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Best Place to Get Wine By the Glass
ty-performance in New Orleans in April 2011 at the New Orleans Arena (she headlined a sold-out stop in December 2009 at the UNO Lakefront Arena). Weeks before the release of her third album Born This Way in May, Gaga rained down her ultra-hits on grand sets and costumes over two breathless, sweaty hours at the Arena.
1 Wine Institute of New
Orleans (W.I.N.O.) (610 Tchoupitoulas St., 3248000; www.winoschool.com) — It’s the place to become an oenophile without breaking the bank. There are classes that teach about types of wines and pairings, or sample 120 wines by the ounce — kept fresh with a state-of-the-art Enomatic wine serving system — to help you decide what you want to imbibe by the glass. To seal the deal, W.I.N.O. offers a menu of small plates ranging from cheese plates, pate and bruschetta to a chicken salad.
2. Delachaise (3442 St. Charles Ave., 895-0858; www.thedelachaise.com)
Gambit > bestofneworleans.com > aUGUst 30 > 2011
3. Oak (8118 Oak St., 302-1485; www.oaknola.com)
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Best Beer Selection
1 Bulldog (3236
Magazine St., 891-1556; 5135 Canal Blvd., 4884191; www.bulldog. draftfreak.com) — Gambit readers willing to travel the globe pintways chose this Uptown beer emporium (and its Mid-City home) as the best in its class for another year in a row. Choose from more than 100 bottled beers and 50 drafts, served in signature glasses you can take home on Wednesdays. Dogs are welcome, and you’ll likely find them lapping at the beertap water fountain (and sudsy shrine) on the patio.
2. Britney Spears
3. Radiators Final Show at Tipitina’s
Best Jazz Fest Performance 2011
2. Cooter Brown’s (509 S. Carrollton Ave., 8669104; www.cooterbrowns.com) 3. Avenue Pub (1732 St. Charles Ave., 5869243; www.theavenuepub.com)
Best Locally Brewed Beer
1 Abita Amber — This
Munich-style lager is the Abita Brewery’s flagship brew, and its brown label and caramel color are found both in backyard barbecues and on Old Line restaurant tables. It goes with everything, and soon will be everywhere — Abita will premiere its canned beers next year. 2. Abita Strawberry Harvest Lager 3. NOLA Blonde Ale
Best Bar for Craft Cocktails
1 Cure (4905 Freret St.,
302-2357; www.cure-
nola.com) — The slower the better at this lush, high-ceilinged spirits sanctuary. Master mixologists prepare finely tuned cocktails noted by GQ, Esquire and Travel + Leisure as some of the country’s best among a renaissance of lovingly recreated libations and new concoctions. Pro tip: Obey the dress code and imbibe appropriately. 2. Bar Tonique (820 N. Rampart St., 324-6045; www.bartonique.com) 3. Twelve Mile Limit (500 Telemachus St., 488-8114)
Best Casino
1 Harrah’s Casino
(8 Canal St., 533-600; www.harrahsneworleans.com) — Whenever your spirits need a lift — or you’re feeling really lucky — go to Harrah’s, where you’ll find 115,000-squarefeet of entertainment space. If the bright lights, constant bells of win-
ning slot machines, and the laughter and drinks don’t pull you out of your slump, you can attend a music show at the casino’s theater or head to Masquerade’s for some music, dancing and drinks served on an ice bar (yes, the bar is made of ice). 2. Treasure Chest Casino (5050 Williams Blvd., Kenner, 443-8000; www.treasurechest.com) 3. Boomtown Casino (4132 Peters Road, Harvey, 366-7711; www.boomtownneworleans.com)
Best Live Music Venue 1 Tipitina’s (501
Napoleon Ave., 8958477; www.tipitinas.com) — An emblematic banana and a Professor Longhair bust distinguish this venerable Uptown institution, whose 2010 and 2011 concert seasons
Herb Import Company
Best Smoke Shop photo by Cheryl gerber
have included artists from Joanna Newsom, Yo La Tengo and Broken Social Scene, to Patti Smith and Wanda Jackson, to dozens of headlining local artists like Trombone Shorty and the Radiators (for the band’s farewell performances). 2. House of Blues (225 Decatur St., 310-4999; www.hob.com) 3. d.b.a. (618 Frenchmen St., 942-3731; www.dbabars.com)
Best Live Music Show in the Past 12 Months
1 Lady Gaga — The pop
megastar unleashed her live, glitter-bombed par-
1 Arcade Fire — The anthemic Canadian indie rock outfit surprised both the Grammys (with a win for 2011’s Album of the Year for The Suburbs) and Jazz Fest attendees, with an encore performance of “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” with fellow Fest headliner Cyndi Lauper. Their set counted cuts from 2008’s Neon Bible and 2004 breakout LP Funeral, closing with a monumental rendition of “Wake Up.” The band also hit the grounds and performed with Haitian outfit and Arcade Fire collaborator RAM.
2. Jimmy Buffett 3. Bon Jovi
Best Local Rock Band/Artist 1 Better Than Ezra
— Despite the fact its signature single “Good” debuted more than 15 years ago, Better Than Ezra was voted by readers once again as the best rock band. The trio hasn’t remained idle — it released Paper Empire in 2009, and the Better page 33