whether she’s joking or not.

But the subject of New Orleans is broached. And when that happens, it’s hard to talk to Sister Carla Dolce about anything else.

In her current job as prioress of the New Orleans Ursuline nuns, Sister Carla has taken on the task to make ready the National Votive Shrine of Our Lady of Prompt Succor, next door to the convent on State Street, for the 2015 bicentennial celebration of the Battle of New Orleans. Back in 1815, Gen. Andrew Jackson led a thrown-together army of perhaps 6,000 of his troops, a motley

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band of farmers and shopkeepers from around New Orleans – joined by a cadre of pirates under the notorious Jean Lafitte – against British Gen. Edward Packenham’s 15,000 crack British troops on the swampy land of Chalmette.

“It was a miracle, that’s all it could have been,” Sister Carla says of General Jackson’s routing of the British. “Ursuline sisters and lay people from throughout the French Quarter prayed all the night before the battle. The next morning Mass was celebrated. The prioress at the time promised Our Lady that if Gen. Jackson was victorious, a Mass of Thanksgiving would be celebrated each year.”

That vow has been kept. A Mass has been celebrated at the shrine, first in the French Quarter then at its present State Street address, by the archbishop of New Orleans each of the past 197 years since the battle.

Although the story is part of the lore of the Ursuline Sisters, and Sister Carla herself has recounted it countless times to those not familiar with it, her eyes light up each time she tells it.

“It’s going to be quite a celebration … as it should be,” Sister Carla says. “The Treaty of Ghent ending the War of 1812 was signed two weeks earlier, but it had not yet been ratified by Congress, nor had word arrived at Gen. Jackson’s camp in time to prevent the battle. Fighting a battle after a war had ended. Only in New Orleans could someF R A NK M E T H E P H O T O G R A P H

thing like that happen. How fitting. But, in truth, that battle had enormous repercussions even though the war itself was officially over. That battle down in the swamps and woods around what’s now Chalmette was an exclamation point on America. Up to that battle, America had been looked on as a loose configuration of states. But his event, this Battle of New Orleans, let the world know that America was here to stay!”

Sister Carla’s job now may seem as tough as the one faced by Andrew Jackson nearly two centuries ago. She must raise $2 million to place a new roof on the shrine and to remediate the mold and mildew that has formed on some of the walls and finally to waterproof the entire building.

“This building itself really means nothing,” Sister Carla says.

“It’s just a pile of bricks and wood. It’s what it represents to the people who come here.” She walks down a darkened aisle and a tiny octogenarian woman looks up from her rosary beads, smiles and nods to the nun. Sister Carla returns the smile and pats her on the hand. Neither of the women speaks for fear of breaking the meditative aura that permeates the church/shrine.

Moments later in the sacristy that’s redolent with the aroma of old wood and stored books and candle wax, Sister Carla looks out at the sprinkling of men, women and students from Ursuline Academy next door, who are deep in prayer. She points up to the iconic statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary holding the child Jesus, both of whom are wearing crowns. “That represents hope,” she says. “That’s what this is all about. Gen. Jackson knew that. That’s why he came to the shrine on Chartres (Street) right after his victory. He came to thank everybody who had prayed. He came to express his hope for the future of our new nation. It’s the same here today: battles being fought in homes, in people’s hearts … children on drugs, a mother who says her daughter hasn’t talked to her in years. I cry when I read some of these notes and letters.

We get petitions like this every day from all over New Orleans … from all over the nation. Hundreds and hundreds. Back in March, one of our (Ursuline) students was praying and during her prayers, she asked God for a sign. Then it appeared … the face of Jesus. Right there on that column. This church has been here for a long, long time and it had never appeared before. Word spread and people came … and still more. They saw and they believed.

It’s still there, every day. The face of Jesus. This shrine is where people come to find that hope they must have … that they must believe in.”

Both the elementary school and academy sessions are just beginning and there’s a smattering of noise here and there: painters painting, janitors polishing floors, administrative personnel readying files in this office or that cubbyhole. And through it all, Sister Carla Dolce moves effortlessly around the endless halls of the massive three-story cyclone-like building Uptown off South Claiborne Avenue. She is easily recognizable by her trademark brightly checkered blouse and her occasional joke (Telephone rings: “Hello, of course this is Carla Dolce … who’d ya think it was, Sophia Loren?”) and her ever-present smile. Truth is, the 79-yearold may have many things on her overflowing plate as usual, but one now is taking up a great deal of her time: Repairing the National Shrine of Our Lady of Prompt Succor for the bicentennial celebration of the Battle of New Orleans.

But whatever you do, don’t even hint that this will be the crowning achievement of the career of Sister Carla Dolce O.S.U., that after the celebration she’ll just ride off into the sunset.

“Hey,” she’ll be quick to point out. “I’m not ready for those artichoke jars just yet!”

For more information about the Ursuline Sisters and/ or the National Shrine of Our Lady of Prompt Succor, visit ShrineOfOurLadyOfPromptSuccor.com. myneworleans.com

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Catching Up With Tomatoes B Y M O D I N E G U N C H

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am c omi n g out of the post offi c e , mi n d i n g my o w n

business, and a lady slaps a bag of tomatoes in my hands, jumps in her car and drives away. I ain’t surprised.

I am in Folsom where my daughter Gumdrop lives. In Folsom, everybody grows vegetables right out of the ground. (I grew up to believe vegetables came from Schwegmann’s. Live and learn.) Problem is, this year everybody in Folsom is overrun with tomatoes.

Now, these are real good-tasting tomatoes – better than anything you buy in a store. So nobody wants to throw them away. They share them. They share them with a vengeance. You would think they’re process servers.

If you leave your car unlocked, they’ll leave a sack of tomatoes in the passenger seat. Dash out to the store and they’ll stick a box of tomatoes on your porch.

If you got a picket fence like Gumdrop, they’ll hang plastic bags of tomatoes on it and run away. Gumdrop harvests her fence twice a day.

She has dried tomatoes, puréed tomatoes, roasted tomatoes and barbecued tomatoes; she’s made tomato soup, tomato sauce, tomato aspic and tomato pie. I even caught her Googling a recipe for tomato ice cream. She finally put up a sign on the fence, “No tomatoes, thanks.”

It don’t help. Too polite. She should’ve used threats.

It ain’t like that in New Orleans. Not yet.

But things are changing. Now they got what they call urban gardening.

They also got urban beekeeping and urban chicken raising. Before long, there’ll be urban pig slopping. Maybe there already is; that might explain some of the sights I see in the French Quarter.

I know all about these developments from my sister-in-law, Gloriosa, who’s always cutting the edge of whatever’s in style.

Gloriosa is growing tomatoes in her backyard Uptown, next to her endless lap pool. (The pool is endless, not her lap.) She is also getting ready to throw a Fall Harvest party and she needs me to help out, like usual. There will be a couple of college presidents, a plastic surgeon, assorted rich people and even some neighbor who was once Rex, King of Carnival.

I bring along my gentleman friend, Lust, and since he owns The Sloth Lounge, she puts us in charge of drinks. Lust is a bar owner, not a bartender, but he says he’ll whip up his Slothful Mary – like a Bloody Mary but better. He uses real tomatoes. Gloriosa got a bunch of them from her garden lined up on the window, so he throws them in the blender along with some other secret ingredients, like Tabasco and vodka.

Well, the Slothful Mary turns out to be the hit of the party. His Majesty the Ex-Rex insists we whip up another batch. And then another. And another.

Finally we have to go out to the garden with a flashlight and pick every ripe tomato we can find.

By this time, Gloriosa is in her cups – she’s drunk a

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whole lot of Slothful Marys, and she ain’t making much sense. But we’re making such good use of her tomatoes, I’m sure she’ll thank us in the morning.

And I happen to be back at her house then, because I forgot my cellphone. When I walk in, Gloriosa’s husband, Proteus, is staring into a cup of coffee; the kids are watching TV and slopping up cereal and Gloriosa is still in bed. I tap on the bedroom door and ask her if she wants some dog hair to make her feel better, but she makes a strangled sound and then some worse sounds. I go help Proteus get the kids ready. He will drop them off at school on his way to work. Finally they leave, and Gloriosa emerges with a flowered kimono flapping around her, like a seriously wounded butterfly “Today I got URGC,” she says.

“Stay in the bathroom,” I say.

“Uptown Regional Garden Competition,” she says. “I’m supposed to enter my best tomatoes – uhh …” and then she really has to go urgc, and I realize we drank her entries last night.

Now any normal person would tell them URGC people she had caught a bug andcouldn’t make it.

Not Gloriosa. Gloriosa has to be better at everything than anybody. She started out as the Gunch family beauty. Now that ain’t saying much, but she’s also more gorgeous than most movie stars and has bigger bosoms. Plus she has a richer husband, smarter kids, a cleaner house and a bettermanicured yard than anybody for blocks around.

But she’s still a Chalmette girl living Uptown, which shouldn’t make no difference to nobody, but she thinks she has to prove herself. So she throws big parties and joins fancy clubs, and whenever she competes, she wins.

I yell to Gloriosa that I’m going out to get her some Alka-Seltzer. I do, and I also pick up some supermarket tomatoes. They ain’t as red and squishy as Gloriosa’s and I’m pretty sure they won’t taste like much, but I clip a few holes in them with my toenail clippers, so at least they look homegrown. I slip into the kitchen and start lining them up on the windowsill Then Gloriosa teeters in. “URGC is next week.”

Then she very sweetly gives me my own tomatoes, holes and all, as a thank-you for helping out.

On the way home, I stop by His Majesty’s house, hang my bag of tomatoes on his wrought-iron picket fence and drive away.

I can share, too. I call it urban sharing. With a vengeance.

L O R I O S I E CK I I L L U S T R A T I O N

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JO IE D ’EVE

BLOGS FROM THE NEW NEW ORLEANS

Back to Work Going back to work after Ruby was pretty easy. I was so overwhelmed as a new mother, so skittish and unsure of myself, that it was a huge relief to be able to leave her in the gentle hands of a woman in the suburbs who loved babies, was an expert on their care and feeding, and go back to my quiet, tidy work of changing commas to semicolons as appropriate and vice versa.

Ruby was a high-energy, high-needs baby, and I was the right combination of gullible, neurotic and naïve to fully believe those books I read that told me that if Ruby was frequently unhappy as a baby, then that would be the mood she would, as an adult, consider normal and feel most comfortable in. And so at the first whimper, I would spring to my exhausted feet to scoop her up and spend hours doing whatever pleased her tiny baby sensibilities – bouncing, shushing, driving, pacing, dancing – so as not to doom her to a lifetime of misery.

By contrast, my job was an oasis, practically a luxurious spa, in which I could drink hot beverages without fear of spilling on the baby, use both hands to do a task and sit still for longer than 10 minutes without someone shrieking in my ear and demanding to be bounced.

Even the few colleagues I didn’t like (fights over “who” versus “whom” can

get heated, and no, I’m not even kidding) at least didn’t howl and claw at me and poop their pants.

With Georgia, it’s a different story. Having a baby in May in New Orleans is very different than having a baby in December in Missouri: I was able to leave the house without worrying about slipping on the ice; I never got snowed in; the daylight didn’t end at 4 p.m. Also, I am calmer. I have Ruby’s needs to attend to, as well, and so sometimes Georgia has to wait for things, and if she screams, that’s just too bad; I know it only means an unpleasant few minutes, not a lifetime spent in constant discontent. Then, too, Georgia is an easier baby. She is happy to be picked up, happy to be put down, happy to take a bath, happy to take a car ride.

Whatever I have to do, as long as she’s not hungry, tired, binkyless or in a wet diaper, Georgia is pretty much happy to do, too.

So coming back this time has been harder. I love my job. I love my colleagues. But I really miss my baby.

Excerpted from Eve Kidd Crawford’s blog, Joie d’Eve, which appears each Friday on MyNewOrleans.com. For comments: info@neworleansmagazine.com.

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C H R O N I C L ES

The intersection of Fontainebleau Drive and South Broad Street circa 1950.

The Making of Broadmoor A 20th-century neighborhood still has charm: family-style.

B Y C A R O L Y N K O L B

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he real estate a d pi c ture d a “ B eautiful R aise d

Bungalow” that had “every modern convenience, hardwood floors, tile bath.” Prospective buyers were instructed to “take the Napoleon Avenue car” to Napoleon Avenue and Broad Street.

The date was Jan. 11, 1914, and the house for sale was located in the new Broadmoor subdivision.

New Orleans Realty and Investment Company was marketing the new subdivision which had become available for development after the Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans drainage system came into use. The location was ideal, easily accessible to downtown and homeowners were happy to have a new neighborhood of modern houses.

On Jan. 18, 1914, the newspaper announced that “the Broadmoor Improvement Association has been organized by the residents of the new

subdivision at the intersection of Napoleon and Broad streets.”

“These people are alive to what is best for their community, and are handling their affairs in an able manner,” read the announcement. Officers listed were R. Maloney, president; A. J. Mutt, vice president; R.W. Ortte, secretary; and Wilkins Roach, treasurer.

By December of 1914, land for Broadmoor Park, “at the turn of Napoleon Avenue and Broad Street,” had been donated to the city by New Orleans Realty. Mayor Martin Behrman quickly appointed a commission with president E. B. Ellis, vice presi-

Improvement Movement

The Broadmoor Improvement Association’s post-Hurricane Katrina work continues. According to the website BroadmoorImprovement.com, “The vision for Broadmoor is to fully populate the neighborhood, rebuild the infrastructure and institutions and develop a safer, stronger community that’s committed to providing a better quality of life for all residents.” One successful step: Besides the newly refurbished Rosa Keller Library, the corner of South Broad Street and Washington Avenue will be home to Green Coast Enterprises’ $8 million development, including HUB NOLA, a 10,000-square-foot facility for shared manufacturing and office space for social innovation companies, and three other buildings with retail and office space. Rhodes Funeral Homes is also developing property in the area.

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PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY NEW ORLEANS PUBLIC LIBRARY, TOP

dent A.B. Gwin and F. J. Keller, secretary-treasurer.

The Broadmoor area is “back of town,” on the lake side of Claiborne Avenue. In the earliest days of the city, the area had a small lake, according to a 1975 booklet the Broadmoor Improvement Association printed for a home improvement show.

As late as the 1920s there were farms in the area, with the Bertucci Dairy Farm the largest. On Fontainebleau, between Jefferson and Nashville avenues, there was a ball field, called Tokay Tea Park, home to a semi-pro baseball team. The oldest home was a raised wooden house with a stucco ground floor on Jefferson Avenue at South Johnson Street, belonging to Louis Bouligny.

By 2003, Broadmoor had been listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Boundaries for the area were Napoleon Avenue in the center, South Broad and Fontainebleau streets on the lake side, Milan Street downtown and Octavia Street on the Uptown side. Broadmoor earned inclusion for its wealth of architectural housing styles that “help the city convey its distinctive architecture,” according to Preservation in Print, September 2003.

The best part of Broadmoor, according to resident Fourth Circuit Court of Appeal Judge Madeleine Landrieu, is the neighborhood people. “It was a great little neighborhood to grow up in. The neighborhood was just teeming with kids my age.” The relationships lasted. “I am still friends with some of the kids I grew up with.”

“My mother grew up across the street from where we lived.

She has great memories of taking the streetcar and the bus places. We were more often on our bikes,” Landrieu adds. Bikes could get her to the Broadmoor Drugstore or to the Time-Saver.

She rode her bike to Ursuline Academy for high school, but the Landrieu kids (nine of them) walked to St. Matthias Catholic School for grammar school. One regular outing was to the Carrollton Boosters Park for sports – “We had to get in the car for whoever’s game was first, and we stayed until whoever’s game was last was over.”

Landrieu recalls regular trips to the Calhoun Superette on Calhoun Street. “They had a butcher who knew exactly what we wanted. As a teenager, I went in and made an inventory, where everything was that we needed. I copied the list and we used it for grocery shopping.” One other neighbor she remembers was Magistrate Judge Gerard Hansen – “he had his first campaign office around the corner, and my sister Mary came home from college and went over there to volunteer” – U.S. Senator Mary Landrieu began her political career in Broadmoor.

Large families were usual in Broadmoor. First City Court Judge Angelique Reed had four brothers and sisters. On Halloween, “We would make our own haunted house: we would decorate and everybody would come over,” she remembers. One spot for neighborhood games was a vacant lot on South Claiborne Avenue near Octavia Street. “The boys always played football there.”

St. Matthias Catholic Church (now Holy Trinity) was an important part of Broadmoor life. Reed says that when a priest, who had served there for many years, was made a Monsignor in a recent service at St. Louis Cathedral, “if you wanted to see some old Broadmoor residents, that’s where you had to be.”

Actually, one place to see “old Broadmoor residents” is Broadmoor. Reed remembers that when she walked home from Ursuline Academy she passed a neighborhood street and thought “I want to live right there.” Today, that’s where she lives, and her daughter goes to Ursuline. Madeleine Landrieu also still lives in Broadmoor and her girls are Ursuline students as well.

Another generation of Broadmoor children is riding bikes and making memories today. myneworleans.com

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L OCAL C O L O R

HOME

Boston on the Bayou This home near City Park has the feel of two great cities.

B Y B O N N I E W A R R E N

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t

all

bega n

w he n

p hotogra p hed S tephe n

R ose n fel d

by

cHERYL

w as

liste n i n g

GERBER to

jazz

vocalist John Boutte at d.b.a., a popular music bar on Frenchmen Street in Marigny. “He was taking a break,” says Rosenfeld, “and I was talking to my friends Musa Eubanks and Veda Manuel, who had once owned Laid Back Bike and Kayak Tours. They had sold their business, found a way to buy the block overlooking Bayou St. John near Parkway Bakery where their business had been, subdivided it into 14 properties and sold the lots to friends and friends of friends. I quickly made an impulse decision and joined their list of friends who wanted to live on Bayou St. John.”

It didn’t matter that the lot was skinny – just 37 feet wide (107 feet deep) – Rosenfeld thought it would be perfect for a New Orleans home. And it wasn’t that he needed to build a house in New Orleans; he already had a place in Boston, where he lived with his wife, Margot Botsford, an associate Justice on the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court. But Rosenfeld had become attached to New Orleans, where he had been spending a great deal of his time since Hurricane Katrina as a public health care lawyer.

“When I asked architect Daniel Samuels to design our house I quickly knew he was perfect for us,” Rosenfeld says. “We agreed in the beginning that there was no such thing as a ‘trivial’ decision when it came to the design of this house. Everything counted. Daniel was the genius, but he let us in as full collaborators. There was complete transparency on every detail.” He continues, “What 60

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This page top: Designed by architect Daniel R. Samuels and built by Douglas Matthews of the Concordia Group LLC, with landscaping by landscape architects Diane Jones and Austin Allen, the house is a modern version of an historical shotgun house, taking full advantage of the 37-foot-wide lot. Above: A broad balcony embraces the view of Bayou St. John. Facing page: The handsome stairway and side hallway highlight the openness of the floor plan.

you see today as our final home is a reflection of him hearing our from the walking, biking and occasional kayaking that starts right original ideas – bedrooms on the bottom, open design on top, outside our door, this is a perfect place for us because it mirrors big balcony in front and side porch downstairs – and then with our neighborhood in Boston – it’s highly diverse racially, ecohis own sense of design and originality, making our ideas better nomically and culturally, with lots of kids and dogs. I started calland beautiful.” ing our neighborhood here the ‘Jamaica Plain of New Orleans,’ Samuels also feels the project was a perfect collaboration. and now I call our neighborhood in Boston the ‘Mid-City/Bayou “Steve requested a design that was contextual in its exterior, yet St. John of Boston.’ Both are places where, whoever you are, you open and contemporary in its plan,” he says. “It is important to can feel at home, and it’s just dumb luck on our part that we note that the choice to place the bedrooms on the ground floor, landed here.” with living space all on the second level, was the key in maximizDoes he love his house? “You know you have a problem when ing the relationship between the interior and exterior living spacyou pull out pictures of your home more than pictures of your es and the bayou. It builds upon historic patterns of use in early grandchildren,” Rosenfeld jokes. “My only excuse is that my Bayou St. John houses. The open entrance loggia on the side grandchildren are all teenagers now, so they’ve had their days in also makes reference to historic patterns of providing protected the sun. Now, with friends, when someone who hasn’t learned exterior space on the ground floor. The collaboration made sure their lesson asks me about our new house, I’m fast on the draw. that construction detailing followed best practices in energy effiWhich is to say, the house is a member of the family.” cient design, with natural cross-ventilation in Facing page, top: A collection of pleasant weather carefully addressed.” the couple’s favorite photographs For contractor Douglas Matthews hangs on the dining room wall.

(Concordia Group LLC), it was an exciting Facing page, bottom left: A light project. He immediately loved the design scoop at the peak of the roofline and thinks it fits in very well with the local washes the second floor living architecture. “When you sit on the balcony at area with light. Facing page, botany time of the day, you get a breeze, shade tom right: Uncovered windows in and a view of Bayou St. John that makes you the living room offer interesting appreciate the house,” he says. “This is good views of other new houses nearby. architecture, built with the best of materials.

This page, top: The kitchen bar It’s a perfect new home for today.” provides seating for a panoramic There is no doubt the Rosenfelds’ impulse view of the living area, balcony decision was a good one. “The location is and bayou beyond. Right: Margot perfect for us. It pulls us out to walk every Botsford and Stephen Rosenfeld. morning when we are here,” he says. “Apart myneworleans.com

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THEMENU TABLE TALK

RESTAURANT INSIDER

FOOD

LAST CALL

DINING LISTINGS

RESTAURANT INSIDER:

Nile’s Ethiopian Fare PAGE 68

SARA ESSEX BRADLEY PHOTOGRAPH

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T HE M EN U

T A B L E T A L K

Kobe-style beef at Stella!

food. Everything is on the plate for a reason.” This is the wellspring of R’evolution’s inspiration and is also reflected in its décor. In the Seven Nations dining room, a wrap-around mural depicts defining cultural moments for each.

Of course, one chef’s Seven Nations concept is another’s creative license. I am guessing one concept can serve dual purposes, because that’s the real beauty and potential of R’evolution: two chefs in the kitchen who have nothing to prove, given free rein. Any single page ripped at random from its wide-ranging menu would be enough around which to build a four-star restaurant. And while many price points may jar with the times, you don’t come here to save money. Beautiful charcuterie boards, a caviar menu, Italian offerings ranging from earthy

Top Shelf Something new; something changed

BY JAY FORMAN

I

t is hard to get a handle on

R’evolution, the opulent temple of cuisine in the

Royal Sonesta Hotel. It received more coverage before opening than most restaurants receive when they’re actually open. The collusion of two bigname chefs – John Folse and Rick Tramonto – along with an eye-popping build-out made it a juicy lure for food writers nationwide. Its extravagance is out of step with today’s economic reality, yet this is contrasted with its demonstrated efforts to be of service to the community (in particular, bringing home people disStella!’s dining room placed from Hurricane Katrina to help staff up). Big moves like these send signals that R’evolution is more than a restaurant. It is a statement. But what is it saying?

“Chefs don’t often have an opportunity like this, this sort of carte blanche,” Folse explains. “Rick (Tramonto) and I wanted a restaurant that wasn’t about celebrity chefs but about our collective vision.” For Folse and Tramonto, that boiled down to the “Seven Nations” concept: Native American, French, Spanish, English, African, German and Italian cultures all played a role in the evolution of our city’s food. To illustrate this, Folse breaks down his venison carpaccio. “It is Native American because they cured wild game. To enhance that we put a tuille on the plate that looks like a piece of birch bark because that says ‘outdoors.’ Espresso dusting on the exterior is Italian and the chocolate shavings garnish is Spanish. This is the way we want our cooks to think about

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stewed tripe to an ephemeral sheep ricotta gnocchi scented with vanilla and lobster roe, as well as a steak selection extensive enough for a stand-alone steakhouse, with accompaniments such as foie gras butter and lobster béarnaise sauce are all on offer here. There truly is nothing else like this in town.

And that’s the gift of the chefs’ collaborative vision.

When Tramonto first told his colleagues in Chicago he was heading south to work with Folse, the reaction was mixed at best. “You are going JEFFERY JOHNSTON PHOTOGRAPHS

where? Are you gonna make ‘Gumbo Spuma?’” Tramonto recalls.

“But I think having two guys, one who grew up here and one who hasn’t, that’s the synergy here.”

Folse agrees. “We are so much better off here together because it allows me to take these historical, iconic dishes and show them to Rick and ask, ‘what can we do that has not already been done?’

And I know he will come up with something that will be respectful. But,” Folse adds, “He’ll still need my bittersweet plantation Creole cream cheese to do it.”

At the other end of the French Quarter, Scott Boswell’s Stella! has been reinventing itself. In July it underwent sweeping changes to its menu. Asked about the motivation for this, Boswell had this to say: “I was no longer excited about the food we were plating up. And I knew it was only a matter of time before it trickled down. We had a big meeting, and I told them how I felt. I said, ‘I want you to think about our food from a new perspective. You guys are younger, have younger vision and different ideas. We have the greatest sommelier on the team ever, so let’s put this all together and come up with something that will blow people away.”

What the team came up with was a format featuring a choice of two prix fixe menus – four-course and seven-course tasting versions – each offered with its own wine pairing. Gone is the à la carte menu, along with its hyper-verbose prose. And, like the succinct wordings of the new menus, the food is sharp, focused and skillfully executed. The four-course prix fixe menu is flexible, each course having a choice of three options (the dessert course offers four, including a cheese plate). “We have foie on the first two courses and a whole lobster on the third, a tasting of coconut dessert and an amuse bouche, all for $85. I think that’s as good a value as you can get at this level,” Boswell says.

One of the recent course choices – a rectangle of foie gras atop brioche – shows the talent of chef de cuisine Anthony Gray.

The silky foie gras is sparingly studded with pistachio and fig and laced with Sauternes for a touch of sweetness. “He’s been with me over two years now and has worked his way up,” Boswell says.

“He is doing a great job weaving in the techniques he’s learned here.” Earthier options, like a hazelnut-finished trotter, take diners in an unfamiliar direction for Stella!, though Boswell still features some legacy dishes, such as his chili prawns, to provide a comfort zone for regulars. “They’d kill me if I took that off,” Boswell says.

The Kobe-style beef is visually R’evolution arresting, with several slices of rare 777 Bienville St. ribeye atop a smoldering charcoal 553-2277 brazier. It is flanked by spoons, each RevolutionNola.com containing cubes of compressed melon. An assortment of house-made Stella! kimchee, including a novel version 1032 Chartres St. featuring cubed apples, rounds out 587-0091 the dish.

RestaurantStella.com

Luxe Locations

New Blood In other luxury dining news, Kristin Butterworth recently took over the helm at the Windsor Court Hotel’s Grill Room. An up-andcoming young chef who has already worked at some highly regarded properties, including the famous Inn at Little Washington in Virginia, this move should put some shake in the step of this blue-blood property. If you’re looking to treat yourself to something special, now is a good time to pull the trigger on high-flying dining. myneworleans.com

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T HE M E N U

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

Exploring the Possibilities

BY ROBERT PEYTON

S

epte m ber is the first m onth when we allow for

the possibility that the heat will one day subside, and we can go back to enjoying the outdoors without risking sunstroke. It is a ruse, of course, because September is damn-near always as hot as August. Still, at least the commercials on national television are starting to look like fall, and that’s something. Something that fills me with jealous rage, but still... something.

Chef Chris DeBarr has been cooking in New Orleans for a long time now, though for much of his career he was behind the scenes at restaurants such as Commander’s Palace, Arnaud’s and Christian’s. When he took a gig cooking at the Delachaise wine bar, it came with a higher profile. He had a lot of freedom to design the menu, where most people discovered what a wildly inventive and talented cook he is. In 2009, he and Paul Artigues opened the Green Goddess in a tiny space at 307 Exchange Alley where DeBarr handled the dinner service and selected the wines. He garnered more attention, but the restaurant’s size and limited kitchen led many to predict he’d be moving on eventually. “Eventually” turned into August 2012, assuming DeBarr’s new restaurant Serendipity (3700 Orleans Ave.) opens on time in the American Can Company condominium building.

Serendipity takes the place of an Italian restaurant that never really stood out, but that’s not something DeBarr has to worry about. His food may not Nile (2130 Magazine St.) is the second Ethiopian restaurant to open in the last couple of years in New Orleans. The restaurant is located near the other Ethiopian restaurant, Café Abyssinia, whose address is at 3511 on the same thoroughfare. The food of the East African nations of Ethiopia and Eritrea (Ethiopia’s neighbor and culinary twin) is remarkable; it bears some resemblance to the food of the Indian subcontinent in the free use of chilies, slow-cooked legumes and heavilyspiced foods generally, but the similarity is mostly superficial.

Ethiopian food starts with injera, a spongy, crêpe-like bread that serves as a base on which stews, pulses and sautéed dishes are presented, as well as the principal utensil for eating them. Ethiopians eat with their right hands, tearing off bits of the sourdough injera and using it to pick up morsels of food. The bread is made from a wheat native to East Africa, teff; its slightly sour flavor complements the often fiery 68

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dishes served on and with it. The injera at Nile is very good, and like the semi-dry crumbled cheese that accompanies some of the dishes, it’s made in-house.

The menu, as I write, is rather basic; with an abbreviated Ethiopian repertoire of entrées and no separate section for appetizers, side-dishes or desserts. Folks at the restaurant told me those were in the works, as is a liquor license. What is on offer now is best experienced with a few friends along for the ride, so that you can sample a few different items at once. A party of four could order a wot, which is a thick stew that’s available in lamb, chicken or beef versions, a sautéed dish of Tibs (beef or lamb) and the combination vegetable plate called Yesom Beyaynetu, which, when I had it, included two varieties of lentil pulses, greens, a dish of potatoes and peppers and another dish with cabbage, potatoes, peppers and onions. There is more to the menu, and you should check it out by calling 281-0859.

Serendipity’s chef Chris DeBarr and aous chef Allison Gorlin

appeal to everyone, but nobody will accuse him of being boring or staid. DeBarr told me that while he has big plans for the place, those plans don’t include scaling back the kind of cooking he’s become known for. He will continue to make eclectic food in a larger setting. As I write, the restaurant is close to opening its doors; the phone number isn’t active yet, but DeBarr told me that it will be 407-0818 – so give them a call to find out what’s going on.

St. Lawrence (219 N. St. Peters St.) is the patron saint of

cooks, among other things.

It is also the name of a restaurant and bar that opened in the French Quarter. That block and those surrounding it are more frequented by tourists than locals, but St. Lawrence is aiming for the former. Given the food, the drinks and the hours it keeps, the place should generate a loyal following.

Caleb Cook is the chef, above, and he earned his chops under Susan Spicer (one could have a worse mentor). There are a few indications of his tutelage; there’s a daily vegetable curry that could be on the menu at Mondo or Bayona, but Cook’s menu is distinctively his. There are spring rolls on the appetizer portion of the menu that include corned beef, chow-chow, Gruyère cheese and Thousand Island dressing; there’s also a poor boy made with fried green tomatoes, pimento cheese and bacon.

St. Lawrence is open from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. every day but Tuesday. Call 525-4111 to find out what they’re doing today.

Questions? Comments? Suggestions?

E-mail: rdpeyton@gmail.com

SARA ESSEX BRADLEY PHOTOGRAPHS

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T HE M EN U

FOOD

Westward Wonders Foods from the coast

BY DALE CURRY

S

u m m er v acations are o v er , b u t I ’ m still ca u ght

up in the memories of my wonderful California adventures. There were the mountains, the lake, the coast, the museums. But, wouldn’t you know, my lasting impression is of the fresh food.

It may not be as good by the time it reaches us here in New Orleans, but there’s nothing quite like fresh California produce – the figs, the avocados, the berries and the greens. Of course, I think we know how to cook it better than they do in California – save the authentic Mexican food that I savored on more than one occasion.

I was about to turn green from eating avocados when I realized that this is the one thing that ships well. I guess it’s because of the heavy thick skin on the Hass avocado, so rich and creamy and different from the thin-skinned and less-dense Florida avocado. So I didn’t have to eat every avocado I saw since I can buy them right here at my own Rouses.

What I’ve learned about avocados over the years is that you don’t have to add much to them to make a great guacamole. I used to add sour cream and mayonnaise and whir it all up in a blender. Now, I mix in little more than fresh cilantro, lime juice and jalapeño peppers and mash it with a fork. The thought of it makes me long for the stacks of warm tortillas and fresh chips in the Mexican markets on the southern Pacific coast.

I am also a little jealous of those great stores and markets in

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the California cities. Mountains of locally grown produce, large wine selections from the area and huge bins of flowers entice you to entertain. The beauty of the food lends itself to simple cooking. I even enjoyed a Wolfgang Puck sandwich I bought at the airport for lunch on the plane. A ciabattablanketed smoked turkey with lots of veggies and a creamy aioli sauce. And a buffalo burger I ate in the mountains hit the spot.

Healthy Harvest

Fall vegetables lend themselves to easy cooking.

Winter squash, such as acorn and butternut, grow locally in fall and can be sliced in halves lengthwise and baked, cut sides down, until done. Butter and serve them, or scrape them out and turn them into delicious purées and soups.

Also look for dark greens of all kinds, sweet potatoes, citrus, pears and pumpkins. Some of the most healthful food known to man is at the market now.

E U G E N I A U H L P H O T O G R A P H , T op

It is still hot, and I love simplicity in cooking. Below are a few examples of my idea of simple but delicious food.

My next great adventure will be in Maine and Nova Scotia where I’ll converge on those giant crawfish whose ancestors got skinny on their crawl to south Louisiana, or so they say. They call them lobsters up there. Once again, we know how to season them better here in Louisiana.

Great Guacamole 4 medium or 6 small Hass

avocados, soft 1 medium red-ripe tomato,

chopped 1/4 cup chopped onion

Juice of 1 lime 1/3 cup fresh cilantro, chopped 1 jalapeño pepper, seeded

and minced

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

On a plate, mash peeled avocados with a fork. Mix in remaining ingredients. Serve in a bowl surrounded by tortilla chips.

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Serves 4 to 6.

Pasta With Robust Flavors 1 pound pasta such as penne

or bowtie 1 teaspoon plus 2 Tablespoons

extra-virgin olive oil 1 cap broccoli, flowerets cut

into fourths 1/2 red bell pepper, chopped 3 large cloves garlic, minced 1/2 teaspoon dried chili flakes 1/3 cup dry-cured black olives,

pitted and halved 6 anchovy fillets, packed in oil,

chopped

Salt and freshly ground black

pepper to taste 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese,

preferably Parmigiano Reggiano

Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon olive oil. Minutes before serving, drop pasta in water and boil until al dente – done but not overcooked.

While water is coming to a boil, heat 2 Tablespoons olive oil in a large heavy skillet. When medium-hot, add broccoli and

red pepper and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring. Add garlic and chili flakes, sauté for 1 minute, stirring, and add olives, anchovies and black pepper. Sauté for 1 minute more. Stir and taste before adding salt to taste. Keep hot while pasta boils.

Drain pasta and place on a large serving platter. Add veggieanchovy mixture and Parmesan and toss. Serve immediately.

Serves 4 to 6.

or gas grill until browned on the edges and done through. Let meat set for 10 minutes and cut into 1/4-inch slices.

In a large bowl, mix greens, cucumber and tomato. Sprinkle with olive oil, vinegar and seasonings. Mix well. Serve on 4 salad plates with chicken strips and goat cheese on top.

Serves 4.

1 pound fresh French beans

(haricots verts) 1 1/2 Tablespoons butter

Sea salt to taste

Arugula-Spinach Entrée Salad 2 boneless, skinless chicken

breasts 3 cups baby arugula 3 cups baby spinach 1 cup iceberg lettuce 1 baby cucumber, sliced 1 medium tomato, chopped 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil 2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar

Salt and freshly ground

pepper to taste 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder 1 cup crumbled goat cheese

Season chicken with salt and pepper and grill over a charcoal

Haricots Verts

Rinse beans. There is no need to trim, snap or string. Drain.

Melt butter in a skillet. Add beans and sauté, stirring, over medium-high heat. Cover beans for a few seconds at a time, then stir and sauté, continuing for 3 to 5 minutes or until the beans are cooked evenly but still bright green and crisp. Sprinkle with salt in the last minute or so of cooking.

Serves 4.

a.m. a.m.

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THE MENU

LAST CALL

You Really Can’t Make This Stuff Up

BY TIM MCNALLY

T

he H B O series “ T re m e ” starts its third season

this month and, for most locals, this production has been the most authentic depiction of our city ever seen on television or in the movies.

Not only does New Orleans dance to its own beat, construct buildings that are immediately identifiable with its culture, create art that’s recognizably ours and live by a calendar that makes sense only to us, but we eat quite well – with a focus on those ingredients that grow or swim right near here.

Just in the past few years California has coined the term “locavore,” meaning an emphasis on consuming products that are harvested, caught or produced close to where they are finally used. We have been doing it for 300 years. Think French Market.

We can continue to take pride in our lifestyle by supporting local companies that make products for us to enjoy here and now. PJ’s Coffee, Old New Orleans Rum and The New Orleans Ice Cream Company are great examples of topquality products produced by friends and neighbors.

The headline of this article is taken from a statement made by one of the “Treme” characters, a Texan, commenting on how we live and what we do; he’s right, ya know.

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Creole Coffee Punch 2 scoops New Orleans Ice Cream Company Brandy Milk Punch Ice Cream 2 ounces Old New Orleans Cajun Spice Rum 1 ounce PJ’s Coffee Concentrate

Puree all ingredients in a blender with ice for 8-10 seconds. Top with a dash of cinnamon.

Special thanks to the creative teams at Old New Orleans Rum, PJ’s Coffee Company, New Orleans Ice Cream Company and Bond Public Relations, all of New Orleans, of course.

SARA ESSEX BRADLEY PHOTOGRAPH

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THE MENU

DINING GUIDE

$= Average entrée price of $5-$10; $$=$11-15; $$$=$16-20; $$$$=$21-25; $$$$$=$25 and up.

rooms are available. $$$$$

5 Fifty 5 Restaurant Marriott Hotel, 555

Quarter, Arnauds.com. D daily, Br Sun. Waiters in tuxedos prepare Café Brulot tableside at this storied Creole grande dame in the French Quarter; live jazz during Sun. brunch. $$$$$

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

Arnaud’s 813 Bienville St., 523-5433, French

Audubon Clubhouse 6500 Magazine St.,

Warehouse, 7onFulton.com. B, L, D daily.

Upscale and contemporary dining destination in the Warehouse District. $$$$

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

13 Restaurant and Bar 517 Frenchmen St.,

August Moon 3635 Prytania St., 899-5129,

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

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

7 on Fulton 701 Fulton St., 525-7555, CBD/

Abita Brew Pub 72011 Holly St., (985) 892-5837, Abita Springs, AbitaBrewPub.com.

L, D Tue-Sun. Famous for its Purple Haze and Turbodog brews, Abita serves up better-thanexpected pub food in their namesake eatery.

“Tasteful” tours available for visitors. $$

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

5973, French Quarter; 3000 Veterans Blvd., 309-4056, Metairie; 1202 N. Highway 190, (985) 246-6155, Covington; AcmeOyster.com.

L, D daily. Known as one of the best places to eat oysters. $$

The Avenue Pub 1732 St. Charles Ave., 586-9243, Uptown, TheAvenuePub.com. L, D daily (kitchen open 24 hours a day). With more than 47 rotating draft beers, this pub also offers food including a cheese plate from St. James, a crab cake sandwich and the “Pub Burger.” $

Aloha Sushi 1051 Annunciation St., 566-

Bacchanal Fine Wines and Spirits

0021, Warehouse District, SunRayGrill.com. L, D Mon-Sun. A large list of rolls, hot rice bowls, Asian-inspired soups, salads, cocktails and more. Visit daily between 11-6:30 p.m. for Sake Hour: half-priced sake and three rolls for the price of two. $$

600 Poland Ave., 948-9111, Bywater, BacchanalWine.com. L, D daily. Sunday guest chef dinners at 6 p.m. with rotating “Rock Star Chefs” from all over town. Cheese and cured meats always available and live music every night. Extensive inexpensive wine selection. $

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

Barcelona Tapas 720 Dublin St., 861-

Andrea’s Restaurant 3100 19th St., 834-

Ave., 862-9001, Uptown, BasilLeafThai.com.

L Mon-Sat, D daily. Thai food and sushi bar with a contemporary spin is served in this date-friendly Riverbend establishment; private rooms available. $$

Acme Oyster House 724 Iberville St., 522-

8583, Metairie, AndreasRestaurant.com. L Mon-Fri, D daily, Br Sun. Indulge in osso buco and homemade pastas in a setting that’s both elegant and intimate; off-premise catering.

New Orleans Magazine Honor Roll honoree 2009. $$$

Antoine’s 713 St. Louis St., 581-4422, French Quarter, Antoines.com. L Mon-Sat, D MonSat, 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

9696, Riverbend, LetsEat.at/BarcelonaTapas.

D Tue-Sun. Barcelona Tapas is chef-owner Xavier Laurentino’s homage to the small-plates restaurants he knew from his hometown of Barcelona. The tapas are authentic, and the space, renovated largely by Laurentino himself, is charming. $

Basil Leaf Restaurant 1438 S. Carrollton

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.

Ask for a seat on the romantic patio, weatherpermitting. $$$$$

The Beach House 2401 N. Woodlawn St., 456-7470, Metairie. L Wed-Fri, D daily. Gumbo,

steaks, lobsters, burgers and seafood are accompanied by live music each and every night. $$$

Besh Steak Harrah’s Casino, 8 Canal St., 533-6111, CBD/Warehouse District, HarrahsNewOrleans.com. D daily. Acclaimed Chef John Besh reinterprets the classic steakhouse with his signature contemporary Louisiana flair. New Orleans Magazine’s Chef of the Year 2007. $$$$$

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

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

The Bombay Club Prince Conti Hotel, 830 Conti St., 586-0972, French Quarter, TheBombayClub.com. D Mon-Sun. Popular martini bar appointed with plush British décor features live music during the week and late dinner and drinks on weekends. Nouveau Creole menu includes items such as the Bombay drum. $$$$ Bon Ton Cafe 401 Magazine St., 524-3386, CBD/Warehouse District, TheBonTonCafe.com.

L, D Mon-Fri. A local favorite for the old-school business lunch crowd. Specializes in local seafood and Cajun dishes. $$$$ Bouche 840 Tchoupitoulas St., 267-7485, Warehouse District, BoucheNola.com. L, D Tue-Sat. Bouche is a mix of lounge, cigar bar and restaurant with an open kitchen serving largely Southern food in portions Bouche calls “Partailles” – something larger than an appetizer but smaller than an entrée. $$$

Boucherie 8115 Jeannette St., 862-5514, Riverbend, Boucherie-Nola.com. L, D TueSat. Serving contemporary Southern food with an international angle, Chef Nathaniel Zimet gained notoriety with a portable operation called Que Crawl, but his menu at Boucherie is more sophisticated. Excellent ingredients, presented simply, are the hallmark of a meal at Boucherie. New Orleans

Dining at the Hyatt

601 Loyola Ave., 561-1234, NewOrleans.Hyatt.com

It is hard to be different in a city filled with famous chefs and legendary cuisine. However, John Besh and Brian Landry (formerly of Galatoire’s) have done just that with Borgne. A new restaurant in the Hyatt, it showcases Isleños cuisine, a cooking style of the Canary Islands that highlights the best of coastal Louisiana seafood. Even within the revitalized Hyatt it has stiff competition: the Whole Hog Café, with “top secret” cooking techniques to ensure barbecue perfection; Vitascope, a flat-screen-filled raw bar and burger joint; and 8 Block Restaurant and Bar where, on the weekends, you can hear the inimitable sounds of jazz goddess Anais St. John. – M irella cameran 76

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Magazine’s Best New Restaurant 2009. $$

Brennan’s 417 Royal St., 525-9711, French Quarter, BrennansNewOrleans.com. Br, L, D daily. The institution that turned breakfast into a celebration and introduced bananas Foster to the world is one of the city’s most storied destinations. Enjoy a brandy milk punch in the courtyard while you’re there. $$$$$

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

Broken Egg Cafe 200 Girod St., (985) 231-7125, Mandeville. B, Br, L daily. Breakfastcentric café in turn-of-the-century home offers a sprawling assortment of delicious items both healthy and decadent. $$ Broussard’s 819 Conti St., 581-3866, French Quarter, Broussards.com. D daily. Chef-owner Gunter Preuss brings his pedigree and years of experience to the table in offering up some of the city’s best Creole cuisine in an opulent French Quarter setting. New Orleans Magazine Honor Roll honoree 2006. $$$$$

Byblos 1501 Metairie Road, 834-9773, Metairie; 3218 Magazine St., 894-1233, Uptown; 3301 Veterans Memorial Blvd., 8307333 Metairie; 29 McAlister Drive, Tulane University; ByblosRestaurants.com. L, D daily.

Upscale Middle Eastern cuisine featuring traditional seafood, lamb and vegetarian options. $$ Café Adelaide Loews New Orleans Hotel, 300 Poydras St., 595-3305, CBD/Warehouse District, CafeAdelaide.com. B Mon-Sun, L Mon-Fri, D Mon-Sun. This offering from the Commander’s Palace family of restaurants has become a power-lunch favorite for businessmen and politicos. Also features the Swizzle Stick Bar. $$$$

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

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

Café du Monde 800 Decatur St., 525-0454, French Quarter; One Poydras Suite 27, 5870841, New Orleans; 3301 Veterans Blvd., Suite 104, 834-8694, Metairie; 1401 West Esplanade, Suite 100, 468-3588, Kenner; 4700 Veterans Blvd., 888-9770, Metairie; 1814 N. Causeway Approach, Suite 1, (985) 951-7474, Mandeville; CafeDuMonde.com. This New Orleans institution has been serving fresh café au lait, rich

hot chocolate and positively addictive beignets since 1862 in the French Market 24/7. $

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

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

Café at Gambino’s 4821 Veteran’s

2679, Uptown; 540 Chartres St., 533-6250, Downtown. B, L, D daily, until 1 a.m. Sun-Thu and 3 a.m. Fri-Sat. The venerable diner has reopened following an extensive renovation and change in ownership (in 2006). Patrons can rest assured that its essential character has remained intact and many of the original waiters have returned. The new downtown location has a liquor license and credit cards are now accepted. $

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

Memorial Blvd., 885-3620, Metairie, Gambinos.com. L Mon-Fri. Café nested in Gambino’s Bakery is a favorite local lunch spot featuring muffelattas, salads and soups.

Afterwards, pick up some Italian cookies to take back to the office. $

Carmelo Ristorante 1901 Highway 190, (985) 624-4844, Mandeville, RistoranteCarmelo.com. L Fri-Sun, D MonSat. Italian trattoria serves old-world classics.

Private rooms available. $$

Café Giovanni 117 Decatur St., 529-2154,

Casamento’s 4330 Magazine St., 895-9761,

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

Café Luna 802 Nashville Ave., 269-2444, Uptown. B, L daily. Charismatic coffee shop in a converted house offers a range of panini, caffeinated favorites and free Wi-Fi. The front porch is a prime spot for people-watching along adjacent Magazine Street. $

Uptown, CasamentosRestaurant.com. L TueSat, D Thu-Sat. The family-owned restaurant has shucked oysters and fried seafood since 1919; closed during summer and for all major holidays. $$

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

Chateau du Lac 2037 Metairie Road,

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

831-3773, Old Metairie, ChateauduLacBistro. com. L, Mon-Fri, D, Mon-Sat. This casual French bistro offers up classic dishes such as escargot, coq au vin and blanquette de veau.

A Provençal-inspired atmosphere and French wine round out the appeal. $$$$

Camellia Grill 626 S. Carrollton Ave., 309-

Checkered Parrot 132 Royal St., 592-1270,

Café Maspero 601 Decatur St., 523-6250,

French Quarter, CheckeredParrot.com. B, L, D Mon-Sun. The Checkered Parrot is an upscale sports bar with a large menu, featuring nachos, fajitas, wings in seven flavors, wraps and burgers, and an outdoor patio. $$

Chophouse New Orleans 322 Magazine St.., 522-7902, Uptown. 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. L Thu-Fri, D Mon-Sat. Their Creoleinspired menu has been a favorite of locals for years. $$$ Clementine’s 2505 Whitney Ave., 366-3995, Gretna, BistroGallerie.com. L Tue-Fri, D TueSat. Unbeatable mussels, crispy fries and dessert crêpes of all kinds from France’s northern neighbor. $$$

Cochon 930 Tchoupitoulas St., 588-2123, CBD/Warehouse District, CochonRestaurant. com. L Mon-Fri. D Mon-Sat. Chefs Donald Link and Stephen Stryjewski showcase Cajun and Southern cuisine at this Warehouse District hot spot. Boudin and other pork dishes reign supreme here, along with Louisiana seafood and real moonshine from the bar. New Orleans Magazine named Link Chef of the Year 2009.

Reservations strongly recommended. $$

Commander’s Palace 1403 Washington Ave., 899-8221, Uptown, CommandersPalace. com. L Mon-Fri, D Mon-Sun, Br Sat-Sun. The Grande Dame in the Garden District is going strong under the auspices of Chef Tory McPhail. The turtle soup might be the best in the city, and its weekend Jazz Brunch is a great deal. $$$$$

Cooter Brown’s 509 S. Carrollton Ave., 8669104, 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 1001 S. Clearview Parkway, 620-7800, Jefferson; 1319 West Esplanade Ave., 617-9146, Kenner; 1700 Lapalco Blvd., 364-1575, Harvey; 680 N. Highway 190, (985) 809-9659, Covington; 1337 Gause Blvd., (985) 643-0001, Slidell; CopelandsofNewOrleans.com. L, D daily, Br Sun. Al Copeland’s namesake chain includes favorites such as Shrimp Ducky. Popular for lunch. $$ Copeland’s Cheesecake Bistro 4517 Veterans Blvd., 454-7620, Metairie; 2001 St. Charles Ave., 593-9955, Garden District; CopelandsCheesecakeBistro.com. L, D daily.

Dessert fans flock to this sweet-centric Copeland establishment which also offers extensive lunch and dinner menus. $$$ Coquette 2800 Magazine St., 265-0421, Uptown, Coquette-Nola.com. Br Sun, L WedSat, D Mon-Sat. A bistro located at the corner of Washington and Magazine streets. The food is French in inspiration and technique, with added imagination from chef Michael Stoltzfus (New Orleans Magazine’s Best New Chef 2009). $$$

Corky’s Bar-B-Q Restaurant 4243 Veterans Blvd., 887-5000, Metairie, CorkysBarBQ.com. L, D daily. Memphis-based barbecue chain offers good hickory-smoked ribs, pork and beef in a family setting with catering service available. $ Court of Two Sisters 613 Royal St., 5227261, French Quarter, CourtOfTwoSisters.com.

Br, D daily. The historic environs make for a memorable outdoor dining experience. The famous daily Jazz Brunch buffet and classic Creole dishes sweeten the deal. $$$$$

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Domenica The Roosevelt Hotel, 123 Baronne

T HE M E N U Crabby Jack’s 428 Jefferson Highway, 833-

DINING GUIDE

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. $

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

The Creole Grille 5241 Veterans Blvd.,

Dakota 629 N. Highway 190, (985)

889-7992, Metairie, TheCreoleGrille.com. L, D Mon-Sat. This quaint, upscale restaurant offers a variety of classic New Orleans cuisine, fresh fish and homemade soups and salads with early bird and daily chef specials. $$

892-3712, RestaurantCuvee.com/Dakota, Covington. L Tue-Fri, D Tue-Sat. A sophisticated dining experience with generous portions. $$$$$

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., 522-0571, French Quarter, CrescentCityBrehouse.com. L Fri-Sun, D daily.

Contemporary brewpub features an eclectic menu complimenting its freshly-brewed wares.

Live jazz and good location make it a fun place to meet up. $$$

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

New Orleans Magazine’s Steakhouse of the Year 2009 and Honor Roll honoree 2007. $$$$

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

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The Delachaise 3442 St. Charles Ave., 8950858, TheDelachaise.com, Uptown. L Fri-Sat, D daily. Elegant bar food fit for the wine connoisseur; kitchen open late. $$

Dick and Jenny’s 4501 Tchoupitoulas St., 894-9880, Uptown, DickAndJennys.com. L Tue-Fri, D Mon-Sat. A funky cottage serving Louisiana comfort food with flashes of innovation. $$$$ Dickie Brennan’s Bourbon House 144 Bourbon St., 522-0111, French Quarter, BourbonHouse.com. B, L, D daily. Classic Creole dishes such as redfish on the halfshell and baked oysters are served with classic Brennan’s style at this French Quarter outpost.

Its extensive bourbon menu will please aficionados. $$$$

Dickie Brennan’s Steakhouse 716 Iberville St., 522-2467, French Quarter, DickieBrennansSteakhouse.com. L Fri, D daily.

Nationally recognized steakhouse serves USDA Prime steaks and local seafood in a New Orleans setting with the usual Brennan’s family flair. $$$$$

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

Domilise’s 5240 Annunciation St., 899-9126, Uptown. L, D Mon-Sat. Local institution and rite-of-passage for those wanting an initiation to the real New Orleans. Wonderful poor boys and a unique atmosphere make this a one-ofa-kind place. $ Dong Phuong 14207 Chef Menteur Highway, 254-0296, N.O. East. L Wed-Mon. Vietnamese bakery and restaurant in the community of Versailles makes great banh mi sandwiches and interesting baked goods both savory and sweet. Unbeatable prices. $ Drago’s 3232 N. Arnoult Road, 888-9254, Metairie; Hilton Riverside Hotel, 2 Poydras St., 584-3911, CBD/Warehouse District; DragosRestaurant.com. L, D Mon-Sat. This famous seafooder specializes in charbroiled oysters, a dish they invented. Raucous but good-natured atmosphere makes this a fun place to visit. Great deals on fresh lobster as well. $$$$

Frenchmen Street clubs serves up authentic Central Mexican cuisine along with handmuddled mojitos and margaritas made with fresh-squeezed juice. A weekend breakfast menu is an additional plus. $$

Elizabeth’s 601 Gallier St., 944-9272, Bywater, Elizabeths-Restaurant.com. B, L TueFri, D Tue-Sat, Br Sat-Sun. This eclectic local restaurant draws rave reviews for its Praline Bacon and distinctive Southern-inspired brunch specials. $$$

Emeril’s 800 Tchoupitoulas St., 528-9393, CBD/Warehouse District, Emerils.com. L Mon-Fri, D daily. The flagship of superstar chef Emeril Lagasse’s culinary empire, this Warehouse District landmark attracts pilgrims from all over the world. $$$$$ Fat Hen Grill 1821 Hickory Ave., 287-4581, Harahan, FatHenGrill.com. B, L, D daily.

Breakfast gets re-imagined and dressed up at this Harahan diner headed by Chef Shane Pritchett, formerly of Emeril’s Delmonico.

The house special is the Womlette, an omelet baked on a waffle. $$ Feelings Cafe 2600 Chartres St., 945-2222, Faubourg Marigny, FeelingsCafe.com. D Thu-Sun, Br Sun. Romantic ambiance and skillfully created dishes, such as veal d’aunoy, make dining here on the patio a memorable experience. A piano bar on Fridays adds to the atmosphere. $$$$

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

Fellini’s Café 900 N. Carrollton Ave., 4882155, Mid-City, FellinisNewOrleans.com. L, D daily. With décor inspired by its namesake Italian filmmaker, this casual indoor/outdoor spot on Carrollton Avenue serves large portions of reasonably-priced Mediterranean specialties such as pizza, pastas and hummus. $

El Gato Negro 81 French Market Place, 525-

Fiesta Latina 1924 Airline Drive, 469-5792, Kenner, FiestaLatinaRestaurant.com. B, L, D

9752, French Quarter, ElGatoNegroNola.com.

B Sat-Sun, L, D daily. Popular spot near the

Sammy’s Going Strong on Veterans 901 Veterans Blvd., Metairie, 835-0916, SammysPoBoys.com

When Sammy McNeil moved Sammy’s Po-Boys and Catering to Veterans Boulevard two and a half years ago, she bet that her homemade-from-scratch food, which used only the freshest ingredients, would draw a crowd. By extending the range of fully loaded poor boys to include salads, wraps and seafood, as well as homemade desserts, the audience keeps getting bigger. The extensive catering options can also take care of culinary needs when entertaining. If there’s one thing McNeil wants people to know, it’s that no one can make a poor boy taste like a Sammy’s Po-Boy. – M irella cameran Tue-Sun. A big-screen TV normally shows a soccer match or MTV Latino at this home for authentic Central American food. Tacos include a charred carne asada. $$

Five Happiness 3605 S. Carrollton Ave., 482-3935, Mid-City, FiveHappiness.com. L, D Mon-Sun. This longtime Chinese favorite offers up an extensive menu including its beloved mu shu pork and house baked duck.

It’s a popular choice for families as well. $$

Flaming Torch 737 Octavia St., 895-0900, Uptown, FlamingTorchNola.com. L, D daily, Br Sat-Sun. French classics including a tasty onion soup make this a nice place for a slightly upscale lunch while shopping along Magazine Street. $$ Frank’s 933 Decatur St., 525-1602, French

crabmeat Sardou is delicious. Note: Jackets required for dinner and all day Sun. $$$$$ Metairie Road, 832-0955, Metairie. L, D TueSat. A great local place for seafood, both fried and boiled. Famous for its softshell crab poor boy, a Jazz Fest favorite. $$

The menu is constantly changing, and chefs Chris DeBarr (New Orleans Magazine’s Best New Chef 2006) and Paul Artigues always have ample vegetarian options. Combine all of that with a fantastic selection of drinks, wine and beer, and it’s the total (albeit small) package. $$

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. $$$$$

Gautreau’s 1728 Soniat St., 899-7397,

The Grill Room Windsor Court Hotel,

Horinoya 920 Poydras St., 561-8914, CBD/

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 menu changes day-to-day and seasonally, to reflect the freshest ingredients available. The adjacent Polo Club Lounge offers live music nightly. $$$$$

Warehouse District. L Mon-Fri, D daily.

Excellent Japanese dining in an understated and oft-overlooked location. The chu-toro is delicious and the selection of authentic Japanese appetizers is the best in the city. $$$

The Galley Seafood Restaurant 2535

Uptown, GautreausRestaurant.com. D, Mon-Sat. Upscale destination serves refined interpretations of classics along with contemporary creations in a clubby setting nested deep within a residential neighborhood. New Orleans Magazine named Sue Zemanick Chef of the Year 2008. $$$$$

Gott Gourmet Café 3100 Magazine St..,

Quarter, FranksRestaurantNewOrleans.com.

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

522-7902, Uptown, GottGourmetCafe.com. L, Tue-Fri, D, Tue-Sun. Upscale-casual restaurant serves a variety of specialty sandwiches, salads and wraps, like the Chicago-style hot dog and the St. Paddy’s Day Massacre – Chef Gotter’s take on the Rueben. $$

Galatoire’s 209 Bourbon St., 525-2021,

The Green Goddess 307 Exchange Alley,

French Quarter, Galatoires.com. L, D Tue-Sun. Friday lunches are a New Orleans tradition at this world-famous French-Creole grand dame.

Tradition counts for everything here, and the

301-3347, French Quarter, GreenGoddessNola. com. Br, L daily, D Thu-Sun. Located in a tiny space, the Green Goddess is one of the most imaginative restaurants in New Orleans.

GW Fins 808 Bienville St., 581-FINS (3467), French Quarter, GWFins.com. D daily. To ensure the best possible flavors at GW Fins, owners Gary Wollerman and Tenney Flynn provide dishes at their seasonal peak by flying in products from around the globe. That commitment to freshness and quest for unique variety are two of the reasons why the menu is printed daily. $$$$$ Herbsaint 701 St. Charles Ave., 524-4114,

Hoshun Restaurant 1601 St. Charles Ave., 302-9716, Garden District, HoshunRestaurant. com. L, D daily. Hoshun offers a wide variety of Asian cuisines, primarily dishes culled from China, Japan, Thailand and Malaysia. Their five-pepper calamari is a tasty way to begin the meal, and their creative sushi rolls are good as well. $$ House of Blues 225 Decatur St., 529-BLUE (2583), French Quarter, HouseOfBlues.com. L, D daily. World-famous Gospel Brunch every Sunday. Surprisingly good menu makes this a compliment to the music in the main room.

Patio seating is available as well. $$

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569-0000, Uptown; 4724 S. Carrollton Ave., 486-9950, Mid-City. L, D Mon-Sun. Hard-core tacos and massive burritos are served in an edgy atmosphere. $

Jung’s Golden Dragon 3009 Magazine Hunt Room Grill Hotel Monteleone, 214 Royal St., 523-3341, French Quarter. D daily.

Enjoy elegant dining and a great wine selection in the historic Monteleone hotel. $$$

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

Impastato’s 3400 16th St., 455-1545, Metairie, Impastatos.com. D daily. Bustling Italian restaurant on the edge of Fat City serves homemade pasta in a convivial atmosphere. Chef/Owner Joe Impastato greets guests warmly and treats them like family. 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 Thu-Fri, D Mon, Wed-Sat. This inviting bistro offers sophisticated fare in a charming setting. The veal cheek ravioli is a winner. New Orleans Magazine’s Best New Restaurant 2006. $$$$ Jack Dempsey’s 738 Poland Ave., 943-9914, Bywater, JackDempseysLLC.com. L Tue-Fri, D Wed-Sat. Local favorite nestled deep in the

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heart of the Bywater is known for its stuffed flounder and baked macaroni served in generous portions. $$$

Jacques-Imo’s Cafe 8324 Oak St., 8610886, Uptown, JacquesimosCafe.com. D Mon-Sat. Reinvented New Orleans cuisine served in a party atmosphere are the cornerstones of this Oak Street institution. The deep-fried roast beef poor boy is delicious.

The lively bar scene offsets the long wait on weekends. $$$$

Jamila’s Café 7808 Maple St., 866-4366, Uptown. D Tue-Sun. Intimate and exotic bistro serving Mediterranean and Tunisian cuisine.

The Grilled Merguez is a Jazz Fest favorite and vegetarian options are offered. $$ Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville Café 1104 Decatur St., 592-2565, French Quarter, MargaritavilleNewOrleans.com. L, D daily.

Parrotheads and other music lovers flock to Jimmy’s outpost along the more local-friendly stretch of Decatur. Strong bar menu and stronger drinks keep them coming back. $$

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

St., Uptown, JungsGoldenDragon2.com. L, daily. This Chinese destination is a real find.

Along with the usual you’ll find spicy cold noodle dishes, dumplings and a Beijing-style breakfast on the weekends. This is one of the few local Chinese places that breaks the Americanized mold. $

Kosher Cajun New York Deli and Grocery 3520 N. Hullen St., 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., 524-7394, 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. $$$$ Kyoto 4920 Prytania St., 891-3644, Uptown, KyotoNola.com. L , D Mon-Sat. A neighborhood sushi restaurant where the regulars order off-the-menu rolls. $$

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. $

La Boca 857 Fulton St., 525-8205, Warehouse District, LaBocaSteaks.com. D Mon-Sat. This Argentine steakhouse in the blossoming Fulton Street corridor specializes in cuts of meat along with pastas and wines.

Specials include the provoleta appetizer and the Vacio flank steak. New Orleans Magazine’s Chef of the Year 2006. $$$

Juan’s Flying Burrito 2018 Magazine St.,

La Côte Brasserie 700 Tchoupitoulas

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

Lakeview Harbor 911 Harrison Ave., 4864887, Lakeview, Lakeview-Harbor.com. L, D daily. Burgers are the name of the game here at this restaurant which shares a pedigree with Snug Harbor and Port of Call. Rounded out with a loaded baked potato, their half-pound 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. L, D Mon-Fri, Br,L, D Sat & Sun. This cash-only and BYOB restaurant has recently overhauled their menu, now including a large selection of vegan and vegetarian items, as well as a tapas menu. $$

La Petite Grocery 4238 Magazine St., 8913377, Uptown, LaPetiteGrocery.com. L, D TueSat. 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.

Audubon Clubhouse Café – A New Hot-Spot 6500 Magazine St., 212-5282, AudubonInstitute.org/visit/clubhouse-cafe

As the city continues to grow, more people are looking for the perfect spot, whether for business or pleasure; the Audubon Clubhouse Café is proving to be just the thing. Located off busy Magazine Street in Audubon Park, the Clubhouse replicates an Acadian-style home set in centuries-old oak trees. With a wide veranda and golf course views, it provides respite from the day in a casual, comfortable way, accommodating two to 10 people, from early breakfast through late lunch. With a new senior hire, there are also some exciting culinary enhancements expected soon. – M irella cameran 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. L Sun, D Wed-Sun. Nouvelle Louisiane, plantation-style cooking served in an opulent setting features dishes like rack of lamb and plume de veau. $$$$$

Le Meritage 1001 Toulouse, 522-8800, French Quarter, LeMeritageRestaurant.com.

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

Le Salon Windsor Court Hotel, 300 Gravier St., 596-4773, CBD/Warehouse District. L Buffet Mon-Fri. Also, Afternoon Tea, Thu-Sun, Seating at 2 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. Formal afternoon tea with harpist or string quartet served in a sophisticated atmosphere. A local motherdaughter 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’ Lizzy’s 1500 Esplanade Ave., 569-8997, Mid-City. B Mon-Sat, L Mon-Fri. Spot local and national politicos dining at this favored Creole soul restaurant known for homey classics like fried chicken and Trout Baquet. $

Lilette 3637 Magazine St., 895-1636, Uptown, LiletteRestaurant.com. L, D Tue-Sat. Chef John Harris’ innovative menu draws discerning diners to this highly regarded bistro on Magazine Street. Desserts are wonderful as well. $$$$$ Lola’s 3312 Esplanade Ave., 488-6946, Mid-City. D daily. Garlicky Spanish dishes and great paella make this artsy Faubourg St. John boîte a hipster destination. $$$

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

Madrid 300 Harrison Ave., 482-2757, Lakeview. D Tue-Sat. A taste of Spain in the suburbs. Paella is a house specialty along with hot and cold tapas, garlic shrimp and cool glasses of sangria. $

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

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

Quintessential New Orleans neighborhood institution reopened following an extensive renovation. Though the ambiance is more upscale, the same food and seafood dishes make dining here a New Orleans experience. $$

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

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

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

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

Middendorf’s Interstate 55, Exit 15, 30160 Highway 51 South, (985) 386-6666, Akers, MiddendorfsRestaurant.com. L, D Wed-Sun. Historic seafood destination along the shores of Lake Maurepas is world-famous for its thin-fried catfish filets. Open since 1934,

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T HE M EN U it transitioned to its next generation of owners when Horst Pfeifer purchased it in 2007.

More than a restaurant, this is a Sunday Drive tradition. $$

Mike’s On the Avenue 628 St. Charles Ave., 523-7600, CBD, MikesOnTheAvenue. com. L Mon-Fri, D Mon-Sat. Mike Fenelly and Vicky Bayley have re-opened one of New Orleans most inventive restaurants in Mike’s On the Avenue. Fennelly’s California-Asian cuisine may lack the novelty it enjoyed in the 1990s, but it’s every bit as good. $$$$

MiLa 817 Common St., 412-2580, French Quarter, MiLaNewOrleans.com. L Mon-Fri, D Mon-Sat. Latest offering from husband-andwife chefs Slade Rushing and Allison VinesRushing focuses on the fusion of the cuisines of Miss. and La. Signature dishes include Oysters Rockefeller “Deconstructed” and New Orleans-style barbecue lobster. New Orleans Magazine’s Best New Restaurant 2008. $$$$

Mona’s Café 504 Frenchmen St., 949-4115,

DINING GUIDE

Napoleon House 500 Chartres St., 524-

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. $$$$$

Mosca’s 4137 Highway 90 West, 436-9942, Avondale. D Tue-Sat. Italian institution near the Huey Long Bridge dishes out massive portions of great food family-style. Good bets are the shrimp mosca and chicken à la grande.

Note: Cash Only. $$$

Mother’s 401 Poydras St., 523-9656, CBD/ Warehouse District, MothersRestaurant.net.

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

Muriel’s Jackson Square 801 Chartres

myneworleans.com

720 Orleans Ave., 523-1930, French Quarter.

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

Morton’s, The Steakhouse The Shops at

Mondo 900 Harrison Ave., 224-2633,

SEPTEMBER 2012

Naked Pizza 6307 S. Miro St., 865-0244,

place has a deserved reputation for good food and good times. $$$

Bucktown; 910 W. Esplanade Ave., #A, 4633030, Kenner. L, D, Mon-Sat. Neighborhood restaurant specializes in seafood and Italian offerings such as stuffed eggplant and bell pepper. Fried seafood and sandwiches make it a good stop for lunch. $$

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Magazine’s Best New Restaurant 2005. $$$$

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. $

Marigny; 4126 Magazine St., 894-9800, Uptown; 1120 S. Carrollton Ave., 861-8174, Uptown; 3901 Banks St., 482-7743, Mid-City.

L, D daily. Middle Eastern specialties like baba ganuj, tender-tangy beef or chicken shawarma, falafel and gyros, stuffed into pillowy pita bread or on platters. The lentil soup with crunchy pita chips and desserts such as sticky sweet baklava round out the menu. $ Lakeview, MondoNewOrleans.com. Br Sun, L Wed-Fri, D Mon-Sat. Susan Spicer’s take on world cuisine isn’t far from her home in Lakeview. Make sure to call ahead because the

labyrinthine, rumored-to-be-haunted establishment. $$$$

Mr. Ed’s Seafood and Italian Restaurant 1001 Live Oak St., 838-0022,

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

9752, French Quarter, NapoleonHouse.com. L, D Thu-Tue. Originally built in 1797 as a respite for Napoleon, this family-owned Europeanstyle 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. $$$$

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

Orleans Grapevine Wine Bar and Bistro

Palace Café 605 Canal St., 523-1661, CBD/Warehouse District, PalaceCafe.com.

L Mon-Sat, D Mon-Sun, Br Sun. Dickie Brennan-owned brasserie with French-style sidewalk seating and house-created specialties of Chef Darrin Nesbit at lunch, dinner and Jazz Brunch. Favorites here include crabmeat cheesecake, turtle soup, the Werlein salad with fried Louisiana oysters and pork ”debris” studded Palace Potato Pie. $$$$$ Parkway Bakery and Tavern 538 Hagan Ave., 482-3047, Mid-City, ParkwayBakeryAndTavernNola.com. L, D daily, closed Tue. Featured on national TV and having served poor boys to presidents, Parkway stakes a claim to some of the best sandwiches in town. Their French fry version with gravy and cheese is a classic at a great price. $

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 housecreation of barbecued shrimp. Its oyster bar serves icy cold, freshly shucked Louisiana oysters and the Italian specialties and steaks are also solid. $$$$ Patois 6078 Laurel St., 895-9441, Uptown, PatoisNola.com. Br Sun, L Fri, D Wed-Sat. The food is French in technique, with influences from across the Mediterranean as well as the American South, all filtered through the talent of Chef Aaron Burgau (New Orleans Magazine’s Best New Chef 2009).

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pizza. $$

T HE M E N U Reservations recommended. $$$

DINING GUIDE

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. $

Bourbon St., 598-1200, French Quarter, RedFishGrill.com. L, D daily. Chef Brian Katz cooks up a broad menu peppered with Big Easy favorites like BBQ oysters, blackened redfish and double chocolate bread pudding. $$$$$

The Pelican Club 312 Exchange Place,

Ralph’s On The Park 900 City Park Ave.,

Paul’s Café 100 Pine St., (985) 386-9581,

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. $$$$$

488-1000, Mid-City, RalphsOnThePark.com.

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

PJ’s Coffee Multiple locations throughout

The Red Maple 1036 Lafayette St., 367-

Greater New Orleans: PJsCoffee.com. The city’s first iced-coffee spot that pioneered the coffee house experience in New Orleans and introduced us all to velvet ices, drinkable granitas and locally made Ronald Reginald vanilla.

A wide assortment of pastries and bagels are offered as well as juices and fresh ground or whole bean coffees. $

0935, Gretna, TheRedMaple.com. L Tue-Fri, D Tue-Sat. This West Bank institution since 1963, is known for its seafood, steaks, wine list and some of the best bread pudding around. $$$$

Reginelli’s Pizzeria 741 State St., 899-

French Quarter, PortOfCallNola.com. L, D daily. It’s all about the big, meaty burgers and giant baked potatoes in this popular bar/restaurant – unless you’re cocktailing only, then it’s all about the Monsoons. $$

1414, Uptown; 3244 Magazine St., 895-7272, Uptown; 5608 Citrus Blvd., 818-0111, Harahan; 817 W. Esplanade Ave., 7126868, Kenner; 874 Harrison Ave, 488-0133, Lakeview; Reginellis.com. L, D daily. Pizzas, pastas, salads, fat calzones and lofty focaccia sandwiches are on tap at locations all over town. $$

Praline Connection 542 Frenchmen

Arnaud’s Remoulade 309 Bourbon St.,

Port of Call 838 Esplanade Ave., 523-0120,

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 homey Creole soul restaurant. $$

Ralph Brennan’s Red Fish Grill 115

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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

Restaurant August 301 Tchoupitoulas St., 299-9777, CBD/Warehouse District, RestaurantAugust.com. L Mon-Fri, D daily.

James Beard Award-winning chef (New Orleans Magazine’s Chef of the Year 2007) John Besh’s menu is based on classical techniques of Louisiana cuisine and produce with a splash of Euro flavor set in a historic carriage warehouse. $$$$$

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

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

Rib Room Omni Royal Orleans Hotel, 621 St. Louis St., 529-7046, French Quarter, OmniHotels.com. B, L, D daily, Br Sun. Old World elegance, high ceilings and views of Royal Street, house classic cocktails and Anthony Spizale’s broad menu of prime rib, stunning seafood and on weekends, a Champagne Brunch. $$$

Riccobono’s Panola Street Café 7801 Panola St., 314-1810, Garden District. B, L daily. This breakfast spot at the corner of Burdette and Panola streets has been wak-

ing up bleary college students for years. The omelets are good, as are the Belgian waffles.

Offers daily specials as well. $

Rio Mar 800 S. Peters St., 525-3474, CBD/ Warehouse District, RioMarSeafood.com.

L Mon-Fri. D Mon-Sat. Seafood-centric Warehouse District destination focuses on Latin American and Spanish cuisines. Try the bacalaitos and the escabeche. The tapas lunch is a great way to try a little of everything. Save room for the Tres Leches, a favorite dessert.

New Orleans Magazine’s Chef of the Year 2006. $$$$

Ristorante Filippo 1917 Ridgelake Drive, 835-4008, Metairie. L Mon-Fri, D Tue-Sat. Creole-Italian destination serves up southern Italian specialties bathed in red sauces and cheese alongside New Orleans classics like pan-fried gulf fish and plump shellfish. $$$

River 127 Westin New Orleans Canal Place, 100 Rue Iberville, 566-7006, French Quarter. B, L, D daily. Continental cuisine with Louisiana flare in a dining room that overlooks the Mississippi River and French Quarter. $$$$

Rivershack Tavern 3449 River Road, 8344938, Jefferson, TheRivershackTavern.com. L, D daily. Home of the Tacky Ashtray, this popular bar alongside the Mississippi levee offers surprisingly wide-ranging menu featuring seafood, poor boys and deli-style sandwiches along with live music. Open late. $ Rock-N-Sake 823 Fulton St., 581-7253, CBD/Warehouse District, RockNSake.com. L Fri, D Tue-Sun. Enjoy fresh sushi along with contemporary takes on Japanese favorites in this club-like setting in the Warehouse District.

Open until midnight on Fri. and Sat., this makes for a unique late-night destination. $$$

Root 200 Julia St., 252-9480, CBD, RootNola. com. L Mon-Fri, D Sun-Thur, open late

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DINING GUIDE

Fri-Sat. Chef Philip Lopez opened Root in November 2011 and has garnered a loyal following for his modernist, eclectic cuisine. Try the Korean fried chicken wings and the Cohibasmoked scallops crusted with chorizo. $$$$

SaltwaterGrillNola.com. Off the Uptown streetcar line, this casual seafood restaurant specializes in fresh Louisiana and Gulf of Mexico seafood and shakes up a great margarita. $$$

Royal Blend Coffee and Tea House

Metairie, 454-7930, Semolina.com. L, D daily.

This casual, contemporary pasta restaurant takes a bold approach to cooking Italian food, emphasizing flavors, texture and color; many of the dishes feature a signature Louisiana twist, such as the Muffuletta Pasta and Pasta Jambalaya. Popular entrees include Grilled Chicken Alfredo, Chicken Marsala and Veal Parmesan. $$

621 Royal St., 523-2716, French Quarter; 204 Metairie Road, 835-7779, Metairie; RoyalBlendCoffee.com. B, L daily. Known for their frozen Café Glace and a wide selection of coffees and teas, as well as pastries, daily specials and hearty breakfasts. $

Ruth’s Chris Steak House 3633 Veterans Blvd., 888-3600, Metairie. L Fri, D daily, Br SatSun; 228 Poydras St. in Harrah’s Hotel, 5877099, L, D daily, Br Sat-Sun; RuthsChris.com.

Filet Mignon, creamed spinach and potatoes au gratin are the most popular dishes at this area steak institution, but there are also great seafood choices and top-notch desserts. $$$$$

Sake Café 2830 Magazine St., 894-0033, Uptown, SakeCafeUptown.com. L, D daily.

Creative and traditional Japanese food in an ultramodern décor. Sushi and sashimi boats, wild rolls filled with the usual and not-so-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 Sun. Bucktown transplant offers a seafood-centric menu rounded out with wraps, kid meals, and catering options all at a reasonable price. $

Saltwater Grill 710 S. Carrollton Ave., 324-6640, Uptown. L, D Mon-Sun,

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Semolina 4436 Veterans Blvd., Suite 37,

Sid-Mar’s Restaurant & Bar 3322

Snug Harbor 626 Frenchman St., 949-0696,

Theo’s Pizza 4218 Magazine St., 894-8554,

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. $$$$

Uptown; 4024 Canal, 302-1133, Mid-City; TheosPizza.com. L, D daily. The thin, crackercrisp crust pizzas are complemented by the broad assortment of toppings which include a lot of local ingredients. Cheap prices make this an economical choice along upscale Magazine Street and a delicious choice in Mid-City. $$

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. $$$$$

N. Turnbull Drive, 831-9541, Metairie, SidMarsRestaurant.com. L, D Tue-Sun. SidMar’s is a local favorite for boiled, fried and broiled seafood whose original location in Bucktown was lost due to Katrina. The Burgess family has re-opened in Metairie, serving the same seafood-centric menu as before the storm. $

Sun Ray Grill 619 Pink St., 837-0055, Old Metairie; 1051 Annunciation St., 566-0021, CBD/Warehouse District; 2600 Belle Chasse Highway, 391-0053, Gretna; 2424 Williams Blvd., Kenner, 305-4704; SunRayGrill.com. L, D Mon-Sun. This local chain offers a globally influenced menu with burgers, steaks, sesame crusted tuna, sandwiches and salads. $$

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

Surrey’s Café and Juice Bar 1418 Magazine St., 524-3828, Coliseum Square; 4807 Magazine St., 895-5757; SurreysCafeAndJuiceBar.com. B, L daily.

Laid-back café focuses on breakfast and brunch dishes to accompany fresh-squeezed juice offerings. Health-food lovers will like it here, along with fans of favorites such as peanut butter and banana pancakes. Note: Cash only. $$

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. $

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

Three Muses 536 Frenchmen St., 298-8746, Marigny, TheThreeMuses.com. D Sun-Mon, Wed, Fri-Sat. Three Muses is a bar-restaurant serving the eclectic cuisine of chef Daniel Esses. The menu changes, but expect Esses’ take on Italian, Spanish, North African and Korean cooking. Local bands provide music on a regular basis. $ Tommy’s Cuisine 746 Tchoupitoulas St., 581-1103, CBD/Warehouse, TommysNewOrleans.com. D daily. Classic Creole-Italian cuisine is the name of the game at this upscale eatery in the Warehouse District. Appetizers include the namesake Oysters Tommy, baked in the shell with Romano cheese, pancetta and roasted red pepper. $$$$$

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

Tracey’s Irish Restaurant & Bar 2604 Magazine St., 897-5413, TraeysNola.com, Uptown. L, D daily. A neighborhood bar with one of the best messy roast beef poor boys in town. The gumbo, cheeseburger poor boy

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T HE M E N U and other sandwiches are also winners. Grab a local Abita beer to wash it all down. Also a great location to watch “the game.” $

Trey Yuen 600 N. Causeway Blvd., (985) 626-4476, Mandeville, TreyYuen.com. L Tue-Fri & Sun, D Tue-Sun. Chinese cuisine meets with local seafood in dishes like their Szechuan Spicy Alligator and Tong Cho Crawfish; private rooms available. $$

Tujague’s 823 Decatur St., 525-8676, French Quarter, TujaguesRestaurant.com. D daily. For more than 150 years this landmark restaurant has been offering Creole cuisine in the French Quarter. Favorites include a nightly six-course table d’hôté menu featuring a unique Beef Brisket with Creole Sauce. New Orleans Magazine’s Honor Roll honoree 2008. $$$$$

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

Vega Tapas Café 2051 Metairie Road, 8362007, Metairie. D daily. Innovative establishment offers fresh seafood, grilled meats and vegetarian dishes in a chic environment. Daily chef specials showcase unique ingredients and make this place a popular destination for dates as well as groups of friends. $$ Venezia 134 N. Carrollton Ave., 488-7991, Mid-City. L Wed-Fri, Sun, D Wed-Sun. Casual neighborhood Italian destination known for its thin-crust pizzas. Good lunch specials make

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DINING GUIDE this a popular choice as well. $$

Vincent’s Italian Cuisine 4411 Chastant St., 885-2984, Metairie, VicentsItalianCuisine. com. L Tue-Fri, D Tue-Sat; 7839 St. Charles Ave., 866-9313, Uptown. L Tue-Fri, D MonSun. Snug Italian boîte packs them in yet manages to remain intimate at the same time.

The cannelloni is a house specialty. $$$

Vizard’s 5015 Magazine St., 895-2246, Uptown, Vizard’s.net. D Tue-Sat. Chef Kevin Vizard wittily riffs on classic New Orleans dishes.

The sophisticated and social atmosphere also makes this a place to see and be seen. $$

Wolfe’s 1041 Dumaine St., 593-9535, French Quarter. L Fri, D Tue-Sat. Chef Tom Wolfe has reinvented the former Peristyle, opening up the doors for full expression of his inventive, contemporary New Orleans cuisine. The menu changes seasonally. Complimentary valet. $$$ Wolfe’s in the Warehouse 859 Convention Center Blvd., 613-2882, CBD/Warehouse District. B, L, D daily. Chef Tom Wolfe brings his refined cuisine to the booming Fulton Street corridor. His Smoked Kobe Short Ribs are a good choice. $$$ Ye Olde College Inn 3000 S. Carrollton Ave., 866-3683, Uptown, CollegeInn1933.com.

D Tue-Sat. The Carrollton institution moved next door into brand-new digs but serves up the same classic fare, albeit with a few new upscale dishes peppering the menu. $$$

Yuki Izakaya 525 Frenchmen St. D TueSun. Authentic Japanese Izakaya serves small plates to late-night crowds at this unique destination on Frenchmen. Try the Hokke Fish

or the Agedashi Tofu. An excellent sake menu rounds out the appeal, as does the sexy, clublike ambiance. $

Zea’s Rotisserie and Bar 1525 St. Charles Ave., Lower Garden District, 520-8100; 1655 Hickory Ave, Harahan, 738-0799; 4450 Veterans Memorial Blvd., Metairie, 780-9090; 1325 West Esplanade, Kenner, 468-7733; 1121 Manhattan Blvd., Harvey, 361-8293; 110 Lake Drive, Covington, (985) 327-0520, ZeaRestaurants.com. L, D daily. This popular restaurant serves a variety of grilled items as well as appetizers, salads, side dishes, seafood, pasta and other entrées, drawing from a wide range of worldly influences. Zea’s also offers catering services. $$$ Zoë Restaurant W New Orleans Hotel, 333 Poydras St., 2nd Floor, 207-5018, ZoeNewOrleans.com. B, L, D daily, L Mon-Sat. Completely redone in both décor and cuisine, each restaurant features a separate menu by executive chef Chris Brown. $$$

SPECIALTY FOODS Antoine’s Annex 513 Royal St., 525-8045, French Quarter, Antoines.com/AntoinesAnnex. Around the corner from the oldest continuously operated restaurant in the country, Antoine’s Annex serves French pastries, including individual baked Alaskas, ice cream and gelato, as well as panini, salads and coffee. They also deliver. $ Bittersweet Confections 725 Magazine St., 523-2626, Warehouse District, BittersweetConfections.com. Freshly baked cookies, cupcakes and specialty cakes.

Serving handmade chocolate truffles, fudge, caramels, gelato, ice coffee, chocolate-dipped strawberries and fresh squeezed lemonade.

Children’s birthday parties, chocolate tasting parties, custom chocolates and truffle party

bar. Call for details.

Blue Frog Chocolates 5707 Magazine St., 269-5707, Uptown, BlueFrogChocolate.com.

French and Belgian chocolate truffles and Italian candy flowers make this boutique a great place for gifts.

Calcasieu 930 Tchoupitoulas St., 5882188, Warehouse District, CalcasieuRooms. com. Located in the second floor of a renovated warehouse, above Cochon and Cochon Butcher, is a place to host gatherings both large and small. Catering menus feature modern Louisiana cooking and the Cajun cuisine for which chef Donald Link is justifiably famous.

Gambino’s Bakery Multiple locations. 8857500, Gambinos.com. This local bakery chain has become part of the fabric of New Orleans.

Famous for its Doberge cakes, King Cakes, red velvet cakes, icing-enrobed petite fours, Italian cookies and pastries. Nationwide shipping is available.

Magic Seasonings Mail Order (800) 4572857. Offers Chef Paul Prudhomme’s famous cookbooks, smoked meats, videos, seasonings and more. Online shopping available at shop.

ChefPaul.com.

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

Sucré 3025 Magazine St., 520-8311; 3301 Veterans Blvd., 834-2277; ShopSucre. com. Desserts nightly. Open late weekends.

Chocolates, pastry and gelato draw rave reviews at this new dessert destination.

Beautiful packaging makes this a great place to shop for gifts. Catering available. $

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ADVERTISMENT

ADVERTISMENT

Our Annual Survey of Newly Notables There are two things you could always count on in the local media, a daily Times-Picayune and our annual People to Watch section. Well, now we’re down one. Here is our latest sampling, among many, of new faces doing noteworthy activities or, in some cases, old faces dong new things. Take a look. With fewer newspapers to read, there’s more time for watching.

PROFILES BY HALEY ADAMS, TAYLOR BURLEY, ALEX GECAN, MORGAN PACKARD AND SARAH RAVITS PHOTOGRAPHS BY JEFFERY JOHNSTON n ILLUSTRATIONS BY ROBERT LANDRY 92

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Charles M. Brown

City Librarian and Executive Director, New Orleans Public Library Charles Brown has worked in public libraries for well more than 30 years before becoming director of New Orleans Public Libraries. A Mayor Mitch Landrieu hire and former director in Charlotte, N.C., he now oversees the daily operations of the library system, which will add five new branches in 2012.

Brown says that he feels fortunate to have identified early on a career that he both thoroughly enjoys and in which he has been successful. “I appreciate and value the near-limitless opportunities that the public library offers anyone who is exposed to it. It continues to fulfill its early mission of being, in the words of library philanthropist Andrew Carnegie, ‘the people’s university’ – free and open to all and where all things become possible.”

Brown says his biggest challenge this past year was being part of NOPL’s completion and opening of five new libraries between March and July of this year – four within four weeks’ time, and three of those within a six-day period. “It was a Herculean undertaking and one that the community and I both owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to a remarkable staff for making a reality.”

In the next year, Brown is looking forward to a continuing emphasis on the library’s literacy initiative and identification of additional partners and volunteers to aid in this effort. In December, Natasha Trethewey – U.S. Poet Laureate – will make an appearance at the Main Library, a highlight which Brown says will increase NOPL’s public programming. He also hopes to heighten awareness, through enhanced communications, of the array of services and programs being offered by the NOPL.

Curtis “CJ” Johnson made a huge transition this year after moving from his former position as the New Orleans Saints receivers’ coach to the position of Tulane University’s head football coach. Under the leadership of the Saints’ head coach Sean Payton, Johnson assisted in planning games and working on the players’ conditioning and practice, which eventually led to a Super Bowl win. As Tulane’s new head football coach, Johnson will bring his experience with the Saints to the table.

While he says it was challenging to balance his job for the Saints while transitioning into Tulane’s football program, Johnson is looking forward to building a top-20 program for the university, both academically and athlet-

Kim A. Moss

Executive Director, Project Lazarus Kim Moss has recently been hired as the new executive director for Project Lazarus, a nonprofit organization that provides housing and supporting services to people living with HIV/AIDS and gives hope for those in the HIV/AIDS community by offering care for those unable to care for themselves. Moss will be in charge of aiding the program in transitioning to permanent housing.

Having lived for 25 years with a disease that formerly was considered a “death sentence” and which is now more often considered a “chronic condition,” Moss has learned to live each day to the fullest. As Project Lazarus’ new executive director, Moss now has the opportunity to make a difference for New Orleanians with HIV/AIDS on a daily basis.

Project Lazarus, founded in 1985, has served more than 1,000 people living with the disease since the agency’s inception and was the first agency in New Orleans that specifically provided people with HIV/AIDS a place to live.

Moss says he wants to be able to know that he has done his best each day to make a positive impact. “My favorite thing about what I do is witnessing the remarkable changes that take place in the lives of people who are in need but are empowered and provide a helping hand,” says Moss.

ically. Johnson’s long-term goal for the Tulane football program is to build a team of well-rounded athletes that are successful both on and off the football field.

“I believe the good Lord has instilled a passion in me to do this work. I am driven to see young people succeed both on and off the field,” says Johnson. “There is a sense of pride and joy associated with witnessing the result of hard work and consistency. Knowing I played a small part in the outcome when a student athlete achieves a goal or dream is very fulfilling.”

Curtis “CJ” Johnson

Head Football Coach, Tulane University

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Derek Morel

Director of Athletics, University of New Orleans

Susan M. Taylor

Montine McDaniel Freeman Director, New Orleans Museum of Art An art historian with more than 20 years experience as a museum director, Susan Taylor brings a big-picture leadership style and a penchant for multidisciplinary connections – artistic, cultural, historical – that have already prompted exciting changes at NOMA since she became director on September 2010.

The past two years have been busy for the art museum’s new director. NOMA has expanded the museum and Besthoff Sculpture Garden hours, increased programming, revamped Ralph Brennan’s Café NOMA, reimagined the Department of Interpretation and Audience Engagement, commissioned and acquired new major works of art, celebrated a centennial anniversary and launched a new website as well as a new graphic identity.

Taylor is interested in continuing to explore and foster the relationships between the museum and the city as a whole. “I see tremendous opportunity for the museum to respond to the city’s history and culture, and also to be a catalyst for it,” she says.

A slew of new NOMA programs keep all constituencies engaged. Site-specific Great Hall installations, theater performances, Friday night “Where Y’Art” events and new Saturday children’s programs allow the museum to reach across different disciplines and age groups.

Taylor approaches a directorship with a broad, connection-minded approach bringing together all components of the organization to create a more vital whole. “A director of a museum should be the cultural ambassador for the institution,” she notes.

NOMA has an ambitious upcoming exhibition schedule that includes: “Lifelike” and “Inventing the Modern World: Decorative Art at World’s Fair.”

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Derek R. Morel has been the University of New Orleans Director of Athletics since July 1, and he already has big goals for the Privateers. “It is my expectation that our team will work diligently to lift UNO Athletics to new levels of excellence and, consequently, become a very valuable asset to the University of New Orleans,” he says.

One glance at Morel’s credentials and you’ll see the man has the experience to make that happen. As the former Vice President and General Manager of IMG College, the nation’s leading marketing and multimedia provider, Morel managed the multimedia rights partnerships with Wake Forest University, the city of Winston-Salem and the Greensboro Coliseum Complex for IMG College. He was responsible for about $5 million in annual multi media rights sales management of the Wake Forest website and other various tasks.

Morel says he enjoys working in college athletics because he likes the opportunities sports provide for Division I student athletes. “It is fulfilling to make a difference in the lives of many young women and young men,” Morel says. He adds that he hopes to continue this philosophy for the men and women of UNO, and he hopes the people of New Orleans will join him. “We invite everyone to join us as we begin our journey to excellence – excellence for the University of New Orleans and UNO Athletics,” he says. “The Privateers are back. All for one … All for UNO.”

Ben Azevedo, a fourth-year student at Tulane University medical school and founder of New Orleans Bow Ties, needed a way to relax after a particularly stressful day of studying in 2009.

Azevedo found some silk fabric he’d bought in Thailand and took out his sewing machine – a creative outlet his mother taught him when he was younger.

“I like to feel that I’m creating good things for the world, but being a student often feels like I’m consuming rather than creating,” he explains.

“Starting the bow tie business allows me to activate my right brain, meet new people and contribute something to the world.”

Though he started out making straight ties, Azevedo thought about the presence of bow ties in New Orleans and was instantly inspired. He took his creative outlet and turned it into a successful business that features

Benjamin Azevedo

Founder and CEO, New Orleans Bow Ties

custom-fitted silk bow ties that are made in bright colors and bold patterns. Eventually, Azevedo wants the company to make its own fabric with New Orleans-influenced designs.

“I’m excited we’ve taken on a new designer and we’re looking to release our first line of bow ties that we’ve designed ourselves. We’re also looking forward to selling our ties in more retail shops in the city,” he says. “I am perfecting a product that has become more and more complex the longer I look at it and laying down a foundation for a business that will make my city proud.”

Cassie Steck Worley

Chairman of the Board of Governors, Le Petit Thêatre du Vieux Carré; drama teacher, Metairie Park Country Day School; actress; producer; director Founded in 1916, Le Petit Thêatre du Vieux Carré is one of New Orleans’ cultural icons. Despite its influence on the city, the past few years have been rough – the theater was drowning in debt.

As it struggled to keep its head above water, Board Chair Cassie Worley was forced to make bold decisions to save and carry on the legacy of Le Petit Thêatre du Vieux Carré.

This summer, Le Petit was able to gain sound financial footing with the help of Dickie Brennan and Co., and will continue operating as one of the oldest community theaters in the country. Interior renovations have begun and should be completed by late 2012.

“At a time when so many arts organizations are struggling all over the country, we are so glad and thankful that, with the agreement of our former season ticket holders, we could negotiate this arrangement with Dickie Brennan,” says Worley. “This not only gives the theater a beautiful facelift, but also keeps the organization in New Orleans community, provides arts education to children and opens a first-class restaurant next door.”

On top of getting the theater back on its feet, Worley is heading the theater’s new education program. She says that it will begin immediately in the hopes of creating an education and community outreach program so that students from all social and economic backgrounds can experience the magic of live theater.

“Theater is an affirmation of what makes us human. After 25 years of teaching, I believe the arts are becoming more and more essential, and theater belongs on the most historic corner of New Orleans.”

William Terry

Owner and Soapmaster General, Bayousoap William Terry’s smile is infectious and belies his size, so when he pitches his natural soaps and his success as a small business owner, it’s hard not to smile right back at him.

Terry began Bayousoap – a line of allnatural, made from scratch in New Orleans vegan soap – after Hurricane Katrina, then later discovered it runs in the family (his grandmother and great aunt were also soapmakers). He offers 17 varieties made from unrefined vegetable oils, flowers, herbs and spices that are so large (a single bar might last a year or more) that he suggests you let him cut them to your preferred size. Options include an unscented oatmeal, milk and honey; a super shea butter; a ginger basil exfoliator; a cool citrus basil; and a mango.

Though he’s most often found at festivals (this year he has sold at Jazz Fest, Crescent City Blues & BBQ Festival and Essence Fest), his soap is also sold at the Community Bookstore, Maypop Herbshop and co-ops around New Orleans, among other locations. In the last year Terry has taken on a second vendor, so that Bayousoap can be at two places at once, and hopes to add a third vendor this next year. In addition, he sells his soap through his Facebook page (fb/bayousoap) and hopes to begin a soap competition with awards such as “best scent” and “best lather.”

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Alex Rawls

Writer, MySpiltMilk.com; Guest Editor, Oxford American Louisiana Music Issue 2012 It has been a busy year for writer Alex has gained New Orleans Rawls. He says his biggest accomplisha lot of attention in ment of 2012 came when he was asked recent months with The to guest edit for the Oxford American Times-Picayune’s shift Louisiana Music Issue. He was honored to digital. Rawls is part to be included in the flagship issue for the of the New Orleans magazine and appreciated the responsibilDigital News Alliance, ity and trust Oxford American gave him. a group of online news Another big 2012 moment for Rawls outlets that promote was when he left his job as editor of each other’s stories and OffBeat magazine for, what he calls, “the websites. He thinks it’s very unpredictable world of online journalan exciting time for the ism.” He started MySpiltMilk.com, a webcity’s writers and readers. site that covers New Orleans music, art, “We’re going to be cuttingfood and more. edge whether we want to be Rawls says he started MySpiltMilk.com or not,” Rawls says, “and because OffBeat’s online presence was we’re all going to be a part growing and he was finding little time to of the process of negotiating write. With his own website, he could tell a new relationship between the stories he wanted. the reader, the writer and the Rawls is an example of writers community as a whole. I look adapting to the future of digital forward to being a part of journalism, something that that conversation.”

Lavonzell Nicholson

Owner and Co-founder, playNOLA Sports Lavonzell Nicholson has played and coached sports all her life, so building a business around adult recreational sports was a natural progression. “Moving back to the city post-Hurricane Katrina I realized that there were a number of traditional networking avenues in which young professionals could meet,” she says; her brainchild, playNOLA Sports, is a place for young professionals in New Orleans to “network” while playing kickball, softball and other sports. “playNOLA was born out of a desire to be able to play sports, a gaping hole in the young professional/adult recreational landscape.” playNOLA has been adding more and more sports, and Nicholson anticipates further growth. “In the short term, we’re working each day to grow our membership,” she says, adding that they have added 6,500 members since 2009. “Long-term, the goal is to grow the playNOLA brand in the city of New Orleans and the region. I want playNOLA to become synonymous with adult recreation in New Orleans and south Louisiana.”

Nicholson has also helped to create the GeauxPlay Foundation, which will work with areas kids during the summer.

But her biggest accomplishment, she says, “is my growing family. I’m over-the-moon in love with my husband, Marquies, and so overjoyed to announce that we are expecting our first child. Family is the cornerstone of my life; at the end of our lives, we may be remembered as a great businessperson, philanthropist, athlete and so on, but none of that compares to the legacy of love that you leave with your family.”

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Cindy Chang

Journalist, Los Angeles Times and former reporter, The Times-Picayune After the startling and sweeping changes were announced at the The TimesPicayune this past summer, Cindy Chang’s journalistic career path took an unexpected turn to the West Coast. Chang, whose investigative prison series, “Louisiana INCarcerated” garnered national attention, won the Sidney Hillman Award, which honors reporters whose investigative work fosters social and economic justice. She exposed abuse and corruption in private prisons in the state.

“I was amazed by the reaction,” she says. “So many people were grateful to us for exposing something they’d had no idea about.” She had been with the newspaper since 2007, and hoped to conduct more in-depth investigations here, but now she will be reporting for the Los Angeles Times, telling the stories of immigrants in Southern California. “I love talking to people I wouldn’t otherwise talk to, learning about their lives and what makes them tick, then writing a compelling story,” she says. “My ultimate goal as a journalist is to tell the stories of people who have been left behind in our system of winners and losers, so that those who are exploiting them can be held accountable.”

Dr. Justin A. Nystrom Assistant Professor of History, Loyola University New Orleans

Tod A. Smith

President and General Manager, WWL-TV Inc. Tod A. Smith recently came home to New Orleans – and a company for which he used to work – from Norfolk, Va., where he was president and general manager of a local ABC affiliate. In New Orleans, he has taken over as president and general manager of WWL-TV Inc., and is responsible for WWL-TV, WUPL-TV, NewsWatch Channel 15 and WWLTV.com.

“There’s not a more interesting, challenging and fun job than operating a media company,” says Smith. “It satisfies my creative side as well as my analytical side; not many professions can do that. My favorite part of the job is working with people who are as passionate about their community and their profession as I am. And getting to do this in my hometown, and at the first television station I worked at, is just lagniappe.”

“I’m expecting some exciting things to come from Rampart Street,” says Smith, looking forward

Starting this fall, Justin A. Nystrom will be the co-director of the Center for the Study of New Orleans at Loyola University New Orleans. It is a logical new role for the Loyola assistant professor of history who has been researching the city in the form of oral histories. He has focused on local groups and places, such as Deutches Haus, Italian groceries, the port and more, and has shown a love for New Orleans in both its past and future.

Researching and celebrating the city of New Orleans keeps Nystrom busy. In 2011, Nystrom helped organize the first NolaLoyola event, which featured panels and discussions about the city’s world-famous cuisine. He is currently planning NolaLoyola 2012, scheduled for

to his new post. “First, we want to provide the news and information that can help to make this a better place to live. An informed populace is crucial to the long-term health of our community.” And, more specifically, “We’re continuously striving to understand the needs of our viewers, online users and business partners.”

And, of course, Smith is just happy to be back in the Big Easy. “As Dorothy said, there’s no place like home.”

Smith is married to Kenya Lavigne Smith and father to Elijah Nathaniel Smith.

Sept. 28, which will focus on brass bands and jazz.

Nystrom is also working on a book, Creole Italian, due out in late 2013, and he recently finished his first film, Haus of Memories. Nystrom will also be directing the Loyola Documentary and Oral History Studio this fall.

Nystrom says he and his wife, Jessica, are part of the post-Hurricane Katrina migration to New Orleans, and they’re committed to making the city a better place. “I hope that the things I do will inspire my students to understand and embrace our city,” Nystrom says. “At the same time, there are amazing things going on at Loyola right now, and I’m part of a new wave of faculty who see our job as taking the university to the next level of excellence in both teaching and research. I have some incredible colleagues.”

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Larry Daniels

General Manager, Hyatt French Quarter As the new general manager of the Hyatt French Quarter, Larry Daniels, who moved here from Dallas, works with a diverse group of people in one of the city’s most anticipated properties: the newly opened Hyatt French Quarter, a former Wyndham hotel that went through an $18 million renovation. The hotel is prime real estate for both locals and tourists and will undoubtedly be a key venue to accommodate guests of the upcoming Super Bowl.

Behind every great hotel is a great GM, and Daniels has the experience and the energy to bring the hotel into its bright future. “I enjoy the ongoing challenge of ensuring that all needs are met throughout any given day,” he says.

His long-term goal is to achieve a higher level of responsibility with the organization.

Because the transition is so fresh, he says his top priority is to make sure that all high standards and service levels exceed guests’ expectations.

“Hyatt French Quarter’s modern design and new aesthetic has surpassed my original expectations,” says Daniels. “It truly is a fantastic property in one of our city’s greatest neighborhoods.”

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Douriean Fletcher designs and creates jewelry and bamboo sconces, and her company, Eklektik Ekhos, has led her to work in major museums and be in important fashion shows. But in addition to making and selling her creations, she’s passionate about sharing her knowledge and artistry with children. She has been working as a teaching artist with the KidsmART organization since 2010, and she has lofty aspirations for them and for herself.

“My ultimate life goal is to create an organization that takes children that don’t have the privilege to travel to countries that still participate in indigenous jewelry-making techniques and expose them to different ways of life,” she says.

Artist and Designer, Eklektik Ekhos; Her biggest recent chalTeaching Artist, KidsmART lenge was to raise funds to get to Paris for a Fashion Week event, Labo Ethnik. “I was invited a few months before the event and I had to raise most of the funds and bust my butt to get there,” she says. “It was emotionally, mentally and physically challenging, but it was well worth it!”

Admittedly soft-spoken, Fletcher speaks volumes with her artwork. “I don’t talk much, but I feel like I can communicate exactly what I’m thinking and how I feel through my work,” she says. “I create to share a story and to break my own barriers that have been placed here by society and by myself. Through creating, I’m able to realize a world of unlimited possibilities, and I thank and appreciate all those that share this journey with me.”

Fletcher’s work is available on her website, EklektikEkhos.com.

Douriean Fletcher

Red Vaughan Tremmel

Assistant Professor and Director of the Office for Gender and Sexual Diversity, Tulane University; Film Director and Producer, Exotic World and the Burlesque Revival Red Tremmel is the director of the new Office for Gender and Sexual Diversity at Tulane University and is excited to be part of a team that will “provide all undergraduate, graduate and professional students with academic, cultural and professional resources that will be of lifelong use.” In addition, he’ll be working with Tulane’s Center for Public Service to collaborate with local nonprofits, cultural and educational institutions to address issues related to gender and sexuality throughout New Orleans.

“Whether teaching, advising students, making a documentary, doing research or making art, I hope to help people think about sexuality and gender with more depth and nuance,” Tremmel says. “I feel it’s imperative that we think hard and smart about sexuality and gender if we’re

to effectively address some of the most pressing issues of our day.”

After 10 years of work, Tremmel screened the rough cut of his documentary, Exotic World and the Burlesque Revival at a reunion of 500 burlesque dancers, who gave him a standing ovation. In June, he created an installation on the art and history of burlesque for dOCUMENTA(13) in Kassel, Germany, which expected more than 750,000 visitors in 10 days. Tremmel feels that Jennie Lee and Dixie Evans, two burlesque dancers whose careers spanned the 1940s and ’50s who worked their entire lives to introduce the world to burlesque as a significant art form, “might rest easy knowing that their work is being honored in one of the world’s most celebrated international modern art exhibitions.”

John Biguenet

Robert Hunter Distinguished University Professor, Loyola University In between teaching literature and creative writing classes at Loyola University New Orleans – where he has worked for the last 35 years ­– John Biguenet has been hard at work cranking out two new plays, a new novel and a new collection of stories, all in the last year.

A lifelong writer, Biguenet began publishing reviews of children’s books in The Times-Picayune at age 10. “Writing has remained for me the most effective way of understanding the world,” he explains. “Writing and teaching fit me because I find very attractive the combination of writing and the sense of community in a classroom.”

Biguenet is the author of Oyster, a novel, and The Torturer’s Apprentice: Stories, a widely translated

collection. He has also penned the plays The Vulgar Soul (also a story in Apprentice) and Rising Water, which were produced by Southern Rep to wide acclaim. In the next year, he’ll have two new plays opening nationwide; here in Louisiana, his trilogy of plays on a flooded New Orleans will run next spring in Baton Rouge, Lafayette and New Orleans.

“My goal is to continue to organize my life to balance writing, teaching and family,” says the father of two, adding that his greatest accomplishment is “occasionally deserving my wife.”

Biguenet is the winner of the 2012 Louisiana Writer Award, an honor given by the State Library of Louisiana for lifetime achievement.

Health care reform has been one of the hottest topics this election year, something the new Ochsner Health System CEO Warner L. Thomas has been navigating to make sure the company’s patients keep getting the best care. As the former president and chief operating officer of Ochsner, Thomas identifies health care reform as his biggest challenge of the past year. But understanding the changes and adapting to new technologies and innovations is a part of a larger philosophy Thomas and the team at Ochsner strives to achieve. “In health care, you can’t stand still,” Thomas says. “We have to keep innovating to bring our patients the highest quality of care.”

Thomas’s long-term goal is to make Ochsner the best health care system in the Southeast. The system already has an impressive list of accolades, including its place on the U.S. News & World Report 2012-’13 Best Hospitals rankings; Ochsner Medical Center was ranked No. 1 in Louisiana and in the New Orleans metro area.

Ochsner Medical Center–Kenner was ranked No. 2 in the New Orleans metro area and No. 4 in Louisiana.

Thomas wants to build on the health system’s impressive record by broadening the brand’s presence throughout the world and by improving its access to the people the system serves. While the Vermont native recognizes that Ochsner is already a renowned health care system, he says this is no reason to stop making goals for improvement. It is a mantra Thomas incorporates into his own life as well: The new CEO had his fastest time ever in the bike portion of the Ironman this year.

Monty Sullivan, Ed.D.

Chancellor, Delgado Community College Monty Sullivan took over as Chancellor of Delgado Community College this June, coming off a career with the Louisiana Community and Technical College System, where he was responsible for academic programs, student services, institutional research and more.

“Education changes lives,” Sullivan says. “It is a rare privilege to lead an organization with the 90-year history of Delgado serving over 30,000 individuals each year – people who learn and grow personally and professionally, which ultimately benefits our community. Each of those students has a unique personal story of their journey.”

In his new position, Sullivan intends to hone Delgado’s programs to reflect the needs of the regional workforce. “In the immediate future, Delgado is focused on delivering a new level of excellence in the allied health fields, culinary arts, digital media and advanced manufacturing, among others.”

While looking to increase the school’s reach, the Delgado administration has dealt with a few growing pains. “Delgado has experienced a near-doubling in enrollment since fall 2006,” says Sullivan. “We are proud to say that we have met the challenge that each new semester has brought.”

Delgado has the advantage of recently joining the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Effort, an aid program for developing companies. Sullivan is looking forward to a bright future at Delgado, including the pending centennial in 2021.

Sullivan and his wife, Kelley, have four daughters, ages 8, 11, 13 and 19.

Warner L. Thomas Chief Executive Officer, Ochsner Health System

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Jamie Peckenpaugh

Executive Director, New Orleans Wine & Food Experience

Craig von Babylon

Founder, New Orleans Watch Company Craig von Babylon decided to reinvent his professional life at the age of 64. A jeweler by trade, he could no longer suffer the notion that no watch had been born in New Orleans – so he designed his first watch incorporating a vivid crescent, a ship’s wheel and the fleur-de-lis, and the New Orleans Watch Company was born.

“Being a jeweler, watchmaker and watch manufacturer was not a choice – it was a calling,” says von Babylon.

“My family was always in the jewelry business so I inherited by osmosis the love for the design and elegance of fine jewelry-making.” Watchmaking is the natural extension of the family business. “It allows me to leave this world for untold hours and to create on a level of design and functionality that just isn’t available any other place. Jewelry is nice, but creating a watch that will be worn on someone’s wrist for decades and actually tells the correct time is part of my DNA.” Von Babylon says the hardest part of getting NOWC up and running was “staying above or ahead of the economy,” but takes great pride in his professional reboot, his family and “knowing that my dogs still like me.” His son, Kristopher, has inherited the watch-making mantle, continuing the family tradition; von Babylon also enjoys spending time with his wife, Lynn, and his daughters, Samantha and Emily.

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In a city associated with food, leading the New Orleans Wine & Food Experience comes with meeting high expectations. Now the event has executive director Jamie Peckenpaugh at the helm with big plans to keep the brand growing.

Peckenpaugh has been with the NOWFE since January 2008. She started as executive assistant, but became the executive director in October 2010. Before working for the NOWFE, Peckenpaugh had a marketing position at the Fisher Center for Alzheimer’s Research Foundation in New York. The New Orleans native left Manhattan to return to her hometown and contribute to her community.

For the future of the NOWFE, Peckenpaugh is working on building the event’s international brand. “The goal is to bring awareness to a larger audience,” Peckenpaugh says.

“It’s not really about getting bigger, it’s about NOWFE assuming its proper place among the top food and wine

events in the country.” She adds that you can follow her on Twitter (@JamieLynn_P).

The event’s coverage has already reached various countries including India, Germany and the United Kingdom, which shows, Peckenpaugh says, that the international audience is paying attention. NOWFE also has partnerships with Fine Cooking magazine, Stella Artois, Carnival Cruise Lines and more.

Peckenpaugh says the event’s success is measured by a couple of different factors, but the most important is how much money NOWFE raises for charity. The event has raised more than $1 million for local charities over the last 20 years.

In addition for contributing to local organizations, Peckenpaugh hopes to keep the already renowned foodie experience an event that both locals and visitors from around the world can enjoy.

Walter M. Kimbrough

Walter M. Kimbrough knew he was where he was supposed to be when he became the president President, Dillard University of Dillard University in July 2012.

Raised by a United Methodist preacher for a father and a religion teacher and book author for a mother, Kimbrough grew up learning the idea of “fulfilling your calling.” “Being a college president is my calling, to engage young people so they can serve their communities,” Kimbrough says. “My favorite thing is being with the students.”

The Dillard University position is Kimbrough’s second college president role. He came to Dillard from Philander Smith College, located in Little Rock, Ark., where he tackled the development of the school’s unique brand identity. He also greatly improved student performance, which was measured in retention and graduation rates.

Kimbrough says he helped make Philander Smith College a stronger institution, a goal he also has for Dillard. “My long-term goal is to be at Dillard,” Kimbrough says. “I want to provide stable leadership so that we can secure the future of this institution, as well as determine how we can best meet the needs of the Gentilly community as well as the city of New Orleans.”

Kimbrough spent his first days on the job meeting faculty and staff. He is looking forward to meeting new people and meeting with constituent groups and community partners as he continues his role. For those who don’t get the chance to meet Kimbrough in person, they can join the more than 4,200 users that follow him on Twitter (@hiphopprez).

Fred Luter Jr.

President, Southern Baptist Convention; Pastor, Franklin Avenue Baptist Church

Peter J. Fos

President, University of New Orleans June 19, 2012 was a blessed day for Pastor Fred Luter Jr. after 29 years of preaching the word of God; on that day he became the first black President of the Southern Baptist Convention – the largest protestant denomination in the country.

While the presidency is a two-year term, since 1983, Luter’s life has been focused on his calling – that was the year he preached his first sermon at the Law Street Baptist Church in the 7th Ward.

Raised in the Lower 9th Ward as the middle child of five siblings, in 1977, Luter was involved in a horrific motorcycle accident that left him hospitalized. Soon after he could be found preaching every afternoon on the corner of Galvez Street and Caffin Avenue. In ’86 he was elected pastor of the Franklin Avenue Baptist Church, a congregation that he has helped grow from 65 to more than 7,000 members – and that was before Hurricane Katrina struck. Since 2008, the congregation has continued to increase, outgrowing its sanctuary. In 2011 he was elected the Southern Baptist Convention’s first African-American Vice President, and how he holds its highest office.

His greatest challenge this past year has been starting a new program to construct a larger sanctuary and he’s excited to break ground on the new building.

Luter says his greatest accomplishment, however, is, “being married to my wife, Elizabeth, for 32 incredible years and raising two children (Kimberly and Fred III, also a pastor) who have a genuine love of God.”

After working in higher education administration for the last 25 years, Peter J. Fos was appointed as President of University of New Orleans in January. He says that while he has experienced many accomplishments during his career, he hopes that his greatest accomplishment during his career will be leading UNO into the future and helping the university reach its full potential as a premier university in the nation.

Fos, a graduate of UNO, says that his biggest challenge as president is to continue to grow the university and improve it each day. “My favorite thing about what I now do is that I have the opportunity to represent my alma mater, the University of New Orleans, and the students, faculty and staff who work at UNO. Meeting people who are UNO alumni or supporters is one of the fun aspects of the job.”

While the student body is 6,000 students less than before Hurricane Katrina, Fos is working hard to reach pre-Katrina numbers, a tough feat with recent reductions in state appropriations.

Despite this challenge, Fos says he’s looking forward to increasing the number of students at UNO and showing the community that UNO is an asset to the Greater New Orleans area.

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Stephanie Young

Designer and Owner, Stephanie Young fashion label

Todd P. Murphy

President, Jefferson Chamber of Commerce The new leader of the Jefferson Chamber of Commerce has made it his goal to improve the environment of business and quality of life in the area, something he knows he can accomplish given his past experiences. Before taking the president position at the Jefferson Chamber of Commerce, Murphy was the Senior Vice President of Business Development and Governmental Funds for IBERIABANK. He enjoys using his business skills to help companies grow through advocacy, professional development and relationship building.

Since becoming the Chamber’s president June 1, Murphy has started short-term initiatives including organizing staff, systems and strategic plans. He is also planning on the next phase of the Jefferson Chamber by reaching out to community stakeholders and building on the Chamber’s success from the previous 15 years. The family man – he considers his two daughters, Kaci and Kelli, his biggest accomplishment – hopes his business expertise can help the organizations of Jefferson Parish, but also all of the parish’s residents.

“My long term goal at the Jefferson Chamber is to increase the organization’s presence in policy and quality of life initiatives,” Murphy says. “When we improve the business and living climate in our parish, we not only will grow our organization, but our parish will prosper, as well.”

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Stephanie Young once wanted to be an orthodontist, but as the “Top Designer” winner at Fashion Week New Orleans 2012, Young won’t be examining any teeth in the near future. The young designer completed her collection for Fashion Week New Orleans in only six weeks, while she worked full time as the assistant manager for Bridal Boutique in Baton Rouge. She left the store in April 2012 to be a full-time designer.

The St. Gabriel, La. native attended Louisiana State University to major in business, but she later graduated with a degree in apparel and fashion design. She is now recognized as a hot new face in the Southern design world, something fashion insiders have pointed out by showcasing her work. New Orleans-based fashion magazine Amelie G featured her designs in a fashion feature in the midsummer issue. One of her gowns will be part of the costume wardrobe in the upcoming film, Playing For Keeps, which stars Gerard Butler and Catherine ZetaJones. The film also stars actress Judy Greer, who will wear one of Young’s designs.

Young is grateful for all of the honors she’s received in her early career, and she’s happy with the new path her career is taking as a designer, even if it wasn’t her original goal. “I tell people all the time, ‘This wasn’t the plan.’” Young says. “I was going to be an orthodontist. Sometimes we choose a path and sometimes it chooses us.”

Young says her next challenge is to continue to sell her custom pieces and create a successful business. In the future, she hopes to open a flagship store.

Suresh K. Alahari

Fred. G. Brazda Professor of Biochemistry, Department of Biochemistry and Stanley Scott Cancer Center, Louisiana State University School of Medicine Growing up, Suresh K. Alahari always wanted to be a doctor, but when he entered into the research field almost 25 years ago, he never looked back. Dr. Alahari now works for LSU School of Medicine’s Department of Biochemistry and Stanley Scott Cancer Center as a professor of Biochemistry. Alahari’s most recent achievement is the protein his laboratory discovered – called Nischarin – that can inhibit the growth of breast cancer cells.

Alahari’s study discovered that normal breast cancer cells have significantly higher levels of Nischarin. When that protein is blocked, Alahari and his researchers discovered that the cancerous tumors grew faster. The breakthrough came to light when the team discovered that when tissue samples were altered to overproduce Nischarin, cancer growth was reduced – a huge

discovery in the world of cancer research.

Dr. Alahari’s research was published Sept. 14, 2011 online in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. Alahari says that while getting his research published was his biggest challenge in the past year, he likes the challenge his career creates.

“My favorite thing is to explore new and challenging approaches to a particular problem,” he says.

“My long-term goal is to find a cure for breast cancer; I know it isn’t an easy task. I will try everything possible from my side. Towards the goal, we’re exploring many new avenues to attack this devastating disease.”

Though he’s on the forefront of breast cancer research, he considers teaching his greatest accomplishment, particularly when all his students and postdoctoral fellows become independent scientists doing their own breast cancer research.

James B. Cook

General Manager, Sheraton New Orleans Hotel James B. Cook took over as general manager of the Sheraton New Orleans Hotel in June of this year, in the midst of a hotel renovation and at the beginning of a revamp of the main lobby and the hotel’s Club Lounge. At a $45 million price tag, the hotel renovation is part of a larger series of renovations for Sheratons worldwide, coming in at $9 billion at the end of the day.

“Through my work, I’m able to contribute in so many ways to the well-being of our guests from far away – and our neighbors right here,” says Cook. “The hospitality industry is incredibly complex and dynamic.

It touches all sectors of our community.” Close to one-fifth of New Orleans residents are hospitality professionals.

As he has with

other hotels in the past – including his last post at a Sheraton in Boston – Cook looks forward to transitioning out of the Sheraton’s renovation and keeping the hotel on an even keel. “I feel the greatest pride when I think about some of the high-performing teams I have been a part of,” he says. “Finding ways to mentor and act as a catalyst for someone’s personal or professional growth is very rewarding to me.”

Not one to sacrifice a personal life to the demands of the professional, Cook began taking “crossfit” classes recently. “I couldn’t walk after the first one, but by the third one they were trying to keep up with me!” he boasts.

Cook also keeps sacred his family time with his three children, Chris, Elisa and Storie.

Colonel Bill Davis, USMC (ret.)

Commandant, New Orleans Military and Maritime Academy Colonel Bill Davis, USMC, is the Commandant of the New Orleans Military and Maritime Academy (NOMMA) and one of the creators of the recently founded school. Davis and the school’s principal, Dr. Cecelia Garcia, built the school from nothing but a concept on paper in April 2011. Though they began with no staff and no structure, the academy now has a staff of 26 with more than 230 cadets registered for the 2012-’13 school year.

“We are building an outstanding staff one year at a time dedicated to developing individual potential and collective team work,” Davis explains. “We are in the midst of designing and constructing a first class campus at Federal City, leveraging century-old historical buildings. We are establishing traditions of citizenship, leadership and world-class academics that will firmly establish this institution amongst the best in the country.”

The academy is the only program in the country that’s a charter school with all the students being cadets in the Marine Corps Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps program.

Davis says that he’s looking forward to completing the academy’s campus at Federal City by next summer and moving into the new school for next year’s grades nine through 11.

“I am expecting us to grow even more next year and have greater impact on the lives of our cadets. Three years from now and thereafter, when someone asks one of these young leaders where they went to high school, I want them to be able to say with pride that they went to NOMMA.”

Melissa Harris-Perry

Host of MSNBC’s “Melissa Harris-Perry;” Professor of Political Science and Founding Director of the Anna Julia Cooper Project at Tulane University; and Columnist for The Nation Melissa Harris-Perry is MSNBC’s newest television host of the two-hour long “Melissa Harris-Perry” show, which airs on Saturday and Sunday mornings. During the week, Harris-Perry is a full-time political science professor at Tulane University, where she works as the founding director of the Anna Julia Cooper Project on Gender, Race and Politics in the South at the Newcomb College Institute.

“I love my work as both a professor and as a television host,” she says. “The two jobs may seem quite different, but both rely on research, offer opportunities to ask probing questions and allow me the opportunity to teach. My ‘classroom’ on television may be larger than my classroom at Tulane, but the tasks are more similar than you might initially expect.”

“I am working hard to be good at many different tasks at once,” she continues. “It is important to me to be a present, active and responsive professor. It is also extremely important to air a quality political analysis program each weekend.” Harris-Perry says that besides her career, she never wants to forget my roles as mother and wife. “Supporting my husband’s dreams and helping my daughter grow into an exceptional young woman are important goals to me.”

Harris-Perry says that in the next year, she’s most looking forward to the presidential election. “I am a political nerd and I can’t believe I have a television show in an election year. I am completely beside myself with excitement.”

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Pictured above is what was commonly known as “newspaper row” hearkening back to the late 19th century when there were enough newspapers to have in a row. These and other photographs remind us that while New Orleans has done better than most cities at preserving its past, there are still many layers to explore. Life was so different. It was as plain as black and white.

BY JOHN MAGILL PHOTOGRAPHS COURTESY THE HISTORIC NEW ORLEANS COLLECTION 104

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In the late 1880s, when George François Mugnier took this photograph, the riverside of the 300 block of Camp Street – seen to the right – was called “Newspaper Row,” because several of New Orleans’ major newspapers and other publications were located here. Among these were the Daily Picayune (third building from the right with the balconies) and the Times-Democrat several doors to the left of the Picayune. For years, these were the city’s dominant morning newspapers, finally merging in 1914 as the Times-Picayune. The combined paper operated from “Newspaper Row” until ’20, when it moved a few blocks away to Camp Street at Lafayette Square.

The Mascot, seen next door to the right of the Daily Picayune, was a scurrilous scandal paper that was published through much of the 1880s and 1890s.

In the early 20th century, goats were popular for pulling small children’s wagons and floats, frequently showing up in children’s photography of the time. John Tibule Mendes took this image of the New Orleans Children’s May Festival, May 13, 1917. It was an especially patriotic event that year – with its diminutive Red Cross nurse, Uncle Sam and American flag – since the United States had just entered World War I a few weeks earlier. The festival took place at the Taylor Playground, which still exists at the corner of Washington Avenue and South Derbigny Street in Broadmoor.

Boys are shown taking time to pose on the crumbling steps of the former Citizens’ Bank building about 1890.

Located on Toulouse Street between Royal and Chartres streets, the bank was built about 1838 and was typical of the Greek temple-like banks of the early 19th century, which were meant to give the impression of wealth and stability. Citizens’ Bank – called La Banque Des Citoyens in French – printed its own notes (a common and legal practice then) in English and French. The $10 notes bore the word “DIX,” the French word for 10, said to have originated the terms Dixie Note and Dixieland. The bank eventually relocated and by the 1870s was already an abandoned ruin that was finally demolished by 1900. myneworleans.com

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Comparing photographs taken at the intersection of Felicity and Polymnia streets looking toward the river from Dryades Street – now Oretha Castle Haley Boulevard – in the late 1850s and early 1920s, one can clearly see how dramatically urban life in New Orleans changed over a period of only about 65 years. The early view, with boys posing stock-still in the street for the long photographic exposure time, shows a primarily residential area of dirt

streets with deep drainage gutters with plank bridges. Unseen, there would have been no public water supply or sewage disposal. The later view shows technological changes that had come about: automobiles, asphalt paved streets, electric streetlights and utility poles strung with garlands of telegraph, telephone and electric wires. The neighborhood had become more commercial, and there would have been running water, subsurface drainage and sewage disposal.

On Feb. 14, 1895, New Orleans received its greatest recorded snowfall when about eight inches of the white stuff fell during the night to blanket the city. The city came to a standstill, as streetcars were abandoned and businesses suspended operation. Sightseers dressed up, braved the chilly air and filled the slippery streets. Some hurled snowballs at unsuspecting passersby, while others just strolled about, such as those seen here at the corner of North Rampart and St. Ann streets at Congo Square. Today this is part of Armstrong Park, and since 1930, the Municipal Auditorium has filled the area of small houses directly behind the square on what, in 1895, was St. Claude and Orleans streets.

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This group of women is throwing rocks and bricks at a house in the 600 block of Joseph Street on July 5, 1929.

They are attacking the home of a strike breaker during the contentious streetcar strike that had begun on July 1 over the methods New Orleans Public Service used to discharge workers and the company’s unwillingness to accept a closed shop system. July 5 was especially violent when NOPSI attempted to restore service. Cars were overturned and set ablaze, and there was even a house dynamited. The rock throwing incident – possibly posed for the media – took place along the square behind the Arabella Car Barn in the 5600 block of Magazine Street. Houses now fill the back square, while the Arabella Barn is a Whole Foods Market. Streetcar service returned on Aug. 15, ’29, with the strike settled in October.

The term poor boy sandwich – to feed hungry strikers – is said to have been coined during this strike.

The Morris Building was among the tallest buildings in New Orleans – except for church steeples – when it was built in the late 1880s. It was considered the most modern and elegant office building in town. Although touted as fireproof, a major fire seriously damaged the upper floors in 1901; the building is shown here being restored afterwards. The restoration contained fashionable bay windows as well as a wide cornice; the latter was blown off by the ’47 hurricane. The building to the right was so damaged in the fire that it had to be torn down and replaced. The Morris Building is still standing, although it later became the Interstate Bank and for many years was known as the Cigali Building.

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D.H. Holmes on Canal Street between Bourbon and Dauphine streets seen here in the mid-1880s was the largest dry goods store in New Orleans, already covering much of a square block. Dry goods stores were primarily huge fabric, notion and accessory stores poised to become full line department stores in about 10 years. Seen here is the “Silk Hall” near Holmes’ Dauphine wing. Rising two stories high this department with its appearance of a gothic cathedral – meant to elevate lady shopper’s moods and encourage sales – sold the finest fabrics in the store in the days when better quality ready-to-wear clothing wasn’t yet available. Dress patterns and material were there for home sewing, but only if a lady wished someone else to make it, Holmes had seamstresses on call to meet the demand.

Mannequins dressed in the latest modes were placed around the floor for inspiration and to encourage sales, but also give eerie impression of well-dressed headless shoppers.

This whimsical ca. 1953 Maidenform bra display at LaBiche’s must have made a few heads turn. (National company advertising such as this is frequently quite successful, since it tends to be memorable.) It was thought-worthy enough to be photographed by Charles L. Franck Photographers. LaBiche’s was a better class clothing and home appliance store then located in the 300 block of Baronne Street. The store, was founded in ’18 as LaBiche and Graff on Poydras Street; it operated on Baronne from the early ’30s until the early ’60s, when it relocated to 714 Canal St. While Maidenform is still around, LaBiche’s and its several branches have been out of business since the ’80s.

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The clothing worn by the woman to the left probably dates this to summer on Canal Street. It is either 1917 or ’18 when the United States was embroiled in World War I and exemplified by the large American Red Cross sign stretching across the median of the street pleading for “Help! For Pity’s Sake.” This view by John Tibule Mendes looks toward the lake from Rampart Street. The large building seen peeking over the top of the streetcar to the right is the Southern Railway Station built on the Basin Street median in ’08 and demolished in the ’50s. Today the Saenger Theater (’27) fills the right foreground of the view, while the State Palace (’26) and Joy (’47) are across the street.

This intersection, with it tracks and rough paving, looks down North Rampart Street from Elysian Fields Avenue on Jan. 5, 1921. The tracks along North Rampart Street are part of the Dauphine streetcar line, which abandoned this route after being transferred to the St. Claude and Desire lines in ’26. The cross tracks along Elysian Fields Avenue belong to the Louisville and Nashville and “Smokey Mary” – the train that ran out to Lake Pontchartrain and Milneburg with its long pier and mix of clubs and camps. The building in the right foreground is now the Phoenix Bar, while the buildings at the left have been replaced by a parking lot and warehouse belonging to a supermarket abandoned since Hurricane Katrina.

John Magill is a curator and historian at The Historic New Orleans Collection.

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In what many New Orleanians fear will

W h en t he En d Be g an f o r T i m es- P ic ay u n e Staff e r s

By Susan Finch

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be a brutal change for their tradition-minded community, the 175-year-old Times-Picayune will end its life as a daily newspaper in October 2012 and go to press only on Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays – the weekdays most valuable to its advertisers.

New York City-based Newhouse family-owned Advance Publications, which bought The Times-Picayune in 1962, says that going to less-than-daily publication and laying off 200 of the newspaper’s staffers effective Sept. 30 were necessary steps to keep the paper from succumbing to rising costs and to shift the paper’s newsgathering focus to its website, Nola.com.

Times-Picayune employees first learned that their

M I K E L U C K O V I C H I LL U STRAT I O N

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sider a plan they say will leave New Orleans the only major city in the United States without a locally published daily paper and imperil its continued recovery from Hurricane Katrina.

To date, Advance has reconsidered in only one respect: It has agreed to publish a Saints tabloid on Mondays during football season.

But Steve Newhouse, president of Advance.net, the digital arm of his family’s publishing group, has repeatedly said the newspaper isn’t for sale. Two purchase offers from Saints owner Tom Benson were rejected. Even a letter from U.S. Sen. David Vitter, warning that Advance would “get smoked” it if doesn’t sell the paper, has left the company apparently unmoved.

As the day nears when The TimesPicayune starts appearing three days a week, worries abound that New Orleans residents without Internet access – more than a third of the city’s populace – will be unable to find out what has happened on the four days the paper doesn’t print.

“We’re very aware as we focus more on digital and reduce the number of days we’re publishing, we have an obligation to serve people who don’t have the same access to digital or the same understanding that other groups have,” Newhouse said in an interview published Aug. 3 on the website Poynter.org. He said Advance. net was close to announcing “significant initiatives” to ease that burden.

Times-Picayune Editor Jim Amoss says readers have no cause for concern and that they’ll be getting more news when the newspaper starts publishing three days a week.

“Nobody will miss out so long as they buy the three (printed) editions,” he says. The three editions will have everything readers are used to in the seven-day-a-week paper, he A PALL OVER THE COMMUNITY said. Amoss also promised substantive Meanwhile, the prospect that The reporting in the three editions and on Times-Picayune will land on people’s Bruce Nolan Nola.com. doorsteps only three days out of every Times-Picayune religion editor “We have by far the largest reportseven has thrown a pall over the larger ing staff in the region and a strong community. commitment to watchdog journalism “What am I going to do with my and will fulfill that commitment,” Amoss said. “What we are mother? She doesn’t even turn on the TV in the morning; she doing is to preserve the kind of journalism that Times-Picayune reads the paper,” said one man in the crowd that gathered June readers expect.”

4 outside Rock ’n’ Bowl on South Carrollton Avenue for a rally to Will the new venture’s reporters be too busy posting news demand the paper continue publishing daily. updates to tackle more complex stories?

No one knows whether a three-days-a-week Times-Picayune “I think good journalism is going to have to include both the can succeed or if Advance can improve its website enough to ability to report 24/7 and to find ways to do enterprise and invessatisfy critics who call it clunky and hard to navigate. tigative journalism,” Amoss said. “Good stories demand resources What is certain is that other organizations, including Baton and time, and we are going to afford both.”

Rouge’s daily, The Advocate, and a new partnership among WWNO public radio and two news websites, The Lens NOLA and How They Did It NolaVie, are preparing to move in on what has traditionally been Not everyone is buying what Amoss and Advance are selling.

Times-Picayune’s turf.

“Most of the people in the news operation took off because A coalition of New Orleans’ civic, social, business, educational they didn’t believe in it,” said a former Times-Picayune staffer and religious leaders is still trying to convince Advance to reconworld was about to change in a New York Times article posted at 10:33 p.m. on May 23.

Headlined “New Orleans Paper Said to Face Deep Cuts and May Cut Back Publication,” the story said the paper’s owner, “will apparently be working off a blueprint the company used in Ann Arbor, Mich., where it reduced the frequency of the Ann Arbor News, emphasized the website as a primary distributor of news and, in the process, instituted wholesale layoffs to cut costs.”

When he read the piece, City Desk reporter Danny Monteverde had a visceral reaction: “My stomach just about came up out of my throat,” he says. “I literally didn’t sleep that night.”

Before most employees arrived at their desks the next day, the newspaper’s officials had sent out an e-mail calling attention to the New York Times article, saying there would be meetings that day to discuss the matter, Monteverde said.

Full-time employees of the newspaper who were not offered jobs with NOLA Media Group, a new firm that will be running the newspaper and its website, will get biweekly severance checks for up to a year for the most experienced employees. For as long as they receive the money, they are governed by their signed agreement not to say anything “materially disparaging” about Advance Publications.

Times-Picayune religion editor Bruce Nolan, who wasn’t invited to stay with the newspaper, had been there for 41 years.

“If this organization was a person, they would be diagnosed as clinically depressed,” he said. “Every week you find out that someone is leaving … in addition to the 50 percent that had already been toe-tagged,” he says. “It’s become a death march to Sept. 30.”

“If this organization was a person, they would be diagnosed as clinically depressed. Every week you find out that someone is leaving … in addition to the 50 percent that had already been toe-tagged.

It’s become a death march to Sept. 30.”

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who didn’t want to be identified by name.

In his view, there was no reason to reduce the print publication from seven to three days in an effort to produce a quality website.

“It’s all about how they do it,” the staff said. “It’s about preserving quality, not the (news) platform.”

What is happening to The Times-Picayune now, he said, is “a damned shame. It’s not just any business. A newspaper has a civic role. That is what seems to be getting lost.”

Sheila Grissett, a longtime Times-Picayune reporter who left the paper last year, doubts the new regime will be able to turn out a quality product, but for friends who remain with the company, she hopes it will be possible.

Grissett says that right now she’s too angry to care about its quality because of how shabbily Advance has treated The Times-Picayune family. “This has just been a merry-go-round of mistakes, just one after another, until no one can be happy.

The people who are staying have survivors’ guilt. The people who were cut loose, except for a handful able to land great jobs right away, are terrified for their future.”

She continues, “Newspapering is a calling, whether you’re the librarian, graphic artist or a reporter or photographer. And people have been knocked out of their calling.” She says, “(Publisher) Ashton Phelps’ newspaper would have never treated us this way, but this isn’t Ashton Phelps’ newspaper any longer.”

Grissett says she’s eternally grateful to Phelps, Amoss and other editors who kept her employed and insured so she could tend to her dying husband and work a bit from home. And, because of that extreme kindness, she felt guilty last year when she said Nola.com-driven changes began so adversely impacting the way she did her job that she left the newspaper in her 26th year there.

“I’m old-school, and when you tell me that I must post a partially reported piece of news – even if it’s wrong and can later be corrected – because some people somewhere want to see something new, anything new, each and every time they click, that was my line in the sand. I believe that the only acceptable mistakes in news stories are the honest ones. Only a dedication to accuracy can make journalism honorable.”

Grissett says she felt the website was intentionally being used to drain the newspaper’s lifeblood. Instead, she suggested the two could have collaborated to create something to serve Internet users, while still remaining in daily service to the greater good and readers who prefer turning pages for their news than being forced to click, click, click around for it.

“Because I was lucky enough to have a choice, I chose not to stay and participate in the killing of our daily newspaper,” she says. “Obviously, they managed it without me. The proNola.com crowd will tell you that daily news defenders are all old, will die soon and finally be out of the way. Not so: Most of the newsroom’s best and brightest kick-butt reporters in their 20s and 30s responded to the news by resigning and going elsewhere.

“Just to be clear,” she continues, “daily newspaper devotees are neither all old nor are we opposed to change. We just oppose ruthless, unnecessary, ill-conceived change that damages good journalism, our community and our broader republic. Instead of choosing to make some more proud Times-Picayune history, their destruction of our newspaper and cleaving of our Times-Picayune family has just made most of us ashamed.”

One Woman’s Campaign

When former Times-Picayune City Hall reporter Becky Theim heard that 200 of the daily’s staffers would lose their jobs Sept. 30 as the paper becomes a threeday-a-week publication, she knew she had to do something to help.

“I’ve been at the receiving end of three downsizings, and I know how emotionally and financially devastating it is to lose a job, particularly if you’re very devoted to your work,” says the Las Vegas public relations and marketing professional, who calls her TimesPicayune job probably the most rewarding she’s ever had.

For weeks now, Theim, 50, has been working online day and night to orchestrate a campaign to raise money for the newspaper’s laid off employees and to get people around the country to signs petitions in favor of keeping New Orleans’ 175-year-old newspaper publishing daily.

Theim started “DashThirtyDash,” named for an old copywriter term meaning “end of story,” to receive donations that will be distributed by the nonprofit Contemporary Arts Center. “We did that so the donations would be tax-exempt,” says Theim, explaining that DashThirtyDash doesn’t have nonprofit status.

“Everything we raise is going to the people who are losing their jobs,” she says. “The only fees we’re paying out so far for anything is we’re paying the Contemporary Arts Center two percent for overseeing everything for us.”

Theim started and is maintaining DashThirtyDash pages on Facebook and Twitter, and she fields phone calls and e-mails from people seeking information about the assistance fund.

Moreover, she has been coordinating the involvement of most of the restaurants and other businesses that are giving to the DashThirtyDash effort.

When it comes to fundraising, Theim is a big thinker: She originated the idea of holding a reunion of Times-Picayune alumni at Rock ’n’ Bowl on Sept. 28, and a public fundraiser at Howlin’ Wolf on Sept. 29, to mark the newspaper’s end as a daily publication. During that bash, creations by artists and artisans who have worked at The Times-Picayune will be auctioned to benefit the last 200 of the daily newspaper’s employees to be laid off.

“We are trying to reach out to newspaper delivery people and freelancers, too, to invite them to attend,” Theim says. More information about the event can be found at DashThirtyDash.org.

Frank Donze, who covered City Hall for the newspaper until his recent departure from the staff, calls what Theim is doing “above and beyond the call of duty” for someone who doesn’t live in New Orleans and hasn’t worked here in 20 years.

Donze says he has been getting calls and e-mails from people who have never seen or spoken with Theim but, “can’t wait to meet her and give her a hug.” He said they want to know “who is this superwoman that’s doing all this work for no pay?”

“She has been just marvelous,” Donze says. “It’s not only that she’s organizing this stuff and moving the ball. She is moving it from thousands of miles away. It’s amazing that she can be this puppeteer from her desk in Las Vegas.”

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Arts and Music. Their extracurricular activities include Athletics, ArtsReach, nationally ranked Academic Games and Debate teams and award-winning chess and robotics teams. Audubon’s athletic teams have won numerous Metro League championships.For more information, visit AudubonCharter.com or contact admissions at 324-7110 or admissions@ auduboncharter.com.

School is back in session, and all over the city, students are filling backpacks with books and their minds with new knowledge as they learn the skills that will carry them through life. A good education is more important now than ever, and with so many options, differentiating between area schools can sometimes be a daunting task.

Start planning the next step in your child’s education with this guide to area schools, many of which are offering open houses this fall.

Early & Primary School Arden Cahill Academy For a strong primary education combined with the unique qualities of an outdoor country environment, check out Arden Cahill Academy, which is nestled on a 12-acre tract of land along Bayou Fatma in Gretna. Not only does the campus provide state-of-the-art classroom learning facilities, but an equestrian arena, stables and petting farm help the school provide unique learning experiences outside of the traditional classroom environment.

The school focuses on cultural enrichment as one part of its primary education and tradition of academic excellence. Their 300-seat theater, art studios, music rooms and foreign language programs ensure students’ abilities to excel in the arts, while a football field, competition pool, gymnasium and extra-curricular athletics allow students to excel in physical competition as well. To provide familyfriendly support services, Arden Cahill Academy offers before- and after-school care and a specialized Infant Center, which accepts children as young as 2 114

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months. For more information on the school, including tours and admission policies, please call 392-0902 or visit their website: ArdenCahillAcademy.com.

Audubon Charter School Audubon Charter School offers one great, A+ school with two unique programs. Serving Pre-Kindergarten through eighth grade, Audubon is a popular choice for families seeking a high performing New Orleans public school with a diverse student population and strong academics. Audubon excels in fostering a culturally rich and academically rigorous program that uniquely combines French and Montessori curricula with a comprehensive arts curriculum. The school’s French program is the only public elementary school program in Louisiana that is accredited by the French government. Audubon’s Montessori program utilizes specially trained teachers who direct selfmotivated learning and exploration based on each child’s individual development.Audubon offers enrichment programs in Talented in Theater, Visual

Ecole Bilingue de la Nouvelle-Orléans Ecole Bilingue de la Nouvelle-Orléans is the only private French school in New Orleans that is accredited by the French Ministry of Education and State of Louisiana providing multilingual education for 2-year-old students to seventh grade. Since its founding in 1998, Ecole Bilingue’s mission has been to provide a strong and distinctive bilingual education for children in New Orleans by combining the best of French and American academics.

Ecole Bilingue follows the curriculum of the French Education Nationale, considered to be one of the most rigorous educational systems in the world. Ecole Bilingue also offers rich English language arts and American mathematics and social studies programs designed to balance out and complement the strength of the French curriculum.Classes are offered for children in preschool (2 years old) through seventh grade.

The student-to-teacher ratio is 8 to 1, allowing each student an opportunity to have personalized attention for a better, differentiated education. For more information on Ecole Bilingue de la Nouvelle-Orléans, please visit ebnola.com. To schedule a tour, call 899-9796 (2-3 years) or 896-4500 (4 years-seventh grade).

Holy Name of Jesus School Established in 1891, Holy Name of Jesus School is located in the Uptown area of New Orleans, adjacent to Loyola and Tulane universities. It is a Roman Catholic, co-educational school for grades pre-Kindergarten through seventh. Serving the Greater New Orleans area, the educational philosophy of Holy Name of Jesus centers on teaching children confidence, compassion and integrity while achieving academic excellence and maintaining the Catholic faith in an inclusive community.The school has flourished under the guidance of the

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Sisters of Mercy of the Americas and the Jesuit Fathers for more than 100 years, and the entire community is committed to their mission of teaching children confidence, compassion and integrity while achieving academic excellence and maintaining their Catholic faith.

Open House for parents of prospective new students will be held Oct. 9, between 4:30 and 7 p.m. Private tours are available throughout the year by appointment. For more information, call 861-1466 or visit hnjschool.org.

Experience the difference at Holy Name of Jesus – Faith, Family, Foundation for more than 100 years.

International School of Louisiana Named by the Louisiana Department of Education as a School of Exemplary Academic Growth, the International School of Louisiana (ISL) is the first multi-language public school chartered by the state and the only Louisiana school named “Charter School of the Year” by the Center for Education Reform.ISL, now in its 12th year of operation, is proud to announce its new campus in Jefferson Parish. Using its innovative language curriculum,

students at ISL Jefferson Parish (ISL-JP) will be taught core academic subjects in Spanish and French and a new Language Intensive Program will be introduced in middle school for students with no prior language immersion education. ISL’s unique Kindergarten-eighth grade public charter school program, now in three campuses in the Greater New Orleans area, strengthens academic skill through every day conversation and academic instruction in the target language. With faculty and staff from more than 23 different nations, many of which reflect the history and culture of New Orleans, students at ISL are better prepared to meet the demands of today’s global workforce.Visit isl-edu.org or call 6541088 for more information and special announcements.

St. Andrew’s Episcopal School St. Andrew’s Episcopal School is the oldest Episcopal school in New Orleans with 55 years of experience in educating the mind, body and spirit of young children. St. Andrew’s enrolls boys and girls from Pre-Kindergarten through eighth grade, offering 10 years of nurturing yet challenging education that

focuses on the Decade of Childhood. St. Andrew’s has three full divisions: the KinderCottage (pre-kindergarten and kindergarten), the Lower School (firstfourth grade) and the Middle School (fifth-eighth grade).

Under the direction of Mason Lecky, Head of School, St. Andrew’s utilizes small classes to promote a challenging learning environment where students interact with teachers and grow spiritually, socially and intellectually.

A strong academic program, enhanced by state-of-the-art technology, includes Spanish, Chinese, music, chapel, fine arts, athletics and library skills. Student publications, dramatics, interscholastic sports and community service round out St. Andrew’s program.

Visit the school at an upcoming Open House (Oct. 18 & 25, Nov. 8, Jan. 17 or Jan. 24) or call for a personal tour. For further information, please visit the school’s website: StAndrewsEpiscopalSchool.org.

St. Paul’s Episcopal School St. Paul’s Episcopal School, located in Lakeview, is a private, coed, independent school for toddlers through

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eighth grade. Founded in 1961, St. Paul’s offers a wide-range of exceptional academic and enrichment programs including: • Advanced and hands-on curriculum • Professional industry-standard media lab • Educating for sustainability • Low student/teacher ratio and projectbased learning • Full-time Learning Specialist • Foreign language program (Spanish: toddlers – fourth grade; Latin & Spanish: fifth – eighth grades) • Visual arts, music, physical education, outdoor education, technology, Eighth Grade Leadership Program, service learning and more The fall Open House is Thursday, Oct. 25 at 10:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. Event includes a demonstration and food tasting in the school’s state-of-the-art Outdoor Culinary Center.

To reserve a private tour or for more information, call 488-1319 or visit the website at StPauls-lakeview.org.

St. Pius X Located in Lake Vista, St. Pius X is a co-educational Catholic school for PreKindergarten three through seventh grade and offers a comprehensive, challenging curriculum in religion, academics, music, art, technology, language and athletics in a loving, faithfilled environment.

Founded in 1953, St. Pius X School is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and was the only school in New Orleans named a Blue Ribbon School of Excellence by the U.S. Department of Education in 2007. Please visit them online at StPiusXNola.org/ school to see how they encourage students through works, actions and deeds, to prepare them for tomorrow’s challenges.

Admission Open House is scheduled for Thurs., Jan. 17, 2013, from 6-8 p.m. and Fri., Jan. 18, 2013, from 9-11 a.m. For more information, call 282-2811.

Stuart Hall School for Boys In 1984, William Gallop saw the need for an elementary Catholic boys school in New Orleans and decided to turn a dream into reality by founding Stuart Hall School for Boys.

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During Gallop’s tenure, he oversaw the school’s establishment of a permanent campus on Carrollton Avenue and the addition of a middle school as the student body grew both in numbers and maturity. Shortly after becoming an accredited member of the Independent Schools Association of the Southwest, Stuart Hall embarked on an expansion and continued to increase enrollment under the guidance of the school’s second headmaster, Kevin Avin, who is beginning his 17th year as head of school.

Now in its 29th year, Stuart Hall possesses Blue Ribbon School of Excellence status and celebrates the continued success of its graduates. For more information on Stuart Hall School for Boys, or to tour the campus, please call 861-5384 or visit them online at www.StuartHall.org. Open House dates for 2012 are: Oct. 24 at 8:30 a.m. for Preschool (grades Pre-Kindergarten 3-Kindergarten); Oct. 25 at 8:30 a.m. for Lower School (first-fourth grades); and Oct. 26 at 8:30 a.m. for Middle School (fifth-seventh grades).

Trinity Episcopal School Trinity Episcopal School is a co-educational, prekindergarten through eighth grade school. Their campus is located in the Garden District and offers a pleasant and stimulating learning environment for students and faculty.

Trinity continues in the tradition of its predecessor school, Miss Edith Aiken’s Little School, founded in 1917, and in that of Trinity Episcopal Church, which

since its founding in 1847 has maintained a commitment to the educational and civic life of New Orleans.

The school motto articulates their mission of: “Celebrating the Intellect, Nourishing the Spirit, Celebrating Community.” Trinity nurtures a child’s mind, body and spirit through a fun and challenging program that offers the best in the academic disciplines, uses best practices and is taught by a skillful, experienced and loving faculty and staff.

For more information or to schedule an individual tour, please visit TrinityNola. com or call the Admission Office at 525-8661. Open Houses for grades PreKindergarten-eighth grade will take place on Oct. 19, Nov. 2 and 9, and Jan. 11, all at 8:45 a.m.

Christian Brothers School Christian Brothers School is a private, Catholic school serving academically capable middle school boys in fifth through seventh grade.

Enrollment for the current school year is 350 students. In addition to a grade-level accelerated curriculum, the school offers more than two dozen extracurricular activities in athletics, academics, the arts and community service. It is the only school of its kind in the greater New Orleans area.

The annual Open House is Thurs., Oct. 18 at 6:30 p.m. Guests will meet members of the faculty, administration, student and parent bodies, and the alumni association. The school will also provide tours of the new building and renovated campus. The school president and principal will greet all visitors in the Cultural Center explaining the admissions process and the unique middle school experience awaiting young men of the greater New Orleans area. Refreshments are served at the end of a tour.

Christian Brothers School is located at 8 Friederichs Ave., in City Park. Visit cbs-no.org or call 486-6770 for more information.

K-12/Continuous Education Academy of the Sacred Heart Academy of the Sacred Heart is a Catholic, independent, college preparatory school for girls, toddler through 12th grade. The school is committed

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to values of faith, intellectual excellence, social awareness, the building of community and personal growth. Last fall, the school opened its new Arts and Athletics Complex.

The 37,000-square-foot facility has a 13,000-square-foot, tournamentsize gym; a fitness center; an indoor, elevated running track; and a student rehab room. The connected Favrot Arts Center has a dance studio, a multi media center for graphic design, digital photography and media production, a music wing for instrumental and choral music, and an art studio.

Sacred Heart is the only area Catholic girls’ school that is a member of the Independent Schools Association of the Southwest (ISAS), the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS), the Network of Sacred Heart Schools and the National Coalition of Girls Schools. Open House for Toddlersfourth grade will be held Nov. 7, and Open House for fifth-12th grades will be Oct. 24, both from 5 p.m.-7 p.m. Tours are available on select Tuesdays. For more information, call 269-1213 or visit AshRosary.org.

Holy Cross School Holy Cross School is an independent, Catholic, college preparatory middle and high school, for boys in fifth through 12th grade, founded in 1849 by the Congregation of Holy Cross to educate young men from metropolitan New Orleans. Under the guidance of Headmaster Charles J. DiGange (‘64), Holy Cross fosters a sense of true community like no other school, embodying the creed “One Family United by the Cross, Our Only Hope.”

A Holy Cross education is a process that challenges a young man to learn habits of the mind and habits of the heart, including the competence to see and the courage to act, to think critically, to make informed choices, to take risks and to own the consequences of his actions. Open House takes place on Thurs., Oct. 18, from 6-8 p.m. For more information about Holy Cross School, call 942-3100 or visit HolyCrossTigers.com.

Isidore Newman School Founded in 1903 to enrich New Orleans by educating its best and

brightest students regardless of socioeconomic status, Newman continues that mission today. With high academic standards and continued success in athletics, the arts and extracurricular activities, Newman remains committed to each individual student and instills in them the core values of honesty, kindness, respect and responsibility.

Newman is the largest independent school in New Orleans and is able to offer a wide variety of courses and activities for its students. They invite you to explore Isidore Newman School by visiting the Website. Open Houses for the Lower School are on Oct. 24, 6:15 p.m., and Jan. 15, 9 a.m. Open Houses for sixth-12th grade will be held on Nov. 7, 5 p.m., and Jan. 17, 9 a.m. Individual visits are always encouraged and welcome.

Apply online or contact the school by calling 896-6323 or visit NewmanSchool. org for more information.

Louise S. McGehee School More than 100 years ago, founder Louise S. McGehee made it her mission to build a school for girls that would focus on the individual student and foster a

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lifelong love of learning. Her mission lives on a century later, and the result is that McGehee students are accepted into highly selective colleges and universities around the country and earn generous scholarships. McGehee’s extraordinary faculty teach with enthusiasm, rigor and innovation. Each girl is encouraged to succeed by harnessing her potential, finding her voice, taking risks and delivering her best. The spirit on campus is contagious and they invite you to experience it firsthand.

Admission Tours for Pre-Kindergarten through fourth grade are scheduled for 8:30-10 a.m.: Oct. 11; Nov. 8; Jan. 10 & 17. For fifth-12th grade, Open Houses are scheduled for 4-6 p.m.: Oct. 11; Jan. 17.

McGehee is open to all qualified girls regardless of race, religion, national or ethnic origin. Visit the school online at McGeheeSchool.com or call 561-1224.

Come see what 100 looks like!

Lusher Charter School The highest performing Kindergarten12th grade public school in the state, Lusher Charter School, a National Blue Ribbon School in partnership with Tulane University, offers a rigorous interdisciplinary college-focused curriculum. Lusher students are engaged and challenged through a comprehensive, renowned academics program, which enhances critical, analytical and creative thinking. Serving 1,720 students, Lusher maintains three Uptown campuses, the Lower School programs on Willow Street and St. Charles Avenue (JCC), and the Middle and High School on Freret Street.

Beginning with arts integration in elementary school, Lusher’s arts program culminates with a Certificate of Artistry program for high school students. Additionally, a new Writing Across the Curriculum writing lab, learning resource center and state-ofthe art science laboratories support all students pursuing academic excellence.

Qualifying juniors and seniors benefit from Lusher’s partnership with Tulane University by earning college credit at Tulane at no charge.

Lusher’s numerous extracurricular offerings include 27 sports teams that operate with the strong support of Drew Brees, evidenced by Brees Family Field, the new campus football field.

For more information, including 2012 Open Houses, visit LusherSchool.org or

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call 862-5110 (Lower School) or 304-3960 (Middle/High School).

Metairie Park Country Day School Founded in 1929, Metairie Park Country Day School firmly believes that today’s world demands more than a traditional education; it demands 21st century skills. Country Day offers an innovative, hands-on approach that teaches pre-Kindergarten through 12th grade students how to think creatively and independently as they tackle a challenging curriculum. Their high academic standards and expectations of personal accountability are sustained by a nurturing community, a low student-to-teacher ratio, robust athletics and outstanding creative arts programs. Country Day faculty and staff focus on the student as an individual to ensure that every child’s experience is exceptional.

Explore Country Day’s distinctive programs at their Admission Open Houses or call or e-mail rgreen@mpcds. com for a private tour, offered five days a week. Pre-Kindergarten Open House will be held on Thurs., Oct. 25 followed by a Middle and Upper School Open House on Wed., Nov. 14. Visit mpcds.com for more information.

St. Martin’s Episcopal School St. Martin’s Episcopal School is a coeducational, independent college preparatory day school for students from age 2 through 12th grade. St. Martin’s is a vibrant learning community with a rich history, engaging and bright

students, top-notch faculty, nationally recognized academic, artistic and athletic programs, and a state-of-the-art campus second to none in the greater New Orleans area.

They encourage you to visit their beautiful 18-acre campus for a personal tour or at their Open Houses: Age 2-fifth grade on Wed. Oct 10th at 9 a.m., Sat., Oct. 27 at 10 a.m., or Tues. Nov. 27 at 9 a.m.; sixth-12th grade on Sat. Oct. 18 at 4 p.m., Sat. Nov. 10 at 10 a.m. and Tues.

Nov. 27 at 4 p.m.; and Age 2-12th grade 12 on Wed. Jan. 16 at 9 a.m. For more information or to schedule a personal tour, please call the Admission Office at 736-9917. Visit St. Martin’s on the Web at StMSaints.com.

Ursuline Academy Ursuline Academy, founded in 1727, is a Catholic school for girls offering a strong educational environment from early childhood (Toddler-2) through a college preparatory secondary program (12th grade). Ursuline fosters spiritual formation, academic excellence and a life-long commitment to Serviam: I will serve. The Academy values the uniqueness of the individual, nurtures the whole person and develops leaders of confidence and compassion. An Academy Open House will be held Sunday, Oct. 14 from 1-3 p.m. Private tours are available by appointment. For more information, contact the Office of Admissions, 866-5292 or admissions@ ursulineneworleans.org, or visit UrsulineNewOrleans.org.

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High Schools Archbishop Chapelle High School Archbishop Chapelle High School, a college preparatory school located on the East Bank in Jefferson Parish, is a nationally-recognized leader in the education of young women, eighth through 12th grades and prepares its students spiritually, academically and socially for college and career success.

Through religion classes, liturgies, retreats and ministry programs, students are challenged to deepen their faith and advance in the wisdom and truths of Catholicism. Innovative educational programs such as the exciting “1 to 1 Computing Initiative” provide each student an Apple iPad2 and offer students a strong academic and technological foundation. Chapelle’s classrooms are equipped with ceilingmounted LCD projectors and interactive white boards that allow teachers to better engage their students.

Personalized schedules are based on students’ particular strengths and abilities. Chapelle students consistently score higher than the state and national average on the ACT. Additionally, a

wide range of extracurricular activities allow students to express their unique interests and nurture talents. To arrange a Spend-the-Day visit or tour the campus, please contact the admissions office at 468-9090.

Archbishop Rummel High School Located in the heart of Metairie at 1901 Severn Ave., Archbishop Rummel High School invites all prospective students and their families to experience Raider Pride at its finest at their Open House scheduled for Thurs., Oct. 25 at 6 p.m. in the Raider Gym. Recently released data from the State Department of Education shows that 91 percent of ARHS college freshmen are in good standing as compared to 88 percent and 71 percent of other area Catholic schools. Open House gives prospective applicants and their parents a look into the school’s individualized academic curriculums and many extracurricular programs.

Founded by the Brothers of the Christian Schools in 1962, Archbishop Rummel High School is proud to welcome back to campus Br. Gale

Condit, FSC as school president and Br. Michael Livaudais (’66), FSC as an instructor.

For more information about Archbishop Rummel High School or how to apply, please visit the Website RummelRaiders.com or call the Admissions Office at 834-5592, ext. 214.

Benjamin Franklin High School Benjamin Franklin High School, located at 2001 Leon C. Simon Drive, was founded in 1957 to promote excellence among New Orleans high school students. Franklin is consistently ranked as a “top public high school in the nation” by U.S. News and World Report, Newsweek and Business Week magazines and is the No. 1 public school in the state.

Take one look at their website, and you’ll see there’s no question that their students excel both in and out of the classroom. An impressive list of honors and achievements speaks as well of their extracurricular activities as it does their academics. Prospective parents and students are invited to Admissions Open House, scheduled for Thurs., Oct. 11,

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from 5:30-8 p.m. For more information, visit BenFranklinHighSchool.org or call 286-2610.

Brother Martin High School Brother Martin High School, operated by the Brothers of the Sacred Heart, began its 143rd year with young men in seventh through 12th grade. Located at 4401 Elysian Fields Ave., in the Gentilly/ Lakefront section of New Orleans, Brother Martin challenges its students to define their lives with Courage and Confidence.

Brother Martin is committed to holistic education with a focus on personal attention, academic excellence and strong character formation. A District 9-5A school, Brother Martin offers a full range of athletic teams at the seventh, eighth, ninth, JV and Varsity levels, and students can choose from more than 80 extracurricular activities.

Permeated with the tradition of the Brothers of the Sacred Heart, Brother Martin offers young men the opportunity to make positive contributions to their world. To quote their namesake, Brother Martin Hernandez, S.C., (1904-’91), “We are not here to teach boys how to make a living, but how to make a life.” Open House will be held Nov. 8, 5-8 p.m.

De La Salle High School De La Salle High School in Uptown New Orleans is a private, Catholic coeducational high school for eighth through 12th grades. The school is rooted in the 350-year old Lasallian heritage and the tradition of the Christian Brothers. Utilizing innovative technology and curriculum development and its excellent standards of quality teaching and extracurricular activities, the school has built a tradition helping students achieve their potential both in and out of the classroom.

De La Salle exceeds the Louisiana TOPS requirements and offers a wide array of AP classes in which Cavaliers have consistently topped the national scores, earning them acceptance in colleges and universities across the U.S. In extracurricular activities, the Academic Games team, the Math team, the Speech team and the Maroon Legend have

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all won multiple state and national championships. The Cavalette dance team, Chess Club, Junior Classical League and Cheerleaders also have earned state and national awards.

The school sports teams of cross country, football, volleyball, swimming, wrestling, basketball, soccer, tennis, softball, baseball and track have taken district and state titles.

For more information on De La Salle, visit DeLaSalleNola.com, or to do a spend-a-day, contact Admissions Director Mr. Francis Moises at 895-5717, ext. 141.

Mount Carmel Academy Mount Carmel Academy, a four-time Top 50 Catholic High School in the U.S. and twice-recognized Blue Ribbon School of Excellence, is a secondary school for girls, eighth through 12th grades, conducted by the Sisters of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. The school’s mission is to provide young women the opportunity to develop their God-given talents through academic excellence and co-curricular programs, and empower them to develop zeal for their faith with a commitment to prayer and service. Prospective students and their parents are invited to their annual Open House, Thurs., Oct. 11, 3-7 p.m. Tours are available by appointment. For more information, visit mcacubs.com or contact the Office of Admissions, 288-7626, or emailing admissions@mcacubs.org.

St. Mary’s Dominican High School St. Mary’s Dominican High School is an outstanding, Catholic, collegepreparatory school for girls with more than 150 years of tradition and academic excellence. They guide students on a path for success with a focus on four components: prayer, study, community and service. St. Mary’s Dominican High School is a place that encourages young women to achieve extraordinary goals and reach their highest potential.

Student life at Dominican extends beyond the classroom. From school dances and more than 35 student organizations to retreats and community service projects, Dominican students gain valuable life experience outside of the classroom. A student who receives a Dominican education grows in her faith, reaches the highest level of academic achievement, forms lifelong friendships and experiences the power of service to others.

Visit StMarysDominican.org.

St. Scholastica Academy Founded in 1903 by the Benedictine Sisters, St. Scholastica Academy (SSA) is a National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence for young women in eighth through 12th grades. Located on the Northshore in Covington, La., SSA strives to provide learning experiences that are student-centered, innovative, creative, hands-on and interactive. Excellence in education, coupled with the spiritual and personal growth and development of the young women they serve is the hallmark of St. Scholastica’s ministry. They are committed to establishing a Christ-centered environment that promotes care, concern and confidence in the minds and hearts of students while simultaneously providing the latest in technological advancements and tools for today’s learning.

The Academy’s college preparatory curriculum, when combined with the Benedictine tradition of prayer, work, study and community, prepares students for success in a college environment and beyond.

SSA invites you to learn more about their 109-year tradition of sisterhood and join them in the accomplishment of their scholastic and spiritual goals. To

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learn more, visit ssacad.com or call 985892-2540, ext. 132. All are welcome to the Open House on Nov. 4 at 1 p.m. in the SSA gym.

Undergraduate and Graduate

its 17th President, Dr. Ronald J. Ambrosetti, who has made clear his excitement with building further OLHCC ties to the community. For more information visit olhcc.edu or find and like them on Facebook.

Our Lady of Holy Cross College As its 2016 Centennial approaches, Our Lady of Holy Cross College continues to be guided by the rich tradition of the Marianites of Holy Cross, which serves as a deeply scholastic foundation to the education of the mind and the heart. Located on the West Bank, minutes from downtown New Orleans, OLHCC offers an affordable, liberal arts education within a small, private college setting. Its curriculum includes professional training in nursing, allied health and counseling, as well as majors in Biology, Business, English, History, Social Sciences, Theology and the Liberal Arts. The College also has night, weekend and online classes to accommodate working students, including a 19-month Accelerated Business Program for adult professionals as well as an online “Registered Nursing to Bachelor of Science Degree” program.

Recently, the College greeted

Delgado Community College Founded in 1921, Delgado has the highest enrollment among all colleges and universities in New Orleans, and the second highest in Louisiana.

Fully accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Delgado provides students with the most comprehensive array of education and training services available in the Greater New Orleans 10-parish region.

Additionally, Delgado has articulation agreements with most of the state’s four-year colleges and universities that allow students to smoothly transfer their Delgado credits to bachelor’s degree programs. As well as offering associate’s degrees and transferable college credits, Delgado provides diplomas and certificates in many professional and technical areas.

Some of Delgado’s largest programs are nursing, business and management,

accounting, radiologic technology, criminal justice, computer information technology, culinary arts, teaching first-fifth grades and automotive repair.

Workforce development is a priority at Delgado, hence the college’s well-known motto: “Education That Works.”

Conveniently for area residents, Delgado has eight locations, including its City Park and West Bank campuses.

For more information, call 671-5012 or visit dcc.edu.

Catholic School News With the start of a new school year comes the excitement of what lies ahead for students, faculty and their families.

This fall, a new strategic plan for area Catholic schools will be unveiled. It may bring some big changes to the Archdiocese of New Orleans family of schools, but the entire process has been one of collaboration between Church officials, educational leaders and the community. They are excited about the prospects and about what the future holds for our Catholic schools.

This year the Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of New Orleans are excited to welcome about 2,500

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state scholarship students into their community. This is an incredible opportunity for Catholic schools to fulfill their mission and serve the children of the area, and they are grateful to be part of it. Those interested in more information about the New Orleans area Catholic schools can visit anocs. org or call 866-7916. You can also find them on Facebook at facebook.com/ NewOrleansCatholicSchools.

SAT, ACT, PSAT Prep Prepping for an exam is as important as its results, which can affect one’s acceptance into college as well as possible scholarships and other financing. The Princeton Review offers area students a vast array of prep options, ranging from private tutoring and small group instruction to self-guided online courses and the LiveOnline Classroom. The Princeton Review’s SAT, ACT and PSAT programs provide students with a personal prep experience that fits their unique learning style, schedule and budget. Find the option that works best for your future graduate. Program components vary

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and include several hours of in-class instruction, practice tests, personalized feedback, interactive multimedia lessons and more.

For more information on prep possibilities, visit PrincetonReview.com or call 800-2Review, (800-273-8439).

Find out if your student will make the grade with a free practice test at PrincetonReview.com/FreePracticeTest.

In addition to prep programs, a complete line of prep books for SAT and ACT are also available at PrincetonReview.com/Bookstore.

Children’s Clothing, Accessories & Services Mignon for Children has been a year-round shopping destination for New Orleans parents for more than 50

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years, and this fall they are celebrating our beloved Saints with embroidered WHO DAT baby and children’s apparel.

Also featured are fabulous black and gold tutus, as a head start on Halloween, and orange and black BOO DAT onesies and tees, all of which are made exclusively for Mignon. Located in The Rink in uptown New Orleans, this shop is a favored stop for its large selection of birthday gifts and giftwrap is complimentary.

Owner Karen Ludwig continues to build on a time-honored tradition of offering the best available in babies’ and children’s clothing as well a terrific selection of toys, books, music, gifts and unique New Orleans items.

For more information, or to visit the store, call 891-2374 or drop by 2727 Prytania St. at the corner of Washington Avenue. Open Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., and Saturdays from 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

Visit one of Magazine Street’s most beloved stores for all things fun and back-to-school. The Magic Box toy store, located at 5508 Magazine St., is fully stocked with this year’s “must have”

back-to-school accessories for kids of all ages. Customize your locker with the 2012 line of LockerLookz™ locker décor. Chandeliers, clocks and curtains are a few of the items available for a locker makeover. Additionally, younger children love the cool, comfortable and collectible Beeposh designs, an exciting new line from Melissa & Doug. Match your backpack and lunch box to a fuzzy friend or even your pajamas.

In addition to LockerLookz™ and Beeposh, The Magic Box stocks art supplies, games, books and more year-round. Store hours are 10 a.m.5 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday, and 12-5 p.m. on Sundays. For more information, call 899-0117 or visit MagicBoxNewOrleans.com.

Patients know from the moment they step into Dr. Jason Parker’s office, with its whimsical murals of sea creatures greeting them from the walls, that this isn’t your average visit to the dentist. This isn’t your average dentist either. Winner of the 2008 Louisiana New Dentist Award, Dr. Parker not only provides top quality care to

children ages 1 through teens, he also works tirelessly in the New Orleans community to advance children’s and health care issues.

For nearly 10 years, he was chairman for National Children’s Dental Health Month for the New Orleans Dental Association (NODA) and is a past recipient of NODA’s Award of Excellence. He was selected for the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry’s Leadership Institute at the prestigious Kellogg School of Management. Dr. Parker collaborated with the American Dental Association (ADA) on a documentary film portraying the effects of Katrina on dentistry in New Orleans and presented it at the ADA Annual Session with Barbara Walters.

He is a member of the New Orleans Dental Association, the Louisiana Dental Association, American Dental Association, Louisiana Pediatric Dental Association and the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry.

For more information, visit DocParker4Kids.com or call 831-2120. •

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Fall Travel Escapes

Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort

A beach sunset along the Gulf Coast in the cool of fall is one great way to spend an evening, and so is a stroll along the streets of the French Quarter or another historic or lively citycenter. How about spending a weekend at a luxurious bayside resort or dancing the days away at a music or heritage festival in South Louisiana? The fall months in the South are alive with activity as people wander out into the cool weather and the changing colors of the landscape. Plan a fall escape with your friends or loved ones and enjoy one of the most beautiful times of the year.

Louisiana There’s nothing like walking through Jackson Square or along the levee of the mighty Mississippi during the cool months of fall, especially after a long day of business meetings.

The Hilton Garden Inn French Quarter/CBD keeps you in the center of all things New Orleans while on your weekday business trip. Located in the historic Commerce building in the heart of the business/banking/medical district, the hotel sits only two blocks from the charms of the French Quarter, providing an easy stroll to shops, restaurants, the Superdome and New Orleans Arena.

This season, the hotel is offering unique specials for travelers of all kinds. The Business Traveler’s Dream offers complimentary parking for one vehicle as well as a cocktail in the relaxing Lounge. Those looking to save while they play will enjoy 25 percent off your room rate when you stay a minimum of two nights (excluding Saturday arrival). Arrive for the game 124

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on Sunday and stay three nights at 15 percent off. Visit their Web site for full details at NewOrleansFrenchQuarterCBD.hgi. com today and make your reservation.

This past summer, Baton Rouge welcomed Louisiana’s newest destination for exciting gaming, delicious cuisine and thrilling nightlife at the L’Auberge Casino & Hotel Baton Rouge. Spanning across 575 acres of land, 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 is located in the heart of South Baton Rouge and features an expansive 74,000-square-foot 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 multi-purpose event center for concerts, banquets and other events, and additionally, the complex includes outdoor festival grounds.

To find out more about L’Auberge Casino & Hotel Baton Rouge, visit MyLAuberge.com or find them on Facebook and Twitter.

Lafayette is all about festivals, food, music and fun. For many, a love of Cajun and Zydeco music is a craving that can only be satisfied by a visit to discover all that makes Lafayette special – unique establishments, delectable food, year-round

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festivals and family friendly attractions.

This fall, the capital city of the Cajun heartland boasts a remarkable lineup of events. Downtown Alive, celebrating its 30th year, begins Sept. 7 and brings free entertainment to downtown Lafayette every Friday. From Oct. 12-14, submerge yourself in true Cajun and Creole fun with music, dancing, crafts and more at the famous Festivals Acadiens et Creoles located in Girard Park (festivalsacadiensetcreoles.com). On Oct. 20, Lafayette celebrates the masters of boudin with Boudin Cook-off V. Sample up to 25 varieties, cast your vote and enjoy activities for the whole family.

The Lafayette Science Museum celebrates Louisiana’s bicentennial with Louisiana: 200 Years Later. The exhibit looks at the state’s unique, tumultuous past through historical storytelling about the struggles and ways of living that shaped the state (LafayetteScienceMuseum.org).

Visit Lafayette.travel for more destinations and events in Lafayette.

The Hyatt French Quarter is a recently renovated historic hotel in one of the city’s oldest and most popular neighborhoods: The French Quarter. The property resides in the former D.H. Holmes building and now offers more than 10,660 square feet of customizable function space located in one central area of the hotel’s first floor. With its 10 meeting rooms, the Hyatt French Quarter can accommodate meetings, events and weddings, from three to 300 people.

New additions also include their market-inspired eatery, Powdered Sugar, and the new artisan lobby bar, Batch, which showcases a collection of quality Bourbons and barrel service.

The popular and award-winning Red Fish Grill, owned and operated by Ralph Brennan Restaurant Group, is also part of the Hyatt French Quarter and The Hard Rock Café is set to open within the hotel by early 2013.The hotel is located at 800 Iberville St., New Orleans, LA 70112. For more information, visit: FrenchQuarter.hyatt.com.

Fall is festival time in the Bayou Lafourche area. October kicks off with the Bayou Music Festival (Oct. 6-7) in Golden Meadow. The Cajun Heritage Festival follows Oct. 13-14 at the Larose Civic Center. Carving competitions, a duck calling contest and delicious food highlight this fest, a must-see for outdoors enthusiasts.

Food lovers must check out three Southeast Tourism

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Society “Top 20 Events.” The 41st annual Louisiana Gumbo Festival (Oct. 12-14) in Chackbay, the “Gumbo Capitol of Louisiana,” offers the best in Cajun food, music and dancing.

The 39th Annual French Food Festival in Larose (Oct. 26-28) holds more than 30 local food booths, featuring traditional Bayou classics such as White Oyster Soup, Shrimp Boulettes, Jambalaya and more. The Thibodeauxville Fall Festival (Nov. 10) offers live music, a Cajun food court, arts booths and a duck race on Bayou Lafourche.

Youngsters love the yearly Cut Off Youth Center Fair (Nov. 9-11) for its great Cajun food, music, dancing and a carnival mid-way. Fall is an ideal season to experience the Cajun way of life. For more information, including special festival hotel rates, visit VisitLafourche.com or call 877-537-5800.

For a unique adventure, let Houma be your passport to Louisiana’s Bayou Country. Less than an hour southwest of New Orleans, the Houma area offers a rich and rare blend of nature with a mix of wildlife found nowhere else on earth.

With thrilling swamp tours, a wildlife park and alligator farm, world-class charter fishing and a wide assortment of monthly festivals and more, there’s always something fun to do.

This fall, a terrific lineup of family-friendly events includes the Best of the Bayou Festival (Sept. 29-30), held for the first time in Historic Downtown Houma, and featuring live music, Cajun food and local artists; the Southdown Marketplace Arts & Crafts Festival (Nov. 5) featuring more than 300 arts & crafts vendors, Cajun cuisine and more; and the Ninth Annual Voices of the Wetlands Festival (Oct. 12-14) which will once again celebrate southern Louisiana’s lifestyle, culture and value to all of the U.S. For more information, call 985-868-2732 or visit them online at HoumaTravel.com.

Mississippi This fall, spruce up your wardrobe or find new school clothes for the kids at Gulfport Premium Outlets in nearby Gulfport, Miss. Shop top brands such as Ann Taylor, Banana Republic, Coach, Gap Outlet, J.Crew, Nautica, Nike, Polo Ralph Lauren, Tommy Hilfiger, Under Armour and dozens more. Spend your day taking advantage of sales and diverse selections before enjoying exciting local attractions and luxurious accommodations. Visit Columbus Day Weekend (Oct. 5-8) for extensive sales throughout the center.

Gulfport Premium Outlets provides a comprehensive

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Hyatt French Quarter shopping experience for the serious or casual shopper with its vast array of merchandise, offering access to designer fashions, sportswear, children’s apparel, shoes, fine leather and luggage, accessories, jewelry, housewares and gifts. Work up an appetite and stop in at one of several restaurants for a quick snack or a tasty meal between filling your bags with the latest styles and hottest trends.

Gulfport Premium Outlets is more than a shopping trip; it’s a vacation experience. Join in the fun and find directions, sales, accommodations and more at PremiumOutlets.com/Gulfport.

Just an hour’s drive from New Orleans, the Mississippi Gulf Coast is a quick getaway full of things to do this fall.

The season brings food, arts and music festivals into high gear with the Biloxi Seafood Festival, Chefs of the Coast, Art ExtraOHRdinaire at the Frank Gehry-designed Ohr-O’Keefe Museum and the Shedhead Blues Festival, all in September.

Vintage cars take over in October with Cruisin’ the Coast’s “Sweet Sixteen” celebration, and November brings the widely popular Peter Anderson Festival and the inaugural Sun & Sand Film and Music Festival with headliners The Blues Brothers (Dan Aykroyd and Jim Belushi) and Kevin Costner with his band Modern West.

Mother Nature beckons outdoors enthusiasts as the temperatures cool down. Kayaking, canoeing, bird watching and river tours are available across the Coast with outfitters offering lessons and rental gear.

For an indoor family outing, INFINITY Science Center at NASA’s Stennis Space Center allows children and adults the opportunity to expand their scientific interests and starry imaginations.

Additionally, award-winning golf courses and exciting casinos add to the vast mix of things to enjoy. For more information, visit VisitMSCoast.org.

Moms, it’s time to let your babies be cowboys (and cowgirls!) at BlueJack Ridge Kids Ranch. Located on a 400acre ranch in Poplarville, MS, BlueJack Ridge is the premier destination for old-fashioned family entertainment in the South. Designed for families, BlueJack Ridge invites all to hop aboard the wagon train for a tour down main street, sit a spell in the Saloon and munch on fresh kettle corn, ride a pony at the livery stable, and zip thru the back country on the new Cowboy Run zip line. Be sure to catch a pig race, navigate the seven-acre, life-size maze and hang out at the corn crib.

Open Oct. 6 thru Nov. 4, Saturdays 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sundays 1 p.m. to 6 p.m., BlueJack welcomes more than 20,000 people each fall. Visit BlueJackidge.com to purchase tickets prior to your visit. This new format ensures low crowds and an ideal visit. For new and returning visitors alike, the drive over is always worth the boot scootin’ good time.

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For full details, go to BlueJackRidge.com or call 601-795-9949.

See y’all soon!

Alabama Gather the girls together this September for an unforgettable getaway to the Orange Beach and Gulf Shores area along the Alabama Gulf Coast. Not only is the weather still warm enough for beautiful beach outings, it’s also the perfect time of year for shopping, relaxing trips to the spa and dinner and drinks with friends.

September means sales, and whether you’re looking for beach boutiques, furniture stores or the vast selection offered at the Tanger Outlet Mall, you’re guaranteed to find gifts for the family and plenty of items for yourself. Once your bags are full, relax your body at one of the area’s many refreshing spas.

Renew your skin and your friendships while enjoying facials, massages or manis and pedis before heading out for a night on the town with the girls. From beachfront seafood restaurants to award-winning fine dining, live music and entertainment, the nightlife options in Gulf Shores and Orange Beach offer food and fun for any appetite.

For more ideas for your girlfriend getaway, visit GulfShores. com/NewOrleansMagazine and begin planning today.

With cooler breezes coming off the ocean and lower rates for accommodations, fall is a great time to visit the Gulf Coast. Gulf Shores Rentals can help arrange the perfect beach package for you. With more than 175 properties ranging from one-bedroom condos to six-bedroom beach homes, Gulf Shores Rentals has the vacation you and your family are looking for. Additionally, for each night you stay, guests receive complimentary tickets to area attractions such as championship golf, charter boats and deep-sea fishing, and entertainment galore. Other bonuses include 14 points to The Track Amusement Center daily and unlimited daily movie rentals.

Don’t miss the 41st Annual National Shrimp Festival in Gulf Shores, Oct. 11-14, which attracts more than 200,000 people for its succulent seafood, live music, diverse vendors, kids’ village and more. Visit gulfshoresrentals.com and check out their Hot Deals page, where specials are updated regularly.

Plan your next beach adventure with Gulf Shores Rentals, and experience a vacation that lets you relax even before you arrive. You can also follow on Twitter (@GulfShoresRenta) or visit the Gulf Shores Rentals fan page on Facebook for extra savings and updates at facebook.com/gsrentalsfanpage.

Now is a great time to enjoy cooler weather and fewer crowds on Alabama’s Gulf Coast. From Girlfriend Getaways, Romance Packages and Golf Getaways, to a full family vacation, Brett/Robinson has all you need for a perfect Gulf Coast adventure all year round.

With vacation rentals covering 18 miles of scenic beaches along the Gulf of Mexico, Brett/Robinson’s signature amenities make your stay memorable, whether you choose a gulf-front condo, secluded bay-front vacation or the convenience of their Phoenix All Suites Hotels. Penthouse tennis courts, indoor/outdoor pools, waterslides and gulf-front lazy rivers are just some of the features Brett/Robinson’s vacation planners can include in your fall getaway. Check their Web site for the latest deals including free extra nights and discounts on rooms. Versatility in vacation properties for any size group and packages to fit your budget and desires ensure an ideal myneworleans.com

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vacation experience.

In addition to its beautiful beaches, the Gulf Coast has family-friendly attractions, top-notch golf courses, thrilling fishing charters, unique to boutique shopping, fabulous restaurants and more. For more information or to book your stay, visit brett-robinson.com or call 800-211-7892.

World-class golf, spa, pools, tennis and other resort experiences are just a short drive from New Orleans. A Louisiana favorite for generations, the Grand Hotel Marriott Resort, Golf Club & Spa has recently been renovated to update its rooms and amenities, but the service is as grand as ever.

Located in Point Clear, Ala., the Grand Hotel first opened in 1847 and has grown to include 405 large guest rooms across 550 acres, two renovated golf courses, new tennis complex, seven restaurants and lounges and five spectacular pools. The European-style spa was ranked one of the top Marriott spas in the world.

Golf Digest named The Grand Hotel as one of the Top 75 Golf Resorts in North America for 2012. The Grand was also recently named one of the Top 50 Tennis Resorts in the U.S. by Tennis Magazine. After a day in the sun, enjoy a relaxing beverage at sunset, then sample the new menu in the Grand Dining Room.

For fall getaways or holiday weekends, make reservations at the Grand Hotel. Visit marriottgrand.com or call 251-928-9201.

Florida This November, sip your way along South Walton at the Seeing Red Wine Festival, a culinary event you won’t want

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to miss. Now in its 22nd year, the festival brings four days of food and wine events to the beautiful beach town and thriving community of Seaside, Fla. Located in the heart of Scenic Highway 30A, Seaside offers a relaxing atmosphere complemented by lovely beaches and charming, walkable streets. This young town, now celebrating its 31st anniversary, hosts the wine festival throughout these streets, allowing visitors to meander through tents and shops, sampling wines, meats, cheeses, chocolates and breads as they enjoy the fall beachside weather.

The four-day festival begins Nov. 1 with a Vintner’s Dinner featuring guest vintner Al Wagner from Clu de Val. Friday’s events include a wine seminar and dinner, but are highlighted by the Al Fresco Reserve Wine Tasting in Seaside’s Ruskin Place Park. The Grand Tasting occurs throughout the day Saturday, and the festival closes with a Wine Brunch, A Celebration of Bubbles, on Sunday morning. For more information on the events, tickets and lodging packages, visit SeeingRedWineFestival.com.

The Seeing Red Wine Festival® in Seaside, Fla., is one of the most highly anticipated events during the four-day gala fundraiser, “Taste of THE Beach- Wine. Dine. Donate.” Taking place Nov. 1-4, Seaside’s highlighted events on Friday and Saturday allow both the wine novice and the fine wine connoisseur to sample specialty wines while speaking with the very people who devote their lives to the cultivation of the grapes.

The Cottage Rental Agency is proud to be a sponsor of the 22nd Annual Seeing Red Wine Festival® and will offer several

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accommodation packages Nov. 1-4, to enjoy the wine, music and southern hospitality. CRA offers the largest collection of private vacation homes, including one to six-bedroom cottages, bed and breakfast rooms with private baths, luxury townhouses, penthouses and beachfront hideaways in this idyllic town. Call toll-free 866-976-7990 or visit CottageRentalAgency.com for a fall getaway that will have you seeing red.

The fun doesn’t end with the summer. Fall is fabulous at Northwest Florida’s premier full-service beachfront resort hotel. Located directly on the sugar-white sands of the Gulf Coast, the Hilton Sandestin Beach Golf Resort & Spa is the perfect place to indulge in stunning views of the Gulf’s emerald green waters. Relax on the expansive deck or indulge yourself with an escape to the award-winning Serenity by the Sea Spa. Guests enjoy a variety of dining options from beach fare on the patio to the remarkable AAA, 4-Diamond, Seagars.

The entire family will love the countless recreation options including Kids Krew with activities for young children and teens, or the Teen Water Excursion for 14 to 18 year olds. The spacious accommodations and the world’s most beautiful beaches make Hilton Sandestin Beach the perfect place to fall back to the beach. Visit HiltonSandestinBeach.com/getaways or call 800-367-1271 for seasonal specials.

You don’t have to drive to the mountains for a leafy fall getaway. From its natural beaches to its serene woodlands, lakes and rivers, Florida’s Santa Rosa County provides a complete change of scenery just a short drive away. Navarre Beach is a pristine place for fall color as sunsets grow intense

Hilton Sandestin Beach Golf Resort & Spa over eight miles of Gulf Islands National Seashore.

Outdoor enthusiasts also come here this time of year to canoe, kayak, tube and zipline through Blackwater River State Park and State Forest.

In the historic towns of Milton and Bagdad, visitors enjoy historic homes, antiquing and a local cuisine that combines autumn’s best from surrounding farms and the coastal catch.

Sept. 28-30, Santa Rosa County is home to the third annual Navarre Beach Sand Sculpting Festival. And every weekend in October, fall events fill the county during their annual Beaches to Woodlands Festival.

For more information including a fall calendar and accommodations, visit FloridaBeachesToRivers.com.

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Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort is the No. 1 choice and destination this fall. Now, with a special free night offer, you can enjoy extra time away and save money too.

The fall season is phenomenal at Sandestin. For many people, this is a favorite time of year for fall breaks or a weekend getaway. The lovely temperatures are the perfect backdrop for activities including golf, tennis, biking or a walk on the beach as well as events like the Baytowne Beer Festival, the top beer fest in the South, on Oct. 19 and 20.

Sandestin is making it easy for travelers to get away this fall with its free night offer (promotion code: FREE3). Additionally, Guests are invited to download Sandestin’s new app for iPhone and Android devices, or become a Facebook Fan or Twitter follower for the latest events and news.

For details, visit sandestin.com/nom or call 866-544-1026.

Park, stay, and play at Emerald Grande at HarborWalk Village. Enjoy shopping, dining, weekly free concerts, fireworks, parades and nightly live entertainment throughout HarborWalk Village. Take a cruise on the new pirate ship, The Buccaneer, then stroll for a happy hour drink at Poppy’s Crazy Lobster, all before sitting front row at Harry T’s to the best sunset view in Destin. Whether you’re in the mood for fishing, dolphin cruises or jet skis, the opportunities for water adventures on the Destin Harbor are endless.

Share the streets of HarborWalk Village with stilt walkers, jugglers, and musicians as they stroll through and entertain.

The opportunity for fun can be found in every corner, and at the end of the night, your room is only an elevator ride away.

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Once inside, enjoy the luxuries and amenities of our fullservice resort, including concierge, Spa, fitness center, outdoor pool overlooking the Gulf of Mexico, covered parking garage, daily housekeeping, room service, a business center and gift shop. Plan your vacation today by visiting EmeraldGrande.com.

Texas When visiting Houston, location is everything. The Hilton Garden Inn Houston Galleria Area is located in the Uptown District, the city’s most cosmopolitan area of sophistication, style and international appeal. The world-renowned Galleria Mall, the fourth largest mall in the nation, has established itself as Houston’s No. 1 shopping and tourist destination and is situated within walking distance of the hotel. The Galleria features more than 375 fine stores and restaurants, and one of the top 10 Ice Skating Rinks in the U.S. This worldclass shopping complex showcases the best names in retail, including Neiman Marcus, Cartier, Gucci, Macy’s, Tiffany & Co., Saks Fifth Avenue, Ralph Lauren Collection, Louis Vuitton and Nordstrom.

Food is big in Houston, so satisfy your Texas-sized appetite by dining at one of the city’s award-winning restaurants, or plan a picnic at the three-acre water wall park. It’s all within a three-mile radius, so relax and let the hotel shuttle take you. HGI Galleria Area offers something for everyone. Visit the hotel’s website, HoustonGalleriaarea.hgi. com for great rates, packages and promotions – book your weekend get-a-away today. •

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3011 19th St. at Ridgelake, Metairie (504) 834-8583 www.andreasrestaurant.com Andrea’s Restaurant is celebrating 28 years of success. “We are here to serve you, your family, friends and children for many years to come. My Home is Your Home.”

Capri Blu Piano Bar offers happy hour specials, pizza, ravioli and other delicious small plates.

Austin’s Seafood & Steakhouse 5101 W. Esplanade Ave., Metairie (504) 888-5533 www.austinsno.com Austin’s Seafood and Steakhouse welcomes you to a casual upscale dining experience. 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.-until.

DINING & ENTERTAINMENT

Andrea’s Restaurant & Catering

Antoine’s

Audubon Clubhouse Café

713 St. Louis St., New Orleans (504) 581-4422 www.antoines.com 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 Restaurant’s excellent French-Creole cuisine, service and atmosphere have combined to create an unmatched dining experience for both locals and visitors to New Orleans.

6500 Magazine St., On Golf Club Drive, New Orleans • (504) 212-5301 www.auduboninstitute.org/ visit/clubhouse-cafe Nestled amid the live oaks of Audubon Park is the Audubon Clubhouse, open to the public and ever-popular with Uptown locals and Magazine Street shoppers, it’s a perfect spot for a delicious breakfast or lunch. The breakfast menu is traditional and includes omelets and pancakes and lunch offers up tasty sandwiches, fresh salads and even baskets of fried green tomatoes! A sumptuous buffet is served on Sundays!

Cheeseburger Eddie’s

Chophouse New Orleans

4517 W. Esplanade Ave. at Clearview Metairie (504) 455-5511 Mr. Ed’s newest venture is now open! Serving prime burgers, fries, tacos, wings, homemade shakes and martinis in a casual counterservice atmosphere. Here we grind our beef fresh daily so you can build your burger as you like it. Enjoy our patio dining with TVs for your sporting events. Open for lunch and dinner Monday-Saturday.

322 Magazine St. (504) 522-7902 www.chophousenola.com Chophouse New Orleans has crafted a niche by serving a USDA Prime-only menu including chilled Carpaccio, expertly broiled Filet and a monster 40oz. Porterhouse for two. The restaurants relaxed sophistication complements the great food and bustling, live entertainment nightly. Top ratings from previous diners attest to an exceptional experience ahead.

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Crescent City Steaks

Five Happiness

Gott Gourmet

1001 N. Broad St., New Orleans (504) 821-3271 www.crescentcitysteaks.com Open for lunch and dinner TuesdaySunday. Continue the tradition: Bring your family to the place your parents brought you. Reservations welcome.

Private parties available … Why go anywhere else when you can go to the Home of the Original Sizzling Steak?

3605 S. Carrollton Ave., New Orleans (504) 482-3935 www.fivehappiness.com Come to Five Happiness and let the ambiance and friendly staff take you to a new level of dining experience. This award-wining restaurant always strives to achieve its best. Private party and banquet rooms are available.

3100 Magazine St., New Orleans (504) 373-6579 www.gottgourmetcafe.com Football is back! Enjoy weekend breakfast before the games, or stay to watch and indulge in the Tailgate Menu and weekly beer and cocktail specials! Call-ahead gametime catering includes trays of gourmet sliders or Gott’s own hot wing concoction: “habanero hotties” (only if you dare)!

Hyatt Regency New Orleans

Martin Wine Cellar

Mr. Ed’s Restaurant

601 Loyola Ave., New Orleans (504) 561-1234 www.neworleans.hyatt.com From a seasonal lunch buffet in 8 Block Kitchen & Bar and happy hour in Vitascope Hall to awardwinning BBQ at Whole Hog Café and gourmet pizzas delivered downtown

by Pizza Consenga, Hyatt Regency New Orleans has everything you’re craving morning, noon, and night.

(504) 896-7350 www.martinwine.com Crispy Grilled Spiced Half Duckling with onions and peppers on butter lettuce with cucumber raita.

Martin Wine Cellar serves dinner Monday through Friday from 4 to 8pm featuring weekly entrée and small plate specials in addition to the regular menu. Wines by the glass and beer also available.

1001 Live Oak St., Metairie (504) 838-0022 910 W. Esplanade Ave. #A, Kenner (504) 463-3030 Mr. Ed’s is celebrating its 23rd year with two convenient locations and one great menu! Serving New Orleans home cooking from poboys to the best fried chicken in town! Mr. Ed’s caters for any occasion and is open for lunch and dinner Monday-Saturday.

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1838 Napoleon Ave., New Orleans (504) 895-4877 This famous restaurant has been family-owned and-operated since 1913. Pascal’s Manale Restaurant is the origin of the well-known Bar-BQue 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.

Rene Bistrot

(Located in the Renaissance New Orleans Arts Hotel) 700 Tchoupitoulas Street, New Orleans (504) 613-2330 ReneBistrotNewOrleans.com Master Chef René Bajeux has reopened award winning Rene Bistrot! Enjoy French-bistro-style cooking with a contemporary take using the traditions and ingredients from Southeast Louisiana. The menu, changing seasonally and including daily specials, focuses on French cooking using fresh, local ingredients.

Rouses

(985) 447-5998 www.rouses.com 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 www.rouses.com.

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Pascal’s Manale

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The Court of Two Sisters

Rivershack Tavern

Zea Rotisserie and Grill

613 Royal St., New Orleans (504) 522-7261 www.courtoftwosisters.com The Court of Two Sisters, known for its large dining courtyard, serves a lavish daily Jazz Brunch buffet. At night choose from its à la carte dinner menu or a four-course dinner. Complete menus available at www.courtoftwosisters.com.

Reservations are recommended.

3449 River Road, Jefferson (504) 834-4938 As featured on “Diners, DriveIns & Dives”, The Rivershack Tavern regulary wows its guests with unexpectedly and modestly prices high-end lunch specials, as well as timeless local favorites in an eclectic and friendly neighborhood honky-tonk.

www.zearestaurants.com Come to Zea and enjoy inspired American food in a vibrant social atmosphere. Zea knows good food, so experience all the mouthwatering dishes they have to offer – from roasted corn grits to Thai ribs.

Zea-Inspired American Food.

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New Orleans & Southern Traditions Springing from such culturally diverse beginnings, New Orleans and the southern region reflect the notion of tradition in every aspect of the city and culture. Every institution, be it a business, restaurant, hotel, street, bar or festival, is rooted in the area’s unique history. Whether you’re looking to revisit a favorite generations-old restaurant, experience an annual arts and heritage festival or simply looking for a business or service with a name you can trust, this collection of long-established destinations, businesses and associations is sure to welcome you as a part of the tradition that makes them all inherently New Orleans.

Food, Drinks & More One historic corridor conveniently located Uptown has made a recent resurgence in popularity among New Orleans residents for its diversity in food, drink, shopping and other services. The New Freret combines the innovative with the traditional and features dozens of reasons to work, live or play in the area.

Long-established names such as Freret Hardware (1938) and Freret Garden Center (formerly Weber Garden Center, 1972) have provided the area with the kind of neighborhood customer service that keeps people returning for a lifetime,

while new names on the corridor, such as Midway Pizza, Cure, Ancora and High Hat Cafe, attract new customers and old for a delicious bite or a refreshing cocktail. Freret restaurants include flavors of all kinds, from down home cooking, to Latin American and Japanese.

The Freret Market is held the first Saturday of every month, September through June, and features food, art, music and flea at the intersection of Freret and Jena streets.

Walk like a Freretian and enjoy a fresh yet traditional New Orleans adventure. Plan your stops by visiting TheNewFreret.com.

For more than 100 years, Parkway Bakery and Tavern has been a staple provider of delicious, locally produced foods, and today, Parkway is known as the go-to place for New Orleans’s signature sandwich – the poor boy.

Locally owned since 1911, Parkway has survived major floods and economic shifts, including the Great Depression.

This holiday season, make it a yearly tradition to dine with friends and family at one of New Orleans’s most famous and historical sandwich shops. With more than 25 different poor boys, ranging from seafood, sausage, turkey and alligator to their famous slow-cooked roast beef and the original French fry poor boy, there’s a sandwich for any appetite.

Situated at the corner of Hagan & Toulouse in Mid-City, right on Bayou St. John, Parkway’s poor boys and ambiance create a dining experience unlike any other. Decorated with memorabilia from Parkway’s early days, the historical neighborhood atmosphere is great for reminiscing with friends and family. Parkway is open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily and closed on Tuesdays. For more information, visit ParkwayPoorBoys.com. myneworleans.com

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For years, New Orleans beer drinkers have turned to The Avenue Pub as one of the finest beer-focused watering holes in the city. A nationally and internationally ranked beer bar, The Avenue Pub frequently offers beer not available elsewhere in the state, and in some cases, the country. DRAFT Magazine and ratebeer have both ranked The Avenue Pub as one of the Top 50 Beer Bars in the U.S. and Europe. Unlike many highly ranked pubs, The Avenue Pub employs a casual, neighborhood approach, providing top quality beers in a laidback atmosphere.

The pub’s bartending staff is Cicerone-trained and certified, the beer equivalent of a sommelier. On Fridays, try an ale the way it was enjoyed before the modern draft system; a specially crafted, handmade cask of ale is tapped in the Avenue upstairs, a newly nonsmoking area with an exterior wrap-around balcony available for smoking.

In addition to 49 draft beers and more than 150 bottled options, The Avenue Pub carries “sour” wine-like specialty beers and one of the most impressive bourbon selections in the city. For more info, visit TheAvenuePub. com or call 586-9243.

This month, saunter over to one of several Tropical Isles, home of the Hand Grenade®, New Orleans’ most popular drink. Experience Trop Rock, Cajun/Zydeco & the Blues with Tropical Isle’s nightly entertainment, the best on Bourbon.

Funky Pirate Music and Sports Bar is open 24/7 now, with an 80” HD screen showing classic Pirate movies like The Buccaneer. With music seven nights a week, new Monday night jazz for “Donna’s Bar Re-Visited” includes free beans and rice. There’s Blues Sunday music with monthly visiting acts and Patrick Williams and the Blues Masters Tuesday thru Saturday nights. For more on the music schedule visit TropicalIsle.com.

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drinks destination, tucked away right off Bourbon and Royal streets in the heart of the French Quarter, with more than 75 wines by the glass and 200 by the bottle.

From 10:30 p.m.-midnight, enjoy new late night specials such as $3 Absolut Martinis and various wine specials.

Cheese Boards and desserts also available. Visit their Web site for menus and info at OrleansGrapevine.com.

This year, The Steak Knife, the longest running restaurant and bar in Lakeview, celebrates 40 years of consistent, quality cooking at the corner of Harrison Avenue and Marshall Foch Street. Founded by Bob Roth Sr. and Ernie Masson, The Steak Knife tradition continues under Chefs Bobby and Guy Roth, graduates of the Culinary Institute of America. The restaurant has become a staple for families across New Orleans who value the straightforward culinary approach of the Roth brothers’ classic steak and seafood menu. In addition to the fine dining experience offered in their dining room, The Steak Knife bar area offers a more casual dining atmosphere and seats up to 50 people, including 20 seats at the specially designed bar. Private dining is also available for rehearsal dinners, holiday banquets and other private events.

Stop in for dinner or drinks Monday through Saturday and be sure to indulge with a signature Brandy Alexander Freeze. Dinner begins at 5 p.m. and the bar opens at 4 p.m. For more information or to make reservations, call 488-8981. Visit The Steak Knife online at SteakKnifeRestaurant.com.

Arts & Entertainment Opera has been a celebrated art form in New Orleans for centuries. This year, New Orleans Opera celebrates its 70th anniversary with a gala and three operas. It begins on October 12 with the Plácido Domingo Gala to honor the 50th anniversary of his first performance with the New Orleans Opera. This thrilling concert will be followed by dinner with Mr. Domingo at the historic Roosevelt Hotel for the premium ticket holders.

On Nov. 16 and 18 the true season begins with Gioachino Rossini’s The Barber of Seville, a tale of mischief and magic.

It continues March 15 and 19 with Camille Saint-Saëns’s Samson and Delilah where the Bible comes to life in this story of secrecy, conspiracy and tragedy. The season ends April 12 and 14 with one of Giacomo Puccini’s masterpieces.

Madame Butterfly, the heartbreaking tale of the beautiful young Japanese maiden Cio-Cio San, who gives up her heart and her heritage for an American sailor, only to be abandoned and betrayed.

Learn more about the New Orleans Opera and purchase tickets by visiting NewOrleansOpera.org.

The LSU Museum of Art celebrates Louisiana’s 200th anniversary this fall by exploring the myriad ways contemporary artists portray and are inspired by Louisiana’s unique plant and animal life. Uniquely Louisiana comprises more than 50 paintings, prints, sculptures, mixed media works and video installations by artists including David Bates, Brad Bourgoyne, Michael Crespo, Courtney Egan, David Humphreys, Kathryn Hunter and Ed Smith. Uniquely Louisiana will be on view through Nov. 11.

Opening Sept. 8, the LSU Museum of Art will also feature the exhibition Louisiana’s Artist: Clementine Hunter. One of the most important African-American artists, Clementine Hunter’s life is also

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celebrated in a new biography on the artist issued by the LSU Press. Visit us Sept. 13 for the opening of Clementine Hunter, along with the release of the publication Clementine Hunter: Her Life and Art. For more information, visit the museum website, lsumoa. com, visit us on Facebook, or call 225-389-7200.

Celebrating 18 years of music, food and fun, the Gretna Heritage Festival is back this October and better than ever. From Oct. 5-7, head over to historic downtown Gretna to see national music acts Joe Cocker, Foreigner, The Temptations Review feat. Dennis Edwards, Big & Rich, The Spinners, Cowboy Troy, Leon Russell, David Allan Coe, Pat Green and so many more.

In addition to music and a wide array of foods, the Gretna Heritage Festival features carnival rides and games, arts and crafts, and an Italian Village and German Beer Garden. The festival extends across 25 city blocks and attendees can take free shuttles from Westside Shopping Center, Oakwood Center and behind Academy Sporting Goods. Admission is $20 per person, free for children 12 years old and under, and $50 for a weekend pass. Purchase discounted tickets today at ticketweb. com. For more info and music lineups, visit GretnaFest.com.

For more than 40 years, the New Orleans Ballet Association (NOBA) has continually brought world-class dance to the metropolitan area. NOBA serves to advance the dance field with a mission to cultivate understanding, appreciation and enjoyment of dance through performance, education and community service. NOBA is proud to announce their 2012-’13 season of dance “American Moves,” featuring five powerhouse companies celebrating American dance pioneers, visionaries and legends.

Performances at the Mahalia Jackson Theater include the return of the gravity-defying, shape shifting dancers of Pilobolus on Oct. 20, a sizzling hot, Latin dance party with Ballet Hispanico and the Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra on Dec. 8, and the

kids. For more information about Oktoberfest 2012 visit deutscheshaus.org or facebook. com/deutscheshausnola.

Health & Beauty

first New Orleans appearance of the legendary Martha Graham Dance Company on March 23. The complete schedule of exceptional performances can be accessed online at nobadance. com. Season tickets save buyers up to 20 percent off of the single ticket price and may be purchased by calling NOBA at 504-522-0996, Ext. 201.

Single tickets may also be purchased by calling or through NobaDance.com or ticketmaster.com.

Since 1928, the Deutsches Haus New Orleans has celebrated and fostered the rich culture, musical heritage, language and history of the German people. The Haus features organizations dedicated to German song, dance and language, and for years the Haus has awarded numerous scholarships for German language and history students to study abroad. In the fall of each year, however, the Deutsches Haus New Orleans is known for one thing …

OKTOBERFEST! Oktoberfest 2012 is coming up and will run for three consecutive weekends this year in the spacious Rivertown in Kenner. The Fest will run Oct. 12-13, 19-20 and 26-27. These six days will be filled with live German music, traditional German food and, of course, dozens of unique German beers.

This year’s event will also include Wiener dog races, Stein-holding contests and booths with activities for

Two names are synonymous with health, beauty and luxury: the Guerlain Spa at The Roosevelt New Orleans, the place for customized experiences perfect for unique, personal occasions.

Facial therapies offer the benefit of cutting-edge skincare and an exclusive therapy technique. Of course, there are body, hand and foot therapies, all going beyond essential skin refinement to nourish and condition. Harmonizing massages provide the benediction of lasting beauty and seductive splendor.

Completing the experience for women is makeup artistry that enhances with fragrance and texture, along with a fullservice hair salon offering cuts, color, extensions and Rene Furterer Hair Care products. For men, therapies include energizing, exfoliating and cleansing.

Sunday through Thursday, locals receive 20 percent off spa and salon services and complimentary valet parking. Certificates make the perfect gift. Purchase gift certificates and products and make reservations online at TheRooseveltNewOrleans.com. The Roosevelt New Orleans is located at 123 Baronne St. in New Orleans. Call 335-3190.

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Home Elevation/Shoring Next year, Davie Shoring Inc. will celebrate 20 years of serving the shoring needs of the Greater New Orleans region. Since its humble beginnings, Davie Shoring has earned a reputation as a name you can trust and has grown to include 15 crews and 10 experienced supervisors with the production capacity to elevate more than 100 homes per month.

Specializing in house shoring, leveling, foundation repair, elevation and moving, Davie Shoring offers their patented perma-lock system, an interlocking piling that carries a lifetime warranty.

True to New Orleans style, Davie Shoring strives in every elevation to maintain a traditional New Orleans look by using ornamental handrails, decorative vents and splitface block.

Over the past 20 years, they have elevated more than 2,000 homes in the flood-prone areas of South

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Louisiana, and they work together with all federal, state and parish programs. For more information, visit DavieShoring.com or call 779-7000.

Retirement Living Located on three acres in scenic Uptown New Orleans, Poydras Home is a continuing care retirement community that has been serving the needs of the local area since 1817. Poydras Home is known nationally for its quality of care

and innovative programs that allow our residents to enjoy life to the fullest in a beautiful and historic setting.

Poydras Home offers a full continuum of care consisting of four units: Hunter House (Alzheimer’s Unit), the Historic Home (Assisted/Nursing Care), Garden House (Independent Living), and PHASE (Adult Day Care). All rooms are private and overlook beautifully landscaped grounds. Poydras Home’s state-of-theart Alzheimer’s unit, Hunter House, provides unparalled special care with unique individualized activities, a secure outdoor garden and walking path.

Poydras Home’s professional and committed caring staff delivers compassionate, quality supportive services. From independent living to highly individualized care, Poydras Home is the only full continuum of care community with dementia care and adult day program in the Greater New Orleans Area. Visit PoydrasHome. com or call 897-0535. •

TRYTHIS A

H OW - TO

F OR T H E MONT H

Bingeing and Bowling B y T AYL O R B U RLEY

I

have three friends from

Ireland living in New Orleans for the summer, and have made it my mission over the past few months to give them unique New Orleans experiences. Most of these experiences, it seems, end with us stuffing our faces. Between the gumbo, the poor boys and the beignets (oh, the beignets!), we’ve all gained roughly 20 pounds each. It is safe to say they don’t have food like this in Ireland.

While I definitely wouldn’t consider myself a New Orleans newbie (I was raised in south Mississippi by a mother who was fond of the Audubon Zoo), I still feel like a tourist sometimes.

This summer, I’ve been able to explore our fantastic city and discover some places that combine the things all New Orleanians love – great food, great music and a great time.

Enter the dynamic duo: Ye Olde College Inn (3000 S. Claiborne Ave., 866-3683, CollegeInn1933.com) is located right in front of Rock ‘n’ Bowl and is the perfect place to grab a bite before heading over to the lanes. Open Tuesday through Saturday, 4 to 11 p.m., Ye Olde

Entertainment

College Inn has a menu that features all sorts of Louisiana cuisine.

New Orleans fare includes barbecue shrimp; fried green tomatoes with boiled shrimp and a housemade remoulade; turkey and andouille gumbo; crawfish Delacroix; shrimp and smoked gouda grits and a variety of gourmet poor boys. Do not leave before grabbing dessert, either – their fried bread pudding poor boy is top-notch.

If you’re not in a food-induced coma after your Ye Olde College Inn feast, waddle your way over to Rock ’n’ Bowl, which features New Orleans musicians most nights of the week. Even if the lanes are all booked, you’ll have just as much fun sitting back and enjoying the music. This, my friends, is the good life.

New L’Auberge Casino Hotel in Baton Rouge 777 L’Auberge Ave., Baton Rouge, 261-7777, LBatonRouge.com

Want to try something different? L’Auberge, a brand-new Casino Hotel, is opening in Baton Rouge this summer. Designed by the team behind Las Vegas hot spots such as The Wynn and The Bellagio, L’Auberge captures the atmosphere of a Southern river lodge with a laissez les bons temps rouler attitude. Mickey Parenton, vice president and general manager, says, “L’Auberge Baton Rouge brings a premier property to the southeast region of the state.

From the entertainment and gaming to the cuisine and level of service, we’re excited to draw even more people to the region and show them how amazing Louisiana is.”

– Mirella cameran

Diversions

A NEW WAY TO ENJOY THE FRENCH QUARTER 541 Bourbon St., 524-7611, StarwoodHotels.com/FourPoints

If you fancy a sojourn in one of the oldest cities in America, try the Four Points by Sheraton French Quarter, located at the heart of this historic city. Formerly known as The Inn on Bourbon, guests can enjoy a recent multi-million dollar renovation. Café Opera is the new hotel restaurant under esteemed chef Philippe Andreani; the Puccini bar has new cocktails to try, and the rooftop pool is as great a spot for relaxing as it ever has been. If you can tear yourself away from the stylish guest rooms, the city’s finest attractions are on your doorstep. – M i r e l l a c a m e r a n SARA ESSE X B RAD L E Y P HOTO G RA P H , TO P L EFT

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The Day the Pies Burned B Y ERR O L LA B O R D E

A

s t h o u g h t r i gg e r e d by t h e p i n g o n h i s d e s k t o p ,

Arthur Nead knew instinctively what to do when he saw the news headline. It was Friday morning, July 27, and the word was spreading that there had been a devastating fire at the Hubig’s

Pie plant.

Realizing he might never bite into a Hubig’s Pie again, he hurried to the nearest store – a neighborhood grocery in the Black Pearl area called Singleton’s.

There was more to this fire than just flames. Hubig’s represented something totally rare, a still-functioning factory in a city not known for manufacturing.

Not only that, but Hubig’s was still located in the Marigny neighborhood where it had been since 1922, rather than in some metal office park shed. The very thought of Hubig’s ablaze torched the soul.

By the time Nead, who is the long-time illustrator of this column, arrived at Singleton’s, he could see that others had had the same idea. “A woman was walking out with a bag of 15 pies,” he recalled. “She said she was going to give them as souvenirs to friends.”

When he entered the store, Nead discovered that there were only three Hubig’s products left, all of them lemon fried pies, the type with the glazed sugar on the outside. Selling at $1.19 a piece, Nead bought all three.

He wasn’t alone. The blaze caused what was probably the best-selling day in Hubig’s history. Throughout the town, people rushed to grocery stores, many finding the counters emptied.

Thankfully, Hubig’s officials were quick to say that they would rebuild, which removed some of the uncertainty. Nevertheless, both time and pies will always be marked as being pre-fire or post-fire.

Here then arose the philosophical question: What to do with the pies, eat them or save them for posterity?

Need’s three were dated Aug. 2, so they still had about a week left of certified freshness.

That date had passed when I posed the question to Nead. As a former philosophy major, his mind is agile to the dialectics of profound debate. “I’ll eat one, he said, “and save the other two for posterity.”

That is posterity’s gain. Posterity’s closet is no doubt filled with many items rescued from the onslaught of history. Now if only someone would donate a couple of apple pies, too.

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ARTHUR NEAD I L L USTRATION