Gambit New Orleans: March 31, 2020

March 31-April 6, 2020 Volume 41 // Number 13

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CONTENTS

MARCH 31-APRIL 6, 2020 VOLUME 41 | NUMBER 13 NEWS

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CHR I S G R A N G E R | T H E T I M E S - P I C AY U N E

Terrance Osborne paints at his home studio.

Framing a response New Orleans artists and galleries adjust to social distancing

BY WILL COVIELLO THOUGH THE CANVAS IS COLORED IN VIBRANT TROPICAL COLORS, the

bright orange figure set against lush shades of green actually is a person in a hazmat suit. When painter Laura Denisse Velez started the series of paintings a year and half ago, she was thinking about global warming.

“I thought I had a narrative that I could sink my teeth into — with a lot of storylines,” she says from her home in Uptown, where she and husband Tom Walton, also a painter, both have studios. “Now I am freaking out, looking at my paintings all over again.”

Velez and Walton both have work in the show “I Close My Eyes” at The Front on St. Claude Avenue, but the gallery is open only by appointment in

response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Art galleries weren’t ordered to shut down like bars and theaters, but many have, and local artists are adjusting to life and work under the precautions of social distancing.

“As far as artists, we have a pretty good disposition toward isolation just by having a studio practice,” says Scott Andresen, a local artist and instructor at Louisiana State University.

“There’s a meme going around that introverts have been practicing for this their whole life. For artists, it’s true, particularly if your studio is tied to your house.”

Andresen’s plans were upended by social distancing measures. He had just started a five-month residency at the Joan Mitchell Center campus on Bayou Road, which the Joan Mitchell Foundation temporarily closed. The residencies for mid-career artists bring together participants from around the country and social interactions among them are part of the program’s design.

Andresen still can use the time he carved out for the work, but not having use of the larger studio space forced him to scale down a large-scale work in order to complete it on schedule in available spaces.

While many artists can work in isolation, the disruption of shows and

commissioned projects and working via the internet are more difficult elements of the adjustment to the pandemic.

St. Claude Avenue galleries usually hold receptions on the second Saturday of the month and draw crowds of art fans and others to the neighborhood. Many galleries decided to cancel openings scheduled for March 14, days before the city and state issued social distancing restrictions. At The Front, member artist Cristina Molina curated the “I Close My Eyes” show, which she jokes already had a prominent isolation theme. She recorded a gallery walk-though and posted it on the internet, but the openings are important for exposure, she says.

“We normally get 300 people in the gallery for an opening,” Molina says.

“Openings are where I meet other artists, curators, collectors and make connections. I met my husband there.”

Walton plans to continue painting at least three full days a week at his home studio, but he’s also adjusting to the limitations of the internet. He teaches three classes of more than 30 students total at Southeastern Louisiana University, and those classes now are taking place online. While he easily can share prompts for projects online, he notes that it’s not the same as teaching in person. That’s also true of the creative process for him. As a figure painter, he usually works with models, and sensory perceptions beyond visual perceptions become part of the work.

Installation work also is not as feasible with galleries closed. Jessica Bizer, one of roughly a dozen member artists at Good Children Gallery on St. Claude Avenue, does a lot of installation work. Good Children currently is closed, and out of precaution she’s not using her studio space at Aquarium Gallery and Studios. With schools closed, she also is spending much of her normal studio time with her children, but last week she created a light projection on plants in her backyard and posted the video on her Instagram feed. That spurred her to start an online project with a musician from Nashville, Tennessee, she says, but an upcoming collaboration which was to include musicians from Puerto Rico is on hold.

“Connecting in person, seeing art in person — there’s no substitute for that,” Bizer says. “In the short term, I can adapt. I sort of thrive off of this energy.”

Srdjan Loncar’s installation project is in limbo. He’s installing concrete phone booths around New Orleans as part of the project. He’s continuing with his plan, although the key that opens up engagement with the work is the show in the shuttered

Good Children space. With people shelter-ing at home, he presumes that few have had the chance to notice the public installations.

Dan Charbonnet, who recently changed his name from Dan Tague, is facing several setbacks. He expects a spring show in New York City to be pre-empted. An upcoming exhibition at the University of Arkansas at Monticello likely won’t open, and a proposal for a commission in North Carolina also is on hold. It’s not unfamiliar territory, he says. He had a show at the Contemporary Arts Center disrupted

by Hurricane Katrina. But as a silver lining, he began his series of folded dollar bills revealing political messages while stuck in his studio space after the levee failures.

For many artists, the focus is always on their studio practice. George Dunbar, who had a recent retrospective at New Orleans Museum of Art and has had several major solo shows in recent years, continues to work on commissions at 92 years old. He’s also expanding his practice. After years of working out of his studio on the bayou in Slidell, he built a second studio in the last couple of years in order to do more work. In recent weeks, he’s framed new pieces and cast clay.

“I like to produce work,” he says.

“It makes me happier than sitting around would.”

Painter Terrance Osborne is known for painting bright, colorful New Orleans street scenes, and creating five posters for the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival helped establish a fanbase for his work. Operating a booth at the festival was crucial for him for a period.

“There was a time, where being at the festival was a big part of our year (financially),” Osborne says.

He closed his gallery on Magazine Street in Uptown on March 14, largely because street traffic had already dwindled in response to coronavirus.

He can still sell paintings, prints and other work via his website, and he’s focused on coloring sheets. Like an intricate coloring book of heavy-duty card stock sheets, the packages feature detailed drawings of New Orleans scenes.

Osborne became known for paintings of submerged Creole cottages following Hurricane Katrina. Currently, he’s spending more time with his kids and starting work on a coronavirus-inspired work. He’s putting a twist on Rosie the Riveter, the character created by women working on assembly lines during World War II to support the war effort. He’s swapping her red bandana for a mask and painting a health care worker.

“Artists also are historians,” Osborne says.

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ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

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Give Where You Live A D O P T- A -

SMALL BUSINESS From Magazine Street to Metairie Road, independently-owned shops and restaurants help our region thrive. As we all face the economic disruptions wrought by COVID-19, we at Gambit want to do our part by offering a new way to support local businesses.

This week we are launching “Adopt A Small Business” — an initiative designed to promote locally-owned businesses AND support local journalism. Help your favorite local businesses advertise — in Gambit at very reduced rates — so they can let customers know they’re still open, even if at reduced levels, and keeping people employed.

Crises often bring out the best in people.

Helping one another is as much a part of New Orleans’ culture as food, music, and art.

$125 Adoption • Receive (1) 1/8 page ad to give to your favorite small business.

Value: $438

$200 Adoption • Receive (2) 1/8 page ads to give to two of your favorite small businesses.

• Receive a free Gambit tote bag Value: $886

$350 Adoption • Receive (3) 1/8 page ads to give to three favorite small businesses.

• Receive a free Gambit tote bag • Receive a $10 gift card to Coast Roast Coffee.

Value: $1,334 Ad donated by Jonah Smith

Ad donated by Sandy Stein

For more information visit bestofneworleans.com/shopsmall *PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A CHARITABLE DONATION AND DOES NOT QUALIFY FOR A TAX DEDUCTION.

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N E W

O RL E A N S

N E W S

+

V I E W S

Supply shortages ... sheltering the homeless ... proposed prisoner release ... and more

# The Count

Thumbs Up/ Thumbs Down

$5 MILLION The amount New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees and his wife, Brittany Brees, pledged to give in food donations to Louisiana residents in 2020.

An anonymous donor

gave $25,000 to the Roots of Music program after reading an obituary in The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate that Deborah Wells wrote about her murdered son Robert. In the obit, Wells asked the public to support programs for at-risk youth. Her 22-year-old son was shot to death Feb. 16 in Harahan. The Roots of Music is a free program for kids 9-14, providing music and academic instruction and more.

PH OTO B Y H I L A R Y S CH E I N U K / T H E T I M E S - P I C AY U N E | T H E A DVO C AT E

Gov. John Bel Edwards gives an update on the spread of coronavirus and warns of medical supply shortages.

The Entergy Charitable Foundation has established

the COVID-19 Emergency Relief Fund, with Entergy shareholders committing $700,000 to help low-income families and elderly and disabled customers with food, rent, mortgage assistance and other needs. Grants from the fund will be provided to United Way organizations and nonprofit partners for distribution to people in need. Shareholders also pledged to match employee contributions to the relief fund up to $100,000.

Harrah’s New Orleans

donated 7,852 pounds of fresh meat and dairy, seafood, frozen foods and fresh produce to Second Harvest Food Bank of Greater New Orleans and Acadiana after casinos were ordered closed in New Orleans. The donation included enough ingredients to make 6,543 meals during a time when needs are high because of the coronavirus pandemic.

GOVERNOR WARNS MEDICAL SUPPLY SHORTAGES LIKELY IF COVID-19 SPREAD CONTINUES

Saying officials haven’t seen the curve of new coronavirus cases in Louisiana begin to flatten, Gov. John Bel Edwards warned that if COVID-19 continues to spread in the state without slowing down, demands on Louisiana’s health care system will quickly exceed capacity, despite ongoing efforts to increase staff, equipment and hospital beds.

“There simply are not enough health care resources to care for all those who will need care if we continue to develop cases at our current pace,” Edwards said. “If we don’t slow the spread of this virus, if we don’t slow the spread of these cases, this is what’s going to happen.

“It’s not conjecture. This isn’t some flimsy theory. This isn’t a scare tactic. This is what’s going to happen.”

As of press time, there were 2,746 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 119 deaths in the state, including 1,170 cases and 57 deaths in New Orleans.

Edwards said the New Orleans area is on track to run out of ventilators by April 2 and hospital bed space by April 7 if infection rates continue as projected. While 100 ventilators arrived March 25 and the state acquired about 90 more the following day, Edwards said the state still needs thousands of them.

The governor said Louisiana requested 5,000 ventilators from the Strategic National Stockpile, the United States’ repository of medical supplies, but has yet to receive any from that source.

The Louisiana Department of Health said March 26 that 676 patients with the virus are hospitalized and 239 of them are on ventilators.

That’s up significantly from a day earlier, when 491 patients were hospitalized and 163 were on ventilators.

President Donald Trump announced on a call March 26 with Edwards and other governors that two 250-bed field medical stations were en route to Louisiana, in addition to 60 medical personnel from the federal Public Health Service Strike Team.

The state is continuing to search for locations for facilities where COVID-19 patients can go to recover from the virus. Such facilities would still give patients access to medical care but would free up critPAGE 8

The couple plans to provide 10,000 meals a day throughout the state to help provide relief amid the coronavirus pandemic. They’ll do this through existing partnerships with organizations and business interests, including Second Harvest Food Bank, Ochsner Health Systems, Walk-On’s Bistreaux and Bar, Jimmy John’s, Smalls Sliders and Waitr.

Meals will go to children, families and seniors facing food insecurity. With a recent two-year contract extension for $50 million from the Saints, Brees is on track to earn almost $300 million in his 20-season NFL career, which would be the most in the league’s history.

C’est What

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Who’s taking care of your children during the COVID-19 shutdown?

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ical ICU and hospital beds. The state said it would begin immediately to move beds to the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center for this purpose.

But, the governor said, such measures would not be nearly enough, should cases continue on their current trajectory. He said residents need to do a better job of complying with social distancing and stay-athome measures.

His message that day echoed his remarks to the state a day earlier.

“We have a long way to go,” Edwards said. “We have to do better at our mitigation measures, and we need for those mitigation measures to start showing up in this data before we can draw an easy breath.”

— KAYLEE POCHE

Martha Kegel, executive director of Unity of Greater New Orleans, a homeless services organization.

“This is a wonderfully compassionate thing the city and state are doing,” Kegel said. “I literally have tears in my eyes.”

Homeless advocates have been asking the city to move homeless people from camps and shelters to hotels and motels for weeks.

Funding was an issue until FEMA indicated it would reimburse the costs of sheltering homeless people in single-occupancy rooms.

Mayor LaToya Cantrell has been vague about the city’s plans to relocate homeless people amid the pan-

Stimulus package would raise Louisiana unemployment benefits up to $847 per week Jobless workers in Louisiana would receive $600 per week for several months as part of the massive $2 trillion stimulus package Congress passed Friday that aims to keep the coronavirus-ravaged economy on life support.

Under the plan, salaried workers who receive unemployment insurance as well as independent contractors who are not currently eligible for state assistance will receive $600 weekly payments in addition to any current state unemployment benefits they receive (in Louisiana the weekly benefit is a maximum of $247 per week). The measure also would extend unemployment insurance by another 13 weeks. Louisiana law limits unemployment benefits to 26 weeks. — TYLER BRIDGES

The city moves homeless people into a hotel in the CBD Teams of police in masks and rubber gloves and workers in white hazmat suits moved swiftly March 26 to clear homeless camps around New Orleans in an emergency measure meant to reduce the spread of coronavirus.

Dozens of homeless people were loaded onto Regional Transit Authority buses and taken to the temporarily closed Hilton Garden Inn on Gravier Street in the Central Business District, where they’ll have beds, bathrooms, three meals per day and can isolate themselves individually or as couples for at least a month. The effort likely will be paid for with a combination of city, state and federal funds.

At least one homeless person in New Orleans has tested positive for the coronavirus, and several others are believed to have been exposed or are awaiting test results, said

F I L E PH OTO/ T H E T I M E S - P I C AY U N E | T H E N E W O RL E A N S A DVO C AT E

Homeless encampments, like this one shown in a file photo taken at Claiborne and Canal streets in New Orleans, have long been a challenge for city officials.

demic. At a press conference March 25, Cantrell indicated the city’s plans had not been finalized.

“Those plans are in the works,” she said, hours before the camps were cleared.

The relocation “may not have been done perfectly” but it had to be done, and quickly, Kegel said. “Because the virus is spreading at a rapid pace, we need to get everybody out of harm’s way,” she said, noting that the state’s calls for everyone to stay at home isn’t an option for the homeless.

It’s unclear how many people will be taken to the 155-room hotel. City officials did not respond to calls and emails for details.

Kegel and other advocates said homeless people expressed concerns that they’ll be prevented from leaving. “(They) are free to leave and go get necessities as they need them,” she said.

Earlier this month, state officials closed Bayou Segnette State Park in Westwego and made it an isolation site for homeless coronavirus patients. — TRISTAN BAURICK

Public defenders ask for a prisoner release amid COVID-19 Citing a growing number of New Orleans jail staffers infected with the

novel coronavirus, the city’s public defenders filed what their chief called an unprecedented motion March 25 asking judges at Criminal District Court for the blanket release of “vulnerable and low-risk” inmates.

Chief District Defender Derwyn Bunton’s request for a mass release came after days of piecemeal action from his office’s lawyers, a community bail fund and the Sheriff’s Office, which recently reduced the parish’s inmate population to its lowest level in at least 30 years.

Bunton said the judges must release as many people as possible before there’s a “rampant spread” of COVID-19 at the lockup. “Every expert tells us that if there is an infection in the jail, it will move fast,” Bunton said. “We need to make what is an inherently unsafe place as safe as we can through this crisis.”

Local judges didn’t immediately react to that request but approved an order — modeled after those issued during hurricanes — that likely will free a much smaller number of people. Deputy Chief Judge Robin Pittman said that order had been in the works before Bunton’s motion.

The flurry of legal action came as local jails reported more staffers and inmates who have the novel coronavirus or are awaiting test results.

Five Sheriff’s Office staffers have tested positive and 13 are awaiting results, the agency said last week.

Four employees of the private health care contractor Wellpath have tested positive, and 10 are waiting on results. Seven incarcerated people have been tested for COVID-19 and are awaiting results.

The public defenders’ motion called for the release of anyone in the jail whose age or poor health puts them at greater risk, all inmates held on misdemeanor charges, almost all inmates held on nonviolent charges, all inmates who are being detained on suspected parole violations and anyone within 30 days of finishing their sentence.

The request to release aged and sickly inmates would apply even to defendants awaiting trial on violent felony crimes.

Orleans Parish District Attorney Leon Cannizzaro balked at a largescale release, saying, “Our judges know they must not make our city even more dangerous at this perilous time by releasing demonstrably violent criminals without proper cause or supervision.”

The order issued by the Criminal District Court judges calls on the sheriff to release inmates arrested on contempt of court or for failure to appear at probation status hearings, and those awaiting misdemeanor trials or jailed for positive drug tests.

— MATT SLEDGE

What the federal disaster declaration means for Louisiana As COVID-19 cases continue to rise across Louisiana, President Donald Trump last week approved Gov. John Bel Edwards’ urgent request that the federal government declare the state a major disaster area.

The declaration means the federal government has acknowledged that the disaster exceeds the response capabilities of state and local governments and that long-term recovery assistance is needed. The request was approved a day after Edwards’ stay-at-home order for the nearly 4.7 million residents of the state took effect.

In his 15-page request, Edwards highlighted the urgent measures his administration has taken so far, including opening up three state parks to serve as isolation sites and declaring a State of Emergency in all 64 parishes. He noted that residents are experiencing “tremendous economic loss” due to business closures and festival cancellations in the midst of what normally is an economically lucrative time.

The governor also said he was concerned about the mental health of residents dealing with stress and trauma from the pandemic — adding that the mental health infrastructure was “already fragile.” State and local governments already have incurred more than $65.6 million in costs related to the pandemic.

The official declaration unlocks federal resources and millions of dollars for relief efforts. It also helps nonprofits access direct federal assistance and provides funding for crisis counselors.

On March 27, Congress passed the “CARES Act,” providing as much as $2 trillion to aid the U.S. economy, much of which has been crippled by orders to suspend operations because of COVID-19. Passage means direct financial aid via federal recovery checks could be deposited into many American households’ bank accounts, and small businesses could receive forgivable loans.

— SARAH RAVITS

Louisiana health centers to receive $2.2 million to fight COVID-19 The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) last week awarded more than $2.2 million to 36 Louisiana health centers to help fight the coronavirus pandemic, with more than $500,000 going to New Orleans services.

Funding to the city, which comes from the federal Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Supple-

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We miss you! mental Appropriations Act signed

by President Donald Trump on March 6, will be split between nine organizations in New Orleans.

Health centers can spend the money on their specific needs to address COVID-19, including tests, medical supplies and telehealth services. According to a press release, the funding will be “available immediately.”

New Orleans health centers benefitting from the awards include NO/ Aids Task Force (aka CrescentCare), Baptist Community Health Services, Common Ground Health Clinic, Excelth, Marillac Community Health Centers, MQVN Community Development Corp., City Of New Orleans, Odyssey House Louisiana and St. Thomas Community Health Center.

Most of the grants in New Orleans hover between $50,000 and $65,000. Marillac Community Health Centers received the largest award by far at $91,200.

In addition, Jefferson Parish Human Authority in Metairie and Priority Health Care in Marrero will both receive a little more than $50,000.

— KAYLEE POCHE

Endangered African penguin born at the aquarium The Audubon Aquarium of the Americas introduced a special new addition to its family last week via Facebook Live — a month-old African penguin named Zion.

Audubon staff named the penguin after New Orleans Pelicans power forward Zion Williamson, who

PH OTO PR OV I D E D B Y A U D U B O N AQ U A R I U M O F T H E A M E R I C A S

Zion, an African penguin chick, was born at Audubon Aquarium of the Americas on Feb. 17, 2020.

recently made headlines when he announced March 13 that he’d cover the salaries of Smoothie King Center workers for 30 days after the NBA suspended its season.

The penguin chick was born on Feb. 17 after his egg was incubated for 39 days. His mother, Hubig, and father, Ocio, raised him for the first

11 days, but after that he needed human care, an intensive process during which he’ll be fed and looked after for two months before his introduced to the rest of the aquarium’s penguins.

African penguins are part of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ Species Survival Plan, an effort to oversee the management of the species in captivity, while also helping with its conservation in the wild. The species had 141,000 breeding pairs in 1956 and now only has around 25,000, due to habitat destruction, overfishing and oil spills.

The Facebook Live video was part of the Audubon Nature Institute’s new daily social media livestreams, which it initiated after its facilities closed to the public due to coronavirus. — KAYLEE POCHE

New relief organization feeds cultural and hospitality workers The new organization Culture Aid Nola (CAN) is providing meals to cultural and hospitality industry workers affected by the coronavirus-induced economic downturn.

It began distributing meals last week.

“Culture and hospitality workers are what makes New Orleans New Orleans,” CAN organizer Erica Chomsky said in a statement. “We need to support the people in these vital jobs. They are our friends, neighbors and family. We are dedicated to taking care of one another.”

Food and kitchen space for the program is being provided by local restaurants Cochon, Sylvain, Justine, Backspace Bar & Kitchen, Luke, WhistlePig Whiskey, Liberty’s Kitchen, Nole, HI New Orleans Hostel, Hyatt Regency and the Peacock Room.

CAN is a partnership between the Music and Culture Coalition of New Orleans, New Orleans Musicians’ Clinic & Assistance Foundation, No Hunger NOLA, 504HealthNet, Trinity Mobile Loaves and Fishes and other organizations. It aims to prioritize feeding workers ineligible for other aid programs, including bartenders, dishwashers, tour guides, street performers, artists and musicians.

People who would like to receive a meal kit from the program can fill out a form at www.cultureaidnola. yolasite.com. Standard meal kits include protein, produce and grains.

Volunteers and restaurants can also sign up online to participate in the program. — KAYLEE POCHE

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source for a unique perspective on what’s happening in and around town for almost 40 years.

We will continue to fulfill that mission throughout the coronavirus pandemic.

These are very difficult times. Businesses everywhere face existential challenges without normal channels of income. They struggle to keep employees working and providing services to a housebound public. We at Gambit are right there with you, bringing daily updates about the innovative ways people are coping with COVID-19.

Historically, Gambit’s focus has remained intensely local — local arts and entertainment, local restaurants, local events and local retailers.

Advertising from local businesses has kept Gambit free for readers like you. Sadly, COVID-19 has shuttered or severely curtailed local businesses, and most have ceased advertising. Likewise, many businesses that carry Gambit have closed. In response, we have adjusted our distribution footprint. It’s a double punch that we’re soldiering through.

Fortunately, our full digital edition is always available at www.bestofneworleans.com/current.

We’re also adjusting our publication schedule. In April, Gambit will transition — temporarily — to biweekly print publication (April 14 and 28).

Meanwhile, we will continue to post daily news and updates on www. bestofneworleans.com. We remain here for you. We want to hear your tips, your stories and your experiences through this pandemic and beyond — and there will be a beyond.

“We’re all in this together” is heard often these days, because it’s true.

Whether you’re a teacher, service industry worker, performing artist, business owner, stay-at-home parent or journalist, we’ve all had to change our lives in significant ways. We have no choice. New Orleans’ infection rate is the highest in the world, and health professionals warn that it hasn’t peaked. With testing now more available, reported cases will increase exponentially.

G A M B I T S TA F F PH OTO

Local, state and federal officials tell us the only way to “flatten the curve” is to shelter in place. Even if you have no symptoms, we are told, you can still spread this highly contagious virus. We urge all our readers to stay at home, keep yourselves and your loved ones safe, and heed the word of medical experts. This will pass. Until it does, know that we will be here, just as we have been for four decades.

Adopt A Small Business — From Magazine Street to Metairie Road, from Gretna to Gentilly, independently owned shops and restaurants help our region thrive.

As we all face the economic disruptions wrought by COVID-19, we at Gambit want to do our part by offering a new way to support local businesses. This week we are launching “Adopt A Small Business” — an initiative designed to support local journalism and promote locally owned businesses. In a nutshell, we’re asking you to help your favorite local businesses advertise — in print, online and via Gambit social media — so they can let customers know they’re still operating, even if at reduced levels, and keeping people employed.

Crises often bring out the best in people. Helping one another is as much a part of New Orleans’ culture as food, music and art. For more information about Adopt A Small Business, visit bestofneworleans. com/shopsmall.

Above all, stay safe, be there for your loved ones, and know that we’re here for you.

CLANCY DUBOS

Cantrell is right: ‘No red flags’ in time to cancel Mardi Gras Blitzer should have known all that, but apparently he couldn’t let go of his pre-determined narrative.

I’ve not been shy about criticizing Cantrell, so I won’t blink at defending her on this one. A good way to weigh the facts is to look at the national and local COVID-19 timeline.

Jan. 7 — China identifies the new virus.

Jan. 21 — First U.S. case reported in Washington State.

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Jan. 22 — Trump: “We have it totally under control. It’s one person coming in from China.”

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Jan. 30 — Trump: “We have very little problem in this country at this moment — five — and those people are all recuperating successfully.”

PH OTO B Y DAV I D G R U N F E L D/ T H E T I M E S - P I C AY U N E | T H E N E W O RL E A N S A DVO C AT E

CNN’S WOLF BLITZER WANTED SO BADLY TO have a “gotcha” moment

at Mayor LaToya Cantrell’s expense when Herroner appeared on his show Thursday, March 26. Too bad the facts weren’t on his side.

Cantrell appeared on Blitzer’s “The Situation Room” to answer national media criticism for not canceling Mardi Gras, which was Feb. 25 — more than two weeks before New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, CNN’s current political supernova, canceled all gatherings of 500 or more in his state.

Blitzer quizzed Cantrell repeatedly about not canceling Mardi Gras and whether she regretted not doing so. She responded that she had seen “no red flags” from the feds expressly warning the city to call off Mardi Gras. Cantrell cast blame, indirectly, at President Donald Trump, who played down the significance of the pandemic even after Mardi Gras. “When it’s not taken seriously on the federal level, it’s very difficult to transcend down to the local level in making these decisions,” she said.

Blitzer certainly knew that Trump had not acknowledged COVID-19’s seriousness before Mardi Gras, which culminates in a five-day bacchanal starting the previous Friday.

“Canceling Mardi Gras” would have required more than a week’s notice to be effective, given the number of tourists headed to town.

Feb. 10 — Trump: “Typically, that will go away in April. We’re in great shape though. We have 12 cases…”

Actually, it was 14.

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Feb. 21 — Mardi Gras weekend starts.

Feb. 24 — CDC warns of a major U.S. outbreak. Trump tweets: “The Coronavirus is very much under control in the USA. … Stock Market starting to look very good to me!”

CNN reports 53 cases in the U.S. — 36 aboard the Diamond Princess cruise ship, 3 repatriated from China, and 14 “U.S. cases.”

Feb. 28 — Trump: “This is their new hoax,” referring to Democrats’ alarm.

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Feb. 29 — First death on U.S. soil.

March 9 — Gov. John Bel Edwards announces the first case in Louisiana.

March 10 — Cantrell cancels St. Patrick’s Day and Super Sunday parades.

March 11 — The World Health Organization declares COVID-19 a pandemic. NBA suspends games.

Trump addresses nation.

Recall that Cantrell caught some local flak for canceling St. Patrick’s and Super Sunday parades, but she looked prescient just days later.

She reminded Blitzer, “When the experts told me that social gatherings would be an issue, I moved forward with canceling them. … In hindsight, if we were given clear direction, we would not have had Mardi Gras, and I would have been the leader to cancel it.”

Yes, she would have been.

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@GambitBlake | askblake@gambitweekly.com

Hey Blake, Is it true a streetcar line once ran down Metairie Road?

When and where did it start and end?

Dear reader,

ut Takeo y iver & Del able A va i l

A streetcar traveled up and down part of Metairie Road in Old Metairie from 1915 until 1934. It was called the Royal Blue Line because its destination signs were made of bright royal blue glass with white letters.

The line was an extension of the Napoleon Avenue streetcar line, which had been in operation since 1903. “The new line runs along Metairie Ridge Road for a considerable distance and then cuts through Crestmont subdivision and Ridgeway Terrace urban farms to its terminus,” reported the July 1, 1915 New Orleans Item. “Its opening is considered a boom for property along Metairie Ridge and in its vicinity on both sides of Metairie Road.”

According to a map from the time, the route began at Napoleon Avenue and Tchoupitoulas Street and ran up Napoleon to Broad Street. At Washington Avenue, streetcars turned toward South Carrollton Avenue, then ran along the New Basin Canal to Metairie Road.

Once it crossed the 17th Street Canal, the line made several turns, including onto Carrollton Street and Narcissus Street before returning to Metairie

PH OTO C O U R T E S Y M A U N S E L W H I T E / T I M E S - P I C AY U N E A RCH I V E S

The red line on this 1924 map shows the streetcar line that used to traverse Metairie Road.

Road and continuing to Fagot Avenue.

It turned again at Labarre Road before returning to Metairie Road, making a final turn at Cypress Street and ending at Shrewsbury Road.

An article in The Times-Picayune explained that two cars were in operation on the first day. “The loop after leaving the canal across the new bridge turns away from Metairie Road and runs through pasture land.” It also explained that passengers would travel past new subdivisions such as Metairie Ridge Nursery, Metairie Heights, Crestmont Park and the Bonnabel tract where “numerous fine residences” were being built, alongside nurseries, dairies and farms.

Buses replaced the Metairie streetcars in 1934. The Napoleon Avenue line was shortened and finally was replaced by buses in 1953.

BLAKEVIEW THIS WEEK WE REMEMBER DR. RUDOLPH MATAS, a noted New Orleans sur-

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geon who is credited with helping save the city during a past epidemic by leading a campaign to eradicate yellow fever.

The disease plagued New Orleans several times, beginning as early as 1793.

In 1804, one year after the Louisiana Purchase, Gov. William C.C. Claiborne (whose wife and daughter died of the disease) wrote to President Thomas Jefferson that “yellow fever is beginning to prevail in this city and has proven particularly fatal to the Americans.”

In 1853, the worst year of the disease, it killed 7,849 people in New Orleans and sickened 27,000 others. At the time, the cause remained a mystery. It was called yellow fever because it attacked a person’s liver, triggering jaundice, which turned their skin and eyes yellow.

Born in St. Charles Parish in 1860, Matas survived a bout of yellow fever as a child. In 1879, while a Tulane medical student, he was chosen to travel to Havana with the U.S. Army Yellow Fever Commission. There he met Dr. Carlos Finlay, the first to suggest that the disease was transmitted by mosquitoes.

Matas became an early adopter of the theory, which in 1900 was confirmed by an Army medical team led by Maj. Walter Reed.

Matas became a leader of local mosquito control efforts. By 1905, there were no new cases. In 1977, to mark its centennial, the States-Item named Matas, who died in 1957, man of the century: “He was the most effective single person in the historic campaign that wiped out the dread scourge of yellow fever in New Orleans.”

gotta eat Restaurants are doing all they can in the face of COVID-19.

Will it be enough to survive?

BY JAKE CL APP

During the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic, New Orleans’ restaurant

and bar community — along with the city’s musicians, artists, performers and gig workers — will be some of the hardest hit.

Those positions have been drivers of New Orleans culture and the city’s tourism economy, but for decades those workers and their establishments have been increasingly squeezed financially. Many people live paycheck to paycheck and largely without safety nets.

On March 16, Mayor LaToya Cantrell issued an order that any business or venue that draws groups of people, like bars, casinos, music venues and movie theaters, must close. Restaurants, considered essential services, could remain open, but were limited to takeout, delivery or drive-through.

Gov. John Bel Edwards issued a similar statewide order around the same time, and both officials doubled down the following week with “stay-at-home mandates” for most residents.

It is widely agreed that taking measures like social distancing are critical to slowing the spread of the virus and protecting the country’s health care system from overloading.

During her initial announcement of restrictions, Cantrell acknowledged that about 45,000 service industry

S TA F F P H OTO B Y I A N M C N U LT Y

Emily Ortiz works the take-out station at Blue Oak BBQ in New Orleans.

The restaurant has been organizing free bagged lunch events to support hospitality workers in need during the coronavirus crisis.

employees would be affected by the order, Gambit reported. But, she said, it was necessary for the safety of New Orleans residents.

In the two weeks since, the city’s restaurants have pivoted under the new restrictions or have temporarily closed outright and tens of thousands of service industry workers have been left with no source of income, or drastically reduced wages, and looming bills. A community response quickly took off to help in the form of new relief funds, money donations and meal programs.

But as the pandemic threatens to stretch on, restaurant owners, workers and advocates say substantial government support and drastic action is desperately needed.

“We can limp along for a little while” by piecing together support, says Mark Schettler, a service industry workers advocate, bartender and the manager at Bar Tonique. “But on April 1, we’re gonna all be in really big trouble if people with the resources in this city don’t step up to help us.”

After being thrown into chaos, New Orleans’ restaurants have responded in individual ways.

Many have stayed open and turned to limited service in different combinations: to-go counters and windows; call-ahead ordering with no cash in-

volved; in-store pickup; curbside delivery by wait staff; reliance on apps like Uber Eats, DoorDash and the New Orleans-based d’Livery NOLA. On one corner of Bienville Street in Mid-City, The Station Coffee Shop and Bakery has reduced its hours but still serves coffee and pastries from its counter, leaving the doors propped open and encouraging card payments. Across the street, Clesi’s Restaurant & Catering sets up a tent at the sidewalk on most days to sell boiled crawfish and other menu items to go.

Creole cafe The Munch Factory closed its Lower Garden District and Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport locations and consolidated efforts at its Gentilly restaurant. The location at the Joseph M. Bartholomew Municipal Golf Course serves curbside pickup and delivers through Uber Eats.

The business has reduced its menu, an effort to save on food supplies, and adopted “obsessive” cleaning measures, says Alexis Ruiz, who co-owns the restaurant with her husband, chef Jordan Ruiz. Staff wear gloves to deliver food to cars and they’re taking credit and debit cards over the phone to avoid exchanging money.

The business is rotating its staff from both of its temporarily shut-

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The Munch Factory owners Jordan and Alexis Ruiz in their Lower Garden District location. The couple have consolidated business at their Gentilly location during the COVID-19 pandemic.

2/11/2020

4/16/2020

tered eateries at its one open location, Ruiz says.

“The driving force right now is to be able to provide as much as we can for our employees,” she says.

The business is operating with a limited staff, Ruiz says, but “anybody who is wanting to work, we’re making sure that they at least get two shifts a week.” Still, that’s a reduction from a normal five or so shifts a week for an employee.

The Munch Factory is doing 75% less business, “possibly more,” Ruiz says. “Everything is going day by day.”

“It’s going to be harder and harder to keep going,” she says.

“We’re going to just keep going until that moment is reached.”

Katie’s Restaurant & Bar, the Mid-City staple on Iberville Street, has transitioned to curbside pickup, takeout and delivery, with wait staff taking on driver roles.

Katie’s is “trying to keep as many of our employees employed (as possible),” says co-owner Katherine Denman. “It’s not as many hours as they had before, but it’s something to keep them getting a paycheck.”

Denman says if Katie’s brought in $9,000 in sales on a Tuesday in the past, it’s now bringing in $1,400-$1,700.

“We’re open to serve everybody in New Orleans that needs food,” Denman says, “and we’ve been working with delivering to hospitals, and a lot of good Samaritans have come through and bought lunches for different organizations, but it’s just enough to cover our payroll and some of the costs of goods.

“There’s no profit in it, but I don’t think that’s the point right now. It’s just keeping afloat and keeping these people employed so that they can make money for their families that need it.”

Katie’s is assessing things week to week, Denman says.

“I think all of us in the restaurant business are doing the same thing,” Denman says. “We’re trying to help. We’re trying to make sure our employees are able to work, the city’s able to be fed, and we stick together. That’s what you do in New Orleans.”

She takes a breath and adds, “We’ve been through adversity before and we’ll come out of it again.”

Other restaurant operators decided to close their business

after the state prohibited dine-in service.

In an interview with Gambit last week, Chef Michael Gulotta, who closed his two restaurants, MoPho and Maypop, said, “There’s no way I can make enough money switching to to-go food and catering to pay all of my bills and give my staff what they need to live on. It’s better for me to shut it all down and tell everyone I owe money that they have to wait and to give the money in my bank account to my staff for the hours that they have worked. It sucks, because they’ve done such a good job for me.”

Gulotta said his restaurants employed around 95 people and up to 110 counting part-time employees. “Even if we decided to do rotating shifts,” he said, “half of my employees are servers.

What does a server do when you’re just bringing food to a car.

They’re not going to make enough [in tips] to feed their families.”

When the statewide closure of dine-in service was unveiled, Dickie Brennan & Co., which operates Bourbon House, Tableau

15

Almost as soon as restaurants began laying

off staff and turning to limited service or closing, many community aid efforts began popping up to help unemployed workers.

P H OTO B Y I S A B E L M C DA N I E L

Carrollton Market offers a daily changing family takeout meal during the coronavirus shutdowns.

S TA F F P H OTO B Y I A N M C N U LT Y

Customers pull up for ‘curbside crawfish’ from Clesi’s Seafood, a restaurant in New Orleans finding new ways to keep a little business going during coronavirus closures.

Some restaurants, like Blue Oak BBQ, Palm & Pine, and Toups’ Meatery, have started to serve free meals to hospitality workers.

A new organization, Culture Aid Nola — a partnership between the Music & Culture Coalition of New Orleans, 504HealthNet, No Hunger NOLA, New Orleans Musicians’ Clinic & Assistance Foundation, Trinity Loaves and Fishes and other local groups — has started to distribute meal kits for cultural and hospitality workers. The group wants to especially target workers, like bartenders, dishwashers, street performers and musicians, who fall through the gaps for unemployment benefits, maybe because they don’t have proof of income, or received a 1099, or were normally paid in cash.

New Orleanians have organized and circulated virtual tip jar lists to collect the Venmo and Cash App information for local bartenders, asking those who are able to spare a few bucks to donate directly to workers.

JOB1 Business and Career Solutions has started helping service industry workers walk through the unemployment application process.

Relief funds for hospitality workers and gig workers have been established, and national organizations, like the USBG National Charity Foundation, have emergency resources for people facing the crisis. But many of those relief funds are limited, offering one-time emergency grants of $500 or $1,000.

Those community efforts have been welcome, worker advocates say, but they’re only temporary bandages for a catastrophic problem. With no cash flow and barely any savings, most workers are worried about how to pay bills — whether now or in the future if a deference is given.

Mark Schettler says that the biggest concern he hears from fellow service industry workers is rent.

New Orleans has ordered a ban on evictions, but many service industry workers are worried that if they still can’t pay rent, they’ll lose their home once the eviction ban is lifted, or they could be intimidated into moving. And if they work out a deal to pay back missed rent over time, there’s still the question of how to earn enough money to pay off that debt.

Many service industry employees who have been laid off or lost hours can file for unemployment, but that process can be difficult and may not cover service industry workers who can’t prove income for a variety of reasons — and the program will only give an average $216 a week. The maximum unemployment benefit in Louisiana is $247 per week. A federal stimulus package that passed through Congress March 27 would add another $600 per week to state benefits.

“The employees and the employers, we’re all in this hole together, and we need to be lifted out together,” Schettler says. “It can’t be one or the other or it’s not going to work. We need our housing issues to be addressed. That’s not happening right now. And business owners need an option for small business loans that aren’t out of the frying pan and into the fire.”

Last week, Congress passed a $2 trillion relief package. The bill includes direct payments to many Americans ($1,200 per adult and $500 per child dependent) and expansion of unemployment insurance — allowing for four months of benefits and $600 a week on top of state benefits — and $366 billion in loans to small businesses. The package also sets aside $504 billion in loans for large businesses, states and local governments.

Early criticism of the package points out that it’s too short-term, with unemployment benefits expiring in four months and only one direct payment planned. Progressive proposals have called for monthly checks closer to $2,000 per adult.

Even after restrictions have been lifted,

getting back to what could be considered normal operations will take a while, restaurant owners say. “(People) are going to have to get back to earning money and get back to making themselves whole before” frequenting restaurants again, Jay Morris says. “We are a fortunate society. Dining out is a luxury in a lot of places.”

Morris says he expects that in the future Juan’s could reopen one of its four locations as a dine-in restaurant, while maintaining the other stores on delivery and takeout until the company is on more sure footing.

Alexis Ruiz says it could take months to help make up what was lost during the coronavirus shutdown. The biggest concern for her restaurant is cash flow, and she mentions the possibility of small business loans and grants.

She knows there will be electric bills, rent and suppliers to pay.

“Coming out of (the pandemic),” Ruiz says, “is going to be just as intimidating as being in it.”

This week, Gambit will publish several articles about the unprecedented position New Orleans service industry workers and businesses now face during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Look for more on www.bestofneworleans.com.

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and other restaurants, announced it would offer curbside takeout and delivery from Acorn Cafe in the Louisiana Children’s Museum and from Palace Cafe. Then it switched the hub of its French Quarter service to Bourbon House, and a few days later discontinued to-go service at all restaurants.

Juan’s Flying Burrito decided to make the move to takeout service at its four locations shortly before the city announced its new rules on March 16. But after a week, the business decided to close.

“At the end of the day, it came down to safety,” says Juan’s co-owner Jay Morris. “We don’t want our people to get sick. We want to be able to, when we can, reopen safely.”

When Juan’s made the initial decision to stay open, Morris says, ownership stressed that employees who felt sick needed to stay home, and those who were worried about getting sick could choose not to come in.

They tried to rotate staff schedules and help employees sign up for unemployment benefits since hours were being reduced.

The company also sent out a questionnaire, Morris says, to check in on employees, including asking how they would feel if Juan’s should close and if they felt the restaurant was an “essential” service. “I’d say half of our staff felt like we were doing an essential service; half felt like we were a luxury,” Morris says.

“I don’t want to put any of my people at risk. I don’t want to put myself at risk. I want us to be able to come back stronger. By stopping early, not using all of our resources to keep things going for a couple more weeks — I would rather reserve our resources so that we can reopen at the end of this.”

Worker rights advocates, like the New Orleans Hospitality Workers Alliance (HWA), have called for restaurants to go ahead and close in order to minimize the danger of employees being exposed to COVID-19.

“New Orleans has stated that takeout and delivery is essential,” the HWA said in a letter to Gov. John Bel Edwards. “Workers are being told to come into work at establishments like coffee shops, retail shops and restaurants.

Workers who choose to stay home if ill or to ensure protection are being told they can be fired. Delivery and takeout only help a small sector of society with money to afford it.

Most workers cannot afford restaurant prices, which also do not accept food stamps.”

The HWA also calls for expansion of unemployment insurance, SNAP and Medicaid; the establishment of a citywide equitable food delivery system that accepts food stamps; personal protective equipment for grocery store workers; testing, food stamps and income for migrant workers; and essentials and medical help for prisoners. The group also advocates for a rent and mortgage freeze during the crisis.

“The health and the safety and the lives of workers and the public that we serve and our communities that we go home to will always be more important than any profit,” says Meg Maloney, a laid-off prep cook and busser and HWA member-organizer.

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Virtual cooking THE NEW ORLEANS CULINARY & HOSPITALITY INSTITUTE (www.nochi.

Modern Japanese cuisine for takeout and delivery in Lakeview

BY B E T H D ’A D D O N O ON FEB. 4, the day Betty Pei Ching Sun celebrated the ribbon cutting for Lotus Bistro, her new Japanese restaurant on Harrison Avenue , she could not have predicted that the restaurant would be only serving curbside pickup and delivery orders just six weeks later.

Lotus Bistro is a welcome addition to the Lakeview dining scene, situated a few doors from District Donuts-Sliders-Brew in a low-slung shopping strip. But as restaurants scramble to stay open in today’s COVID-19 world, sushi chef Dylan Owens and sous chef Edgar Cervantes are adapting, offering to-go options delivered to waiting customers in the restaurant’s parking lot or right to their door.

Placing an online order — diners can also order by phone — is a simple straightforward process, with a convenient specified pick-up time. Lotus Bistro earns high marks for consistently getting orders right — who hasn’t experienced the frustrating opposite, when an anticipated dish is missing or executed poorly.

Packaging what is usually beautifully plated sushi and original rolls into plastic clam shells isn’t optimal.

It’s kind of like ordering a fine single malt scotch and drinking it out of a plastic go cup. But if you’re dining at home, it’s no big deal. In this context, picnics by the lake may be compatible for social distancing, complete with relaxing views.I loved the small plates, starting with the agedashi tofu ($5.95), featuring silky cubes of soft tofu coated with a dusting of potato starch and deep fried to a satisfying crunch. A tangle of katsuobushi (bonito flakes) adds briny depth, and a tsuyu dipping sauce of soy and mirin is served on the side. Pork gyoza ($6.95) or shrimp versions ($7.95) included six fried half-moon-shaped dumplings and a plummy ponzu

WHERE

203 W. Harrison Ave., 504-533-9879; www.lotusbistronola.com

sauce. Leaves of Brussels sprouts ($6.95) were quick fried and tossed in a soy and spicy mayonnaise dressing. Unfortunately, the portion size for this dish was scant.

A hands down favorite is the East meets West tuna nachos ($16.95), with a generous portion of sliced rare ahi on crunchy wonton chips, topped with avocado, cilantro, sesame seeds and a drizzle of spicy Sriracha mayonnaise. Fish purists are in luck with the chirashi (which means scattered) sushi lunch special ($14.95), with slabs of raw fish including mackerel, tuna and salmon and octopus served over rice with daikon and sprouts. Seven-piece orders of sashimi ($12.95-$14.95) include choices such as yellowtail, striped bass and mackerel.

For maki roll lovers, Lotus does a super job with options ranging from no rice ($2) to soy paper ($1.50) to cucumber wrapped ($3). It’s also a breeze to subtract anything, from cream cheese to masago or ponzu, from an order. A classic spicy tuna roll ($6.95) was an ideal balance of Sriracha-spiked fish and creamy avocado. A barbecue “skinny” unagi roll without rice ($8.95) included eight pieces of broiled freshwater eel drizzled with sweet soy sauce and wrapped in crisp seaweed, with cucumber adding crunch to every bite.

The list of Lotus Bistro’s special rolls is impressive and includes a few named for noteworthy Japanese heroines. The Tomoe Gozen roll ($16.95) is tempura-fried shrimp with avocado and masago, named in honor of a 12th-century samurai warrior. The Rock n Roll ($11.95) was a satisfying

?

$

WHEN

HOW MUCH

takeout and delivery available Tue.-Sun.

Email dining@gambitweekly.com

moderate, $5 carry out fee, $1.50 online ordering fee

WHAT WORKS tuna nachos, agedashi tofu, Rock n Roll special roll, hibachi fried rice

PH OTO B Y CH E R Y L G E R B E R

Owner Betty Pei Ching Sun opened the Japanese restaurant Lotus Bistro in Lakeview.

combination of snow crab, tempura-fried shrimp, avocado and cucumber, drizzled with eel sauce. The vegan Gratitude roll ($10.95) includes fried tofu, cucumbers, carrots and asparagus, dressed with spicy mayonnaise.

There are plenty of options for non-sushi eaters. Well-seasoned hibachi fried rice dishes included a combo ($10.95) that came heavy on the beef and light on shrimp. There’s also katsu ($16.95), or panko-crusted fried chicken cutlets. Teriyaki ($15.50-$17.50) options include chicken, salmon, shrimp or steak, and the stir-fried noodle dish yakisoba ($15.50-$17.95) comes with a choice of protein. A traditional tempura dinner ($17.95) includes battered shrimp and vegetables such as sweet potatoes, onion and eggplant. Tempura-fried ice cream ($6.50) is the best option for dessert, although it may not travel well.

As Lotus Bistro’s kitchen adapts, the vast menu might need to be abbreviated or streamlined. But whatever surprises await, every order filled comes with a large portion of appreciation.

WHAT DOESN’T

scant portion on the crispy Brussels sprouts

CHECK, PLEASE

A modern Japanese restaurant in Lakeview offers a diverse menu of hot and cold dishes for pick-up and delivery

org) has shifted a series of cooking classes from in-person sessions in its teaching kitchen on the edge of the Warehouse District to an online format that can make any kitchen into a classroom. The series is dubbed Cooking in Quarantine and it started with a session attuned to the times.

Leah Sarris, executive director of the culinary school, led the first class March 24 on Facebook Live. It focused on creative and resourceful “pantry cooking” for healthy meals, with ideas for cooking with kids and improvising with ingredients. The school is pitching the series as “office hours meets supper club,” with feedback from viewers helping direct the sessions and future editions.

Before joining NOCHI, Sarris was operations director for Tulane University’s Goldring Center for Culinary Medicine, teaching students and doc-

C O N T R I B U T E D PH OTO

Leah Sarris is a chef, registered dietician and executive director of the New Orleans Culinary & Hospitality Institute.

tors about the importance of healthy eating and running a popular series of community cooking classes with a focus on inexpensive family meals.

She is a chef and registered dietician.

The first edition of Cooking in Quarantine was free. Future editions will be held on Zoom with registration via a pay-what-you-can donation to NOCHI. Classes are scheduled for Tuesdays and Thursdays at 5 p.m. See the schedule at www.nochi.org/shop.

The nonprofit NOCHI got its start last year with a fast-track culinary training program aimed at helping people in the hospitality field advance their careers. Cooking classes and other events are part of its public programming and fundraising efforts. — IAN McNULTY / THE TIMES-PICAYUNE | THE NEW ORLEANS ADVOCATE PAGE 18

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EATDRINK

FORK CENTER

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FREE DELIVERY AND CURBSIDE PICK UP!

CALL TO PLACE ORDER 504.309.7286

DOSON HOUSE 135 N. Carrollton Ave | Mid-City

Lunch & Dinner | Closed Sunday | 309.7296

SPECIALIZING IN

HOT PASTRAMI & CORNED BEEF FALAFEL • CHOPPED LIVER MATZOH BALL SOUP

We are FULLY STOCKED for your Passover Grocery Shopping!

OPEN MONDAY — THURSDAY 10am-5pm Restaurant is Open for Take Out 10am-7pm Grocery Hours

OPEN FRIDAY & SUNDAY 10am-3pm Take Out & Grocery

Go to koshercajun.com for complete information on your Seder Shopping & Meals!

“Best New York Deli in New Orleans” 3519 SEVERN 888-2010

A JAPANESE RESTAUR ANT & SUSHI BAR Lunch & Dinner Tues-Sun Monday: Day of Rest CURBSIDE PICK-UP

Call us (504) 533-9879

LotusBistroNOLA.com 203 W. HARRISON AVE.

EAT+DRINK PAGE 17

Hospital food A TEAM OF NEW ORLEANS MUSICIANS

shuttled 1,052 freshly-made meals to staff at local hospitals on March 23, while a circuit of restaurants that prepared those meals together rang up nearly $5,000 in sales.

In this way, sustenance for stressedout health care providers on the front line of the coronavirus fight is creating a new gig for out-of-work musicians and providing a lifeline to restaurants struggling to keep the lights on and a few employees working.

The effort is being fueled by crowd-sourced financial contributions, and it flows from the unique network and skill set that local artist Devin De Wulf honed from running events in New Orleans.

“I have no idea now long this is going to last. It’s seemingly unsustainable to spend $4,000 to $5,000 a day at restaurants, but as long as money is coming in we can keep it going,” De Wulf says. “The best-case scenario is we create a machine that will feed our hospital workers through COVID without having to eat MREs, and the restaurants keep getting that support too.”

De Wulf is founder of the Krewe of Red Beans, the Carnival marching group that incorporates red beans into its costumes. He’s also creator of Bean Madness, the citywide red beans cook-off he modeled after the format of the NCAA’s March Madness basketball tournament.

De Wulf is married to Annelies De Wulf, an ER doctor at University Medical Center New Orleans. He wanted to do something to brighten the day for her colleagues. It started with $60 worth of cookies and a bundle of goodwill. Now the effort is helping provide daily meals at more than a dozen hospitals and COVID-19 testing sites around the area.

Members of the Krewe of Red Beans provided the first $500 through a GoFundMe campaign. The effort has since grown to more than $22,000 in contributions.

De Wulf turned to restaurants that he had already been working with for Bean Madness, and is placing orders of lunch for 30 to 60 hospital staffers at a time.

One of them is Justine, the French Quarter brasserie from chef Justin Devillier.

“Takeout was not going to sustain us here,” says the chef’s wife and business partner Mia Freiberger-Devillier. “This is what’s keeping a few people working and letting us feed people on the front lines.”

Day to day, drivers might fill a car with orders from Marjie’s Grill, Heard Dat Kitchen, Laurel Street Bakery or Joey K’s Restaurant & Bar. At first, volunteers from the krewe handled the deliveries. Now, eight musicians who had been scheduled

to play Bean Madness parties are doing the deliver gigs.

“The main goal is supporting people through the financial distress of COVID,” De Wulf says. “Instead of using volunteers, I want to pay musicians to do it.”

Other efforts along similar lines have taken shape, connecting the needs of hospital workers and hospitality businesses.

Chef’s Brigade (www.chefsbrigadenola.org) is another local initiative that began last week with a pilot program to feed the NOPD’s Third

PH OTO C O U R T E S Y D E V I N D E W U L F

University Medical Center staff enjoy a Krewe of Red Beans care package on March 17.

District from local restaurants. NOLA Doc Project follows a similar path.

A Texas-based doctor who trained at Tulane, and who goes by the handle El Chiccarelli, started NOLA Doc Project specifically to help residents, or early career doctors still in training.

They bear an especially heavy burden fighting the coronavirus, she says.

The effort started when she and her husband decided to buy a meal for their friends working at a New Orleans hospital and it evolved into the NOLA Doc Project, which also provides business to restaurants.

“Most of the owners I talk to are just really happy to be keeping their supply lines up and running, keeping their staff working,” El Chiccarelli says.

There’s more information at www.gofundme.com/f/snacks-forhospital-workers-in-nola. — IAN McNULTY / THE TIMES-PICAYUNE | THE NEW ORLEANS ADVOCATE

Bar mixer DANIEL VICTORY HOSTED A HAPPY HOUR from his CBD bar Victory on

March 26. It included specialty cocktails, a DJ spinning tunes and no one around but business partner Camille Whitworth working the camera, from at least six feet away.

Dubbed “Virtual Victory,” it’s the first in a series of online happenings that are part cocktail class, part happy hour and all about helping the bar’s staff get by after the state ordered bars closed due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.

“This is desperate situation,” Whitworth says. “We have to do something

to help our people, to keep the spirit alive. It’s made us get creative in how we’re connecting with people.”

Bars were ordered closed statewide on March 16. Since then, a business sector and piece of local life has been struggling with the mandates of social isolation, the key to slowing the spread of the deadly virus.

Increasingly, bars, bartenders and the communities built around them have concocted their own ways to show support while remaining apart.

People are sending online tips to bartenders when they pour their own drinks at home, thanks to an array of new online tools, including NOLA Virtual Tip Jar, New Orleans Bartenders Tip Party and Serviceindustry.tips.

Others are starting to create what amount to online versions of their bars to keep in touch and keep customer support flowing to jobless staff.

New editions of Virtual Victory will be shown on the Victory bar’s Facebook and Instagram pages each Thursday at 6 p.m. Daniel Victory will demonstrate a different cocktail, DJ Vintage (working remotely) will intersperse music for people sipping at home and viewers will be encouraged to send tips to Victory bar’s staff through Cash App. Relief efforts for the staff at Finn McCool’s Irish Pub largely have been directed by the Mid-City bar’s own regulars. They’re feeding tips into a Venmo account for the Mid-City bar’s staff, and they’re also convening via a Facebook group.

“It’s amazing because it’s everything people would be doing at the pub, but they’re doing it on the page now,” said Erin Lee Muggivan, a high school teacher who started the Finn’s Family group.

Bartenders are using the group to post videos thanking regulars for the tips and keeping some glimmer of old routines going. Bartender Kristin Boring posted a video on how to mix the house margarita at home.

Regulars at the Uptown bar Milan Lounge have been using the Facebook group Milan Friends to keep spirits up and some have been connecting on Zoom for video conference happy hour sessions.

Businesses licensed as bars have not been allowed to operate as restaurants. At the Avenue Pub, owner Polly Watts has turned the bar into a community kitchen and trading post for her staff, churning out meals and offering other support.

“We’re cooking for each other, even former employees,” Watts says.

“We’re ordering in bulk for the basic needs, their household supplies, so they don’t have to go to the store and so the dollars can go further. They’re basically doing their grocery shopping at the pub.” — IAN McNULTY / THE TIMES-PICAYUNE | THE NEW ORLEANS ADVOCATE

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F O R M O R E I N F O R M AT I O N A B O U T E A C H B U S I N E S S , L O O K F O R T H E I R A D I N T H I S E D I T I O N O F G A M B I T

Dorignac’s Food Center 710 Veterans Memorial Blvd (504) 834-8216 dorignacs.com Dorignac’s Food Center is a family owned and family operated grocery store. For over 70 years, Dorignac’s has provided the community with fresh and local groceries while creating a personal, service-driven experience for every shopper. Dorignac’s offers a variety of freshly made prepared foods daily. From ready-to-eat soups, fresh salads and finger sandwiches to grab & entrees, sides and casseroles. The bakery offers a wide variety of fresh baked items including breads, pastries, cakes and donuts.

Doson Noodle House 135 N Carrollton Ave (504) 309-7283

Doson Noodle House specializes in serving authentic Vietnamese food, also featuring some Chinese dishes as well. Chef Doson aims to serve healthy dishes by including a variety of vegetables and fresh local seafood. They are located at 135 N Carrollton Ave in Mid-City, and they will be open from 11am to 9pm. Doson Noodle House will be doing free delivery, take-out orders and curbside pick-up will be also available. Call them at (504)-309-7286 when you arrive at their location! They are also available on Postmates and Waitr.

Fury’s

Poseidon

724 Martin Behrman Ave (504) 834-5646 furysrestaurant.com

2100 St Charles Ave (504) 509-6675 poseidonnola.com

The Fury family has been in the restaurant business since 1967, and at its current Metairie location since 1983. They make all of their sauces in-house from tomato to tartar, and every meal is freshly made to order. At Fury’s, they take pride in serving the best home-cooked meals made with the freshest ingredients, all from Fury family recipes passed down through the generations.

Fury’s is open from 11am to 9pm for curbside pickup. An employee will bring your order out to you as soon as it is completed. Delivery is also available through Waitr.

Chef Ron’s Gumbo Stop 2309 N Causeway Blvd (504) 835-2022 gumbostop.com What’s better than comfort food in times like these? Chef Ron’s Gumbo Stop is offering take out and curbside for lunch and dinner! Select from their menus at www.gumbostop.com and place your order there. Chef Ron’s award-winning gumbos are always available. Try their original stuffed gumbo with catfish or the mumbo gumbo. Their combinations are endless! Chef Ron and the staff is hoping everyone is staying safe and healthy! Order online and they’ll bring your order out to you. They are open Monday through Saturday from 11am-9pm for now. It’s always Gumbo weather at Chef Ron’s Gumbo Stop! Call with any questions at (504) 835-2022.

Poseidon offers a wide array of New Orleans style seafood such as charbroiled, fried or raw oyster, seafood gumbo as well as carefully selected sushi and sashimi dishes. Their talented bartenders have put together a uniquely delicious cocktail series, which draws inspiration from the Greek gods. For large parties or special events, try their stateof-the-art Karaoke rooms. Their goal at Poseidon is to provide an unforgettable dining and entertaining experience for all of their patrons.

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Katie’s Restaurant 3701 Iberville St (504) 488-6582 katiesinmidcity.com Whatever your flavor, Katie’s Restaurant is offering Katie’s On-theGeaux! Cursbside to-go and delivery! They are open Monday through Saturday from 11am to 9pm. The full menu is available along with their daily specials and catering orders. Katie’s is also offering Sunday Brunch kits from 10am2pm. Call for take-out or delivery! Katie’s would like to thank everyone who has supported them so far! They look forward to serving all of their customers from Mid-City to Metairie and all places in between!

Keep up with Katie’s on Instagram for daily specials! To order, call 504-488-6582 or direct lines 504-267-7978 or 504-267-5324.

Kebab 2315 St. Claude Avenue (504) 383-4328 kebabnola.com Inspired by Dutch kebab shops and Greek taverna grills, everything at Kebab is made from scratch - from the bread they stone-bake hourly to their fresh herb sauces and Belgian fries. Besides sandwiches stacked high with local and humanely raised pork and chicken, Kebab offers vegetarian options like falafel platters and portobello sandwiches, as well as dinner plates featuring house-made pickles, couscous, and salad. They dream about their fresh-cut fries with a side of garlic-dill aioli. Kebab is open from noon to 8pm for take-out and curbside/no-contact pick-up and delivery, with expanded third-party delivery available through Postmates, UberEats, GrubHub and DoorDash.

Luna Libre 3600 St Claude Ave (504) 237-1284 lunalibrenola.com Luna Libre is a New Orleans Bywater Neighborhood Restaurant that offers Ark-La-Tex cuisine. Their menu combines Tex-Mex with the dishes from the Louisiana / Arkansas area. Menu items include carnitas made with slow roasted pork from Shank Charcuterie covered in traditional spices and local citrus from Ben & Ben Becnel farm garnished with onions & cilantro. Curbside takeout is available Tuesday and Thursday through Sunday from 5pm to 9pm. Breakfast tacos are available Saturday and Sunday from 8am to 12pm. Catering orders are also available. Order online at www.lunalibrenola. com or call (504) 237-1284. Also, every Tuesday from 7pm to 9pm is Luna Libre Live! Stream local musicians performing live at Luna Libre by visiting www.facebook.com/lunalibrenola.

Pythian Market 234 Loyola Ave (504) 481-9599 pythianmarket.com Pythian Market is now offering free delivery & curbside takeout. They are your neighborhood one stop food hall from pizza to sushi to tacos. Food Vendors include: EatWell NOLA, PM Burgers, 14 Parishes Jamaican Restaurant, Meribo Pizza, Kais, La Cocinita New Orleans and Willie Mae's. And now grocery store items such as essential household supplies, produce, St James cheese and beer & wine are ready for delivery & takeout. Order online at www.pythianmarket.com/order. Free delivery within 8 miles of the market with $10 minimum order or curbside pickup both available from 12pm to 8pm daily. The Pythian Market is located at 234 Loyola Ave at Gravier St. Their phone number is (504) 481-9599.

Pyramids Cafe 3151 Calhoun St (504) 861-9602 pyramidscafeonline.com Pyramids Cafe offers authentic Mediterranean cuisine. Their dishes are marinated to perfection in a flavorful Arabic & Mediterranean special spice mix. Their popular menu items include gyro plate, shawarma prepared on a rotisserie and the combination kabob. The stuffed lamb dish consisting of lamb chops marinated with herbs & spices is perfect for a family to enjoy! Call (504) 861-9602 or visit www.pyramidscafeonline.com to order take out and free delivery for Uptown. Seven days a week from 11am to 9pm.

Joey K’s 3001 Magazine St (504) 891-0997 joeyksrestaurant.com Homestyle New Orleans cooking is this Uptown restaurant’s specialty. Joey K’s serves delicious local dishes such as their fried shrimp po-boy, fried catfish platter and their award-winning fried chicken. In addition to their full menu, their daily specials are comfort food dishes to sooth the soul. Joey K’s is open Monday through Saturday from 12pm to 8pm.

Visit www.joeyksrestaurant.com or call (504) 891-0997 for takeout or get it delivered through D’Livery NOLA.

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Lotus Bistro

2330 Belle Chasse Hwy (504) 391-1090 orderspecialtyitalianbistro.com

203 W Harrison Ave (504) 533-9879 lotusbistronola.com

Specialty Italian Bistro has spent 20+ years serving the Greater New Orleans area gourmet food and catering. Their pizzas are made fresh daily with olive oil, unbleached flour, and is hand-stretched for the perfect thickness. Their sandwiches which include the Italian Special, Chicken Parmesan, and Roast Beef, are prepared on homemade bread. Try one of their hearty Calzones because they are generously stuffed, carefully folded, and baked to perfection. Specialty Italian Bistro also has soups and salads, and entrees that include Manicotti, Spinach Lasagna, and Eggplant Parmesan. Pickup and delivery are from 11am to 9pm. You can utilize Waitr, Uber Eats, Door Dash, orderspecialtyitalianbistro.com or just call them at (504) 391-1090.

While keeping continuity for our valued guests during the impact that COVID-19 has had on our beloved community, Lotus Bistro has implemented curbside pick-up for prepaid orders. Call Lotus Bistro (504) 533-9879 for some happiness to your palate during this “Stay-at-Home Mandate.”

Kosher Cajun 3519 Severn Ave (504) 888-2010 koshercajun.convertri.com/home Kosher Cajun is open for all of your Passover needs! They are also open for take-out orders as well. Kosher Cajun is committed to the community and offers fully stocked shelves and everything you need if you’re cooking for your Seder.

Kosher Cajun offers complete Seder meals for your group! Go to www.koshercajun.com and find teir Passover Menu. Their restaurant is open for take-out orders Monday through Thursday from 10am to 5pm. Grocery is extended until 7pm. Takeout and grocery will be open Friday and Sunday from 10am to 3pm.

Kosher Cajun would like to wish everyone a safe and healthy Passover! They are standing strong with you in this time!

Brown Butter Southern Kitchen & Bar 231 N Carrollton Ave Suite C (504) 609-3871 brownbutterrestaurant.com Brown Butter Southern Kitchen & Bar is open Tuesday through Saturday from 12pm to 7pm.

They are offering curbside takeout and free home delivery within a 2-mile radius with a $25 minimum. You can also order through UberEats! Brown Butter’s new menu is available at www.brownbutterrestaurant.com/togo-menu featuring some favorites such as crab mac & cheese, bacon cheddar burger & fried chicken sandwich. Plus, they are also offering new family style options which includes a starter, main course with a side & a dessert. $30 for 2 people & $50 for 4 people family meals. Call (504) 609-3871 to order today or visit www. brownbutterrestaurant.com.

Mosca’s Restaurant Mikimoto 3301 S Carrollton Ave (504) 488-1881 mikimotosushi.com For more than 20 years, Mikimoto has been the go-to spot for authentic Japanese cuisine in New Orleans. Since 1999, their restaurant has promised freshly made sushi. Mikimoto’s community knows a lot about tradition, and they opened their restaurant to begin a new one. As part of this promise, you can count on prompt service and quality ingredients with every unforgettable bite at Mikimoto. Call (504) 488-1881 for take-out and pick up at the window or free delivery.

4137 US-90 West (504) 436-8950 moscasrestaurant.com For more than 60 years, customers have enjoyed specialty Italian cuisine at Mosca’s Restaurant. From familiar staples like Spaghetti and Meatballs to signature dishes like Oysters Mosca, every dish is prepared to order and served on family-style platters. Not much has changed since Provino and Lisa Mosca opened Mosca’s Restaurant in 1946, and they are honored to continue their family tradition!

DUE TO COVID-19, THEY ARE CURRENTLY DOING TAKE OUT ONLY! Call Mosca’s Wednesday through Saturday after 2pm to place an order for pick up between 4pm and 7pm. Curbside delivery! Call (504) 436-8950 when you arrive, and they’ll bring it to your car!

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Specialty Italian Bistro

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Andrea’s Restaurant 3100 19th St (504) 834-8583 andreasrestaurant.com

EAT+DRINK 3-COURSE INTERVIEW

Jordi Figueras Kombucha maker JORDI FIGUERAS GREW UP IN SPAIN , and he was exposed to

Andrea’s Restaurant is currently doing curbside and delivery. They are open from 11am until 8pm on Monday through Saturday and closed on Sundays.

Andrea’s is running specials you can visit www.andreasrestaurant.com and Facebook and Instagram. Andrea’s is offering a gift card promotion by $100 and get a $20 gift card FREE! They are planning to be open Easter Sunday. You can call 504-834-8583 for details menu is in the works. Andrea’s will also be offering pick up for Easter Sunday from 11am until 7:30pm.

BREAUX MART 2904 Severn Avenue • Metairie 9647 Jefferson Highway • River Ridge 3233 Magazine Street • Garden District 315 East Judge Perez Drive • Chalmette Breaux Mart has 4 area locations to serve the community.

Current hours are Monday through Saturday from 8am to 7pm and limited hours on Sunday. They are also offering a designated hour every Tuesday for seniors 60+. Breaux Mart is receiving shipments daily & restocking the shelves with household essentials, fresh produce, USDA meat and cleaning supplies.

In addition, fried catfish & other hotline items are now pre-packed & ready for you to enjoy.

fermenting processes because his family made wine. Figueras became an engineer and them came to Tulane University to pursue a Master of Business Administration degree. He also brewed kombucha as a hobby and turned it into a business. His Insanitea Kombucha is a locally brewed sparkling probiotic beverage. He started bottling it in 2017 and sold it at farmers markets. Now it’s available in stores across New Orleans.

How do you make kombucha?

JORDI FIGUERAS: Kombucha is like any other ferment. You take this tea and you add sugar, and then you ferment it with the kombucha culture. Every ferment has different properties. Kombucha has a type of acid, gluconic acid, that’s really hard to find in most of food. Kombucha is a fermented probiotic drink. I define it as a tart, sparkling, refreshing drink.

Any good dish needs to be based on good ingredients. So I’m always trying to find what’s around that’s good quality. We are trying to use as much as we can that’s local. That is usually correlated with high quality. I used to do farmers markets, so I could access a lot of good fruits and vegetables. From there we were able to establish this network.

We can get tea, for example, from Mississippi.

We are trying to (make) strong rules about who we work with and staying seasonal. If it’s not from here, we probably shouldn’t be using it. We are moving from six flavors (available) all year long to four flavors and two seasonal flavors. Insanitea Kombucha is trying to promote flavors from the South.

Are the health benefits of kombucha?

F: Kombucha is good for your gut. I really think that having an option [other than] sugary drinks is important. It’s alive, and it’s unpasteurized, and it brings all of these microorganisms into your body. It gives you strength. It’s

PH OTO PR OV I D E D B Y JORDI FIGUERAS

been demonstrated that it makes your immune system stronger. It has antioxidants. It has vitamins that are hard to find like B12.

How is Insanitea Kombucha different from other kombucha?

F: At the start, it was like, “I like to brew, let’s do farmer’s markets.”

It was not someone who gave us a bag of money and from day one we could design our own brewery and we could have our own marketing team. We started from the bottom using cheap equipment, figuring out our way. All this time, we were inventing our tools, like for bottling, so it’s things that we’ve been building ourselves. It’s been very DIY, figuring out how to grow, understanding that our growth is slow. We’ve used very traditional methods to make small batches.

With kombucha these days, (large producers) do all kinds of weird stuff — the way that they ferment, they micro-select the culture. They know how many milliliters of yeast, how much bacteria. [For us] it’s understanding our culture rather than having all this super expensive equipment so you can do this kind of chemistry for making kombucha. It’s hard to make kombucha where you don’t make alcohol, and everyone achieves that in a different way.

[Some large producers] distill the kombucha and they extract the alcohol. They don’t care how much alcohol they produce because they can extract it. We don’t do anything like that. We ferment and give the temperature we want, the water we want — the sugar it wants. So it’s an understanding of our culture and trying to give it as much love as we can.

— EMILY CARMICHAEL

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Unless noted, addresses are in New Orleans and all accept credit cards. Updates: email willc@gambitweekly.com or call (504) 483-3106.

BYWATER Luna Libre — 3600 St. Claude Ave., (504) 237-1284 — Carnitas made with pork from Shank Charcuterie and citrus from Ben & Ben Becnel farm fills a taco topped with onion and cilantro. Curbside pickup is available. D Tue and Thu-Sat, brunch Sat-Sun. $ Polly’s Bywater Cafe — 3225 St. Claude Ave., (504) 459-4571; www.pollysbywatercafe.com — A grilled biscuit is topped with poached eggs, hog’s head cheese and Creole hollandaise and served with home fries or grits. $$

CBD 14 Parishes — Pythian Market, 234 Loyola Ave.; www.14parishes.com — Jamaican-style jerk chicken is served with two sides such as plantains, jasmine rice, cabbage or rice and peas. Delivery available.

Curbside pickup and delivery available. L and D daily. $$ Eat Well — Pythian Market, 234 Loyola Ave.; www.pythianmarket.com — Phoritto is a spinach tortilla filled with brisket, chick-

B — breakfast L — lunch D — dinner late — late 24H — 24 hours

$ — average dinner entrée under $10 $$ — $11 to $20 $$$ — $21 or more

en or tofu, plus bean sprouts, jalapenos, onions and basil and is served with a cup of broth. Curbside pickup and delivery available. L and D daily. $ Kais — Pythian Market, 234 Loyola Ave., (941) 481-9599; www.pythianmarket.com — A Sunshine bowl includes salmon, corn, mango, green onions, edamame, pickled ginger, ponzu spicy mayonnaise, cilantro, masago and nori strips. Curbside pickup and delivery available. L and D daily. $$ La Cocinita — Pythian Market, 234 Loyola Ave., (504) 309-5344; www.lacochinitafoodtruck.com — La Llanera is an arepa stuffed with carne asada, guasacasa, pico de gallo, grilled queso fresco and salsa verde. Curbside pickup and delivery available. B, L and D daily. $ Meribo Pizza — Pythian Market, 234 Loyola Ave., (504) 481-9599; www.meribopizza. com — A Meridionale pie is topped with pulled pork, chilies, ricotta, mozzarella, collard greens and red sauce. Delivery available. No reservations. L and D daily. $$ Red Gravy — 125 Camp St., (504) 5618844; www.redgravycafe.com — The menu includes brunch items, pasta dishes, sand-

wiches, baked goods and more. Takeout available. Check website for hours. $$

CARROLLTON/UNIVERSITY NEIGHBORHOODS

include dishes such as baked catfish and red beans and rice. L, D daily. $

FAUBOURG MARIGNY Carnaval Lounge — 2227 St. Claude Ave., (504) 265-8855; www.carnavallounge.com — The menu of Brazilian street food includes feijoada, a traditional stew of black beans and pork served over rice. Curbside pickup is available. D daily. $$ Kebab — 2315 St. Claude Ave., (504) 3834328; www.kebabnola.com — A falafel sandwich comes with pickled cucumbers, arugula, spinach, red onions, beets, hummus and Spanish garlic sauce. Takeout and delivery available. L and D Wed-Mon, late Fri-Sat. $ Mardi Gras Zone — 2706 Royal., (504) 9478787 — The grocery and deli has a counter offering po-boys, sides such as macaroni and cheese and vegan and vegetarian dishes. $

Mikimoto — 3301 S. Carrollton Ave., (504) 488-1881; www.mikimotosushi.com — The South Carrollton roll includes tuna tataki, avocado and snow crab. Delivery available.

Takeout and delivery available. L Sun-Fri, D daily. $$ Pyramids Cafe — 3151 Calhoun St., (504) 861-9602 — Diners will find Mediterranean cuisine featuring such favorites as shawarma prepared on a rotisserie. Takeout and delivery available. L, D daily. $$ Vincent’s Italian Cuisine — 7839 St. Charles Ave., (504) 866-9313; www.vincentsitaliancuisine.com — See Metairie section for restaurant description. Curbside pickup and delivery available. $$

Bienvenue — 467 Hickory Ave., Harahan, (504) 305-4792; www.bienvenueharahan. com — A Marrone sandwich features smoked prime rib, provolone, horseradish aioli and jus on Gendusa’s French bread. Curbside pickup available. L daily, D Tue-Sat, brunch Sun. $$ The Rivershack Tavern — 3449 River Road, (504) 834-4938; www.therivershacktavern. com — This bar and music spot offers a menu of burgers, sandwiches and changing lunch specials. Curbside pickup and delivery available. L, D daily. $

CITYWIDE

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Breaux Mart — Citywide; www.breauxmart. com — The deli counter’s changing specials

The Blue Crab Restaurant & Oyster Bar — 7900 Lakeshore Drive, (504) 284-2898;

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METAIRIE Andrea’s Restaurant — 3100 N. 19th St., Metairie, (504) 834-8583; www.andreasrestaurant.com — Chef/owner Andrea Apuzzo’s specialties include speckled trout royale which is topped with lump crabmeat and lemon-cream sauce. Capelli D’Andrea combines house-made angel hair pasta and smoked salmon in light cream sauce. Curbside pickup and delivery are available. L, D daily, brunch Sun. $$$ Kosher Cajun New York Deli & Grocery — 3519 Severn Ave., Metairie, (504) 8882010; www.koshercajun.com — This New York-style deli specializes in sandwiches, including corned beef and pastrami that come from the Bronx. Takeout available.

L Sun-Thu, D Mon-Thu. $ Mark Twain’s Pizza Landing — 2035 Metairie Road, Metairie, (504) 832-8032; www. marktwainpizza.com — Mark Twain’s serves salads, po-boys and pies like the Italian pizza with salami, tomato, artichoke, sausage and basil. Takeout and curbside pickup are

available. L Tue-Sat, D Tue-Sun. $ Nephew’s Ristorante — 4445 W. Metairie Ave., Metairie, (504) 533-9998 — Crab gravy tops angel hair pasta. The menu also includes osso buco, braised rabbit and Creole Italian-style eggplant. Takeout available. D Tue-Sat. $$ Vincent’s Italian Cuisine — 4411 Chastant St., Metairie, (504) 885-2984; www.vincentsitaliancuisine.com — Corn and crab bisque is served in a toasted bread cup.

Osso buco features a veal shank with angel hair pasta and veal demi-glace. Curbside pickup and delivery available. Tue-Sun. $$

MID-CITY/TREME Brown Butter Southern Kitchen & Bar — 231 N. Carrollton Ave., Suite C, (504) 609-3871; www.brownbutterrestaurant.com — Sample items have included smoked brisket served with smoked apple barbecue sauce, Alabama white barbecue sauce, smoked heirloom beans and vinegar slaw.

A Brunch burger features a brisket and short rib patty topped with bacon, brie, a fried egg, onion jam and arugula on a brioche bun. Takeout, curbside pickup and delivery are available. $$ Doson Noodle House — 135 N. Carrollton Ave., (504) 309-7283; www.facebook.com/ dosonnoodlehouse — Bun thit is Vietnamese-style grilled pork with cucumber, onions, lettuce, mint, cilantro and fish sauce served over rice or vermicelli. The menu includes rice and vermicelli dishes, pho, spring rolls and more. Takeout, curbside pickup and delivery are available. $$ Five Happiness — 3511 S. Carrollton Ave., (504) 482-3935; www.fivehappiness.com — The large menu at Five Happiness offers a range of dishes from wonton soup to sizzling seafood combinations served on a hot plate to sizzling Go-Ba to lo mein dishes. Takeout and delivery available. $$

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Katie’s Restaurant — 3701 Iberville St., (504) 488-6582; www.katiesinmidcity.com — Favorites at this Mid-City restaurant include the Cajun Cuban with roasted pork, grilled ham, cheese and pickles pressed on buttered bread. The Boudreaux pizza is topped with cochon de lait, spinach, red onions, roasted garlic, scallions and olive oil. There also are salads, burgers and Italian dishes. Takeout, curbside pickup and delivery available. L and D Tue-Sun. $$ Nonna Mia — 3125 Esplanade Ave., (504) 948-1717; www.nonnamianola.com — A Divine Portobello appetizer includes chicken breast, spinach in creamy red pepper sauce and crostini. The menu also includes salads, sandwiches, pasta, pizza and more.

Curbside pickup and delivery are available.

Service daily. $$

UPTOWN Joey K’s — 3001 Magazine St., (504) 8910997; www.joeyksrestaurant.com ­— This casual eatery serves fried seafood platters, salads, sandwiches and Creole favorites such as red beans and rice. Daily specials include braised lamb shank, lima beans with a ham hock and chicken fried steak served with macaroni and cheese. Takeout and delivery available. $$ Miyako Japanese Seafood & Steakhouse — 1403 St. Charles Ave., (504) 410-9997; www.japanesebistro.com — Miyako offers a full range of Japanese cuisine, with specialties from the sushi or hibachi menus, chicken, beef or seafood teriyaki, and tempura.

Delivery available. $$ Piccola Gelateria — 4525 Freret St., (504) 493-5999; www.piccolagelateria.com — The cafe offers 18 rotating flavors of small-batch Italian-style gelatos and sorbettos. The menu also includes flatbreads on piadina, crepes and espresso drinks. Takeout and curbside pickup available. L and D Tue-Sun. $ The Trolley Stop Cafe — 1923 St. Charles

TAKE-OUT TO EAT 25 Ave., (504) 523-0090; www.thetrolleystopcafe.com — Chicken and waffles includes fried chicken that’s been marinated for 48 hours and is served with chicory-infused maple syrup. Takeout and delivery available. $

WAREHOUSE DISTRICT Carmo — 527 Julia St., (504) 875-4132; www.cafecarmo.com — Carmo salad includes smoked ham, avocado, pineapple, almonds, cashews, raisins, cucumber, green pepper, rice, lettuce, cilantro and citrus mango vinaigrette. The menu includes dishes inspired by many tropical cuisines.

Takeout is available. Mon-Sat. $$ Provisions Grab-n-Go Marketplace — Higgins Hotel, 500 Andrew Higgins Blvd., (504) 528-1941; www.higgingshotelnola.com — The coffeeshop serves salads, sandwiches, pastries and more. Takeout available.

Service daily. $

WEST BANK Mosca’s — 4137 Hwy. 90 W., Westwego, (504) 436-8950; www.moscasrestaurant. com — This family-style eatery has changed little since opening in 1946. Popular dishes include shrimp Mosca, chicken a la grande and baked oysters Mosca, made with breadcrumps and Italian seasonings. Curbside pickup available. D Wed-Sat. Cash only. $$$ Specialty Italian Bistro — 2330 Belle Chasse Hwy., Gretna, (504) 391-1090; www. specialtyitalianbistro.com — The menu combines Old World Italian favorites and pizza. Chicken piccata is a paneed chicken breast topped with lemon-caper piccata sauce served with angel hair pasta, salad and garlic cheese bread. Takeout and delivery available. Service daily. $$

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www.thebluecrabnola.com — Boiled crawfish and fixings are available. Pickup available. L and D Fri-Sun. $$ Lakeview Brew Coffee Cafe — 5606 Canal Blvd., (504) 483-7001; www.lakeviewbrew. com — This casual cafe offers gourmet coffees and a wide range of pastries and desserts baked in house, plus a menu of specialty sandwiches and salads. Takeout, curbside pickup and delivery are available.

B, L daily, D Mon-Sat, brunch Sat-Sun. $ Lotus Bistro — 203 W. Harrison Ave., (504) 533-9879; www.lotusbistronola.com — A Mineko Iwasaki roll includes spicy snow crab, tuna, avocado and cucumber topped with salmon, chef’s sauce, masago, green onion and tempura crunchy flakes. The menu also includes bento box lunches, teriyaki dishes, fried rice and more. Takeout and delivery are available. L and D Tue-Sun. $$

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ARTISTS HERNAN CARO AND ALAIN CUNEO

ART OPENING APRIL 4 5-8 PM EXHIBITION THROUGH JUNE 13TH

MUSIC New project Culturalyst gives New Orleans musicians and artists a central digital platform

BY JAKE CLAPP

Sullivan | Gallery

3827 Magazine Street

TWO WEEKS AGO, AS BARS, MUSIC VENUES and other public performance spaces started to close, New Orleans musicians and artists quickly turned to digital methods to get their work out. Every day, concerts are being livestreamed on social media; visual artists are hosting happy hour painting sessions; and local chefs are teaching viewers how to cook.

The speed of the coronavirus-related shutdown also prompted the full launch of Culturalyst, a new locally created digital platform and artist directory. The website (www.culturalyst.com) gives musicians, artists and other creatives a central digital space to create free profiles, host Facebook Live videos, and link to social media profiles and funding sites like Venmo and PayPal. The website launched in New Orleans and currently hosts about 125 regional artists, says founder and CEO Sam Bowler. Musicians and bands like Casme, Flow Tribe, Kumasi, Smoking Time Jazz Club, Zoe Boekbinder, and The New Orleans Swinging Gypsies now have profiles on the site along with culture bearers like Chief Shaka Zulu and artists like Zandashe Brown, Madeleine Kelly and Trenity Thomas. The site plans to scale up and expand other cities in the future.

Bowler says Culturalyst had been moving intentionally slowly in its beta testing phase, but coronavirus accelerated everything and the website went live. The team built in the ability for artists to host live videos and list their Venmo, PayPal, and cash app info.

Gambit sent a few questions to Bowler to find out more about Culturalyst.

What is Culturalyst’s mission?

Starwind Gifts Spiritual Supply Ritual Needs

Sam Bowler: Culturalyst is a network of local artist directories. Our goal is to make it easy to discover and support the people who create local culture everywhere. Each city in our network receives its own directory. Artists can create free SEO-optimized profiles that feature a full gallery of work, links to existing online properties (socials, website, etc), and all upcoming events.

Anyone looking for local culture can then find artists and their events by medium, genre, ZIP code and a series of other filters, and then directly support them through tips or recurring patronage.

How did this get started?

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B: We live in a city that is full of artists who create our rich local culture, but it is surprisingly pretty hard to find those artists and directly support them. As a result, artists don’t get their fair financial shake, given our $8 billion a year tourism economy.

We started by asking some basic questions four years ago — if New Orleans has a multi-billion cultural economy, why are artists struggling

to pay rent? Why isn’t it easier to find artists? We started asking those questions and from that began to formulate Culturalyst.

What do you hope artists get out of Culturalyst?

B: We want to be a resource for artists. Artists promote themselves via social media and their own personal websites all the time, but that exposure is only as big as their existing networks. What we’re trying to do is centralize information so that someone looking for a poet is only one click away from painters and dancers and so on.

We’ve heard from artists that they’ve found other artists to collaborate with on our platform.

We’ve also heard that artists have received gigs from folks who found them on Culturalyst. We only launched in beta last November, so we’re encouraged that artists are already seeing value. Our goal is to keep our eyes up and ears open so that we can keep improving what we’re offering, providing more value to both artists and those who want to experience the culture they create.

MUSIC

NEW ORLEANS GIFTS • LOCAL ARTISTS & DESIGNERS

Roots music

ARTS & CRAF TS F ROM OVE R 5 0 LO CAL ARTI STS

Roland Guerin on his album ‘Grass Roots’

BY WILL COVIELLO BASSIST ROLAN GUERIN SPENT SEVEN YEARS in Allen Toussaint’s band,

from 2008 to 2015. He often shared his musical compositions with the legendary musician and composer, and after he sent one instrumental piece, Toussaint surprised him.

“He said, ’I have something for you,’ ” Guerin says. “At the next rehearsal, he gave me lyrics, and at the end was a personal message: ‘I’ve got your back.’ I asked him if he had a melody for me, and he smiled and said, ‘No.’ ” Guerin got to work on finishing the song, which is titled “Stick to Basics,” and is included on his latest album, “Grass Roots,” released by Louisiana Red Hot Records. Guerin figured out melodies for both the lyrics he sings and the instrumental part, and he added a short homage to the Toussaint-penned Ernie K-Doe hit “Mother-in-Law” in the second verse.

“Grass Roots” was released digitally in October 2019, but Guerin didn’t hold an album-release party until late February when the hard copies became available. The album’s 10 tracks include many beautiful songs marked by hushed drums, his six-string bass, storytelling lyrics and his gentle, high-pitched vocals, as on opener “Summer Moon” and the title track.

The song “Grass Roots” is about growing up in a Creole family, and having his parents switch into patois French to keep the children from knowing what they were talking about, particularly gossip. Guerin says he regrets not knowing some of the secrets and learning the dialect, but the tone of the song is a joyous homage to his family legacy.

Guerin’s grandfather was a zydeco musician who wrote a song popularized by Boozoo Chavis, “Paper in My Shoe,” Guerin says. His mother also played bass, and her brothers were musicians. Guerin says his father could sing like Nat King Cole but had no rhythm. The family’s musical influences got him interested in music at an early age, and he learned to play viola and guitar before settling on electric and standup basses. He pursued a marketing degree at Southern University in Baton Rouge, but studied from his first major mentor, Alvin Batiste, who invited him to join his band, The Jazztronauts.

OPE N BY APP OI NTM E NT S HOP BY P HONE OR ON LI N E PH OTO B Y L A U R A A N D R O L A N D PH OTO G R A PH Y

Guerin then spent 15 years in jazz pianist Marcus Roberts’ band; he had always been influenced by a wide array of music. He says his voice approached the high falsetto of El DeBarge when he was young, and he listened to everything from Prince to Miles Davis, the Commodores, the Dazz Band, ZZ Top, Def Leppard, Peter Gabriel and others. Guerin also served as bandleader for Dr. John in the years before the beloved musician died in 2019.

Although some songs on the album were finished recently, a few, such as “Stick to Basics,” have been the works for four years. There’s some Dr. John-style wordplay and funky baselines on “Inside Outside Upside Down,” a song about how a friend’s little push in the right or wrong direction can have a big effect on a young person. The album’s lone instrumental track, “Lorena” is named for his mother.

The album includes some guest appearances, such as Nicholas Payton on clavinet on “Running on Nightfumes,” but Guerin wore many hats, using his own recorded background vocals and handling arranging and producing the album himself. It’s full of approachable but sophisticated compositions that echo many of his interests, spanning R&B, rock, jazz, blues, funk, folk and more.

Guerin says he keeps in mind one thing Dr. John and Toussaint had in common: Both were keen observers of the world around them. “There’s never a lack of inspiration,” Toussaint told him.

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Making a Scene GETTING A FILM SIGNED TO A DISTRIBUTION DEAL for release in theaters

has long been one of the opportunities enabled by a positive response with film festival audiences. It still is, and opportunities have expanded to broadcast and streaming platforms. But besides screening films for the public, the New Orleans Film Festival also works behind the scenes to make that happen for participating filmmakers.

“Something we’ve prioritized over the past five or six years is bringing in people from the industry in the field of acquisitions, both for theatrical (releases) and broadcast and streaming,” says New Orleans Film Festival Artistic Director Clint Bowie. “We curate a series of one-on-one meetings between filmmakers and people from the industry based on what kinds of work the industry people are looking for and the filmmakers and their projects. We do an average of 400 meetings at a festival.”

In recent years, the festival has arranged meetings with representatives from HBO, Gravitas Ventures, FilmRise, Black Public Media, Tubi, Frontline, ITVS, Louisiana Public Broadcasting and others.

The New Orleans festival also has developed opportunities for short films, which rarely are screened in theaters. Festival partnerships with Vimeo and Reel South have helped online broadcasts of short films garner more viewers. A film presented as a Vimeo Staff Pick can rack up 300,000 viewings within days, Bowie says. Director Ian Spencer Cook’s “The Basin” was screened on PBS affiliates when it was selected by Reel South from the festival’s 2019 slate.

Directors Logan George and Celine Held had their film “Lockdown” chosen as a Vimeo Staff Pick, and they received a $2,500 award.

The 2019 festival featured many films in its spotlight and opening and closing night slots that later were nationally released, such as director Kasi Lemmons’ Harriet Tubman biopic “Harriet,” “Ford v Ferrari,” the comedy-drama “Jojo Rabbit” and “Marriage Story,” in which Scarlett Johansson and Adam Driver play a couple struggling with a failed marriage. It also screened a range of features, documentaries, experimental films, music videos and more.

Many of the movies are now available online and via streaming platforms.

Below are some notable films from the festival. Several are available for free viewing.

“Hunting for Hedonia”

Available on YouTube Pernille Rose Gronkjaer’s documentary about stimulation of the brain’s pleasure center made its U.S. premiere at the New Orleans Film Festival, and it has plenty of local ties, Bowie says. It focuses on the neuroscience and potential medical uses of deep brain stimulation (DBS). Psychiatrist Robert Heath, former director of Tulane University’s departments of neurology and psychiatry, was a pioneer of DBS, which has been used to treat Parkinson’s disease, depression, PTSD and other disorders. The film, narrated by Tilda Swinton, explores the possibilities for DBS therapies and the ethical questions about using them, such as the lines between relieving the effects of depression versus dramatically changing personality. Applications also included what are now clearly viewed as misuses, including Heath’s attempt to “cure” a patient of homosexuality.

“Scream, Queen!

My Nightmare on Elm Street”

Available on YouTube The 1985 film “A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge” wasn’t the smashingly successful sequel many expected it to be. Many fans of the first Freddy Krueger slasher flick panned it, although it later gained a cult following and The Advocate called it the “gayest horror film of all time.” It’s homoerotic subtext garnered attention, and lead actor Mark Patton essentially became the first male horror flick “scream queen.” His homosexuality was not publicly known, and he believes the movie outed him and changed his career. “Scream, Queen” explores his experience and queerness in the horror genre.

“Always in Season”

Available on PBS (www.pbs.org/independentvideos/always-in-season) Director Jacqueline Olive’s documentary about the history of lynching in the U.S. focuses on the death of Len-

PH OTO PR OV I D E D B Y T H E N E W O RL E A N S F I L M S O C I E T Y

Tiffany Tenille plays a 19-year-old woman turns to online sex work in director Numa Perrier’s ‘Jezebel.’

non Lacy, a black high school student found hanging from a swing set in Bladenboro, North Carolina in 2014.

The death was initially ruled a suicide, but his mother refused to accept that and pursued justice. Olive explores the legacy of racial violence and its ongoing presence. The film won a Special Jury Prize for Moral Urgency at the Sundance Film Festival, where it premiered. Olive was a mentor in the New Orleans Film Festival’s Emerging Voices program. “It’s not an easy watch, but it’s one people should make time for,” Bowie says.

“It’s insightful and beautifully shot.”

“Jezebel”

Available on Netflix Director Numa Perrier’s semi-autobiographical feature is about a young woman who turns to online sex work.

Tiffany is an unemployed 19-year-old who moves in with her family in Las Vegas while her terminally ill mother’s health fades. Pressed to help support the group, she becomes a “cam girl,”

who plays out her internet clients’ fantasies. The film was Perrier’s directorial debut, and she also made it with little outside funding.

“Burning Cane” Available on Netflix NOCCA graduate Phillip Youmans completed his debut feature “Burning Cane” at 19 years old and became the youngest director to win Founder Award for Best Narrative Feature at the Tribeca Film Festival. Actor Wendell Pierce won the festival’s best actor award for his portrayal of the alcoholic Pastor Tillman. In the film, Helen, played by Karen Kaia Livers, is a devoutly religious woman living in rural South Louisiana who struggles to guide her family as it breaks down. As with the hungover preacher sweating through his rousing sermons, the situation beneath appearances is bleak. The film was the New Orleans Film Festival’s Centerpiece Film.

STAYING IN Diao Yinan’s 2019 film noir crime thriller is set in Wuhan, China

BY WILL COVIELLO

WUHAN WAS NOT THE BEST KNOWN CITY IN CHINA before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s a sprawling metropolis and transportation hub in central China and was once a wartime capital of the nation. Some of that sprawl may be why director Diao Yinan chose the city as the setting for his 2019 film noirish crime thriller “The Wild Goose Lake.”

Yinan sets his story in cheap hotels, rickety noodle shops and crowded concrete apartment enclaves in the suburban outskirts of Wuhan. After being released from prison, Zhou Zenong (Hu Ge) returns to run a small crew of motorcycle thieves within a larger criminal network. The film opens in the middle of the story as a bloodied Zenong waits in the shadows of a train station, but instead of his wife, another woman arrives to meet him. Liu Aiai (Gwei Lun-mei) is a “bathing beauty,” the local euphemism for a prostitute who works at the beachfront of the film’s namesake Wild Goose Lake. A police commander commenting on the hub of petty vice sneers that the bathing beauties “can’t even swim.”

As Zenong and Aiai talk about how they’ve gotten to the point where they are, the story flashes back to a fast sequence of the crime ring’s descent into chaos.

Zenong and another motorcycle theft crew’s leader, who is called Cat’s Eye, both want the best turf to steal bikes.

Almost like a trade group meeting in the garage of a budget motel, thieves learn theft techniques and are assigned their territories. Cat’s Eye doesn’t like his assignment, an argument turns into a brawl and escalates later with more gruesome exchanges in the streets.

Then a policeman is killed, prompting authorities to crack down hard and offer a 300,000 yuan reward for information leading to the capture of Zenong.

Yinan combines elements of film noir and a hardscrabble setting reminiscent of 1970s-era crime movies set in bleak urban landscapes full of antiheroes negotiating morally ambiguous environments. Yinan frames Zenong

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PH OTO C O U R T E S Y F I L M M OV E M E N T

‘Wild Goose Lake’ is a film noirish Chinese crime drama set in Wuhan. as both ruthless and virtuous. Aiai is an often passive femme fatale, and the film builds suspense around her mysterious motives.

There’s also some comic relief in the Keystone Cops-like aspects of the police. While the leaders are forceful agents of a powerful government apparatus, many of the police officers are hapless. Several cops who realize they’re facing violent gangs ask for gun training, since they’ve never fired a weapon.

Yinan won critical praise and an award at the Berlin Film Festival for his 2014 crime film “Black Coal, Thin Ice.” In it, dismembered body parts of a murdered coal miner are found in disparate train cars and the story follows the tracks back to the crime. “Wild Goose Lake” also has some grizzly scenes, though in film noir fashion, the drama of some confrontations is heightened as Yinan films them in shadows, obscured views through doorways and via the inventive and gratuitous splatter of blood on an umbrella, before we realize who’s survived.

As the police and the bike gang close in on Zenong, he tries to mitigate the damage, but even his estranged wife Yang Shujun (Wan Qian) isn’t immune from the fury. The film slows in the middle, as Zenong and Aiai lie low and Yinan preserves the anxiety of determining who can be trusted and who is being used by whom. At times, Yinan makes Zenong an implausibly lucky or invincible force, but the film is a thrill ride in an otherworldly place.

“The Wild Goose Lake” was set to open at Zeitgeist Theater & Lounge, which currently is shuttered. Movie distributor Film Movement is partnering with independent theaters around the country to support them while they are closed. The film is available on the Film Movement website, but a link on the www.zeitgeistnola.org site allows Zeitgeist to collect half of the $12 viewing fee.

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