From Sudden Super Heroes to Ubiquitous Saints & Bearded Legends: Weirdness & Wonder in New Orleans

October 18, 2013 by

SUPERMAN, MEET WONDER (& WEIRDNESS) WOMAN

2013-10-05 17.00.30It’s been a busy three weeks since my birthday though not much of this wonder and weirdness has coalesced into blog posts. Tonight, though, I finally met my Morpheus mates at Rock-n-Bowl and I’m excited for the true kick off to My Year of Mardi Gras (though that’s how I felt about the Chewbacchus kickoff that turned out to be somewhat of a dud). In between turning 20 for the third time and tonight’s Mardi Gras meet-up, I did have a weekend that seemed to encompass all the wonder and weirdness that makes New Orleans such a unique city all in one compact weekend. In fact, if this sensuous city had a an alter ego, it’s be Wonder & Weirdness Woman.

SUPER PIRATES & ADULT UNDEROOS

It’s always more natural to shirk productivity and explore your own town when you have a visitor. This was the case the weekend before last when my college friend Mike drove in from Pensacola. We have roots deeper than a bayou Cypress so when he apologized about our miscommunication during my pre-birthday stop in Pensacola I just laughed it off. It was just a catalyst for an unanticipated adventure, and I’ll always associate that all night drive to an obscured beach sunrise with this landmark birthday.

camelliagrill3Mike arrived too late Friday night for two old farts to head out, so we stayed up late chatting.  Saturday, after a late start and amazing breakfast at the famous Camellia Grill, one of the best ‘greasy spoons’ in the nation where the fast talking waiters are as much a draw as the canoe-sized omelets, we set off on a frantic mission. My writer and LSU professor friend Chris had for years shared pictures of the annual Super Hero Bar Crawl that one of his best friends hosts on his birthday, and now that I’m in town had sent me an evite which I managed to not read until Thursday night. A Super Hero Bar Crawl is [Read more…]

Filed Under: Autobiography, Food & Cocktails, New Orleans Attractions, Restaurant Reviews, Travel, Venue & Band Reviews

New Orleans Tourist Attractions: NOLA Brewing Tour

October 11, 2013 by

13-09-27 Me at NOLA Brewing

So it’s Friday afternoon, you’re visiting New Orleans, and you’re looking for something to do. Or better yet, you’re a local with the day off and want to enjoy your town without feeling like a tourist. Then I’ll let you in on a not so well kept secret: NOLA Brewing Company does a free ‘tour’ every Friday from 2:00-3:00. Get there early, though, because there’s sure to be a line: This isn’t your typical beer nerd tour.

I can say that, having toured many breweries in my day. My best friend lives outside Milwaukee and has taken me on several beer tours including the highly entertaining and educational one at Lakeside Brewery where they have you chant the three actions of fermenting yeast—“eat, eat, eat; shart, shart, shart; screw, screw, screw!”—and  then sing the Laverne & Shirley song at tour’s end. One of the best assignments I ever had working for a Jacksonville magazine was to do a story on all the local breweries leading up to their annual craft brew festival. Anything but the briar patch, says Brer Rabbit! Plus I’ve taken several Jacksonville visitors on the free Budweiser Brewery tour where they offer a whitewashed version of their history (Adolphus Busch didn’t just ‘think up’ the word Budweiser, it’s a region of central Europe with it’s own brewing technique and namesake brewery that sued the crap out of you) and you get two free beers at the end.

All these other tours were medium to heavy on education and light on beer. Usually you get two free samples even at—heck, especially at–Budweiser who, according to my interview with Bold City Brewery, spills more beer in a day than they brew in a year!

But [Read more…]

Filed Under: Food & Cocktails, New Orleans Attractions, Travel

French Quarter Living: Rhythm of the City

August 8, 2013 by

BACK WHEN MEN WERE MEN (WITH WOMEN’S HAIR)

Oh, The 80s, When Real Men Knew How To Tease Their Hair

Oh, The 80s, When Real Men Knew How To Tease Their Hair Living

I began July in a Frenchmen Street bar sipping a cold Corona (not to be mistaken with a Cocharona!) and thinking back to a cheesy Survivor song beloved in my adolescence, “Too Hot To Sleep.” As the month closed, another song from that same seldom recalled album was stuck in my head: “Rhythm of the City,” for after a rough start I was finally easing into the rhythm of French Quarter living.

A GOOD WEEK FOR GUMBO

DSC02862Things finally calmed down after my 4th of July visitor and subsequent busy week, and I gradually got back to doing everyday things like ‘making groceries’ at Rouses Uptown, stopping by Dick & Jenny’s next door first to give their cuisine a second try. I’ve become comfortable eating alone at the bar and ordering (relatively) light—an entrée only, fish with spinach. It was excellent, though this will never be my go-to spot as it seems to be for many locals.

DSC02857DSC02856The following days were spent writing and wandering the Quarter, eating out less and focusing on lunch when I did. One afternoon I stopped by [Read more…]

Filed Under: Autobiography, Food & Cocktails, Restaurant Reviews, Travel

New Orleans Living: A Dark Passenger, Jedi Master, & Home For Wayward Boys

July 29, 2013 by

MY MOST BELOVED HATED RESTAURANT IN NEW ORLEANS

Jacques ImosThe problem with the 75 cent pork sliders and meat pies at the American Sector Restaurant is that when the adjoining National World War II Museum keeps you mesmerized through lunch until it closes at 5:00, ‘you’ll ruin your dinner’ as mother warned. And we had big dinner plans.

DSC02849I fell in love with New Orleans via Jazz Fest, but Jacques Imo’s may be the first local restaurant that stole my heart (though it could be Mother’s—memories are fuzzy). I remember the first time my oldest brother and I visited circa 1999. We were blown away by its upscale eclecticism and adventurous cuisine. We returned a couple of times, but my life changed directions and it’s been well over a decade since I’ve been back. I’ve become somewhat of a New Orleans foodie in the interim and, in the process, have discovered that Jacques Imo’s is perhaps the most divisive restaurant in the city. I mentioned a couple of posts ago how it is hip to deride any New Orleans restaurant that doesn’t fit your taste as a tourist trap, but nowhere does this battle rage so fierce as within the funky Jacques Imo’s bedecked with color folk art such as bright blue goes or “Be Nice Or Leave” plaques. It’s ridiculously off the beaten path, though, for a tourist trap, hiding on Oak Street on the complete opposite side of Uptown from the French Quarter so near the river bend that you could almost hit the Mississippi with one of their garlic cornbread muffins.

But you wouldn’t want to [Read more…]

Filed Under: Autobiography, Food & Cocktails, Restaurant Reviews

French Quarter Living: Holiday Hanging & Restaurant Reviews

July 19, 2013 by

MANDINA’S: OLD STYLE CREOLE ITALIAN FOR AN OLD SOUL

mandinasSince my visiting friend was proud of her Italian and Creole heritage, I headed immediately from the airport to Mandina’s, an 80-year-old Creole Italian institution on Canal in Mid-City. There is a huge Sicilian population in New Orleans (see St. Joseph’s Day) so Creole cooking has a heavy Italian influence along with its French (colonization) and African (exploitation) roots. Thus, it’s common to see red sauces—or ‘red gravy’—on the menu with fried seafood po-boys and gumbo, and the Muffuletta sandwich now ubiquitous locally was created by the Italian Central Market Grocery back when the French Market was an active and thriving Italian food and produce stand rather than the t-shirt and trinket bazaar of today.

Mandina'sI first tried Mandina’s right after Mardi Gras when I was sick and staying in the CBD. At the time I could barely breathe and couldn’t taste anything but the fried oyster po-boy I ordered there was the only thing I mildly enjoyed. Since their food tasted good when nothing did I couldn’t wait to try it in good health.

Mandina’s is an old open house with white table clothes on square tables and pictures on the wall—classic old style New Orleans. Our waitress had a thick ‘Yat’ accent (Brooklyn meets [Read more…]

Filed Under: Autobiography, Food & Cocktails, History & Trivia, Restaurant Reviews, Travel, Venue & Band Reviews

Creole Tomato and Cajun & Zydeco Festivals, Day 1

June 16, 2013 by

THROWING STONES AT FESTIVALS

The Old U.S. Mint At Decatur & Esplanade

The Old U.S. Mint At Decatur & Esplanade

When I awoke Saturday, commencing my second week as a French Quarter resident, my allergy symptoms still lingered but I was gradually coping. Nights were the worst, locked up in that space that seemed so rustically quaint a few weeks prior, and I slept little but still had regained some of my energy. Thus, I went for a short bike ride and cooked a big breakfast (now having the luxury of a kitchen) before heading out to the Creole Tomato Festival and the Cajun and Zydeco Festival, both of which were a stone’s throw from my apartment.

CAJUN MOUSE, CREOLE MOUSE

Lawn Stage

Lawn Stage

The Cajun and Zydeco Festival, sponsored by the Jazz & Heritage Foundation, is held at the Old U.S. Mint where Decatur Street meets Esplanade at the French Quarter/Marigny boundary two blocks from my new place. Around noon I wandered over to the front lawn of the Old Mint where the main stage was ringed by food booths and vendors. On the opposite side of this large, red brick builidng Esplanade was closed for a second stage. A third small stage was tucked away at the Creole Tomato Festival in the French Market bordering the Old Mint.

Esplanade Stage

Esplanade Stage

Although I’m a fan of most New Orleans music, I’m not deeply into Cajun or Zydeco so I enjoyed myself but was never enthralled. For those who don’t know the difference, [Read more…]

Filed Under: Autobiography, Food & Cocktails, History & Trivia, Travel

New Orleans Tourist to New Orleans Tenant: My Last Days Uptown

June 3, 2013 by

THE CITY WITHIN A CITY THAT NEVER SLEEPS

20130531_150105There is a relaxed, residential feel in Uptown New Orleans that I will miss. In fact, although eager to experience life in the bustling French Quarter, I’m a little worried at how my laid back constitution will handle twenty-four bustle of this compact yet ceaselessly cosmopolitan neighborhood. Thus, I spent my last days in Uptown wandering the streets lined with tropical cottages, revisiting favorite spots and trying a few that had so far eluded me.

IL POSTO: AN UPTOWN HIDDEN GEM

20130530_141312For months I passed Il Posto, a small Italian café tucked curiously away in my Uptown residential neighborhood, but never tried it until about a month ago after it kept getting recommended. The first time I stopped in, I even walked out since they don’t have a full breakfast menu—only fruit cups and bagels with a combination of veggies, cream cheese, and lox. I returned another morning, however, with adjusted expectations and was surprised at [Read more…]

Filed Under: Autobiography, Food & Cocktails, Restaurant Reviews, Travel

New Orleans Tourist to New Orleans Tenant: Red Beans On Monday

May 21, 2013 by

YET YOU WON’T FLOCK TO SALT LAKE CITY, WILL YOU?

My First Pot Of Red Beans On Monday In New Orleans

My First Pot Of Red Beans On Monday In New Orleans

In my last post I mentioned how the New Orleans ‘Red Beans on Monday’ tradition was both a conduit for my transition from New Orleans Tourist to New Orleans Tenant as well as a metaphor and illustration of the peculiar challenges that unique to this peculiar place. Let’s face it, while people who grew up here tend to be hopefully devoted to New Orleans and others like me fall in love and flock here, this city has its share of infuriating and frustrating quirks to go along with its inviting and captivating quirkiness.

One of the best editorials I read regarding post-Katrina ineptitude (I could kick myself for not clipping it) was, I believe, in the New York Times. It was about a year or two out and the public outrage was growing as corruption and blunders came to light regarding the distribution of relief and rebuilding funds. Yet the author pointed out that dysfunction and corruption have always been present in the city. Its untamed spirit and unpredictability is what draws scores of fascinated visitors, many of whom choose to stay and embrace the madness. He wasn’t arguing that improvements and reforms shouldn’t be made, but just that you can’t expect to entirely tame New Orleans, especially when it’s that rebel, lusty nature that draws you in the first place. If you want neat and orderly, he concluded, [Read more…]

Filed Under: Autobiography, Food & Cocktails, History & Trivia, Travel

Top Ten New Orleans Jazz Fest Foods

May 14, 2013 by

Jazzfest2013 Me at WidespreadThe food at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival is as much a draw as the music, especially for locals for whom much of the music is ubiquitous while this culinary collection is unique to Jazz Fest. In fact, Jazz Fest is the best restaurant in New Orleans. Standards such as the gumbo and jambalaya on this list are amongst the best I’ve had while favorites such as Crawfish Monica, Crawfish Bread, and Crawfish Sacks are rarely if ever seen elsewhere. Thus, I had a blast spending seven days trying new offerings, giving in to temptation to return for seconds only 3 times. Not coincidentally, these three items top my list.

I don’t claim to have eaten everything at Jazz Fest–there are hundreds of options–but I kept a keen eye on what was popular with attendees, read other food blogs and articles to learn consensus favorites, and made sure I tried every uber-unique concoction as well as timeless staple. Ethnic foods such as many Asian and Caribbean options didn’t hit my radar. You don’t hold a clam bake on a mountain ridge or stew venison on the beach. When in Rome…. Being unique to Jazz Fest earns additional bonus points, though quality is equally important. Value, while a minor consideration, still factors in. For example, the Fried Soft-Shell Crab P0-Boy isn’t outrageous at $9, but the crabs can be small and I’ve had better so it barely missed the list (#11?!). At $4, though, the Stuffed Artichoke will stuff you! It’s a steal, leap-frogging the crab even though soft-shells are one of my favorite foods.  So whether you’re a newbie looking for a place to start or a veteran looking to debate, here’s my Top Ten Foods of Jazz Fest:  [Read more…]

Filed Under: Food & Cocktails, Greatest Hits, Travel

Jazz Fest 2013, Day 7: Black Keys Add Little Color, Irma Thomas Still Soul Queen, & Trombone Shorty Crowned King

May 12, 2013 by

THE BIGGEST ‘BONER YOU’VE EVER SEEN!

Jazzfest2013 Trombone Shorty 2For over twenty years The Neville Brothers have closed out the main Acura Stage at Jazz Fest with a slight post-Katrina disruption. Per organizers, this has at times spawned awkward conversations, informing superstars like Santana, Neil Young, Van Morrison, Foo Fighters, and Kid Rock that they would be opening up for these local legends rather than vice versa. Local jam band The Radiators traditionally closed the Gentilly Stage on the opposite end of the fairgrounds but times they are a changing.

The Black Keys: Opening for Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue

The Black Keys:
Opening for Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue

When Aaron Neville recently parted with his brothers it demoted The Nevilles to opening for Dave Matthew and him to closing out Jazz Fest 2013 at the Gentilly Stage. The Radiators also split after decades together, though most members were represented elsewhere. Thus it was a little surprising to learn the replacement for The Nevilles would be rising star Trombone Shorty with his band Orleans Avenue. His national appeal has grown surprisingly over the past few years, especially considering he is rocking out on trombone–A STAR TROMBONE PLAYER– yet in his introduction the MC and festival organizer declared him ‘the future.’ The crowd had thinned somewhat after the Black Keys but there still had to be a good 80,ooo people watching to see if Shorty could fill some mighty big shoes–8 to be exact.

I Went To See Trombone Shorty And A Rusted Root Concert Broke Out!

I Went To See Trombone Shorty And A Rusted Root Concert Broke Out!

Part of Trombone Shorty‘s appeal, though, is [Read more…]

Filed Under: Autobiography, Food & Cocktails, Travel, Venue & Band Reviews
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