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November 10-16 2020 Volume 41 Number 43

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Elegant Flowers

CONTENTS

NOV. 10 — 16, 2020 VOLUME 41 || NUMBER 43

THE FINISHING TOUCH TO YOUR THANKSGIVING TABLE

NEWS

OPENING GAMBIT

COMMENTARY 10 BLAKE PONTCHARTRAIN 11

ORDER YOUR ARRANGEMENT NOW

ABORTION FOES INCH CLOSER TO STATEWIDE BAN

PROGRESSIVES SCORE KEY WINS

NOT OVER YET: KEY RACES HEAD TO RUNOFFS

GIFT GUIDE

LOCAL GIFTS

FEATURES

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT 5 EAT + DRINK

MUSIC 32 GOING OUT

Sicilian • Creole Italian

OWNER/CHEF FRANK CATALANOTTO

4445 W. METAIRIE AVE. (504) 533-9998

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OPEN FOR DINNER TUES - SAT • 5:30PM - 10PM

NEAR CLEARVIEW PKWY

@The_Gambit

VALET AVAILABLE

@gambitneworleans

HONORÉ D E N TA L C E N T E R

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Da Winnas and Da Loozas Election results from Nov. 3

STAFF

COVER PHOTO BY GETTY IMAGES/EVGENY_D COVER DESIGN BY DORA SISON

Publisher | JEANNE EXNICIOS FOSTER

EDITORIAL

ADVERTISING

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Editor | JOHN STANTON Political Editor | CLANCY DUBOS

Advertising Director | SANDY STEIN BRONDUM (504) 483-3150 [sstein@gambitweekly.com]

Arts & Entertainment Editor | WILL COVIELLO

Senior Sales Representative

Staff Writers | JAKE CLAPP, KAYLEE POCHE,

JILL GIEGER

SARAH RAVITS

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Contributing Writers | IAN MCNULTY

PRODUCTION

Sales Representatives

Creative Services Director | DORA SISON

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Graphic Designers | CATHERINE FLOTTE,

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BUSINESS & OPERATIONS Billing Inquiries 1 (225) 388-0185 Administrative Assistant | LINDA LACHIN

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Gambit (ISSN 1089-3520) is published weekly by Capital City Press, LLC, 840 St. Charles Ave., New Orleans, LA 70130. (504) 4865900. We cannot be held responsible for the return of unsolicited manuscripts even if accompanied by a SASE. All material published in Gambit is copyrighted: Copyright 2020 Capital City Press, LLC. All rights reserved.

Screen time THE NEW ORLEANS FILM FESTIVAL continues through Sunday, Nov. 15, with outdoor screenings at the Lafitte Greenway and The Broadside. The lineup includes “Bloody Nose, Empty Pockets,” the documentary “Professor Longhair, Rugged and Funky,” the locally shot feature about a TV contest loser, “American Reject,” the Valerie Sassyfras documentary “Nobody May Come,” music videos and more. The closing night film is “MLK/FBI,” a documentary about the extent of the government’s surveillance and harassment of the civil rights leader. Visit neworleansfilmsociety. org for schedule.

The beat goes on DRUMMER JAMAL BATISTE LEADS his band in a blend of funk, R&B, soul, hip-hop and rock in a show live-streamed from the House of Blues at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 11. Find the link on Instagram, @hobnola.

Virtually Southern

It takes a village Music Box Village hosts ‘Sonic Remedies’ concert series BY JAKE CLAPP WHEN NEW ORLEANS AIRLIFT reached

out to local artists and musicians for a limited capacity concert series at its Music Box Village, a common thread started to appear: Almost everybody had spent a lot of time during the coronavirus pandemic-related shutdowns coming up with new ways of interacting and creating, says Airlift co-founder Jay Pennington. “Not necessarily the live-streaming, sort of business angle of communicating as artists,” Pennington says, “but the internal work that comes from hibernation and rethinking life in this crazy time — which is not a moment New Orleans people get a lot of. Deep introspection isn’t our strong suit. We’re social and out in the world.” Music Box Village, the musical architecture installation space in Bywater, resumed outdoor music performances when it reopened Nov. 6 for “Sonic Remedies,” a three-weekend series of shows — a rare occurrence in the coronavirus pandemic era. The space normally could accommodate 1,200 people but is limiting tickets to 100 and enforcing COVID-19 guidelines, such as physical distancing, face coverings, contact tracing and advance online ticketing. The upcoming second weekend, Nov. 13-15, opens Friday with two

performances of “Pleasure and Ease,” a concert by cellist Spirit McIntyre and vocalist Ron Ragin focused on the act of healing. Doors open at 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. On Saturday, musician and owner of New Orleans’s most infectious smile, Joshua Starkman, will host “Have a Great Day! Live,” a musical and variety talk show with singers MarkAnthony Thomas and Gabrielle Cavassa, electronic musician MoPodna (serving as house DJ) and special guest puppet Esmerelda. Doors are at 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. And at 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. Sunday, bounce and soul artist HaSizzle will take you to “Church of Twerk” with a show featuring DJ Rockie and vocalists Anjelika “Jelly” Joseph, Rahim Glaspy and Kayla Jasmine. “Everyone has taken the title of the series to heart,” Pennington says. Many of the programs in the series have some connection to healing through performance or uplifting audiences during what has been a traumatic year. “‘Sonic Remedies,’ the title, really has been a guiding light for so many people through this as well,” Pennington says. Music Box Village’s first weekend lineup featured performances by Michot’s Melody Makers with Leyla McCalla, Black Magic Drumline and Hellen Gillet with Mike Dillon. The final “Sonic Remedies” weekend features Meschiya Lake on Nov. 27; Ben Jaffe with fellow Preservation Hall musicians on Nov. 28; and Lonnie Holley on Nov. 29. General admission tickets are $15, and there is an option to purchase a “Pay It Forward” ticket at a $30, $60 or $100 level, which helps support

P H OTO B Y S H AW N F I N K / T H E T I M E S - P I C AY U N E | T H E N E W O R L E A N S A DVO C AT E

The Music Box Village, seen here in 2017, reopened Friday with a series of limited capacity concerts.

Music Box Village and the musicians. A limited number of free tickets also are available for every performance. When the coronavirus pandemic set in, the Music Box Village went into stasis like everything else, Pennington says. Normally, the outdoor art installation slows down programming for the summer months, so the break initially wasn’t too disruptive. But as the pandemic stretched on, already meager financial relief — like the federal unemployment benefit — vanished for local artists and New Orleans Airlift employees. A couple of months ago, the arts organization began to consider how it could safely reopen Music Box Village and step back into its own role as a host for musicians and artists. And like it has with musicians, 2020 gave New Orleans Airlift time to reflect on itself. “We just had our 10-year anniversary last year, so we were already in a mode of questioning what our purpose and function and meaning is,” Pennington says. “But I think, with George Floyd, with this new civil rights moment, with COVID, the questions just become deeper and more profound. You have to be more open to self-scrutiny.” Separate from Music Box Village, New Orleans Airlift also is working on several granted projects that will start next year, Pennington adds. For tickets and more information to “Sonic Remedies” concerts, visit musicboxvillage.com.

LAFAYETTE’S SOUTHERN SCREEN film festival is a virtual event this year. Films include “Stardust,” fictionalizing David Bowie’s early tour of the U.S., slates of short films and interviews with film and TV stars including former “Saturday Night Live” comedian Rachel Dratch. The festival runs Nov. 12-15. Visit southernscreen.org for schedule.

Junior league THE “RAISE YOUR VOICE” BENEFIT is a musical revue by young performers to support Angel’s Place, a nonprofit that assists families with children diagnosed with life-threatening illnesses. More than 40 young people sing classics from shows like “42nd Street,” “A Chorus Line,” “Mean Girls,” “Hamilton” and more. At Rivertown Theaters for the Performing Arts in Kenner at 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 13, and Saturday, Nov. 14, and 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 15. Visit rivertowntheaters.com for tickets.

Rose-colored glasses

MICHAEL DEMOCKER / TH E TIM ES- PICAY U N E | T H E N E W O R L E A N S A DVO C AT E

THE NEW ORLEANS WINE & FOOD Experience holds a tasting of rose wines from France, Spain, Italy and the U.S., and hors d’oeuvres are included. There are tickets for general admission and table seating on Fulton Street from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 14. Visit nowfe.com for tickets.

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John M. Barry will receive

the Louisiana Writer Award, the prestigious literary award given by the state in recognition of contributions to Louisiana’s literary and intellectual life. A New Orleansbased author and faculty member at Tulane’s School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, Barry’s books include “Rising Tide: The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 and How It Changed America,” “Roger Williams and the Creation of the American Soul,” and “The Great Influenza: The Story of the Deadliest Pandemic in History” — which has received fresh recognition during the coronavirus pandemic.

The number of votes in Louisiana the restrictive, anti-abortion Amendment 1 received over the number of votes for Donald Trump on Nov. 3.

A P P H OTO B Y WAY N E P ERR Y

A board at Harrah’s casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey, listing the odds on pro football games in the first week of the NFL season. Sports wagering just won support from voters in most Louisiana parishes on Nov. 3.

VOTERS APPROVE SPORTS WAGERING, BUT THE OVER/UNDER ON BETTING IN LOUISIANA IS AT LEAST A YEAR Cafe Reconcile on Election Day

prepared and distributed around 1,000 servings of jambalaya to people waiting in line at polling places around New Orleans. Gerald Duhon, executive director of the Central City nonprofit, told The Times-Picayune | The New Orleans Advocate the group recognized people working on Tuesday would use their lunch break to vote, so the jambalaya drops were practical as well as a symbolic reward for civic duty.

Election Day in New Orleans went smoothly. On the eve of the election, three polling locations in Orleans Parish and 20 locations in Jefferson Parish were without electricity, but the Orleans Parish locations ultimately had power back up on Election Day and locations in Jefferson Parish secured generators. Lines across the city were long during parts of the day but generally moved quickly.

If you like the idea of placing a legal bet on a Saints game, get thee to Mississippi — where sports betting has been legal for more than two years. Sports wagering won overwhelming support from voters in most Louisiana parishes in a “local option” referendum on Nov. 3, but it likely will take at least a year (maybe longer) for state lawmakers and regulators to make it happen. Among the decisions legislators must make: • How pervasive should sports betting be? Should the state allow online betting from smart phones or require bettors to go to “brick and mortar” locations such as casinos, truck stops, and local bars and restaurants? Supporters of wireless betting say it could generate more revenue. Backers of a brick-and-mortar requirement say their plan would help local businesses rather than send money to out-of-state outfits like DraftKings and FanDuel (both of which invested heavily in the Nov. 3 referendum). This will be the first of many hard-fought legislative battles. • How should betting be taxed, and at what rate? This seems like an easy one, but many lawmakers who love the idea of spending all that new revenue also want to maintain their “tax virginity.” It will be interesting to see how this process unfolds. • Where should the revenues go? Should they be dedicated to certain popular budget items such as education, public safety and public health — or should they go into a trust fund, or into the state’s general fund? This, too, will be a tough hurdle for lawmakers to clear. Closely related to this decision will be how much of the “vig” goes to local governments — and to casinos, truck stops, bars and restaurants, if lawmakers favor brick-and-mortar betting. • How will this new form of gaming be regulated, and by whom? The state already has a Gaming Control Board whose mission is to PAGE 9

According to the unofficial results from the Secretary of State’s office, 1,274,112 people voted yes on Amendment 1, while 1,255,482 ballots were cast to re-elect Trump. Amendment 1 will add language to the Louisiana Constitution saying it does not include a right to abortion or abortion funding. But it doesn’t answer who this odd demographic is.

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OPENING GAMBIT

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OPENING GAMBIT

In deep red St. Bernard, seeds of change start to sprout Yadira Lopez’s bedazzled mask may have hidden much of her face as she left J.F. Gauthier Elementary School with her daughter Michelle on Nov. 3, but the emotion was clear in her eyes. Wiping away a telltale tear with the cuff of a sweatshirt sleeve, the 46-year-old cashier worker said it was the first time she’d voted in eight years, and it was only her second time ever. The last time she headed to the polls was 2012, in her native Texas, when she cast a ballot for Barack Obama’s re-election. Like millions of Americans who would later regret the decision, she stayed home in 2016. Though the administration’s treatment of migrants like her parents weighed on her, she almost hadn’t come out to vote this year. But her daughter, a sixth grader with an interest in politics, had insisted. “She’s very involved,” Lopez said proudly. “She knows more than I do — she explained some of the candidates to me.” Lopez ultimately decided to vote, determined to register her opposition to Trump, not only personally but also over his treatment of migrant families, and particularly children. “I want to see them back with their families. I don’t think it’s fair for them to suffer. They didn’t even come to this country by choice.” For much of its history, the southeastern parish has been viewed by non-white New Orleanians as a no-go zone, thanks to its notoriously discriminatory history. But as rent has increased in Orleans Parish, there’s been an influx of Latinos into the community and an increasing number of Black families drawn to the area for its public schools and affordability. At the same time, many white

residents have seemingly become weary of the old ways: restaurants targeted to a yuppy clientele have begun opening — at least in the “upper” part of the parish, while civic leaders have pumped funds into an arts district in nearby Arabi in the hopes of luring locals and maybe even tourists across the canal. Like the rest of the state, change in St. Bernard has been slow, and the systemic problems of racism still exist. Black residents say they continue to be unfairly targeted by police, and everyday discrimination remains a chronic problem. Still, even in politics there are signs that the seeds of change may be taking hold. Though Trump and other hardline conservatives won most races, in at least one judicial race Justin Stephens — who is openly gay — made it to a run-off against Democrat Eric Bopp. If he wins, Stephens would be the first openly gay elected candidate not only in the Parish, but in the entire New Orleans area. Stephens isn’t a progressive: he’s an avowed law-and-order conservative who worked for former Republican Rep. Billy Tauzin, and his father is a former sheriff in the Parish, which all has likely helped with name recognition. Still, it’s hard to imagine a scenario in which he would be able to mount a viable campaign even four years ago — let alone being so close to becoming the area’s first parish-wide LGBTQ elected official. The openness to Stephens’ candidacy can’t be chalked up to new or non-white voters. Even amongst some white voters there’s a clear sense that something has to change. Melody and Joey Latapie, both retired grandparents in their early 60s, said they were excited to vote in the presidential election. Joey, a former commercial fisherman, said he was “not satisfied at all” with the current commander in chief. And, perhaps speaking for all of us, regardless of political beliefs, summed up the zeitgeist. “I hope it’s better,” he said of the not-too-distant future. “I can’t wait for 2020 to be over.” Of course, not everyone in the predominantly conservative parish thinks that the Trump administration has been problematic or are at all interested in change. Sal Sciambra, a 36-year-old welder who works in New Orleans East, told Gambit that he hopes that “things stay mostly the same” for the next few years. — BY SARAH RAVITS

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PAGE 7

regulate all forms of gambling, but this new form of wagering will require additional staffing, expertise and enforcement. Will lawmakers adequately fund the board? Will the State Police handle enforcement, as it does with other forms of gaming? Even if lawmakers can sort out all those issues next April, when they next convene, it will take months — possibly another year — to get all the pieces in place before you’ll be able to stroll into your neighborhood bar, or whip out your smart phone, and bet your spare coin on the Saints, LSU or the Pelicans. — CLANCY DUBOS

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COMMENTARY

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LOUISIANANS ONCE AGAIN successfully exercised the franchise on Nov. 3, and just as in past elections it went off smoothly. If this were any other year, that would hardly be worth mentioning. Stereotypes notwithstanding, for decades our state has conducted fair, corruption-free elections and reported accurate results in a timely manner. Indeed, you’d have to go all the way back to the 1970s to find a significant example of foul play. But this is 2020, so nothing can be taken for granted. Thanks to the chaos of Donald Trump’s presidency, politics has been on everyone’s mind for much of the last four years. That and some hotly contested local races drove record numbers of voters to the polls across Louisiana. That could have caused huge problems for an understaffed and underfunded voting system, but local election officials — and citizens — adapted. Citizens across the New Orleans metro area heeded the call for more poll workers. Unlike other states where voting times often stretched into hours, local and state officials easily handled the increased volume. The Trump fever dream hung heavy over elections across the country. Fueled by baseless conspiracy theories promoted by racist Internet forums, many Republicans obsessed over the idea of a compromised election. They presented no evidence to back up such claims, because there was none. Sadly, Republican state lawmakers opposed common-sense efforts to expand early voting and mail balloting. Fortunately, the federal courts imposed a measure of sanity and fairness. Considering the efficacy of the Nov. 3 elections, we hope lawmakers will expand early and mail balloting permanently in Louisiana. COVID-19 likewise caused massive disruptions to local campaigns.

S TA F F P H OTO B Y M A X B E C H ERER / T H E T I M E S - P I C A Y U N E | T H E N E W OR L E A N S A DVO C AT E

Voters at the Woodmere Playground gymnasium in Marrero on Election Day.

Traditional retail politicking such as door-knocking, in-person townhalls and shaking hands went out the window. State and local officials had to devise new ways for voters to cast their votes safely. All of that could have caused a huge mess come Election Day, with safety protocols creating some early-voting bottlenecks. Through it all, however, citizens got to the polls, kept their distance from one another, and cast their ballots. Wait times were negligible on Election Day, and everyone got home safely. On top of all that, we endured Hurricane Zeta less than a week before Election Day. The storm wreaked havoc on our aging electrical grid. Dozens of polling places in Orleans, Jefferson and St. Bernard parishes lost power, and initially it looked as though officials would have to find alternative polling locations — and inform voters (many of whom also lost power) where they needed to vote at the last minute. Ultimately, Entergy and local officials pulled off a minor miracle, restoring power in most polling locations and installing generators in areas that remained dark. While other states are still counting votes, by midnight Election Day Louisiana citizens got ready for bed confident in knowing who had won, who had lost, and who faced runoffs. There’s plenty of corruption and mismanagement in Louisiana politics, but when it comes to the act of voting, we’re doing OK, 2020 be damned.

BLAKE PONTCHARTRAIN™ Hey Blake, I enjoyed your history of Big Shot soft drinks (Oct. 20). When I was a kid, I also remember drinking Rex Root Beer. Was that a locallyproduced drink?

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Dear reader,

Rex Root Beer was launched by the Louisiana Coca-Cola Bottling Company in 1964. The locally-produced soft drink’s logo featured a crown, a reference to Rex, the Latin word for king, and of course the king of Carnival. Rex marketed its product with commercials featuring two fishermen, Clifford and Junior, whose favorite exclamation was “Zow!” The pair also appeared in newspaper ads for the Rex Root Beer Rack Your Brain Game. The trivia contest featured questions such as: “When Sam Jones was governor of Louisiana, who was lieutenant governor?” (Marc Mouton) and “Who did LSU play in the second Sugar Bowl game?” (TCU). The first 20 people to mail in the correct answers won $50. Everyone who submitted correct answers won a Rex bottle opener. In addition to Rex and the full range of Coca-Cola products, the Louisiana Coca-Cola Bottling

P H OTO B Y S O P H I A G ER M ER / T H E T I M E S - P I C AY U N E | T H E N E W OR L E A N S A DVO C AT E

Rex Root Beer was purchased by the Coca-Cola Bottling Co.

Company also produced La Grape, a grape-flavored drink, and Pop Rouge, a strawberry-flavored soda. All of those disappeared from store shelves in the 1980s. In 1984, the Louisiana Coca-Cola Bottling Company, which was operated since 1907 by the Freeman family, was sold to the Coca-Cola Company of Atlanta.

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Editor’s note: An Oct. 27 Blake Pontchartrain column said that four death masks of Napoleon Bonaparte were made. For many years, the Louisiana State Museum believed this to be true, but museum historian Joyce Miller says recent research has shown at least nine masks were made. Sorry for the error — but happy to update.

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in desegregating New Orleans public schools. On Nov. 14, 1960, 6-year-olds Gail Etienne, Tessie Prevost and Leona Tate were accompanied by U.S. marshals as they walked into McDonogh 19 Elementary School in the Lower 9th Ward. At the same time, marshals were escorting 6-year-old Ruby Bridges into William Frantz Elementary School for her first day of class. Although the historic Supreme Court decision in Brown v. Board of Education had come more than six years earlier, calling “separate but equal” school facilities unconstitutional, New Orleans — like much of the South — was slow to change. Finally, in 1960, the four young Black students were selected from a pool of 134 black students who applied to attend the city’s all-white public schools. They were evaluated academically and psychologically before being selected by the school board. On their first day, Bridges and the “McDonogh Three,” as Etienne, Prevost and Tate were known, faced the screams and taunts of protestors outside their respective schools. Almost immediately, white parents began pulling their children out of the schools, but as The Times-Picayune reported the next day, there was no violence. With that, “desegregation of schools here was a fact,” the newspaper reported. Bridges’ walk into Frantz Elementary on North Galvez was depicted by artist Norman Rockwell in his painting “The Problem We All Live With,” which was later displayed in The White House by President Obama. A statue of Bridges now sits in the courtyard of the former Frantz school, now known as Akili Academy. The Leona Tate Foundation for Change Inc. is working to transform the former McDonogh 19 building on St. Claude Avenue into a civil rights museum and community center. Earlier this year, the National Park Service announced a gift of $500,000 to the effort.

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P H O T O B Y M A X B E C H E R E R / T H E T I M E S - P I C AY U N E | T H E N E W O R L E A N S A DVO C AT E

Voters wait in line at Charles B. Odom, Sr., Service Center to vote on Election Day.

AFTER THE ELECTORAL CARNAGE OF NOV. 3, LET US PAUSE TO HAIL THE VICTORS AND BURY THE VANQUISHED — THEN REBOOT FOR THE RUNOFFS B Y C L A N C Y D U B O S DA WINNAS

ALL THE TRADITIONAL RULES OF CAMPAIGNING AND VOTER engagement went out the window

in the 2020 election cycle. A toxic mixture of the COVID-19 pandemic, a bitterly divisive presidential race and several hurricanes created unprecedented challenges for voters, candidates, consultants and elections officials across Louisiana. Many feared the worst. Amid the noise and anxiety (or perhaps because of it), Louisiana citizens cast 2,147,313 votes in the presidential race — by far the most ever in the Bayou State. Equally, if not more important, our elections came off without a glitch. By midnight on Nov. 3 all the votes were in, and while there were some surprises, nobody claimed any irregularities. Which brings us to our perennial post-election recap: Da Winnas & Da Loozas. This is no mere recitation of which politicians won their respective races. We already know those story lines. This is a look beyond the headlines at who gained or lost long-term influence, who made a difference in key elections, and who fell from grace. In some instances, the results are mixed or unresolved — five of the seven Orleans Parish School Board seats remain up for grabs in the Dec. 5 runoffs. Ditto for several judicial contests as well as the main event in New Orleans: the district attorney’s race. (See story on p.19) On most fronts, however, there’s enough electoral carnage to hail the victors and bury the vanquished. Elections have consequences. That may be the only rule that still holds. With that in mind, let’s begin with …

coattails will be the runoff for DA. Turnout on Dec. 5 will be substantially smaller and potentially less representative of the city’s electorate than the record numbers on Nov. 3. Cantrell also will be asking voters to approve three property tax millage renewals on Dec. 5, so she’ll have lots at stake.

1 | WOMEN CANDIDATES 2020 will go down as a banner year for women candidates in New Orleans, particularly in judicial races. Women won six of the seven races at Criminal District Court, and in the seventh race Stephanie Bridges led the field. She faces Marcus DeLarge in the Dec. 5 runoff. Women candidates likewise won or led the pack in four of the five judicial races at Civil District Court — including Jennifer Medley’s hard-fought upset of incumbent Judge Chris Bruno. Elsewhere, three women (and no men) vied for a seat on the state Supreme Court; Keva Landrum led the four-candidate field for Orleans Parish district attorney (against three men); and women landed spots in each of the five school board races headed for runoffs. Women comprise more than 56% of the New Orleans electorate, and now a larger number of elected positions.

2 | THE GAMING INDUSTRY Sports betting is coming to Louisiana, at least in most parishes. The local option referendum saw every parish in southeast Louisiana vote overwhelmingly to legalize wagering on sports. It won’t happen soon, however. State lawmakers still have to write the rules and figure out how to tax it. (See related story, p.7)

4 | CEDRIC RICHMOND

P R OV I D E D P H O T O

Judicial candidate Stephanie Bridges. She faces Marcus DeLarge in a Dec. 5 runoff.

3 | MAYOR LATOYA CANTRELL Since winning the mayoral election in 2017, Cantrell has delivered consistently for candidates and causes she supports. That mostly held true on Nov. 3, though some of her favored candidates are in runoffs. Herroner’s most significant endorsement went to Keva Landrum in the Orleans Parish DA’s race. Landrum finished first with 35% of the vote and faces at-large City Councilman Jason Williams in the Dec. 5 runoff. In other races, she supported a variety of successful candidates — men and women, black and white. The real test of her

The New Orleans congressman served as one of Joe Biden’s campaign co-chairs and now is well positioned for either a higher profile in the House or a potential gig in the White House. Richmond previously had a star turn as chair of the Congressional Black Caucus. Now more than ever, he’ll be one of the go-to Democrats in the nation’s capital.

5 | STEVE SCALISE The House Minority Whip has become one of the GOP’s most prolific — and successful — electoral weapons. Scalise raised $60 million in the last two years to help Republican candidates pick up several House seats from Democrats. That, just one day after Speaker Nancy Pelosi predicted Democrats would add 10 seats to their majority. In the final weeks of the campaign, Scalise barnstormed for GOP candidates who ultimately won contests that other Republicans had written off. In the process, he locked up his re-election as Minority Whip and gained new allies should he one day make a bid for the GOP’s top leadership post in the House.

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6 | SIDNEY TORRES

7 | CRIMINAL JUSTICE REFORMERS Two former public defenders, running on a ticket called â€œFlip the Bench,â€? won seats at Criminal District Court by large margins. Nandi Campbell captured an open judgeship with 75% of the vote, and Angel Harris stunned incumbent Judge Franz Zibilich by garnering 65% of the vote against him. As the first public defenders to win criminal court judgeships, Campbell and Harris will bring a new perspective to what has long been viewed as a law-and-order bench. Although they won only two of seven races at Criminal District Court, the

8 | TREASURER JOHN SCHRODER The state treasurer pushed hard for passage of Constitutional Amendment 7, which establishes a trust fund (which he will administer) for all monies in the stateâ€™s Unclaimed Property Fund. Until now, some of those proceeds went to the state general fund. Schroder had locked horns with Gov. John Bel Edwards over how much unclaimed funds could be transferred to the state. Getting the trust fund amendment on the ballot and approved by voters gives him a popular issue to champion. Which brings us to â€Ś

DA LOOZAS 1 | BIG INDUSTRY Louisiana already has the nationâ€™s most generous tax break for large industries in the form of the industrial tax exemption, which lets new and expanding plants avoid local property taxes for 10 years. Amendment 5 would have given industries more than $1 billion in additional poten-

tial tax breaks by allowing them to negotiate â€œpayments in lieu of taxesâ€? with local taxing authorities â€” further undercutting revenue needed for public education, safety, libraries, roads and more. A broad coalition of local governments, media and tax fairness advocates defeated the proposal. It only got on the ballot because Big Business pushed it through a legislative session truncated by the COVID pandemic, when citizens were effectively prevented from speaking out against it in person.

PH OTO BY 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 | THE NEW ORLEANS A DVO C AT E

Amendment 5 would have given Big Industry another major tax break. Louisiana voters said â€˜no way.â€™

PAGE 16

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The trash magnate is developing a knack for influencing important elections by deconstructing major candidates. Three years ago, he helped torpedo former Judge Desiree Charbonnetâ€™s mayoral campaign by hosting his own candidate debate and then blasting her in TV ads after she opted not to participate. This election season, Torres dumped six figures into a no-holdsbarred campaign against Civil District Court Judge Chris Bruno, who lost to previously unknown challenger Jennifer Medley by a 53-47% margin. Without the Trashanovaâ€™s money and hard-hitting ads, Medley would have had little chance of taking down the wealthy incumbent.

â€œFlipâ€? candidatesâ€™ larger goal was raising awareness about the inequities of the cash bail system. At that, they succeeded. Cash bail is now an issue in other races, including the contest for district attorney.

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PAGE 15

2 | ABORTION RIGHTS ADVOCATES The single largest vote-getting item on the Nov. 3 ballot was not Donald Trump — it was Amendment 1, which enshrines opposition to abortion in the state constitution. The new amendment states that “Nothing in the Constitution shall be construed to secure or protect a right to abortion or require the funding of abortion.” The amendment will take effect only if the U.S. Supreme Court overturns its Roe v. Wade abortion rights decision.

3 | UTILITY COMPANIES

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

Debra Johnson, an elections commissioner for Plaquemines Parish, wipes clean a voting booth as she and other volunteers wait for voters to arrive inside the kitchen at St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church in Ironton, Louisiana for Election Day on Tuesday, November 3, 2020.

Elections for seats on the five-member Louisiana Public Service Commission (PSC) are always a big deal for the state’s utilities and other regulated industries. Many regulated entities contribute generously to their regulators, but it gets dicey when those campaign contributions become campaign issues. Incumbent Commissioner Eric Skrmetta, a Jefferson Parish Republican who’s seeking a third term on the PSC, has accepted thousands from regulated companies and makes no bones about it. Such contributions are legal, though distasteful to many voters. Skrmetta garnered only 31% of the vote against six opponents on Nov. 3, despite a huge media buy. He faces Democrat Allen Borne in the runoff, which means the utilities will have to pony up again to keep their guy on the PSC.

4 | THE SOLAR INDUSTRY

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

The sunsets as people arrive to vote at St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church in Ironton, Louisiana for Election Day on Tuesday, November 3, 2020.

Utilities aren’t the only ones who pour money into Public Service Commission campaigns. Solar companies likewise back favored candidates, particularly those who challenge incumbents supported by the big utilities. On Nov. 3, solar-backed candidate Kevin Pearson, a former state lawmaker from Slidell, finished third against PSC member Eric Skrmetta. It’s rare for neither of the big-time political financiers to back a winner in a PSC race, though

the runoff offers the chance for one of them to claim victory.

5 | THE “FLIP THE BENCH” TICKET Yeah, they’re on the Winnas list, but sometimes election results are mixed. When you form a political ticket and loudly ask voters to elect everyone on it, you invite those of us who keep score to, well, keep score. In this case, the “Flip the Bench” ticket promoted seven current or former public defenders running for criminal judgeships. All but two of them lost — and the two candidates who won did so mostly because they were superb candidates who got started early and ran excellent campaigns, not because of the political strength of the ticket.

6 | THE TWO RANDYS You don’t often see sheriffs trying to unseat a district attorney. Sheriffs and DAs generally work so closely together in the cause of catching and jailing criminals that they tend to form close political alliances. That’s what makes it so noteworthy that Sheriffs Randy Smith of St. Tammany Parish and Randy “Country” Seal of Washington Parish pulled out all the stops to try to unseat first-term DA Warren Montgomery in a hotly contested Northshore race. Both sheriffs are old school political pros, but they got schooled this time by Montgomery, who garnered 64% of the vote in his first bid for re-election.

7 | GAMBLING OPPONENTS Time to throw in the towel. After voters approved fantasy sports betting last year and general sports betting this year, it’s pretty clear that Louisiana hasn’t seen a form of gaming yet that voters don’t like. Lawmakers like it, too, because they get to tax it. That’s it for now, but stay tuned. A passel of important runoffs will appear on the Dec. 5 ballot in New Orleans, along with three property tax renewals. Voters have plenty of reasons to stay engaged.

PH OTO BY CH RIS G R AN G E R / T H E T I M E S - P I C AY U N E | T H E N E W O R L E A N S A DVO C AT E

Hundreds of people gathered in downtown New Orleans in 2019 for a pro-choice rally.

SET THE STAGE FOR A POTENTIAL STATEWIDE BAN

B Y K AY L E E P O C H E ON THE NIGHT OF NOV. 3, THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION was far from decided, but Louisiana voters

had already made their decision crystal clear on an anti-abortion constitutional amendment. A solid 62% majority of voters approved Amendment 1, which will add language to the state constitution saying it does not include a right to abortion or abortion funding. Orleans Parish was one of only two parishes in the state where more people voted against the amendment than for it, and the only parish where voters rejected it by a large margin. Threefourths of Orleans Parish voters voted “no” on Amendment 1, compared to 50.6% of voters in East Baton Rouge Parish. The amendment has no immediate impact. Abortion is still legal in Louisiana — though various restrictions over the years have made it more difficult to access that care — and the state’s three remaining abortion clinics in New Orleans, Baton Rouge and Shreveport remain open. However, that will be a different story if the U.S. Supreme Court’s 6-3 conservative majority decides to overturn or gut Roe v. Wade, its 1973 decision establishing the right to legal abortion nationwide. If Roe is overturned, Louisiana’s 2006 “trigger law” would kick in, banning almost all abortions in the state — with exceptions only if the

mother’s life or health is seriously at risk but not in cases of rape or incest. At that point, anyone performing or aiding in an abortion in any other circumstance could face prison time or fines. While there was no specific language previously in the state’s constitution about abortion, anti-abortion rights activists pushed fervently for the amendment to make sure courts won’t interpret the state constitution as protecting abortion rights in a post-Roe scenario. On its website, the Louisiana Right to Life, the state’s largest anti-abortion group, called the amendment’s passage “a big step toward an abortion-free Louisiana.” “If the trigger law goes into effect, this (amendment) will make airtight the work that anti-abortion activists have been pushing forward for the last 15 years in Louisiana,” says Steffani Bangel, the executive director of the New Orleans Abortion Fund, which campaigned against the amendment. In recent years, conservative state legislatures like Louisiana’s have been hard at work passing abortion restrictions — often knowing they will inevitably be challenged in court — in hopes that

an increasingly conservative Supreme Court takes them up. “It’s essentially an open invitation to bring cases that could challenge Roe v. Wade,” says Sara Tucker, an attorney who has defended abortion rights in Alabama, where voters passed a similar anti-abortion amendment in 2018. Currently, there are several laws in states across the country that could potentially make their way up to the Supreme Court soon, including Mississippi’s 2018 ban on abortion after 15 weeks, which is currently not in effect. Louisiana passed its own 15-week ban in 2018, but whether it goes into effect depends on what happens with Mississippi’s legal battles. The Supreme Court was scheduled to review Mississippi’s petition to hear the case on Oct. 30 but postponed. “The court could decide to hear a case like that any day now, at which point there would probably be a decision in the early part of next year, or it could be several years where there’s a case the Supreme Court decides warrants granting certiorari and hearing,” says New Orleans reproductive rights attorney Ellie Schilling. “Time could very well be of the essence.”

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Antiabortion forces

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with high expectations, hoping a fresh slate of judicial candidates would usher in a new era of wide scale reform to the city’s criminal justice system. Of the seven “Flip The Bench” candidates, only two, Nandi Campbell and Angel Harris, won last Tuesday. But that’s not to say the Flip The Bench candidates aren’t already leaving a mark on the city: Harris, in a historic win, ousted Judge Franz Zibilich — the first time in half a century that an incumbent has lost — and fundamental reforms to the system, including changes to the cash bail system, are now being openly discussed even by the establishment. “They’ll be bringing in new hires and a new network — and maybe, just maybe, they will help build a collective pressure on the city to build out these social programs that will actually prevent violence and create better opportunities for people to re-enter society,” says Bruce Reilly, deputy director of both the nonprofit Voice of the Experienced and its sister organization Voters Organized to Educate. “A threshold has been crossed,” he says. “You can’t un-ring the bell.” Label the progressive candidates as idealists, sure, but these attorneys who made up the bloc campaigned by promising to fix some of the cruel realities of the state’s broken system. While running, they said they’d end a reliance on unaffordable money bail, shorten prison sentences and find alternatives to incarceration in a state with notoriously overcrowded prisons. Legal experts point out it was a unique election because judges, along with district attorneys, tend to cut their chops as prosecutors, not public defenders. But supporters and the candidates themselves say that defense work — often for indigent populations — gives them a greater understanding of the complexities of crime. In an interview with Gambit, Harris claimed public defense work has given her an extra sense of compassion toward both victims and perpetrators of crimes. “Seeing that pain and seeing how it impacts communities as a whole gives me a

P R OV I D E D P H O T O

Angel Harris beat incumbent Judge Franz Zibilich for the Section L seat of Orleans Parish Criminal District Court.

different perspective,” Harris says, “and it makes me think twice about certain sentences.” Harris ran on a platform of reimagining criminal court to be rooted in rehabilitation, not mass incarceration. “That means we have to start looking at root causes and think about what’s bringing people back into courtrooms,” she says. “Right now, [judges] are doing a one-size-fits-all and just sending people to jail and prison. Judges need to take an individualized approach.” Sade Dumas, executive director of Orleans Parish Prison Reform Coalition praises the candidates for fighting “deep-rooted failings of the New Orleans justice system,” for shifting the focus away from “tough on crime” political rhetoric and for moving the needle on important criminal justice issues. “We hope Angel Harris and Nandi Campbell challenge the status quo,” she says. Dane Ciolino, a professor at Loyola University School of Law, says the election revealed a thirst from voters for reform. That Campbell and Harris both won — and that district attorney candidate and City Councilman Jason Williams will face Keva Landrum in a Dec. 5 run off — shows the tides may be changing in favor of more progressive policies. It “showed that a significant portion of the electorate is interested in a more progressive, reform-minded approach to criminal justice,” Ciolino says. “I don’t think these ideas are new. They’re certainly not. But they are starting to get some traction.”

KEY RACES HEADED TO RUNOFFS IN NEW ORLEANS B Y C L A N C Y D U B O S

YOGI BERRA FAMOUSLY SAID, “It

ain’t over till it’s over.” That homespun wisdom sums up the state of things in a handful of important — and hotly contested — elections in and around New Orleans after the Nov. 3 primary. Here’s a quick look at those runoffs — who’s in them and what the main issues will be as voters make their final choices this election cycle: Orleans DA — Keva Landrum led at-large City Councilman Jason Williams by 8,500 votes (35-29%) on Nov. 3. Their runoff showdown promises to be the marquee contest that will drive turnout in the city on Dec. 5. Look for Williams’ federal indictment on 11 felony counts of tax fraud and conspiracy to take center stage now. Williams will criticize Landrum’s record as a prosecutor under former DA Harry Connick and during her stints as interim DA and on the bench. Mayor LaToya Cantrell is backing Landrum, and in prior elections she had serious coattails. How publicly will she get involved this time? Former Judge Arthur Hunter missed the runoff by less than 2,900 votes. His endorsement, if he makes one, could make a big difference.

PH OTO BY MA X B ECH E R E R / T H E T I M E S - P I C AY U N E | T H E N E W O R L E A N S A DVO C AT E

Keva Landrum

Orleans School Board — Five of the seven seats remain unfilled and will go to runoffs. In four of those runoffs, candidates favored by charter school advocates face opponents supported by critics of the charter system that has operated virtually all public schools since Hurricane Katrina. In one runoff, District 4 incumbent Leslie Ellison and challenger J.C. Romero are both pro-charter — but Ellison is openly and virulently anti-LGBTQ; Romero is openly gay. Operation and financing of charter schools will be a major issue in the runoffs, as will teachers’ efforts

Local Judgeships — Civil District Court and Criminal District Court each have one seat up for grabs in the runoff, and two seats on Juvenile Court likewise will be filled on Dec. 5. Public Service Commission — Twoterm incumbent Eric Skrmetta, a Jefferson Parish Republican, spent lavishly on TV ads that featured President Trump, but he garnered a surprisingly low 31% in the primary. He now faces Democrat Allen Borne. The main issue will be Skrmetta’s repeated acceptance of campaign contributions from entities that he regulates as a PSC member.

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P R OV I D E D P H OTO

Jason Williams

to unionize. A slate of anti-charter candidates running on a ticket called “Erase the Board” has candidates in three of the five runoffs; all other “Erase” candidates lost on Nov. 3. The United Teachers of New Orleans backed several pro-charter candidates, including one incumbent, Nolan Marshall Jr., who’s in a runoff. Pro-charter forces have candidates in all five runoffs, and all their candidates finished first in the primary. In addition to the above runoffs, Cantrell is asking New Orleans voters to renew three property tax millages on Dec. 5. The mayor’s renewal package reshuffles some revenues currently going to public libraries.

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Gifting LOCAL

This holiday season spend your money where your home is.

504 Bananas Foster spiced rum

$32 in the Happy Raptor tasting room (1512 Carondelet St., 504-654-6516; happyraptor.com). PHOTO PROVIDED BY HAPPY RAPTOR

Luxe lounge set $66 from gae-tana (7732 Maple St., 504-865-9625; @gaetanasnola

Vintage cut to clear green stemware

$62.50 (set of six) from Consign Consign (1160 Magazine St., New Orleans; 504-354-9158; consign-consign.com). PHOTO PROVIDED BY CONSIGN CONSIGN

PHOTO PROVIDED BY GAE-TANA

La Cucina di Andrea’s and My Home is Your Home Cook Books Cobalt cut crystal bowls

$72 each from Consign Consign.

$30 for both (50% off) from Andrea’s Restaurant (3100 19th St. @ Ridgelake, Metairie; 504-834-8583; andreasrestaurant.com

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Augus t 18-2 4, 2020 // Volum e 41 // Numbe r 31

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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. “Adopt A Small Business” is 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 open.

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Return of the king Green Olives Cafe serves Middle Eastern food in Uptown BY B E T H D ’A D D O N O HILMI ABDELJALIL DOESN’T LIKE TO BRAG, but he says there’s a reason

why he ran a place called Melech Ha Hummus in central Jerusalem before moving to New Orleans in 1994. “It means king of the hummus,” says Abdeljalil, 59, who is Palestinian and has worked in the restaurant business since he was 16. “I learned to make the best hummus in the city. My cousin runs Moshiko Falafel and Shawarma, which is also the best, and he taught me everything he knows. You cannot fool me with Middle Eastern food. I know what’s good.” Abdeljalil is once again enticing diners with hummus and all kinds of Middle Eastern cuisine, this time from his new restaurant, Green Olives Cafe at 7724 Maple St. Local diners may know him from Pyramids Cafe on Calhoun Street, which opened in 2006. “I had to go take care of my mom in 2015, so I sold the restaurant,” he says. He returned in 2019 — his mother is doing well — and Abdeljalil was missing the restaurant business. He had been driving for a ride share company to make ends meet and jumped at the opportunity to open a restaurant, even during the pandemic. It was weather that brought him to New Orleans in the first place. “When I first came to America, I went to live with a cousin in New Jersey,” he says. “It was February and there was so much snow — too much for me.” He also had a cousin in New Orleans. “After two weeks I came here and started working for my cousin in his grocery store,” he says. “I liked the city right away.” In 1995 he started working for Mona’s Cafe on Banks Street and soon he was managing multiple locations, including opening a Mona’s

Cafe in Lafayette. Pyramid’s Cafe was originally a Mona’s location, and the owner asked him to take it over and make it his own. He owns Green Olives with his nephew Qasem Rabee. “My old customers are already finding me, and new customers are coming back every week,” he says. Green Olives opened Sept. 23 in a space last occupied by a Honduran eatery, but it had been the Middle Eastern restaurant Babylon’s Cafe before that. When Abdeljalil renovated the place, he ripped some paneling off a wall and found a large mural of musicians and harem dancers. Another wall of rustic multi-colored wood also was revealed. Now, a bright green entranceway welcomes diners, and there is seating both outside and inside the sunny space. Food also is available via online ordering for delivery and takeout. The menu is built on favorites like smoky eggplant baba ghanoush and grape leaves stuffed with ground lamb or a vegetarian filling. Ful madammus is a dip similar to hummus made with fava beans and plenty of garlic. It’s mixed with hummus to become qudsia. The Green Olives maza sampler features a variety of spreads. Entrees include a gyro salad, grilled lamb, chicken and beef shawarma, shish kebabs, falafel platters and more. Entree platters come with two sides and either white or wheat pita. “It’s all about the quality of the ingredients,” Abdeljalil says. “I use tenderloin for the beef and the lamb chops.” Lebanese mint tea is available hot or cold. The restaurant doesn’t serve liquor, but Abdeljalil plans to apply for a liquor license. Making traditional Middle Eastern cuisine from scratch is the goal, Abdeljalil says.

Email dining@gambitweekly.com

Silk service road A NEW METAIRIE RESTAURANT is

serving Indian cuisine and highlighting dishes from the region of Kashmir. Bansi Lal, who goes by Chef Neeta, and his partners opened Mantra Indian Cuisine in October off Causeway Boulevard at 3116 S. I-10 Service road, in the space that previously was home to City Diner.

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

Chef Bansi “Neeta” Lal and Jael Hilic at Mantra Indian Cuisine.

P H OTO B Y C H ER Y L G ER B ER

Hilmi Abdeljalil opened Green Olives Cafe in Uptown during the pandemic.

So how does he make hummus that lives up to being named for royalty? “You have to get the dried beans and soak them overnight,” he says. “Then on the second day, clean and cook the beans and after they are very tender (you) process (them) in the machine with tahini, lemon and salt. Very simple, but the proportions have to be perfect. I serve it with minced roasted garlic and jalapeno and a drizzle of very fruity olive oil.” As for the falafel, that recipe is a family secret. “Arabic women who come know this is like eating at home,” Abdeljalil says.

? WHAT

Green Olives Cafe

WHERE

7724 Maple St., (504) 533-9167 greenolivescafenola.com

WHEN

11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. daily

HOW

Dine-in, takeout and delivery

CHECK IT OUT

Middle Eastern food in a casual cafe

Mantra has a huge menu that unfolds like a road map and lists enough dishes for three or four restaurants. But the menu isn’t just long, it’s rich and deep. A tandoori mixed grill includes an aromatic mountain of red spice-stained chicken on the bone, chunks of chicken tikka, ground lamb kebabs and salmon, all with the sear of the superhot tandoor oven. Paneer masala was mellow and soothing, but also layered in flavor, with cumin and turmeric standing out in the curry. Lal is from Jammu and Kashmir, the name for the border region in northern India. Influences of Persia and other Central Asian lands flow through the traditional foods of this area. That’s where Lal draws his inspiration, especially for dishes like rogan josh, a lamb curry with a melange of chiles, garlic and ginger. Lal says it’s a dish his mother cooked back home, and it’s a signature of his menu. He came to America and landed in California in 2012, where he worked for the chef he now calls his mentor, the late Manjinder Singh, at a restaurant also called Mantra. By 2018, he was in Louisiana and cooking at Punjabi Dhaba in Hammond. It is a full-fledged Indian restaurant within a gas station convenience store just off an exit of I-12. Between bags of Corn Nuts and cases of sports drinks, Punjabi Dhaba serves a sprawling menu of Indian dishes. It’s a surprise for travelers PAGE 26

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pulling off the road, and it’s become a destination for diners. Before it was City Diner, this Metairie address was a Denny’s, and diners can still see that vintage in the design. Now, the once-open diner kitchen is closed off, creating an L-shaped dining room of booths and small tables. There is a small bar, serving a limited range of liquor and wine and a better selection of beer, including four brands from India. Mantra will add a lunch buffet when coronavirus safety rules permit this service to resume. Mantra Indian Cuisine is open from 11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. daily. — IAN McNULTY/THE TIMES-PICAYUNE | THE NEW ORLEANS ADVOCATE

Faubeer DIXIE BEER HAS A NEW NAME , and it’s one already ingrained in the neighborhoods of New Orleans. The city’s oldest beer maker now calls itself Faubourg Brewing Co., the company announced Nov. 4. Owner Gayle Benson, who also owns the New Orleans Saints and Pelicans professional sports franchises, made the decision to retire the Dixie name in June following protests over the killing of George Floyd by police and concerns about racial injustice. Many symbols tied to slavery were toppled. Company officials say the Faubourg Brewing name will be rolled out gradually over the next few months. The first beers bearing the new name are set to start flowing from the company’s New Orleans East brewery by February. In the interim, Faubourg Brewing’s beer will be sold under the Dixie name, says brewery manager Jim Birch. Emblems around the brewery will begin changing, including the Dixie name now painted on its tower, a replica of the original brewery on Tulane Avenue. The old brand dates from 1907, when Dixie opened in a city full of breweries. Today it stands as the oldest in New Orleans, where local brewing has been staging a comeback. The new name comes from an ancient French term for settled areas outside a city. As colonial New Orleans grew from its historic core in the French Quarter, expanding neighborhoods were called faubourgs and many still carry the term, such as Faubourg Marigny and Faubourg St. John. Benson and her late husband, Tom Benson, acquired the majority share of Dixie in 2017. She said they did so to invest in the local community, and she described the name change as a continuation of that goal. “When the team embarked upon this journey in June, we understood that our new name must encompass the spirit and diversity of all of New Orleans’ unique neighborhoods,” Benson says. “Our investments in

New Orleans East will continue, and bringing jobs and economic opportunity to our community will remain at the forefront.” Benson’s announcement in June of the intention to change Dixie’s name came in the wake of the killing of George Floyd by Minneapolis police a month earlier and protests against the continued use of symbols associated with racism. The origins of the term Dixie as a nickname for the South reach far back into history, and its affiliation with the Confederacy has made it divisive. The intent behind the Faubourg name is to move the brewing company forward. The name Dixie is being shed by others too. In June, the country trio Dixie Chicks changed their band name to the Chicks. And in 2018, Dolly Parton changed the name of the dinner show at her amusement parks from Dixie Stampede to Dolly Parton’s Stampede. The brewery has received support and opposition since making the announcement. “We’ve heard from so many people who appreciate the decision to change, but some who are frustrated by it, too,” Birch says. “What I tell them is that this is not a repudiation of what Dixie was or what you liked about it. When you take a step back and ask does the name represent what you’re doing, and if it’s offensive to a lot of people, why are you keeping it? It comes to a point where it’s not worth holding onto that.” The Dixie name remains a part of its brand history and will be in the museum of New Orleans beer history housed on the brewery’s second floor, which the company says it plans to expand. In recent decades, Dixie had faded from its heyday, and after Hurricane Katrina it was no longer produced in the city. When the Bensons acquired the company it was cheered as a revival. In January, Dixie opened a new brewery off the Industrial Canal, with a large taproom and beer garden. That brewery was designed to produce an initial capacity of about 100,000 barrels a year. It was also designed to expand, with room to grow around its industrial site. Birch says the company’s goal is to compete with brand giants such as Budweiser, offering an alternative that keeps more of beer drinkers’ dollars in the local economy. The company also is tweaking the recipe for its flagship lager, which Birch described as an effort to get it back to the original incarnation that made it a New Orleans staple in the first place. “If you have Dixie today and a Faubourg tomorrow it will taste the same, but a little better,” he says. — IAN McNULTY/THE TIMES-PICAYUNE | THE NEW ORLEANS ADVOCATE

We are bringing back that

VINTAGE EXPERIENCE. Send your personalized message to another reader in Gambit’s commemorative 40th Anniversary issue. WILL YOU MARRY ME?

d Holly P., I want to be quarantine and e Lov y. with you indefinitel NOLA forever. –Nicky P.

NEYer’ for O H G I B U ‘H Y TO kMyou for being an amazinglepbarratnting with Than ard to ce oking forw ve you so 20 years. Lo u rock. I lo Yo e. or m y ith you. an m ie r you fo eet as p w sw n ee b as h much! Life Man

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COVID-19 MAY HAVE KEPT US APART THIS YEAR BUT ... GAMBIT WANTS TO KEEP YOU TOGETHER. ISSUE DATE: DECEMBER 8

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3-COURSE INTERVIEW Adam Orzechowski & Emily Shoemaker Farmtofunk Founders ADAM ORZECHOWSKI AND EMILY SHOEMAKER ARE VETERANS OF THE

local bar and restaurant industry. They have fermented everything from peppers, pumpkins and pineapples to Swiss chard stems. They also became interested in reducing waste in restaurants and composting. During the pandemic, they started Farmtofunk (@farmtofunk on Instagram), which sells hot sauces, kimchi, sauerkraut, tepache and other fermented foods at local farmers markets, including weekend markets at Coquette, Coffee Science and Paradigm Gardens and the recently launched Laketilly Acres market.

How did you get interested in fermenting? ADAM ORZECHOWSKI I worked at Angeline, which was (chef) Alex Harrell’s restaurant. It was a waste-conscious restaurant. I picked up on his knowledge about using every scrap that came into the kitchen, whether it was charcuterie or something like that. I always had concerns about the restaurant industry being wasteful, but I never had any ideas about doing anything around that. EMILY SHOEMAKER I am from Minneapolis, and there is a lot of composting there. It’s super easy. But there’s not as much down here. It’s not as accessible.

What kind of fermented foods do you make? O: I had done some fermentation work when I bartended. That was on the tepache side and using them in cocktails. Classically, tepache is a Mexican street beverage. You’ll be walking down the street and there will be a cart. They’ll throw a bunch of crushed ice in a bag and pour tepache in it. It’s pineapple rind, sugar and cinnamon. It’s a lightly fermented beverage, a little like a cider. We don’t get pineapples locally, but we’ve talked to a bunch of restaurants. Tepache is generally made with the rind — you get reaction from the pulp and juice as well — but we take the rind, skin and a little of the core and turn stuff they would normally throw away into a useful product. I have been doing daiquiris with tepache. Coquette made a pisco

P H OTO P R OV I D E D B Y FA R M TO F U N K

Adam Orzechowski and Emily Shoemaker

punch for one of the batched cocktails they sold at the market. It’s pisco, pineapple, lime, sugar and tepache. A little bit of rum, tepache and lime is great. S: We also add a little (tepache) to beer, like Modelo. O: (During quarantine) we started with hot sauces, and at the beginning I started playing with kimchi. I purchased gochujang peppers from Hong Kong (Food) Market. It didn’t really play out how I wanted it to. But I was playing with hot sauces and I had all the mash, which is fermented chili paste and has all those dynamic flavors. Our red one has ginger, peach and Fresno (chilies). It was a classic kimchi flavor with a bit more heat. It turned into a way to use more of the waste. I didn’t want to throw away the hot pepper paste, so kimchi came about from that. Lots of this came about because I was looking to use as much of the products as I can. S: It’s like a lot of little science experiments. The more we learn, the more we experiment. It’s a fun process to watch. But every once in a while, I walk by something and am like, “Oh!”

What’s next for Farmtofunk? S: We’re thinking about doing hot sauces seasonally. We’re brainstorming about doing a beet-pomegranate thing. O: I’d like to build this into something. I am starting to think about going more wholesale. Coquette is looking at starting a (store). I think we’ll have products over there. We’d like to find ways to partner with restaurants and come up with a waste reduction program that’s not just composting, like (if we) can take some of our shavings of onions and garlic and pepper and vegetable ends to help build stocks. — WILL COVIELLO

Send us a photo or video of YOUR 2020 holiday lights display to enter to win limited edition holiday knitwear from Miller Lite and Gambit.

VISIT BESTOFNEWORLEANS.COM/LITE FOR MORE INFORMATION All qualified submissions must include a Miller Lite logo. Our favorite photos will be selected each week to win a Miller Lite knitwear prize pack and will be printed in Gambit.

OUT EAT TO

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Contact Will Coviello wcoviello@gambitweekly.com 504-483-3106 | FAX: 504-483-3159

C O M P L E T E L I S T I N G S AT W W W. B E S T O F N E WO R L E A N S .C O M Out 2 Eat is an index of Gambit contract advertisers. Unless noted, addresses are in New Orleans and all accept credit cards. Updates: email willc@gambitweekly.com or call (504) 483-3106.

Notice: Due to COVID-19, dining at restaurants is impacted, with limited indoor seating and other recommended restrictions. All information is subject to change. Contact the restaurant to confirm service options.

BYWATER Luna Libre — 3600 St. Claude Ave., (504) 237-1284 — Roasted chicken enchiladas verde are filled with cheese, hand-rolled and served with special house-made cheese dip. The menu combines Tex-Mex and dishes from Louisiana and Arkansas. Curbside pickup is available. B Sat-Sun, D Wed-Sun. $

CBD 14 Parishes — Pythian Market, 234 Loyola Ave.; 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. $$

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

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

Eat Well — Pythian Market, 234 Loyola Ave.; pythianmarket.com — Phoritto is a spinach tortilla filled with brisket, chicken 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; 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; 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; meribopizza.com — A Meridionale pie is topped with pulled

pork, chilies, ricotta, mozzarella, collard greens and red sauce. Delivery available. L and D daily. $$ Willie Mae’s — Pythian Market, 234 Loyola Ave.; williemaesnola.com — The Creole soul food restaurant is known for its fried chicken, red beans and more. Takeout available. L and D Mon-Sat. $

CARROLLTON/UNIVERSITY NEIGHBORHOODS Mikimoto — 3301 S. Carrollton Ave., (504) 488-1881; mikimotosushi.com — The South Carrollton roll includes tuna tataki, avocado and snow crab. Takeout and delivery available. L Sun-Fri, D daily. $$ Pyramids Cafe — 3151 Calhoun St., (504) 861-9602 — Diners will find Mediterranean cuisine featuring such favorites as shawarma prepared on a rotisserie. Takeout and delivery available. L, D daily. $$

CITYWIDE Breaux Mart — Citywide; breauxmart.com — The deli counter’s changing specials include dishes such as baked catfish and red beans and rice. L, D daily. $

FAUBOURG MARIGNY Carnaval — 2227 St. Claude Ave., (504) 265-8855; carnavallounge.com — The music club’s Cozinha de Carnaval kitchen serves Brazilian street food. Frango is chicken cooked with thyme, rosemary and cumin and served with rosemary-garlic aioli. No reservations. Takeout available. D Sat-Mon. $ Kebab — 2315 St. Claude Ave., (504) 3834328; kebabnola.com — The sandwich shop offers doner kebabs and Belgian fries. A falafel sandwich comes with pickled cucumbers, arugula, spinach, red onions,

beets, hummus and Spanish garlic sauce. No reservations. Takeout and delivery available Thu-Mon. $

FRENCH QUARTER Desire Oyster Bar — Royal Sonesta New Orleans, 300 Bourbon St., (504) 586-0300; sonesta.com/desireoysterbar — The menu features Gulf seafood in traditional and contemporary Creole dishes, po-boys and more. Char-grilled oysters are topped with Parmesan, herbs and butter and served with French bread. Reservations recommended. Takeout available. B, L and D daily. $$

HARAHAN/JEFFERSON/ RIVER RIDGE The Rivershack Tavern — 3449 River Road, (504) 834-4938; 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. $ Theo’s Neighborhood Pizza — 1212 S. Clearview Parkway, Elmwood, (504) 733-3803; theospizza.com — There is a wide variety of specialty pies and toppings to build your own pizza. The menu also includes salads and sandwiches. Curbside pickup and delivery available. L, D Tue-Sat. $

LAKEVIEW Lakeview Brew Coffee Cafe — 5606 Canal Blvd., (504) 483-7001; lakeviewbrew.com — This casual cafe offers gourmet coffees, pastries and desserts baked in house, sandwiches and salads. An omelet is filled with marinated mushrooms, bacon, spinach and goat cheese. Tuna salad or chicken salad avocado melts are topped with melted Monterey Jack and shredded Parmesan cheeses. Takeout, curbside pickup and delivery are available. B, L daily. $

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METAIRIE Andreaâ€™s Restaurantâ€‚ â€” 3100 N. 19th St., Metairie, (504) 834-8583; andreasrestaurant.comâ€‚â€” Chef/owner Andrea Apuzzoâ€™s specialties include speckled trout royale which is topped with lump crabmeat and lemon-cream sauce. Curbside pickup and delivery are available. L, D daily, brunch Sun. $$$ Kosher Cajun New York Deli & Grocery â€” 3519 Severn Ave., Metairie, (504) 888-2010; koshercajun.com â€” 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 Twainâ€™s Pizza Landing â€” 2035 Metairie Road, Metairie, (504) 832-8032; marktwainpizza.com â€” Mark Twainâ€™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. $ Theoâ€™s Neighborhood Pizza â€” 2125 Veterans Memorial Blvd., Metairie, (504) 510-4282; theospizza.com â€” See Harahan/Jefferson section for restaurant description. $

MID-CITY/TREME Angelo Brocatoâ€™s â€” 214 N. Carrollton Ave., (504) 486-1465; angelobrocatoicecream. com â€” This sweet shop serves its own gelato, spumoni, Italian ice, cannolis, fig cookies and other treats. Window and curbside pickup. L, D Tue-Sun. $

Brown Butter Southern Kitchen & Bar â€” 231 N. Carrollton Ave., Suite C, (504) 609-3871; brownbutterrestaurant.com â€” Sample items have included smoked brisket served with smoked apple barbecue sauce, Alabama white barbecue sauce, smoked heirloom beans and vinegar slaw. Dine-in, takeout, curbside pickup and delivery are available. L and D Wed-Sat, brunch Sat-Sun. $$ Doson Noodle House â€” 135 N. Carrollton Ave., (504) 309-7283; facebook.com/dosonnoodlehouse â€” Bun thit is Vietnamese-style grilled pork with cucumber, onions, lettuce, mint, cilantro and fish sauce served over rice or vermicelli. The menu includes rice and vermicelli dishes, pho, spring rolls and more. Takeout, curbside pickup and delivery are available. $$ Five Happiness â€” 3511 S. Carrollton Ave., (504) 482-3935; fivehappiness.com â€” 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. $$ Katieâ€™s Restaurant â€” 3701 Iberville St., (504) 488-6582; katiesinmidcity.com â€” Favorites include the Cajun Cuban with roasted pork, grilled ham, cheese and pickles pressed on buttered bread. The Boudreaux pizza is topped with cochon de lait, spinach, red onions, roasted garlic, scallions and olive oil. Takeout, curbside pickup and delivery available. L and D Tue-Sun. $$ Nonna Mia â€” 3125 Esplanade Ave., (504) 9481717; nonnamianola.com â€” 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. $$ Theoâ€™s Neighborhood Pizza â€” 4024 Canal St., (504) 302-1133; theospizza.com â€” See Harahan/Jefferson section for restaurant description. $

Willie Maeâ€™s Scotch House â€” 2401 St. Ann St., (504) 822-9503; williemaesnola.com â€” This neighborhood restaurant is known for its wet-battered fried chicken. Green beans come with rice and gravy. Thereâ€™s bread pudding for dessert. No reservations. L Mon-Fri. $$

NORTHSHORE Theoâ€™s Neighborhood Pizza â€” 70488 Highway 21, Covington, (985) 234-9420; theospizza.com â€” See Harahan/Jefferson section for restaurant description. $

UPTOWN Joey Kâ€™s â€” 3001 Magazine St., (504) 8910997; joeyksrestaurant.com Ââ€” This casual eatery serves fried seafood platters, salads, sandwiches and Creole favorites. Sauteed trout Tchoupitoulas is topped with shrimp and crabmeat and served with vegetables and potatoes. Takeout and delivery available. $$ Red Gravy â€” 4206 Magazine St., (504) 561-8844; redgravycafe.com â€” Thin cannoli pancakes are filled with cannoli cream and topped with a chocolate drizzle. The menu includes brunch items, pasta dishes, sandwiches, baked goods and more. Takeout available. $$ Theoâ€™s Neighborhood Pizza â€” 4218 Magazine St., (504) 894-8554; theospizza. com â€” See Harahan/Jefferson section for restaurant description. $

WAREHOUSE DISTRICT Annunciation â€” 1016 Annunciation St., (504) 568-0245; annunciationrestaurant.com â€” The menu highlights Gulf seafood in a mix of Creole, Cajun and Southern dishes. Fried oysters and skewered bacon are served with meuniere sauce and toasted French bread. Reservations required. D Thu-Sun. $$$

OUT TO EAT Carmo â€” 527 Julia St., (504) 875-4132; cafecarmo.com â€” 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 and delivery are available. Mon-Sat. $$ NOLA Caye â€” 898 Baronne St., (504) 302-1302; nolacaye.com â€” The menu features Caribbean-inspired dishes and Gulf seafood. Seared ahi tuna is served with mango, avocado, mixed greens, citrus vinaigrette and sesame seeds. Reservations accepted. Takeout, delivery and outdoor seating available. D daily, brunch Sat-Sun. $$$ Provisions Grab-n-Go Marketplace â€” Higgins Hotel, 500 Andrew Higgins Blvd., (504) 528-1941; higgingshotelnola.com â€” The coffeeshop serves salads, sandwiches, pastries and more. Takeout available. Service daily. $

WEST BANK Moscaâ€™s â€” 4137 Hwy. 90 W., Westwego, (504) 436-8950; moscasrestaurant.com â€” This family-style eatery serves shrimp Mosca, chicken a la grande and baked oysters Mosca, made with breadcrumbs and Italian seasonings. Curbside pickup available. D Wed-Sat. Cash only. $$$ Specialty Italian Bistro â€” 2330 Belle Chasse Hwy., Gretna, (504) 391-1090; specialtyitalianbistro.com â€” The menu combines Old World Italian favorites and pizza. Chicken piccata is a paneed chicken breast topped with lemon-caper piccata sauce served with angel hair pasta, salad and garlic cheese bread. Takeout and delivery available. Service daily. $$

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Lotus Bistro â€” 203 W. Harrison Ave., (504) 533-9879; lotusbistronola.com â€” A Mineko Iwasaki roll includes spicy snow crab, tuna, avocado and cucumber topped with salmon, chefâ€™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. $$

MUSIC

G A M B I T > B E S T O F N E WO R L E A N S . C O M > N ov e mb e r 1 0 - 1 6 > 2 02 0

Dumpstaphunk dropped ‘Justice’ video ahead of new album

Leave all you can to those you love.

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Want to pass down as much as possible to the people and causes you care about? With careful planning, you can. A wisely crafted strategy can help you transfer your assets in a tax efficient manner, allowing your beneﬁciaries to receive more of what you pass down. Let’s connect to make the most of your legacy and potentially minimize tax implications. Brian West, Financial Associate 2594 Front St., Slidell, LA 70458 • 334-596-2794 brian.west@thrivent.com connect.thrivent.com/brian-west Thrivent and its ﬁnancial professionals do not provide legal, accounting or tax advice. Consult your attorney or tax professional. Thrivent is the marketing name for Thrivent Financial for Lutherans. Insurance products issued by Thrivent. Not available in all states. Securities and investment advisory services offered through Thrivent Investment Management Inc., a registered investment adviser, member FINRA and SIPC, and a subsidiary of Thrivent. Licensed agent/producer of Thrivent. Registered representative of Thrivent Investment Management, Inc. Advisory services available through investment adviser representatives only. Thrivent.com/disclosures. 29887 R10-20

NOLA Dogs

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November 14 - November 30 All of our donations go to animal rescue. To register for the race, view the auction items or to make a donation, visit: nolagirl.org Or contact JoAnne Casey at 504-502-6206. NOLA Girl Charitable Giving is a small all volunteer 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and our mission is to raise money to improve the lives of animals women and children. All general donations at the current time are being used to help animal rescue organizations.

DUMPSTAPHUNK KEYBOARDIST AND singer Ivan Neville checked into the Ace Hotel to have access to electricity and hot water after his house lost power thanks to Hurricane Zeta. But he was happy he and his bandmates had taken care of one bit of business before the city’s lights went out: They taped a show at Tipitina’s, only the second performance for the band since the coronavirus pandemic shut down the live music industry in March. That show aired as the second episode of the second season of “Tipitina’s TV,” the club’s webcasting series. (The season has upcoming performances by the Soul Rebels with special guest Big Freedia, Marc Broussard and Dragon Smoke.) The only other time the members of Dumpstaphunk — Neville, his cousin Ian on guitar, bassists Nick Daniels and Tony Hall, and more recent additions Alex Wasily on trombone and Deven Trusclair on drums — had shared a stage since March was during a trip to California to record music for a movie. While in Los Angeles, they livestreamed a show from a boutique hotel’s empty bar. So playing at the empty Tipitina’s, while unusual, was at least something. “Playing to an empty room and taping it … it was weird,” Ivan Neville says. That said, “we were happy to be able to do it. We were grateful to be doing something. And we were pretty excited that we did something at Tipitina’s. We’re grateful that Tipitina’s is trying to stay afloat.” Ahead of last week’s presidential election, Dumpstaphunk dropped a new video for “Justice 2020,” an update of a song the band first released for the 2016 presidential election. The new version features guest turns by Troy “Trombone Shorty” Andrews and rapper Chali 2na, as well as a new collage of video images depicting acts of racial injustice and protests. “Justice 2020” will be included on Dumpstaphunk’s forthcoming fourth album, “Where Do We Go From Here,” slated for release in spring 2021. The musicians started working on the material three years ago — some of the

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

Dumpstaphunk’s Tony Hall, left, and Ivan Neville opened for the Rolling Stones in 2019.

recordings still feature the band’s previous drummer, Alvin Ford Jr. — but finally finished it during the pandemic. The shutdown “gave us the time to put together the music and get it mixed,” Neville says. “We signed a record deal during the pandemic, so we’re fortunate.” “Where Do We Go From Here” will include a mix of funk-based instrumentals and more topical fare like “Justice 2020” and the title track. The latter is “basically a song about trying to be optimistic in this unknown life we live. Life’s unknowns can scare you, but we want to walk through life like we’re supposed to. You’ve got to have faith. Faith will kick fear’s ass any day. That’s where we’re at.” They’re also mostly at home, thanks to the coronavirus. Neville waged a battle with a severe case of COVID-19. In March, he traveled to New York to perform at a benefit concert just as that city began shutting down large public gatherings. He fell sick soon after returning to New Orleans. His longtime girlfriend, Ashley Martin, who lives with him and their 6-year-old son, Isaiah, subsequently contracted COVID-19 as well. After a frightening two-month ordeal, he and Martin recovered. He exercised his weakened lungs during a weekly livestreamed solo concert, dubbed “Ivan Neville’s Piano Sessions,” on Dumpstaphunk’s Facebook page. Looking ahead, Dumpstaphunk is scheduled to play a semiprivate, socially distanced, outdoor show in Florida in mid-November. Otherwise, the band’s calendar is largely empty. What will happen down the road is still unclear. A return to a pre-pandemic level of touring is unlikely for now. “That don’t look like it’s gonna happen any time soon,” Neville says. “Our road life … we don’t know what’s going to become of that... I hope we get to that new normal sooner rather than later.”

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In celebration of Gambit’s 40th anniversary, we are gathering stories of your favorite Gambit moments. Tell us about a time that Gambit inspired or impacted you. In our Dec. 8th issue, we will highlight a collection of the stories we received. bestofneworleans.com/reader

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NOLASFINESTPETS.COM COLLEGE STUDENTS ALEX AND MAGGIE live in the same dorm, but a mix of good and bad luck leads to their hanging out together in “Shithouse.” When his roommate, Sam, implodes in a drunken heap, Alex has little choice but to find somewhere else to crash. Maggie finds him curled up in a common area. Venturing out is a change of pace for Alex. The freshman finally has started going to parties after struggling to adjust to college life in California. He’s far from the comfort of home and logs a lot of hours on the phone with his mother and sister in Texas. Maggie’s happy to spend the night with him, but she’s only lonely because her pet turtle died. Everything is a bit out of order, and they overcome an awkward beginning to a night of boozy roaming and conversation. Despite the name, “Shithouse” is not a crass comedy or romp through youth culture. Cooper Raiff wrote and directed the film and stars as Alex. Raiff is still in his 20s, and the material seems both fresh and a premature bout of nostalgia for him. It may be close to his heart, because at times he takes an overly serious approach to the speed bumps of maturing. There are plenty of iconic movies about young people cruising around on a long day or night. “Shithouse” doesn’t have the sense of wonder and endless possibility of George Lucas’ “American Graffiti” or Richard Linklater’s “Dazed and Confused.” And it isn’t as outrageous or funny as Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg’s “Superbad.” Although Raiff sets his movie on a raucous college campus, with kids scrambling to find booze and hook up, he pursues a much more earnest story about strangers finding a connection. In most of their scenes, Alex and Maggie talk quietly in shadows of dormitory halls and bedrooms and on the streets at night.

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Sam epitomizes the hard-partying college lifestyle. He smokes and drinks anything he can get his hands on, and he’s not worried about the fallout. He and Alex are not very compatible roommates, and that’s hard to ignore when Sam is bent over a trashcan after a drinking binge. Sam’s recklessness gives Alex a false sense of security about his own shyness and social reticence. Maggie is a sophomore and is one of the dorm’s resident advisors. She and Alex leave the dorm to crisscross the campus and follow their whims on a series of random encounters. Raiff nicely balances their in-the-moment impulses and the budding personal connection that sustains their long night. It feels organic no matter how obvious the scheme is. The morning after is rocky, and Raiff delves into their mutual misunderstandings. Both find themselves dealing with more than they expected. Alex is at times painfully naïve, and Maggie is about as interested in dealing with his mess as Alex was with Sam’s. The story is spare but focused. Raiff is impressive as the sensitive and emotionally raw Alex. Dylan Gelula is equally assured as the more thickskinned and tolerant Maggie. Some of the feuding is entertaining, including a scene in which they get in a heated argument in the middle of a party about the meaning of the film “13 Going on 30.” Their argument about a movie that hits on a similar premise seems doubly contrived for Raiff. Some other cutesy conventions could have been left out, including a stuffed animal that talks to Alex in subtitles, and a sort of epilogue ending. But Raiff’s film is endearing despite its flaws. “Shithouse” runs at Zeitgeist Theatre & Lounge.

INFO@NOLASFINESTPETS.COM

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PREMIER CROSSWORD PUZZLE SIGN LANGUAGE By Frank A. Longo

36 Orlando locale 40 Singer Reba 42 Ratio of a stock shareâ€™s return to its price 45 Shell games 50 Persona 51 Studio stand 52 Hold in check 55 Animation frames 56 Neophytes 58 Blackish wood 60 Pisaâ€™s river 61 Actor Wilson 62 Illinois town west of Chicago 64 Worker finishing furniture

68 Savage sort 70 Deeply felt 71 Popularity boost after appearing on satirist Stephenâ€™s old show 73 Irisâ€™ layer 74 Is in debt 75 Fallback strategy 76 Singer Mariah 78 UPS deliveries: Abbr. 82 Did a 180 84 Willy Wonka creator Dahl 86 Capital of Egypt 87 Kagan of the Supreme Court 88 At a snailâ€™s pace 91 Quark or pion

95 â€œThe Newlywed Gameâ€? host Bob 96 PC program tool for automating batches of invitations, say 100 Actress Irene 102 Streamlined, in brief 103 Africaâ€™s Amin 104 â€œCanvasâ€? for a tattoo 106 Artificial cave 111 Zoned (out) 113 Like people heeding seven key words in this puzzle 117 Mongol invaders 118 Brazilian rain forest region 119 Make â€” for oneself 120 Lace-receiving hole 121 Crescentlike objects 122 Plays spiritedly

GARDEN DISTRICT OFFICE 2016 & 2017

41 Passing mark 43 â€œWilsonâ€? actress Laura 44 Basketballer Ming 46 Shipping box 47 Hitter Hank 48 Negative 49 Sleep sound 52 â€œBackdraftâ€? director Howard 53 Salad green 54 Biggest city in Australia 56 Nudniks 57 Turtle in a Dr. Seuss title 59 Belfry dweller 61 Small bill 62 Hiatus 63 Homerâ€™s H 64 Win a point 65 Sauna wrap 66 Tylenol rival 67 â€œPeer Gyntâ€? dramatist DOWN 68 Sloppy Joe holder 1 Defensive tackle 69 Hug Warren 72 Defective 2 Willow or oak 73 Pakistani language 3 Ethereal 76 Walking stick 4 Almanac item 5 Drinking water additive 77 â€™80s sitcom 78 â€œQuĂŠ â€”?â€? 6 Long dashes 79 Brick-baking oven 7 Innocent 8 Reaction to an awful pun 9 Big vases 10 Enumerate 11 Chubby 12 Inflated sense of self 13 Portray 14 First coat of paint 15 Like many a sr. citizen 16 Sidestep 17 Old-style messager 18 Pop singer Lopez 19 Brewerâ€™s fungus 24 Snarky 29 Lanka lead-in 32 Lousy review 33 Vendors 34 Finale 35 Final, e.g. 36 Savings acct. protector 37 Tart pie fruit 38 Track shape 39 Road semis 40 Fail to catch

ABR, CRS, GRI, SFR, SRS

80 Totally understand, informally 81 Plants seeds 83 Absorbed 85 OPEC liquid 86 Big hack attack 88 Sty dweller 89 Mystery writer Deighton 90 Sudden forward thrust 92 In the thick of 93 Cardinal, e.g. 94 Clan-related 96 Sticky stuff 97 Reimburse 98 Hopping mad 99 Like ultra-lite food 100 Failed to 101 Remove, as a 105-Down 104 Medium, e.g. 105 Shoelace problem 107 â€œHow awful!â€? 108 Cardinals, e.g. 109 Office fill-in 110 Corrida calls 112 Sooner than 114 Big bush bird 115 Flying Solo 116 â€” -been

ANSWERS FOR LAST ISSUEâ€™S PUZZLE: P 34

PUZZLES

ACROSS 1 Work force 6 Swallowed up 14 Beautiful 20 Popular type option 21 Wedlock 22 Idolize 23 Organ knob imparting a striking sound 25 Napoliâ€™s country 26 Quarterback Manning 27 Boundless 28 Suffix with 12-Down 30 Jungle lairs 31 Age, as cheese 33 Hidden way out in a haunted house

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MID-CITY DOUBLES

Lot 203: Pair of Louis XVI Style Gilt Bronze Lot 225: Sarah Ashley Longshore Mounted Gray Marble Urns, (1975- , New Orleans), “Audrey 19th c., H.- 12 in., W.- 8 1/2 in., D.- 6 1/2 in. Hepburn with Butterflies,” 20th c., Est. $2,000-$3,000 mixed media, H.- 24 in., W.- 24 in., D.- 2 1/2 in. Est. $6,000-$9,000

Jewelry Includes Diamonds, Rubies,Sapphires, Tahitian Pearls, Emeralds, Tanzanite, and Tourmaline etc.

IMPORTANT FALL ESTATES AUCTION Saturday, Nov. 14, 2020 at 10am Lots 1-450 Sunday, Nov 15, 2020 at 10am Lots 451-817

Lot 184: French Louis XVI Style Ormolu Mounted Mahogany Marble Top Sideboard, H.- 40 in., W.- 104 in., D.- 21 3/4 in. Est. $1,200-$1,800

Full color catalog available at:

www.crescentcityauctiongallery.com Lot 164: Hovsep Pushman (1877-1966, New York, California, Armenia), “Armenian Girl,” early 20th c., oil on board, signed upper right corner, H.- 11 in., W.- 8 1/2 in. Est. $2,500-$4,500

Lot 175: Itzchak Tarkay (1935-2012, Israel), “Tea Time,” 20th c., oil on canvas, signed lower right, H.- 19 3/4 in., W.- 23 1/2 in. Est. $2,000-$4,000

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Lot 276: George Valentine Dureau (1930-2014, New Orleans), “Jeffrey Cook,” 20th c., silver gelatin print, H.- 9 3/4 in., W.- 10 in. Est. $600-$900

Lot 182: Large French Provincial Carved Oak Monastery Table, 19th c., H.- 30 7/8 in., W.- 106 1/4 in., D.- 39 in. Est. $1,200-$1,800

Lot 660: French Empire Style Carved Walnut Marble Top Commode, 19th c., H.- 34 in., W.- 50 5/8 in., D.- 22 3/4 in. Est. $700-$1,200

Lot 143: Eutrope Boure (1833-1906, French), “Jeanne d’Arc on Horseback,” 19th c., patinated bronze, H.- 29 in., W.- 17 in., D.- 7 1/8 in. Est. $700-$1,200

Lot 349: Pair of Large Cast Iron Campana Form Garden Urns, 20th/21st c., H.- 46 in., Dia.- 32 in. Est. $1,500-$2,500 Lot 220: Clementine Hunter (1887-1988, Louisiana), “The Honky Tonk on Cane River- Saturday Night,” c. 1966, oil on board, H.-15 1/2 in., W.- 23 3/4 in. Note: This painting has been authenticated by the Hunter expert. Est. $2,500-$4,500

Lot 251: Incredibly Rare New Orleans .900 Silver Fireman’s Speaking Trumpet, 1891, the mouthpiece of coin silver, with engraved and repousse oak leaf and acorn decoration, the horn of the trumpet engraved, “Presented by Star Hook and Ladder Company to Simon Oesterly as a token of Respect and Acknowledgement of His Services, New Orleans, 1891,” H.- 19 in., Dia.- 7 1/2 in., Wt.- 26.4 Troy Oz. Est. $12,000-$18,000

Lot 227: Alexander J. Drysdale (1870-1934, New Orleans), “Bayou Scene With Moss Draped Oak and Water Lilies,” 1915, H.- 19 1/2 in., W.- 28 3/4 in. Est. $1,500-$2,500

Lots 204-207: Selection of Carved Wooden Santos.

Lot 223: Pedro Friedeberg (1936-, Mexican), “Hands and Head,” 20th c.,wood sculpture, H.- 8 in., W.- 9 in., D.- 2 1/2 in. Est. $800-$1,200

Lot 221 & 222: Clementine Hunter (18861988), “Zinnias,” 1969, oil on masonite, verso inscribed “1969, #128, D-194, K-C,” H.- 23 5/8 in., W.- 9 5/8 in., Est. $2,000$4,000, and Two Clementine Hunter Paint Decorated Clay Ginger Beer Bottles, c. 1980, one with zinnias; the other with two figures, a flower and bird, ZinniasH.- 9 in., Dia.- 4 in., Figures- H.- 9 1/4 in., Dia.- 4 in. Est. $800-$1,200 Provenance: From the Ryan collection, New Orleans.

Lot 271: Mildred “Millie” Wohl (19061977, New Orleans), “Painting No. 13,” 1961, oil on masonite, H.- 15 1/2 in., W.- 23 3/8 in. Est. $1,000-$1,500

Crescent City Auction Gallery, LLC 1330 St.Charles Ave, New Orleans, La 70130 504-529-5057 • fax 504-529-6057 info@crescentcityauctiongallery.com 25% Buyers Premium For a complete catalog, visit our website at: www.crescentcityauctiongallery.com LA Auc Lic AB-411, 1354, 1529

Lot 117: Niek van der Plas (1954- , Dutch), “Horses on the Beach,” 20th c., oil on panel, H.- 9 1/8 in., W.- 11 1/4 in. Est. $1,000-$1,500 Lot 81: Four Piece Sterling Tea and Coffee Set, 20th c., by Gorham, in the “Buttercup” pattern, # 991, Weight- 55.1 Troy Oz. Est. $1,200-$2,000

Lot 224: Walter Anderson (1903-1965, Mississippi), “Eggplants,” 20th c., watercolor and graphite, signed “WA” in a circle lower right, H.- 8 1/2 in., W.- 11 1/8 in. Est. $8,000-$12,000

Lot 233: French Belle Epoque Louis XV Style Ormolu Mounted Parquetry Inlaid Rosewood Marble Top Bombe Secretaire, c. 1900, H.- 55 1/4 in., W.- 29 1/4 in., D.- 15 1/2 in. Est. $700-$1,200