Latest Issue: June 2023–Summer Restaurant Guide

Let’s eat! This Spring Restaurant Guide is full of great features on where and what to eat. Emily Hingle presents some of the hottest new chefs in town, while Celeste Turner gets Ian NcNulty’s thoughts on nostalgic New Orleans cuisine.

For many, there’s no better poboy than roast beef…with the debris and juices turning it into a 10-napkin meal. Kim Ranjbar shares all the info on this iconic sandwich, including top spots to find it.

Join us on Monday, June 12 from 6 – 9 p.m. at the Virgin Hotel for the Flora Adora Mix-Off Finals. Enjoy no cover while sampling tasty bites and fantastic cocktails made by bartenders from Hot Tin, Station 6, and other great spots.

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YEARS

June 2023

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Contributing Writers: Kathy Bradshaw, Phil LaMancusa, Debbie Lindsey, Kim Ranjbar, Burke Bischoff, Julie Mitchell, Greg Roques, Sabrina Stone, Kimmie Tubre, Emily Hingle, Camille Barnett, Celeste Turner

Cover: Short Stop Po-boys' roast beef poboy by Randy Schmidt

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MEAT OF THE MATTER

Ravishing Roast Beef Po-Boys

roast beef

Speaking of dressed (i.e. mayonnaise, tomato, shredded lettuce, pickles, butter, and occasionally sliced cheese such as Provolone), every ingredient you add to your roast beef po-boy will alter the end result. Some people like a high mayo to gravy ratio, request extra pickles, or nix the “shrettuce” all together. Others, the real carnivores, want no aberrant flavors mucking up their po-boy, relying wholly on the rich, brown gravy to keep it juicy

Finally, there's the heart of it all, the roast beef. Considering the oft-told origin of the poboy, it makes sense the roast beef version would be made from one of the most inexpensive cuts of meat—the chuck roast. As the legend goes, the po-boy was invented by Benny and Clovis Martin who created a cheap, filling sandwich to feed the striking streetcar drivers back in 1929. The soft loaves were hollowed out and filled with everything from fried oysters and shrimp, to (you guessed it) roast beef with gravy. Like any claim to fame, there are discrepancies, but at least we can all agree the po-boy is a uniquely New Orleans’ sandwich created on our local French bread.

Let's get back to the meat. Many oldschool po-boy shops—for example the more Parkway Bakery in Bayou St. John—do everything in-house. They slow-cook the chuck roast with onions, garlic and seasonings, and create their own gravy from drippings, resulting in beef that literally falls apart. Parkway also uses the gravy and “debris,” or bits of meat floating in the drippings, to top a pile of fries for their “Streetcar Poboy,” a French fry and gravy sandwich they dub as the Martin brothers’ first ever po-boy.

Located on Magazine, Tracey's Original Irish Channel Bar serves the roast beef debris-topped French fry po-boy. Owners Jeffrey and Jamie Carreras were once the longtime (12 years) purveyors at Parasol's, but after a bit of a kerfuffle with their landlord, they left the Constance Street building and renovated new digs on Magazine in 2010. Along with the staff, the owners also brought their signature, award-winning roast beef po-boy recipe to the new location, and though the recipe is top secret,

Who makes the most exceptional

po-boy in New Orleans is the subject of much debate, but deciding the ultimate winner is a question only you can answer.

they also slowroast the chuck with aromatic seasonings and make their own gravy.

The famous roast beef “debris” sandwich creator Mother's in the Warehouse District is a po-boy worth waiting for, as the lines outside this iconic restaurant prove. Using top round, a slightly different but no less inexpensive cut, the meat at Mother's is slow-roasted with beef stock (also made in house), piled high atop Leidenheimer or Gendusa French bread, and dressed with shredded cabbage instead of lettuce, offering a crispier bite.

Short Stop Po-Boys in Metairie may not be as recognized as the others mentioned, but the Henrick family has been slinging roast beef in the burbs for 57 years. Done in-house, they roast their chuck for four hours and then boil the cooked beef in drippings with their own special blend of spices. In addition to Leidenheimer's loaves, this neighborhood po-boy shop will also make your roast beef on wheat French bread sourced from local grocer Dorignac's. Mahony's Po-Boys, on the other hand, created quite a stir when they opened in 2008 offering a different kind of roast beef sandwich. Classically trained chef Ben Wicks made a pot roast using Angus beef braised in wine with the holy trinity. Though it may not be a “classic” New Orleansstyle roast beef po-boy, it's one hell of a sandwich.

Though many po-boy shops have the space to cook a chuck roast, some spots do not. But this doesn't mean the end product is any less fabulous than their counterparts. In fact, one of the most memorable roast beef po-boys ever eaten was at a hole-in-the-wall, cafeteria-type spot in Harahan called The Red Wagon. They order their chucks already roasted but slice it up, simmer it in their own rich, brown gravy, and serve it on fresh French bread. At $10.95 for a huge, 16-inch po-boy, it's easily one of the best po-boy deals in the GNO.

What it comes down to is the right combination of flavors, textures, and a healthy dose of nostalgia. Only you know who makes the best roast beef po-boy, and in the grand scheme of things, your opinion is the only one that matters.

Where Italy meets the South. The unlikely marriage between classic Italian recipes and the bright and mystifying flavors of the American South.

Short Stop Po-boys

Mother's

Tracey's

Guide Summer Restaurant

AMERICAN

Boulevard American Bistro is a restaurant concept that serves incredible American dishes in Metairie, Elmwood, and Covington. The restaurant has plenty of signature cocktails to start your meal off with such as a French 75, cosmopolitan, or a mojito. Enjoy tasty appetizers including deviled eggs and amazing entrees such as the Hawaiian ribeye. Multiple Locations, boulevardbistro.com

Boutique de Vampyre’s Apothecary caters to both mortals and the vampires that live among us. A lot of the dishes on the menu have herbs and plants from the restaurant's garden such as the garden salad, roasted portobello, the marinated olives and feta cheese, and more. The apothecary also does daily tarot readings. 725 St. Peter St., 504766-8179, vampireapothecary.com

Crescent City Steaks is Louisiana’s oldest family-owned steakhouse and has been serving some of New Orleans’ finest steaks for four generations. The restaurant’s steaks, which are sizzled in butter, are all to die for. Other tasty dishes to choose from include the broiled lobster tail and the shrimp cocktail. 1001 N. Broad St., 504-821-3271, crescentcitysteaks.com

Daisy Dukes is a popular restaurant with locations all across New Orleans, as well as in Metairie, Kenner, and Mandeville. The

establishment is best known for its delicious Cajun, Southern, and breakfast dishes including Belgian waffles and country fried steak. Don’t forget to order the award-winning Cajun Bloody Mary. Multiple Locations, daisydukesrestaurant.com

Flamingo A-Go-Go is the place to “flamingle” with your closest friends. This stylish establishment has the largest courtyard in the Warehouse District and is perfect for doggie play-dates and outdoor cocktails such as the streetcar or the blue drank. Try Flamingo’s flatbreads, sandwiches, and entrees including the jerk tacos. 869 Magazine St., 504-5772202, flamingonola.com

Gattuso’s Neighborhood Restaurant is one of Old Gretna’s best neighborhood hangout spots. The restaurant has a nice mix of American bar food and traditional New Orleans dishes such as red beans and rice and a sloppy roast beef po-boy. Gattuso’s also has craft cocktails including rum punch and whiskey sour. 435 Huey P. Long Ave., Gretna, 504-368-1114, gattusos.net

Houmas House & Gardens has three great restaurants that range from casual sit-down spots to more fine, white tablecloth dining. Dixie Café offers simple breakfast and lunch dishes, as well as buffets, while the Carriage House has more upscale dishes. Latil’s Landing’s rack of lamb dish is absolutely

amazing. 401336 LA-942, Darrow, 225-473-9380, houmashouse.com

Legacy Kitchen Steak + Chop is perfect for anyone looking for a steakhouse on the Westbank. Some of the restaurant’s signature steaks include filets, ribeyes, and a massive tomahawk steak. Other fantastic dishes include the chicken and waffles, charbroiled oysters, and the Legacy burger. 91 Westbank Expy #51, Gretna, 504-513-2606, legacykitchen.com

Spudly's

Luke combines elements of Franco-German brasseries with New Orleans flavors to create something incredible. Definitely check out the restaurant’s famous raw bar, which offers Gulf oysters, jumbo shrimp, Maine lobster, and more. The pork schnitzel and moules et frites are great tastes of Europe. 333 St Charles Ave., 504-378-2840, lukeneworleans.com

New Orleans Vampire Cafe is the perfect place in the French Quarter for everything that goes bump in the night. The menu is chock full of deliciously creative American dishes including seared duck breast, blackened

Nice Guys

alligator, and lamb stew. Order the Dracula burger and a blood bag cocktail for a truly spooky dinner. 801 Royal St., 504-5810801, nolavampirecafe.com

Nola Steak, located in Boomtown Casino & Hotel, is perfect for anyone who wants a good steak after playing the slots. In addition to different cuts of meat, the restaurant serves entrees such as blackened redfish and lemon braised hen. Nola Steak also has a brunch that’s offered from noon to 4 p.m. on Sundays. 4132 Peters Rd., Harvey, 504805-5596, boomtownneworleans.com

Spudly’s Super Spuds is a must visit for anyone who loves creatively-made baked potatoes. The restaurant has had over 40

years of experience to perfect its many different potato dishes including the incredible veggie and the chicken delight. Spudly’s also offers gourmet burgers and other sandwiches. 2609 Harvard Ave., Metairie, 504-4553250, spudlys.com

The Steakhouse at Harrah’s is where Southern flair and steakhouse classics meet in perfect harmony. The restaurant offers flame-grilled filet mignon and ribeye, as well as decadent seafood including pan-seared crab cakes and a shrimp cocktail. Make sure to order a glass from the restaurant’s award winning wine menu. 8 Canal St., 504-533-6111, caesars.com

Voodoo Chicken and Daiquiris is a somewhat newer establishment with three locations all across the French Quarter. Enjoy the restaurant’s signature chicken or other offerings including Natchitoches pies, po-boys, and gumbo. Voodoo’s fresh fruit daiquiris are all refreshingly cold and very delicious. Multiple Locations, voodoochickenanddaiquirisnola.com

ASIAN

Asia brings together classic Vietnamese and Chinese dishes in Harvey’s Boomtown Casino & Hotel. The restaurant’s appetizer sampler platter is a great way to try all of Asia’s small starter plates. Choose from many entrees such as pho, sweet and sour chicken, shaking beef, tofu vegetable, and much more. 4132 Peters Rd., Harvey, 504-366-7711, boomtownneworleans.com

spicy voodoo egg rolls or hearty Korean ribs. 1028 Manhattan Blvd, (504) 302-1727, tdseafoodphohouse.com

BARS WITH GREAT FOOD

Alto Rooftop Bar provides great views of New Orleans from on top of the Ace Hotel. Take a dip in Alto’s pool or cool off with craft cocktails including the Calypso, the green light, or the Turkish royale. Some of the small bites the bar offers include chicken wings, a caprese panini, and andouille en crute. 600 Carondelet St., 504-900-1180, acehotel.com

Bar Marilou is a beautiful French-style bar that’s connected to the side of the Maison de la Luz hotel. Enjoy the bar’s classy atmosphere while sipping on a creative cocktail such as the bungalow mystery or the papillon. The bar’s pommes Marilou is an interesting potato dish filled with crème fraîche and topped with caviar. 544

city since 1939. The restaurant’s menu is a mix of Cajun/Creole dishes such as boudin balls and American classics including wings and burgers. Buffa’s also hosts live music performances every Wednesday through Monday. 1001 Esplanade Ave., 504-9490038, buffasbar.com

JB’s Fuel Dock is a great place to relax, eat pizza, and take in the views overlooking Lake Pontchartrain. There are many different pizzas to choose from such as garlic and red pepper, the three cheese Italian, and the margherita. JB’s also has a lot of signature cocktails such as the frozen bushwacker and the rum punch. 126 S. Roadway St., 504-510-2260, jbsfueldock.com

Le Bon Temps Roule is one of the best neighborhood bars that can be found in Uptown. The menu has many different burgers and sandwiches to choose from such as the Roule burger, the white BBQ chicken sandwich, and the “your still here sammich.” Le Bon Temps Roule’s signature Bloody Marys can’t be beat. 4801 Magazine St., 504-897-3448, lbtrnola. com

Peacock Room is an elegant cocktail bar that is perfect for a date night with your significant other. It is located in the Kimpton Hotel Fontenot and offers tasty bites such as blue cheese stuffed dates and prosciutto. Try

Tracey’s Original Irish Channel Bar is the place to be during St. Patrick’s Day or any other day. This popular sports bar has more than 20 television screens and hundreds of beer selections. Tracey’s also has different poboys on its menu such as French fry, soft-shell crab, and alligator sausage. 2604 Magazine St., 504-897-5413, traceysnola.com

The Jimani is the place to be during the next big sporting event. The French Quarter bar is open seven days a week and has all DirecTV packages on its many TV screens, including UFC fights. In addition to beer and Jell-O shots, the Jimani also serves burgers, poboys, pizza, and Chicago-style hot dogs. 141 Chartres St., 504-5240493, thejimani.com

The Marsh Room Patio Bar and Grill is one of Metairie’s newest spots for live music, sports, and good food. Menu items include steaks, sandwiches, and different starters including quesadillas, marsh fries, and Southwest chicken eggrolls. Make sure to check the Marsh Room’s Facebook page for live music events. 4740 Rye St., Metairie, 504-571-5733, facebook.com/ marshroom

The Garage is a great place to have a good time in the French Quarter. The night club regularly has live music events and even sells CBD and massive “fish bowls.” The Garage’s food menu is filled with tasty New Orleans dishes including triple pork red beans, crawfish and shrimp etouffee, Cajun gumbo, and spicy beef yaka mein. 810 Conti St., thegaragemusicclub.com

Stumpy's Hatchet House is a place where friends and family can gather together and enjoy some hatchet throwing. When you’re all done tossing, you can enjoy snack bites including nachos, pizza, hot dogs, popcorn, and more. Stumpy’s also has a fully stocked bar, as well as refreshing cold drinks. 1200 Poydras St., 504577-2937, stumpyshh.com/ neworleansla

CAFÉ

Mikimoto in Mid-City has some of the freshest and most inventive sushi in town. Their signature rolls, such as the lobster tempura and Mikimoto special, are always a hit. The elegant decor and attentive service make it a great spot for a date night or special occasion. 3301 S. Carrollton Ave., 504488-1881, mikimotosushi.com

TD Seafood & Pho House is a restaurant serving authentic Vietnamese cuisine and spicy boiled seafood. This casual eatery on the Westbank features several varieties of pho and crawfish boiled with garlic butter or Khong sauce. Try their banh mi, bun, sweet and

Carondelet St., 504-814-7711, barmarilou.com

Buffa's Bar & Restaurant is a classic New Orleans-style bar that has been in the

one of the bar’s craft cocktails such as the sazerac, the hurricane, or the leche de madre. 501 Tchoupitoulas St., 504-324-3073, peacockroomnola.com

Carmo is a New Orleansbased tropical restaurant that is committed to feeding great food to vegetarians and vegans, as well as omnivores. Start off with the pão de quejo and then try one of the restaurant’s many salads such as the broken noodle or the Burmese tea leaf. Carmo also has interesting banquette bread plates. 527 Julia St., 504-875-4132, cafecarmo. com

Jimmy J’s Café is a funky French Quarter café that attracts both locals and tourists. The restaurant’s standouts are its one-of-a-kind breakfast dishes such as the beignet sticks, Bananas Foster French toast, and cochon eggs Benedict. Other tasty items include the shrimp and grits and seafood and spinach omelet. Multiple Locations, 504309-9360, jimmyjscafe.com

Jimmy J's

Tracey's

Asia

Willa Jean is a great place to go to in the Warehouse District for coffee and baked goods. Bring your friends and hang out while sipping on the restaurant’s special blend of dark roast coffee. Some of Willa Jean’s food items include a burger, BBQ shrimp toast, and biscuits with jam, gravy, or fried chicken with Tabasco honey. 611 O’Keefe Ave., 504509-7334, willajean.com

The Vintage is a cozy café where customers can relax with some coffee or a glass of champagne. The restaurant’s beignets are a particular favorite and can be served traditionally, as bites, or even with gravy. The Vintage also has flatbreads, pressed sandwiches, and many other small bites that can be enjoyed. 3121 Magazine St., 504324-7144, thevintagenola.com

FRENCH

Café Degas, located in the Faubourg St. John, is one of New Orleans’ most romantic restaurants. The cafe specializes in incredibly made French dishes including French onion soup, escargots à la bourguignonne, and bouillabaisse. Café Degas also offers Saturday and Sunday brunch with options such as quiche and a Belgian waffle. 3127 Esplanade Ave., 504-945-5635, cafedegas.com

King Brasserie + Bar is a new spot, located in the Kimpton Hotel Fontenot. They have an extensive wine menu and unique small plates, as well as dinner options that incorporate local seafood and international flavors. Be sure to try the grilled octopus with bacon, sweet potato, and vadouvan. 521 Tchoupitoulas St., 504-324-3000, kingbrasserieandbar. com

ITALIAN

A Tavola Restaurant & Wine Bar is a lively spot in Metairie featuring modern Italian cuisine. They have a large selection of wine and Neapolitan-style pizzas as well as hearty, delicious entrees such as pasta bolognese. Be

sure to catch their happy hour, which offers discounted drinks and tasty small plates including fried eggplant and baked goat cheese al forno. 3413 Veterans Blvd., 504577-2235, atavo.la

Domenica is a great place to go to in New Orleans and try more traditional Italian cuisine. The restaurant’s Neapolitan-style pizzas are particularly amazing and come with different toppings such as clams, prosciutto,

smoked pork, and meatballs. Domenica also has an extensive Italian wine list to choose from. 123 Baronne St., 504-648-6020, domenicarestaurant.com

Italian Pie has been whipping up delectable American Italian food since 1992. The Uptown restaurant makes some of your favorite Italian dishes, including gourmet calzones, ovenbaked sandwiches, and pasta plates such as lasagna and ravioli. Be sure to try their

A Tavola

Tavolino

tiramisu. They offer so much more than pizza. Multiple Locations, italianpie.com

Josephine Estelle mixes Italian recipes with southern flavors and is open for breakfast, lunch, brunch, and dinner. The restaurant is helmed by James Beard Award-nominated chefs Michael Hudman and Andy Ticer. Some of the delicious pasta dishes that Josephine Estelle serves include rigatoni, bucatini, and gemelli. 600 Carondelet St., 504-9303070, josephineestelle.com

Mosca’s Restaurant is one of the bestknown Italian restaurants in Greater New Orleans and has been serving rustic Italian fare since 1946. All of the restaurant's entrees are made from scratch and are served familystyle. People come from far and wide just to try the Oysters Mosca and the Shrimp Mosca. 4137 US-90 W., Westwego, 504-4368950, moscasrestaurant.com

PIZZA Domenica is a stylish pizzeria with locations in Uptown, Mid-City, and Lakeview. The restaurant’s Margherita, lamb agrodolce, white, tutto carne pizzas are all amazing and are perfect for sharing with friends. Garlic knots, wood roasted cauliflower, crawfish artichoke dip, and a variety of salads are also available. Multiple Locations, pizzadomenica.com

Tavolino Pizza & Lounge is a charming hang out spot in beautiful Algiers Point. Take the ferry and cross over the Mississippi River to enjoy creative thin-crust pizzas such as the Behrman Hwy, Fantasy Island, and that’s a spicy meatball. Consider ordering the fried olives appetizer, which is stuffed with beef and pork. 141 Delaronde St., Algiers, 504605-3365, tavolinonola.com

Venezia has been one of New Orleans’ go-to Italian restaurants since 1957. If you’d like to be creative, order the cheese pizza and customize it with the large variety of toppings on offer including anchovies, veal, crawfish, feta, crabmeat, and more. Venezia also serves steaks and different specialty pastas. 134 N. Carrollton Ave., 504-488-7991, venezianeworleans.com

LATIN

Tito’s Ceviche & Pisco, located on Magazine Street and St. Charles Avenue, brings the unique cuisine of Peru to the Big Easy. Try a selection of ceviche dishes with delicious seafood such as Gulf shrimp, Gulf fish, salmon, yellowfin tuna, and more. Come for dinner and definitely try the grilled octopus appetizer with potatoes. Multiple Locations, titoscevichepisco.com

MEXICAN

El Gato Negro is a local Mexican kitchen featuring fare from founder Juan Contreras’ family recipe book. El Gato Negro’s delicious menu includes sizzling fajitas, burritos and tacos galore, and their extensive selection of signature drinks. Check out all three El Gato locations for lunch or dinner. Multiple Locations, (504) 525-9752, elgatonegro. com

Felipe’s Mexican Taqueria is a popular establishment that can be found in three locations around New Orleans. Walk up to the counter and customize your own tacos, burritos, nachos, quesadillas, and more with extra beans, rice, and salsas. Felipe’s rocks margarita, frozen margarita, and red sangria are all refreshing and tasty. Multiple Locations, felipestaqueria.com

Juan’s Flying Burrito has been serving its Creoleinfluenced Mexican food to New Orleanians for over 25 years. All of the restaurant’s burritos, such as the gutter punk and the al pastor, are massive, filling, and delicious. Other creative dishes on Juan’s menu include the banh mi tacos and the luau quesadilla. Multiple locations, juansflyingburrito.com

Mr. Tequila has a fairly large menu that includes authentic Mexican dishes along with Tex-Mex classics. Enjoy mouth-watering plates such as loco rice, the chimichanga plate, and the carne asada,

Venezia

Wednesday and try the Mr. Taco Plate, which is three barbacoa tacos with consommé 5018 Freret St., 504-766-9660, mrtequilanola.com

Tacos Del Cartel has some of the best tacos that can be found in all of Metairie. The al pastor, carne asada, and chicken tinga tacos are all delicious. The casual atmosphere and creative cocktails make it a perfect spot for a casual meal, happy hour, or weekend brunch on Saturdays and Sundays. 2901 David Dr., Metairie, 504-381-5063, tacosdelcartel.com

MIDDLE EASTERN

Lebanon’s Café is easily one of the most popular Middle Eastern restaurants in all of New Orleans. Choose from a long list of authentic Lebanese entreés including kabobs, shawarma, and rosemary lamb chops. Bring some friends and split tasty appetizers such as the stuffed grape leaves, halloumi cheese, or safeiheh. 1500 S. Carrollton Ave., 504-8626200, lebanonscafe.com

Shaya is a stylish, James Beard Award-winning restaurant that specializes in modern Israeli cuisine. Choose from delicious small plates and hummus dishes or go for larger options such as the chicken leg and thigh or the arayes. Shaya’s fresh baked pitas with olive oil and za’atar are worth a trip by themselves. 4213 Magazine St., 504-891-4213, shayarestaurant.com

NEW ORLEANS CUISINE

Apolline serves modern Louisiana cuisine in a renovated and cozy double shotgun cottage. Delicious dishes include the crawfish bisque, panéed veal medallions, jambalaya dumplings, and

seared diver scallops are all available. Order a glass of wine or classic cocktail, such as the daiquiri or the negroni. 4729 Magazine St., 504-894-8881, apollinerestaurant.com

Annunciation, located in the Warehouse District, is a great restaurant to visit for those special occasions. Expect contemporary Cajun and Creole dishes including shrimp etouffee, fried oysters, soft shell crab Monica, and much more. Decadent desserts include the Bananas Foster bread pudding and the chocolate truffle. 1016 Annunciation St., 504-5680245, annunciationrestaurant.com

Café Normandie, housed in the Higgins Hotel, serves both French and New Orleans cuisine in a welcoming space. Mouth-watering entrees include the Cajun paella, steak frites, and the confit duck cassoulet. Cafe Normandie also serves breakfast items, flatbreads, and desserts include the berry trifle beignet. 1000 Magazine St., 504-528-1941, higginshotelnola.com

Chef Ron’s Gumbo Stop has been serving incredible Louisiana cuisine in its unassuming location since 2012. Boudin balls, po-boys, and many other NOLA favorites are on the menu. Try the Mumbo Gumbo, which is filled with shrimp, chicken, crawfish, sausage, crabmeat, tomato, and okra. 2309 N. Causeway Blvd., Metairie, 504-835-2022, gumbostop.com

is a microbrewery where customers can enjoy good food, live music, restaurant’s “brewtails,” all of which incorporate the brewhouse’s original beers. The shrimp and crawfish pasta, andouille sausage po-boy, and raw oysters 527 Decatur St., 504-522-0571,

New Orleans Creole Cookery

From romantic tables filled with candlelight to festive Sunday brunches. Our grills are working overtime to ensure your favorite dish is ready for you. Because some of the best moments of our lives are in our favorite restaurants. Make your reservations now and be part of the celebration.

For more information, visit NewOrleans.com/RestaurantWeek

Evangeline offers a beautiful French Quarter courtyard, craft beer, and delicious Louisiana cuisine. The Cajun-inspired menu features dishes including alligator creole, southern-fried okra, and grilled redfish with crawfish pesto pasta. Come on in for Saturday and Sunday brunch and bottomless mimosas. 329 Decatur St., 504-3734852, evangelineneworleans.com

House of Blues New Orleans is the perfect place to enjoy a night out with your closest friends. Dishes to enjoy include the fried chicken, baby back ribs, blackened salmon, and a range of tasty burgers. Make sure to check the House of Blues’ website to see who will be performing live music when you visit. 225 Decatur St., 504-310-4999, houseofblues.com/neworleans

Kingfish, named after Louisiana governor Huey P. Long, is where you go to eat like a king. This French Quarter restaurant has delicious New Orleans cuisine and creative cocktails including the Vieux Carré margarita and the hurricane. Enjoy great seafood entrees such as the barbeque scallop fettuccine or the shrimp and grits. 337 Chartres St., 504-598-5005, kingfishneworleans.com

Lakeview Harbor is a terrific Lakeview restaurant that has been family-owned and operated for over 30 years. The expansive menu has steaks, seafood, poboys, salads, and all kinds of different appetizers. Lakeview Harbor is also the home of Lakeview’s original burger, so give that a try. 8550 Pontchartrain Blvd., 504-486-4887, lakeviewharbor.us

Lil’ Dizzy’s Cafe is a Tremé staple that serves up authentic Creole, classic Southern dishes. Their rich, hearty gumbo and crawfish bisque are some of the best in town, while their delicious po-boys will satisfy any appetite. The cozy atmosphere and friendly service make it a perfect spot for a casual meal. 1500 Esplanade Ave., 504-7668687, lildizzyscafe.net

Mandina’s Restaurant is a very popular restaurant that has been family-owned since 1932. The menu is Creole Italian and has amazing dishes such as turtle soup au sherry, veal parmesan and spaghetti, and fried seafood plates. Mandina’s has classic cocktails: the sazerac, the Pimm’s Cup, the French 75, and the mint julep. 3800 Canal St., 504482-9179, mandinasrestaurant.com

Meril is a Chef Emeril Lagasse establishment that offers a globally-inspired menu of small plates and shareable dishes. The wood-fired oysters, charcuterie board, and crispy Brussels sprouts are standout options. The chic decor and lively atmosphere make Meril's a great spot for a night out with friends. 424 Girod St., 504-526-3745, emerilsrestaurants.com

Mother’s Restaurant has been a popular hangout for New Orleanians since 1938. Beloved local dishes such as red beans and rice, seafood gumbo, crawfish etouffee, and jambalaya are all on offer. Definitely be sure to try the Ferdi special po-boy, which is filled with baked ham, roast beef debris, and gravy. 401 Poydras St., 504-5239656, mothersrestaurant.net

Nice Guys Bar & Grill is a lively joint that offers its own twist of classic New Orleans food. The bar’s different oyster dishes are fan favorites and include chargrilled, Rockafeller, loaded, and ohh lala. Nice Guys also offers wings, sandwiches, loaded fries, Mexican-inspired dishes, and more. 7910 Earhart Blvd., 504-302-2404, niceguysbarandgrillnola.com

New Orleans Creole Cookery serves amazing and traditional Creole cuisine not too far from Jackson Square. Sit outside in the restaurant’s beautiful courtyard and enjoy the pecan-crusted redfish or the Chicken Pontalba. Visit during happy hour for $0.75 raw oysters or $1.25 chargrilled oysters. 510 Toulouse St., 504-5249632, neworleanscreolecookery.com

Neyow’s Creole Café is a popular MidCity spot that serves up classic New Orleans dishes with a modern twist. Their fried catfish, shrimp and grits, and stuffed bell peppers are all delicious options. The casual atmosphere and friendly service make it a great spot for a casual meal with friends. 3332 Bienville St., 504-827-5474, neyows.com

Neyow’s XL is a fine dining establishment that is located right next to Neyow’s Creole Café. In addition to authentic Creole dishes, the restaurant is known for its high quality steaks: filet mignon, ribeye, and tomahawk. Pick out a regularly sized drink and splurge on one of Neyow’s XL specials such as the XL hurricane. 3336 Bienville St., 504-5031081, xl.neyows.com

Orleans Grapevine

Orleans Grapevine Wine Bar & Bistro is a charming French Quarter wine bar that offers a selection of delicious small plates. The charcuterie board, cheese plate, and truffle fries are all popular options. The intimate atmosphere and knowledgeable staff make it a perfect spot for a romantic night out. 720 Orleans Ave., 504523-1930,

Parkway Bakery & Tavern first opened its doors in 1911, and it has been a NOLA staple ever since. People from all over the country come to the shop for its famous po-boy sandwiches including roast beef, fried shrimp, and more. Bring some friends and take on the bayou beast, which is a massive, three-foot long po-boy. 538 Hagan Ave., 504-4823047, parkwaypoorboys.com

Please U Restaurant is a place where breakfast is served all day. In addition, classic New Orleans hot plates such as red beans and rice, gumbo, and seafood platters are offered. The restaurant has been recognized as a home away from home by being pleasant, quirky, and tasty, all at a reasonable price. 1751 St. Charles Ave., 504-525-9131, pleaseunola.com

Short Stop Po-boys has been serving Metairie since 1966 and offers over 30 different kinds of po-boys. Their debris-style roast beef is excellent, tender, and juicy

every time. Customers can take it to the next level by adding unique sides including jambalaya, gumbo, and chicken fires to go with their po-boys.

119 Transcontinental Dr., Metairie 504-8854572, shortstoppoboysno. com

SEAFOOD

Bon Temps Boulet Seafood is a fun neighborhood eatery with friendly service and tasty dishes. They are known best to customers for their spicy, boiled seafood including their crawfish and chargrilled oysters. They also have shrimp or pulled pork platters and the seafood po-boys are also incredible. 4701 Airline Dr., Metairie, 504-885-5003, bontempsboulets.com

Briquette is a classic Creole restaurant with delectable modern and coastal meals such as Snapper Pontchartrain and Louisiana Redfish on the half shell. Located in the Warehouse District, Briquette's restaurant decor is modern but informal with a unique open kitchen. Definitely try the caramelized scallops. 701 S. Peters St., 504-302briquette-nola.

Legacy Kitchen’s Tacklebox is one of three great restaurants that are under the ownership of Legacy Kitchen. This restaurant has a mix of Southern and seafood dishes including shrimp and grits, catfish pecan, and beignets. Tacklebox also has an oyster bar, which offers raw, charbroiled, fried, and crafted oysters. 817 Common St., 504-827-1651, legacykitchen.com

Middendorf’s Restaurant is a Louisiana seafood institution and has been serving up their famous thin-fried catfish for over 80 years. Located on the shores of lakes Pontchartrain and Maurepas, the views are as impressive as the food. The menu also features other seafood dishes including shrimp, oysters, and crawfish. Multiple Locations, middendorfsrestaurant.com

Seaworthy celebrates all things seafood and puts an emphasis on using locally sourced fish and game. Dishes including lobster cocktail, scallop crudo, fish and chips, red snapper ceviche, and charbroiled oysters are available. Go extra fancy by ordering one of Seaworthy’s three caviar plates. 630 Carondelet St., 504-930-3071, seaworthynola.com

Seaworthy

When that hunger arises, there are standout chefs waiting to serve you who aren’t content with making the food that New Orleans is famous for. They’re carving out their space in intriguing and tasty ways.

What is known today as Creole cuisine is heavily influenced by African traditional cooking influenced by enslaved Africans brought to the southern U.S. and Caribbean. “There’s so much similarity [between Senegalese and New Orleans food] because you have to think that a lot of our people arrived in New Orleans; the majority of slaves that arrived in New Orleans came from Senegal,” said Chef Serigne Mbaye, owner and chef of the tasting menu restaurant Dakar NOLA. “It makes sense in New Orleans because the connection between Senegal and New Orleans is huge. I think people in New Orleans are willing to support the food I’m doing because of the connection. I think it would not make sense in any other city as of right now.”

Chef Serigne takes his memories of childhood in Senegal and mixes them with what’s available and fresh to make his family-style meals at Dakar NOLA. “I’m inspired by what farmers have available at Crescent City Farmers’ Market, and other farmers that I have connected with that deliver things to the restaurant.” From fond memories to local produce to the plate in front of you, Chef Serigne means to feed your body and nurture your soul. “Our team and brand is community,” he said.

NOLA CHEFS BRING THE HEAT

New Orleans’ stand out chefs are carving out their space right now

By Emily Hingle

Chef Ana Castro of Lengua Madre also favors the tasting menu concept because it adds to the dining experience. “I feel like we have to make so many decisions in our lives, every day, all the time, so when you come to Lengua Madre, the only thing you’ve got to choose is what do you want to drink. Come with an open mind and an open heart. Let us cook for you,” she said. That feeling of being cooked for has led many of Chef Ana’s patrons to feel as comfortable as they do around family. “Someone once told me that it was the best version of a homecooked meal. That, to me, is a high compliment. Lengua Madre is considered fine dining because of the format, but it’s not a sterile, white table cloth, don’t make any noise, place. It’s rustic and beautiful.”

The cuisine of Lengua Madre is Mexican, but the emphasis on collaboration leads the fare to unexpected places. “We have a small team, but they’re all tremendously gifted chefs. I lean heavily on my team to see what they want to do, what they find interesting, what kind of techniques they can bring to the table, things they want to explore with. Then we just make it our own by adapting it to

New Orleans cuisine as we know it today is a blend of centuries of different nationalities moving here and living together. As beautiful as our culinary history is, sometimes you feel the need to break out of the tradition and try something totally new.

Chef Ana Castro of Lengua Madre

produce and things that are seasonally available in south Louisiana. My grandmother would not recognize some of the dishes as Mexican. It’s my personal interpretation of Mexican cuisine.”

New Orleans may not come up in lists of the best barbecue cities in America, but it may only be a matter of time. With several busy barbecue joints to choose from and worldclass barbecue festivals, smoked meat restaurants may be New Orleans’ next culinary draw. Chef Shannon Bingham runs the shared kitchens of Devil Moon BBQ and Brewery Saint X in the CBD. “There’s something really alluring to me about live-fire cooking and using your senses. Every day waking up, lighting a fire, having to check the weather to see how that’s going to impact what we’re doing, how much wood we need to burn. You’re so much more engaged with what you’re doing, and it’s much more intuitive than just throwing something in an oven. There’s something almost primal about it that I’ve been drawn to,” said Chef Shannon.

Devil Moon BBQ serves up techniquedriven smoked meats, and Brewery Saint X offers high-end pub fare to pair well with

their selection of in-house brewed beer, but there are lots of Louisiana accents to be found. “I grew up in south Louisiana, and the food down here has obviously been a big part of my life. We’re really just trying to build something that feels like a New Orleans’ restaurant and something that locals will be drawn to.”

It's not hard to find Mexican restaurants all over the metro, but you may start to feel that the offerings don’t have much variation. Chef Julio Machado has been working to change the tune with Mucho Mas. “If you want to get soup at a Mexican restaurant, you’ll find tortilla soup. About five years ago in Mexico City, the ramen was really popular. They put so much stuff in there to make it flavorful. We don’t have tortilla soup; we have ramen with broth that came from pork bones and chicken bones. It takes like 24 hours to get it done,” Chef Julio said about just one of his dishes.

Chef Julio formerly owned Tacos Del Cartel in Metairie, but he fully invested his time and effort into Mucho Mas because he can do so “much more” with this larger space, food and vibe-wise. The dark walls, contemporary furnishings, and club-like feel are vastly different from other such restaurants. “I’m trying to do something different, something that you really will like and has a different vibe. We work hard to make a nice environment with nice service. Working hard every day to improve. We have DJs or live music on Fridays and Saturdays.”

These aren’t the decadesold institutions that you’ve gone to your entire life. Do your sense of culinary adventure a favor and feast upon something you’ve never had before.

FROM TOP: MUCHO MAS; DEVIL MOON BBQ / NEIGHBORHOOD RESTAURANT GROUP

“When you come to Lengua Madre… Come with an open mind and an open heart. Let us cook for you.”

—Chef Ana Castro

Chef Shannon Bingham runs shared kitchens at Devil Moon BBQ and Brewery Saint X

NOLA GETS ITS JUST DESSERTS

NOLA GETS ITS JUST DESSERTS

Sweets with an Extra Treat

By Camille Barnett

Whether it's getting the chance to bite into a piece of history, getting to experience a wowing table presentation, or having the option to mix some booze into your dessert, NOLA has many spots that offer sweets with an extra treat.

HISTORIC TREATS

Roman Candy Man, Varying Locations

Sold in chocolate, strawberry, and vanilla flavors, Roman chewing candy has been a 4-generation family recipe loved by locals since the early 1900s. As if the delicious taffy isn’t enough of a treat, there’s something pretty special about purchasing candy from a carriage wagon that was built in 1915. With the wagon stationed in different locations depending on the day and time of year, being able to spot it is an additional treat in itself. You can usually catch it at major festivals, near Audubon Park on Saint Charles Avenue or within the Audubon Zoo.

Hansen’s Sno Bliz, 4801 Tchoupitoulas St

Hansen’s Sno Bliz was founded in 1939 by Mary and Ernest Hansen, and the spirit is still kept alive by their granddaughter, Ashley Hansen. They are known for their unique, homemade artificial flavor-free syrups, and customers can experience the one-of-a-kind, melt-on-your tongue ice, made from the same 80+ year-old sno-bliz machine original to the shop. Expect a worth-the-wait line out the door, but once inside, enjoy passing time by looking at shops’ walls, collaged with newspaper article clippings and hundreds of photos of smiling happy customers holding varying snobliz flavors from years past.

BOOZY TREATS

Sweet & Boozy, 4525 Freret St

Sweet & Boozy is a Black-owned ice cream shop that serves up delicious frozen concoctions. Here, you have the option of classic ice cream flavors without alcohol, such as butter pecan, cookies and cream, strawberry cheesecake, or you can order a treat with a little kick, with alcohol-infused flavors including Baileys Luck of the Irish, chocolate caramel cognac, the Big Lebowski White Russian, and more.

Bakery Bar NOLA, 1179 Annunciation St

Bakery Bar has many scrumptious goods on the menu, but a favorite is their doberge cake slices. Doberge is a rich, moist, layered, buttermilk cake that originated here in New Orleans. They also offer mini versions of this treat called “dobites” (three layers of cake separated by two layers of pudding with a poured fondant). Pair a pastry with one of their dessert cocktails, like the “Big Bertha Alexander” (a brandy milkshake with chocolate, hazelnut, and whipped cream).

CUSTOMIZABLE TREATS

Crêpes à la Cart , 1039 Broadway St

Crêpes à la Cart is a quaint shop on Tulane’s campus that features a twotop stove burner behind clear windows, where customers can see their treats made. The menu offers many sweet combinations, but the best part is being able to choose from their ingredients to build your own. Try opting for the butter and sugar crêpe with nutella, strawberry, coconut, pecans, and whipped cream.

Everyone knows that New Orleans is the city for some of the best eateries and meals in the world, but what’s a good meal without an even better dessert? Luckily, not only is the Big Easy filled with stops to satisfy your sweet tooth, but it’s filled with unique spots to satisfy other senses as well.

Brennan's

Drink Beauty NOLA , 3424 Magazine St

Drink Beauty NOLA is a hybrid coffee and beauty bar that serves colorful, trendy drinks that “taste good and make you feel better.” Not only are these drinks deliciously unique, but with the free downloadable app Ripple, you can also print any image you’d like on top of your beverage for no additional charge.

TREATS WITH AN INSTAGRAMMABLE POUR Drip Affogato Bar NOLA, 703 Carondelet St

Affogato is an Italian dessert made of two heavens combined in one. It usually features scoop(s) of creamy gelato topped and drowned with a shot of espresso. At Drip Affogato, a funky, cozy shop with bright flowers, tropical plants, and abstract/pop art, you can enjoy unique, homemade gelato creations that vary weekly and by season.

Jack Rose, 2031 St Charles Ave.

When the Pontchartrain Hotel was opened in 1927, one of the most iconic dishes was the Mile High Pie, an ice cream pie consisting of tall layers of vanilla, chocolate, and peppermint ice cream, topped with meringue. It remains the signature dish of the restaurant, now Jack Rose, and if the Mile High Pie isn’t delicious enough, it also comes with a melted chocolate finish to be poured on top.

TREATS WITH FLARE

Brennan’s, 417 Royal St.

Banana Foster is a classic NOLA delicacy that was born at Brennan’s in 1951, and remains one of their most popular dishes. Not only is the butter-sauteed, banana, and cinnamon dessert a flavorful mouthexplosion, but even more exciting is the table-side presentation. The rum and banana liquor is set on fire right in front of you.

Meril, 424 Girod St.

Cotton candy was originally called “fairy floss” until New Orleaninan Joseph Lascaux created a machine in 1921 that expedited the candy-making process and patented the name “cotton candy.” On your next birthday, visit Meril’s. Not only do they celebrate you with a fluffy cotton candy treat, but it’s served with an exciting sparkler, letting the whole restaurant know that it’s your big day.

Jack Rose

Bakery Bar NOLA

$20 AND UNDER

No Grill Needed: New Orleans BBQ Shrimp

By Kim Ranjbar

A New Orleans food writer with a lot of local cuisine knowledge “under her belt” once told said that the original recipe for BBQ shrimp, created at Uptown restaurant Pascal's Manale, consisted of three ingredients: gulf shrimp, lots and lots of pepper, and oleo (a.k.a. oldschool margarine). Most of the flavor in the dish comes from the shrimp's head and shell, which remains intact while cooking and serving, but a richer recipe evolved, mainly due to a matter of etiquette. In other words, people dining at a white tablecloth restaurant had little interest in beheading and peeling their own shrimp.

Thus, the New Orleans’ classic was born, not too different from the original and still prepared a long way from the grill. Along with pepper and real butter (ditch the oleo), the generally-agreed upon recipe includes Worcestershire sauce, butter, shallots, garlic, fresh lemon juice, Tabasco,

butter, and a few Cajun-Italian seasonings such as cayenne, oregano, thyme, basil, and paprika. Did we mention butter?

With the rising price of foodstuffs, it was a bit challenging to find BBQ shrimp dishes falling under the $20 mark. The original at Pascal's Manale last rang in at $28, though the Napoleon Avenue restaurant was recently bought by Dickie Brennan & Co., so that might change. Mr. B's Bistro, another famous French Quarter spot known for the dish, charges a whopping $34 for their “barbequed shrimp.” Had one of a favorite

local dishes become out of financial reach? Not quite… Frank Brigtsen, a famous local chef and a man who devotedly espouses the Prudhommian belief that “brown is flavor,” offers an affordable BBQ Shrimp appetizer at his eponymous Riverbend restaurant. Open for almost 40 years, the neighborhood spot is the best place in the bend for New Orleans-style cuisine offering shrimp remoulade and filé gumbo, and of course BBQ shrimp. Brigtsen's version comes with lots of tangy, buttery sauce and a shrimp-stuffed calas or Creole rice fritter. Dinner at Brigtsen's always includes a complimentary side of French bread, so try not to eat it all before your plate arrives—you'll want to save some to soak up all of the sauce.

Speaking of famous local chefs, Susan Spicer (who is fast friends with Chef Brigtsen) also offers a decadent dish of BBQ shrimp at her Navarre neighborhood joint Rosedale . There are so many delicious dishes priced exactly right at her police-station-turned-restaurant tucked away on Rosedale Drive, from a cochon de lait po-boy to fried chicken with baked mac 'n' cheese. Prepared classically with heads and tails in the mix, Spicer's BBQ shrimp is swimming in that lemony,

Put the sticky-sweet, tomato-based sauce back in the fridge and step away from the grill, because New Orleans-style BBQ shrimp is not what y'all think of when y'all think barbecue.

TASTING IS BELIEVING

Sometimes it’s hard to pick just one thing to order – especially when the food’s this unbelievably fresh and full of flavor. Come find your new favorite spot and get a taste of what Baton Rouge is all about at visitbatonrouge.com/restaurants

buttery sauce and served with plenty of toasted and sliced French bread, which includes five jumbosized Gulf beauties for $15.50.

For something just a little different, but no less fantastic, head out to Junior's on Harrison in Lakeview. Step inside this coastalstyled corner cafe for lunch and let Executive Chef Brett Monteleone whip up his Creole/Cantonese mashup BBQ Shrimp Toast. Made with minced Gulf shrimp-coated and deep fried toast slices with lots of sesame seeds, bright green onion and that familiar Worcestershire and butter-laden sauce, it's an appetizer you can share, or treat as an entree and keep it all to yourself. Priced at only $13, you can grab a creamy, chewy scoop of Gail's Fine Ice Cream while you're there and still stay under budget.

Considering any BBQ shrimp dish worth its Worcestershire comes with lots of New Orleans-style French bread, it's natural to segue right into the po-boy. While there are quite a few to choose from, we'd be oh-so remiss if we failed to mention the Fairgrounds-famous Liuzza's by the Track . Self-touted as their signature dish (though some may argue that honor should go to their gumbo), Liuzza's BBQ Louisiana shrimp comes stuffed inside—and spilling out of—a chewycrusted, Leidenheimer pistolette.

Paying $15.95 for this landmark dish could be considered a crime, but we're not talking.

The BBQ shrimp po-boy at Bourrée could be construed as an homage to Liuzza's signature version in style and presentation, but the flavor reflects chef/owner Nathanial Zimet's own style. Kick back under the oaks at this casual, Carrollton neighborhood spot and scarf their shrimp-stuffed pistolette, but expect a little more heat (i.e. a lot more Tabasco). Bourrée's po-boy will set you back $15, but for $3 more you can add fries and make it a meal.

Since we're talking po-boys, we simply must talk about a particularly spectacular specimen at (where else?) Parkway Bakery. Everyone who's anyone knows about this iconic, Bayou St. John po-boy shop that's been serving po-boys in New Orleans since time out of mind, but everyone may not know about this incredible creation. Dubbed the “Deep Fried Creole BBQ Shrimp Po-Boy,” this super-unctuous 'wich features toasted Leidenheimer

French bread loaded with Parkway's “traditional flash-fried” Gulf shrimp smothered in a creamier version of that classic tangy sauce. Now, you could pig out on a large for $15.49, but a “small” is only $11.59 and you'd still be able to spring for their Southern-style banana pudding (cue the 'Nilla Wafers) for dessert.

Bourrée

Rosedale

Liuzza's by the Track

FOOD FOR YOUR SOUL

Making Memories in New Orleans

By Celeste Turner

“In New Orleans, certain beloved places come with a hearty serving of nostalgia and feeling of continuity,” said McNulty, who moved to New Orleans from Rhode Island in 1999. “Even today, when I unwrap a po-boy sandwich, it still reminds me of the first time I ate a po-boy from Parasol’s with a Barq’s longneck root beer.”

Food is one of New Orleans’s most nostalgic appeals, so McNulty shared a list of lost New Orleans’ restaurants which may reignite fond memories.

1 Mandich Restaurant located on St. Claude Avenue— opened in the 1930’s. “This was the Galatoire’s of the ninth ward,” said McNulty. “Mandich was an upscale restaurant that was Creole to the core.” It closed due to Hurricane Katrina.

2. Uglesich’s Restaurant located in Central City—opened in the 1920’s. “Uglesich’s was a seafood restaurant with an oyster bar,” said McNulty. "It was a casual, family-run place that became a hot spot serving seafood.” It closed right before Hurricane Katrina.

3 Dunbar’s Creole Cafe originally located on Freret Street for over 20 years before relocating to Earhart Boulevard and then closing due to the pandemic. “Dunbar’s was a Creole soul restaurant specializing in family cooking from the country,” said McNulty. “They offered dirt cheap prices for foods like fried chicken, red beans, gumbo, sweet tea, and greens.”

4. Genghis Khan—opened in 1975 at the corner of Tulane and Carrollton. “This was an elegant Korean restaurant owned by a musician, Henry Lee,” said McNulty. “It was the first place that you could get whole fish entrees, and it closed in 2004.”

5. Hummingbird Grill—located on St. Charles Avenue— opened 24 hours. “This hotel and diner combo dates back to when the warehouse district had not yet developed. You could hear the buzz of the old neon sign outside and the streetcar passed in front. It attracted all types of people.” It closed in 2001.

Another nostalgic New Orleans favorite that local foodies may be missing is the original Manuel’s Hot Tamales located at 4709 South Carrollton Avenue. A popular Mexican food takeout place, Manuel’s Hot Tamales was founded by Manuel Hernandez in 1932. When the levees failed during Hurricane Katrina, the first floor tamale factory was flooded and forever closed. McNulty recalled, “You could walk up to the window of the ground floor of this raised house and order a couple of greasy tamales wrapped up in newspaper. Nothing better than those meaty, spicy tamales.”

A second blast from the past, the Metairie steakhouse, Crazy Johnnie’s, triggered memories for the local palate with their casual dining and bargain pricing in the early 1990’s. This Fat City steak joint started out as a neighborhood bar and evolved into a full-time restaurant. “Crazy Johnnie’s was known for its outrageously low-priced steaks,” said McNulty. “It transformed from a bar to a steakhouse. It still looked like a bar with low ceilings. But you could get a steak for $12 and a filet sandwich for under $10.” With rising beef prices, news of the restaurant spread that it was going to close. Surprisingly, the business picked up and stayed open for a few months but, eventually Crazy Johnnie’s closed in 2014.

Although these memorable restaurants have gone, a few of the most treasured eats from New Orleans’ past are still around and available to purchase, namely the famous Lucky Dogs and Roman candy.

“Lucky Dogs has been a New Orleans tradition since 1947,” said Jerry Strahan, semi-retired general manager of Lucky Dogs and author of such books as Managing Ignatius: The Lunacy of Lucky Dogs and Life in New Orleans and Lucky Dogs: From Bourbon Street to Beijing and Beyond. “Lucky Dogs is

generational. It’s still here and something people can relate to from their past.”

According to Strahan, Lucky Dogs had initially serviced bars from Uptown to Downtown with their fleet of mobile carts. Today, Lucky Dog vendors push their ten-foot weiner-shaped cart in the French Quarter from Bourbon Street to Canal, as well as in Jackson Square and along the Moonwalk. “In the 1940’s, the cost of a Lucky Dog was 20 cents,” said Strahan who has worked for Lucky Dogs for 47 years. “Meat prices have gone up considerably over the years. Today, the Lucky Dog costs $5.50.”

From New Orleans' most iconic street food to the best taffy candy in town, locals cannot forget Ron Kottemann, the Roman Candy man with his mule and his white wagon with red wheels. A New Orleans’ native, Kottemann, took over his grandfather’s 108-year-old family business, and still enjoys making and selling chocolate, vanilla and strawberry-flavored gourmet taffy in his cart and mule-drawn kitchen. Today, Kottemann continues to roll down the streets of New Orleans, primarily in the Riverbend and Uptown area. “We still ring the bell in neighborhoods and people come running out of their houses to buy candy,” said Kottemann. “Originally, the candy was five cents a stick. Today, it's $1.50 per stick. Through the years, I have seen three and four generations of families buying the candy to share with their children or grandchildren. There is such nostalgia attached to it.”

Those who grew up in New Orleans during the 1970’s, 80’s and 90’s may remember JAX beer, the K & B soda fountains, Wise Cafeteria, or McKenzie’s Pastry Shoppes. While these long-gone NOLA favorites may evoke feelings of nostalgia, local foods like Lucky Dogs, Roman candy, Hubig’s pies and Elmer’s candy have endured. To the locals, this is what makes New Orleans the only place on earth that celebrates joie de vivre (joy of living).

What takes you back in time and reminds you of what you love about New Orleans? For Ian McNulty, a local food writer since 2001, it’s the first time he ate a po-boy.

FOOD NEWS

By Kim Ranjbar

Getting a rise out of Gretna … Seasoned restaurateur Betty Archote (nee Nguyen), purveyor of Huey P.'s Pizzeria and Thanh Thanh, has just launched her latest creation Dough Nguyener's Vietnamese Bakery & Cafe. The shiny new bakery is located on the corner of Lafayette and 5th, serving specialty coffee drinks, baked goods, and a large menu with both breakfast and lunch offerings. Items to watch out for include pandan cold foam cafe sua da, sinfully sweet glazed donuts, Louisiana Gulf shrimp toast with crab meat, mushrooms and cheese on a baguette, and the Nguyener! Nguyener! Chicken Dinner—a whole fried chicken with Szechuan noodles, kimchi, baked mac 'n' cheese, coleslaw, and a baguette for $40. An entree could probably feed four. 433 Lafayette St., Gretna, (504) 581-8255, doughnguyenersbakery.com

A safe bet . . . Two-time, James Beard Award-winning chef Nina Compton has tossed the dice and launched Nina's Creole Cottage, her first venture into a quick-service café, located inside the newly renovated Harrah's Casino on Poydras Street. Nina's new spot shares space inside the casino along with two other well-knowns, Bobby Flay and Buddy Valastro, in a sortof celebrity chef food court. The odds are you will hit the jackpot with a chicken and plantain waffle with spiced hot honey and sweet potato waffle fries, or her Caribbean chopped salad and a “Nina” Colada. 228 Poydras St., caesars.com/harrahs-new-orleans

(Ice) cream from the rooftops . . . Local Instagram-launched, ice cream sensation Lucy Boone has at long last opened its first digs right next to the ever-popular (and also recently opened) Zee's Pizzeria on Baronne St. Owner/operator Abby Boone and her husband Aaron Schnell named the business after their daughter Lucy, and what kid wouldn't want a bunch of hand-crafted ice cream at their fingertips? Though their flavors will (and have) changed seasonally, lovers of their scoops will be pleased to enjoy their most popular flavors such as malted marshmallow, Northshore honey, and chocolate pretzel toffee—right after a huge slice, of course. 3918 Baronne St., (504) 766-0571, lucybooneicecream.com

Reigning in the CBD . . . King, a brand new French brasserie, just opened inside the Kimpton Hotel Fontenot. With a menu rooted in the French Riviera (and offshoots in New Orleans), the upscale-casual restaurant is now serving breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. “After spending many months developing menus and dishes that emphasize the freshness and flavor of Louisiana seafood and feature unique interpretations of some of my favorite French classics, we can’t wait to start serving. I’m so proud of what the team has been able to build here,” says Kimpton Hotel Fontenot Executive Chef Samuel Peery. Expect French classics including croque monsieur and steak tartare along with crawfish beignets and Ponchatoula strawberry mousse cake. 521 Tchoupitoulas St., (504) 324-3000, kingbrasserieandbar.com

¡Olé! . . . Julio Machado, a trained chef who sharpened his chops in the kitchens of Brasa Churrasqueria, Zocalo and his co-owned Tacos del Cartel, has at last opened his long-awaited restaurant on Oak Street. Mucho Mas has been taking shape in the former D.T.B. building for over a year and opened its doors in late January. Diners can enjoy margaritas, palomas, and sangria, along with everything from chilaquiles and empanadas to BBQ birria tacos and Mexico City ramen. 8201 Oak St., (504) 3241616, muchomasnola.com

From Spain to Italy . . . Chef Brian Burns and Reno De Ranieri, the minds and palates behind the popular tapas-inspired restaurant Costera, have made magic once again with their latest restaurant Osteria Lupo. Featuring Northern Italian cuisine (a rarity in Southern Italian-heavy New Orleans), this Magazine Street eatery offers dishes such as black truffle arancini, carbonara, vodka rigatoni and lasagna bolognese. There's also wood-fired pizza and protein-centered entrees like grilled lamb and seared yellowfin tuna. Even though the osteria is located in a restaurant-saturated area, the food—hip, retro branding—and clean, casual environment are bound to once again be a winning combination. 4609 Magazine St., (504) 273-1268, osterialupo.com

Retro Joe . . . If you take your coffee with a heavy dollop of 80s music and arcade games, Nostalgia NOLA is the shop you've been looking for. Located on Camp Street, this retro cafe serves specialty coffee drinks brewed from Bean Fruit Coffee, a roasting company just over yonder in Flowood, Mississippi. So go get your Pac Man on and enjoy a house-made cupcake with a hot cuppa joe. 125 Camp St., nostalgianola.com

A Sazerac, dressed? . . . Parkway Bakery announced the opening of their very own speakeasy in mid-May. Announced on Instagram, the Bayou St. John po-boy spot now offers Jay's Place "where locals can get away from the hustle and bustle, and where folks from out of town can enjoy the ultimate Parkway VIP treatment." The new watering hole, named after Parkway's owner/operator Jay Nix, features a shining, dark wood bar, classic New Orleans cocktails and lots of local nostalgia decorating the walls. 538 Hagan Ave., parkwaypoorboys.com

The next chapter . . . Chef Dook Chase, 4th generation of the epicurean family behind Dooky Chase Restaurant, has launched Chapter IV. Located in Tulane University's downtown residential development Thirteen15, the new restaurant and bar serves breakfast, brunch and lunch dishes, “a modern take” on the recipes passed down from the chef's grandmother, the late (undeniably great) Chef Leah Chase. Diners can enjoy items such as fried, farm-raised catfish and andouille maque choux grits, grilled redfish with crab fried rice, fried chicken sandwiches, and Creole cream cheesecake. 1301 Gravier St., (504) 7667851, chapterivnola.com

MUSIC CALENDAR

SUNDAY, MAY 28

21st Amendment Marty Peters

30/90 Andy Dykema, Funkalicious

Bacchanal Wine Noah Young Trio, Tangiers

Combo

Allways Lounge Big Jon Atkinson

Bamboula’s Amber Rachelle, Midnight

Brawlers

Blue Nile The Baked Potatoes, Street Legends

Brass Band

Bourbon Hotel Kenny Brown & KB Express

Buffa’s Steve Pistorioius

Bullet’s Sports Bar Rayonce

Cafe Negril John Lisi & Delta Funk, Marine

Orchestra

D.B.A. Treme Brass Band

DMACS Queta Cavalier

Dos Jefes Michael Liuzza & Co.

Favela Chic New Orleans Rug Cutters

Felix’s Big Al and the Heavyweights

Gasa Gasa Acid Mothers Temple

Mahogany Jazz Hall Mahogany Hall

Swingsters ft. Roderick Paulin

Southport Hall New Orleans Mimosas & Music

Fest

St. Pat’s Irish Coffeehouse The Celtic Music

Session

The Howlin Wolf Hot 8 Brass Band

The Jazz Playhouse Chucky C & Band

The Maison Bourbon Kid Merv & All That Jazz

Maison Dupuy New Orleans Rug Cutters

The Maison Mervin Campbell

Tipitina’s Red Baraat

Treme Hideaway Brass Band Sundays

MONDAY, MAY 29

21st Amendment James Beaumont

30/90 Dapper Dandies, Natural Bone Killers

AllWays Lounge Betsy Propane & The

Accessories

Apple Barrel Mark Appleford

Bamboula’s The Melatauns

BMC Audrey LeCrone

Bourbon Orleans Hotel Raddy Tat Tat & The

Cats, Justin Thyme Band

Buffa’s Doyle Cooper Trio

Cafe Negril Cristina Kaminis, Lyndsey Smith

Chickie Wah Wah Alexis & The Sanity

DMACS Danny Alexander

D.B.A Secret Six Jazz Band, Meschiya & The

Machetes

Dos Jefes John Fohl

Fritzel’s Lee Floyd, Richard Scott

Hi Ho Lounge Tucker Baker

Houston’s Hansen’s Garden District Band

MRB Ben Buchbinder

Mahogany Jazz Hall Tom Hook, The Original

Tuxedo Jazz Band

Maison Single Malt Please

Maison Bourbon Danny Rubio

Maple Leaf George Porter Jr. Trio

MRB Ben Buchbinder

Polo Club Lounge John Royen

Preservation Hall Preservation Brass

Saturn BC Coogan

Sidney’s Saloon Child of the Night, Shining Fields, Tina Beef

Spotted Cat Michael Watson & The Alchemy

St. Roch Tavern Chris Acker, Zach Bryson

Tropical Isle Original Cass Faulconer, Charles

Brewer

TUESDAY, MAY 30

21st Amendment Marty Peters

30/90 Tajh & The Funky Souls, Neicy B &

Kompani

Apple Barrel NOLA Groove Collective

Bamboula’s Giselle Anguizola, Andy J Forest

Blues

Bar Marilou Golden Compass Trio

Bayou Bar Peter Harris Quartet

Blue Nile Water Seed

Bourbon Orleans Hotel Dr. Zach, Ingrid Lucia

Capulet Layla Musselwhite

Catahoula Hotel The Friendly Universe

D.B.A. DinosAurchestra, Lynn Drury

Dos Jefes Javier Gutierrez

Favela Chic Eric Morel

Fritzel’s Colin Myers, Fritzel’s All-Star Band

Hi Ho Lounge Bayou Manouche

Houston’s Hansen’s Garden District Band

Irene’s Monty Banks

Mahogany Jazz Hall Big Joe Kennedy, Leroy

Jones

Maison Nola Axemen

Maison Bourbon Danny Rubio

Maple Leaf TBC Brass Band

McKinley’s Irish Pub Jerry Nuccio

Polo Club Lounge David Boeddignhaus

Preservation Hall Preservation All-Stars

Rabbit Hole Rebirth Brass Band

Royal Frenchman Trumpet Mafia

Santos Daydream Twins

Saturn David Buchbinder

Siberia Amazing Henrietta, Don Wayne

Sidney’s Saloon Don Wayne

Silk Road Anuraag Pendyal

Spotted Cat Music Club Chris Christy Band,

Smoking Time Jazz Club

Three Muses Salvatore Geloso, Hunter Burgamy

WEDNESDAY, MAY 31

30/90 Ed Wills, Wasted Potential

Apple Barrel Mark Appleford, Big Soul Band

Bamboula’s Roulé & The Queen, John Saavedra

Bayou Bar Peter Harris Trio

Bourbon Hotel Eric Morel,

Serebee

Cafe Negril Colin Davis, Higher Heights

Café Degas Double Whisky

Capulet Jason Marsalis

Carousel Lounge James Martin

Band

Chickie Wah Wah John Cleary

Solo

DMACS Charlie Paycheck

D.B.A. Tin Men, The Quickening

Davenport Lounge Jeremy

Davenport

Dos Jefes Kris Tokarski

Dutch Alley Jamil Sharif Trio

Favela Chic Kid Merv, Mervin

Campbell

Fillmore Bryson Tiller

Fritzel’s Bourbon Street Bars, Kevin Ray Clark

Gasa Gasa Saia, Rich Lake

Houston’s Hansen’s Garden

District Band

Irene’s Monty Banks

Jazz Playhouse Big Sam

Madame Vic’s Tony Seville

Quartet

Kermit’s Tremé Mother-in-Law

Lounge Kiva Holiday

Mahogany Jazz Hall Tom Hook, Mahogany All Stars

MRB Lynn Drury

Old US Mint Water Seed

Palm Court Jazz Cafe Lars Edegran

Polo Club Lounge David Boeddinghaus

Pour House at Jefferson Huey C

Tipitina’s Marty Gras

FRIDAY, JUNE 2

Apple Barrel Bubbles Brown

Bayou Bar Peter Harris Trio

Cafe Negril Jamey St Pierre, Sweetie & the Boys

D.B.A. Cha Wa

Double Dealer Jenavieve Cook

DMACS The Sharpened Spurs, Sierra Green

Deutsches Haus Damenchor, Saengerchor

Gasa Gasa Totem

George and Joyce Wein Jazz & Heritage

Center Lost Bayou Ramblers

Margaret Place Hotel Valerie Sassyfrass

Marigny Opera House Mirage

NOPSI Hotel Matt Lemmler

Rock ‘N’ Bowl Bucktown Allstars

Orpheum Theater Mary Chapin Carpenter

Spotted Cat Chris Johnson Band

Tipitina’s Johnny Sketch, The Dirty Notes

SATURDAY, JUNE 3

30/90 Audrey LeCrone

MONDAY, JUNE 5

Apple Barrel Mark

Appleford

Cafe Negril Cristina

Kaminis

DMACS Danny Alexander

Gasa Gasa Rare Seed, Swarm Comp

Silk Road The No Quarter Shanty Krewe

TUESDAY, JUNE 6

AllWays Lounge Sw33theartbreak

Bar Marilou Renée Gros

Favela Chic Eric Morel

Gasa Gasa Anand Wilder

McKinley’s Irish Pub Jerry Nuccio

Saturn Bar Panorama Jazz Band, Sweet

Magnolias Brass Band

Silk Road Anuraag Pendyal

Spotted Cat Chris Christy Band

Swig & Swine Barbecue Mark Appleford

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 7

Apple Barrel Mark Appleford

Cafe Negril Higher Heights

DURAN DURAN AT SMOOTHIE KING CENTER

Award-winning new wave band Duran Duran will be performing alongside Bastille and Nile Rodgers & CHIC for its The Future Past Tour. The band is known best for the singles “Hungry Like the Wolf,” “Girls on Film,” and “The Reflex.” Wednesday, June 7, 7 p.m., tickets start at $36 smoothiekingcenter.com

Bayou Bar Jordan Anderson

Cafe Negril Jason Neville, New Orleans Rug

Cutters

DMACS Sam Price

Gasa Gasa La Luz, JayWood

House of Blues UGLY KID JOE

Preservation Hall Preservation All-Stars

Royal Frenchman Blazin Brass

Spotted Cat Chris Christy Band, Shotgun Jazz

Band

Snug Harbor Warren Battiste

The Jazz Playhouse Big Sam

The Goat Coral Mercy

Three Muses Schatzy

Tropical Isle Bourbon Mike Lemmler

THURSDAY, JUNE 1

3rd Block Depot Dr. Sick & The Late Greats

30/90 Catie B. & The Hand Me Downs

Apple Barrel Bubbles Brown

Bar Marilou Tangiers Combo

Bayou Bar Peter Harris Quartet

Bijou Jake Noble Trio

City Park Pavilion New Leviathan Oriental

Fox Trot Orchestra

DMACS Paggy Prine, Pizza Man

Dos Jefes Mark Coleman Quartet

Gasa Gasa Malevitus, The Rubber Maidens

Hilton Riverside Belt Bar Louise Cappi

Saturn Bar The Duane Bartels Band, Blue

Tang People

Spotted Cat Chris Christy Band, Jumbo

Shrimp Jazz Band

Champions Square Koe Wetzel

D.B.A. Tuba Skinny

Double Dealer Jenavieve Cook

DMACS Pocket Chocolate

Gasa Gasa Felix Rabito, Saint Dismas

George and Joyce Wein Jazz & Heritage

Center T & Mary Broussard

House of Blues Tooloji

Rock ‘N’ Bowl The Boogie Men

Roosevelt Hotel - Fountain Lounge Leslie

Martin

Santos Bar Narrow Head

Spotted Cat James Martin Band, Panorama

Jazz Band

SUNDAY, JUNE 4

AllWays Lounge After Hours Local Musician

Jam

Bacchanal Wine Noah Young Trio

Felix’s Rhythm & Rain Trio

Gasa Gasa David Suarez, Christien Bold

House of Blues Hunny, Waterparks

Nunemaker Auditorium Smt. Vijayalakshmi

Lalgudi

The Broadside Jon Cleary Solo Piano, Tuba

Skinny

Toulouse Theatre Shame

Longue Vue House and Gardens Jasen

Weaver Sextet

Picnic Provisions & Whiskey Mikayla Braun

Smoothie King Center Bastille, DURAN

DURAN

Spotted Cat Chris Christy Band, Shotgun

THURSDAY, JUNE 8

3rd Block Depot Dr. Sick

Apple Barrel Bubbles Brown

Bar Marilou Double Whiskey

Bijou Jake Noble Trio

City Park Pavilion The Yat Pack

DMACS Paggy Prine, Pizza Man

Hilton Riverside Louise Cappi

Spotted Cat Chris Christy Band, Jumbo Shrimp

FRIDAY, JUNE 9

Apple Barrel Bubbles Brown

Cafe Negril Dana Abbott Band, Higher Heights City Park LCD Soundstysyem, Jamie XX, Idles, Big Freedia

DMACS Jamey St. Pierre, The John Krupa Project

George and Joyce Wein Jazz & Heritage Center Amanda Shaw

MUSIC CALENDAR

House of Blues Inner Circle

NOPSI Hotel Matt Lemmler

Spotted Cat Chris Johnson Band

Rock ‘N’ Bowl Rogue Krewe

The Howlin Wolf Devin the Dude

Tipitina’s Dave Jordan

SATURDAY, JUNE 10

AllWays Lounge Freddie Mercury Tribute

Brothers Three Lounge Valerie Sassyfrass

Cafe Negril New Orleans Rug Cutters

City Park Boygenius, Clairo, Dijon, Bartees

Strange DMACS Groove Collective, Sean Hobbes

Gasa Gasa VIVA LA SOLTERÍA

George and Joyce Wein Jazz & Heritage

Center Bruce “Sunpie” Barnes & the Louisiana

Sunspots

House of Blues Hot 8 Brass Band

Oak Wine Bar Mikayla Braun

Orpheum Theater Orchestra Noir

Rock ‘N’ Bowl Sugar Shaker

Roosevelt Hotel - Fountain Lounge Leslie

Martin

Saenger Theatre Ryan Adams & The

Cardinals

The Neutral Ground Frenchie Moe & Family

SUNDAY, JUNE 11

100 Men Hall Alvin Youngblood Hart

AllWays Lounge After Hours Local Musician

Jam

Bacchanal Wine Noah Young Trio

BJ’s Lounge Valerie Sassyfrass

City Park Steve Lacy, James Blake, Toro y

Moi, Foushee

Gasa Gasa Oversight, Shipwrecked, Slow

Degrade

House of Blues Billy Bob Thornton

Mayweather Boxing + Fitness 19th Moon

Tropical Isle Bourbon Rhythm & Rain Trio

MONDAY, JUNE 12

Apple Barrel Mark Appleford

Cafe Negril Cristina Kaminis

DMACS Danny Alexander

Fillmore Logic, Juicy J

Gasa Gasa Lil Ugly Mane, Dracula

House of Blues The Rocket Summer, hellogoodbye

TUESDAY, JUNE 13

Bar Marilou Geovane Santos

Favela Chic Eric Morel

House of Blues Violent J

McKinley’s Irish Pub Jerry Nuccio

Orpheum Theater A High Level

Conversation, 19keys

Silk Road Anuraag Pendyal

Spotted Cat Chris Christy Band, Smoking

Time Jazz Club

Swig & Swine Mark Appleford

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 14

Apple Barrel Mark Appleford

Cafe Negril Higher Heights, Lyndsey Smith

Band

DMACS Paul Faith

House of Blues Conway the Machine

Picnic Provisions & Whiskey Burris

Spotted Cat Chris Christy Band, Shotgun

Jazz Band

St. Paul’s UCC Church Christopher Kohl Sr.

THURSDAY, JUNE 15

3rd Block Depot Dr. Sick

Apple Barrel Mark Appleford

Bar Marilou Hanna Mignano

Bijou Jake Noble Trio

City Park Pavilion Julio & Ceasar

Dos Jefes Mark Coleman Quartet

DMACS Paggy Prine, Pizza Man

Deutsches Haus Bier Musikanten

Dos Jefes Mark Coleman Quartet

Hilton Riverside Belt Bar Louise Cappi

Republic NOLA Perry Wayne

Santos Bar Jared Mattson

Siberia Tombstoner, Maul

Spotted Cat Chris Christy Band, Jumbo

Shrimp Jazz Band

FRIDAY, JUNE 16

100 Men Hall Anais St. John

Apple Barrel Mark Appleford

Cafe Negril Dana Abbott Band, Higher Heights

Carrollton Station Soul Brass Band, Sweet

Magnolia Brass Band

DMACS The Joey Houck Band

Deutsches Haus Damenchor, Saengerchor

George and Joyce Wein Jazz & Heritage

Center Keith Frank

Joy Theater Neal Brennan

NOPSI Hotel Matt Lemmler

Oak Wine Bar Burris

Orpheum Theatre Shawan Rice

Smoothie King Center Drake

Spotted Cat Chris Johnson Band

Rock ‘N’ Bowl Topcats

Tipitina’s Good Enough for Good Times, All

That

Tropical Isle Rhythm & Rain Trio

Zony Mash Dusky Waters

SATURDAY, JUNE 17

Cafe Negril New Orleans Rug Cutters

DMACS Mikey Duran Band

Fillmore Rob49

George and Joyce Wein Jazz & Heritage Center Christine Balfa

Hi Ho Lounge Hustle, Soul Sister

Hotel St. Vincent Dehd, Tasche & The

Psychedelic Roses

House of Blues Yob, Pallbearer

Mardi Gras World Les Claypool

Rock ‘N’ Bowl The Mixed Nuts

Roosevelt Hotel - Fountain Lounge Leslie Martin

SUNDAY, JUNE 18

30/90 Audrey LeCrone

100 Men Hall Tomar & The F.C.’s

Bacchanal Wine Noah Young Trio

Buffa’s Bar Buffas

RYAN ADAMS & THE CARDINALS AT SAENGER THEATRE

Ryan Adams & The Cardinals, one of the most influential Americana bands of the 2000s, will be bringing its alternative country sound to the Saenger. The band released five studio albums from 2005 to 2011 with Adams as the lead vocalist. Saturday, June 10, 8 p.m., tickets start at $35, saengernola.com

For up-to-date listings visit WhereYat.com

LES CLAYPOOL’S FEARLESS FLYING FROG BRIGADE, JERRY HARRISON, & ADRIAN BELLOW AT MARDI GRAS WORLD

Mardi Gras World will be packed full of amazing talent this June. Les Claypool’s Fearless Flying Frog Brigade is led by Claypool, who is a member of the band Primus, while Harrison was a member of the new wave band Talking Heads and Bellow was a member of King Crimson.

Saturday, June 17, 8 p.m., $49.50 or $79.50, lesclaypool.com

Gasa Gasa SRSQ, Plomo, Berlin

Taxi

House of Blues Animals As Leaders

TUESDAY, JUNE 20

Apple Barrel Smoky Greenwell

Band

Bar Marilou The Tropicales

Favela Chic Eric Morel

Mahalia Jackson Theater Tori

Amos

McKinley’s Irish Pub Jerry

Nuccio

Silk Road Anuraag Pendyal

Spotted Cat Chris Christy Band,

Smoking Time Jazz Club

Swig & Swine Mark Appleford

Allways Lounge Zooma Zooma!

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 21

Apple Barrel Mark Appleford

Cafe Negril Higher Heights

DMACS Sam Price & Friends

Fillmore PIXIES, Franz Ferdinand, Bully

Joy Theater Big Bad Voodoo

Daddy

Picnic Provisions & Whiskey

Mikayla Braun

Spotted Cat Chris Christy Band, Shotgun Jazz Band

THURSDAY, JUNE 22

3rd Block Depot Dr. Sick & The

House of Blues sKitz Kraven

Swig & Swine Barbecue Mark Appleford

The Broadside Jupiter & Okwess

The Howlin Wolf Black Rock Candy, Few

Blue, Quarx

Tipitina’s Fais Do Do, Bruce Daigrepont

Tropical Isle Bourbon Rhythm & Rain Trio

MONDAY, JUNE 19

Apple Barrel Mark Appleford

Cafe Negril Cristina Kaminis

DMACS Danny Alexander

Late Greats

Apple Barrel Mark Appleford

Bar Marilou Reverberant Sounds

Bijou Jake Noble Trio

City Park Pavilion Raphael Bas, Harmonouche

DMACS Paggy Prine, Pizza Man

Hilton Riverside Belt

Bar Louise Cappi

Spotted Cat Chris

Christy Band, Jumbo

Shrimp Jazz Band

FRIDAY, JUNE 23

Apple Barrel Mark Appleford

Cafe Negril Dana Abbott Band, Higher Heights

Carrollton Station Mikayla Braun Trio, Electric Ghost

DMACS Icarus Jones

Gasa Gasa Rough Dreams

House of Blues BRICKS IN THE WALL, Lamorn

Joy Theater Rumours

NOPSI Hotel Matt Lemmler

Spotted Cat Chris Johnson Ban

Rock ‘N’ Bowl Mojeaux

Tipitina’s The Quickening, Steve Kelly

Tropical Isle Bourbon Rhythm & Rain Trio

SATURDAY, JUNE 24

Cafe Negril New Orleans Rug Cutters

DMACS R & R Smoking Foundation

Gasa Gasa Kaye The Beast, Jireh

House of Blues Jen Kober, Jeff D

Rock ‘N’ Bowl Bag of Donuts

Tipitina’s Sharks’ Teeth, We Are the Union

Tropical Isle Bourbon Rhythm & Rain Trio

SUNDAY, JUNE 25

Bacchanal Wine Noah Young Trio

BK House & Gardens Phillip Manuel

DMACS Stay Puff

House of Blues Michael Palascak

Swig & Swine Mark Appleford

Tropical Isle Bourbon Rhythm & Rain

Trio

LAKESIDE2RIVERSIDE

NEW ORLEANS SUMMER LIBRARY PROGRAM

June 1–July 31, nolalibrary.org/ in-the-library/summer-fun

Summer fun, reading, and learning will come together at this year’s New Orleans Summer Library Program. This program encourages participants of all ages to head to their local library and read more through special activities and free summer programs. Anyone interested should download a Bingo Card and Reading Tracker, available in both English and Spanish, from New Orleans Public Library’s website. The card will help kids, teens, and adults keep track of their summer reading and other requirements. Anyone who completes their card will be entered into a prize drawing.

NOWFE

June 7-11, nowfe.com

The New Orleans Wine & Food Experience will be celebrating its 31st anniversary with world-class food and wine. The event presents attendees with many different experiences that are specifically focused around wine and food all over the city. Main stage events include Vinola at the Orpheum Theater, a Tournament of Rosés at the Fillmore, and a Grand Tasting at Generations Hall. Other featured experiences will include a panel about high elevation wines from Argentina, a panel all about sake, and even a burlesque brunch.

RE:SET NEW ORLEANS

June 9-11, neworleans.resetconcertseries.com

Festival season is in full swing, so make sure not to miss Re:SET New Orleans. The concert series, which also takes place in many other cities across the United States, was conceived as an artist and fan friendly alternative to regular summer concert experiences. The event in New Orleans will take place at City Park’s festival grounds, which will give attendees plenty of room to spread out. In addition to food and drinks from local vendors, guests can enjoy live music by LCD Soundsystem,

single day tickets and three-day passes are available.

LGBTLOL

June 1-4, lgbtlol.com

New Orleans’ second annual LGBTLOL Queer Comedy Festival brings queer-identifying comedians from around the United States. The fest first started out as a single day event at the Comedy House New Orleans during Pride Month 2022. This year’s fest will have performers at the Comedy House, the AllWays Lounge, and the American Townhouse. Featured acts will include Amber Autry, L.G. Grey, Colton Dowling, Shep Kelly, and many more. Ticket prices vary depending on the performance or day, so check the festival’s website for specific pricing.

CREOLE TOMATO FESTIVAL

June 10-11, frenchmarket.org/creoletomatofest

Don’t miss the 37th annual Creole Tomato Festival in the heart of the French Quarter. The fest will take place in the French Market and celebrates locally-grown tomatoes, which come into season every summer. In addition to enjoying fresh Creole tomatoes and other food and drinks, the festival will also feature live music and activities that are fun for the whole family. The festival is free and open to the public, so get the whole family together and bite into some delicious Louisiana tomatoes.

Boygenius, Steve Lacy, Big Freedia, and more. General admission and VIP

HOW

1 2 3

Register at any Library location or online at summerfun.nolalibrary.org

Log reading and activities

Read 800 minutes and complete activities to get your completion prize*

*while supplies last

FOR CHILDREN:

• Drum and Dance Workshops

• Intro to Lego Robotics

• Caturdays with LSPCA

...and more

FOR TEENS:

• Henna Art

• Culinary Workshops

• Krewe of Muses Shoe Decorating Workshop

...and more

Summer Fun & Reading Challenge completion prize

FOR ADULTS:

• Hip Hop Cardio with FitNOLA

• Digital Skills for Seniors 50+

• Seedling Starter Classes

...and more

LAKESIDE2RIVERSIDE

HENDRICK’S FLORA ADORA FINALS

Monday, June 12, 6-9 p.m virginhotels.com/new-orleans

Gather some friends together and head to the Virgin Hotels New Orleans for the Hendrick’s Flora Adora Mix-Off finals. Enjoy tasty bites and complimentary sips as bartenders from Hot Tin, the Virgin Hotel, the Apothecary, Bourbon O Bar, Effervescence, and Station 6 compete for victory. Sample delicious cocktails that all incorporate Hendrick’s Flora Adora Gin in them. There is no cover charge, so go out and have a great time with some friends while enjoying some great cocktails.

NEW ORLEANS PARADE OF HOMES

June 17-18 & 24-25, 1-5 p.m., hbagno.org/paradeofhomes

See the latest in Greater New Orleans area home design at this year’s Parade of Homes. The event allows participants to tour inside homes all around the New Orleans metro area and see first-hand beautiful and modern living spaces. From modern bathrooms, floors, and dining areas, the Parade of Homes has a lot for guests to see. For anyone who is not able to physically take part in the tours, the Parade of Homes will be offering a 360-degree 3D virtual tour on June 26. Make sure to visit New Orleans Parade of Homes to see which houses will be on view this year.

NEW ORLEANS RESTAURANT WEEK

June 19-25, neworleans.com/restaurantweek

New Orleans Restaurant Week is one of the best times of the year for a food city like it is here in the Crescent City. For one week in June, participating restaurants will be offering muti-course curated menus and special dining deals for customers to enjoy. From iconic French Quarter establishments to neighborhood hangout spots all over the Greater New Orleans area, diners will be able to experience the many different facets of New Orleans cuisine. Make sure to visit New Orleans Restaurant Week’s website to see specific participating restaurants.

READY TO WINE DOWN?

Wine Bars with Outdoor

Seating

By Kimmie Tubre

Yes, there are several amazing wine spots around the Big Easy, but the focus was the ones along the Mighty Mississippi, the river that spans the beautiful city, responsible for its crescent shape.

When it comes to tropical climates, sitting outdoors means searching for the coolest location and what better place to get fresh air than along the river?

This journey ended up at a variety of amazing wine bars. Some have large patios, gardens, and courtyard, while others display a more quaint setting. If you're up for the breezy, yet boozy adventure, check out this tour of wine bars with outdoor seating from upriver to down.

BYWATER

For this wine bar patio tour, there were two locations with such dynamic outdoor wine sipping experiences that they are the perfect stops.

Heading from the French Quarter down Rampart Street to St. Claude, stop by SaintGermain. This venue has an amazing tasting menu and a stellar outdoor scene. While the dining room is reservation only, with a ten-course tasting menu experience, you will be able to visit the wine garden patio, which has open seating every Wednesday through Sunday. There, you will enjoy their selection of natural, organicallygrown wines.

Another spot is Bacchanal Fine Wine & Spirits where you can enjoy outdoor wine drinking. Located downriver on the upper side of the Industrial Canal, Bacchanal provides a unique and romantic wine drinking experience. With a wine store located at its entrance, you are able to purchase a bottle from their vast selection, to enjoy in the enchanting courtyard while listening to live music.

Summertime in New Orleans—a perfect time to “wine down” and enjoy the daylight outside. This usually means driving around the city in search of good wine and amazing outdoor spaces to relax, drink, and take in a breeze off the river.

DOWNTOWN: WAREHOUSE DISTRICT & CBD

Next is Pluck Wine Bar & Restaurant on Girod Street. Known as a “Wine bar for the curious,” where you are sure to be very curious to see what it was all about. Pluck has a lovely courtyard where you can taste from their vast wine selection.

The next stop on the downtown list is a place known for their highly demanded picturesque courtyard and balcony seating. Located on Poydras street, Copper Vine is a beautiful place to sip some of the city’s finest wines while enjoying the outdoors, which is exactly what you can do before leaving downtown and continuing the tipsy tour.

Bacchanal

FRENCH QUARTER

After your time downtown, head to the oldest neighborhood in New Orleans—the French Quarter is what’s on tap. The first stop is Patrick's Bar Vin, where you can enjoy “a sip of pleasure in the heart of the Vieux Carre.” Not only was this bar voted one of the top wine bars in the U.S., but it also has beautifully intimate courtyards, where you’re able to sip and sightsee in the city’s oldest neighborhood.

Along the way on the French Quarter stroll, the next stop was Orleans Grapevine Wine Bar and Bistro. Located in a historical building, built in 1808, this spot gives the fine dining experience highlighted with an amazing wine selection and a fantastic courtyard.

At the end of this journey in the Quarter, head to Rampart Street for a taste of bubbly at Effervescence. The sparkling wine lounge and restaurant gives the best blend of the relaxed, yet lively, nature of the city, with the opulence of champagne. Try a flight and a bite while enjoying their perfectly quaint outdoor seating.

UPTOWN

At the top of the river is Oak Wine Bar, located in the Riverbend neighborhood on historic Oak Street. The upscale wine bar has a beautiful indoor space, but the front sidewalk area has a unique vibe, provided by the covered seating. There are delicious bites along with a favorite bottle

of vino.

Next, across on St. Charles Avenue, visit Chais Delachaise on Maple Street. The wine bistro has both front seating and a back patio. Sitting in the front you can enjoy the Maple Street view and indulge in a plate of mussels with its perfect wine pairing.

Then there is the mothership location, just down St. Charles, right before Louisiana Avenue— The Delachaise, the original wine bar and gastropub. This beautiful neighborhood bar has romantic lighting and is the perfect date setting. The Delachaise has over 350 wines along with a selection of handmade food.

The final stop is closer to the river in the Lower Garden District. There is a rather hip wine and cocktail bar called The Tasting Room. With outdoor seating along Magazine Street, it is the perfect place to “people watch.” Not only can you enjoy a nice wine flight and small plates, but you can also look forward to coming back and experiencing one of their monthly drag brunches.

As you end your wine down journey from upriver to down, it's safe to say that when it comes to sipping wine outdoors, the city has a variety of options. From the magnificent wine gardens, to the patios, sidewalks, and quaint courtyards, New Orleans is the perfect place to enjoy vino outside.

ENRIQUE MONZON; ROBERT WITKOWSKI

Orleans Grapevine

Patrick's Bar Vin

PRIDE IN EXILE Café Lafitte in Exile's history as NOLA’s oldest gay bar

By Burke Bischoff

Bourbon Street, especially upper Bourbon, is one of New Orleans’ leading tourist attractions, so the street is filled to the brim with all kinds of bars for people to meander into. On the lower end of Bourbon closer to St. Ann Street, or the “Lavender Line,” there are bars that cater to NOLA’s thriving LGBT community, including Oz, Bourbon Pub Parade, and Napoleon’s Itch.

About a block from St. Ann Street, on the corner of Bourbon and Dumaine, lies Café Lafitte in Exile. Named the “Best Gay Bar” in the world in GayTravel’s 2018 Gay Travel Awards, this two-story, 24/7 establishment holds the distinction of being the oldest continuously-operating gay bar in the Crescent City and may in fact be the oldest in the U.S. (a California bar in Oakland named the White Horse

Inn also makes this claim). The bar has been serving locals and visitors in the queer community for 90 years, so it’s the perfect spot to visit during Pride Month and every other month as well.

CAFÉ LAFITTE’S BEGINNINGS

According to the book, In Exile: The History and Lore Surrounding New Orleans Gay Culture and Its Oldest Gay Bar, written by Frank Perez and Jeffrey Palmquist, the bar was originally opened as Café Lafitte at the end of Prohibition in 1933 by Tom Caplinger, Harold Bartell, and Mary Collins. It was located in the building on 941 Bourbon St.—where Lafitte’s Blacksmith Shop currently resides and is one of the oldest surviving structures in the city.

While “gay bars” as we know them today technically didn’t exist in the early 1900s, the owners were welcoming to anyone, regardless of sexuality, who walked into Café Lafitte, allowing gay men to have a safe space in New Orleans during a time when LGBT rights did not exist, and the community had to stay invisible to avoid legal harassment. According to In Exile, the owners would even run bar tabs for clientele who did not have money and tell them to pay it back whenever they could.

Café Lafitte had a stable existence in its original location until 1953 when the building’s owner, John Barbe, died and his estate put the structure up for auction. The bar’s owners did not have enough money to purchase the building themselves, so Café Lafitte had to close for a few months,

It should come as no surprise that a city as gay-friendly today as New Orleans has one of the oldest gay bars in the United States to celebrate Pride.

and the building fell under new—not so gay-friendly—management.

Caplinger, Bartell, and Collins eventually acquired a lease to a building that was once a corner grocery store on 901 Bourbon St., moved down the block into that building in 1953 (where it has remained ever since), and officially renamed the bar Café Lafitte in Exile. According to In Exile, as well as a document about Café Lafitte’s history that’s framed within the bar, guests dressed up in costume to celebrate the grand opening and had to enter through the back entrance due to the front door being barricaded with barbed wire and sandbags. This was done in order to avoid being raided by police.

THROUGH THE YEARS

After reopening in its new location, Café Lafitte in Exile was New Orleans’ premiere gay bar through the ‘50s and ‘60s, despite the bar’s main clientele having to remain in the closet for fear of public stigmatization and police harassment.

According to In Exile, the bar even developed a reputation as a popular cruising spot for gay men who would visit it, especially from the ’60s to the ‘80s. In fact, in 1966, Captain W.F. Charles of the U.S. Navy sent a letter to Café Lafitte and demanded that it not allow personnel of the Armed Forces entry due to it being a “known hangout for persons of undesirable character.” That letter can still be found framed and displayed on one of Café Lafitte’s walls.

The bar went through two major renovations during its history. One was in 1972, when the son of a foreign diplomat

drove his truck through Café Lafitte’s front door after getting into an argument with his boyfriend. The second time was in 1986 when bar owner, Tom Wood, ordered a facelift in order to boost business. The only surviving remnants of Café Lafitte in Exile before said renovations are the physical bar itself and the interesting “eternal flame” sculpture, both

of which were designed by Mexican artist Enrique Alferez (who was a regular at Café Lafitte) and made to reflect how the Mississippi River flows around New Orleans. In fact, when Wood officially purchased the building in 1994, he threw a “Lost Our Lease” party, burned said lease in the “eternal flame,” and the ashes are still kept in a to-go cup in Café Laffite’s main office.

CAFÉ LAFITTE TODAY

Walking through Café Lafitte in Exile’s front door, visitors immediately feel the simple, but welcoming atmosphere of the downstairs-section of the bar. The walls are decorated with artwork and photographs and mementos from Café Lafitte’s past. The “eternal flame” is in a corner near the entrance and the bar is surrounded by barstools that put you face-to-face with one of Café Lafitte’s very friendly bartenders, while screens projecting music videos play above their heads.

If you decide to check out Café Lafitte in Exile’s homey downstairs bar or upscale second-floor/balcony this Pride Month, you’ll be visiting a bar that is not only a staple of NOLA’s queer community, but also an important part of America’s LGBT history. It is a bar that has served famous faces like Tennessee Williams and Truman Capote. A bar that has survived hurricanes, the AIDS crisis, COVID-19, and homophobia throughout the years. A bar that makes a very refreshing Hurricane cocktail. And most importantly, a bar where all are welcomed, baby.

Eternal Flame sculpture by Mexican artist and Café Lafitte regular, Enrique Alferez

Bar Guide

Alto (Ace Hotel)

600 Carondelet St.

504-900-1180

Babylon Sports Bar

2917 Harvard Ave., Suite A

504-324-9961

Bar Marilou

544 Carondelet St.

504-814-7711

Boot Scootin’ Rodeo

522 Bourbon St.

504-552-2510

Club 38

4132 Peters Rd.

504-366-7711

Evangeline

329 Decatur St.

504-373-4852

Fillmore New Orleans

6 Canal St.

504-881-1555

House of Blues

225 Decatur St.

504-310-4999

Jinx Bar and Grill

91 French Market Pl.,

504-510-2797

Lots A Luck Tavern

203 Homedale St.

504-483-0978

Martine’s Lounge

2347 Metairie Rd.

504-831-8637

Pal’s Lounge

949 N. Rendon St.

504-488-7257

Rosie’s on the Roof

1000 Magazine St.

504-528-1941

Stained Glass Winehouse

201 Huey P Long Ave.

504-812-0930

Stumpy’s Hatchet House

1200 Poydras St., Suite C

504-577-2937

The Garage

810 Conti St.

The Marsh Room Patio Bar & Grill

4740 Rye St.

504-571-5733

The Metropolitan 310 Andrew Higgins Blvd.

504-568-1702

The Rabbit Hole

1228 Oretha Castle Haley Blvd.

504-354-9709

The Royal Frenchmen Remedy Bar

700 Frenchmen St.

504-619-9660

Tracey’s Original Irish Channel Bar

2604 Magazine St.

504-897-5413

Treme Hideaway

1234 Claiborne Ave.

504-301-4441

Tropical Isle

Multiple Locations

504-523-1927

Ugly Dog Saloon & BBQ

401 Andrew Higgins Blvd.

504-569-8459

FLORA ADORA

Located on top of the Ace Hotel, Alto is a chill spot to hang out with your friends. You can cool down with some of the bar’s signature cocktails like Calypso and Turkish Royale.

Babylon is a great place to watch football and listen to live music in Metairie. The bar also provides a homey atmosphere with reasonable prices on all of their drinks.

Bar Marilou has a sophisticated French-style atmosphere in a very beautiful location alongside the Maison de la Luz hotel. The bar offers plenty of wine, beer, and craft cocktails.

If you’re in the mood for country, Boot Scootin’ Rodeo is your place. This country bar plays good old music and serves cold beer and cocktails. Mechanical bull included.

Located inside Boomtown Casino & Hotel in Harvey, Club 38 is the perfect VIP experience. Available through Boomtown’s mychoice® loyalty program, guests can enjoy complimentary food and drinks after signing up.

Evangeline provides some of the best Cajun food that can be found in the French Quarter. Enjoy local craft beers and other drinks the restaurant offers like the strawberry blonde or the rum punch.

The Fillmore is a beautiful, state-of-the-art 22,000 square-foot entertainment space above Harrah’s Casino. While there for a night of live music, make sure to grab a cocktail in BG’s Lounge.

The House of Blues offers one of the best nightlife experiences in all of NOLA. Choose from a long list of beers, wines, and more and jam out to one of the venue’s many live music events.

Located right next to the French Market, JINX has an extensive beer list and top-notch cocktails such as the Decatur Mule, El Guapo, and Blue Milk. It offers hookahs with different flavors to choose from.

Lots A Luck Tavern is one of the best places in New Orleans to play bar games. Watch the next big football game while enjoying some cold beer or some of the bar’s other refreshments.

Cold beer and other specialty drinks including frozen Irish coffee, cherry limeade, and frozen sangria await at Martine’s Lounge. Pop-ups are frequently are on-site to offer food.

Open from 3 p.m. to 3 a.m., Pal’s Lounge is one of New Orleans’ perfect late-night spots. Some of Pal’s most popular, and affordable, drinks include the gingerita, the watermelon mojito, and the bacon Bloody Mary.

Located atop of the Higgins Hotel, Rosie’s surrounds guests with World War II-era Americana. Cold beer and delicious small plates like fries loaded with brisket and bacon cheese curds are available.

Stained Glass is Gretna’s premiere self-serve wine bar. This upscale, unpretentious bar offers over 300 wine bottles and 24 self-serve wine taps, as well as spirits, draft beer, and cocktails.

Stumpy’s Hatchet House gives patrons the perfect opportunity to test their hatchet-throwing skills. Light snacks and refreshing drinks from Stumpy’s fully-stocked bar are available for a quick pick-me-up.

Enjoy all sorts of entertainment like live music and open mic nights at The Garage. In addition to a fully stocked bar, the venue offers tasty NOLA favorites such as gumbo and spicy beef yaka mein.

The Marsh Room is one of the best establishments to hang out at in Metairie. While sipping on your favorite drink, grab some bites such as cheese curds, steak, and the bar’s “Marsh burger.”

The Metropolitan is one of New Orleans’ premiere nightclubs. While partying with your friends, make sure to visit the multiple different bars located all around the large, two-story club.

The Rabbit Hole is a truly eclectic club that always provides a great night of fun. Enjoy the venue’s outdoor and indoor stages for live music, as well as The Rabbit Hole’s downstairs bar.

The Royal Frenchmen Hotel is a cozy spot to stay to be close to the Frenchmen Street action. It also features a great bar in the lobby with a fantastic Happy Hour and live music on the weekends.

Beer lovers will be happy when they see Tracey’s six draught taps and over 100 bottles of different brands to choose from. The bar also serves delicious oysters, poboys, and more.

Treme Hideaway is one of New Orleans’ best kept secrets. Tucked away in the historic Treme neighborhood, locals can flock to this night club for R&B music, DJ sounds, and hot food.

Tropical Isle is a Bourbon Street staple that is beloved by both tourists and locals. The bar is best known for being the birthplace of the “hand grenade,” aka New Orleans’ most powerful drink.

Complete with beer, 15 TVs, and an outdoor patio, Ugly Dog Saloon is the perfect spot to watch the Saints game. Enjoy delicious, smoky BBQ classics such as Buffalo fried ribs and smoked pulled pork.

YOUR BIG FAT NOLA WEDDING

Group Outings & Activities for Wedding Weekend

By Frances Deese

A New Orleans wedding will certainly be entertaining but outside of the reception, it may be difficult to pinpoint how to keep guests entertained. These practical tips and fun approaches allow a chance to step outside the box and give ideas about how to create lifelong memories.

In the wedding rom com movie genre, the trope that can often bring the best comedic relief is that of the shenanigans and antics of a loved one to the happy couple. It’s for good reason, as guests represent the many phases of a couple’s lives, and are there to help them celebrate their union. As a rare occasion in life where the soon-tobe spouses get to have their favorite people in perhaps their favorite place all at once, it's important to make sure there’s time to catch up and celebrate. No one ever said nuptials in New Orleans would be boring, but in one of the most entertaining cities in the world, it’s difficult to know where to begin. With advice from professionals and practical tips, this guide can serve to help organize those brainstorming ideas, but more importantly, ways to help create lasting memories.

Weddings are growing in scale, and with that has come the term “wedding weekend.” This is partially due to a need for many guests to take time off from work, but from a more positive perspective, it allows for as much time spent with those loved ones as possible. Professional planners not only will create less stress for the overarching plans of the big day, but also smooth out the small details. One such resource in the city is Spanish Oak Events. Owner and Principal Planner, Becky Lampp, and her team utilize their vast skill sets to cater to clients, and ensure couples feel fully represented on their special day. When it comes to the time spent with guests and outings in the city, their ideas will ensure it is an event to remember.

One way to maximize time with guests is to host a “welcome party.” Say goodbye to the stiff formal dinners of the past, and opt for a brunch that morning to fill in the wedding party. When evening arrives bringing in guests from their travels, a great location where Spanish Oak Events has had multiple successful welcome parties is Dat Dog on Frenchmen Street. Not only is this location complete with a second balcony rental option, but Dat Dog offers multiple banquet and bar packages as well. Their own spin on Creole dishes will be sure to delight guests and the fun atmosphere is a perfect way to kick off the weekend.

On the subject of changing old traditions, another idea is to host the wedding on a Friday night and then spend Saturday enjoying that time with loved ones. It’s important to show guests what New Orleans has to offer, and one of the best institutions to do so is Preservation Hall. The venue opened doors in 1961, and is still jamming today with second generation ownership.

They are available for all types of private events, but their wide calendar of events is also a great option to offer guests seeking outside entertainment.

With a summer wedding, and even into fall, no one would complain about some pool time. A resource to the rescue is The Country Club of New Orleans. From an exceptional menu, to a semi-private, “secret garden” with an option to have a fully private bar, it is sure to please a crowd. The team there offers a range of group options, with three, four, and five courses or a buffet style with hors d'oeuvre for meals, a private drag show option on weekdays, and even ones for bridal parties and luncheons. The $20 day pass option is also flexible to adapt, with their ability to provide wristbands and keep everything on one tab. This is

also a great option for guests who may be extending their stay in town.

Continue the theme of playing to guests' inner child with a visit to the Sea Cave Arcade in the Bywater. Sure to bring out the nostalgia in all, the arcade features iconic arcade and console games, as well modern PC games, and over 10,000 titles. Their food menu is a pleasant surprise from an arcade, with items like a “tuna mama” bowl, as well as a full bar and rotating wine and beer options. With several Sunday food and drink brunch options, this could also make for fun plans to rally the troops after a full night on the dance floor.

Once guests have had a lay of the land, why not take advantage of the waterfront perspective in the city. The Paddlewheeler Creole Queen Riverboat Cruises allow a

luxurious view of the Mississippi River, and a breathtaking new way to see the city. Multiple wedding group options mean there’s fun to be had no matter your plans.

Overall, make sure that just as the ceremony, the weekend events represent what makes you, you. Encourage fun and excitement through further ideas like disposable cameras to capture candid moments, or put together a physical or digital list of favorite food spots in the city, as a “food tour.” Lampp and team emphasize that it should be a merging of the couple, and to take some time to think about who you are as a couple. Even with small examples, they explain that partners should look at those little ways that the city has impacted them and fully lean into what New Orleans has to offer.

UNIQUE ACTS

By Grant Varner

With all the entertainment New Orleans has to offer, it’d be a sin to forget the unique talent on every street corner of the Old Quarter. Here are five fun and quirky acts you’ll catch off the beaten path while you’re sipping on something tasty.

POEMS ON THE SPOT

Just as the name implies, approach any one of these fine people and give them any topic you could possibly think of, whether it’s political, dumb, romantic, risque—whatever—and they’ll get clicking away at their old-school typewriters, and, within seconds, they’ll produce a wonderfully written poem with material pulled straight off the top of the dome.

TRAIN-KID BUSKERS

Anywhere between the St. Ann or Toulouse intersections on Royal, you’re sure to find a ragtag group of young, scruffy buskers from all around the country who hopped train to train until banding together in New Orleans. Their instruments, like a makeshift duct-taped washboard drum-set, a bass instrument made of one string tied between a bedpost and a bucket, to

name a few, combined with the gravel and grit of their voices and the result of the daily beer and cigarette meal for breakfast, lunch, and dinner make for the rawest, purest jazz, bluegrass, and zydeco tunes you’ve ever heard. Catch bands such as Tumbleweed Stew outside Rouses on Royal early in the day, entertaining tourists with that true New Orleans Soul you won’t find anywhere else.

JACK IN THE JUKEBOX

Finding new Quarter performers in the wild honestly delivers the same excitement as finding a new Pokémon card. One creative character, better known by his friends as Earth Flame, is on the corner of Orleans and Royal. What’s his shtick? He hides in his decorative box until a group of unsuspecting tourists stroll by and then pops out, dancing to tunes.

Asked if he sings, he replied, “No, but if I did, people would probably pay me to stop.”

He then launched into a dance that was a mesmerizing flowy routine before slowly dipping down back into his box, only to grant the next group of passersby a joyful vibe-filled surprise.

PAINTING PUPPET

If there were trading cards for all the different French Quarter performers, this one would be a rarity. Within a cute old-timey mobile puppet theater, is Mimi. The puppets’ colorful abstract imagery, with her own unique style, from animals and nature, to musical images and self-portraits for tourists.

If you break from that captivating sight for a moment, you’ll follow her strings to her conductor, Sierra Kay, a Colorado-turned-New Orleans resident for 18 years. “My grandmother lived here during World War II,” says Sierra. “I’ve always been a painter and sculptor as well, so that’s how I made Mimi. Of course she’s got quite a different style than my own. Sometimes, if it’s windy, she’ll end up doing more abstract pieces,” she added, laughing. Usually in the Quarter, Sierra and Mimi will be posted up in front of Luizza’s by the Track for all Jazz Fest goers, and this is not a sight to be missed.

DIRTY JOKE TELLER

On the corner of Toulouse and Bourbon sits Randy Delacroix, the “Dirty Joke Teller.” For a dollar, Randy will tell you one of the best off-color jokes you didn’t know you needed in your day. “My last name is Delacroix, which means by the cross, because if I bomb, I get crucified.”

Despite Randy’s comedic demeanor, his New Orleans origin story isn’t quite as funny. “In 2019 I came out here for a girl I met online. [She] looked just like her profile picture, thankfully. I met her up at the Empress Hotel, but as soon as I walked into the room, a man popped out from behind the door and demanded my wallet and phone. After I obliged, he cracked me upside the head and sent me into a coma from which I didn’t wake up until three months later. From then, I made New Orleans home, originally making my dough as a scary clown holding up a ‘tips’ sign which stood for ‘this is a professional service.’ After a while, I found myself to be pretty good at comedy, too, especially my ability at heckling folks in a tasteful way. My goto for tourists is the ‘dirty dog joke,’ but the majority of jokes I share, I come up with on the spot.”

Randy is most distinguishable by his hat which mimics something of a fairy tale character. “I call this my hillbilly, pimp hat,” says Randy. “I like the witchy feel of it. My experience in the hospital taught me that in any circumstance, laughter is the best medicine and it sure helped me get back on my feet. There’s no other city that’s been through as much and come back like this one has, and comedy is a big part of that.”

When you’re wandering about the Vieux Carre.

HOT CHILD IN THE CITY

Best Ways For Kids to Enjoy New Orleans This Summer

By Kimmie Tubre

Known

El Gato Negro

months, parents may be scrambling to find ways to entertain them. Well, scramble no more—this city is filled with history, culture, and adventure and is a fantastic place for local and tourist

kids. From indoors to outdoors, museums to nature, here are some of the best kid-friendly activities in the Big Easy.

EXPLORE AND TOUR

There are so many places to show your kids the dynamic history and culture of the city. One of the best ways to do this is by taking a tour. From French Quarter history tours to haunted ghost tours, there are many kid-friendly tour companies to support in the Big Easy. You can also create your own. Some cool ways to get the young ones invested is by creating a bit of adventure. Take them on a scavenger hunt through the French Market, or a celebrity house-hunting tour in the Garden District. If you need something specifically curated for your little ones, companies such as French Quartour Kids offer tours designed with kids in mind.

The streetcar is also a fun and exciting way to tour and explore NOLA. Kids enjoy riding the classic-looking vehicle, and it’s an excellent way to see the city on a budget.

PARK IT AND EMBRACE NATURE

The streetcar is also a great way to see and visit the city's lovely natural spaces. While not always recognized, the metro area has many charming green spaces and natural environments that are safe, fun, and kid-friendly. From the oak trees of Audubon Park

to the seemingly endless Lake Pontchartrain, this place is filled with natural beauty. The city’s largest park, City Park is almost a town in itself. City Park houses a number of kid-friendly activities including Storyland, Carousel Gardens Amusement Park, Botanical Gardens, City Putt, and much more.

There are several other outdoor experiences in the surrounding areas of New Orleans. If you have kids who love animals in nature, then take them on a swamp tour at Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve, where they’ll see alligators and large turtles in their natural habitats. If your kid is at least 45 pounds and an adrenaline junky, you can take them over to Zipnola for a swampy ziplining experience like no other.

ALL THINGS AUDUBON

When it comes to outdoor activities, the Audubon Zoo is one of the most popular kid-friendly places in the city. Being one of the best zoos in the country, kids can enjoy a variety of events from the one-of-a-kind alligator and reptile exhibits to the popular cool zoo splash park, and the swamp train. The Audubon Nature Institute also has two immensely popular indoor attractions. The recently remodeled Audubon Aquarium is

rated one of the top aquariums and is a perfect place to enjoy aquatic life in an air-conditioned space. Down Canal Street, not far from the aquarium, is the newly reopened Audubon Insectarium, where you can explore the local critters of the city. One of the must-sees is the butterfly garden exhibit, which houses hundreds of butterflies.

MUSEUMS

There’s also a wide variety of museums to explore in the city. First on the list is a space solely dedicated to kids, the Louisiana Children’s Museum (LCM). Located in the stunning City Park, LCM is a place where kids can explore science, music, and history. While the Children’s Museum is made for kids, there are several other museums around the city that are worth checking out. JAMNOLA is a space for audiences of all ages. Standing for “Joy, Art & Music–New Orleans,” this museum will expose your child to the art and culture of local artists and creatives. Another amazing art museum is Studio BE, where kids will discover the perfect blend of art and social justice.

While more of a warehouse, Mardi Gras World is a great place for kids to take a glance behind the scenes of the beautiful floats

seen during Mardi Gras. During a tour there, kids will enjoy a lesson in history and see artists in action, while being able to get up close and personal with the large, elaborate floats.

EMBRACE THE CULTURE

If all fails when looking for kidfriendly activities, you can always embrace the culture of New Orleans. In a place that loves music and food, kids can also take in the tastes and sounds of the city. Bringing your kids to local food places or to listen to music in kid-friendly spaces is a wonderful experience that they will remember forever. On your cultural journey, you can visit Cafe Du Monde for their worldfamous beignets and Parkway Bakery and Tavern for a delicious po-boy. As for music, while you can find it in almost every corner of the city, places including Preservation Hall and New Orleans Jazz Market are typically family-friendly spaces.

While New Orleans is certainly a party city, it is also a place that kids can enjoy just as much as adults. With all of the fun kidfriendly activities here in the Big Easy, New Orleans is a happening place with much for kids to enjoy this summer.

THE BIG

SIT

Porch Life in New Orleans

One morning I woke earlier than usual and couldn't go back to sleep. I crept out of bed, got dressed, and made coffee without waking my boyfriend John, though our new puppy was alert as soon as I pushed back the covers. Her eyes followed me as I left the bedroom, but she was content to stay on the bed, nestled behind my boyfriend's knees, while I made my way outside.

By Kim Ranjbar

My hair mussed by sleep, crusties in the corners of my eyes, I ventured out onto the front porch and settled into the new Adirondack chair I recently purchased for this purpose. I sipped coffee and watched the neighborhood rise with the sun. The day, like many days in New Orleans, promised to be hot and humid, but the morning still held onto a dew-kissed coolness as the sun peeked out from behind the rooftops. The bird chorus amplified as the light and warmth of the day grew, and neighbors stepped out of their front doors to head off to work, take a jog, or, like me, relax on the porch with a cuppa Joe.

Architecturally speaking, a porch is “a covered shelter projecting in front of the entrance of a building,” but in literature, it wears a heavier mantle, especially in prose set in the Southern U.S. Alabama-born Harper Lee employs the porch over and over again in To Kill a Mockingbird to emphasize societal hierarchies between people of different races, classes, and even ages. Famed playwright

Beth Henley uses the porch as a kind-of no man's zone in her play Crimes of the Heart, as well as in the film adaptation, set in her home state of Mississippi. It acts as a transition, a space where secrets can be overheard and sins confessed without judgment from the outside world, or from inside one's ever-discerning family. And Louisiana's-own Rebecca Wells’ porches are spaces imbued with the bonds between women, friendship, and security in Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood

In New Orleans, this “lost room” or every-day stage is an integral part of daily life for those who inhabit them. For transplants like myself hailing from the ranch-style, boxy suburbs of Northern California, or even the porch-less masses living in the outskirts of the GNO, this space takes a little getting used to. What are the rules of etiquette surrounding the porch? Are there dos and don’ts? In this town, it seems

like anything goes.

Hospitality and community spirit are no joke in New Orleans. Locals will oftentimes be seen waving from their porch, whether you're a stranger passing on the streetcar or touring the neighborhood on foot. Both friends and strangers can be engaged in conversations,

and ghouls, haunted laughter emitting from animated monsters in rocking chairs, and barrages of bats and flitting ghosts.

Naturally, you'd expect to see some red, green, and gold porch bling during Mardi Gras, but ever since the pandemic, Carnival home décor has taken on a whole different dimension. When the parades didn't roll due to shutdowns in 2021, the New Orleans community came together and celebrated our beloved holiday with the emergence of the “house float.” Denied the colorful and creative floats, bands and music, New Orleanians

house floats were so popular, that during the pandemic, expats and sympathizers from around the world followed suit, decorating their own homes honoring the spirit of New Orleans's annual Mardi Gras celebrations.

Another wonderful porch-related outcome from the shutdowns was the emergence of porch concerts. Musicians all over the city were scrambling to make ends meet, so along with virtual concerts, they started playing music on the stoops of their homes, or their friend's homes, where neighbors could remain outside, bring their folding chairs, and loosely gather to enjoy live music for a small tip (sent through Venmo or Zelle). The proliferation of live music is something we took for granted, and something we missed desperately when it was gone.

Mostly, porches are an excellent place to sit and enjoy river breezes, the warmth of the sun, and the sincere, congenial community in which you live. And if you don't feel like being social? All you have to do is step back inside.

either from the street or even leaning out from your car window. In fact, in many New Orleans neighborhoods, the homes are so close together, that conversations from porch to porch are an everyday occurrence. Not to mention some of the best parties are ones spilling out onto the porches and galleries.

Oftentimes, the porch can act as a stage, both figuratively and literally. To start, you're sure to see decorations for every major holiday, including a few you may have not heard of, adorning Big Easy stoops. Just visit us during Halloween to experience porches (and gardens) filled with skeletons

turned their homes into gorgeously gaudy, colorful and oftentimes themed stationary parade floats with porches playing a major role. Eaves and porticoes were festooned in massive, papier-mâché flowers, and colorful lights edging scenes depicting everything from Alice & Wonderland and the local, iconic Cafe Du Monde, to Little Shop of Horrors and “Under the Sea.” These wondrous

But for whatever reason, New Orleans also brings in the slayers, slaughterers, and stranglers. The murderers and assassins, stabbers and shooters—not only those who get their fill from just one execution, but repeat offenders.

A serial killer is someone—most commonly, a white male—who murders two or more people at different times. Wiping out a whole bunch at once is a mass murder, not a serial killing.

SERIAL NUMBERS

According to some statistics, there are at least 100 serial killers loose in the streets at any time in the U.S.—the country with the most serial killers in the world. And many of them find their way to Louisiana.

Louisiana ranks 13th on the list of states with the most total serial killer victims, with 344. And it has the third-highest number of victims per 100,000, with 7.33.

Here’s a look at just a few of New Orleans’ many dreadful serial killers.

MAKING THE New Orleans’ Top Serial Killers

By Kathy Bradshaw

BLOOD AND ALL THAT JAZZ: THE AXEMAN OF NEW ORLEANS

The Axeman went on his killing spree from May 23, 1918, until October 27, 1919, though he may have been responsible for murders as early as 1911. He would break into his victims’ homes and attack the unsuspecting inhabitants with an axe or a straight razor—usually slashing their necks or smashing their heads in. He sliced open the throat of one poor soul, named Catherine Maggio, to the point that he nearly cut her head off.

This axe-wielding killer was believed to have had 12 victims, of which exactly half somehow survived his attacks. He apparently had an axe to grind with Italians, since most of his victims were of Italian descent.

New Orleans is the home of jazz, but the Axeman took his love of the music to a whole other level. He thought that jazz was simply a cut above, the best thing since sliced brains. On March 13, 1919, he allegedly sent a letter to the newspaper—with the return address of Hell. The letter stated that he

People love New Orleans. They’re simply dying to come here. They come for a slice of the action, to cut loose and have fun. Any way you slice it, when it comes to music, food, and fun, New Orleans is killing it. It’s a town on the cutting edge.

The Axeman returns in American Horror Story

was going to cut loose on another cutting rampage the following week, but for anyone who had jazz music playing in their home, he would cut them some slack and let them live. Jazz filled the city that night, and not a single person was murdered.

The Axeman was never identified, but the prime suspect was a man named Frank “Doc” Mumphrey, who used the pseudonym Leon Joseph Monfre.

GETTING AWAY WITH MURDER:

THE STORYVILLE SLAYER

Perhaps the best-known serial killer of all time, England’s Jack the Ripper chose prostitutes as his victims. Whether the Storyville Slayer aimed to follow in Jack’s footsteps, or he simply had it in for the ladies of the night, he was also a hooker hitman. Between 1991 and 1996, he killed primarily Black women who he believed were involved in drugs or prostitution.

The Slayer tended to choke or beat his victims to death, often drugging them and forcing them to drown in shallow water, where several of the bodies were discovered. Most of the victims were found face-down and naked in ditches, canals, ponds, or swamps on the Westbank, sometimes buried under garbage and debris.

The 24 horrific New Orleans murders at the hands of the

Hiding in Plain Sight?

infamous Storyville Slayer remain unsolved, and although at least two suspects were accused, no definite perpetrator was ever established. Most authorities believe that the Storyville slayings may have been the work of more than one man.

The evidence points to Victor Gant, a former NOPD officer, and Russell Ellwood, a taxi driver with a history of drug addiction. However, Gant was only ever found guilty of murdering two women, and Ellwood, despite confessing to multiple murders while in jail, was likewise only charged for the murder of two other women—though he is suspected of killing many more.

On August 13, 1997, a New Orleans man who called himself Clay called into the Howard Stern radio show, claiming to have murdered 12 prostitutes. Live on the air, he revealed some pretty telling details of the Storyville Slayer murders, yet his M.O. didn’t fully match up with that of the killer. It was never proven whether he was a suspect or prankster, but either way, he clearly had a lot of time to kill.

PAIN IN THE NECK: THE BAYOU STRANGLER

Ronald Joseph Dominque, the killer who earned himself the nickname of “The Bayou Strangler,” is a bad dude. His long list of victims makes the other serial killers on this list look like warm-hearted humanitarians that you’d like to invite over for dinner.

From 1997 to 2006 and from Metairie to Terrebonne Parish, Dominique killed an estimated 23 males, ranging in age from 16 to 46. Almost all of his victims were Black, and many were gay—as is Dominique. The Strangler would pick up men at gay bars or on the streets, and he usually preyed on the weak or disadvantaged— alcoholics, drug addicts, hitchhikers, the homeless. He charmed them with alluring promises of everything from drugs to a place to stay to sex with his nonexistent girlfriend. Dominque would then bring his victims home, rape and strangle them to death, and discard their bodies in obscure places, such as dumpsters, canals, and under highway overpasses.

Dominque was arrested in December of 2006, and in 2008, he was tried in court. The Bayou Strangler was found guilty and is currently serving one of his eight consecutive life sentences, without parole. No one got choked up about this verdict.

One theory offers former police officer Victor Grant as the Storyville Slayer

The Axeman's first killing at 8301 Apple St. .

Frank "Doc" Mumphrey aka. Leon Joseph Monfre Police Sketch of the Storyvile Slayer Ronald Joseph Dominque

Fast X

The tenth installment of the Fast and the Furious franchise is as bloated, silly, and over-reliant on CGI action scenes as any previous installment in the series.

Fast X, which is allegedly the penultimate film in the series, is part of a new trend of splitting superlong movies in half. However, movies split in half still need to work on their own as individual movies. The Empire Strikes Back is part of a continuous multi-film story and ends in a cliffhanger, but it’s still a film with a clear structure and clear character arcs. Fast X has no such structure. When it ends, it just ends abruptly.

Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) and his team of car thieves find themselves the target of a revenge campaign launched by the unhinged son (Jason Momoa) of a Brazilian gangster they had killed. Fast X, which is just the first half of that storyline, somehow takes 141 minutes to finish.

Aside from the previously mentioned CGI-heavy action scenes that last an eternity, Fast X, just like

By David Vicari & Fritz Esker

most of the other films in the series—it has lots of Toretto and others blathering on about what a family the car thieves are. The film also seems to feel like it has to bring back almost every other character (far too many to list while adhering to a word count) from other Furious movies for an appearance. As a result, the film just feels shapeless and unfocused.

Watching Fast X made me appreciate Guardians of the Galaxy 3 (good mainstream blockbuster entertainment) more. Guardians 3, like Fast X, juggles a lot of characters and is trying to wrap up a story that’s been going on for a long time. But the relationships between the characters in Guardians 3 at least feel somewhat genuine, and the finale has an emotional kick that Fast X seems to be trying, for but fails to achieve. Guardians 3 also managed to have arcs for its main characters. Fast X has none. It’s just a lot of cardboard dialogue sandwiched in between repetitive action scenes.

Action movies also heavily depend on the quality of the villains. Here, Jason Momoa’s character is too jokey and campy to ever be taken seriously. Even worse, the jokes aren’t funny and many of the scenes where he attempts to be funny are just cringey.

But when a franchise has lasted as long as the Furious films have, its fans will likely show up no matter what and others know enough to stay away (unless you have a side gig writing movie reviews). —Fritz

Esker

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

If you think that you would never in a million years be moved by the plight of a digital effect that is a talking raccoon: Bring a handkerchief with you when you go to see Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, because this Marvel Comics adaptation has a surprisingly strong emotional core.

The main focus of this wild science fiction extravaganza is the genetically engineered raccoon bounty hunter named Rocket (voice of Bradley Cooper). In the film's opening, Rocket is severely injured during an attack on the Guardian's headquarters by Sovereign warrior Adam Warlock (Will Poulter). Human Peter Quill/ Star-Lord (Chris Pratt), and the other Guardians—Drax (Dave Bautista), Nebula (Karen Gillan), Mantis (Pom Klementieff), and Groot (voice of Vin Diesel)—will stop at nothing to save Rocket's life. Because part of Rocket's engineering involves a killswitch embedded inside of him, his friends must travel to the headquarters of the company that created it. Adding tension for Quill is the return of his love, Gamora (Zoe Saldana), who reluctantly helps the Guardians on their quest.

Rocket is unconscious throughout

MISS THE

BEST OF THE BIG EASY

the majority of the movie, but we get flashbacks of how he came to be genetically altered. These passages are emotionally devastating, like something out of The Plague Dogs. Children and animal lovers may have a hard time with these gut-wrenching scenes.However, they needed to be there, because they make Rocket's story all the more stirring.

Vol. 3 boasts a great villain in the High Evolutionary (Chukwudi Iwuji), a mad scientist with a God complex. Iwuji's effectively unhinged performance really makes this character come off as a serious threat.

This third go around for the Guardians feels as fresh as ever. The characters are still fun and make sense in their relationships with one another, the humorous bickering is still hilarious, and the production design is just as eye-popping as it was in the first film.

The film goes on too long and has too many effects shots of destruction, but writer-director James Gunn delivers a good, inventive story with well-written characters. In the end, the Guardians of the Galaxy trilogy is all about friendship and love, and, yeah, there's a lot of cool action and space battles in between. —David

Vicari

TALES FROM THE QUARTER

By Debbie Lindsey

No Regrets

What would you do differently if you could turn back the hands of time?

Often I regret not having pursued a path that would have allowed me to be a city planner or work in the environmental field. But to be honest I was never academically inclined. Sure I am smart, but college would have required a focus that my undisciplined ADHS-self wasn’t about to tackle. And yet I chose a career that truly requires multitasking and focus—waitressing. Perhaps it was simply less intimidating. And truthfully I didn’t choose it, it was the only job a high school drop-out with no clerical skills could get. That’s not to disparage the job or those in food and beverage, but it was available to most anyone who applied. However, keeping that job was a sink or swim adventure.

Serving food, “waitressing” as I still love to call it, is hard, hard work and to be successful you must “own it.” I floundered about for some years and went through more restaurants and bars than I care to admit until I took it seriously and, most importantly, embraced it as a profession—a career. I was never inclined towards fine dining—not my jam. But that was fine, my personality and eventual speed worked beautifully within casual dining cafés, bars, and diner style service. Another thing that helped my attitude immensely was when I decided that tips would be just a part of my recompense: compliments, positive feed-back from customers, appreciative audience response carried me through those shitty tip days. I decided I was running for Miss Congeniality or Best Entertainer. My self esteem needed (still does) that affirmation—validation. Make ‘em laugh, make ‘em laugh. I was on stage and loved it.

Just as important as making a living and finding a productive way to entertain folks, I found friendships. The wealth of friends that were garnered while toiling under the tray and camping it up have been worth every ache and pain my waitress back absorbed. These incredible friends have remained in my life long after leaving the workplace. There is a camaraderie that is unique to this business. Together you work hard, play hard, and even recover together.

Yes, as with many stressful jobs, imbibing can get the better of many. To be clear this is not to malign fellow food and beverage folks. Also, many workers have no time to blow off steam in a bar room as they may have families waiting at home to tend to, another job, or a college curriculum. I had none of these worthy distractions, so I know that rabbit-hole is there. My recommendation: navigate with eyes wide-open. Mine were often blind to the risks; however, I survived those party days—barely.

The resulting bad back and some hazy hung-over memories have not diminished the love, joy, and pride that membership in this rank and file of food and beverage has given

me. And if it took my premature departure from high school to place a tray in my hand then so be it. No regrets!

Along the way to now, I have made poor choices and ignored good common sense advice. Some regrets are health related. I cannot caution young folks enough about the importance of sun protection. That lovely flawless skin will turn downright ugly with sun damage if you do not wear sunscreen and vow to never sunbathe. I tried every gimmick to get a tan. I basted in baby oil and laid on aluminum foil, like trout ready for the broiler. All this white girl got was a short-lived slight tan at best and generally painful peeling sunburns; years later, skin cancer. And what foolishness didn’t result in cancer left me with wrinkles, damaged skin, and ugly brown spots that are not cute like freckles. And my eyes were assaulted by the sun (yeah, those sunglasses were never a part of my fashion ensemble). The whites of my eyes look jaundiced, like I was on an all-nighter drinking marathon. The good news is that so far no life threatening carcinomas and my vision is fine. In fact, my hindsight is 20/20 (does me little good now, but I can preach the merits of sunscreen and sassy sunglasses).

Every time we pay our monthly loan shark payment (line-of-credit bank loan), I curse my bank and our poor judgment. Was this the best way to fund our shop’s relocation? No. Several smarter financial maneuvers and strategies for pay-back are obvious now. However, some debt was inevitable. So, do I/we regret going into debt to continue our beloved cookbook shop? No way. It was worth every penny. Husband and I were simply not ready to throw in the towel when forced to give up our profitable (finally after many lean years) Quarter location. We took the show on the road—down the road, to Broad Street in the 7th ward. The friendships made in those four years when added to the previous 16 years of customers who morphed into friends became our profit. And the relationships went beyond customers: purveyors, book scouts, mailmen, The UPS Guy, local/international media, and all the surrounding business owners and neighbors. My first neighbor/friend on Broad was David Montana, Big Chief of the Washita Nation. Then we joined a business organization for the area and garnered more new friends. Among the many: Sister Bonnie for which there are not enough praises, and Lisa Amoss, (if you read this, know how much we value you). Yes, friendships and community are gold to us. So no regrets for our business—it failed in the eyes of the bank, but it’s still a sparkle in our eyes.

One man’s regrets might be another’s blessings. If you have more to rejoice than to regret then be grateful and above all—never take it for granted.

*If your after-work drinking has become a problem, google “Ben’s Friends” or go to bensfriendshope.com/meetings.

PO-BOY VIEWS

By Phil LaMancusa

Oui Chef or Big ‘C’ little ‘c’

Breakfast for 40, lunch for 60, sit down dinner for 100, cocktails for 180. Another double digit shift.

Manager: “Great job Chef!”

Chef: “Thanks, I’m only as good as my last meal.”

As good as your last meal—that’s something that every chef knows by heart, from hotel to hostel, fine dining to food truck, one-man kitchen to leader of a brigade of cooks. As with any player, you’re only as good as your last performance. Aspire to lead the band in Kingdom Chef? Good luck.

Here’s the secret: As a chef, you picture yourself in the center of five dimensions of activity: did the trash go out, did the delivery come in, are we prepped up for lunch, did the dishwasher show up, are the linens in, are the ovens fired up, did the salesman call, where’s the fish, what’s the dinner special, what’s our food cost, answer the phone and find out what they want, close that door—were you born in a barn, where’re my glasses, and I need more coffee. All this as you walk from point A to point B (picking up a piece of trash and checking the garbage can for any stray flatware that’s been inadvertently tossed).

You cannot learn this in school. You cannot graduate from an institution and step into these shoes. It’s a mania. You’ve got to be crazy or inspired, driven, passionate, power hungry, concerned, conceited, getting a piece of the action, or just the only one who can and wants to do the job. Talent has nothing to do with it. You’re flexing your experience and ability to get things done to your satisfaction and to the satisfaction of the people who are certainly paying you less than you deserve. And your audience expects your best every meal, every shift, every day—without fail. You’re the chef. Get it done. End of story.

That’s the way it is, and that’s the way it’s always been, back to the building of the pyramids, aboard Noah’s Ark, the Last Supper, Madame Begue, Tujaques, Antoine Alciatore, or any of the myriad of kitchen chiefs that made our city a destination for satisfying meals going back hundreds of years.

For every known chef, there are hundreds and thousands that toil in obscurity in the dust, the smoke, the heat and the sweat—keeping kitchens (as they say) in line and on time. This country has known many of these heroes and other countries have known many more; however, New Orleans has the best unknown and known hero chefs in the universe. Our food and our chefs are second to none.

I rate a person’s chefness in martial arts criteria. First, a chef does not call themselves a chef (although other people may). They know that a chef knows and is all things—perfection—and having realized that it will take a lifetime to achieve that level of chef-ness, never stops accelerating.

A chef that wants to be a chef is constantly moving toward that point of macroevolution, however nebulous.

Consider New Orleans chefs you probably never heard of. Consider getting a book called Creole Feast by Nathaniel Burton and Rudy Lombard. Learn about chefs that worked with no notoriety for thirty and forty years because that’s what a working person does in this business. Consider someone starting as a dishwasher and working to the top position because that’s just what some people did. They have that mystical “work ethic” we hear about. This is before the advent of the celebrity chef that goes on television, writes books, and does a circuit of appearances. These are chefs that don’t call in sick, don’t take PTO (personal time off), and can (and do/will) work every station in the kitchen.

Consider the chefs that you know and have heard about: Paul Prudhomme, Leah Chase, Jamie Shannon, Austin Leslie, Buster Holmes, Warren LeRuth, Willie Mae Seaton, and Milton Prudence.

Consider the chefs that are still doing their shifts: the heavyweights Frank Brigtsen and Susan Spicer, and Nina Compton, Greg Sonnier, Melissa Martin, Erik Veney, and a hundred more. The U. S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that there are roughly 146,000 chefs in this country, and they’re all out there not about to participate in Restaurant Week or trade shows or television spots because they’re in the kitchen making sure that the customer with a dietary restriction isn’t being killed by their food and wondering if the produce has arrived and who checked it in.

Indeed.com touts that there are currently 162 chefs jobs available in New Orleans, so, there is a market out there for you to tap into if you’re willing to step into that position.

I am a working chef, and my resume is longer than the Gettysburg Address. I do not plan on retiring. For me, the calling came, a mentor excited me, a passion grew, and still grows. Salary.com estimates that the average chef’s salary in New Orleans is about 50K, and that’s not a bunch of money, considering all that is asked for that position. So the chefs here that are employed aren’t necessarily doing it for the bucks. Obviously it’s for the—what?

Silly you, obviously it’s for you and it’s for me as well. It’s our romance, our relationship, and my lifestyle choice to be your chef.

I found when I visited other countries how everyone seemed to be happy being the person that they are. I adopted that outlook in my life, and it has me more relaxed. I don’t want to be president, the leader of a corporation, a rich fat cat, or even Mick frickin’ Jagger (maybe Keith though). I’m happiest being me on my journey, feeding people, and getting them some satisfaction. May the same blessing occur to you.

WHERE Y'BEEN

BEST DINING:

Best New Restaurant:

Best Daily Specials:

Best Restaurant (French Quarter):

Best Restaurant (Marigny/Bywater):

Best Restaurant (Uptown):

Best Restaurant (CBD/Warehouse District):

Best Restaurant (Mid-City):

Best Restaurant (Lakeview):

Best Restaurant (Westbank):

Best Restaurant (Metairie):

Best Upscale Restaurant:

Best Budget Eats:

Best Bakery:

Best Deli:

Best Place to Get a Salad:

Best Restaurant for Dessert:

Best Outdoor Dining:

Best Romantic Date Spot:

Best Breakfast Spot:

Best Brunch Spot:

BEST SHOPPING:

Best Bike Shop:

Best Men’s Clothing:

Best Women’s Clothing: Best Smoke Shop:

Best Adult Novelty Store:

Best Costume Shop:

Best Record Shop:

Best Supermarket:

Best Place to Buy Wine/Liquor:

Best Tattoo/Piercing Parlor:

Best Athletic Club:

Best Boutique Fitness Studio:

Best Golf Course:

Best Diner: Best Café:

Best Chinese Restaurant:

Best Japanese Restaurant:

Best Thai Restaurant:

Best Vietnamese Restaurant:

Best BBQ Restaurant:

Best Italian Restaurant:

Best Cajun Restaurant:

Best African Restaurant:

Best Indian Restaurant:

Best Middle Eastern Restaurant:

Best Mexican Restaurant:

Best French Restaurant:

Best Seafood Restaurant:

Best Restaurant for Boiled Seafood:

Best Steakhouse:

Best Creole Restaurant:

Best Latin American Restaurant:

Best Bar Food:

Best Bead Store:

Best Bank:

Best Bridal Shop:

Best Car Dealership:

Best Jewelry Store:

Best Pet Store:

Best Pet Services:

Best Wedding Venue:

Best Kids Spot:

Best Eyeglass Shop:

Best Spa:

Best Thrift Shop:

Best Coffee Shop:

Best Vegetarian Menu:

Best Roast Beef Po-Boy:

Best Shrimp Po-Boy:

Best Oyster Po-Boy: Best Wings:

Best Fried Chicken:

Best Hamburger:

Best Pasta:

Best Sushi: Best Taco/Burrito:

Best Pizza:

Best Ice Cream/Gelato:

Best Sno-Ball:

Best King Cake:

BEST IN THE ARTS:

Best Art Gallery:

Best Local Artist: Best Museum: