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CONTENTS

THE SAINTS ISSUE Hope in the time of uncertainty: the past, present and future of the Saints .....16 Vic, Nat’ly and Da Saints ...19

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On parade

Chance the Rapper

International Dance Festival New Orleans moves to CAC | by Will Coveillo WHILE GROWING UP OUTSIDE BARCELONA, SPAIN, AINA ALEGRE

listened to jazz all the time. Her father was a composer and played saxophone and clarinet in a jazz band. As a choreographer, she started including brass band musicians on stage in her work in the 2022 piece, “THIS IS NOT (an act of love and resistance).” It featured three trombonists and a tuba. It may have been inevitable that her fusion of contemporary movement and brass instruments brought her to New Orleans. She came here two years ago on a research grant. Now she’s back and choreographing the opening night piece for the International Dance Festival New Orleans. Her piece “At Dawn” premieres Thursday, Sept. 10, and the International Dance Festival runs Sept. 10-13 at the Contemporary Arts Center. There are performances by international, regional and local artists, as well as a dance film section, masterclasses and other events. “THIS IS NOT” incorporated brass instruments, but the inspiration was recovery from the pandemic and a sort of reclaiming the air from fear and isolation of the shutdowns. The work explored music and brass instruments as part of the connections of the air between people. “I saw the instruments as extensions of the body,” Alegre says. It also was a piece made entirely by women, including the musicians and dancers. After that, Alegra delved into a series of performances about parades. Works in the “Parades & Desobeissances” series featured as many as 200 performers in public spaces in French cities including Marseille, Grenoble, Annecy and Lyon. Parades also were part of her young life in Spain. There are numerous parading traditions in that part of the Mediterranean, and her town has a festival featuring bands of musicians playing the gralla, a small woodwind instrument, and parades into the night with sparklers and lights. When she came to New Orleans and went to second lines, she saw similarities to the parading traditions. “There are mystic dimensions to these kinds of traditions,” she says. In New Orleans, “I felt a strong connection to what I saw as a child. You celebrate people who are not here anymore. You celebrate the present, you celebrate the future.”

demands and intrusions of the outside world. New to the festival is Galicia, Spain’s Colectivo Glovo, led by Esther Latorre and Hugo Pereira, performing two short works from its repertoire. “Triade” looks at the cycle of life and rebirth in a universe where the gods have died off and women are remaking the world. “Alleo” is an abstract work about perspective and encountering the unknown. Visiting artists from the Gulf South include Aina Alegre choreographed ‘Fugaces.’ Jacksonville Dance Theater, PHOTO PROVIDED BY IDFNO / ©MARTIN ARGYROGLO which will present “Tribes,” a piece about cultural “At Dawn” brings together many of memory inspired by French painter these components. The all-women Marc Chagall’s glass windows. Houstonperformance has six dancers and five based Persi May’s “Handle With Care” musicians, including Maria Cofan, features dancers covered in bubble wrap who has worked with Alegre in who must rely on each other to move. Europe. The music was composed Now based in New Orleans, Sydney by Alegra’s father, Enric Alegre. Lopez presents “Burning Snow,” The performance will be like a parade, which depicts her grandmother’s with a long runway and the audience on journey of escape in Southeast Asia. both sides in the CAC Warehouse space. There also is a dance film section The movement is contemporary dance. with screenings at the CAC. Rachel The title “At Dawn” reflects a refusal to Slater selected a slate of 15 films relinquish the energy of movement and from more than 100 submissions. A the ecstatic celebrations of parading. slate of 10 short films from the U.S., Another vibrant work in the CAC Brazil, France, China and Switzerland Warehouse space is closing night’s aerial will screen Saturday at the CAC. performance by Brazilian artist Diana While dance film festivals and Salles. She won international acclaim content exploded during Covid, it’s for her 2019 work “Genesis” at the always been a focus for Scott. Festival Mondial du Cirque de Demain, “I teach dance for camera at Tulane,” and she’s focused on using circus arts to Scott says. “My hope for this festival explore social issues. At the CAC, she’ll use aerial work on silks and dancing on is that we continue to move with the the floor in “Delusional.” She premiered way people are sharing their art.” the piece in 2023 and it is about her There also are free events, including an transition from male to female. artist mixer on Sunday at the CAC. Scott Adding circus arts-based work is part hopes it will prompt artists to network of the festival’s inclusive approach. and develop future collaborations. “Contemporary dance is a pretty Some of the festival will spill over to broad umbrella,” says festival founder Lafayette’s Acadiana Center for the Leslie Scott. “As long as moveArts for performances on Wednesday, ment is the primary storyteller, (a Sept. 16. The festival also has partpiece) has a place in our festival.” nerships with the University of Florida The only returning visiting artist is and Northwestern State University Evelyn Tejada, who is originally from the in Natchitoches, and Scott hopes the Dominican Republic and is a founding festival can help develop New Orleans as member of the Contemporary Dance a regional hub for contemporary dance. National Company of the Dominican Republic. Her work ranges from Tickets for shows and masterclasses contemporary dance to hip-hop. Her start at $20 and some events are free. piece “Impossible Explicar” naviFor tickets and information, gates the search for inner peace and go to idfnola.com. self-discovery while dealing with the

Chance the Rapper was already riding a big wave from his first two mixtapes, “10 Day” and “Acid Rap,” when he released “Coloring Book” in 2016. And it was a major success, hitting No. 8 on the Billboard 200, earning acclaim and going on to win a Grammy Award for best rap album. Chance is now celebrating 10 years of “Coloring Book” with a tour featuring New Orleans’ own La Reezy. They play The Fillmore at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 9. Tickets are $53 via thefillmorenola.com.

PHOTO BY CHRIS GRANGER / THE TIMES-PICAYUNE

Groove for Good

Comedian, actor and radio host Harry Shearer and vocalist Judith Owen host an all-star benefit for the Jazz and Blues Market. Owen will perform with a band including Jamison Ross, David Torkanowsky, Ricardo Pascal and more. The lineup of performers also includes Donald Harrison Jr., Kermit Ruffins, Bill Summers, Herlin Riley, Tonya Boyd-Cannon, DJ Soul Sister and more. At 8 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 12, at the Jazz & Blues Market. Tickets $113.95 and up via ticketmaster.com.

ChalMET Gala

Inspired by the extravagant Met Gala, the local fashion event highlights many types of costumes and wearable art by local artists and designers. There’s live music, bottomless champagne and more. The event is organized by Ingrid Victoria Ruth Anderson, creator of the Human Horse Races. At 7 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 12, at the Foundation Room at the House of Blues. Find tickets and information via gnosocialartsnetwork.org.

The Midnight

Anchored by Tyler Lyle and Tim McEwan, synthwave band The Midnight last year released its sixth full-length album, the neon-soaked, PAGE 34

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The Idea Village was recently placed on TIME Magazine’s list of America’s Best Incubators and Accelerators. The New Orleans startup incubator landed at No. 29 among the list’s 80 organizations. TIME and data gathering platform Statista took into account alumni evaluations and publicly available information on the successes of each incubator and accelerator to determine the list’s rankings.

The National Science Foundation awarded a $4 million grant to a project co-led by LSU and the University of Rhode Island to help researchers studying Louisiana’s wetlands and Rhode Island’s salt marshes better share data and build tools for coastal preservation work. The project, called EcoCARE, will help scientists and organizations work together on things like coastal modeling and restoration decisions.

The Trump administration’s opposition to wind power is causing Louisiana to lose out on economic opportunities. In August, energy firm RWE pulled out of an offshore wind lease in the federal waters near southwest Louisiana as part of a settlement with the Trump administration. Another project in state waters near Terrebonne and Lafourche parishes was withdrawn in 2025, and a third project near Cameron Parish has stalled. Meanwhile, Louisiana companies hoping to take advantage of the new market are seeing opportunities dry up.

THE NUMBER OF YEARS SINCE AN NFL OFFICIATING CREW ROBBED THE NEW ORLEANS SAINTS IN AN NFC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME. Held at the Superdome Jan. 20, 2019, the Saints were heavy favorites to beat the Los Angeles Rams. That is until late in the 4th Quarter, when officials didn’t call an obvious pass interference call on Rams cornerback Nickell Robey-Coleman, a decision which stalled the Saints deep in L.A.’s red zone. The Rams would go on to “win” the game 26 to 23 in overtime.

A drone at NOPD’s training academy PHOTO BY MISSY WILKINSON / THE TIMES-PICAYUNE

Rights groups push New Orleans to suspend controversial police drone program THE ACLU OF LOUISIANA AND WATCHDOG GROUP EYE ON SURVEILLANCE

are calling for the suspension of the New Orleans Police Department’s drone program until the city puts more guardrails in place. In an Aug. 31 presentation to the council’s Criminal Justice Committee, the two organizations said NOPD should stop using drones “until the city can verify that the department is capable of operating the program lawfully, safely and transparently.” Council Member Lesli Harris agreed, noting her own concerns about whether police are using drones to surveil homes, courtyards and other private spaces. “Until we get the data, I’m with you all that we need to take a hard look at suspending this program and/or (look at) the best practices,” she said. The organizations requested data from NOPD and received 1,000 drone flight records between Jan. 1, 2025 and Jan. 30, 2026. However, NOPD did not include basic information on the drone flights in the records. According to the groups, nearly 79% of the flights didn’t include the type of incident, and 93% were missing details about what the drone was used for. Similarly, they said 94% were missing the required summary of activities and required supervisor approval.

Of the information NOPD did provide them, the most common reason police reported sending out drones was for complaints about people blocking sidewalks. One of the reports specifically mentioned an unhoused person blocking a sidewalk. “I do not know how a drone will support any law enforcement action for a person on the sidewalk,” said Sarah Whittington, advocacy director at the ACLU of Louisiana. “That doesn’t actually allow an officer or anyone to engage, aske the right questions, potentially offer the support that that person needs for just being there.” NOPD also reported using drones for protests, second lines, festivals, the Sugar Bowl and other public gatherings which Whittington called “concerning.” Whittington said NOPD is supposed to notify the public anytime they’re using a drone to surveil any activities protected under the First Amendment, such as protest. “I do not recall seeing or hearing each of these incidences being publicly notified as required under the previous policy,” she said.

Calls for more data and transparency On Aug. 7, the council approved a measure by Council Vice President Matthew Willard that requires

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NOPD to provide public data on drone deployment and monthly reports to the council. Edith Romero, an organizer with Eye On Surveillance, said she also saw potential issues with the French Quarter Management District’s French Quarter Task Force App. Along with potential crimes, FQMD in promotional materials has also encouraged people to use the app to report “suspicious persons.” “I want to say that brought us plenty of concerns,” she said. “Who is someone suspicious? Is it a person of color? Is it an immigrant? Is it someone who is homeless? We don’t know.” Whittington also called for more public explanation into an NOPD policy proposal that would have allowed drones to be equipped with weapons with the chief’s approval. The policy was posted online June 21, and after backlash the department reversed the policy to ban the use of weapons on drones. Whittington said the public deserves to know who drafted the policy and internal discussions about it. Both Whittington and Romero agreed that any future drone program would need to have teeth to ensure NOPD is following policies, such as reporting information they’re supposed to report. “If they violate their policy, there has to be consequences because we’ve seen it,” Romero said. “If they did it once, what is going to stop them from doing it again?” They also asked the council to consider possibility of drone footage being leaked and crashes causing fires as well as the costs of the program. Private organization New Orleans Police and Justice Foundation paid for the drones themselves, but officers still have to supervise them and they only have a battery life of a couple years. “If people do not know if, when, or how they’re being observed, their behaviors will change, and we will become a police state city where all of our actions, both in public and/or anywhere outdoors, will be contingent on the concern or fact that we may or may not be surveilled by our police force,” Whittington said.

National Guard leaving

Earlier in the meeting, Rafael Goyeneche, president of the privately funded Metropolitan Crime Commission, presented on the National Guard’s deployment in downtown New Orleans, which is ending after eight months. The soldiers did not have policing powers and could not arrest anyone.

Though crime is down nationally, he attributed lower crime rates in New Orleans to the National Guard’s presence in the city, calling them a “visual deterrent to crime” but not providing any further evidence. A 2021 New York University study of FBI data between 1981 and 2018 found that increasing police presence can help reduce violent crime, but not necessarily in cities with the “largest populations of Black people.” “Adding additional police officers in these cities doesn’t seem to lower the homicide rate,” according to a NPR article on the study. “Meanwhile, more police officers in these cities seems to result in even more arrests of Black people for low-level crimes.” — Kaylee Poche

Protests at Louisiana immigrant child camp must be pre-approved, officials say ACTIVISTS WILL HAVE TO GET PREAPPROVAL TO PROTEST outside the

Alexandria, Louisiana immigrant detention camp for families and children under new rules passed Aug. 27 by local officials. The England Air Park Board of Commissioners approved the new requirement at their monthly meeting Thursday. The ordinance requires groups to file for permits in order to gather on site, which must be approved by Executive Director Ralph Hennessy. Prior to voting, Commissioners did make a few amendments to the 19-page ordinance, including waiving an insurance requirement because it is too prohibitive. They also removed the five-person threshold from permit requirements. Dozens of attendees at the heated meeting decried the measure as a violation of free-speech rights.

Protesters will now require a permit if they wish to demonstrate at Alexandria, Louisiana’s England Air Park, the site of a controversial ICE holding facility for families and children. PHOTO BY JAVIER GALLEGOS / THE TIMES-PICAYUNE

The ordinance “gives one official a tremendous amount of discretion over people’s ability to exercise their First Amendment rights. I don’t think that’s something this board should approve at all,” said Evelyn Lescano, who traveled from Baton Rouge to the meeting. The ordinance was passed as public backlash ramps up against the rural air park’s lease of property to the Lasalle Family Foundation, the nonprofit arm of the private prison company Lasalle Corrections. The company is being contracted by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to run the Alexandria Staging Center, reportedly a short-term facility for families and children who are being deported out of the area, which has become the biggest deportation hubs in the country. The commissioners were also accused of implementing a bad-faith measure that shrouds officials and the nonprofit overseeing the detention center, Lasalle Family Foundation, from scrutiny. “This is about silence, not safety. We’ve never had a protest on this property. You’re trying to get ahead of it because you know that putting children in the hands of ICE is wrong and dangerous,” local resident Erin Tracy said. Another attendee said the measure was meant to protect the board from public scrutiny under the guise of public safety. Air Park commissioners argued that it was a safety measure for the companies and residents who lease offices from the air park. They also amended a previous version of the

ordinance that required protesters to purchase insurance. “You have chosen to bring increased scrutiny to the airport by approving activities that deny human rights,” said another attendee. “No one has said what will happen to the families in this facility.” But Hennessy told Gambit earlier this month the opening has been pushed back until the end of September without further detail. Kendall Berry, who traveled to Alexandria from New Orleans, pointed out the ordinance would have a chilling effect on constitutional rights. She said everyone has the right to observe government activity — not just people protesting one particular issue. “Not everyone watching what is happening at the England Air Park is there to hold a traditional protest,” Berry said. “For years now, people in this community have very bravely watched aircraft movements, photographed activity, documented deportation flights and shared important information to the public, simply observing and recording what they see,” adding, “Local people have often been the ones to stand up and pay attention. Personal opinions on immigration aside, we can all agree that government activities should be capable of being observed and documented by the public.” The Air Park Board of Commissioners will host another meeting on Sept. 8 where the public can comment on the opening of the detention center. — Sarah Ravits

New Orleans hikes Mardi Gras float rider fees THE NEW ORLEANS CITY COUNCIL SEPT. 3 agreed to modestly raise fees

for Mardi Gras float riders as part of an effort to help offset some of the costs the city incurs from Carnival. For the 2027 season, the city will start charging small krewes (37-45 floats) $5,000, medium krewes (2836 floats) $7,500 and $10,000 for large krewes (14-27 floats). The city has kept krewe fees at $750, $1,000 and $1,500 for awhile. In 2023, it spent $3.75 million more on Carnival, including on police and sanitation, than it brought in. That would bring in $265,000 to the city. Parades would then pass the fee down to riders, averaging about $6.64 a person. Prior to the vote, Council Member Freddie King, who proposed the fee increase, said “we understand it’s the greatest free show on earth, but we’re just trying to chip a little bit away at this huge deficit.”

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“Every dollar helps,” King added. On average, riders in parades in the lowest tier would pay $14.44 each, those in the middle tier would pay $8.87 and those in the highest tier would pay $5.23. But it would depend on how many floats and riders are in the parade. A Weiss survey found that a person spends an average of $3,386 to ride in a float parade between dues, throws, costumes, food, accommodations and other expenses. During an Aug. 31 committee hearing, Council Member Lesli Harris said the council could probably increase the fee further, especially for those who will end up paying around $4. King said he considered a fee of $25 per person but ultimately decided against it. “Mardi Gras is right around the corner ... and they’ve already paid their Mardi Gras fees,” he said. The fee increase comes as the council is looking to increase a variety of fees to help stabilize the city’s finances. That includes looking in areas where the city is losing money. In 2023, the city spent $10.62 million on Carnival but received only $6.9 million, leaving it $3.75 million in the hole. Council Member Eugene Green said the state gets way more money from Carnival. For example, he said, the city only gets 1.5% of the 15% hotel motel tax. “The big beneficiary of Mardi Gras financially is the state of Louisiana,” he said. Council President JP Morrell agreed, adding that the same goes for other big events, like during Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour stops in the city in 2024. “They comment why New Orleans is so special. It’s because we keep giving you all of our money,” Morrell said. — Kaylee Poche

pop over a tank

Krewe of Dolly to hold Dolly Parton celebration Sept. 25 THE KREWE OF DOLLY IS PUSHING BACK

its celebration of life for country music icon and philanthropist Dolly Parton, citing French Quarter scheduling conflicts. Originally scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 5, the krewe will instead hold its event on Friday, Sept. 25, promising music and rhinestones. “The move is necessary because the French Quarter was already approved for a major special event on September 5th which prohibits additional parades,” according to a press release from the city, adding “Dolly once said, ‘We cannot direct the wind, but we can adjust the sails.’ ” Though the release does not specify which event, this weekend is Southern Decadence, a huge New Orleans LGBTQ celebration mostly concentrated in the Quarter and surrounding areas. Decadence holds its grand marshals’ parade Sunday, Sept. 6 at 3 p.m. The krewe planned the original date (9/5) as a nod to Parton’s hit song and film “9 to 5.” But fret not, the new date may work even better: 9/25 or 9 two 5. The celebration will also come exactly a month after Parton died. Mayor Helena Moreno and the New Orleans City Council will declare the day “Dolly Day.” “We’re New Orleans — we know how to celebrate the people who bring joy to the world, and there are few people who brought more joy, love and kindness to others than Dolly Parton,” Moreno said. The Krewe of Dolly formed in 2020, and since the pandemic, they’ve made a splash in parades with their blonde wigs, sparkles, western attire and unbridled enthusiasm. The krewe will release details on the parade route and a schedule of festivities at a later date. — Kaylee Poche

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Pressing Pause on NOPD’s Drone Program LATE LAST MONTH, LOCAL GOVERNMENT WATCHDOG GROUP

Eye on Surveillance released a new report raising serious questions about the NOPD’s use of drones and its plan to significantly expand their presence in New Orleans. The group called on the city to suspend the program until enforceable reporting and privacy safeguards can be put in place. The efficacy of using drones in law enforcement is a matter of some debate, but the potential for misuse of drones is very real, as the ongoing controversy of other police surveillance technologies like automated license plate readers demonstrates. Given the glaring lack of transparency, lack of penalties for misuse of drones and no explicit rules to protect citizens from government intrusion, pausing NOPD’s use of drones is a common sense decision. Temporarily suspending the program until adequate rules are in place isn’t a radical notion. Last week New Orleans City Council member Lesli Harris echoed those concerns, telling her colleagues, “Until we get the data ... we need to take a hard look at suspending this program and/or (look at) the best practices.” This is especially true given what little we do know about the program. For instance, it’s been used to surveil citizens during Mardi Gras, the Sugar Bowl and even second lines. And NOPD appears to have done so without meeting even the basic reporting requirements already in place. According to the ACLU and Eye on Surveillance, between Jan. 1, 2025, and Jan. 30, 2026, 78.7% of NOPD drone flights were missing data on the type of incident they were used in; 93.1% lacked incident details; 94.1% were missing required activity summaries, supervisor approvals and safety reports; and 98.9% of all flights lacked data on whether they were used to assist officers. Meanwhile, this summer 404 Media reported NOPD was considering deploying drones that were armed or carried “hazardous substances” — like

FIND THE

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WIN

THE MOS ST T T INTERESTING

HAPP PY Y HOUR R.. NOPD Superintendent Anne Kirkpatrick PHOTO BY ENAN CHEDIAK / THE TIMES-PICAYUNE

tear gas, for instance — which NOPD eventually claimed it was no longer pursuing. Given its on again, off again use of real time facial recognition technology to watch residents, it’s reasonable to question whether the prospect of armed drones hovering above New Orleanians’ heads is really off the table.Suspending the program would give NOPD the time to make their case for why it needs drones in the first place — something the department has completely failed to do thus far. It would also give the public a chance to weigh in on whether it even wants to be surveilled by police while second lining, partying on the parade route during Mardi Gras, walking the dog or sitting in their backyard. The city council could then carefully craft explicit rules for how and when NOPD can deploy drones, robust transparency and reporting requirements and guard rails to avoid the sorts of stalking and other inappropriate uses by police officers and private contractors we’ve seen in other parishes and nationally with similar surveillance technologies. Whether you support the use of drones by police or not, one thing we should all agree on is that if we are going to have them, it’s better to get the polices and safeguards right now rather than making up the rules as we go and hope nobody gets hurt.

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J O H N S TA N T O N

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john redmann

LA-26-20878

BL AKE PONTCHARTR AIN™

Hey Blake,

We love going to Vincent’s on St. Charles Avenue. I remember my dad talking about another Italian restaurant called Vincent’s in Gentilly in the 1960s. What do you know about it?

Dear reader,

ORIGINALLY FROM NAPLES, ITALY, VINCENT CASERTANO OPENED VINCENT’S SPAGHETTI HOUSE at 3801 Frenchmen St.

in Gentilly in the early 1950s. An October 1952 article in the New Orleans Item boasted that “the joys of Italian cooking may be sampled in surroundings of friendly comfort,” calling it an “excellent little restaurant.” States-Item restaurant critic Richard Collin wrote about Vincent’s Spaghetti House in his 1970 book “The New Orleans Underground Gourmet.” He called it an “unpretentious Italian neighborhood restaurant with plain Formica tables serving good New Orleans and Italian specialties.” Besides Italian dishes, Collin singled out the 75-cent daily plate lunches with entrees such as white beans and smoked sausage, pork chops and roast beef. Casertano died in 1971, and the Vincent’s Spaghetti House building was later home to another restaurant as well as to several nightclubs. With no connection to the Gentilly restaurant, New Orleans native

Vincent’s Italian Cuisine at 4411 Chastant St. in Metairie PHOTO BY DAVID GRUNFELD / THE TIMES-PICAYUNE

Vincent Catalanotto, a longtime local waiter and bartender, opened his namesake restaurant Vincent’s Italian Cuisine in Metairie in 1989. Specialties included cannelloni, corn and crab bisque (served in a bread bowl), artichoke Vincent and veal Roberto. In 1997, Catalanotto expanded, buying the former Compagno’s Restaurant on St. Charles Avenue and opening a second Vincent’s there. “Vincent’s is the least pretentious great restaurant in New Orleans,” wrote restaurant critic Tom Fitzmorris. “In both of its small, cramped, wellworn restaurants, it serves familiar New Orleans-style Italian food with a lusty flavor and enough polish and originality to make everything they do stand out, even when compared with much more expensive restaurants. No restaurant better defines the Creole-Italian cuisine.” Catalanotto died in 2024. His son Vincent Jr. now owns and operates both of his father’s restaurants.

BLAKEVIEW NEXT WEEK, ONE OF NEW ORLEANS’ ICONIC CULINARY CONTRIBUTIONS, THE MUFFULETTA, will be celebrated with National Muffuletta Day. The commemoration is

the creation of Napoleon House, the French Quarter landmark that has long been a favorite spot to enjoy the mammoth sandwich. The muffuletta is most often stocked with Genoa salami, ham, mortadella, provolone and mozzarella cheeses and olive salad, served on a signature sesame-seeded bread. The sandwich was introduced to the city by the Sicilian immigrants who flocked to the French Quarter in the late 1800s and early 1900s. As for the unusual name, it comes from the name of the round loaf of bread on which it is served. Its etymology is murky, but local baker and historian Dana Logsdon, in an article for the Louisiana Endowment for the Humanities’ 64 Parishes website, shared some theories, saying that it could be a variation of the Italian word for mold (“muffa”) or more likely from the Latin term for small sack or mitten (“muffula”). While the bread does exist in Sicily, the sandwich is unique to New Orleans. Two of the best-known early purveyors of the muffuletta, both of whom often claimed to have invented it, were Central Grocery, founded by Salvatore Lupo in 1906, and Progress Grocery, opened by Bartholomew Perrone in 1924. For many years, the two were located next to each other in the 900 block of Decatur Street. The National Muffuletta Day celebration Sept. 14 at Napoleon House will feature special discounts on the sandwich, live entertainment from the Muff-a-Lottas dance troupe and a commemorative enamel muffuletta pin for the first 50 guests. For more, visit napoleonhouse.com.

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@GambitBlake | askblake@gambitweekly.com

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Hope UNCERTAINTY IN THE TIME OF

CAN THE SAINTS BRING THE magic BACK TO THE SUPERDOME? BY J EF F A S H ER I WAS TALKING TO MY DAD ABOUT THE SAINTS back in the dark days of the 2024 season. Games were miserable, opposing fans were appearing in the Dome in droves, and the future was bleaker than it had been in decades. I told Dad I was thinking of giving up my season tickets. Dad rolled his eyes. “The tickets aren’t for you,” he told me. “They’re for your kids.” I first fell in love with the Saints while listening to Jim Henderson at 10 years old. My dad would pick me up from Sunday school about 10 minutes before noon, and we would listen to WWL as we raced our way to the Dome. Usually, we experienced the first 5 or 10 minutes of the game through Jim Henderson’s voice before finally grabbing a parking spot and going to watch the late Jim Mora and early Mike Ditka Saints. The mid-to-late 1990s were an amazing time to fall in love with the Saints. Someday I’ll tell my kids about the time the Saints had arguably the best Billy Joe to ever play quarterback in the NFL starting games and the second-best Billy Joe as his backup. Or the time Danny Wuerffel once got sacked so hard he got up with his helmet turned backward. When Mora gave multiple legendary and still quotable press conferences. The times when wide receiver Keith Poole beat a guy with a golf club, Lorenzo Neal broke rookie running back Mario Bates’ jaw and multiple rookies were injured in a hazing incident. There were good times, too! My dad and I were there in 1994 when Tyrone Hughes returned two kickoffs for touchdowns in a thrilling win over the Rams. We were there on Christmas Eve in 1999 when Poole and Jake Delhomme

Steve Gleason after blocking a Falcons punt during the Saints’ first game back in the Superdome after Hurricane Katrina PHOTO BY ALEX BRANDON / THE AP

Three generations of Ashers PHOTO PROVIDED BY JEFF ASHER

were better than Troy Aikman and Emmitt Smith for one day only. We were there in 2000 when Az-Zahir Hakim dropped the ball. And there was always Henderson’s familiar voice. Every Monday during football season, he would give a television commentary on WWL about the Saints, and I made a point of trying to listen to every one. These were funny and insightful, and they dot the memories of my childhood before Hurricane Katrina with sage words about my favorite football team.

The history of the Saints, like many of ours, is divided into before Katrina and after. They were hapless losers with one playoff win in more than 35 seasons before Katrina. They are Super Bowl Champions with three NFC Championship Game appearances after. And it all started with That Game. My memory of that game, like many of my favorite Saints memories, involves a Henderson commentary. It was Sept. 12, 2006. The Saints had just beaten the Browns for the first win of the Sean Payton era, and Henderson’s commentary harped on the fact that it was the first time in more than 18 months that the Saints had flown back to New Orleans after a regular season win. The Saints coming back home was something familiar. I’m glad I saved the commentary text because it still gives me chills: “The storm took so much from us, but in one way it gave something back — the

Saints. Think about it. If Katrina never comes, the Saints probably finish around .500 again last year. Jim Haslett doesn’t leave. Aaron Brooks doesn’t leave. Sean Payton, Drew Brees and Reggie Bush never arrive. The season-ticket base erodes even further to about 25,000. The Superdome doesn’t get renovated. The fans don’t get reinvigorated. All the irritants that drove a wedge between the owner, the state, the city, the players, the fans, the business community — they’re all still here, worse than ever. And what probably wouldn’t have been here much longer are the Saints. They would have been at the very top of everyone’s list in the country for relocation. Katrina purged most of those irritants. This is not to say that the little good she did even begins to compensate for the vast harm she inflicted. There is no compensation for that. But, as we cling to whatever psychological life rings we

can find in a sea of despair, the Saints have provided one. In a year of horrific loss, maybe nothing was gained. But something was retained. The Saints. The New Orleans Saints.” This month marks 20 years since the most important football game any of us has ever or will ever witness. Two decades since safety Steve Gleason blocked a punt, quarterback Drew Brees threw a block and kicker Morten Andersen had a field goal blocked. I was a 23-year-old kid just out of college with my dad that night. When the Saints play the Falcons in a few weeks on Monday Night Football, I’ll be a 43-year-old man there with my son who is hopefully starting to understand why his dad tears up every time he tries to show him an old special teams play on YouTube. A lot has happened in the last 20 years of both Saints football and life. Payton, Drew Brees and Reggie Bush showed up, and they brought 15 years of mostly excellent Saints football. They brought a Super Bowl, three NFC Championship Game appearances where the Saints went 1-1 and an asterisk. There has been a sense of optimism in the Dome that had never been there before. Even in the less great years of the Drew Brees era, you could still show up some random Sunday and see Drew Brees throw for seven touchdowns. Then Payton and Brees left, and Dennis Allen and Derek Carr showed up. The team was something worse than atrocious — they were boring. The games had little life to them, the team won just enough to not be terrible but too little to

Jeff Asher outside the Superdome on Miracle Monday PHOTO PROVIDED BY JEFF ASHER

be good, and cheering for quarterback Carr was a soul-sucking experience. The Dome was a miserable place to be every Sunday, the Saints were stuck in salary-cap hell, and they were stacking up bad draft after bad draft. But now most of those irritants are gone and right now, in the summer of 2026, there are reasons to feel good about the Saints — not just today but into the future. First and foremost is Tyler Shough. He’s the same age Brees was when he started in New Orleans after five seasons with San Diego, but Shough hasn’t played a ton of football. Brees had thrown more than 2,000 more passes between college and the pros entering his age 27 season than Shough has. Shough may not become the greatest QB in Saints history, but the bar to becoming the franchise’s second-best QB is not so high. Shough was extremely impressive as a rookie with a patchwork offensive line, no running game and mostly journeymen wide receivers. The Saints could be much improved if he can take a step forward in his first full season as a starter. The Saints could be darn good if he can take a leap to being the quarterback he showed he was capable of at times last season. It has been 20 years since Saints fans got to cheer for a 20-something QB with an upside, and that’s a fun thing to experience. The Saints have also vastly improved the weaponry surrounding Shough. Here are four names. Two of them caught passes from Shough in the Saints finale against the Falcons last season and two of them I made up: Marcus Nolan, Samori Toure, Ronnie Bell, Trey Hudson.

Jeff Asher and his dad PHOTO PROVIDED BY JEFF ASHER

Can you spot the real receivers without looking it up? I’ve already forgotten which two I made up. The Saints weren’t without weapons in 2025. Chris Olave had another 1,000yard season, Devaughn Vele had his moments, and Juwan Johnson had a career year. But they lacked depth when injuries struck, particularly since Kendre Miller continued his tour of perpetual injury and with Father Time gunning for Alvin Kamara. The situation should be much improved in 2026. Saints General Manager Mickey Loomis drafted six wide receivers or tight ends in the first four rounds of the NFL draft between 2011 and 2025. Combined! Six! That included Jordyn Tyson, Oscar Delp and Bryce Lance in the first four rounds in 2026 plus LSU speedster Barion Brown in round six. Tyson looked great in camp before getting hurt, and both Brown and Lance are very promising. Loomis also signed Travis Etienne Jr. to bolster a running back room that struggled in 2025. Yes, injuries can always attack, but hopefully the team has enough depth to avoid rolling out a random name generator of skill position players. Speaking of Loomis, he has finally embraced a new direction and, with it, moved past the Sean Payton Saints. Loomis moved on kicking and screaming, but his past two off-seasons have been much better than any others in the post-Payton years. Loomis made the tough decisions to walk away from fan favorites Demario Davis and Taysom Hill and has made a handful of sensible but not enormous free agent signings to shore up the roster.

Not only are the Saints no longer in salary-cap hell, they now actually have projected cap space in 2027. The 2025 draft was arguably the NFL’s best, and 2026 followed a similar formula. Loomis has been burned time and time again by trading future draft picks to grab players they loved like Marcus Davenport, Trevor Penning and Nick Saldiveri. Nobody has had fewer draft picks over the last few years than the Saints, and making poor selections from only a handful of choices is an easy way to tank a franchise. In 2025 and 2026, however, Loomis has kept his picks. Last year he brought on future mainstays like Shough and Kelvin Banks, as well as promising contributors like Danny Stutsman, Jonas Sanker, Quincy Riley and Devin Neal. This year’s picks seem promising, though how promising remains to be seen. A good process will produce good results more times than not. And a good process over the last few years positions the Saints as positively as they have been since Payton left. None of that guarantees success, of course. Can Shough reach another level? Does Kamara have anything left in the tank? Are Tyson’s hamstrings made of cheese? Can the Saints defense possibly replace Davis? The answers to those questions will determine whether head coach Kellen Moore is closer to a Mora and Payton than a Ditka and Allen. Most importantly, however, these 2026 Saints have the looks of an entertaining bunch. My kids are the same age I was when I fell in love with this franchise. I’d hate for them to be bored.

G AMBIT > BESTOFNE WORLE ANS.COM > SEPTEMBER 7 - 13 > 2026

2026 SAINTS issue 17

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2026 SAINTS issue 19

VIC AND NAT’LY aints ON

Da S

BUNNY MATTHEWS

was a beloved New Orleans comic artist and personality, best known for his Vic and Nat’ly comics which ran in Gambit in other outlets for decades.The Saints were a frequent part of his comics, and Bunny captured the emotion and unyielding faith of Saints fans. The Historic New Orleans Collection will host an exhibition of Bunny’s work from Sept. 18 through May 9, 2027.

Top right: Historic New Orleans Collection, acquisition made possible by the Laussat Society, ©Historic New Orleans Collection, 2022.0218.1.22; bottom left: Historic New Orleans Collection, acquisition made possible by the Laussat Society, ©Historic New Orleans Collection, 2022.0218.1.436; bottom right: Historic New Orleans Collection, acquisition made possible by the Laussat Society, ©Historic New Orleans Collection, 2022.0218.1.139.

PAGE 20

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2026 SAINTS issue PAGE 19

Top left: Historic New Orleans Collection, acquisition made possible by the Laussat Society, ©Historic New Orleans Collection, 2022.0218.1.143; bottom left: Historic New Orleans Collection, gift of Connie Atkinson, PhD, MSS 1086.4.76; top right: Historic New Orleans Collection, acquisition made possible by the Laussat Society, ©Historic New Orleans Collection, 2022.0218.1.306; bottom right: Historic New Orleans Collection, acquisition made possible by the Laussat Society, ©Historic New Orleans Collection, 2022.0218.1.118.

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Neighborhood appeal

FORK + CENTER

Byblos Mediterranean Grill opens in Lakeview | by Beth D’Addono

Email dining@gambitweekly.com

BYBLOS MEDITERRANEAN GRILL MAY BE JUST what the

Lakeview crowd is craving. Partners Tarek Tay, Gaby Saliba and Hicham Khodr opened the fourth location of the popular Mediterranean concept at 900 Harrison Ave. last month, and the local response has been very enthusiastic. “We have never ever received this amazing of a welcome to a neighborhood as we have here,” says Tay, who co-founded the first Byblos 32 years ago as a partner in 3 of a Kind Restaurant Group. “When we opened in Elmwood, people were happy. But here, every day I have so many people thanking us for coming to the neighborhood.” The new Byblos is a large, airy restaurant with a bar and domed pizza oven, catering to families and the neighborhood. The space was previously home to Boil & Barrel, a boiled seafood concept from the same partners that lasted nine months. “I think people are more into healthy foods, but they also don’t want to sacrifice flavor,” Tay says. “The kind of food that doesn’t compromise taste, that you can eat a few times a week.” The partners hope Byblos will mirror the longevity of Mondo, Susan Spicer’s restaurant that lasted 10 years in the same space. The consistency of Byblos’ Lebanese-inspired menu is one of its strengths. From outstanding hummus to shareable flatbreads with toppings like mushrooms and roasted garlic or margherita-style pizza with mozzarella, red sauce and garlic. With the hummus, Tays says, “The secret is tahini. Most people don’t put enough in.” Byblos, named for Saliba’s home village, has locations in Old Metairie, on Veterans Memorial Boulevard and Elmwood. The menu at the new location delivers many of its greatest hits. Popular starters include the sumac-accented fried cauliflower, baba ghanoush and spanakopita. Diners also can share garlicky fried Brussels sprouts, smoked

Melting pot flavor

RESTAURANTS WERE A FRONTLINE DURING THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION’S

immigration enforcement surge in the New Orleans area last year. There was widespread business disruption, and some restaurants temporarily shuttered, as people stayed home rather than risk confrontation with federal agents sweeping the community. Now, two dozen local restaurants, bakeries and bars are taking part in a campaign called Chefs for Justice that’s about celebrating the contributions of immigrants in the local food scene while raising money for the ACLU of Louisiana, the advocacy group that has opposed the administration’s hardline policies. “It’s really about getting like-minded chefs together who believe in the mission of the ACLU to support them,” says chef Adolfo Garcia of the Argentine steakhouse La Boca. “It’s an organization that stands up for people’s civil rights when people feel those rights have been violated, and that’s what we’re supporting.” Tarek Tay at Byblos in Lakeview PHOTO BY MADDIE SPINNER / GAMBIT

trout dip with fried pita wedges and bacon-wrapped shrimp. Feta cheese fingers include cream cheese and Jack cheese and are served with a drizzle of pepper jelly. The pizza oven has long been part of the space, and now it’s used for pita bread as well as baking flatbreads and roasting seafood and meats. It’s a big restaurant that can accommodate more than 200 guests inside and on the covered patio. The long bar is the hub, showcasing Tay’s growing collection of local and imported whiskies and bourbons, a taste he developed only in the past few years. “I always drank scotch, but three years ago I switched to bourbon,” he says. “We carry about 150 different brands, not quite as many as in Elmwood, where I think we have the largest collection in Jefferson Parish.”

The restaurant carries all price points, from $8 shots to rare bottles of Pappy Van Winkle. There is a robust happy hour every day Byblos is open from 3 to 6 p.m. Drink specials are available throughout the restaurant, not just at the bar, but patrons sitting at the bar can order $6-$8 snacks. Offerings include a chicken gyro stuffed into a house-made pita or braised beef served on top of potato tots. There are also daily all-day drink specials, like half-priced wines on Wednesdays. Byblos is open Wednesday through Sunday, and though it’s off to a good start, Tay is proceeding with care into the fall season before expanding hours. “We want to get our feet under us, get more team members hired and trained, before we open every day,” he says.

? WHAT

WHERE

WHEN

HOW

CHECK IT OUT

Byblos

900 Harrison Ave., (504) 249-3200; byblosrestaurants.com

Lunch and dinner Wed.-Sun.

Dine-in

Byblos brings Middle Eastern favorites to Lakeview

Nicole Caridad Ralston is co-chair of Chefs for Justice. PROVIDED PHOTO

Garcia is co-chair of the campaign with Nicole Caridad Ralston, a board member for the local ACLU and creator of the food-focused Instagram account @EatenPathNola. The campaign takes different forms at each participating business, from events to specials, with varying portions of proceeds benefiting the local ACLU. La Boca will hold an asado, an Argentine-style barbecue, on Sept. 13, with an outdoor grill for a casual, family-style feast and wine from the bar. The Basque restaurant Dolfy’s, run by the chef’s son, Adolfo Garcia Jr., will have a special happy hour on Sept. 19 with cocktails and pinchos (Basque-style bar snacks). PAGE 29

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The downtown French restaurant Vyoone’s has a “liberté flight” of three light cocktails paired with Gruyere gougeres during happy hour throughout the month, and Italian deli Francolini’s is serving a special sandwich called the Melting Pot for the month. Mister Mao has a lychee Mekong mule cocktail special all month. Haitian restaurant Fritai is pledging proceeds from its signature shrimp pikliz dish for the month, and Gautreau’s is doing the same with its shrimp and paneer gnudi. The campaign comes at a time when restaurants across the board struggle financially with the tail end of summer (September is often the slowest month for many). Yet they are stepping up with creative ways to support the cause. Turkey and the Wolf, known for its merchandise as well as its sandwiches and salads, has special retail items for sale branded for Chefs for Justice. Participating businesses also include Avegno, Brigtsen’s Restaurant, Café Conmigo, Dac Biet Supper Club, Flour Moon Bagels, Lagniappe Bakehouse, Levee Baking Co., Lilette, Mawi Tortillas & Shorelines Coastal Kitchen, Palm & Pine, Pizza Delicious, Sukeban, Tito’s Ceviche & Pisco and Two Bites Events and Catering. — Ian McNulty / The Times-Picayune

On the move

RECOMMENDING THE METAIRIE RESTAURANT DR. JONES (1325 Veterans

Memorial Blvd.) often comes with a bit of explanation. The diner in a tiny storefront can only accommodate a handful of people at a time, and there are few amenities and no liquor license. But a combination of culinary technique and creativity from its two chefs has won it a following. Now Dr. Jones’ chefs are developing a new restaurant in Uptown New Orleans that will be much larger and offer a dining experience more aligned with the caliber of food they’re creating. Chefs David Rouse and Billy Jones will open their new restaurant at 4842 Tchoupitoulas St., likely in November. The location was previously home to Wonderland & Sea. The name for the new restaurant is still in the works. The move will mean the end of the original Dr. Jones, which will likely close sometime in October. It will be an upscale neighborhood bistro, the chefs say, serving the type of food that has made Dr. Jones’ name in Metairie. “The experience will match the food we’re trying to serve,” Rouse says. That food has defied neat categorization, but has been consistently

Billy Jones (left) and David Rouse opened Dr. Jones. PHOTO BY IAN MCNULTY / THE TIMES-PICAYUNE

thrilling, with a basis of French technique and flavors augmented with global, often Asian, influences. It has served fried oysters with bright, citrusy yuzu kosho and fresh herbs, supple tagliatelle tangled around crabmeat with chili beurre blanc and chicken a la plancha with aioli and charred peppers. That food has filled the shoebox of a restaurant, which has about two dozen seats between tables and a small dining counter looking into the open kitchen. At the new restaurant, with about four times the seating, they’ll be able to expand their menu and offer wine and cocktails. “We love being here and love our clientele, but some of the things we want for our restaurant just aren’t possible in the space,” Jones says. The new restaurant’s design is intended to be refined but not formal. There will be a long bar extending from the kitchen, including a chef’s counter, and a main dining room of banquet seating and tables, while a covered patio will offer outdoor dining. Rouse and Jones are both Northshore natives. They both worked in Chicago, cooking in that city’s Michelin star restaurant realm. In New Orleans, they each eventually held chef de cuisine posts leading kitchens for the Link Restaurant Group — Rouse at Herbsaint and Jones at Cochon. Jones left to co-found Blue Giant, the American Chinese restaurant that has since closed. The two started working together again with a catering business, and opened Dr. Jones early in 2025. The location has been an incubator for bigger moves before. It was previously the first location of Yakuza House before the sushi restaurant moved to bigger digs at 2740 Severn Ave. The new restaurant will begin with dinner service, and may add lunch later. In the meantime, Dr. Jones remains open in Metairie, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Saturdays. It is BYOB. — Ian McNulty / The Times-Picayune

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PAGE 27

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3 COURSE INTERVIEW

Author

by Will Coviello CHELSEA BRASTED GREW UP IN NEW ORLEANS, and after covering

entertainment news at The TimesPicayune, she’s written for The New York Times, National Geographic, The Wall Street Journal, Food & Wine and more. She’s currently a reporter at Axios. Her new book “New Orleans Food Story” explores the city’s food and drink culture from restaurants and bars to shops and iconic products. She presents and signs the book at 7 p.m. Monday, Sept. 14, at the Jefferson Parish East Bank Public Library. For more information, visit chelseabrasted.com.

What was your approach to covering the city? CHELSEA BRASTED: It can be totally impossible to create anything that feels definitive, and so I didn’t try. What I wanted to do is take a snapshot of where the city is now, because the city’s food culture is at such a fascinating moment. I wanted to capture where we’ve been, so there are some of those traditional places. We have Cafe du Monde in there because it’s such a quintessential part of New Orleans food. And we also are thinking about where the city is going, so what are the places that are going to anchor the future of what food in New Orleans looks like? It’s hard to do, because things change all the time. About five days after we finished editing, Gris-Gris announced it was closing. I was like, “OK, it’s already outdated.” The sorting came down to thinking about the core question of where New Orleans has been and where is it going? Restaurants are a big part of that, but so is our bar culture. It may be more important to how New Orleans celebrates. It was important to me that we had bars that are part of second line stops. It is really key to how we celebrate and how we experience life in New Orleans. Extending that further, I love that there are grocery stores in this book. So much of New Orleans food is not happening at restaurants. It’s happening in backyards at crawfish boils. Or it’s happening in our dining rooms when we have friends over. Or it’s happening on a Tuesday night when you’re feeding your kids red beans and rice.

PHOTO PROVIDED BY CHELSEA BRASTED

It’s a really important part of our food culture to look at it more holistically and look at how we’re eating, how we’re drinking, how we’re celebrating, and how we’re mourning. That happens well beyond restaurants. When friends come to town and are like, “Where can I get the best New Orleans food,” I always joke that you have to go to so-andso’s mom’s house to get that. And that’s where having grocery stores in the book comes into play. I don’t think we’re going to forget how to make gumbo. And if you do, (Mosquito Supper Club’s) Melissa Martin still makes a really excellent version of it.

What is your sense of where our food is going? B: I reference this quote from (Commander’s Palace’s) Ti Martin — it’s in the essay in the front of the book. She has said to me in the last couple of years that she believes New Orleans is in this golden age of food. She does a better job of explaining her thesis. It says this is a key moment in New Orleans food history. To me, what’s key to that is how much diversity is playing a role in what we think of as New Orleans food in the future. One of the things I really love is that we have women leading some of the most notable, old-guard restaurants in New Orleans now. You have women leading Galatoire’s and Commander’s Palace and Brennan’s. Those are restaurants we think of as exemplifying what “New Orleans food” is. At the same time, some of the most exciting chefs that are cooking in New Orleans right now are not cooking red beans and rice or crawfish etouffee. It’s Serigne (Mbaye) over at Dakar,

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What do you think the products section shows about New Orleans? B: I think I had the most fun in this section. Purveyors is such a catchall but it felt like a fun way to bring in the miscellany, like CheeWees. Totally kitschy, but for me personally, a core part of after-school snacks growing up in New Orleans. I went to the Lusher school, which is now the Willow School, and every day on the way to the school bus, if you got out right at the bell, you could go spend 50 cents at a pop-up snack bar and get CheeWees for your ride home on the bus. Did everybody have that experience? Maybe not. But for me it was part of our food culture. And you still can get them on the parade route when someone throws them at your hands. Hubig’s Pies are classic. I also wanted to make sure I had bakeries in there. Bellegarde (Bakery) was hugely instrumental in making people think we can have better bread. This post-Katrina neighborhood bakery revival seems really valuable and important to how the city celebrates Mardi Gras right now. King cake culture during Carnival in the last 20 years has gotten bananas. You can even get a bananas Foster king cake in multiple places. But it’s intense, and one of the things that has fueled this is this rise of neighborhood-specific bakery experience. You see more independent bakeries in New Orleans now. Growing up here, if you were getting king cake in school, you got Randazzo’s or Gambino’s or Haydel’s, and it was kind of like a rotation. Now it’s like you can’t even keep track of how many there are.

3701 iberville st • 504.488.6582 katiesinmidcity.com • Mon-Thurs 11am-9pm Fri & Sat 11am-10pm • Sun 10am-5pm

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or Ana (Castro) at Acamaya. Those are folks who are connecting New Orleans food to other cultures in fascinating ways. I think that’s going to be fun to watch. In a lot of ways, we’re gaining perspective, and understanding where our food culture came from. Serigne is great at describing the history of gumbo. That doesn’t happen in New Orleans without the African influence and enslaved people bringing those flavors and that sensibility over to this soil.

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Out to 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. 3rd Block Depot — 316 Chartres St., (504) 552-4095; 3rdblockdepot.com — The menu ranges from seafood and sausage gumbo and Gulf shrimp ceviche to smashburgers and steaks. Brunch brings crab cake Benedict with hollandaise on an English muffin. Reservations available. Breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner daily. $$$ Acropolis Cuisine — 3841 Veterans Memorial Blvd., Metairie, (504) 888-9046; acropoliscuisine.com — The menu of classic Greek dishes includes souvlaki, gyros and pita wraps, spanakopita, hummus and Greek salads. Moussaka has layers of eggplant, potatoes, zucchini, ground beef and bechamel. No reservations. Lunch and dinner daily. $$ Angelo Brocato’s — 214 N. Carrollton Ave., (504) 486-1465; angelobrocatoicecream. com — This Mid-City sweet shop serves its own gelato in flavors like praline, salted caramel and tiramisu, as well as Italian ices in flavors like lemon, strawberry and mango. There also are cannolis, biscotti, fig cookies, tiramisu, macaroons and coffee drinks. No reservations. Lunch and dinner Tue.-Sun. $ Annunciation — 1016 Annunciation St., (504) 568-0245; annunciationrestaurant.com — Gulf fish Capri includes artichokes, crawfish, tomatoes and capers. There also are oysters, seafood pasta dishes, salads, steaks, lamb chops and desserts like bananas Foster bread pudding and lemon icebox tart. Reservations recommended. Dinner Thu.-Mon. $$$ Audubon Clubhouse — 6500 Magazine St., (504) 558-1200; audubonclubhouse.com — The menu by Dickie Brennan and Co. includes crabmeat cheesecake, shrimp remoulade, fried oysters, burgers, sandwiches and more. Shrimp Tchefuncte combines house-made andouille, mushrooms, popcorn rice and Creole meuniere sauce. Outdoor seating available. Reservations recommended. Brunch, lunch and dinner daily. $$$ Banana Blossom — 500 9th St., Gretna, (504) 500-0997; 504bananablossom. com — There are traditional Thai dishes like pad thai, green curry, pineapple fried rice, drunken noodles and coconut shrimp as well as original creations. Beef rib Chiang Mai features a slow-braised beef rib with yellow curry, egg noodles, pickled mustard greens, cilantro and chili oil. No reservations. Lunch and dinner Tue.-Sat. $$ Budsi’s Authentic Thai — 1760 N. Rampart St., (504) 381-4636; budsisthai.com — Chef Budsaba Mason prepares dishes from her native Issan region of Thailand and other popular Thai dishes like papaya salad, grilled pork shoulder, larb, khao soi, pad thai and red curry. No reservations. Lunch and dinner Tue.-Sun. $$ Chef Ron’s Gumbo Stop — 2309 N. Causeway Blvd., Metairie, (504) 835-2022; gumbostop. com — The Gumbo Stop has several gumbo varieties including chicken and sausage gumbo and seafood gumbo with shrimp, crab and crawfish. The menu also has boudin balls, Bayou shrimp scampi, crawfish etouffee and fried shrimp po-boys. Reservations accepted. Lunch and dinner Tue.-Sat. $$ The Commissary — 634 Orange St., (504) 274-1850; thecommissarynola.com — Dickie Brennan’s Commissary supplies his other restaurant kitchens and also has a dine-in

$ — average dinner entrée under $10 $$ — $11-$20 $$$ — $20-up menu and prepared foods to go. A smoked turkey sandwich is served with bacon, tomato jam, herbed cream cheese, arugula and herb vinaigrette on honey oat bread. The menu includes dips, salads, sandwiches, boudin balls, fried oysters and more. No reservations. Outdoor seating available. Lunch Tue.-Sat. $$ The Country Club — 634 Louisa St., (504) 945-0742; thecountryclubneworleans. com — The Bywater restaurant and pool has a menu of crab beignets, truffle mac and cheese, shrimp and grits, burgers and more. Seared redfish is served with kale, toasted chickpeas, sesame seeds, chili crisp and whipped tahini. Outdoor seating available. Reservations recommended. Lunch, brunch and dinner daily. $$$ Delacroix Restaurant — 1 Poydras St., (504) 655-9002; delacroixrestaurant.com — With views overlooking the Mississippi River, the restaurant serves a mix of South Louisiana dishes like smoked duck gumbo, crawfish bisque, shrimp Creole, blackened redfish and crawfish étouffée. Drum amandine is served with green beans and stewed potatoes. Reservations available. Lunch and dinner daily. $$$ Desire Oyster Bar — Royal Sonesta New Orleans, 300 Bourbon St., (504) 5860300; sonesta.com/desireoysterbar — A menu full of Gulf seafood includes oysters served raw on the half-shell or char-broiled with with Parmesan, garlic and herbs. The menu also includes po-boys, gumbo, blackened fish, fried seafood platters and more. Reservations recommended. Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. $$ Dickie Brennan’s Bourbon House — 144 Bourbon St., (504) 522-0111; bourbonhouse. com — There’s a seafood raw bar with raw and char-broiled oysters, fish dip, crab fingers, shrimp and more. Redfish “on the half-shell” is cooked skin-on and served with crab-boiled potatoes, frisee and lemon buerre blanc. The bar offers a wide selection of bourbon and whiskies. Reservations accepted. Lunch and dinner daily. $$$ Dickie Brennan’s Steakhouse — 716 Iberville St., (504) 522-2467; dickiebrennanssteakhouse.com — The menu includes a variety of steaks, plus seared Gulf fish, lobster pasta, barbecue shrimp and more. A 6-ounce filet mignon is served with fried oysters, creamed spinach, potatoes and bearnaise. Reservations recommended. Dinner Mon.-Sat. $$$ Domenica — 123 Baronne St., (504) 6486020; domenicarestaurant.com — The Italian restaurant offers a mix of wood-fired Napolitano-style pizzas and house-made pastas. Appetizers include various salumi and cheese boards, antipasti, roasted cauliflower and more. Reservations accepted. Lunch and dinner daily. $$$ Don’s Seafood — 4801 Veterans Memorial Blvd., Metairie, (504) 888-1555; donsseafoodonline.com — The seafood options range from char-broiled oysters to seafood gumbo, fried shrimp and catfish platters and stuffed flounder. The menu also has rib-eye steaks. Reservations accepted for large parties. Lunch and dinner daily. $$ Elizabeth’s Restaurant — 601 Gallier St., (504) 944-9272; elizabethsrestaurantnola.com

— Elizabeth’s is known for its signature praline bacon, and the menu also includes boudin balls, shrimp and grits, chicken and waffles and eggs Florentine. Outdoor seating available. Reservations accepted for parties of 10 or more. Breakfast and lunch daily. $$ Katie’s Restaurant — 3701 Iberville St., (504) 488-6582; katiesinmidcity.com — The Cajun Cuban is stuffed with roasted pork, ham, Swiss cheese, pickles and mustard. The eclectic menu also includes char-grilled oysters, sandwiches, burgers, pizza, fried seafood platters, pasta, salads and more. Delivery available. Reservations accepted for large parties. Lunch and dinner daily. $$ King Brasserie & Bar — Kimpton Hotel Fontenot, 501 Tchoupitoulas St., (504) 324-3000; kingbrasserieandbar.com — The restaurant’s menu is inspired by the cuisine of the Riviera and southern France. There are dishes like steak frites and bouillabaisse as well as blackened Gulf fish and barbecue shrimp and oysters. Reservations recommended. Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. $$$ Legacy Kitchen’s Craft Tavern — 700 Tchoupitoulas St., (504) 613-2350; legacykitchen.com — The menu includes oysters, flatbreads, burgers, sandwiches, salads and sharable plates like NOLA Tot Debris. A slow-cooked pulled pork barbecue sandwich is served with coleslaw on a brioche bun. Reservations accepted. Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. $$ Legacy Kitchen Steak & Chop — 91 Westbank Expressway, Gretna, (504) 513-2606; legacykitchen.com — The selection of steaks and chops includes filet mignon, bone-in rib-eye, top sirloin and double pork chops and a la carte toppings include bearnaise, blue cheese and sauteed crabmeat. There also are burgers, salads, pasta, seafood entrees, char-broiled oysters and more. Reservations accepted. Outdoor seating available. Lunch and dinner Mon.-Sat. $$ Luke — 333 St. Charles Ave., (504) 3782840; lukeneworleans.com — The raw bar offers oysters, boiled shrimp, cured tuna, smoked trout dip and more. The menu has dishes like shrimp and grits, crab omelets, crawfish etouffee and steak frites. Reservations encouraged. Breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner daily. $$$ Lyons Corner — 537 Gravier St., (504) 527-0006; lyonscornernola.com — The eclectic menu includes Cajun prawns, bangbang fried oysters, chicken sandwiches, salads and more. In the morning, there are breakfast empanadas, muffins, croissants, scones, beignets and more. Delivery and takeout available. No reservations. Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. $$ Mikimoto — 3301 S. Carrollton Ave., (504) 488-1881; mikimotosushi.com — The menu of Japanese cuisine includes sushi, signature rolls, tempura fried items, udon noodles, teriyaki, salads and more.The South Carrollton roll includes tuna tataki, avocado, snow crab, green onion and wasabi roe. Reservations accepted. Delivery available. Lunch Sun.-Fri., dinner daily. $$ Mosca’s — 4137 Highway 90 West, Westwego, (504) 436-8950; moscasrestaurant.com — This family-style eatery serves Italian dishes and specialties including shrimp Mosca, baked oysters Mosca and spaghetti bordelaise and chicken cacciatore. Chicken a la grands is sauteed with garlic, rosemary, Italian herbs and white wine. 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 dressed with sliced cabbage like the Famous Ferdi filled with ham, roast beef and debris. Creole favorites include jambalaya, crawfish etouffee, red beans and rice and more. Breakfast is available all day. Delivery available. No reservations. Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. $$ Orleans Grapevine Wine Bar & Bistro — 720 Orleans Ave., (504) 523-1930; orleansgrapevine.com — The wine bar offers a selectoin of cheese boards and appetizers. Creole pasta combines shrimp and andouille in tomato cream sauce. Reservations accepted for large parties. Outdoor seating available. Dinner Thu.-Sun. $$ Pascal’s Manale — 1838 Napoleon Ave., (504) 895-4877; pascalsmanale. com — This Creole-Italian spot invented New Orleans-style barbecue shrimp, and the menu also includes seafood gumbo, crab cakes, oysters and Italianstyle pasta dishes. There’s also an oyster bar. Reservations recommended. Lunch and dinner Tue.-Sat. $$$ Peacock Room — Kimpton Hotel Fontenot, 501 Tchoupitoulas St., (504) 324-3073; peacockroomnola.com — At brunch, braised short rib grillades are served over grits with mushrooms, a poached egg and shaved truffle. The dinner menu has oysters, salads, pasta, shrimp and grits, a burger, cheese plates and more. Reservations accepted. Dinner Wed.-Mon., brunch Sun. $$ Pizza Domenica — 4933 Magazine St., (504) 301-4978; pizzadomenica.com — Pizza is the focus of this offshoot of the Italian restaurant Domenica. There also are meatballs, roasted cauliflower and house-made pastas. No reservations. Lunch and dinner daily. $$ Restaurant August — 301 Tchoupitoulas St., (504) 299-9777; restaurantaugust.com — The fine dining restaurant serves Creole and contemporary dishes featuring foie gras, Gulf fish, duck and more. Gnocchi are served with crab, summer truffles and Parmesan. Reservations recommended. Dinner Sun.-Fri., lunch Fri. $$$ Rivershack Tavern — 3449 River Road, Jefferson, (504) 834-4938; rivershacktavern.com — This tavern along the levee offers a casual menu of roast beef po-boys, burgers, wraps, fried shrimp platters, catfish and gumbo. A country fried steak is served with brown gravy, mashed potatoes, vegetables and salad. Outdoor seating available. No reservations. Lunch and dinner daily. $$ Shaya — 4213 Magazine St., (504) 891-4213; shayarestaurant.com — The Mediterranean and Middle Eastern menu includes dishes like hummus, falafel, kebabs, grilled chicken and woodoven pita bread. A chicken schnitzel sandwich is dressed with little gem lettuce, pickles and harissa mayonnaise on sesame brioche bread. Outdoor seating available. Reservations recommended. Lunch and dinner daily. $$$ Stingray’s Restaurant & Bar — 1303 W. Esplanade Ave., Kenner, (504) 443-4040; stingraysseafoodrestaurant.com — Zydeco fish is stuffed with crabmeat dressing and topped with shrimp cream sauce. The menu also includes fried shrimp and oyster

platters, grilled redfish, crabmeat jalapeños, and boudin egg rolls. Reservations available. Lunch and dinner daily. $$$ Tableau — 616 St. Peter St., (504) 9343463; tableaufrenchquarter.com — The menu features traditional and creative Creole dishes. Pasta bouillabaisse features squid ink mafaldine, little neck clams, Gulf shrimp, squid, seafood broth, rouille and herbed breadcrumbs. Outdoor seating available on the balcony. Reservations recommended. Dinner Wed.-Sun., brunch Thu.-Sun. $$$ Tacklebox — 817 Common St., (504) 827-1651; legacykitchen.com — The menu includes raw and char-broiled oysters, seafood platters, po-boys, fried chicken, crab and corn bisque and more. Redfish St. Charles is served with garlic-herb butter, asparagus, mushrooms and crawfish cornbread. Reservations accepted. Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. $$ Tavi — 330 N. New Hampshire St., (985) 200-2045; tavirestaurant. com — The menu combines dishes from the Middle East, North Africa and the Mediterranean. There’s hummus, falafel, kebabs, flatbreads, grilled fish, lamb burgers and more. Reservations accepted. Lunch and dinner daily. $$$ 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, wings, breadsticks and more. Delivery available. Lunch and dinner daily. $ The Vintage — 3121 Magazine St., (504) 324-7144; thevintagenola.com — There’s a full coffee drinks menu and baked goods and beignets, as well as a full bar. The menu has flatbreads, cheese boards, small plates and a pressed vegetable sandwich with avocado, onions, arugula, red pepper and pepper jack cheese. No reservations. Delivery and outdoor seating available. Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. $$ Vyoone’s — 412 Girod St., (504) 381-4384; vyoone.com — The French-Creole menu includes dishes like escargot, crawfish beignets, crab cakes, shrimp pasta, duck a l’orange and lamb chops. Reservations recommended. Dinner Wed.-Sun. $$$ Willa Jean — 611 O’Keefe Ave., (504) 509-7334; willajean.com — The bakery and cafe serves biscuits with honey butter, cookies, pastries, breakfast sandwiches, shrimp and grits and more. Avocado toasts are made with house-baked ciabatta topped with tomatillo, spiced pepitas, pickled onion, cilantro and chipotle aioli. Outdoor seating available. No reservations. Breakfast and lunch daily. $$ Yinzer’s Amazing Cheesesteaks — 1514 Delachaise St., (412) 860-6801; yinzersamazingcheesesteaks.com —There are classic and original cheesesteaks filled with steak, chicken and more. Diners can opt for toppings like provolone, house-made cheddar whiz, mushrooms, onions, banana peppers and more. Delivery available. No reservations. Lunch and dinner Wed.-Sun. $

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ROSES

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11.99

1 DOZEN SHORT STEM IN STOCK

vibrant “Syndicate.” The band kicks off a national tour with a New Orleans show at 8 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 9, at the Civic Theatre. Tickets start at $44.05 via civicnola.com.

Orleans Saints battle the Detroit Lions. There also will be a market and food vendors. At 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 13, on the levee near the Algiers Ferry Terminal.

Frida Fest

Brasas Latin Flavor Fest

The celebration of Hispanic heritage features music by Mariachi Jalisco, a Frida Kahlo look-alike contest, Latin food, a market and more. At 1-6 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 12, at Cafe Istanbul. Presented by Studio Shakti and Las Fridas Krewe. Admission $15-$20 via studioshaktinola.com/rsvp, and children under 13 get in free.

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‘Cain’

‘Cain’ re-imagines composer Alessandro Scarlatti’s Baroque piece about Cain murdering his brother Abel. The ballet-opera opens a season of joint works by Marigny Opera Ballet and Verismo Opera, and it will be performed with a chamber orchestra featuring members of the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra and Delachaise Ensemble. The show is directed by Marigny Opera House’s new executive director Bogdan Mynka and choreographed by Amalia Najera. At 8 p.m. Friday, Sept. 11, through Sunday, Sept. 13, and Sept. 16 -18. Tickets $39.11 and up via marignyoperahouse.org.

‘Finding Neverland’

2026

A sort of backstory musical, “Finding Neverland” follows J.M. Barrie as a young playwright as he meets a widowed women with four young children in London. He tries to help out and entertains the boys with stories, and his experiences help him write “Peter Pan,” the drama of a boy who never grows up. Rivertown Theaters presents the show at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 11, and Saturday, Sept. 12, and 2 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 13, and continuing Sept. 18-20 & 24-27. Tickets $53.29$68.66 via rivertowntheaters.com.

School

OPEN HOUSE Calendar

Joe Avery

RUNNING IN THE SEPTEMBER 28TH, OCTOBER 5TH, AND OCTOBER 12TH ISSUES OF GAMBIT SEPTEMBER 28TH ISSUE (Best of New Orleans)

OCTOBER 5TH ISSUE

OCTOBER 12TH ISSUE (School Guide)

Reserve space by SEPTEMBER 18

Reserve space by SEPTEMBER 25

Reserve space by OCTOBER 2

In his latest special, Joe Avery jokes about not being ready for adult life but wading into responsibilities because of social pressure. He’s appeared on Comedy Central and Don’t Tell Comedy specials. At 7 & 9 p.m. Friday, Sept. 11, and Saturday, Sept. 12, at Sports Drink. Tickets $28.99 via sportsdrink.org.

Sunday on the Point To advertise, contact Abigail Bordelon at 504-636-7427 or abigail.bordelon@gambitweekly.com

The Krewe of Alla and the Algiers Development Corporation host a mini-festival on Algiers Point with a large screen to watch the New

The festival has music by Fermin Ceballos and Merengue4four and La Tran-K Band and Latin food from various vendors. At 5-9 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 12, at Heritage Park at 2015 4th St. in Kenner’s Rivertown. Find information at kenner.la.us/brasasfest.

Croz Boyce

Multi-instrumentalists Dave Portner and Brian Weitz play together in the adventurous psych-pop band Animal Collective, under the names Avey Tare and Geologist, respectively. They have a new collaboration, Croz Boyce, and in May released an album of relaxed, warm instrumental music. Croz Boyce comes to New Orleans for a show at 9 p.m. Friday, Sept. 11, at Gasa Gasa. Tickets are $36.15 via gasagasanola.com.

Nik Parr & the Selfless Lovers Pianist and vocalist Nik Parr leads the Selfless Lovers in sweaty roots rock, and sometimes he picks up the saxophone as well. The Austin, Texas, band performs at 9 p.m. Friday, Sept. 11, at Chickie Wah Wah. Tickets $26.96 and up via chickiewahwah.com.

‘French Quarter Bohemia, 1926’

In 1926, author William Faulkner and artist William Spratling were sharing a French Quarter apartment when they decided to make a book of sketches titled “Sherwood Anderson and Other Famous Creoles.” The book was meant to be a fun item for their friends, but it sold a number of copies and has become an interesting time capsule of that era. Coinciding with the book’s 100th anniversary, the Historic New Orleans Collection hosts an afternoon symposium about the bohemian French Quarter of the 1920s. There are sessions about the authors, painters and preservationists of the era, and a soiree featuring The Slick Skillet Serenaders, an open bar and hors d’oeuvres. “French Quarter Bohemia, 1926” starts at 2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 12, and sessions are free to attend with RSVP. The soiree is $20. Find more info at hnoc.org.

35 G AMBIT > BESTOFNE WORLE ANS.COM > SEPTEMBER 7 - 13 > 2026

MUSIC 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 7 ALLWAYS LOUNGE — Betsey Propane Smokeshow, 7 pm APPLE BARREL — Decaturadio, 6 pm; Bread for Sale, 10 pm BACCHANAL — Byron Asher Duo, 7 pm BAMBOULA’S — The New Orleans Rug Cutters, 12 pm BJ’S LOUNGE — Red Beans & Blues with The Rump Shakers, 9 pm BROADSIDE — Hot Summer Salsa Nights with DJ Lady B, 7 pm BUFFA’S — David Doucet, 7 pm CAFÉ ISTANBUL — Gio’s Giazz Giam, 8 pm CARROLLTON STATION — Biscuits n’ Jam with Meryl Zimmerman & Friends, 10 pm DBA — Secret Six Jazz Band, 6 pm; Corey Henry & the Treme Funktet, 9:30 pm DOS JEFES — John Fohl, 8:30 pm FRITZEL’S JAZZ CLUB — Tin Men, 5 pm; Richard Scott & Friends, 8 pm HOLY DIVER — International & Irrational with DJ Chrischarge, 10 pm LE BON TEMPS ROULÉ — VetJams, 7 pm MAHOGANY JAZZ HALL — Tom Hook, 6 pm; The Original Tuxedo Jazz Band, 8 pm THE MAISON — Gene’s Music Machine, 8 pm NOLA BREWING & PIZZA CO — Bluegrass Pickin' Party, 7 pm SATURN BAR — BC Coogan, 8 pm SPOTTED CAT — Jenavieve Cooke & the Winding Boys, 2 pm; Dominick Grillo & the Frenchmen Street All-Stars, 6 pm

TUESDAY 8 30/90 — Sugar & The Daddies, 6 pm APPLE BARREL — Bubbles Brown, 6 pm; Jackson’s Flying Circus, 10 pm BACCHANAL — Tangiers Combo, 6 pm BANKS STREET BAR — VetJams, 7 pm BAYOU BAR — The OG’s, 8 & 10 pm BJ'S LOUNGE BYWATER — Bruisey's Bottoms Up Open Mic, 9 pm BUFFA’S — Alex McMurray, 7 pm CAFÉ NEGRIL — The Super-MostFantastic-Blues-N-Such Jam, 7 pm DOS JEFES — Tom Hook, 8:30 pm

THE FILLMORE — Sevendust + Theory of a Deadman + Return to Dust, 7 pm FRITZEL’S JAZZ CLUB — Richard “Piano” Scott, 1 pm; Colin Myers Orchestra, 5 pm; Fritzel’s All Star Band with Jamil Sharif, 8 pm GASA GASA — The Miss B. Haven Show, 9:30 pm MAHOGANY JAZZ HALL — Big Joe Kennedy, 6 pm; Joe Lastie’s New Orleans Sound, 8 pm THE MAISON — Paradise Jazz Band, 8 pm MAPLE LEAF BAR — Very Good Tuesday, 8 pm NEW ORLEANS JAZZ MUSEUM — Arrowhead Jazz Band with Chloe White, 3 pm OKAY BAR — DOOMSCROLL + Hans Gruber & the Die Hards + Ska Bueller + Aydin Sabala, 7 pm THE RABBIT HOLE — Rebirth Brass Band, 10 pm SATURN BAR — Jonathan Brown with J.Mix and Pat Smith, 9 pm SIBERIA — Shearling + Guts Club + Days of Grief, 9 pm SPOTTED CAT — Chris Christy Band, 2 pm; Sweetie Pies of New Orleans, 6 pm; Smoking Time Jazz Club, 9:30 pm

ST. ROCH TAVERN — Hairaoke: Haircuts & Karaoke, 8 pm VAUGHAN’S LOUNGE — Cuttin’ Up with Lil Prince & the Youngbloods, 10 pm

THURSDAY 10 APPLE BARREL — Hobo Gadget, 6 pm; Joey Houck, 10 pm BACCHANAL — Jesse Morrow, 6 pm BAYOU BAR — Firm Roots, 8 pm; 10 pm BLUE NILE — Grammy Award-Winning Irvin Mayfield's Music Church with Special Guests, 9 pm BLUE NILE BALCONY ROOM — Reggae Night with DJ T-Roy (BALCONY ROOM), 11 pm BUFFA’S — Mark Carroll, 7 pm CAFÉ ISTANBUL — Poets on Poets, 8 pm CAFÉ NEGRIL — Jam-ilton, 7:30 pm CIVIC THEATRE — The Midnight, 8 pm DBA — The Next Level Band, 8 pm DOS JEFES — Z2, 8:30 pm THE FILLMORE — Chance the Rapper, 8 pm FRITZEL’S JAZZ CLUB — Richard “Piano” Scott, 1 pm; Fritzel’s All Star Band with Kevin Ray Clark, 8 pm HOLY DIVER — The Amazing Henrietta, 8 pm

Guts Club plays at Siberia with Shearling and Days of Grief Tuesday, Sep. 8 at 9 p.m. PROVIDED PHOTO BY RICKEY TORRANCE

MAHOGANY JAZZ HALL — Paul Longstreth, 6 pm; Mahogany Hall All Stars ft. Tom Fischer, 8 pm THE MAISON — Gene’s Music Machine, 6 pm MAPLE LEAF BAR — Happy Organ Hour, 7 pm NEW ORLEANS JAZZ & BLUES MARKET — Summer Music Series ft. Marc Paradis, 7 pm PAULIE’S — PUPS Jam, 8 pm PEACOCK ROOM, HOTEL FONTENOT — Da Lovebirds with Robin Barnes and Pat Casey , 7 pm Santos Bar — Chambre Noir with DJ Paco, 10 pm SATURN BAR — Life of Riley + Butte + Lyla DiPaul, 9 pm SIBERIA — Powerplant + W-9 + Steef, 9 pm SNUG HARBOR — Delfeayo Marsalis & the Uptown Jazz Orchestra, 7:30 & 9:30 pm SPOTTED CAT — Chris Christy Band, 2 pm; Shotgun Jazz Band, 6 pm; Marty Peters & The Party Meters, 9:30 pm TRUE SOUTH — Ugly Rumors, 7:30 pm PAGE 37

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PAGE 35

VAUGHAN’S LOUNGE — Nat & Kat Cajun String Band + Dance Lesson with Louisiana Dance Roots, 7:30 pm

FRIDAY 11 APPLE BARREL — Bubbles Brown, 6 pm; Johnny B, 10 pm BACCHANAL — Raphael Bas, 6 pm BAYOU BAR — Cryptic, 8 pm; 10 pm BJ’S LOUNGE — The New Orleans Jazz Vipers, 9 pm BLUE NILE — The Rozes, 8 pm BLUE NILE BALCONY ROOM — DJ ChiNola, 10 pm BMC — Maurice Cade & E.S.S, 6 pm; Kat Kiley Experience, 9 pm CAFÉ NEGRIL — Ado Soul & The Tribe, 10 pm CAROUSEL BAR — Leslie Martin, 5:30 pm CHICKIE WAH WAH — Nik Parr & The Selfless Lovers, 9 pm DBA — Vegas Cola Band, 8 pm DOS JEFES — Mr. Kohl, 8:30 pm DOUBLE DEALER — John Saavedra, 9 pm FAVELA CHIC — Groovy’s House Party ft. DJ Groovy Smooth, 9 pm GOOD MEASURE — Arséne DeLay & Charlie Wooton ft. Keiko Komaki, 8 pm LE BON TEMPS ROULE — The Soul Rebels, 11 pm MAHOGANY JAZZ HALL — The New Orleans Catahoulas, 6 pm; Jamil Sharif New Orleans Extravaganza, 8 pm THE MAISON — Sugar & the Daddies, 8:30 pm OKAY BAR — Missing + Delores Galore + Tina Beef, 9 pm PAULIE’S — James Hausman & Mark Rubin, 6 pm PEACOCK ROOM — Da Lovebirds: Robin Barnes & Pat Casey, 8 pm SATURN BAR — Zoomst and Whisper Party, 9 pm SIBERIA — Rezn + Lockstep, 9 pm SNUG HARBOR — Gladney, 7:30 & 9:30 pm SPOTTED CAT — Chris Christy Band, 2 pm; Miss Sophie Lee, 6 pm; Jumbo Shrimp Jazz Band, 10 pm TIPITINA’S — Mountain Grass Unit Appalachian Smoke Tour, 8 pm VAUGHAN’S LOUNGE — Corey Henry & The Treme Funktet, 10 pm

FRIDAY 11 30/90 — New Orleans Johnnys, 8 pm ANNA’S — The Upstairs Tee Na Na Nay with DJs Lady Li, Karo & Rey Roge, 9 pm APPLE BARREL — Bubbles Brown, 6 pm; Joey Houck, 10 pm

BACCHANAL — Willie Green, 7 pm BANKS STREET BAR — Honest Man Happy Hour with Domenic Fusca, 4 pm BAYOU BAR — Oh Yeah!, 8 pm; 10 pm BJ’S LOUNGE — Jenn Howard + Papa Mali Trio, 9 pm BLUE NILE — Kermit Ruffins & the BBQ Swingers, 10 pm; DJ Chinola (upstairs), 10 pm BMC — Parish Line, 6 pm; Big Mike & the R&B Kings, 9 pm BRUTTO AMERICANO — Jazz to Table ft. Eliza Sonnenschein, 6 pm CAFÉ NEGRIL — Gabe Stillman Band, 6 pm; Higher Heights, 10 pm CHICKIE WAH WAH — Nik Parr & The Selfless Lovers, 9 pm DBA — Michael Watson & The Alchemy, 6 pm; The Soul Rebels, 10 pm DOS JEFES — ¡Vivaz!, 9 pm DOUBLE DEALER — Hobo Gadget Junk Band, 9:30 pm GASA GASA — CROZ BOYCE: Avey Tare & Geologist (Animal Collective), 8 pm GOOD MEASURE — Los Guiros, 9 pm HOLY DIVER — Mugger + The King’s Cannons + Numb Ways + Gacked, 8 pm LE BON TEMPS ROULÉ — Hash Cabbage, 11 pm LE PONCE — Manny Artega, 8 pm MAHOGANY JAZZ HALL — Kid Chocolate & Free P.O.C., 3 pm; Delfeayo Marsalis Quintet, 7 pm; Mahogany Hall Jazz Band ft. Mike Fulton, 9:30 pm MARIGNY OPERA HOUSE — CAIN : A Newly Reimagined Ballet-Opera, 8 pm THE RABBIT HOLE — Hole Hearted House ft. DJs Romancing the Stoned & Tchoupo, 10 pm

DJs Matty and Kristen Aul return to Saturn Bar for their monthly Mod Dance Party Saturday, Sep. 12 at 10 p.m. PHOTO BY ENAN CHEDIAK / THE TIMES-PICAYUNE

SANTOS BAR — DJ Mijita, 10 pm SIBERIA — Baby In The 90s + The Hand Grenades + Vienne Notarianni, 9 pm SNUG HARBOR — Victor Goines Quartet, 7:30 pm; 9:30 pm TIPITINA’S — Rebirth Brass Band + LeTrainiump, 9 pm

SATURDAY 12 APPLE BARRELL — Felipe Kerra, 6 pm; Smokey Greenwell, 10 pm BACCHANAL — Pete Olynciw, 7 pm BJ’S LOUNGE — Jeffrey Broussard & the Nighttime Syndicate + Holiday Playgirls, 9 pm BLUE NILE — Afrobeat NOLA, 10 pm BLUE NILE — The Caesar Brothers' FunkBox, 7:30 pm BMC — Andre Lovett Band, 3 pm; Gabe Stillman, 6 pm; Curtis Family, 9 pm CAFÉ NEGRIL — Orphaned In Storyville, 1:30 pm; Sunny Side, 6 pm; Lyndsey Smith, 10 pm CHICKIE WAH WAH — Channel One Sound System, 9 pm DBA — Young Lion Showcase, 2:30 pm; Margie Perez, 6 pm; Lyndsey Smith, 10 pm DOS JEFES — Betty Shirley, 9 pm DOUBLE DEALER — Joey Houck, 9:30 pm THE FILLMORE — Bop To The Top, 8 pm GASA GASA — Suplecs w/ Fen Magus, 9 pm GOOD MEASURE — Thomas Glass & The Smack City All Stars, 9 pm

HOLY DIVER — The Schisms + Bright Cloud + Ben & DC of Bipolaroid, 9 pm HOUSE OF BLUES — Mr. Dr. Sic, 6 pm; DJ Mic Phedusha, 9 pm LE BON TEMPS ROULÉ — Lynn Drury, 11 pm THE MAISON — Nola Axe Men; 1 pm; Smoking Time Jazz Club, 4 pm OKAY BAR — Krewe Of Buku Booze Presents: The Bloomies + Issy, 3 pm; DJ Rusty Lazer, 10 pm RABBIT HOLE — Sippy: NOLA, 10 pm SANTOS BAR — Kontravoid + Buzz Kill + People In Black, 10 pm SATURN BAR — Mod Dance Party, 10 pm SIBERIA — Hidanny with badoutfit and Across Phoenix, 9 pm SMOOTHIE KING CENTER — Cash Money & No Limit Tour, 8 pm SNUG HARBOR — Herlin Riley, 7:30 & 9:30 pm TIGERMEN DEN — Banana Creems + Art Openings, 7 pm TIPITINA’S — Big In The 90s, 9 pm

SUNDAY 13 APPLE BARREL — Shwag, 6 pm; Steve Mignano, 10 pm BACCHANAL — Miles Berry, 7 pm BJ’S LOUNGE — James McClaskey & the Rhythm Band, 9 pm BLUE NILE — Juice presents Sypher Sundays, 7 pm; BMC — Deej Flava & Mother Ruckus, 3 pm; JAM Brass Band, 6 pm; Curtis Family, 9 pm BROADSIDE — Tophouse, 8 pm CAFÉ NEGRIL — John Lisi & Delta Funk, 4 pm; Caitie B. & the Hand Me Downs, 9 pm DBA — Paradise Jazz Band, 6 pm; The Jump Hounds, 9:30 pm DOS JEFES — Peter Nu, 8 pm GASA GASA — El Ten Eleven with Ishi, 7 pm THE MAISON — Jenavieve and the Winding Boys, 6 pm; Krewe Debauchery, 9 pm SATURN BAR — Basher + C’est Funk, 9 pm SPOTTED CAT — Jacky Blaire & the Hot Biscuits, 2 pm; Treme Brass Band, 6 pm; Pat Casey & the New Sound, 9 pm

SCAN FOR THE COMPLETE GAMBIT CALENDAR

G AMBIT > BESTOFNE WORLE ANS.COM > SEPTEMBER 7 ! 13 > 2026

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G AMBIT > BESTOFNE WORLE ANS.COM > SEPTEMBER 7 - 13 > 2026

You voted, New Orleans, and we’re counting the ballots now! More than 110,000 votes have been cast, and we couldn’t be more grateful. Thank you for being part of this incredible community and for making your voice heard. The winners and runners-up will be revealed in our BIGGEST issue of the year, publishing on September 28. Stay tuned!

r a l u p o P Most ISSUE

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D I S TR I B U T I ON: Reach more than 300,000 readers with expanded circulation in ALL Gambit racks and inside the Times-Picayune* • 250 locations across the greater New Orleans area • Inserted into all copies of the Times-Picayune home delivery to paid subscribers • Emailed to 60,000 Gambytes email subscribers • Shared on the Gambit and nola.com social media pages

ISSUE DATE: SEPTEMBER 28 RESERVE SPACE BY: SEPTEMBER 18

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Bout Dat

Master P reflects on New Orleans hip-hop, the No Limit & Cash Money joint tour and the Saints | by Jake Clapp IN THE ’90S AND EARLY 2000S, NO LIMIT AND CASH MONEY HELPED

put New Orleans squarely into the national hip-hop conversation. Led by rapper, entrepreneur and label CEO Percy “Master P” Miller, No Limit Records boasted a lineup with Mia X, C-Murder, Silkk the Shocker, Mystikal, Mac, the late Soulja Slim, the production team Beats by the Pound and, for a time, Snoop Dogg. The label was known for quickly turning out jam-packed albums and cross promoting its “soldiers” in a way that maintained the hype. Its output in 1998 is nothing short of legendary, with 23 albums released — six of which went platinum, selling at least a million copies each, and another five certified gold. At the same time, brothers Bryan “Baby” Williams (now also known as Birdman) and Ronald “Slim” Williams had built Cash Money into its own powerhouse, signing a blockbuster distribution deal with Universal Records in March 1998 and issuing albums by Lil Wayne, Juvenile, B.G., Young Turk and in-house producer Mannie Fresh and Birdman’s duo Big Tymers. By the end of 1999, the label had four albums simultaneously in the Billboard top 20. The success of No Limit and Cash Money is an important part of New Orleans history — and the names of their founders, rappers and producers are virtually household names in the city. Last October, the two labels shared a stage in Las Vegas as part of the Verzuz series, which sees rappers, singers, DJs and other artists going head-to-head in a song battle. And with Birdman, Mannie Fresh, Juvenile and B.G. on one side and Master P, Mia X, Silkk the Shocker and Fiend (and a surprise Snoop Dogg) on the other, the show was full of iconic songs, like “400 Degreez,” “No Limit Soldiers,” “Still Fly,” “Break ‘Em Off Somethin’,” “Get Your Roll On” and “Make ‘Em Say Uhh.” Now, No Limit and Cash Money are on a joint tour for the first time, playing 17 arenas around the country. And after kicking things off in Houston, they play their hometown on Saturday, Sept. 12. The show at the Smoothie King Center will feature Birdman, Master P, Juvenile, Mannie Fresh, Silkk the Shocker, B.G., Mia X, Mac, Fiend, Mercedes, Choppa, Mr. Serv-On and Baton Rouge’s Boosie. The music starts at 8 p.m. — and camouflage is encouraged. Master P is currently

Master P PROVIDED PHOTO BY DERRICK WASHINGTON

promoting a $1,000 prize with VIP tickets for best camo outfit. Master P was 19 years old when he founded No Limit Records, first as a record shop in Richmond, California. The business quickly grew into an independent label, releasing Master P’s albums and music by his wife Sonya C and the group TRU, which included Master P’s brothers, Silkk the Shocker and C-Murder. In 1995, Master P moved home and quickly began signing New Orleans talent like Mia X, Kane & Abel and Mr. Serv-On. At the same time, he began diversifying his business interests. By the early 2000s, Master P’s empire had sprawled well beyond music and into real estate, clothing, public relations and film. Today, he continues to have his hands in a number of ventures, including the company Miller Family Foods. He’s producing a faith-based movie, “Only God Can Judge Me,” which will focus

on his early life in New Orleans. Former Mayor LaToya Cantrell picked him to be the city’s entertainment ambassador in 2024, and he led the New Orleans Walk of Fame project, which installed fleur-de-lis plaques for notable people along Canal Street. He also spent a year as the president of basketball operations at the University of New Orleans (now LSU New Orleans). Ahead of the No Limit and Cash Money hometown show, Gambit spoke with Master P about the joint tour, ’90s New Orleans and his hopes for this year’s Saints season. The conversation has been edited for clarity and length.

Could you tell us about the No Limit and Cash Money tour? What’s on your mind right now? MASTER P: For me, it’s about bringing peace to the city, being able to enjoy two labels that put New Orleans on the map in the music industry. At

the time, it was all East Coast, West Coast. I came out right after Uncle Luke and the Geto Boys. It opened a lot of those doors to where we brought revenue to the hip-hop industry, to where now artists could get paid. For me, it was life changing, knowing that we grew up in the Calliope Projects, coming from poverty and being able to live the American dream. I feel like we brought money to hip-hop and were able to put money back into the community and be able to give back to the community. And now, 30 years later, to be able to come back and celebrate — because I’m not calling this a concert, I’m talking about celebrating New Orleans. We just lost Wacko (rapper Damon Grison) yesterday from the “Nolia Clap.” And it’s sad, man, because they celebrate you when you’re gone. I see so much Wacko stuff now everywhere … if he could see it now. I want these artists in New Orleans to be able to feel it and see it Sept. 12. PAGE 40

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Master P, right, and Silkk the Shocker PHOTO BY CHRIS GRANGER / THE TIMES-PICAYUNE

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I want them to be able to feel the love from the city, the culture. The people, the fans, I want them to be able to come together and say, “Man, these guys paved the way for us, and they opened the doors for the next generation.”

How did the tour come together? Were y’all already talking about this before the Verzuz in October? MASTER P: To be honest with you, we both (Master P and Birdman) from New Orleans, and we got a lot of respect for each other. And after the Verzuz, we saw how we could coexist together and just show the next generation let’s go get this bag. Let’s go do something big for the city. For me, this is all about the city. I love New Orleans, and to be able to have No Limit and Cash Money on the stage at one time — because all these fans, I know they comin’ with solja rags, camouflage outfits. I say this is the night that this whole soldier thing will represent New Orleans. The camouflage is representing New Orleans — everybody from the Calliope to the Magnolia to downtown to the East to ’cross the river, I feel like camouflage is what everybody know when they think about us as a culture, as hip-hop.

And it’s all about mental health. So one thing, a lot of us from New Orleans is dealing with mental health (issues), but we don’t have the right medicine. We are self-medicating, so that’s how we losing so many people. Imagine if we got the right counseling, the right doctors, the right medication. How many lives could we save? So with this concert, it’s bringing awareness to mental health.

What was the relationship between Cash Money and No Limit like in the ’90s? Were there tensions or a rivalry? MASTER P: See, that’s what the media do. Think about it: We all did what we needed to do. [Cash Money] did what they needed to do, No Limit did what we needed to do. And I think that’s the real blessing out of it. Because if people say, “What was the tensions?” — the tension is just we are both competitive and we both respect each other. We lived right up the street from each other. I think that’s what people gonna see when they see us on stage. I know a lot of people say, “Man, I wish y’all could have done this a long time ago,” but I think it’s all about God’s timing, and it’s right

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I can also imagine as a businessman, that competition had to have been important, too, right? MASTER P: I think it fired both of us up to be able to go take over and make a name. On the (New Orleans) Walk of Fame, I put Birdman and Slim, I put both of them down on the Walk of Fame. I put Lil Wayne on the Walk of Fame. So it’s love for me, man. I wanted to do it because of what they done. They are real trailblazers for the city of New Orleans. And that’s what I’m on right now. I’m on about doing the right thing. You do the right thing, it’ll come back to you.

I was at the Smoothie King Center whenever you came out with Mayor Cantrell and celebrated Lil Wayne. That was an important moment. MASTER P: He deserved it, man. He’s probably the best rapper that come from New Orleans. I also will put him up there as one of the best rappers in the world. And he’s not with my label, so who would do that? You got to have integrity to even say that because it’s the truth. And it’s a blessing to have that type of talent come from New Orleans. Being able to see what he was able to do is incredible.

There has been a lot of talent to come out of New Orleans. What comes to mind about the city whenever you think about the time period when No Limit and Cash Money were here at the same time? MASTER P: It was like a movie. That’s the reason we made “I’m Bout It” the movie. Being able to make all these movies to show people that this is our culture, these are our humble beginnings and then look how we

Gayle Benson and Master P at the NOLA Walk of Fame unveiling PHOTO BY JAVIER GALLEGOS / THE TIMES-PICAYUNE

are growing. To be able to come from the projects and be able to go and live in a mansion, be able to buy nice things and have nice things, you just normally don’t see that — and to do it legit. It’s a blessing, man. I lived with my grandparents in a three-bedroom project with 16 people in there. It’s a blessing to be able to see your grandmother have her own house, her own things. For me, it was probably the happiest time, to see my people smile, knowing that they’ve been down so much. That’s why I always try to educate the culture with financial literacy, about bridging the wealth gap, about bringing people together. But it starts with education. Those times are even educational for me. That I go back and look at and say, “Man, look how far we came, and look where we at now.”

What would you say to a New Orleans kid today who wanted to start a label and create the next No Limit? MASTER P: I’ll say the same thing that Mr. Benson, who owned the Saints, told me when I was a 15-year-old kid selling popcorn. He told me that I could do it. Go chase your dreams and your goals. Whatever you want out of life, go get it. And I went from the popcorn man to the Ice Cream Man to chasing my dreams, my goals and realizing that I had seen other people do it.

I saw this man own the Saints and have so many businesses, and I’m like, “Man, this guy could do it, I could do it.” And so I’m telling any kid from New Orleans, if Master P could do it, you could do it. You don’t have to be the smartest person in the world. You just need to put the work in. Everybody has 24 hours. It’s all about consistency and dedication, and you will get to your dreams and your goals — and put God first.

Is there anything that comes to mind that the city could do better to help make that music business grow? MASTER P: I think the city has to take time and listen to the people in the culture that’s here, that’s on the front line, and say, “Let’s get some information. What do you guys need?” The city has a certain structure. But the people is what brings New Orleans together, and don’t forget about them. Don’t let the outsiders just come and take everything, and we don’t have nothing and we’re not building business inside our community. We have to make the people in New Orleans successful, and then we’ll have less poverty and people can go out more, and I feel like crime will go down.

Everybody’s not going to be a business person. We get that. So understand that it’s going to take some workers and it’s going to take some CEO thinkers. But the city has to give [everyone] those tools instead of one little circle, and if you ain’t in that circle, then you can’t win. I feel like we have to be more openminded, thinking outside the box. Also help the youth. I started my business at 19. A lot of the younger people have big ideas and dreams, but we’re like, “No, they’re not ready.” We can’t just think traditionally. We got a lot of kids going to Tulane, UNO, SUNO, Delgado that really are out-ofthe box thinkers, so we have to give them the tools they need to prepare them at a younger age to go do this. We need a real plan of action. We don’t just need talking. I think a lot of people do that. They just talk to us and say, “Hey, we’re gonna do this for y’all.” They’ll take a picture with you and move on. No, we need a real plan of action. We don’t need more talk. We need to sit down, work it out and communicate in love, even if it’s uncomfortable.

The Saints’ season kicks off this week. What do you think about the team’s chances this year? MASTER P: When I look at the Saints, we’re always the underdog. They’re not looking at us winning the Super Bowl, but guess what? They never know. I feel like with that underdog mentality, it’s just gonna push the players harder. And I know (running back Alvin) Kamara, everybody understands the mission. We always at the bottom, but we rise to the top, and we beat a lot of these big teams that they don’t expect us to beat. I just hope we could have that mentality from the jump, and if we have that, then we’re gonna be all right. We have nothing to lose. It’s only up for the Saints from here. And I hope the organization understands that. I hope that the players understand what they’re playing for this year. We’re playing for the city. Think about it, we were number eight in [most-passionate fan bases]. We have one of the best fan bases. We show up no matter what. We’re gonna show up, we’re gonna put the city on the map. I feel like we got a lot of the good pieces, and we just got to see how once the season actually starts, how do we look.

Tickets for the Sept. 12 show are at smoothiekingcenter.com.

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to where the culture could see how we all could be successful. I think it was just pushing each other. We both were selling millions and millions of records. We ended up selling 100 million records. I think as we get older, we grow. I think when you’re kids, you don’t really know what you’re doing, you’re just doing it. You’re just going through the motions. But then, they say: When you know better, you do better. And I feel like we both know better and we doing better.

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