Best of New Orleans ®

readers Poll

page 19

Best Gay Bar

Oz (800 Bourbon St., 593-9491; www.ozneworleans.com) — This huge disco marks the corner on Bourbon Street where straight tourists usually clutch their Hurricanes and turn around. What are they missing? Locals and visitors alike crammed inside a dizzying danceteria, getting messy and having fun (the cast of this year’s Real World: New Orleans ended up there). During the week, there are bingo games and drag shows hosted by the outrageous Blanche Debris. 2. The Bourbon Pub/ Parade (801 Bourbon St., 529-2107; www.bourbonpub.com) 3. Good Friends (740 Dauphine St., 566-7191; www.goodfriendsbar.com)

Gambit > bestofneworleans.com > AUGUST 31 > 2010

Best Neighborhood Bar

20

The Kingpin (1307 Lyons St., 891-2373; www.kingpinbar.com) — A great neighborhood bar, paradoxically, makes you want to travel across town to go there. The Kingpin does just that by making a neat 7-10 split between a comfy hangout and a true dive, with an ageless blue-collar New Orleans vibe — it’s a perfect place to meet before a movie at the Prytania Theater. Play darts or just sit at the bar, bending your elbow and marveling at the layers of memorabilia covering the walls, a New Orleans education in itself. 2. St. Joe’s Bar (5535 Magazine St., 899-3744) 3. Pal’s Lounge (949 N. Rendon St., 488-7257)

Best Hotel Bar

Carousel Piano

Bar & Lounge (Hotel Monteleone, 214 Royal St., 523-3341; www.hotelmonteleone.com) — The Monteleone’s revolving Carousel Bar was always a great spot to climb aboard and watch the world go by outside on Royal Street. But in recent years, the Carousel has stepped up its cocktail game, and you can now get a drink as eleganza as the surroundings (it’s the unofficial clubhouse of the annual Tales of the Cocktail festival). In back, tiny banquette booths are a nice place for cuddling and listening to the piano man. 2. Sazerac (The Roosevelt New Orleans, 123 Baronne St., 648-1200; www. therooseveltneworleans.com) 3. Polo Lounge (Windsor Court Hotel, 300 Gravier St., 523-6000; www. windsorcourthotel.com)

Best Gentlemen’s/ Strip Club

Rick’s Cabaret (315 Bourbon St., 524-4222; www.ricks.com) — Of all the strip joints on Bourbon Street, Rick’s stands out for two reasons (oh, stop it): the beauty of the women and the bite on your wallet. Sure, you can go cheaper, but you don’t need an AmEx Black Card to have a good time at Rick’s. Those with beer-bottle pockets can forgo the fine wines and cigars and lap dances … but don’t expect any extra attention from the ladies. Tip: Rick’s lunch buffet is one of the best deals in town. Call to see if it’s on. 2. Visions (4000 Downman Road, 2400069; www.visionsmensclub.com) 3. Larry Flynt’s Hustler

Club (225 Bourbon St., 524-0010; www.hustlerclubs.com)

Best Happy Hour

Superior Bar & Grill (3636 St. Charles Ave., 899-4200; www.superiorgrill.com) — Sorry, Jimmy Buffett — the real Margaritaville is the Superior, where people from all over the city descend to drink away their workdays shortly after happy hour starts at 3:30. Get there early or be forced to jostle your way to the bar for a mojito or daiquiri. And if all that tequila makes you want to line your stomach, get a seat on the patio and order up some of Superior’s AmeriMexican specials like fajitas, Mexican chicken salad or enchiladas. 2. Victorian Lounge (The Columns Hotel, 3811 St. Charles Ave., 899-9308; www.thecolumns.com) 3. Lucy’s Retired Surfers Bar (701 Tchoupitoulas St., 523-8995; www. lucysretiredsurfers.com)

Best Bar for Nonsmokers

Cure (4905 Freret St., 302-2357; www.curenola. com) — You don’t have to squint through a haze of Marlboro smoke to admire the massive, apothecarian Wall of Booze at Cure, because “aromatics are of great importance while enjoying food and beverage,” the bar tells customers. 2. Rock ’N’ Bowl (3000 S. Carrollton Ave., 861-1700; www.rockandbowl.com) TIE: 3. Chickie Wah Wah (2828 Canal St., 304-4714; www.chickiewahwah.com) 3. Victorian Lounge (The Columns Hotel, 3811 St. Charles Ave., 899-9308; www.thecolumns.com)

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THEY DIDN’T MAKE THE ‘BEST OF’ LIST, BUT HERE ARE 10 BLOGS YOU SHOULD CHECK OUT ANYWAY. backoftown.wordpress.com Analysis of the HBO show Treme that got national praise — series creator David Simon has even dropped in.

www.blackenedout.com

All about New Orleans food — reviews, recipes, sassy opinions and mouthwatering photos.

www.canalstreetchronicles.com

The local go-to blog/discussion site for Saints fans.

www.defendneworleans.com/blog

A sampling of media coverage of New Orleans.

www.homeofthegroove.blogspot.com

Dan Phillips’ audioblog features rare vintage New Orleans R&B and funk records — and commentary about the music.

www.humidcity.com

“Handing New Orleanians a Megaphone Since 2005” — a collective website by some of the city’s best writers, bloggers and thinkers.

www.jefflamb.wordpress.com

Stream of consciousness, short poems and lots of photos.

www.maneandchic.com

Gambit style contributor Kyla Boutte’s guide to fresh fashion.

www.nolanotes.com

For the times you just want to read someone’s musings on their own life.

www.soros.org/resources/multimedia/katrina/issue

Katrina Media Fellows tackled the various issues laid bare by Hurricane Katrina.

Best Place to Dance to a Live Band

Tipitina’s (501 Napoleon Ave., 8958477; www.tipitinas. com) — Tip’s is no place for S&M (that’s standand-model), so bring your hipster friends from Portland or Brooklyn and watch them try to resist as the city’s best funk, rock, jazz, jam and zydeco bands make it

impossible to shoegaze. And if your pals want to stand around and pout, they can go upstairs and watch the show from the balcony while you dance with every stranger in the joint and ponder how you’re going to ditch your party-pooping friends. 2. Rock ’N’ Bowl (3000 S. Carrollton Ave., 861-1700; www.rockandbowl.com) 3. Maple Leaf Bar (8316 Oak St., 866-9359; www.

mapleleafbar.com)

Best Bar to People-Watch

The Delachaise (3442 St. Charles Ave., 895-0858; www.thedelachaise.com) — It isn’t the largest venue in town. In fact, the long, narrow boxcar of a wine bar is rather cozy, but readers deemed its combination of barstool perches and page 22