Gambit Digital Edition: October 9, 2023

October 9-15 2023 Volume 44 Number 41

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OCT. 9 — OCT. 15, 2023 VOLUME 44 || NUMBER 41

CONTENTS

Corinne Robin Fox

COVER STORY

REALTOR

2023 - 2024 Pelicans Schedule ............19

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Bewitching hour

Crescent City Blues & BBQ Festival

Season of the Witch brings a coven of singers to d.b.a. | by Alison Fensterstock IN “DRAWING DOWN THE MOON,” MARGOT ADLER’S EXHAUSTIVE 1979 STUDY of contemporary witches in

America, the late journalist and Wiccan priestess noted that “In a society that has traditionally oppressed women, there are few positive images of female power. Some of the most potent of these are the witches, the ancient healers, and the powerful women of preclassical civilizations and myth.” In 2023, we can also maybe add to this: Beyonce.

Rihanna! Dolly Parton, definitely.

The Coven, a flexible gang of New Orleans women musicians who debuted their magic-spangled ensemble covers show at d.b.a. during this past French Quarter Fest, do not, of course, have the literal clout of those particular high priestesses of the entertainment biz. What they do wield, though, is the spellbinding power of music — and of the community they’ve built together, sharing resources and talent both on and offstage.

Singers Arsene DeLay, Debbie Davis and Kimberly Kaye are at the organizational core of the Coven’s return on Friday the 13th, again at d.b.a. (A Valentine’s Day weekend show also is on the grimoire at Marigny Opera House.) They’re also members of an actual practicing coven that includes most of the people in the show — although, as they explained during a recent group phone call, they adhere to no particular occult tradition. Instead, they share individual strengths and skills for the general benefit, like a good rock band, or socialists.

The proto-Coven concert, at Chickie Wah Wah shortly after Hurricane Ida, was a fundraiser for Kaye, whose home was badly damaged in the storm.

“We’re more in a kind of holistic collective,” she says. “There are too many people from too many different backgrounds for us to practice a specific type of magic … We’re a bunch of middle-aged ladies from different ancestral backgrounds, who came together initially as a return to, ‘Hey, everything’s easier with a village.’ Sometimes it’s just somebody’s sick, and we should definitely cook them food, or I don’t have a car so my girl is gonna bring me to the grocery store. Not everything is candles and crystals and burning things at the full moon.”

Still, spiritual practice and traditionally witchy action also is involved, including herbal healing, focused intent, candle-lighting and offerings to the ancestors.

Each Coven show begins with a magical invocation, and items you might see placed around the stage aren’t just decor — like the fetishes that appeared on the piano of Dr. John, a practicing Voodoo man himself, they represent tributes to beings and entities on the other side of the veil. Performance garb is chosen to refer to magical traditions or elements of power; at d.b.a. this past spring, Debbie Davis hit the stage as if emerging from the mists of Avalon, sporting antlers. It’s a heady brew of eye of newt, toe of frog and mutual aid.

And, of course, there’s the witchy nature of performing live music itself.

Almost all religious and spiritual traditions have some musical element meant to transport worshipers, from the gospel choir to the shofar blow, and if the Coven’s esoteric setlist leans toward classic rock and the ’90s hits its members grew up on (David Bowie, Stevie Nicks and Alanis Morissette last time; Black Sabbath, Janet Jackson, Joni Mitchell, Fiona Apple and Erykah Badu on deck this time around) that’s because those are the songs that spark up their chakras with rock-and-roll swagger and emotional catharsis. And if they feel it, the crowd does too.

“There’s what we do together as a group in private, which has a lot to do with community aid, but it also has to do with aiding each other in the conjuring and magic that we do individually, and it’s strengthened by the group of us,” Davis says. “Then there’s the thing that we do in front of people, and that’s about connecting and harnessing that energy too. The show that we did, during French Quarter Fest — it was deeply infused with so much intention, and the energy was electric, in that space.”

Women vocalists reunite for Season of the Witch at d.b.a. on Friday, Oct. 13.

PROVIDED PHOTO BY EDWARD CARTER SIMON

“When we’re all in a room together doing music, whether you’re the person that’s onstage singing the note or the person in the audience listening to it come out the right way, your body starts dumping endorphins and serotonin and dopamine and all these great drugs,” Kaye says. “You can get a real chemical and spiritual high, just from frequency and pitch.”

“Sound and vibration are divine,” DeLay says. “You can’t see it, but you can feel it. And when you’re in a room full of people, or when you look at New Orleans in general, our culture is very communal; we march and dance together with music in the streets … You come out and your vibration is raised.”

All the Coven members are seasoned bandleaders and lead vocalists, which means they infrequently get to collaborate. They’re also all women, which means that they’ve all, in some way or another, dealt with the misogynistic vagaries of the music business, which include insults, unwelcome come-ons and/or touching, and the persistent fallacy that women, petty and cattish as we are, simply cannot work together.

When this coven works together, they work magic.

The Coven’s Season of the Witch show is at 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 13, at d.b.a.

Members include Debbie Davis, Arsene DeLay, Kimberly Kaye, Mia Borders, Dayna Kurtz, Lilli Lewis, Miss Sophie Lee, Tiffany Cain and Bunny Love, plus some men playing instruments. Tickets $25 in advance, $30 at the door.

The Jazz & Heritage Foundation’s free festival features performances

by Shemekia Copeland, Tab Benoit, Cedric Burnside, Samantha Fish, Selwyn Birchwood, Lurrie Bell, Ghalia Volt, Little Freddie King and more.

There also are barbecue and other food vendors and an art market in Lafayette Square. Music is from 5:30-8:30 p.m.

Friday, Oct. 13, and 11 a.m.-8:30 p.m.

Saturday, Oct. 14, and Sunday, Oct. 15.

Visit jazzandheritage.org for details.

Little Freddie King performs during the Crescent City Blues and BBQ Festival.

PHOTO BY SOPHIA GERMER / THE TIMES-PICAYUNE

A Giant Dog

Austin, Texas’ A Giant Dog is a punk outfit with grand visions. Their music is bombastic and full of attitude, but there’s an epic scope. The band recently released its latest album, “Bite,” a shimmering concept album grappling with dystopian disconnect.

A Giant Dog plays with Dregs and The Painted Hands at 9 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 10, at Siberia. Tickets are $10 via siberianola.com.

Peelander-Z

The Japanese Action Comic Punk Band from planet Peelander is this year celebrating 25 years of wild, high-energy rock ‘n’ roll shows full of costumes, band-bowling and giant squid fights. Before heading out on tour, the band released “P-Party!

Z-Party!,” its latest album of fun, upbeat rock. Peelander-Z returns to New Orleans for a show at 9 p.m.

Thursday, Oct. 12, at Gasa Gasa.

Tickets are $16 via ticketweb.com.

Little Amal

Little Amal, a giant puppet representing a Syrian refugee girl, is on a tour of the U.S. to raise awareness about the plight of refugees. Constructed by Handspring Puppet Company of South Africa, Little Amal toured Europe PAGE 26

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NEW ORLEANS NEWS + VIEWS

May we should start keeping track of which Cantrell aides haven’t crashed their city owned car

# TC OH EU N T

T H U M B S U P/ THUMBS DOWN

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Beyonce’s BeyGOOD Foundation recently donated $100,000 to Dillard University to create scholarships for students studying public health. In connection to the superstar’s Renaissance tour, which stopped at the Superdome, the nonprofit charity committed $1 million to educational scholarships. Dillard is one of 10 universities to receive funding.

St. John the Baptist Parish is the county or parish in the U.S. most vulnerable to climate change, according to the Environmental Defense Fund and Texas A&M’s U.S. Climate Vulnerability Index.

The index looks at factors such as health risks, income levels and infrastructure to determine a community’s ability to manage climate disasters. Iberville, St. Landry, Tangipahoa and Acadia parishes also are among the 10 most vulnerable.

THE NUMBER OF HOME GAMES ON THE NEW ORLEANS PELICANS SCHEDULE FOR THE 2023-2024 SEASON. The Pels open the regular season on the road against the Memphis Grizzlies Oct. 24 and return home to the Smoothie King Center Oct. 28 to face the New York Knicks.

Weekend warriors, take note: 19 of the upcoming games will take place on either a Friday, Saturday or Sunday, according to the NBA.com. Most home games, with the exception of two nationally televised matchups, will tip off at 7 p.m. Note: for the full Pelicans schedule, check out pg. 19

C’EST W H AT Screen capture of Gregory Joseph’s Instagram.

City Council punts vote on firing Cantrell aide following Gregory Joseph no show THE CITY COUNCIL LAST WEEK AGREED TO A TWO-WEEK DELAY on its vote

LSU has been sanctioned by a federal court over deleted cellphone data amid a lawsuit over its mishandling of sexual misconduct and sexual assault. Former LSU tennis players are among those suing the university for sex-based discrimination and Title IX violations, and LSU was holding two former coaches’ cellphones containing important texts and data. That evidence was suddenly gone. It isn’t clear who wiped the phones or when, but a U.S. magistrate judge rightly placed the blame on LSU.

on whether to fire Mayor LaToya Cantrell’s Communications Director Gregory Joseph requested by the city attorney after Joseph failed to show up for the hearing.

City Attorney Donesia Turner made an appearance at the hearing to represent Joseph in a “limited capacity.” Turner said Joseph had recently lost his outside counsel and as a result she was asking for a twoweek continuance to give him time to get a new lawyer.

The request seemed to take the council off guard and clearly frustrated Council President JP Morrell.

But after a tense back and forth with Turner, the council agreed to delay the vote, though Morrell warned he

won’t agree to any further extensions of the vote.

Joseph is at the center of a controversy over a taxpayer funded mailer sent to likely voters in January of this year. The $50,000 mailer included photos of Mayor Cantrell and was timed to coincide with the end of the since-failed recall campaign against the mayor. Last month the council found Joseph guilty of {span}”incompetence, neglect of duty and gross misconduct” and asked Mayor Cantrell to fire him.

But Cantrell has consistently backed Joseph, a failed stand up comedian, has been a frequent companion of Cantrell’s on her travels, including her trip to France in September.

The vote on Joseph’s employment will now occur Oct. 17.

?

How are you feeling about this year’s Pelicans season?

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THIS IS OUR YEAR

33.3%

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LET’S SEE HOW THEY LOOK DURING PRESEASON

Vote on “C’est What?” at www.bestofneworleans.com

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Welcome to thin whale corduroy

Gambit’s election endorsements IN THIS YEAR’S ELECTION FOR GOVERNOR, only one candidate has shown a

career-long ability to work across the political aisle while rejecting the politics of division: Democrat Shawn Wilson.

A native New Orleanian, Wilson doesn’t come from a powerful family with longstanding claims to office. Nor does he hail from a wealthy background on which to build the alliances and bonds that have launched so many Louisiana political careers. Rather, he has built a reputation as a fair broker and bridge builder (literally and figuratively) the hard way — by putting in the work.

Wilson has worked with local leaders in every parish, and with Republicans and Democrats alike in the Legislature, to implement transportation and infrastructure projects across the state.

That experience gives him unique insights into the challenges Louisiana faces — and an unrivaled familiarity with the people he’ll need to work with to move Louisiana forward as our next governor. During his meeting with the Gambit editorial board, he was asked if he would veto future anti-trans bills.

He answered yes, unequivocally. Asked about his position on abortion, he vowed to oppose any bills that would limit women’s access to health care. He is the only candidate who favors letting citizens decide the level of abortion restrictions via a popular vote.

Wilson’s election also would be historic: he would be Louisiana’s first Black elected governor.

Reconstruction era Lt. Gov. Oscar Dunn, a Republican, served as acting

governor in 1871 — becoming the first U.S. governor of African descent — but he was never elected to that post. We believe Louisianans of good conscience must reject partisanship and dog whistles and take a stand for competence, bipartisanship and inclusion.

Being able to work with the other side of the political aisle is a “must” for our next governor, because so much is at stake — and doesn’t have to come at the expense of the most vulnerable.

We proudly endorse his candidacy.

AMENDMENT 1 would prohibit the use of donations by a foreign government or nongovernmental source to help conduct elections in Louisiana.

We strongly recommend voting NO. AMENDMENT 2 requires courts to apply “strict scrutiny” (the highest legal standard) to laws regulating houses of worship. We recommend voting NO. AMENDMENT 3 increases from 10% to 25% the amount of non-recurring state revenues that must be used to pay down state retirement systems’ debt. We recommend voting YES. AMENDMENT 4 allows local governments to deny property tax exemptions for nonprofit housing that endangers public safety. We recommend voting YES. N.O. City Charter amendments: YES Orleans School Millage Renewal: YES

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Editor’s note: This endorsement represents the views of Gambit’s editorial board. Gambit staff reporters are not involved in endorsement decisions.

The Gambit Ballot

You can take this ballot with you to vote!

GOVERNOR Shawn Wilson

CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS AMENDMENT 1 | AMENDMENT 2 | AMENDMENT 3 | AMENDMENT 4 |

NO NO YES YES

N.O. CITY CHARTER AMENDMENTS

CITY CHARTER AMENDMENT 1 | YES CITY CHARTER AMENDMENT 1 | YES ORLEANS SCHOOL MILLAGE RENEWAL |

1818 Veterans Blvd., Metairie LA | 504.888.2300 | nordickitchens.com YES

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@clancygambit

Council is serious about firing Gregory Joseph, but he doesn’t seem worried THE RANCOR BETWEEN MAYOR LATOYA CANTRELL AND A MAJORITY OF THE NEW ORLEANS CITY COUNCIL reached

a boiling point last week when the mayor’s communications director, Gregory Joseph, skipped a hearing on charges that he misspent taxpayers’ money and lied to the council about it under oath.

The charges against Joseph arise from his production of a mailer touting Cantrell’s accomplishments during the recall effort against her. The mailer cost at least $50,000 in city funds and appeared to violate local and state laws against using public funds for political purposes.

Council members investigated the matter for six months before invoking a City Charter provision that allows them, by a simple majority vote, to suspend or fire a mayoral appointee for gross misconduct, incompetence, or neglect of duty. The charter requires a hearing so that targeted appointees can be represented by counsel and present evidence in their defense.

Joseph’s hearing was scheduled for Oct. 3, but he was a no-show.

Instead, City Attorney Donesia Turner appeared on his behalf for the “limited” purpose of requesting a twoweek continuance — so that Joseph could hire a new

private attorney. Joseph had an attorney as recently as Sept. 28, but Turner told the council that that attorney (whom she declined to identify) had since withdrawn from the case.

The continuance request, along with Joseph’s absence, pushed several council members over the edge.

Council President JP Morrell demanded to know if Joseph was working or even at City Hall on the day of the hearing. Turner said she didn’t know and wouldn’t speculate.

For his part, Joseph has dissed the council on social media, saying he would not attend the hearing.

“Mr. Joseph hasn’t bothered to send the council an email asking us for a continuance,” Morrell said, adding that Joseph hadn’t communicated at all with the council but has “said repeatedly, to everyone who will listen, he had no intention of attending this council meeting.”

Other council members chimed in, but they ultimately took the advice of their own attorney and granted the two-week extension. Morrell warned that no additional delays would be granted.

Meanwhile, Cantrell defends Joseph and says the City Charter provision authorizing the council’s action is

PEL YEAH, BOO!

unconstitutional.

“We are not losing Gregory Joseph,” she vowed.

When asked to specify what’s unconstitutional, Cantrell said, “the whole process, period.

Soup to nuts.”

City Attorney Turner, who answers Gregory Joseph to the mayor, said FILE PHOTO after the council’s attempted hearing on Oct. 3 that the administration does not actually have an official opinion on the charter provision’s constitutionality. “We haven’t investigated it further,” she said in response to a reporter’s question.

As for the mayor’s insistence that Joseph will not be leaving her employ, some foresee Cantrell giving him an interim appointment with a new title if the council fires him.

The charter doesn’t say whether a mayor can do that with a council-terminated appointee, which means this fight could wind up in the courts — where it will take a lot longer than two weeks to play out.

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@GambitBlake | askblake@gambitweekly.com

Hey Blake,

I grew up in the Gentilly Woods area and my parents used to take me to an Italian restaurant that was upstairs in a shopping mall.

Can you help?

— Skip

Dear Skip,

I THINK YOU’RE REMEMBERING IL RISTORANTE, later called Leona’s Il

Ristorante, in the 2100 block of Foy Street in Gentilly. It was on the second floor, with a bar called The Black Orchid underneath. Both were owned and operated by legendary restaurateur Tony Angello.

In his 1970 book “The New Orleans Underground Gourmet,” restaurant critic Richard Collin explained that “to enter the restaurant, one climbs a flight of iron steps over the Black Orchid Lounge. Inside are two dimly lighted rooms, the model of the European bistro, very romantic and intimate.”

He wrote that “the food at Il Ristorante can be excellent; many think it ranks with the best in the city.”

In 1972, Angello sold Il Ristorante to one of his employees, who renamed it Leona’s Il Ristorante. In his 1976 restaurant guide, Collin said the new place “kept the old menu and the substance of the old food, but not the spirit…not a bad restaurant, but a dispirited one.”

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Tony Angello’s Ristorante first opened in Lakeview in 1972.

PHOTO BY IAN MCNULTY / THE TIMES-PICAYUNE

By then Angello had opened his eponymous restaurant in Lakeview, in a building that resembled a suburban-style home at Fleur De Lis Drive and West Harrison Avenue. Angello’s regulars loved his “feed me” menu option, where he and his staff would serve 10, 12 or more courses including the lobster cup, cannelloni, veal with peppers and mushrooms and Eggplant Tina. That lasagna-type dish, named for Angello’s sister, was made with eggplant instead of pasta.

Angello and his family rebuilt the restaurant after it was devastated

by Hurricane Katrina’s federal levee failures in 2005. Angello died in 2015 and the restaurant closed soon after.

It is now Rizzuto’s Ristorante and Chop House. Angello’s nephew Frank Catalanotto has recreated many of his uncle’s famous dishes at his restaurant, Nephew’s Ristorante, located in Metairie at 4445 W. Metairie Ave.

Relax on our

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with a fresh cocktail, wine or dinner!

BLAKEVIEW WITH LOUISIANA VOTERS HEADED TO THE POLLS Saturday (Oct. 14), we will send the ultimate winner to reside where nine Louisiana governors have lived: the Governor’s Mansion.

The home, built in 1963 when Jimmie Davis served as governor, replaced another executive residence on North Boulevard in Baton Rouge. That older home, now known as the Old Louisiana Governor’s Mansion, was the second gubernatorial residence built on that site. The first housed governors from 1887 to 1930. The second mansion, which was home to governors between 1930 and 1963, was built during the term of Gov. Huey P. Long, its first resident.

The current governor’s mansion, built just east of the State Capitol and overlooking Capitol Lake, was designed by a Shreveport architectural firm. The exterior of the Greek Revival-style home is based on Oak Alley Plantation.

According to its website, the 25,000 square-foot mansion sits on eight acres of land. It has 12 bedrooms, 18 bathrooms, a swimming pool, tennis court and vegetable and flower gardens. Gov. John Bel Edwards added a chicken coop when he took office.

The entrance foyer of the mansion features a mural by New Orleans artist Auseklis Ozols depicting various aspects of Louisiana history with references to past governors. Elsewhere, portraits of the governors who have lived in the mansion hang above a circular staircase.

The mansion is open for public tours by appointment. For more information visit governorsmansion.org.

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15

TIME TO

DELIVER FOUR YEARS SINCE LANDING IN NEW ORLEANS, FANS ARE HOPING ZION WILLIAMSON FINALLY MAKES GOOD ON HIS PROMISE

BY LIAM PIERCE

Williamson’s pre-game remarks last April are a microcosm example of his complicated place in the league and in fans’ minds.

After his now-derided “when I feel like Zion” quote, he continued, “I don’t want to go out there and be in my own head and affect the team when I can just be on the sideline supporting them more, because I know myself. If I was to go out there, I would be in my head. I would hesitate on certain moves, and it could affect the game.”

In full, it was a remarkably vulnerable — and important — admission from a professional athlete that wasn’t entirely lost on fans. Mental wellness needs to be more of an emphasis in men’s sports,

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O

N APRIL 11, 2023, the eve of the Pelicans’ do-or-die chance to make the playoffs, there was a glimmer of hope that Zion Williamson would finally return.

The generational phenom — who’s drummed up the most excitement since LeBron James — had been out with a hamstring injury since January and seemed to be on the mend. The timing would have been perfect. The team was worn down from his absence and maybe, just maybe, Williamson was poised to lift them up.

There was also a classic bit of psychological strategy on the part of coaches, who were hoping to keep the Oklahoma City Thunder guessing who’d be in the lineup.

But then Williamson met with the press and things went sideways.

“Physically, I’m fine,” he said, much to the surprise of reporters and fans. “Now it’s just a matter of when I feel like Zion.”

Fans were, understandably, angry.

And then during warmups, knowing he would sit on the bench, Williamson stepped on the court and out of nowhere threw down a windmill dunk – when he was allegedly too injured or otherwise not “feeling” up to play an actual game.

Whatever message he was trying to get across didn’t feel nice for fans.

It was an unfortunate, if fitting, end to a season during which the often-injured Williamson tested a fanbase that is often derided for being fairweather, but has ultimately proven to be patient beyond all reasonable expectation.

Patient for waiting on Williamson to buck his chronic injuries, his fluctuating weight, and the overall wishy-washiness to finally deliver on what a 5-year, $194 million contract implies: consistent playtime and consistent victories. But like the Marvelettes waiting nervously on the postman, fans’ patience is starting to wear thin.

It’s time for Zion to deliver.

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PELICANS PREVIEW

where a hypermasculinized brand of toughness is often touted as a central virtue.

But at the same time, basketball is steeped in its own past. From Willis Reed limping out during Game 7 of the 1970 championships to lift the New York Knicks to victory to Michael Jordan’s infamous “flu game” in ‘97, there’s a long history in basketball (and pro sports generally) of stars “playing through it” in order to inspire or lead their team to victory.

On the other end of that athletic spectrum, seemingly, was Williamson, perhaps physically healed but unwilling to test out his skills again on the court. Instead, he kept the bench warm while his teammates lost.

That day, even the most die-hard fans threw out their metaphorical tinfoil hats and Zion Williamson decoder rings, typically used to carefully decipher whatever message he has been sending across a tight-lipped front office.

Fortunately for Williamson, New Orleans sports fans have a history of forgiving, if not downright celebrating, unpredictable public figures, and that, of course, also applies to our promising athletes.

And an in-shape Williamson is more than promising. His brand of basketball is a mind-bending wonder to behold — like being trapped in a time machine that’s simultaneously witnessing the physical game of the ‘70s, the finesse of the present, and an entirely new evolution of the game altogether. His body simply doesn’t make sense.

At one moment, he’s a blur of thick limbs, a collapsed star devouring matter, furiously clawing at possession under the net. In another, he’s a balletic slow motion portrait of hangtime, a linebacker pulling off poetic Cirque du Soleil flourishes.

If there’s any frustration fans feel, it’s that they want more.

To date, Williamson has only played 114 of a possible 317 games in the last four seasons.

He and the two stars flanking him — guard CJ McCollum and forward Brandon Ingram — have only played in a mere 10 of a possible 119 games together since the team acquired McCollum on Feb. 8, 2022.

It’s a pittance of the team’s potential, largely owed to Williamson’s various health issues.

In some ways, the 2022-23 season was the evil twin of the 2021-22 season. Sure, Williamson was injured at the end of both, but that seems to be the only constant.

In 2022, the Pelicans won two do-or-die play-in games without him and astoundingly took the Western Conference-leading Phoenix Suns to a 2-2 tied series before losing the next two games and bowing out in the first round of the playoffs.

The 2021-22 incarnation of the Pelicans was excruciating to watch in the first half of the season, but thrived in the second, despite missing their star player for the entirety of the year.

Whether it was correlation or causation, the arrival of veteran and National Basketball Players Association president McCollum and veteran center Larry Nance midway through the season helped improve the young team.

With them, the team that had been built around Williamson became perfectly capable of standing on its own in early 2022.

So, rolling into the 2022-23 season, add in the hype of Williamson on the mend. With Williamson in top form, the team made a giddy

ascent to the top of the Western Conference.

Much of that was due to Williamson’s appearances, during which he averaged 26 points, 7 rebounds and 4.6 assists at a mind-boggling 60.8% from the field. Any player would be thrilled to have that stat line in one game — not to mention an average across 29 games.

In a Dec. 28 game against the Timberwolves, Williamson scored a career high 43 points, closing the game with 14 straight points to make a one-point victory. But that high wouldn’t last long.

Just five days later, the new year brought a frustratingly familiar story. What looked like a light jog down the court on Jan. 2 against the 76ers yielded a busted hamstring on the notably heftier Williamson.

It’s a murky world where body positivity interfaces awkwardly with sports. But in a highly physical game like basketball, where players need to be nimble on their feet, Williamson’s weight and its distribution through his legs has been a major cause of his lower body injuries.

With him sidelined again, the team’s second half of the season faltered.

Other Pelicans injuries — including a toe injury that seated Ingram for 29 games — added to a sense of team-wide fatigue.

Unlike the 2022 playoff push, 2023 saw the team come in limping, barely making it to the play-in while resting on a record built mostly on a strong first half of the season.

New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson and New Orleans Pelicans center Jonas Valanciunas walk off the court after a 128-119 loss to Milwaukee Bucks guard Jrue Holiday, Milwaukee Bucks center Brook Lopez and the Milwaukee Bucks last year.

PHOTO BY D AV I D G R U N F E L D / T H E T I M E S - P I C AY U N E )

New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson looks up at the scoreboard after the game against the Washington Wizards in January.

P H O T O B Y D AV I D G R U N F E L D / T H E T I M E S - P I C AY U N E )

17

PELICANS PREVIEW

Through it all, the Pelicans unofficial team captain McCollum in particular seemed to be struggling with his faith in his teammate’s ability to take care of himself, all while McCollum was dealing with his own thumb and shoulder injuries silently.

“Availability is important, man,” McCollum said immediately after the Pelicans’ 2022-23 season ended, with a not-so-subtle nod to Williamson. “We’ve got to be available. We’ve got to do what we need to do off the court in terms of preparation, in terms of getting treatment, in terms of getting the right sleep, the right type of hydration, having the right type of diet.”

Later, in May, McCollum put a finer point on frustrations with Williamson in journalist Ryen Russillo’s sports podcast. “[Williamson’s] ceiling is unlike anything the NBA has ever seen,” he said. “But it’s up to you to take full advantage of whatever that is. I can’t want it for you. Mom can’t want it for you. Dad can’t want it for you. Staff can’t want it for you. So it’s up to you to decide what that looks like.”

What has been especially puzzling, too, is Williamson’s isolation, not just from the public eye, but also from the team.

His summers and injury recovery time often saw him training and rehabilitating away from the team. And the front office has been secretive, doing little to assuage fans’ concerns about his health.

In the vacuum of access to verifiable sources, trade rumors flew.

For instance, over the summer before the draft, two reporters said the Pelicans hoped to land a top draft pick from another team in exchange for Williamson.

David Griffin, Pelicans executive vice president of basketball operations, later dismissed the rumors as clickbait.

Then there was the Page Six level drama in Williamson’s personal life, which flared up following his June announcement that he and his girlfriend Ahkeema were expecting a baby this fall.

To call it messy would be an understatement: In a series of unhinged social media posts, porn star Moriah Mills claimed to have had her own longstanding relationship with Williamson, posting photos of her own positive pregnancy test, seemingly getting a face tattoo of his name and even threatening to release a sex tape of the two. That threat got her booted from the app formerly known as Twitter, but not before she also accused Williamson of gaining weight because he drank too much soda.

All those posts from Mills ended up seeming more like reputational ransom notes than anything else.

In the end, dedicated Pels fans mostly shrugged off Williamson’s personal issues, choosing to focus instead on the upcoming season, hoping he will pull it together.

There were also more positive moments this summer — most notably when Williamson donated $250,000 to Jefferson Parish schools,, an indiciation of his commitment to the New Orleans area.

On Oct. 2, things were looking up at the Pelicans media day. Williamson appeared focused on the new season and more serious than ever before.

“I’m not going to sit up here and talk about it too much. We just have to show y’all,” Williamson said tersely to a room full of reporters.

He seemed to want to leave the past behind him.

When one reporter asked why he didn’t get back on the court after reaggravating his hamstring, he tersely said, “I wasn’t ready.”

That day also helped offer some clarity over Williamson’s health preparation and medical care.

Over the summer, Griffin, with no playing career of his own, decided to give Williamson more of a say in his medical decisions.

Previously, he and one of the league’s best player care and performance experts Aaron Nelson were meticulous in regulating Williamson’s play time, which greatly frustrated Williamson.

Griffin placed Nelson in a more hands-off advisory role, and now Pelicans general manager Trajan Langdon — a 12-year NBA veteran who played at Williamson’s alma mater Duke University — is orchestrating that medical team.

The Pelicans also brought in Amy Atmore, a physical therapist, to work alongside Director of Performance and Sports Science Daniel Bove and Head Athletic Trainer Tom Maystadt.

Griffin said this decision to step back and allow

New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson reacts after scoring late in the game against the Minnesota Timberwolves last year.

PHOTO BY D AV I D G R U N F E L D / T H E T I M E S - P I C AY U N E

New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson warms up with teammates at the Smoothie King Center last year.

PHOTO BY SOPHIA GERMER / T H E T I M E S - P I C AY U N E )

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They eked in to playoff contention amidst a considerably weaker Western Conference that hovered around .500 throughout the season and ultimately fizzled out.

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New Orleans Pelicans forward Zion Williamson sweats during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Golden State Warriors in November last year.

The Pelicans defeated the Warriors, 114-105.

PHOTO BY SOPHIA GERMER / T H E T I M E S - P I C AY U N E )

this more dynamic, hybrid approach was a result of consulting the players after last season ended.

Williamson’s healthiest year was under coach Stan Van Gundy, who later said that playing was the best way to keep him healthy. There’s no science to that, but after trying everything else, maybe Griffin saw some reason to it.

Williamson may be more willing to cooperate with Pelicans staff now that he’s being advised by a former player and getting to contribute input in his training and medical treatment.

“I think when you have a former player, they bring a certain level of passion to it,” Griffin told The Times-Picayune. “A big part of that is listening a whole lot more and being less dogmatic and willing to be flexible.”

Team leaders like McCollum have also noticed a new sense of maturity and accountability in Williamson since last season.

“I see a lot of growth as far as his mentality, his approach,” McCollum said. “Obviously, he had a long year. It was a long year for lots of reasons, so I think he has a different perspective on basketball, on life. So far, I’ve liked his approach. I think he’s maturing and growing in a lot of different ways.”

Griffin said Williamson hit the gym hard over the summer, spending more time than ever at the Pelicans facility.

“This was the first summer where we’ve seen Zion really take his profession seriously like that and invest it off the court on his own in a way that I think is meaningful,” Griffin said.

“I don’t want too much to be made about being in our gym. I want it to be that he found a level of commitment that was important.”

It’s hard to tell what exactly might have gotten inside of Williamson’s head this offseason —whether it was the dating rumors, the comments on his weight, the cynicism of him bucking his injury streak.

But everyone around him is just hoping that whatever it is, it’s enough to spark some meaningful change.

While he projected an air of solemnity addressing reporters on his first official Pelicans press conference since last season, Williamson couldn’t help but crack a smile when a reporter asked what he worked on during the offseason.

He responded playfully, smling his usual boyish smile, “You want me to give you a scouting report on myself? What I worked on was being unguardable.”

PELICANS PREVIEW

SCHEDULE

OCTOBER PRESEASON 10/10 vs. Orlando, 7 P.M. 10/12 vs. Houston, 7 P.M. 10/14 at Atlanta, 2:30 P.M. 10/17 at Orlando, 6 P.M. REGULAR SEASON 10/25 at Memphis, 7 P.M. 10/28 vs. New York, 6 P.M. 10/30 vs. Golden State, 7 P.M.

NOVEMBER

11/1 at Oklahoma City, 6:30 P.M. 11/2 vs. Detroit, 7 P.M.

1/3 at Minnesota, 7 P.M. 1/5 vs. L.A. Clippers, 7 P.M. 1/7 at Sacramento, 5 P.M. 1/10 at Golden State, 7:30 P.M. 1/12 at Denver, 8 P.M. 1/13 at Dallas, 7:30 P.M. 1/15 at Dallas, 1:30 P.M. 1/19 vs. Phoenix, 7 P.M. 1/23 vs. Utah, 7 P.M. 1/26 vs. Oklahoma City, 7 P.M. 1/27 at Milwaukee, 7 P.M. 1/31 at Houston, 7 P.M.

11/14 vs. Dallas, 7 P.M. 11/17 vs. Denver, 7 P.M. 11/18 vs. Minnesota, 6 P.M. 11/20 vs. Sacramento, 7 P.M. 11/22 vs. Sacramento, 7 P.M. 11/24 vs. L.A. Clippers, 9:30 P.M. 11/25 at Utah, 8:30 P.M. 11/27 at Utah, 8 P.M. 11/29 vs. Philadelphia, 7 P.M.

DECEMBER

12/1 vs. San Antonio, 7 P.M. 12/2 at Chicago, 7 P.M. 12/11 vs. Minnesota, 7 P.M. 12/13 at Washington, 6 P.M. 12/15 at Charlotte, 6 P.M. 12/17 at San Antonio, 2:30 P.M. 12/19 vs. Memphis, 6:30 P.M. 12/21 at Cleveland, 6:30 P.M.

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11/12 vs. Dallas, 6 P.M.

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11/6 at Denver, 8 P.M. 11/10 at Houston, 7 P.M.

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JANUARY

11/4 vs. Atlanta, 6 P.M. 11/8 at Minnesota, 7 P.M.

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2/2 at San Antonio, 7 P.M. 2/5 vs. Toronto, 7 P.M. 2/7 at L.A. Clippers, 9 P.M.

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2/9 at L.A. Lakers, 9:30 P.M. 2/10 at Portland, 9 P.M. 2/12 at Memphis, 7 P.M. 2/14 vs. Washington, 7 P.M.

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2/18 All-Star Game, 7 P.M. 2/22 vs. Houston, 7 P.M. 2/23 vs. Miami, 9 P.M. 2/25 vs. Chicago, 6 P.M. 2/27 at New York, 6:30 P.M. 2/28 at Indiana, 6 P.M.

MARCH

3/1 vs. Indiana, 7 P.M. 3/5 at Toronto, 6:30 P.M. 3/8 at Philadelphia, 6 P.M. 3/10 at Atlanta, 5 P.M. 3/13 vs. Cleveland, 7 P.M.

12/23 vs. Houston, 6 P.M.

3/15 vs. L.A. Clippers, 7 P.M.

12/26 vs. Memphis, 7 P.M.

3/16 vs. Portland, 6 P.M.

12/28 vs. Utah, 7 P.M.

3/19 at Brooklyn, 6:30 P.M.

12/31 vs. L.A. Lakers, 6 P.M.

3/21 at Orlando, 6 P.M.

3/22 at Miami, 7 P.M. 3/24 at Detroit, 2 P.M. 3/26 vs. Oklahoma City, 7 P.M. 3/28 vs. Milwaukee, 7 P.M. 3/30 vs. Boston, 4 P.M.

APRIL

4/1 vs. Phoenix, 7 P.M. 4/3 vs. Orlando, 7 P.M. 4/5 vs. San Antonio, 7 P.M. 4/7 at Phoenix, 5 P.M. 4/9 at Portland, 9 P.M. 4/11 at Sacramento, 9 P.M. 4/12 at Golden State, 9 P.M. 4/14 vs. L.A. Lakers, 2:30 P.M.

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PELICANS 2023-2024

HAND GRENADE

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20

E AT + D R I N K

Rare approach

FORK + CENTER

Medium Rare steakhouse opens in Uptown | by Beth D’Addono DESPITE THE NAME’S BEEFY CONNOTATION, Medium Rare is not a tradi-

tional steakhouse.

Settle in at the welcoming new Uptown restaurant at 5538 Magazine St. and the menu tells the story. There isn’t a rib-eye tomahawk, wagyu filet or rare prime rib in sight.

Instead, diners pick either a fan of sliced coulotte steak or grilled portobellos, the vegan-friendly option, as their entree. The tender top sirloin cap is drizzled in a bordelaise-like house sauce and served with a tangle of perfectly crisp hand-cut fries on the side.

The meal includes a small salad, dressed with mustard vinaigrette and a basket of warm crusty French sourdough bread accompanied by a knob of warm, salty butter. The bread is yet another of Medium Rare’s secret weapons, a recipe created in Paris.

The dough is delivered daily in 50-gallon drums and finished into loaves at local bakeries.

The price tag for the meal is $28.95, and the portion is ample.

Owner Mark Bucher hit upon the refreshingly simple restaurant concept when a colleague, now his business partner, brought him to a popular prix fixe steak frites restaurant in Paris 15 years ago.

“There were lines out the door,” he recalls. “I knew I could Americanize the concept — shoot straight down the American palate with steak and potatoes.”

The Washington, D.C.-based chef and real estate developer did the same with the burger chain he’d recently sold and was ready for something different. He opened his first restaurant in the D.C. area in 2011, and there are now three in that market.

“I fell in love with New Orleans after Katrina,” Bucher says. “We came to help rebuild, and with the sense of community, I always knew I’d have a restaurant here eventually.”

Bucher is friends with Dickie Brennan, who also urged him to open a local outpost of Medium Rare.

Bucher spends about a week a month here, although he’s already in for Mardi Gras.

“We purposely avoided the French Quarter and the CBD because we wanted to be part of a local neighborhood,” Bucher says.

The new restaurant occupies the former spot of Juan’s Flying Burrito, next to Whole Foods. The renovated space has exposed brick walls and seats 110 people inside, with room for 60 on the back patio and another 16 on sidewalk seating in front.

Fashioned loosely after a Parisian bistro, Medium Rare features oversized French dishcloth napkins, scattered pedestal tables with wooden chairs and a long bar that leads to a busy open kitchen.

Beyond the temperature of your steak, dessert is the only choice to make. There are mammoth $12 wedges of seven-layer double fudge cake, carrot cake and a bucket-sized hot fudge sundae that could feed four.

The bar menu includes cocktails like a hibiscus margarita, made from hibiscus tea steeped in-house, a Lavender 75 and seasonal sangria. A handful of well-priced wines includes a Bordeaux, and there are four local beers on tap.

Brunch is served Saturday and Sunday, and the menu includes choices like French toast and sausage, steak frites and steak and eggs. The $31.95 price includes beverages as well as bottomless bloody marys, screwdrivers and mimosas.

Medium Rare’s economy of scale is its superpower, Bucher says. “We have no waste, and since people don’t have to make a lot of decisions,

Email dining@gambitweekly.com

Liberty’s Kitchen returns

THE BLACK BEAN BURGER HAD A CRISP SEAR ON THE EDGE and a bite that

Medium Rare owner Mark Bucher and server Caityln Driscoll PHOTO BY CHERYL GERBER / GAMBIT

the tables turn a little faster. You can easily get in and out in an hour.”

Although Bucher’s a big football fan, there isn’t a television at the bar. “This model isn’t about spending three hours at the bar,” he says. “I’d have to raise my prices. Come here and get a great meal for under $30. You can check the score on RedZone.”

In D.C., Bucher has connected with the community through nonprofit Feed the Fridge. What started as a way to address food insecurity during the pandemic became permanent there, and soon will be introduced in New Orleans.

“There’s already a great community fridge program here, but ours is a little different,” Bucher says. “We stock fridges with free meals in the community centers and hubs.” The meal features grilled steak over salad.

Bucher believes Medium Rare is a perfect fit for the New Orleans market. “There’s no decision overload, just one perfectly priced prix fixe menu,” Bucher says.

To his way of thinking, it’s steak frites Big Easy style.

?

WHAT

WHERE

WHEN

HOW

CHECK IT OUT

Medium Rare

5538 Magazine St., (504) 3542588; mediumrarerestaurant.com

dinner daily, brunch Sat.-Sun.

dine-in

A Parisian-style steak frites specialist in Uptown

was juicy with a cilantro-lime mayo and tomatoes pressing into the cheese above.

Behind it, there was much more than a satisfying lunch.

This veggie burger has been a mainstay on the menu at the cafe from Liberty’s Kitchen, the most public side of this nonprofit working in youth development and leadership.

Closed through the pandemic, the cafe officially reopened Sept. 28, when many civic leaders and the community came through to welcome it back.

Day to day, the cafe functions as a casual lunch spot for entrée-sized salads, a double-stacked burger, roasted veggie wraps, sandwiches and that black bean burger. The cowboy caviar, a side of black-eyed peas with cilantro-lime vinaigrette, another Liberty’s Kitchen standard, is back too.

Liberty’s Kitchen is a youth development nonprofit that runs its own cafe as part of its program.

PHOTO BY IAN MCNULTY / THE TIMES-PICAYUNE

The cafe is part of the Broad Street development that’s also home to a Whole Foods Market and Tulane University’s Goldring Center for Culinary Medicine.

Liberty’s Kitchen works in the same realm as Café Reconcile in Central City and Café Hope on the West Bank, two culinary-based youth development nonprofits.

Liberty’s Kitchen runs a 12-week program aimed at people age 16-24 who are out of school and/or out of work.

It’s not a culinary education program, but it uses the structure of a restaurant kitchen and food service to build life skills and work readiness.

Along the way, the group connects participants with social services and

21

FORK & CENTER

Sally’s busy before reopening

SEAFOOD SALLY’S IS A RESTAURANT THAT TREATS THE LOCAL CATCH a bit

differently from the local restaurant standard. These days, the people behind it are working with that

seafood differently from their own norm.

The Oak Street restaurant closed temporarily at the beginning of September with a promise to return in fall. It has been hosting what is essentially a pop-up version of itself on the weekends, while also co-hosting a Monday fresh seafood market downtown at Carmo (527 Julia St.) as a preview for a full-fledged market to come.

On top of a brutal summer for restaurants around town, Seafood Sally’s was hit with a surprise order from health inspectors to redo its kitchen. Owners Marcus Jacobs and Caitlin Carney decided to put the restaurant operation on hiatus to control expenses while they navigated that requirement.

They are tentatively planning to reopen on Oct. 12.

Jacobs and Carney also run Marjie’s Grill on S. Broad Street in Mid-City and are now working in partnership with Carmo to develop a new seafood market called Porgy’s in the former home of Bevi Seafood at 236 N. Carrollton Ave. Diners can get a preview taste each Monday until its opening. The partners have been setting up a small seafood market at Carmo on Mondays (10 a.m. to 2 p.m.) with a counter arrayed with whole fish, slabs of yellowfin tuna, fish collars and fillets, fresh or boiled shrimp and crabs and oysters, sourced from the restaurants’ network of independent fishermen.

Wahoo, triggerfish and tile fish were some examples at a recent edition of the market. They also make a few prepared items like ceviches, and have cocktail specials.

At Carmo, chefs Christina and Dana Honn long ago established the same ethos around local seafood that you see at Seafood Sally’s. They bring in fish that are abundant in the Gulf but rarely seen on New Orleans menus.

Porgy’s will be a full-service retail seafood market drawn from the same principles. It also will have sandwiches and prepared dishes, a raw bar, and a full bar.

Porgy’s is slated to open in late October.

Seafood Sally’s crew also has been appearing at the Crescent City Farmers Market with boiled seafood, crab claws, ceviche, and other snacks for market shoppers. They currently have a stand at the Tuesday market Uptown (200 Broadway St., 8 a.m.noon) and the Sunday market in City Park (Tad Gormley Stadium, 8 a.m.-noon). — Ian McNulty / The Times-Picayune

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other support, from mental health services to transportation, so they can focus on their training and goals.

“Especially in New Orleans, culinary is a perfect vehicle for our training; it’s a way to learn skills they can take with them wherever they go,” says Bernadette Lucas, executive director of Liberty’s Kitchen.

That program continued through the pandemic, and Liberty’s Kitchen has continued working with restaurants around the area to give participants workplace experience.

Proceeds from sales here support the nonprofit, adding to its fundraising with a more diversified revenue stream.

It’s also an important part of the hands-on job training curriculum. It’s a place to interact with the public, and also for the community to see the nonprofit’s work up close.

“It’s another way to show the impact we’re making,” Lucas says.

Before the pandemic, it was common to see people convening small lunch meetings around the large table in the community room. That’s been happening since the reopening, too, as people get work done over a meal and support the program at the same time.

Leading the kitchen now is Syrena Johnson, a chef with her own close ties to the program.

She enrolled in the Liberty’s Kitchen program in its early days and graduated in 2010. She won a culinary school scholarship the following year to train in New York and since has had opportunities to work abroad, she’s competed on the Food Network show “Chopped” (which she won) and has cooked in New Orleans restaurants.

She’s bringing that experience back to Liberty’s Kitchen, running the cafe kitchen and working directly with those now coming up.

“It’s like being with family here; I’m home,” Johnson says. “Liberty’s Kitchen has always been there to support me on this journey. It’s a full circle for me.”

The cafe will be the venue for this year’s edition of Come Grow With Us, Liberty’s Kitchen largest annual fundraiser, scheduled for Nov. 10 (tickets start at $150, see libertyskitchen.org). — Ian McNulty / The Times-Picayune

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Nicole Cabrera Mills

Also, with crawfish boils and crab boils, we’re all sitting around eating with our hands.

Back home when we’re outside, we eat with our hands. It’s called kamayan.

Chef

by Will Coviello

What will you do for the Southern Foodways dinner?

NICOLE CABRERA MILLS GREW UP IN THE PHILIPPINES and after college went

to New York to study at the French Culinary Institute. After working in restaurants in New York, Los Angeles and the Philippines, she and her family moved to New Orleans. She was on the opening team at Peche 10 years ago and is now chef de cuisine. On Oct. 21, Mills will prepare the keynote dinner at the Southern Foodways Alliance symposium in Oxford, Mississippi, entitled “Where is the South?”

How did you get interested in cooking?

NICOLE CABRERA MILLS: I was always interested in cooking. My mom has always had a food business. My grandmother had a bakery that she ended up taking over. I worked in the bakery for a little bit. She had a popcorn stall that sold fresh corn from our farm. At another point she had a very popular siomai and siopao stall. Siomai is like a Chinese dumpling. Siopao is like a bun that is steamed and usually has pork in the middle. She did a lot of baking too. She would bake fruitcakes and cookies for the holidays, and I was also involved in that.

She also did the accounting for my dad. He is a farmer and owns land.

He has a rubber plantation that he inherited from his father. He went on to plant corn, pineapple, coffee. Now he plants fruit trees. He’s a grower.

I went to college in the Philippines.

I graduated from Ateneo de Manila University. But I had no plans to use a sociology degree. Then I moved to New York in 2001 to go to the French Culinary Institute. At that point, the push was fine dining and the French fine dining scene with white tablecloths and everything plated nicely.

I worked at MOMA (at The Modern), Atelier (at the Ritz-Carlton on Central Park), and Eleven Madison Park.

French food.

How did you get to New Orleans and Peche?

M: We ended up moving to the Philippines, and we ended up opening a restaurant. It was New Orleans food.

My husband is from New Orleans.

There was a soft-shell crab po-boy.

We did popcorn shrimp. We had fried

PHOTO PROVIDED BY NICOLE CABRERA MILLS

chicken. There was a little bit of French flair to it. We did that almost two years.

My husband ended up getting recruited to work at the Ritz-Carlton here, so we moved. I ended up working at Restaurant R’evolution. I was part of their opening team. I did pastry there for a year. A year after that, Peche was hiring for their opening team, so I joined.

When I came to Peche, I found my style, and what I like to cook and how I like to cook. It is a seafood restaurant and we also serve local produce. That is the center, and around that are the flavors and dishes I like to make. I am French trained, so a lot of that technique comes through. And because I am from the Philippines, a lot of Asian ingredients come through.

I like to use everything from soy sauce to fish sauce, a lot of vinegars.

I love using different kinds of citrus.

Calamondin is now in season, which is like calamansi, which is like citrus from where I was in the Philippines. Papaya grows around here and has been fun to use. I work within what I can get here.

Dried shrimp is great.

Use of vinegar is a Filipino thing. I was surprised how much it is here.

Lots of pickles. That’s not very French — with the sour notes. Here, people enjoy pickled okra and pickled green beans.

M: I did an event for Project Threadways.

Project Threadways and Southern Foodways Alliance have some overlap, so they invited me to do the symposium because they thought I would be the perfect person for the theme “Where is the South?”

I wouldn’t call it Filipino food per se, but it is a lot of Filipino food, but also just things I like to do. Several dishes are dishes that I have done (at Peche).

There are some that obviously I haven’t done here, like pork dishes. The menu is going to depend a lot on what fish I can get for that week. I am hoping to get fresh snapper. We work with Chris Ricouard, who is a spear fisherman.

Fall produce is in, so I am going to do something with pumpkin and something with baby kale. There are going to be two rice dishes. One is a crab rice which I do here at Peche. It’s rice that is sauteed with shallots and ginger; it has some soy sauce, fish sauce and jumbo lump crabmeat. It has alavar sauce on top. Alavar is a reduction of coconut milk and has ginger, lemon grass and crab roe. I also am going to do junai.

It has burnt coconut and dried shrimp incorporated in the rice. I am going to use purple rice from Baton Rouge.

I am going to do lechon kawali. It is pork belly braised with ginger, garlic, lemon grass, cinnamon and anise.

Then you fry it until it pops. It’s going to have a liver sauce. Probably chicken liver. I make that at home at least once a month.

For dessert, buko pandan. Pandan is a leaf or herb. I was able to source it from the VEGGI co-op. I am making pandan jello with tapioca balls and brown sugar pandan syrup with coconut ice cream. And pinipig, which is like Rice Krispies.

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C O M P L E T E L I S T I N G S AT W W W. B E S T O F N E W O R L E A N S . C O M

Out 2 Eat is an index of Gambit contract advertisers. Unless noted, addresses are for New Orleans and all accept credit cards. Updates: Email willc@gambitweekly.com or call (504) 483-3106.

8 Fresh Food Assassin — 1900 N. Claiborne Ave., (504) 224-2628; Instagram, @8freshfoodassassin — Chef Manny January’s serves lamb chops, T-bone steaks, salmon, crab cakes, deep fried ribs, fried chicken and seafood-loaded oysters. No reservations.

Delivery available. Lunch and dinner Tue.-Sun. $$ Acorn — Louisiana Children’s Museum, 12 Henry Thomas Drive, (504) 218-5413; acornnola.com — Blackened shrimp tacos are topped with arugula, radish, pineapple-mango salsa and cilantro-lime sauce.

No reservations. Breakfast and lunch Wed.-Sun. $$ Angelo Brocato’s — 214 N. Carrollton Ave., (504) 486-1465; angelobrocatoicecream. com — This sweet shop serves its own gelato, spumoni, Italian ice, cannolis, biscotti, fig cookies, tiramisu, macaroons and more.

Lunch and dinner Tue.-Sun. $ Annunciation — 1016 Annunciation St., (504) 568-0245; annunciationrestaurant. com — Gulf Drum Yvonne is served with brown butter sauce with mushrooms and artichoke hearts. Reservations recommended. Dinner Thu.-Mon. $$$ Banana Blossom — 500 9th St., Gretna, (504) 500-0997; 504bananablossom.com — Jimmy Cho’s Thai dishes include smoked pork belly and pork meatballs in lemon grass broth with egg, green onion, cilantro and garlic.

Reservations accepted for large parties except weekends. Delivery available. Lunch and dinner Tue.-Sat. $$ Bamboula’s — 514 Frenchmen St.; bamboulasmusic.com — The live music venue’s kitchen offers a menu of traditional and creative Creole dishes, such as Creole crawfish crepes with a goat cheese and chardonnay cream sauce. Reservations accepted. Lunch, dinner and late-night daily. $$ The Blue Crab Restaurant and Oyster Bar — 118 Harbor View Court, Slidell, (985) 315-7001; 7900 Lakeshore Drive, (504) 284-2898; thebluecrabnola.com — Basin barbecue shrimp are served over cheese grits with a cheese biscuit. Outdoor seating available. No reservations. Lakeview: Lunch and dinner Tue.-Sun. Slidell: Lunch Wed.-Fri., dinner Wed.-Sun., brunch Sat.-Sun. $$ Broussard’s — 819 Conti St., (504) 581-3866; broussards.com — Rainbow trout amandine is served with tasso and corn macque choux and Creole meuniere sauce. Reservations recommended. Outdoor seating available.

Dinner Wed.-Sat., brunch Sun. $$$ Cafe Normandie — Higgins Hotel, 480 Andrew Higgins Blvd., (504) 528-1941; higginshotelnola.com/dining — The menu combines classic French dishes and Louisiana items like crab beignets with herb aioli. No reservations. Breakfast and lunch daily. $$ The Commissary — 634 Orange St., (504) 2741850; thecommissarynola.com — The central kitchen for Dickie Brennan restaurants has a dine-in menu with a smoked turkey sandwich with bacon, tomato jam, herbed cream cheese, arugula and herb vinaigrette on honey oat bread. No reservations. Outdoor seating available. Lunch Tue.-Sat. $$ Curio — 301 Royal St., (504) 717-4198; curionola.com — The creative Creole menu includes

$ — average dinner entrée under $10 $$ — $11-$20 $$$ — $20-up blackened Gulf shrimp served with chicken and andouille jambalaya. Reservations accepted. Lunch and dinner daily. $$ Desire Oyster Bar — Royal Sonesta New Orleans, 300 Bourbon St., (504) 586-0300; sonesta.com/desireoysterbar — A menu full of Gulf seafood includes char-grilled oysters topped with Parmesan and herbs.

Reservations recommended. Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. $$ Dickie Brennan’s Bourbon House — 144 Bourbon St., (504) 522-0111; bourbonhouse.com — There’s a seafood raw bar and dishes like redfish with lemon buerre blanc. Reservations accepted. Lunch and dinner daily. $$$ Dickie Brennan’s Steakhouse — 716 Iberville St., (504) 522-2467; dickiebrennanssteakhouse.com — A 6-ounce filet mignon is served with fried oysters, creamed spinach, potatoes and bearnaise. Reservations recommended. Dinner Mon.-Sat. $$$ Down the Hatch — 817 St. Louis St., (504) 766-6007; 1921 Sophie Wright Place, (504) 220-7071; downthehatchnola.com — The Texan burger features a half-pound patty topped with caramelized onions, smoked bacon, cheddar cheese and a fried egg. No reservations. Lunch, dinner and late-night daily. $$ Dragonfly Cafe — 530 Jackson Ave., (504) 544-9530; dragonflynola.com — The casual cafe offers breakfast plates, waffles, salads, coffee drinks and more. Delivery available.

Reservations accepted. Breakfast and lunch Wed.-Sat. $$ El Pavo Real — 4401 S. Broad Ave., (504) 266-2022; elpavorealnola.com — Sauteed Gulf fish is topped with tomatoes, olives, onion and capers and served with rice and string beans.

The menu includes tacos, enchiladas and more. Outdoor seating available. No reservations. Lunch and early dinner Tue.-Sat. $$ Felix’s Restaurant & Oyster Bar — 739 Iberville St., (504) 522-4440; 7400 Lakeshore Drive, (504) 304-4125; felixs.com — The menu includes raw and char-grilled oysters, seafood platters, po-boys and more.

No reservations. Lunch and dinner daily. $$ Frey Smoked Meat Co. — 4141 Bienville St., Suite 110, (504) 488-7427; freysmokedmeat. com — The barbecue spot serves pulled pork, ribs, brisket, sausages and and items like fried pork belly tossed in pepperjelly glaze. No reservations. Lunch and dinner daily. $$ Froot Orleans — 2438 Bell St., Suite B, (504) 233-3346; frootorleans.com — There are fresh fruit platters and smoothie bowls such as a strawberry shortcake and more using pineapple, berries, citrus and more. No reservations. Outdoor seating available.

Breakfast and lunch daily. $$ Juan’s Flying Burrito — 515 Baronne St., (504) 529-5825; 2018 Magazine St., (504) 569-0000; 4724 S. Carrollton Ave., (504) 486-9950; 8140 Oak St., (504) 897-4800; juansflyingburrito.com — The Flying Burrito includes steak, shrimp, chicken, cheddar jack cheese, black beans, rice, guacamole and salsa. Outdoor seating available. No reservations. Lunch and dinner Thu.-Tue. $$ Katie’s Restaurant — 3701 Iberville St., (504) 488-6582; katiesinmidcity.com — The

eclectic menu includes a Cajun Cuban with roasted pork, ham, cheese and pickles.

Delivery available. Reservations accepted for large parties. Lunch and dinner Tue.-Sun. $$ Kilroy’s Bar — Higgins Hotel, 480 Andrew Higgins Blvd., (504) 528-1941; higginshotelnola.com/dining — The bar menu includes sandwiches, salads and flatbreads, including one topped with peach, prosciutto, stracciatella cheese, arugula and pecans. No reservations. Dinner Wed.-Sat. $$ Legacy Kitchen’s Craft Tavern — 700 Tchoupitoulas St., (504) 613-2350; legacykitchen.com — The menu includes oysters, flatbreads, burgers, sandwiches, salads and a NOLA Style Grits Bowl topped with bacon, cheddar and a poached egg.

Reservations accepted. Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. $$ Legacy Kitchen Steak & Chop — 91 Westbank Expressway, Gretna, (504) 513-2606; legacykitchen.com — The menu includes filets mignons and bone-in rib-eyes, as well as burgers, salads and seafood dishes.

Reservations accepted. Outdoor seating available. Lunch and dinner Mon.-Sat. $$ Luzianne Cafe — 481 Girod St., (504) 2651972; luziannecafe.com — Cajun Sunshine Beignets are stuffed with eggs, bacon, cheese and hot sauce. No reservations.

Delivery available. Breakfast and lunch Wed.-Sun. $$ Martin Wine Cellar — 714 Elmeer Ave., Metairie, (504) 896-7350; 3827 Baronne St., (504) 894-7444; martinwine.com — The deli serves sandwiches and salads such as the Sena, with chicken, raisins, blue cheese, pecans and Tabasco pepperjelly vinaigrette.

No reservations. Lunch daily. $$ Mikimoto — 3301 S. Carrollton Ave., (504) 488-1881; mikimotosushi.com — The South Carrollton roll includes tuna tataki, avocado and snow crab. The menu also has noodle dishes, teriyaki and more. Reservations accepted. Delivery available. Lunch Sun.Fri., dinner daily. $$ Mosca’s — 4137 Highway 90 West, Westwego, (504) 436-8950; moscasrestaurant.com — This family-style eatery serves Italian dishes and specialties including chicken a la grande and baked oysters Mosca.

Reservations accepted. Dinner Wed.-Sat. Cash only. $$$ Mother’s Restaurant — 401 Poydras St., (504) 523-9656; mothersrestaurant.net — This counter-service spot serves po-boys, jambalaya, crawfish etouffee, red beans and rice and more. Delivery available.

No reservations. Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. $$ Neyow’s Creole Cafe — 3332 Bienville St., (504) 827-5474; neyows.com — The menu includes red beans with fried chicken or pork chops, as well as seafood platters, po-boys, grilled oysters, salads and more. No reservations. Lunch daily, dinner Mon.-Sat., brunch Sun. $$ Nice Guys Bar & Grill — 7910 Earhart Blvd., (504) 302-2404; niceguysbarandgrillnola. com — Char-grilled oysters are topped with cheese. The menu also includes wings, quesadillas, burgers, salads, seafood pasta and more. No reservations. Lunch daily, dinner Mon.-Sat. $$$ The Original Italian Pie — 3629 Prytania St., (504) 766-8912; theoriginalitalianpieuptown.com — The Italian Pie combo includes pepperoni, Italian sausage, ground beef, mushrooms, onions, bell pepper, black

olives, mozzarella and house-made tomato sauce. No reservations. Dinner and late-night Tue.-Sat. $$ Orleans Grapevine Wine Bar & Bistro — 720 Orleans Ave., (504) 523-1930; orleansgrapevine.com — The wine bar’s menu includes Creole pasta with shrimp and andouille in tomato cream sauce. Reservations accepted for large parties. Outdoor seating available.

Dinner Thu.-Sun. $$ Palace Cafe — 605 Canal St., (504) 523-1661; palacecafe.com — The contemporary Creole menu includes crabmeat cheesecake with mushrooms and Creole meuniere sauce.

Outdoor seating available. Reservations recommended. Breakfast and lunch Wed.-Fri., dinner Wed.-Sun., brunch Sat.-Sun. $$$ Peacock Room — Kimpton Hotel Fontenot, 501 Tchoupitoulas St., (504) 324-3073; peacockroomnola.com — Black lentil vadouvan curry comes with roasted tomatoes, mushrooms and basmati rice. Reservations accepted.

Dinner Wed.-Mon., brunch Sun. $$ Rosie’s on the Roof — Higgins Hotel, 480 Andrew Higgins Blvd., (504) 528-1941; higginshotelnola.com/dining — The rooftop bar has a menu of sandwiches, burgers and small plates.

No reservations. Dinner daily. $$ Tableau — 616 St. Peter St., (504) 9343463; tableaufrenchquarter.com — Pasta bouillabaisse features squid ink mafaldine, littleneck clams, Gulf shrimp, squid, seafood broth, rouille and herbed breadcrumbs.

Outdoor seating available. Reservations recommended. Dinner Wed.-Sun., brunch Thu.-Sun. $$$ Tacklebox — 817 Common St., (504) 8271651; legacykitchen.com — The menu includes oysters, and dishes like redfish St. Charles with garlic-herb butter, asparagus, mushrooms and crawfish cornbread. Reservations accepted.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. $$ Theo’s Neighborhood Pizza — 1212 S. Clearview Parkway, Elmwood, (504) 733-3803; 2125 Veterans Memorial Blvd., Metairie, (504) 510-4282; 4024 Canal St., (504) 302-1133; 4218 Magazine St., (504) 894-8554; 70488 Highway 21, Covington, (985) 234-9420; theospizza.com — A Marilynn Pota Supreme pie is topped with mozzarella, pepperoni, sausage, hamburger, mushrooms, bell peppers and onions. There also are salads, sandwiches and more. Delivery available.

Lunch and dinner Tue.-Sat. $ Tito’s Ceviche & Pisco — 1433 St. Charles Ave., (504) 354-1342; 5015 Magazine St., (504) 267-7612; titoscevichepisco.com — Peruvian lomo saltado features beef sauteed with onions, tomatoes, cilantro, soy sauce and pisco, served with fried potatoes and rice.

Outdoor seating available on Magazine Street.

Delivery available. Reservations accepted.

Lunch and dinner Mon.-Sat., brunch Sun. $$$ The Vintage — 3121 Magazine St., (504) 324-7144; thevintagenola.com — The menu includes beignets, flatbreads and a veggie sandwich with avocado, onions, arugula, red pepper and pepper jack cheese. No reservations. Delivery and outdoor seating available.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. $$ Zhang Bistro — 1141 Decatur St., (504) 8268888; zhangbistronola.com — The menu of Chinese and Thai dishes includes a Szechuan Hot Wok with a choice of chicken, beef, shrimp or tofu with onions, bell peppers, cauliflower, jalapenos and spicy sauce.

Reservations accepted. Lunch and dinner Thu.-Tue. $$

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A R T S & E N T E R TA I N M E N T PAGE 5

in 2021. There are several opportunities to walk with Little Amal, including on the Lafitte Greenway, on the Riverfront and in Bywater on Sunday, Oct. 15. Visit walkwithamal. org for a schedule.

Oktoberfest

Deutsches Haus kicks off its Oktoberfest celebration along Bayou St. John. There’s plenty of German food, beer, wine and schnapps. Opening weekend features music by Bier Musikanten, Brats and Prost. Hours are 4-11 p.m. Friday, Oct. 13, and 1-11 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 14. Oktoberfest continues Oct. 20-21 and 27-28. Visit oktoberfestnola.com for details.

Birth

T h a n k s f o r o n c e a g ain vo t in g us t h e BEST DENTIST IN NEW ORLEANS

Experimental jazz trio Birth this summer marked 25 noteworthy years as a project. The sax-bassdrums trio formed in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1998 and quickly found acclaim in the creative jazz circuit. Birth still calls Cleveland home, but saxophonist Joshua Smith moved down to New Orleans a couple of years ago. The trio now plays the city for the first time at 8 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 11, at The Broadside. Scatterjazz presents the show, and New Orleans’ Trapper Keaper also performs. Tickets are $12 advance via broadsidenola.com and $15 at the door.

Son Rompe Pera

Brothers Kacho and Mongo Gama formed Son Rompe Pera in the suburbs of Mexico City. Trained in traditional cumbia from Mexico, Peru and Colombia, they infuse marimba music with danzon and punk rock.

At 8 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 15, at The Broadside. Tickets $18 via broadsidenola.com.

‘Back in the Day’

No Dream Deferred premieres local playwright Harold Ellis Clark’s drama about four New Orleans women who confront a figure from their past. At the Andre Cailloux Center for Performing Arts & Cultural Justice Oct. 12-22. Find tickets and information at nodreamdeferrednola.com.

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3625 Canal St | 504-485-6575 | midcitysmiles.com

Japan Fest

The celebration of Japanese culture includes taiko drumming, folk dancing, martial arts, crafts, a tea ceremony, a fashion show by NOLA Lolitas, food vendors and more at the New Orleans Museum of Art and

Besthoff Sculpture Garden. From 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 14.

Admission is $10 and $5 for NOMA members. Find information at noma. org or japansocietyofneworleans.org.

The 1975

Taylor Swift’s recent ex Matty Healy and his British pop rock band The 1975 return to New Orleans for a show at the Smoothie King Center as they tour their 2022 album “Being Funny in a Foreign Language.” At 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 12. Tickets start at $25 via smoothiekingcenter.com.

Walter ‘Wolfman’ Washington tribute

The Roadmasters, the powerhouse band backing the late Walter “Wolfman” Washington, will bring on John “Papa” Gros, Mem Shannon, Les Getrex and more guests to pay tribute to the storied New Orleans singer-guitarist on Wednesday, Oct. 11, at d.b.a. They’ll also celebrate the release of Washington’s final album “Feel So At Home.” The show starts at 9 p.m., and tickets are $15 via dbaneworleans.com and $20 at the door.

Yusa & Victor Campbell

Singer-guitarist Yusa and singer-pianist Victor Campbell are both exceptional Cuban-born musicians who have recently found new homes in New Orleans. The two will perform as a duo along with dancers from Dile Que NOLA at 5 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 10, on the New Orleans Jazz Museum balcony. The concert is free to attend, and it will be streamed live on facebook.com/nolajazzmuseum.

Sweet Crude

When it started, New Orleans indie pop band Sweet Crude made a point to sing in both English and Louisiana French in order to show that Louisiana French was alive and didn’t have to be relegated to traditional music. Past their use of language, though, Sweet Crude’s exciting, layered pop music has won a lot of fans locally and nationally.

Now with two full-length albums (the latest on Verve Forecast), features on NPR and a collaboration with Big Freedia under their belt, Sweet Crude celebrates its 10th anniversary at 8:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 12, at the Toulouse Theatre. Tickets are $20 via toulousetheatre.com.

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FO R CO M P L E T E M U S I C L I ST I N G S A N D M O R E E V E N T S TA K I N G P L A C E IN THE NEW ORLEANS AREA, VISIT C A L E N D A R . G A M B I T W E E K LY. C O M

To learn more about adding your event to the music calendar, please email listingsedit@gambitweekly.com

MONDAY 9 BAMBOULAS — The Rugcutters, 1:15 pm; The Melatauns, 5:30 pm; Ed Willis Blues Explosion, 9 pm BJ'S LOUNGE BYWATER — Not Exotic, 9 pm D.B.A. NEW ORLEANS — Secret Six Jazz Band, 6 pm D.B.A. NEW ORLEANS — The Jump Hounds, 9 pm FRITZEL'S EUROPEAN JAZZ CLUB — Matinee All Star Band, 1:30 pm; Lee Floyd and Thunderbolt Trio, 5 pm; Richard Scott and Friends, 8 pm NEW ORLEANS JAZZ MUSEUM — World Champion Taiko Drummer, 2 pm

TUESDAY 10 BAMBOULAS — The Villians, 1:15 pm; Giselle Anguizola Quartet, 5:30 pm; Andy J. Forest Blues Band, 9 pm BLUE NILE — Bomb's Ex-Lover, 9:15 pm FRITZEL'S EUROPEAN JAZZ CLUB — Richard “Piano” Scott, 1 pm; Colin Myers, 5 pm; Fritzel's All Star Band, 8 pm SIBERIA — A Giant Dog, Dregs, The Painted Hands, 9 pm THE RABBIT HOLE — Rebirth Brass Band, 10 pm

WEDNESDAY 11 BAMBOULAS — JJ and the A-Oks, 1:15 pm; Boardwalker and the 3 Finger Swingers, 5:30 pm; Roule and the Queen, 9 pm BLUE NILE — New Breed Brass Band, 9:30 pm CAFE NEGRIL — Colin Davis and Night People, 6 pm FRITZEL'S EUROPEAN JAZZ CLUB — Richard “Piano” Scott, 1 pm; Bourbon Street Stars, 5 pm; Fritzel's All Star Band, 8 pm GASA GASA — Pile, 9 pm NEW ORLEANS JAZZ MUSEUM — New Orleans Tropicalia, 2 pm SIBERIA — Jeffrey Lewis & The Voltage w/ Morgan Orion & The Afterburners, 8 pm THE JAZZ PLAYHOUSE — Funkin' It Up with Big Sam, 7:30 pm TOULOUSE THEATRE — Ethel Cain, 8 pm

THURSDAY 12 BAMBOULAS — Sigrid and the Zig Zags, 1:15 pm; Christina Kaminis and The Mix,

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MUSIC 5:30 pm; Wolfe John's Blues Band, 9 pm BLUE NILE — Where Y'at Brass Band, 9 pm CAFE NEGRIL — Sierra Green and the Soul Machine, 10 pm FRITZEL'S EUROPEAN JAZZ CLUB — Richard “Piano” Scott, 12:30 pm; Doyle Cooper, 2:30 pm; John Saavedra, 6 pm; Fritzel's All Star Band, 8 pm ORPHEUM THEATER — "Get Out" in concert, 7:30 pm PEACOCK ROOM, HOTEL FONTENOT — Da Lovebirds with Robin Barnes and Pat Casey, 8 pm SANTOS — Genitorturers with C urse Mackey, I Speak Machine and SINE, 9 pm THE JAZZ PLAYHOUSE — Brass-AHolics, 7:30 pm TOULOUSE THEATRE — Sweet Crude & Friends: 10th Anniversary Show, 7:30 pm

FRIDAY 13 BAMBOULAS — The Jaywalkers, 11 am; Chris Christy Quartet, 2:15 pm; Les Getrex and Creole Cookin, 6:30 pm; Bettis and 3rd Degree Brass Band, 10 pm BJ'S LOUNGE BYWATER — Sabine McCalla + Gina Leslie, 9 pm BLUE NILE — The Caesar Brothers, 8 pm; Kermit Ruffins and the Barbecue Swingers, 11 pm BLUE NILE BALCONY ROOM — Conjunto Tierra Linda, 9 pm BOURBON STREET HONKY TONK — The Bad Sandys, 8 pm CAFE NEGRIL — Higher Heights Reggae Band, 10 pm CARROLLTON STATION — Back to Back to Black: an Amy Winehouse Tribute Show, 9 pm D.B.A. NEW ORLEANS — The Coven Presents: Season of the Witch, 7 pm FRITZEL'S EUROPEAN JAZZ CLUB — Richard “Piano” Scott, 12:30 pm; Sam Friend, 2:30 pm; Chuck Brackman Band, 6 pm; Fritzel's All Star Band, 9 pm MUSIC BOX VILLAGE — OneBeat, 6 pm NEW ORLEANS JAZZ MUSEUM — Marcia Ball, 7 pm NOLA BREWING TAPROOM — Jamie Bernstein & Dave Easley: Zen Cowboys, 7 pm ORPHEUM THEATER — "Get Out" in concert, 7:30 pm PUBLIC BELT AT HILTON RIVERSIDE — Phil Melancon, 8 pm SANTOS — Man on Man, 9 pm TIPITINA'S — The Soul Rebels, 9 pm TOULOUSE THEATRE — Del Water Gap, 7 pm

Sweet Crude plays Toulouse Theatre Thursday, Oct. 12

SATURDAY 14 BAMBOULAS — Stephen Brashear Quartet, 11 am; Boardwalker and the 3 Finger Swingers, 2:15 pm; Johnny Maestro Blues, 6:30 pm; Paggy Prine and Southern Soul, 10 pm BJ'S LOUNGE BYWATER — Tuba Skinny, Smiles and Chuckles String Band. Forty Drop Few, 9 pm BLUE NILE — George Brown Band, 8 pm BLUE NILE BALCONY ROOM — Gov't Majik, 11 pm CAFE NEGRIL — Sierra Green and the Soul Machine, 10 pm FRITZEL'S EUROPEAN JAZZ CLUB — Richard "Piano" Scott, 12:30 pm; Steve Detroy, 2:30 pm; Lange Woodis Band, 6 pm; Fritzel's All Star Band, 9 pm NOLA BREWING TAPROOM — Hash Cabbage, 7 pm PUBLIC BELT AT HILTON RIVERSIDE — Phil Melancon, 8 pm THE JAZZ PLAYHOUSE — The Nayo Jones Experience, 7:30 & 9pm TIPITINA'S — The Steel Woods, Danno Simpson, 9 pm TOULOUSE THEATRE — Erin Rae with The Lostines, 7 pm WILD BUSH FARM AND VINEYARD — Flow Tribe, 6:30 pm

PHOTO BY SOPHIA GERMER / THE TIMES-PICAYUNE

SUNDAY 15 BAMBOULAS — Les Getrex and Creole Cookin, 1:15 pm; Midnight Brawlers, 5:30 pm;Ed Willis Blues Explosion, 9 pm BJ'S LOUNGE BYWATER — Tierra Linda, 5 pm BLUE NILE — The Baked Potatoes, 8 pm; Street Legends Brass Band, 10:30 pm BOURBON STREET HONKY TONK — The Bad Sandys, 8 pm CAFE NEGRIL — Vegas Cola, 9 pm FRITZEL'S EUROPEAN JAZZ CLUB — Marty Peters Band, 1:30 pm; Lange Woodis Band, 5 pm; Fritzel's All Star Band, 8 pm JOY THEATER — Raye: My 21st Century Blues World Tour, 8 pm SANTOS — Bob Log III with The Luxurious Faux Furs, 9 pm THE JAZZ PLAYHOUSE — Quiana Lynell, 7:30 pm

SCAN FOR THE COMPLETE GAMBIT CALENDAR

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MUSIC

Section leader

by Jake Clapp

IN THE DAYS FOLLOWING RUSSELL BATISTE JR.’S DEATH

on Saturday, Sept. 30, at the age of 57, tributes to the one-of-a-kind New Orleans drummer and bandleader have flooded in from around the world.

Public figures, including Mayor LaToya Cantrell and U.S. Rep. Troy Carter, have made statements offering condolences to the Batiste family, but really the most impactful remembrances have come from the musicians that recognized Batiste’s innate talent.

“There are not that many drummers who had quite the impact that Russ did in my life, career, sound, ears, I mean everything,” drummer Nikki Glaspie posted on Instagram.

“Russell Batiste embodied the entire history of New Orleans drumming every time he played,” wrote John “Papa” Gros, who tapped Batiste as a founding member of his band Papa Grows Funk.

Batiste was “a New Orleans root culture originator from one of the most prolific music families New Orleans ever produced,” said funk icon Cyril Neville.

“The only way to possibly be funkier than Russell is to be born a skunk!”

“It’s just gone on and on, and it never ends,” Damon Batiste, Russell’s brother, told Gambit last week. “I’m just floored, man. If Russell could hear that ...”

When Gambit reached Damon Batiste by phone on Oct. 3, in fact, an on-air tribute to his older brother on WWOZ had just entered its second hour. Stanton Moore, Leo Nocentelli, George Porter Jr., Charmaine Neville and many others filed through the WWOZ offices to talk with host Cole Williams about Batiste during the on-air tribute. Later that night, members of Russell Batiste’s band along with family members gathered at Sweet Lorraine’s to remember Batiste.

“He knew that he was different, that’s why he was teaching everybody everything,” Damon Batiste says.

Born into the sprawling Batiste family of musicians, David Russell Batiste Jr. — he chose to go by Russell to avoid confusion with his father, New Orleans funk mainstay David Batiste Sr. — practically grew up on stage. He learned to play multiple instruments and began performing with his father at the age of 7. Russell and Damon also joined their father and uncles in the Batiste Brothers Band.

While at St. Augustine High School, Russell drummed for the school’s Marching 100, and is seen as a marching band legend — an important distinction

Russell Batiste with his cousin Jon Batiste at the Maple Leaf in early May PHOTO BY SOPHIA GERMER / THE TIMES-PICAYUNE

in a city where marching bands are institutions and training grounds for the next generation of musicians.

“As a kid, I always wanted to be in that band, specifically because I saw my older brother leading the pack,” says Ryan “Shaggadelic” Batiste, Russell’s youngest brother, who is a multi-instrumentalist, rapper and bandleader.

After attending Southern University and studying with Edward “Kidd” Jordan, Batiste began drumming for Charmaine Neville. He performed with the Funky Meters, George Porter Jr., Dumpstaphunk, the Wild Magnolias, Joe Krown and Walter “Wolfman” Washington, Vida Blue and many others.

He also led his own groups, Russell Batiste & Friends and Orkestra from Da Hood.

In their tributes, many of the musicians who knew Batiste called him a genius and an intuitive, creative performer with a lot of physical power behind the kit. He was also known for calling out arrangements on the fly and giving a live masterclass to the musicians with him on stage.

Batiste could often be found playing with his father and brothers Damon, Jamal and Ryan, as he did at this year’s Jazz Fest during a set led by David Batiste and focused on family ties. He also joined his cousin, Jon Batiste, at a surprise show in May at the Maple Leaf Bar. “In the drum section, there’s something called a section leader. That is the person who is the best, who can lead the band. Russ was the section leader,” Ryan Batiste says. “And what’s been ringing in my head is our section leader is gone. He’s gone physically, but he’ll always be here spiritually forever.”

A public vistation will be held 5-7 p.m.

Oct. 9 at Professional Funeral Services.

Funeral services take place Oct. 10 at St. Katherine Drexel Catholic Church.

Visitation starts at 9 a.m., Mass at 10 a.m. and second line procession at 11:15 a.m. to Mt. Olivet Cemetery.

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S TA G E

Square roots

by Will Coviello

“LE CODE NOIR,”PRODUCER AND DIRECTOR TOMMYE MYRICK’S HISTORICAL DRAMA, starts in just

! !

SUDOKU

the right place for its epic story. The outdoor historical drama premieres in Congo Square this weekend. That’s also the setting for the opening scene, where Santee, a 17-year-old woman with an infant, is being sold at a slave auction.

“That’s part of the Code Noir,” Myrick says of the French monarchy’s rules governing slavery and other matters in French colonial territories. “Families could not be separated.”

A French planter/merchant wants to buy Santee. He needs a mother, since his wife has died of fever, leaving him with a young son. He wants a wet nurse for his own child.

Santee has been brought to the Louisiana colony by a slave owner fleeing Saint-Domingue. It’s 1794, and the Haitian Revolution is underway, though years from liberation by its formerly enslaved rebels.

The story follows Santee through nearly three tumultuous decades in Louisiana history.

“In tracing her life, we go from Louisiana under French rule to Spanish and back to France,” Myrick says.

“We go through the Louisiana Purchase, through the revolt of 1811, the largest slave revolt in the history of the Americas. We go through the War of 1812 and the Battle of New Orleans. In dealing with those years, you have to deal with parts of Louisiana culture, including placage and the quadroon balls.”

Myrick has been working on the drama for longer than the period it covers. She trained with Mark R. Sumner, who created several landmark historical outdoor dramas. In 1994, Myrick went to North Carolina to work with Sumner and direct his show, “Pathway to Freedom,” about the Underground Railroad.

When she returned to New Orleans, she decided that the city needed its own epic historical outdoor drama. She enlisted Sumner and the two began working on “Le Code Noir” together.

They took the name from the laws written for French territories. Many of those laws concern enslaved people, but the first requires that Jews either convert to Catholicism or leave the

PHOTO BY A.B. SYKES PHOTOGRAPHY / PROVIDED BY VOICES IN THE DARK REPERTORY THEATRE

territory. How the laws worked in Louisiana also was complicated. As the pirate Jean Lafitte says in the drama, “It all depends on whose laws you’re reading.” As written, the code forbade the gathering of people enslaved by different owners, but that happened in New Orleans under Spanish rule, and such gatherings in Congo Square were a foundation of the city’s music.

Santee is a fictional character, named for one of Myrick’s ancestors, who was enslaved in Louisiana. But the drama is grounded in history, and it features historical figures including Lafitte, Marie Laveau and Andrew Jackson.

The show is a grand production, with a total of roughly 50 actors, musicians, dancers and singers. Some of the music is onstage, including scenes of music made in Congo Square.

Percussionist Bill Summers is the musical director while the Kai Knight Dance Ensemble is collaborating on the dance and movement.

The production is in Congo Square at the massive live oak known as the Ancestor Tree. Shows begin at 5 p.m.

Friday, Oct. 13, though Sunday, Oct. 15.

Admission is free, and attendees are encouraged to bring chairs.

Myrick is a veteran director and has produced original works through her Voices in the Dark Repertory Theatre.

She also starred in the film “Cane River.” During the pandemic, while theaters were closed, she focused on securing grants to finally mount “Le Code Noir.”

As a rare historical drama performed on a relevant historical landmark, she hopes to make the show an annual production that illustrates and embraces the city’s culture and history.

For information about the show “Le Code Noir,” visit voicesinthedarkrepertory.com.

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PREMIER CROSSWORD PUZZLE COMMON FEATURES

By Frank A. Longo

33 Food zappers 38 Luge, for one 39 “— your best behavior” 41 Starving 42 Really liking 43 Tops worn at proms 47 Rudolph, e.g.

49 “— changed man!”

50 Headlining hip-hopper 51 Lilylike garden staple 52 — Moines, Iowa 53 De Mille of dance 55 Irene of “Fame” 57 Figure skater Midori — 59 Pointing symbol 60 Xbox or Switch accessory 68 Spiteful

69 Freak out in fear 70 Italian actress Sophia 71 Piece for two 72 Events to rouse candidate supporters 75 Start a volley 76 Op. — (kin of “ibid.”)

77 Dwarf planet beyond Pluto 78 — cavae (big blood vessels) 79 City of the White Sox, for short 82 Turnpike exit structures 85 More savage 89 Bro’s sib 91 Sweetums

(504) 895-4663 93 Some dueling swords 95 Kett of the comics 96 “Am not!” rejoinder 98 Actress Chaplin 99 Beer grain 100 Floor numbers ap pear on them 104 Monetary penalties 105 “R.U.R.” playwright Capek 106 Like a res. of the U.S. 107 On the job 109 Every once — while 110 Theme of this puzzle 119 And more, in brief 120 Small hardware item split lengthwise 121 Drink with tapioca pearls 122 Squealer 123 Toppers for certain auto engine parts 124 Wandering pooches DOWN 1 “Park it!”

2 Off-roading truck, in brief 3 Gibson of “Mad Max” 4 Come before 5 Puts asphalt over 6 Elec., water or gas 7 Fine rain 8 Luau chow 9 Lead-in to cone 10 Court case hearer 11 Very taxing 12 Like lawns needing to be cut 13 Lead-in to con 14 Passé PC screen type 15 Lead-in night 16 Emmy-winning journalist Frank 17 Occurred 18 No-show 19 Barber’s tool 24 Seth Meyers’ network 29 Very eager 30 — Spumante 31 Potential target of urban renewal 32 Certain six-pointed polygon 33 — scale of hardness 34 Still having a shot to win

GARDEN DISTRICT OFFICE 2016, 2017, 2020 & 2022

35 Hendrix hairdo 36 Victory signs 37 Book version 39 Big snakes 40 Psychic “gift” 44 Sketched 45 Indy vehicle 46 — II (Gillette razor brand) 48 Pt. of NBA or NCAA 51 Vietnamese capital 54 Like sexist jokes 56 Arrives like fog or the tide 58 Of time past 59 “Better Call Saul” channel 60 Practical joke 61 “Raggedy” doll 62 Sticks in the mud 63 Luigi’s three 64 Notes after dos 65 Like Russia, continent-wise 66 Morning bugle call 67 Enhaloed Fr. woman 69 Sound of falling rain 73 Ethereal 74 Animation 75 Feudal peasant 78 “Luka” singer Suzanne 79 More Impudent

ABR, CRS, GRI, SFR, SRS

80 Nickname for Georgia’s capital 81 Affect one another 83 Muralist Joan 84 Look intently 86 “Green” sci.

87 Jamaica’s Ocho — 88 Anderson Cooper’s network 90 Retired JFK jets 92 Roof edge 93 Gets lathery 94 Left out 97 Madrid’s land, in Italian 101 In spite of the fact that, for short 102 Colorful salamanders 103 “— tu” (Verdi aria) 104 In a suitable manner 107 Truncated form of a wd.

108 Huge horn 111 “Bali —” 112 Unwell 113 Org. for the Eagles, but not the Ravens 114 0.5 fl. oz.

115 Crude house 116 Plains tribe 117 Like nos. below zero 118 Carrier to Stockholm

ANSWERS FOR LAST ISSUE’S PUZZLE: P 30

PUZZLES

ACROSS 1 Devices for basement water removal 10 Moves joltingly up and down 17 Possesses 20 Repetition of a process 21 Faze 22 #1 hit for the Jackson 5 23 Clickers for couch potatoes 25 Letter before omega 26 Bygone Brit 27 Bklyn., e.g.

28 Neck backs 30 Fire remains

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