New Orleans Magazine April 2015

APRILÂ 2015

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APRIL 2015 / VOLUME 49 / NUMBER 4 Editor-in-Chief Errol Laborde Managing Editor Morgan Packard Art Director Tiffani Reding Amedeo Contributing Editor Liz Scott Monaghan Food Edit­or Dale Curry Dining Edit­or Jay Forman Wine and Spirits Edit­or Tim McNally Restaurant Reporter Robert Peyton Home Editor Bonnie Warren web Editor Kelly Massicot Staff Writer Melanie Warner Spencer Intern Lani Griffiths SALES MANAGER Kate Sanders (504) 830-7216 / Kate@MyNewOrleans.com Senior Account Executive Jonée Daigle Ferrand Account Executives Sarah Daigle, Lauren Lavelle, Lisa Picone Love

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contents

62 FEATURES

IN EVERY ISSUE

ON THE COVER

52

Guardian of the Groove

Festive wear for festival frolicking

By Lisa Tudor

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62

What’s Up Along Carrollton

More than you might expect

By Kim Singletary

68

Can Tipitina’s Inspire the Orpheum?

Two guys with a dream say it will

By Mike Griffith

Whether you’re a French Quarter Fest fashionista, a Festival International connoisseur or a Jazz & Heritage Festival authority, you’ll want to check out the festival fashion available locally – even for those rainy days – starting on pg. 52.

INSIDE “The Magic Cap”

16 speaking out

Editorial, plus a Mike Luckovich cartoon 18

JULIA STREET Questions and answers about our city

143 Try This

“On Needles and Pins: Acupuncture

therapy for wellness”

144 STREETCAR

“The Sneeze”

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Photographed by Greg Miles

contents

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THE BEAT

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76

LOCAL COLOR

THE MENU

36

74

22

MARQUEE

Entertainment calendar

24

PERSONA

Singer/songwriter Kristin Diable

26

Biz

“Making the Case: Port Business Climbs on Container Cargo”

28

education

“UNO and SUNO: Learning From North Carolina”

30

HEALTHBEAT

The latest news in health from New Orleans and beyond

32

CRIME FIGHTING

“Looking for Consent”

38

IN TUNE

table talk

“April’s Showers: Sounds of all sorts”

Read & Spin

76 restaurant insider

“Rise of a BBQ Town”

A look at the latest albums and books

Balise, Shaya and Bourré

40

JAZZ LIFE

78

Food

“Sounds of the Culture: Ann Savoy’s carousel of talent”

“Easter Renewal: A menu to welcome spring”

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MODINE’S NEW ORLEANS

80

LAST CALL

“Playboy the Bunny: And other cotton tales”

44

Joie d’Eve

46

82

The Loup Garou

DINING GUIDE

“Ill Thoughts: Strep by Strep”

CHRONICLES “Carrollton: Along the garden path”

48

HOME

“American Style:” Joe Lavigne’s Garden District home has a modern touch

DIAL 12 D1 Tony® Award-winning actor Mark Rylance (Twelfth Night) and Emmy® and Golden Globe® Award-winner Damian Lewis (“Homeland”) star in the six-hour television miniseries adapted from Hilary Mantel’s best-selling Booker Prize-winning novels: Wolf Hall and its sequel, Bring Up the Bodies. The television event presents an intimate and provocative portrait of Thomas Cromwell, the brilliant and enigmatic consigliere to King Henry VIII, as he maneuvers the corridors of power at the Tudor court. The new series, Masterpiece Classic Wolf Hall airs on Sundays, April 5-May 10, at 9 p.m. on WYES-TV/Channel 12.

Don’t miss the WYES Gala “Downton Goes to the Races” on Thurs., April 9 at the New Orleans Fair Grounds. For all WYES program and event details, visit WYES.org.

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inside

The Magic Cap

W

hen the subject is fashion, I’m never called upon to be an expert witness and certainly never chosen to be a model, especially when the fashion in need is for casual events such as festivals. Few of us, of either gender, have what it takes to look as good as our cover model, for whom neither wind nor heat presents a challenge.

Sometimes wardrobes get a reaction because of a T-shirt with a double entendre message, but for the most part casualness draws no praise. There is, however, one item I’ve occasionally worn to festivals that always draws reaction though my only purpose in wearing it is sun protection. It is a Boston Red Sox baseball cap.

Saints paraphernalia of course, have its loyalists, but they’re so plentiful at local festivals so as not to be noticed, but the navy blue Rex Sox cap with its gothic red “B” is a classic piece of Americana. Fenway Park (which opened the same day, April 14, 1912, that the Titanic sank) is one of the nation’s grand old stadiums, still unadulterated by a corporate name. No doubt many of the reactions I get are from east coasters (other than Yankee fans), but the team, which is as rich in history as the town it represents, has a national following. In the years since the Boston Marathon Bombings, the cap has taken on a new respect (even among Yankee fans) as a symbol of recovery. That is a theme that resonates well in New Orleans.

Not everyone responds to a Red Sox cap, of course, but among those who do it’s a high-five moment, not unlike an experience I once had outside Fenway Park. Four of us were in Boston for a conference. We had not intended to go to a game, but just walked the area for the atmosphere. A young man, probably in his late 20s, came up and offered to sell us tickets. How much? “$70 each,” he answered. Just then a burly, classic Boston Irish policeman approached him from behind, put his hand on the man’s shoulder and asked again. “How much?” “$40,” the man answered. The policeman smiled. The young man had an embarrassed grin. We laughed as we handed over the money.

There were lots of blue caps with red “Bs” inside Fenway that night. A gold fleur-de-lis would have really stood out.

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Events Calendar Right on the homepage of MyNewOrleans.com is our daily events calendar. Our calendar is user-friendly in both access and submitting your own events. Do you have an upcoming event for your business? Or maybe you want to see what’s going on this weekend? Look no further than the MyNewOrleans.com events calendar.

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SPEAKING OUT

Public Corruption A New Era

T

hose who had hoped that the Orleans Parish School Board (OPSB) might one day return to its preKatrina power and control got a setback last month, and it was for only $5,000.

Since the hurricane-induced flooding, public education in New Orleans has been governed by a patchwork of the Recovery School District, charter schools and a few by the remains of the OPSB. In one of his first major public corruption announcements since replacing Jim Letten as U.S. Attorney, Kenneth Polite Jr. spoke not about an indictment or a grand jury investigation, but rather a “bill of information,” which is usually legal talk to say, “We’ve nailed this person, he knows it and a plea will be coming soon.”

Ira Thomas, a former Orleans Parish School Board member who once ran for sheriff ranting about the perceived corruption in that office, was apparently caught by FBI visual surveillance taking a $5,000 bribe to influence a janitorial contract.

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Soon after Polite’s announcement it was reported that Thomas had resigned from the OPSB as well as his position as head of security for Southern University.

(He has not yet formally entered a guilty plea but, given his resignations, is expected to later this month.)

Meanwhile, we’re left to wonder about the status of public corruption.

Are we returning to the Letten days when the office copy machine seemed endangered of breakdown from churning out indictments? Polite mentioned ongoing investigations into political crime, so we might expect follow-up. Or could it be that we have entered a new era when political corruption is on the wane? We know it sounds naïve to think so, but here are some reasons why that might be the case.

We no longer have the Jeffersons around. Former Congressman Bill Jefferson, who currently has eight years left in the pokey, ran what could have been considered to be a political organized crime gang. Jefferson’s chief operative was his

brother, Mose, who would die in prison.

The Jefferson tentacles reached the OPSB, where former member Ellenese BrooksSimms went to jail, after offering a plea, for taking a bribe from Mose Jefferson, who was pushing a software program. BrooksSimms was released in 2011. Still in prison is Renee Gill Pratt, a former companion of Mose Jefferson, who was elected to the city council as a Jefferson organization candidate. She is serving a four-year sentence for racketeering. (Curiously Ira Thomas, a former police officer, worked at Southern University. Pratt once served on the university’s executive cabinet.) The list goes on, including Betty Jefferson, Mose’s and Bill’s sister, who died while under house arrest.

With the Jeffersons out of the picture, an era of machine-like control is gone.

Less corruption at the top. Going back to the end of Edwin Edwards’ last term as governor in 1996, we have now had 19 years of governors who are not associated with scandal: Mike Foster, Kathleen Blanco and Bobby Jindal. Their governorships have not centered around the courtroom as in Edwards’ day. An occasional lowerlevel functionary may have strayed but, as far as we know, the person in the big office has been straight, and that has set a tone for all government.

Katrina fraud winding down. With recovery came contractor fraud, but now, as the 10th anniversary of the disaster nears, most of those cases have been resolved or are in process. There will come a day when the Katrina frauds will be done with.

Feds have the toys and the power. When it comes to slamming someone, the Feds have the advantage, including the surveillance equipment, the laws and the power to make deals. Remember the image of Bill Jefferson opening an automobile trunk to take a stash of cash? The picture of what appeared to be a very greedy Jefferson was taken by a hidden camera inside the trunk. ******** Anyone with the inclination or the vulnerability to be corrupt might want to take a hard look at the Federal Court House during recent times. For those who had hoped that the Orleans Parish School Board might one day regain public acceptance, that might have been lost forever for the price of mopping the floor. n AN ORIGINAL ©MIKE LUCKOVICH CARTOON FOR NEW ORLEANS MAGAZINE

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JULIA STREET /

WITH POYDRAS THE PARROT

TH E PUR S UIT TO AN S W E R E T E RNA L Q U E S TION S

St. Katherine Roman Catholic church (originally St. Joseph), located at 1509 Tulane Ave., was demolished 1966.

Dear Julia, I grew up in New Orleans in the 1950s and ’60s, and I’m fascinated, although somewhat horrified, by some of the structures we’ve allowed to be destroyed in and around New Orleans. I have seen a number of early pictures of the old Charity Hospital on Tulane Avenue, which I think was built in ’31. In architectural renderings and vintage photos there is what appears to be a classic Catholic church across the street from the hospital. In later photos the church seems to have disappeared.

I would sure appreciate any information you can provide about this old church. I hope we’ve learned that many of these buildings are truly architectural gems that can’t be

recreated and must be restored. They are an integral and essential part of why our city is such a rich and complex place.

Thanks for any information you can provide, Mike Fallon Kenner The present Charity Hospital, closed since 2005, dates from 1936 and replaced the previous Charity Hospital that stood at the site for 104 years, from 1832 until 1936. The church across the street was built not long after; St. Joseph Parish was established 171 years ago, in 1844.

Architect T. E. Giraud designed the original St. Joseph Church, which

initially served a largely immigrant Irish congregation. Upon completion of the present St. Joseph church, located further up Tulane Avenue, in 1895, the original St. Joseph church was renamed St. Katherine, in honor of Mother Katherine Drexel. With the new name came a new mission to serve people of color. The church originally had a steeple, which was removed in the 1950s because of structural concerns. The structure was razed in 1966.

Dear Julia, I bought an invitation postcard at a garage sale in Chalmette over 25 years ago. After reading your most recent column in the current issue of New Orleans Magazine, I decided to drag the invitation out to see if you can identify the organization that issued it or tell me more about the organization and its functions. How long was it in existence, and does it still exist?

The organization is called the Woodmen of the World, Cypress Camp No. 37 in Lutcher, Louisiana. The facility is Reynaud’s Hall in Lutcher. The invitation is dated Sat., July 10, 1897.

I don’t have high hopes that we’ll learn much more other than what’s on the card. Maybe Poydras could fly over to Lutcher and ask some of the older residents to see what they remember from family history.

Thanks for reading this letter; I hope you can help solve this question I’ve had

Win a chappy’s restaurant gift certificate

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Here is a chance to eat, drink and have your curiosity satiated all at once. Send Julia a question. If we use it, you’ll be eligible for a monthly drawing for one of two $25 gift certificates at Chappy’s Restaurant on Magazine Street. To take part, send your question to: Julia Street, c/o New Orleans Magazine, 110 Veterans Blvd., Suite 123, Metairie, LA 70005 or email: Errol@MyNewOrleans.com. This month’s winners are: Mike Fallon, Kenner; and Chuck Eckerson, Tacoma, Washington.

APRIL 2015 / myneworleans.com

photo courtesy of charles LL. Franck Studio collection at the historic new orleans collection

since I lived in Mid-City until 1987, when I moved to the Seattle area.

Thanks, Chuck Eckerson Tacoma, Washington Chuck, Poydras never goes to Lutcher. He won’t say why, but it has something to do with a cockatoo he once knew named Cuddles.

In 1890, Joseph Cullen Root established at Omaha, Nebraska, The Woodmen of the World, a fraternal organization that provided life insurance to its members.

Now known as the Woodmen of the World Life Insurance Society, the group remains in existence and has 62 active Louisiana chapters, none of which are in the New Orleans or Lutcher areas.

According to the Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of Sovereign Executive Council of the Woodmen of the World, which was held in March 1898, V. D. Gauthereaux founded Cypress Camp 37 on March 4, 1897. By 1898, there were three Woodmen of the World camps in New Orleans and 15 more located elsewhere in Louisiana. At the time, the organization’s national membership was estimated to be approximately 88,000 men.

Hello Julia & Poydras, The A&G Cafeteria question in the Feb. 2015 edition of New Orleans Magazine (pg. 19) sparked many memories for me (and for my wife, the New Orleans “native”). We used to travel to New Orleans from the Mississippi Gulf Coast and often stopped at the A&G Cafeteria in Gentilly on the way to Pontchartrain Beach, before turning from Highway 90 onto Elysian Fields. It was a bit of a ritual.

There was a large billboard, across Gentilly/Highway 90,

from the shopping center with the A&G Cafeteria. I am struggling with my foggy memory, but feel certain that it was advertising either Falstaff or Regal Beer. It was located on the riverside of the street, and probably in one of those little triangular blocks, like Senate Street, as Gentilly/Highway 90 was cutting across in a bit of a diagonal. This sign was unique, in that it was supported by a large steel structure that rose around a small white building, and was painted white, too.

Atop this steel structure was the large sign, which revolved slowly. I seem to recall a pendulum, swaying on both sides of the central support hub, so I think that the beer sign had a clock in it?

I have used every search criteria that I can imagine to try and find a photograph of that sign and of the structure (enclosing the small building), which supported it, but have had zero luck. If I recall correctly, that sign was visible from the A&G Cafeteria across the street, but maybe only from the parking lot.

Do you or Poydras have any memory of that unique structure and sign, or old photographs of it? I would think that it was there through much of the 1950s, and maybe even into the very early ’60s.

Thank you, Bill Hunt Phoenix Yes, there was a revolving Regal Beer billboard exactly where you remember it, diagonally across from the old Gentilly Woods shopping center. While I’m absolutely positive that it both revolved and promoted Regal Beer, my memory is less clear as to whether it was also a clock or may have had a pendulum.

I believe it did, but I wasn’t able to find photographic evidence. n

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the beat MARQUEE

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PERSONA

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BIZ

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EDUCATION

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HEALTH

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CRIME FIGHTING

”I think it’s important to be in a place where creatively and spiritually you feel inspired.

You feel at your best capacity. I think that’s imperative to make good art. New Orleans is that place for me and always has been.”

PERSONA pg. 24

jason kruppa PHOTOGRAPH

THE BEAT / MARQUEE

OUR TOP PICKS FOR APRIL EVENTS

BY LAUREN LABORDE

More Than Jazz

Cumming to Town

In the Navy

The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival has something for everyone in its 2015 lineup: lovers of glitzy pop standards (Elton John, Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga), classic rockers (The Who), “heads” of all varieties (Phish, Jimmy Buffet, Widespread Panic), 1990s ska-rock (No Doubt) and radio pop (Ed Sheeran, John Legend, Hozier). Some lesserknown acts you should investigate? Up-and-coming country star Kacey Musgraves, the U.K.’s soulful Estelle and this month’s Persona subject, Kristin Diable (pg. 24). There is also, of course, multitudes of local talent and international guests filling the two weekends of programming. The fest is April 2426 and April 30-May 3. Information, NOJazzFest.com

While he’s playing it straight on the series “The Good Wife,” real fans of the performer Alan Cumming know and love him for his gender-bending roles, like as the ribald emcee in two consecutive Broadway revivals of Cabaret. Fans of his androgynous sex appeal should find a lot to love in Alan Cumming: Uncut, his show at the Joy Theater on April 18 that will feature songs from his album I Bought a Blue Car Today, which includes material from Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Falsettos and originals. Information, TheJoyTheater. com

The Mississippi River will be lined with tall warships for NOLA Navy Week, April 23-29.

The series of outreach events gives naval enthusiasts a chance to tour ships, as well as other activities such as cookoffs, friendly competitions with visiting sailors and community service projects. Information, NolaNavyWeek.com

CALENDAR April 1, 8, 15, 22, 29. Wednesday at the Square concert series, Lafayette Square Park. Information, WednesdayAtTheSquare.com

April 5. Easter Parades, French Quarter. Information, FrenchQuarterEasterParade.com, GayEasterParade.com

April 4. Crescent City Classic, French Quarter and Mid-City – festival is at finish line in City Park. Information, ccc10k.com

April 9. “Welcome to Night Vale” podcast live, Civic Theater.

Information, CivicNOLA.com

April 4. Freret Street Fest, Freret Street between Napoleon Avenue and Robert Street. Information, FreretStreetFestival.com

April 9-12. French Quarter Festival, throughout the French Quarter.

Information, FQFI.org

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lift is bringing “kinetic musical structures” to all parts of New Orleans as part of “The Roving Village: City Park presented by The Helis Foundation” that will start on April 3 and feature William Parker, Alex Ebert of the Magnetic Zeros, Quintron and others.

Artist Delaney Martin, cofounder and artistic director of New Orleans Airlift, talks about the project: What will some of these “kinetic musical structures” be like?

SPOTLIGHT

Mobile Music Homes

New Orleans Airlift is back with “The Roving Village Residencies”

O

n several nights in 2011, people lined up in the cold down Piety Street in Bywater in hopes of getting into “The Music Box: A Shantytown Sound Laboratory,” a massive, ramshackle playable structure built from the remains of a collapsed house. Musicians – including New Orleans’ Quintron and the nationally known Andrew W.K. – came to the house and played concerts using the structure’s built-in instruments. The project was created by the group New Orleans Airlift, and part of it was designed by the famous New York street artist Swoon. Since the Music Box project, the U.S. State Department enlisted Airlift to enact a version of the project in Kiev, Ukraine in 2012. And now, AirApril 10-12. Ponchatoula Strawberry Festival, Ponchatoula.

Information, LAStrawberryFestival.com April 11. Annual Ezra Open with Better than Ezra and Big Sam’s Funky Nation, House of Blues. Information, BTEFoundation.org April 19. Sleater-Kinney in concert, Civic Theater. Information, CivicNOLA.com

GREG MILES PHOTOGRAPH

These new structures incorporate lessons learned from the original Music Box that pertain to intuitiveness of playing the houses and greater gestural and kinetic movements on the part of the player or the house itself. One of the best examples is Chateau Poulet, by Andrew Shrock and Berlin-based artist Klaas Huebner: their house plays on New Orleans’ ceiling fans. A series of fans actually protrude from the structure itself, and power sounds are generated by hollow tubes attached to the blades. Geared speed controls affect harmonics, and the fans are played by dramatically pulling on ropes in the base of the structure.

What kinds of places might people expect these structures to pop up in? With the

Roving Village, we aimed to keep the project in the public eye, but the other real impetus is extending exposure to the project to broader audiences …

The Roving Village will start in City Park, a site we chose for its

broad city-wide appeal and fundamental beauty, but it will later move to the Lower 9th Ward and Central City. We are excited to work in these culturally rich neighborhoods, not only to show folks what we are up to, but also to make new relationships that can lead to collaborations with artists, inventors and makers. When we go to these neighborhoods, we’re making partnerships with existing nonprofits, churches, youth groups and artist collectives, and we’re coming as guests.

Why is the idea of a “playable house” interesting to Airlift?

When Swoon, myself and Taylor Shepherd first landed on the idea of a playable house, it was like a light bulb going off.

It made so much sense in the context of a city whose pillars are its unique architecture and music. It would be over a year later at a second line parade watching a bunch of people dancing on roof tops, bus shelters and graveyard tombs, that I would realize that we were hardly inventing anything new. ... I would only add that all of the artists we work with are invested in creating wonder out of the familiar – the idea of a playable house really resonates with everyone who encounters our project because they can recognize within it their own experiences of creaking floorboards or the sounds of their neighbor’s singing coming through their walls. We deeply believe in the power of reimagining our world as a place of wonder. n

April 20-26. Zurich Classic, TPC Louisiana. Information, ZurichGolfClassic.com April 30-May 4. Disney on Ice presents Frozen, UNO Lakefront Arena.

Information, Arena.UNO.edu April 27. WWOZ Piano Night, House of Blues. Information, WWOZ.org April 16, 23 and 30. Jazz in the Park, Armstrong Park. Information, PUfAP.org

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THE BEAT / PERSONA

Time For You.” From there the album journeys through a variety of genres, from the thunderous gospel chorus of “Time Will Wait,” to the spare, piano driven torch song “Bird on a Wire.” The album has already gotten coverage from outlets such as NPR, making it seem Diable is poised for a national breakout this year. You can catch her home in New Orleans during the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival on Sun., April 26.

Q: What was going on in your life

Kristin Diable Local star on the rise

BY LAUREN LABORDE

K

ristin Diable, a Baton Rouge native who did some time in New York before returning to New Orleans, released her latest album, Create Your Own Mythology, at the end of February – a fitting title for an album that feels like the first chapter in a new story. Diable’s last album was 2012’s Americana-influenced Kristin Diable in the City. With the help of Nashville producer Dave Cobb, her newest effort has sleek production, like the subtle orchestrations of “Hold Steady,” and showcases the grit and cool ’tude in her voice in songs like the rollicking album opener “I’ll Make

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before the album that influenced the songwriting and theme? I took this kind of wild adventure all around Europe and to Africa and to Morocco. I’ve never really been on a trip like that before, so far away from home, kind of left to my own devices and relying on the kindness of strangers and moving with the wind to make everything work. I think that trip, particularly, was a really great moving exercise. The idea of “create your own mythology” is everything in life is kind of a myth, from what we consider people in power to be or the fact that doctors have all the answers to how to be healthy, or some guy in some office holds the key to your potential success or career or whatever. So if everyone else is making up these myths, why not make up your own? You make up your own or you’re buying somebody else’s.

Q: What’s it like as an artist liv-

ing in New Orleans, where you have to make things happen for yourself?

I think it’s important to be in a place where creatively and spiritually you feel jason kruppa PHOTOGRAPH

Age: “Infinite” Occupation: Singer/songwriter Born/Raised: Baton Rouge Currently resides: “Between Bywater and Mid-City” Favorite movie: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly Favorite TV show: “House of Cards” Favorite hobby: “Sleeping. Don’t get to do it much these days.

It’s a luxury.” Favorite restaurant: Bacchanal Favorite book: Confederacy of Dunces Favorite vacation spot: Thailand.

“Beautiful country, beautiful people and the food.” inspired. You feel at your best capacity. I think that’s imperative to make good art. New Orleans is that place for me and always has been. In New Orleans, I think people are much more receptive and supportive.

There’s such a great community of musicians here who are so connected to each other – and everyone in New Orleans wants to see everyone rise, and be successful and be happy and to get to fulfill whatever it is they’re working toward fulfilling. Not that that isn’t the case in New York, but people there are so busy and preoccupied with their own individual microcosm in New York it’s a lot harder to find that community there. I think New Orleans is a much more fertile place to make good art, find your voice, find your sense of integrity and vision with what you’re trying to do.

There’s more music business in New York, but you don’t need to live in New York to find those people.

Q: I heard you auditioned

for “The Voice”? I didn’t wanna audition for it because

I didn’t think it was my cup of tea. Literally for a week straight, every single day somebody I knew – a manager, venue owner, another band, was saying, “you should audition” and I kept saying no thanks. It’s not really my thing. And it just happening so many times that I thought, maybe I should just fucking do it so people stop asking me about it. So I thought, I’m going to post about it on Facebook because I’m curious to see what friends and fans think of this. That post got more responses than any song, any video, any lyric, anything of my art that I’ve ever posted on Facebook.

And that was the answer.

Shit. TV is that powerful.

I went and auditioned, and I think I saw everyone who plays music in town that day.

It was like a festival. I don’t even think it went that great, those things are horribly awkward. That was that; didn’t think much of it. They called me and up and said “We want you on the show.

We’re going to send you the contract and fly you out to L.A.”… ultimately the contract was just shit … They want to own all your rights, publishing – basically they make you their slave for lack of a better term. And that’s just not good business. I’m not going to sell my whole life’s work for a chance to be on TV for 15 seconds. It’s not worth it.

I’ll have my time to be on TV when it’s time. n

True confession If I wasn’t an artist I’d want to be a music anthropologist like Alan Lomax. Spend my days on lost highways finding music untouched by commerce. myneworleans.com / APRIL 2015

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THE BEAT / BIZ

Making the Case Port business climbs on container cargo

By Kathy Finn

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lance at a map that shows the major cities of the world and it’s easy to see that most of them share a crucial feature: They lie along a major waterway or coastline that affords them crucial access to waterborne cargo transportation.

Like most great cities, New Orleans can trace its roots to tiny cargo operations established by early entrepreneurs – including pirate Jean Lafitte – who knew that the ability to move cargo by water would be critical to building a viable economy. Three hundred years later, the city continues to draw its lifeblood from the powerful Mississippi River.

New Orleans’ strength as a port city is evident in the miles of wharves and cargohandling facilities that line the riverbanks in Orleans and neighboring parishes. The Port of New Orleans has come a long way since traders carried furs, food and booty in canoes or flatboats and stored their cargo in

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makeshift “warehouses” built near the river.

Today’s warehouses are massive and protected; the cargo is amazingly diverse; and the freighters and container ships that come from ports around the globe call at technologically advanced docks manned by thousands of workers.

Recent figures released by the local port show that it continues to adapt to changing times by expanding its ability to handle cargo carried in containers.

The 20- to 40-foot-long boxcar-like containers have become the vehicle of choice for moving many types of cargo throughout the world. Filled with everything from construction materials to food products to wearing apparel, the containers are stacked high on oceangoing vessels and off loaded with relative ease by giant cranes that plop them onto trucks or trains to be moved on to inland destinations.

Last year the Port of New Orleans set a new

record in the handling of such cargo, moving nearly 500,000 containers through the Napoleon Avenue terminal. The total was almost 9 percent higher than in the previous year.

Port President Gary LaGrange says the growth reflected a strong market for exports, including chemical and agriculture products made in dozens of industrial plants that lie between New Orleans and Baton Rouge. Many such products have traditionally traveled by land routes from the plants to the port of Houston, for transfer to ships that would carry them overseas. Now, upgrades at the local port have enabled the export of the products directly out of New Orleans via huge “super bags” carried in containers. LaGrange looks for gradual growth in the overall volume of such cargo in coming years.

Meanwhile, in the last few months of 2014, the port got a sample of what’s to come from the return of Chiquita bananas to local docks. Chiquita, which left New Orleans for Gulfport, Mississippi, more than 40 years ago and recently was lured back with the help of state financial incentracie morris schaefer photograph

Cruises Climb Too Along with rising container cargo through the Port of New Orleans, the passenger cruise business is hitting new highs as well. Local terminals set a local record by handling more than 1 million cruise passengers last year.

The port hosts four cruise ships that offer either year-round or seasonal cruises from New Orleans to Caribbean destinations.

Recently, Viking River Cruises announced that the company’s first North American river cruise itineraries will make New Orleans their home port, beginning in 2017.

tives, made weekly calls in November and December, and LaGrange says the company could move some 60,000 containers of bananas through the port this year.

In addition, the port has landed new weekly service from French container carrier CMA CGM, which made its first call in New Orleans in early February and will give the port new connections not only to Europe but to the Mediterranean region, Africa, India and the Middle East.

All of this business adds to an existing container customer base that includes Maersk, Seaboard Marine, MSC, Hapag-Lloyd, Orient Overseas Container Line and Hyundai, among other clients that offer regular container services at the Napoleon Avenue container complex, which is jointly operated by Ports America Inc. and New Orleans Terminal LLC.

LaGrange says the port has an expansion under way that will enable it to handle still larger cargo volumes that lie ahead. Upgrades within the Napoleon Avenue Terminal will improve intermodal service by facilitating the transfer of cargo between ship and rail. A $25 million investment in the project, which includes a $17 million federal transportation grant, will add capacity equal to about 200,000 containers when the project is completed early next year.

The port and New Orleans Terminal also are jointly investing $8 million in a refrigerated container racking system in order to meet surging demand for refrigerated cargo, primarily including bananas and exported poultry.

LaGrange looks for a strengthening economy and increased demand for goods to keep cargo volumes climbing in New Orleans, predicting the total container count through the port could edge toward 600,000 this year.

Beyond that, the next landmark event may be the opening of the expanded Panama Canal. The longawaited widening of the canal will enable passage by much larger ships and is certain to bring new cargo business to U.S. ports.

LaGrange says that marketing studies suggest Gulf Coast ports will receive between 15 percent and 20 percent of the total added cargo volume stemming from the canal’s opening. That could mean between 3 and 5 million additional containers crossing Gulf Coast docks.

The new business likely will be divided among four competing ports, in New Orleans, Houston, Mobile, Alabama and Tampa, Florida, LaGrange says.

The widened Panama Canal is slated to open in 2016. n

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THE BEAT / EDUCATION

UNO and SUNO

Learning from North Carolina

By Dawn Ruth Wilson

I

t is time for the University of New Orleans and Southern University of New Orleans to join hands and dance in the sunrise together.

It is also past time for the state to restructure higher education into a more cost effective model that eliminates unnecessary salaries at the top, so that faculty can focus on providing a quality education. Hand wringing wastes energy.

Anyone who has been awake knows that the state’s public colleges are facing another reduction in state funding on top of the $700 million that Louisiana Board of Regents figures show has been cut since 2008. According to many news outlets, Gov. Jindal’s proposed budget for the 2015-’16 fiscal year is a rob Peter-to-pay-Paul plan that – if followed by the Legislature – would mean colleges would take at least another $200 million hit.

That figure halves previous estimates, but

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don’t be fooled, it isn’t good news. That number doubles the decrease colleges absorbed on average for each of the previous six years.

As usual, legislators float numerous ideas to offset the reduction in ways that don’t require downsizing schools with falling enrollment – especially those in their own districts. Those ideas include passing along the cost to students in one way or the other.

State tuition has been below average for the region for decades, so raising tuition is a nobrainer. On the other hand, reality is much more complicated than that.

The fact is most taxpayers are no longer willing to pay for an inefficient system of higher education, and the state’s politicians are unwilling to do what should have been done ages ago to fix the central problem: governance. There are too many chiefs in today’s structure, and they’re earning beaucoup money at the expense of the average taxpayer’s below average salary.

There are four systems of higher education, and each pays an executive administrator between $600,000 and $374,000 annually. Those salaries add up to millions over time and don’t even take into consideration extravagantly paid assistants. According to the state’s web site Sunshine. org, where all state employee salaries are listed, a “special assistant” at Louisiana State University earns $425,000.

Two Republican governors, Murphy Foster Jr. and Charles “Buddy” Roemer III, tried to adopt a better model and failed. Resistance came from those making all the money, along with district politicians and politically connected alumni who wanted to protect favored institutions.

Foster and Roemer proposed streamlining the governance structure to eliminate bloated administrative salaries and redundant services by establishing one “super” board of higher education with the authority to make decisions based on state needs, not on institutional egos. Reformers wanted to follow the North Carolina model, which created one of the most highly regarded systems of public higher education in the nation.

Jason Raish illustration

Such a structural change would allow the state to deal with the fact that Louisiana taxpayers support more universities than are necessary for the state’s population. Southern Regional Education Board figures show that Louisiana has a university for every 300,000 residents, compared to one per 600,000 in North Carolina.

In addition, many Louisiana universities are losing enrollment to community colleges. A growing number of students opt to pursue a two-year degree that promises a faster track to higher paying employment.

The Board of Regents Higher Education Fact Book shows that overall college enrollment increased by 17,000 between 2007 and ’14, which is same amount of students that community college and technical schools picked up during those years. The establishment of the Louisiana Community and Technical College System in 1999 exacerbated funding problems, but provided long-needed, advanced training to meet economic demands.

A single governing board could also deal with the UNO and SUNO redundancy on the New Orleans Lakefront. The very existence of the Southern University system, the nation’s only publicly supported, predominately black university system, is a 21st century dilemma created by late 19th century segregationist policies. The Southern tradition must be maintained for historical and fairness reasons, but the more racially diverse community colleges contribute to enrollment

declines at Southern University in Baton Rouge and New Orleans.

The racial issue is the most sensitive of the problems facing college funding today. UNO and SUNO, four-year universities located within a few blocks of each other, are still predominately white and black schools. UNO’s student body is 85 percent white, and SUNO’s student body is 85 percent black, with only 2.7 percent of its students listing themselves as white, 2013 Board of Regents statistics show.

This kind of voluntary racial segregation is a troubling aspect of contemporary America that should not be furthered by contemporary government policy. A merger of the two campuses is financially logical but rife with political problems that derail it every time it’s brought up for discussion. The white establishment didn’t care about redundant expenses when it established the Southern system to separate the races, so critics of a merger raise understandable cries of foul play.

Fears that SUNO would get short-changed in a merger are justified, but the same political considerations that have protected Southern so far also would also protect SUNO in a merger.

The 2011 merger proposal caved for good reasons, all of which were outlined in this space in April of that year. However, as difficult as such a change would be for the two institutions, enrollment shifts and financial reality demand adjustments. If these realities are not faced now, more painful solutions could be forced on them later. n

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THE BEAT / HEALTHBEAT

A study published in February in the New England Journal of Medicine, suggests that exposing infants to peanuts prior to age 1 helped prevent a peanut allergy. The Associated Press reports that exposure lowered the risk of a peanut allergy by as much as 81 percent. Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, according to the report, called the results “without precedent.” The AP also quoted Dr. Rebecca Gruchalla, an allergy specialist at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, who said, “Before you even start any kind of introduction these children need to be skin-tested” to prevent life-threatening reactions and noted that since small children can choke on whole peanuts it’s best to use smooth peanut butter or other peanut-based foods. In a statement, Fauci said this could “have the potential to transform how we approach food allergy prevention.”

The March of Dimes Louisiana awarded a grant to the Daughters of Charity Foundation of New Orleans to expand the Daughters of Charity Services of New Orleans’ Centering Pregnancy program to its Health Centers in New Orleans East and Gentilly. “There is strong evidence that Centering Pregnancy assists in decreasing pregnancy complications and increases patient education and satisfaction,” said Michael Griffin, President and CEO, Daughters of Charity Services of New Orleans in a statement. “It also lowers costs and is efficient for both providers and patients.” According to the statement, Centering Pregnancy is a model of prenatal care combining health assessment, education and support in a group setting. Pregnant women with similar due dates attend a group session to receive prenatal care in place of their one-on-one visits with a provider.

The goals are to improve birth outcomes, decrease preterm births and increase education. Each pregnant woman attends 10 sessions during her pregnancy, “with topics ranging from breast feeding and nutrition to safety and pregnancy spacing.” The Health Center in Mid-City on Carrollton Avenue already employs the Centering Pregnancy model.

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THE BEAT / crime fighting

Looking for Consent A day in court

By Allen Johnson Jr.

I

nside a federal courtroom, some reporters stifle yawns. There are no firey lawyer speeches or dramatic court orders for a conflict-driven news media to report.

United States District Judge Susie Morgan’s public hearing on efforts to improve the New Orleans Police Department is moving at glacial speed.

It is the pace of reform – a deliberative, detailed and often tedious tempo set by the judge to the wonky “beat” of the “NOPD Consent Decree.” (2:12cv-1924). The court-approved reform plan includes more than 420 provisions to resolve federal allegations that NOPD has violated the constitutional rights of New Orleanians for years. The charges are detailed in a U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) investigative report dated March 16, 2011.

Today, almost four years later, Judge Morgan is about to hear reports about the distribution of NOPD body-worn cameras and dashboard cameras for police cars.

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“You may be aware that nationally a lot of attention has been focused on camera usage” Judge Morgan tells the audience, including a visiting judge tasked with overseeing a DOJ police reform plan in Puerto Rico.

NOPD is “ahead of the curve” on cameras, Morgan says. She then grills Chief Michael Harrison and Ben Horwitz of the NOPD Compliance Bureau on a chart that purports to show the allocation of police body cameras.

The chart shows 371 officers have body cameras; 276 do not, a reporter for The Lens says.

Officers who don’t wear body cameras are assigned to detective units, task forces or work undercover, Horwitz says.

Jonathan Aronie, head of the court-appointed monitoring team for the Consent Decree, objects. The chart shows no task force officers in the First Police District are outfitted with body cameras. “They can’t all be undercover,” he says.

Morgan asks Horwitz to return the chart to court with more information later in the week.

“I’m still concerned whether we have enough (body-worn) cameras” the judge says of officers with “proactive” assignments.

“We do have enough,” says Chief Harrison, adding that 100 additional body cameras should arrive soon.

The judge isn’t satisfied. During Deputy Chief Arlinda Westbrook’s presentation on discipline for camera violations, Morgan says she wants NOPD to “eliminate gaps” in camera coverage.

“I want to get to the bottom of who’s required to have one and why they don’t. They (officers) need a camera immediately when they walk out the door.”

Turning to NOPD’s dashboard cameras, Horwitz tells the court, “We don’t have an update on the percentage of police cars with working cameras.” He cites failing servers, which are being replaced. The judge orders NOPD to submit a timeline for in-car cameras.

A reporter blinks in disbelief.

NOPD has been promising cameras in police cars for at least eight years.

In a Gambit February 2007 story, freelance writer Arianne Wiltse catalogued efforts to rebuild the local criminal justice system postKatrina, including then-Chief Warren Riley’s promise the NOPD would install cameras in all traffic and patrol units by the end of June that same year. The story appeared under the imperishable headline: “Can anybody fix this?”

The rhetorical question lingers here in court, almost 10 years after Katrina.

NOPD has the cameras; they’re just not getting the picture(s).

Training Day

Department of Justice lawyer Emily Gunston says the DOJ report of 2011 found the training provided to NOPD officers was “deficient in almost every respect.”

There was no comprehensive plan for training; no analysis of police activities and matching training curricula; and no system for tracking training of individual officers. In-service training was “haphazard” and “not taken seriously by officers.”

Officers didn’t understand the legal limits of force and had “an unacceptably poor understanding” of constitutional limits on searches and seizures.

Aronie says: “The monitoring team unfortunately found that many of the deficiencies continue to exist.”

Some NOPD training instructors were

Joseph Daniel Fiedler illustration

“dynamic;” others had “little control of their class.” The academy lacks a “full complement” of lesson plans. Aronie said he saw no effort to use body camera recordings for training but concedes it’s not required by the city pact with the DOJ: “There is no consent decree provision that says ‘Thou shalt innovate.’”

Aronie praises Chief Harrison’s recent appointment of Lt. Richard A. Williams as director of education and training. “He impressed us as someone fully committed to training,” Aronie says of Williams, a 23-year veteran of the NOPD, who held the same position from 2007-’11.

Pre-Katrina, Williams directed police recruitment.

Lt. Williams tells the court he envisions an academy known for “community policing” and “constitutional policing.”

Recruits are schooled in the “1st, 2nd, 4th and 5th Amendments,” which are “critical to law enforcement,” before hitting the streets as officers, he says (constitution.findlaw.com/ amendments.html).

Body camera recordings will be used for training, Williams adds. “I will expect a good report on that soon,” Morgan says.

Williams says 39 academy lesson plans – roughly one third of all NOPD instructors – are “ready to go.” Other lesson plans are being updated.

“Everybody didn’t know how to do lesson plans,” he says.

“Many thought Power Point presentations were lesson plans (they’re not).” The judge acknowledges NOPD policies are still being reworked to Consent Decree standards, making Williams’ job “difficult.”

She orders him to produce a “plan of actions” for achieving the Chief’s goal of “building the best” police academy in the United States with deadlines.

“In the end, I’m looking to you,” the judge tells Williams.

Chief Harrison’s elimination

of two years of college as NOPD’s minimum hiring requirement remains controversial.

DOJ’s Gunston says Harrison persuaded her the old rule could be an “artificial barrier” to otherwise qualified recruits for the understaffed force. Gunston says she remains concerned about the “poor quality” of written police reports and their “basic reading and writing skills.”

Harrison adds the NOPD hiring process is “very rigorous;” only 3 percent of all applicants are accepted. Williams says recruits can be identified for remedial training.

The judge doesn’t buy it. “Let me tell you, people who can’t read and write don’t belong on the police force.” The academy can’t be expected to teach both remedial writing skills and police skills, she says.

Community activist Norris Henderson agrees; NOPD training overall “leaves much to be desired.”

Much of the day’s hearing focused on body cameras, which like the stricken requirement for college credits were implemented by retired Chief Ronal Serpas Ph.D., Mayor Landrieu’s first “reform” chief.

Reporters should be alert to potential changes to other Serpas policies, including: • “You lie, You die” Serpas’ signature disciplinary policy requires dismissal of officers for first-offense violations of job-related dishonest cases.

He called the policy a “major cultural change” for the NOPD. • “Selling the Stop” These protocols require officers to: “emphasize their concern for the well-being” of people they stop; give reasons for the police encounter; and “provide opportunities for the person to respond.”

Judge Morgan says the next court hearing (May 21) will focus on NOPD supervision and begins with Lt. Williams “back on the hot seat.” n

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LOCAL COLOR in tune / READ+SPIN / JAZZ LIFE / JOIE D’EVE / MODINE GUNCH / CHRONICLES / HOME

“On April 4, depending on your mood, you can catch Brooklyn hip-hop impresario Talib Kweli (pictured here) at the Howlin’ Wolf or Athens, Georgia’s rockers, of Montreal. In either case you can expect a high-energy night of experimental playfulness.”

in tune pg. 36

LOCAL COLOR / IN TUNE

Favorites for Festing

Poliça

April’s Showers Sounds of all sorts BY mike griffith

W

hen heading into April, I always tell myself that the month simply cannot be as busy as I remember it being last year – then I look at the show listings. Keep your energy drinks near at hand and prepare to catch sleep whenever you can. The month begins with two double shots. On April 4, depending on your mood, you can catch Brooklyn hip-hop impresario Talib Kweli at the Howlin’ Wolf or Athens, Georgia’s rockers, of Montreal. In either case you can expect a high-energy night of experimental playfulness. On April 12, another pair of excellent performers will be playing against each other.

Midwest synthrockers Poliça will put on an intimate show at Gasa Gasa. Canny Leaneagh’s amazing vocals and stage presence will be barely contained by the stage at Gasa Gasa. The same night, The King of the Surf Guitar Dick Dale will play the Howlin’ Wolf. Personally, I’m a huge fan of Poliça, but this is a really tough choice.

We progress from two shows in a night to two nights in a row. On April 15, Lady Lamb (the Beekeeper), aka Aly Spaltro, will be playing Gasa Gasa. (Note: A special interview with Spaltro will ap-

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pear in Griffith’s online column April 9.)

She has just released her second studio record After. Her sound is an intensely guitar driven journey through the poetics of love and loss. There is an enthusiastic catharsis present in her music that translates to her live performances. The next night, April 16, the Young Fathers will be performing at Republic. The Young Fathers are an alternative hip-hop group from Scotland. This group won the 2014 Mercury Prize for their third record, Dead. The supreme competence of the Young Fathers, combined with their penchant for crossing genres and combining the modern and traditional often translates into shows that are supremely engaging and challenging to our regular conceptions of what music can be.

Just three days later, April 19, Katie Crutchfield, who performs under the name Waxahatchee, will return to town to play Gasa Gasa. Her 2013 album Cerulean Salt is one of my favorite records of the last few years. Her new record Ivy Tripp will be out on April 7, so look for the show to be heavy in new tunes.

Two nights later on April 21, electronic musician Dan Deacon will be at Republic.

Deacon’s shows depend on audience par-

Of course, there’s also the small matter of French Quarter Fest and New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival this month. Since there isn’t enough space here to do either festival justice, I’m going to give you five guaranteed great shows for FQF and JF Week 1 now. Keep an eye on my web column (MyNewOrleans. com/Blogs/In-Tune/) for a full breakdown of each day of each fest.

French Quarter Fest: Bonerama Amanda Shaw The Tin Men Astral Project Kristin Diable Jazz Fest: Royal Teeth Shovels and Rope Joe Krown Trio Béla Fleck and Abigail Washburn Beausoleil avec Michael Doucet: 40th Anniversary

ticipation, so you should be prepared to be swept into the performance. Deacon’s latest release Gliss Riffer is a fantastic exploration of the digital pop sound.

Finally, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that the Bard himself, Bob Dylan, will be at the Saenger theater on April 29.

While I’m never sure which Dylan will show up anytime I go to a show, I generally make a point not to miss one. n

Note: Dates are subject to change. Playlist of mentioned bands available at: bit.ly/ InTune4-15 mike griffith

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To contact Mike about music news, upcoming performances and recordings, email Mike@MyNewOrleans.com or contact him through Twitter @Minima.

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LOCAL COLOR / READ+SPIN

MEMOIR: For any fan of the Beatles, meeting Paul McCartney is a defining life moment. For a young musician, meeting and spending time with McCartney and his wife Linda as they visited New Orleans to record the fourth studio album for Wings was a dream come true.

Earlier this year John Taylor, bass player for the Meanies, background actor in more than 40 films and now author, released his memoir Wings Over New Orleans: Unseen Photos of Paul and Linda McCartney, 1975. The 88-page volume includes more than 60 candid photos Taylor shot of the McCartneys, along with his recollections and the reminiscences of other locals who met them during their stay in the Crescent City. The meeting took place when after hearing the McCartneys were coming to New Orleans to record; Taylor decided to stake out local recording studios. He started at Sea-Saint Studio, because it was in his neighborhood. After nearly leaving due to cold feet, a car pulled in and to Taylor’s amazement, his idol was in the driver’s seat. The book details that breathless account, as well as many charming tales of the famous couple’s time in New Orleans.

OPERA: In his first solo album for Warner Classics, Héroïque: French Opera Arias, American tenor and New Orleans native Bryan Hymel delivers powerful and passionate performances. The strength of his voice and ease with which he delivers even the highest high notes is worth the price of admission, but in Hymel listeners get not only technical precision, but also dramatic, emotion-filled style. A fast-rising star, Hymel is the go-to tenor for challenging French repertoire. He is the winner of the 2013 Olivier award for Outstanding Achievement in Opera for a trio of performances in Les Troyens, Robert le diable and Rusalka at London’s Royal Opera House. He has performed in top opera houses throughout the world. He studied at the Academy of Vocal Arts in Philadelphia under Bill Schuman. Upcoming performances include his house debuts in Les Troyens at the San Francisco Opera in June and in La Damnation de Faust at the Opéra National de Paris.

AMERICANA: Shreveport-born singer and songwriter Kelcy Mae is touring in support of her 2014 double EP release Half-Light. Catchy melodies are infused with the New Orleans-based musician’s bluegrass, country and rock influences, and its expressive lyrics reflect her creative writing background (Disclosure, Mae writes for New Orleans Magazine publisher, Renaissance Publishing LLC). Catch Mae performing at Siberia on March 15, and at Banks Street Bar and Grill on March 26.

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BY melanie warner spencer Please send submissions for consideration, attention: Melanie Spencer, 110 Veterans Memorial Blvd., Suite 123, Metairie, LA 70005.

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LOCAL COLOR / JAZZ LIFE

Songs of the Culture Ann Savoy’s carousel of talent

BY JASON BERRY

“I

t would be hard to recreate the music that came from extreme isolation, from daily dealings with the many diseases for which there was no cure. The early music came from people who dealt day by day with the problems of living in a nearly tropical, inhospitable, insect-ridden land. The work was hard and play was intense and liberating ...

The music was loud, the food spicy and heavy enough to fill up a hard working appetite.”

So writes Ann Allen Savoy in the introduction to her 1984 milestone work, Cajun Music: Reflection of a People, Vol. 1, a 416-page compendium of interviews, essays, sheet music, lyrics and stunning vintage photographs.

Savoy’s early years of cultural sleuthing from her home in Eunice, out on the Cajun prairie, were all of a piece with the life she made in marrying accordionist and master accordion maker Marc Savoy, whom she met in the 1970s when his band was playing at a Wolf Trap festival in Virginia. They married in ’77. She moved to Eunice. Soon along, she was driving into Cajun towns and hamlets to interview musicians; she carried a camera, audio and VHS recording equipment, blankets, bottles and relevant needs for whichever of her infants went with her at the time.

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Two sons, two daughters, all now grown.

“Call me a fanatic – I was having babies as we collected home music, lullabies, singing games and music unique to this culture,” she chuckled by phone in February, from snowblanketed Richmond, Virginia, while visiting her mom.

The Savoy Family Cajun Band – Marc, Ann on guitar, sons Joel [pronounced Jo-el] and Wilson, each on fiddle – perform April 26, the first Sunday at Jazz Fest.

Daughter Gabrielle is a photographer in Lafayette; daughter Sarah, married and living in France, recently opened Toulouse’s Cajun Restaurant.

Ann Savoy’s extraordinary reach, as a vocalist and artist on multiple stringed instruments, has its most acclaimed feat in 2006 with Adieu False Heart, a collection of achingly beautiful duets with Linda Ronstadt.

They met when the rock star visited the Savoy home years ago with Jazz Fest producer Quint Davis. “Whenever Linda went to New Orleans I’d go there and we’d hang out,” says Savoy. “I perform a lot in San Francisco. Linda had a three-story house in the Presidio for some time. I visit her in Tucson now.”

Ronstadt’s storied career with such smash hits as “Blue Bayou” and “When Will I Be Loved” magnified the spotlight on Adieu False Heart. But a sequel is not to be. The days Savoy and Ronstadt once spent, singing through afternoons in one or another’s homes, have been eclipsed by the toll Parkinson’s disease has taken on Ronstadt, who no longer has the capacity to sing. The two women still visit often.

“I never made a record in English before Linda,” says Savoy. “The singing with Linda taught me a lot about singing in studio and ways to use your voice to make it sound better.

She was almost like a tutor to me.”

In her new step forward, Black Coffee, the vocalist transitions to smoky silken lounge lizard, a role nicely in sync with the carousel of talent that is Savoy. On Black Coffee, she stands up to swinging string arrangements by Her Sleepless Nights: Kevin Wimmer on fiddle; Tom Mitchell on lead guitar and second vocal on “Embraceable You”; Eric Frey on upright bass; Chas Justice on rhythm guitar; and Glenn Fields on drums.

In addition to her work as a vocalist with Her Sleepless Nights and her role with Marc and their sons in the Savoy Family Cajun Band, Ann plays in The Savoy Doucet Cajun Band with Beausoleil fiddler Michael Doucet, and (drum roll) The Magnolia Sisters, a quartet with Jane Vidrine, Lisa Trahan and Anya Burgess, who have released Love’s Lies on the Arhoolie label.

The Magnolia Sisters received a Grammy nomination for another album, Stripped Down.

As the sun sets on Eunice for another day, Ann Savoy is compiling the more than 100 interviews she did for Cajun Music: Reflection of a People.

“The footage is nice,” she says. “We’re scanning negatives, assembling pages and proofing” for Volume 2.

The babies are grown. The world waits. n

Gabrielle Savoy photograph

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LOCAL COLOR / MODINE’S NEW ORLEANS

Playboy The Bunny And Other Cotton Tales

BY MODINE GUNCH

I

like my Easter bunnies chocolate.

Not hopping around my living room. There is a reason for that.

I got to explain it to my daughter Gumdrop, because her kids are begging for a pet bunny.

I tell her: First, the kids will figure out in a hurry that bunnies don’t lay chocolate eggs. (At least, you hope they figure it out.)

And second, once Easter is over, you still got the bunny hoppity-hopping behind you wherever you go.

Or else he’s chewing on the cord to the TV, because God forbid the poor little thing should be in a cage.

Which you don’t have anyway because your husband promised to build one and didn’t, so the bunny has to sleep in the guest bathtub at night, and you’re going to have a fun time cleaning all the hay and bedding and whatnot – especially whatnot – out of there when Aunt Chlorine shows up to visit.

I know.

Years ago, when my kids were

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little, Uncles Leech and Lurch surprised us all with a real live bunny one Easter morning.

This bunny’s name was “Playboy,” because Leech and Lurch thought it would be hilarious to hear the kids talking about their Playboy bunny.

Haw, haw.

Well, my brain was obviously weak from chocolate deprivation over Lent, and I let him stay.

And he was cute. I’ll say that.

My kids actually stopped shoving chocolate eggs down their throats long enough to cuddle him.

Now this was back when we all lived in Chalmette. The entire Gunch family came over for Easter dinner, including my sister-in-law Larva and her husband Fred and their kids, and my other sister-inlaw Gloriosa, who wasn’t married yet. My mother-in-law, Ms. Larda, brought the ham and vegetables; I made confetti potato salad out of the hard-boiled eggs the kids dyed but wouldn’t eat; and everything

else we ate was chocolate.

Ms. Larda, who wanted to make sure her grandkids wouldn’t suffer from not having enough candy at Easter, had brought even more chocolate eggs, and Gloriosa, the family health nut, brought some little oatmeal balls she made herself to add to the baskets. Nobody was grateful for them except Fred, who had decided to eat healthy.

After dinner – which the kids didn’t eat any of, naturally – we grown-ups went out to sit and burp on the front porch. The kids played with Playboy bunny in the living room until he got sick of them and hid under the sofa.

Then Gumdrop, who was 7 and the oldest, talked the others into a game. They would dump all their candy into one big pile on the living room floor. She would think of a number and whoever guessed it would get to pick out a piece of candy.

But if they missed it, she would get to pick a candy. Well, you can imagine how that went. When the screams got loud enough, me and Ms. Larda stomped in there, sent Gumdrop to her room and picked up all the candy off the floor and put it equally in everybody’s basket.

Now Gloriosa’s little oatmeal balls came without wrappers and they were on the floor, too. But I knew she would get real mad if I threw them out, so I scooped them up, made a quick sign of the cross with them and put them in the baskets anyway.

After everybody left and the kids were in bed, I sneaked over to Gumdrop’s basket. I told myself I wouldn’t take nothing good – just a handful of that healthy stuff.

Patooie! It was so awful, I knew God was punishing me for stealing the child’s candy.

A few minutes later, Playboy hopped past and deposited a little pile of bunny nuggets behind him. I remembered that Lurch and Leech said bunnies can be litter-box trained, but obviously they didn’t bother. I started to clean it up. Funny. It looked a lot like Glorisosa’s ... ACK! After I gargled a lot, I threw out everything that looked oatmeal-ly in the kids’ baskets and took a can of Lysol and sprayed everything wrapped.

Then I called Larva.

I said “You know those oatmeal clumps from Glorisosa ...”

“Fred got them all,” she said.

“He ate them?” I said.

“He tried. He put them in a bowl with milk. But they were so bad he spat them out. And he’ll never eat health food again.”

And he never did. n

LORI OSIECKI ILLUSTRATION

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LOCAL COLOR / JOIE D’EVE

Ill Thoughts Strep by strep

BY EVE CRAWFORD PEYTON

I

am so sick of sickness. At night there’s the constant gurgle of the humidifier, the only thing that seems to help with Ruby’s recurrent bouts of croup. Throughout the day there’s a lingering smell of Lysol, which I spray with wanton excess and irrational frequency on nearly every surface in the vain hope of keeping some of us healthy – it doesn’t work. We have had three stomach viruses since September; Ruby and I have both just recovered from strep; and we’ve all had off-and-on colds. I know being sick is a part of life with one kid in day care and two in grade school, but wow, I’m ready for spring and fresh air and – fingers crossed – a respite from all of these germs and illnesses.

In between wiping noses and sanitizing remote controls and pouring pink penicillin down Ruby’s throat twice a day, I’ve been reading the news about measles.

And I’m getting so angry. Seriously: so angry.

“Why does it matter?” my dad asked me after hearing a story on NPR. “Why do people care so much what other people do with their kids?”

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I am the first one to clamor for an end to the Mommy Wars. I am all about extended breast-feeding, but I don’t care even a little bit about my formula-feeding friends.

Cry-It-Out felt awful to me, but it certainly worked for a bunch of my friends, and yes, I am a little jealous of how well their kids sleep. Homeschooling? Not for me, but good for you if you want to do it! Working out of the home is a necessity for me both in terms of my budget and my sanity, but I’m delighted for my friends who want to and are able to stay home with their kids. I have friends who have their kids on strict vegan diets and friends who feed their kids a steady diet of bologna and McNuggets.

I am all about no judgment when it comes to what other people do with their kids. But vaccinations aren’t a personal issue at this point; they’re a public health issue. Your unvaccinated child could potentially get someone else’s too-young-to-be-vaccinated child sick. And for what?

“Vaccines are safe and effective,” said Dr. Stephen Hales, a longtime and beloved New Orleans pediatrician, who also happens to be my kids’ pediatrician.

I love Hales Pediatrics. They have been fielding my at-leastweekly neurotic phone calls since we moved here when Ruby was 13 months old; they saw me through the most horrifying day I spent as a parent, the day we thought Ruby might have a brain tumor; and they met Georgia in the hospital when she was just hours old. It is seriously the best pediatric practice in the city, as far as I’m concerned, and I recommend it to anyone who asks. So please know that I’m not unbiased when I talk about Dr. Hales or his practice. I value his advice and his multiple decades of experience

-

and knowledge as both a parent and a doctor.

And as someone who spends a lot of time in his waiting room with my kiddos, I called him to talk to me about whether his office has a policy against seeing kids who are unvaccinated.

“If we have parents who are reluctant to vaccinate, we’re willing to work with them to try to address their concerns,” he said.

“We can spread the vaccines out over a longer period of time or give one shot at a time, but we try to encourage parents to vaccinate, and in the vast majority of cases, we achieve our goal.

“If we have parents come in who are trying to pick a practice, like before a child has been born, and they say they’re not planning to vaccinate, and we can’t find common ground, we usually suggest that they find another physician.

It’s a matter of goodness of fit. If we see the world that differently, we’d be at odds over other things, and nobody benefits from that. It’s harder with existing patients. For goodness’ sake, no one wants to be at that impasse with a family. But we as doctors so carefully read the science, and it’s very hard to watch parents make that decision.

“I have been in practice long enough that I have seen these diseases, and I really do not want to see them again,” he said.

I haven’t seen these diseases, and I really never want to see them, ever. I don’t even want to deal with so much as an ear infection or a queasy stomach for a few months.

I have had my more than my fill of illness. Be well, everyone.

Take your vitamins, drink your water, eat your veggies, wash your hands, sneeze into your elbow, stay home if you’re sick – and for the love of everything, please vaccinate your kids. n

Excerpted from Eve Crawford Peyton’s blog, Joie d’Eve, which appears each Friday on MyNewOrleans.com.

jane sanders ILLUSTRATION

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LOCAL COLOR / Chronicles

Carrollton

Along the garden path

BY CAROLYN KOLB

T

he late John Bordes grew up in Carrollton around the turn of the 20th century. Later in life he wrote the column “John Paul Sez” for a long ago newspaper, The Carrollton News, and drew on his memories for his material.

He would ride along with his father on a milk cart making deliveries of his mother’s homemade cream cheese and milk from his grandfather’s dairy.

Some of his favorite memories were of trees and flowers: China Ball trees with purple flowers in spring, red St. Joseph’s Lilies in the alleys, honeysuckle on the fences and the aromas of Magnolia fuscata, sweet olive and night-blooming jasmine. He talked of his mother’s “marchneil” (Maréchal Niel) pale yellow roses twining up a trellis.

The Carrollton neighborhood has always been known as a garden spot.

When a little rail line was chartered in 1833 to run along today’s St. Charles Avenue to the suburban town of Carrollton as an incentive to travelers, the railroad company created a resort: Carrollton Gardens, at the upper end of the tracks, with a hotel and gardens on its four-acre site. One famous guest was the author William Makepeace Thackeray, who

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visited in the 1850s.

Carrollton was created out of the MaCarty Plantation land. Begun in 1781, by the 1815 Battle of New Orleans it was headquarters of General Andrew Jackson. It is also where Major-General William Carroll and his 2,500-strong Tennessee militia encamped, and presumably left enough of an impression to grant his name to the community, later laid out by surveyor Charles Zimple.

Carrollton was part of Jefferson Parish from 1825 to 1874, and at one time was the seat of Parish government. In 1854, architect Henry Howard designed the building at 709 South Carrollton Ave. for the Jefferson Parish Courthouse (it included jail cells and even hosted a few hangings). In later years it became a schoolhouse, housing Benjamin Franklin High School at one time.

Carrollton even rated a mention in the 1891 children’s book Lady Jane by Mrs. C.V. Jamieson: “Pepsie’s cottage in the country was about to become a reality. In one of the charming shady lanes of Carrollton they found just such a bowery little spot as the girl wished for, with a fine strip of land for a garden.” Pepsie’s benefactress was the young heroine of the novel.

Another touch at literary fame is the house at 1738 S. Carrollton Ave. at the corner of Hickory Street. This was the home of the mother of Williams F. Buckley Jr., the late conservative pundit. The Steiners were parishioners of Mater Dolorosa Church, just a few blocks up Carrollton Avenue.

Carrollton had a large German community – Mater Dolorosa had numbers of German families and the St. Matthew’s United Church of Christ in the 1300 block of Carrollton Avenue is the current denomination of the German Evangelical and United Church, one of the city’s largest German Protestant groups.

By the late 19th century, there was ferry service between Carrollton and Nine Mile Point on the West Bank. With the St. Charles Avenue line going to downtown New Orleans and a railroad going out along Carrollton Avenue near the New Basin Canal route out to the lake, Carrollton was well connected. (Plus, it was only a short walk over the Protection Levee to Jefferson Parish gambling spots at Southdown.)

Jazz aficionado and retired educator Justin Winston points out that Ellis Marsalis is a longtime Carrollton resident, and jazz musicians from the area in the past included Pops Foster and Alvin Alcorn. The Carrollton and St. Mary’s cemeteries (bounded by Adams, Spruce, Lowerline and Birch streets) have been the sites of many jazz funerals.

Winston, who grew up in the area, also recalls Carrollton shops (even a poultry emporium from which he mistakenly brought home live chickens he was supposed to order “dressed”). The corner of Spruce Street and Carrollton Avenue had a hardware store named Siren’s that, according to a receipt found on an unsold butter plate, was in business in the 1870s. For groceries, there was a Hill’s Store (later a Winn-Dixie, on Carrollton at Maple Street) and a PigglyWiggly (now Willie Mae’s Scotch House at 7457 St. Charles Ave.).

There were movie theaters, the Poplar (on Willow Street, which had once been called Poplar) and the Mecca, off Maple Street.

Carrollton has certainly filled in since then, but you can still eat some good chicken and smell the roses – and you don’t have to leave your home neighborhood to enjoy New Orleans.

See related story pg. 62 n photo courtesy of the new orleans historic collection

LOCAL COLOR / home

American Style

Garden District home has a modern touch

BY BONNIE WARREN PHOTOGRAPHED BY CHERYL GERBER

“T

he design of my new house was founded in the spirit of the neighborhood,” architect Joseph “Joe” Lavigne says. While the home is thoroughly modernist, not mimicking the historic styles of the area, it’s based on the traditions that formed the feel of the surrounding neighborhood.

To be sure, it isn’t typical of the center hall historic home that was built before 1900, yet the house on a corner of Camp and Thalia streets offers more than the surround-

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ing historic homes. “Though the area still has the earlier flavor of the French and Spanish urban style, the American Garden District type of home is most prominent,” Lavigne says. “One thing that fascinated me was the repetitive sizes of the elements of the old houses that added up to the total interesting proportions.”

While the house is only set back six feet from the sidewalk, creating a close relationship of the house to the pedestrian street, it’s far enough back to establish a

FACING PAGE: The large living room takes full advantage of the courtyard through large expanses of glass; Lavigne built the bookcases flanking the fireplace.

TOP: Architect Joseph “Joe” Lavigne BOTTOM: A spiral stairway leads to the second level, with a skylight added in the top of the tower above the second floor ceiling to provide maximum natural lighting for the stairway and landing.

personal identity. The clean lines and slightly elevated base of the structure make it blend pleasantly with the neighborhood.

“The front of the house provides the privacy I wanted, yet a pedestrian can still glimpse into the house to get a welcoming feeling,” Lavigne says.

Both levels overlook the courtyard through a wall of glass that floods the house with light.

Ten-foot ceilings add to the spacious feeling. Ash wood floors reclaimed from a warehouse were stained dark to add to the modern design, and the white envelope that covers all of the interior walls and ceilings gives the home an almost gallery-like feeling. “I designed a skylight in the tower at the top stairs to serve as a light scoop and add intensity to the curved stairway and open balcony on the second floor overlooking the living, dining and kitchen area below, with the view continuing to the porch and courtyard beyond,” he says.

Rugs define the seating area in the living room and Lavigne proudly explains that he built the bookshelves that flank the fireplace. A unique black-andwhite scripted rug defines the adjoining dining room space.

“The ceiling in the dining room encompasses the second floor thus adding to the volume of the main living area and providing an interesting view of the downstairs from the second floor gallery. Then to continue the open floor plan, I designed a sleek kitchen with a large island to complete the first-level living quarters.”

The second floor features a large master bedroom with two completely separate his and her bathrooms. Lavigne prides himself with having built the dividing wall of storage and the closets behind the wall.

On the opposite side of the second level are his and her of-

FACING PAGE: TOP, LEFT: The master bedroom has access to the balcony through large sliding glass doors; Lavigne built the bed. TOP, RIGHT: The dining room, kitchen, porch and courtyard beyond are dramatically visible from the second floor balcony that adjoins the spiral stairway. BOTTOM, LEFT: Maximum closet space is provided in the master bedroom by a wall of closets on one side and built-in storage on the other side of the space that Lavigne built; natural light floods the area from the large sliding doors leading to the balcony that overlooks the courtyard. BOTTOM, RIGHT: The master bedroom features his and her adjoining bathrooms. TOP: Nordic Kitchens & Baths supplied the ash cabinets used in the kitchen; four-inch slate tiles were used for the backsplash. BOTTOM: Lavigne’s office overlooks the neutral ground on Camp Street and sliding glass doors open onto the front balcony.

fices, with Lavigne’s office overlooking the park-like setting in the broad neutral ground between the divided streets in front of the house.

Built on a 52-by-84 foot corner lot, the 2,350 square foot home features a 22by-52 foot French Quarterstyle courtyard. Another major feature of the house is a porch and upper gallery across the entire rear of the house, thus providing pleasant vistas from almost all of the rooms in the open floor plan.

The courtyard is broken up with separate gardens, seating areas and the broad 6-by-42 foot porch adding to the ideal setting for entertaining. A 13-by-32 foot studio adjoins the courtyard to complete the lot plan. n

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Eric Javitz bucket hat at Saks Fifth Avenue; Battenberg purple bralette and Venture rope pendant at Free People New Orleans; pearl set stone pendant at Lucky Brand at The Outlet Collection at Riverwalk.

festive wear for festival frolicking

By Lisa Tudor Photographed by Greg Miles M o d e l K e lly M u r ta g h H a i r b y N i k i Wa lk e r M a k e u p b y M e g g a n D. O r y

F r e n c h Q ua r t e r F e s t: Dates: April 9-12 Location: French Quarter Website: FQFI.org Top 3 Music Recommendations: Bonerama; The Tin Men; Kristin Diable (see interview pg. 24) Top 3 Food Recommendations: Baked Alaska with Chocolate Sauce; Slow Roasted Duck Po-Boy; Pulled Pork over Roasted Corn & Cheese Grits

At Lucky Brand at The Outlet Collection at Riverwalk: Military Jacket, embroidered peasant blouse, pearl set stone pendant, embroidered studded belt and “The Cut Off� distressed jean shorts; Metal Saber hat and Venture rope pendant at Free People New Orleans; blue monogrammed MGM mini backpack at Saks Fifth Avenue.

XCVI fringe cardigan and cropped cargo pants with Ash suede high tops and Bronze Ray-Ban aviators at NeimanMarcus Last Call Studio at The Outlet Collection at Riverwalk. Cristy Cali Collections New Orleans Collage sterling silver band available at Adler’s

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Free People open-side romper, Galoon lace racerback and Sienna embroidered crossbody bag at Free People New Orleans; Oliver Peoples sunglasses at NeimanMarcus Last Call Studio at The Outlet Collection at Riverwalk; brass chain necklace and bone stud leather bracelet at Lucky Brand at The Outlet Collection at Riverwalk; Times Deux by Chrstyn Randon-Bethune rose gold wire and agate bracelet at SรถPรถ Southern Posh.

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F e s t i va l I n t e r n at i o n a l d e Lo u i s i a n e Dates: April 22-26 Location: Downtown Lafayette Website: FestivalInternational.org Top 3 Music Recommendations: Official Big Freedia After Party; Grupo Fantasma; The Figs Top 3 Food Recommendations: Fried Eggplant Seafood Volcano; Beignet Fries; Crawfish Nachos

“Lexa” ruched maxi dress with key-hole back in abstract woodgrain print

by Alice + Olivia at Saks Fifth Avenue; sustainable sterling silver Louisiana alligator tooth jewelry by Ginja Moseley at Weinstein’s; turquoise and brass beaded bib necklace at Neiman-Marcus Last Call Studio at The Outlet Collection at Riverwalk.

Made & Crafted Levi’s “Boxshirt” and Marker Tapered “Freeway” jeans, Tchoup Industries woven Panel Canvas Fanny Pack with builtin bottle opener and loop for sunglasses or keys, St. Claude “Victory” and “T-Rex” necklaces, Times Deux hand-made Strata Rope Cuff and TIMTrois rope blue Druzy Quartz pendant, all at SöPö Southern Posh; Sorel lined mud boots at Jean Therapy.

N e w O r l e a n s Ja z z & H e r i ta g e F e s t i va l Dates: April 24-May 3 Location: New Orleans Fair Grounds Website: NOJazzFest.com Top 5 Music Recommendations: The Who; “Dr. John: Off Da Hook!”, a Louis Armstrong Celebration; Sturgill Simpson; Juvenile & Mannie Fresh; Royal Teeth Top 3 Food Recommendations: Boudin Balls: Cochon de Lait Po-Boy; Crawfish Sack, Oyster Patties and Crawfish Beignets

“Guarda” luxury cork umbrella at Queork; Ali-Ro yellow snap front rain jacket at Saks Fifth Avenue; Spectacles dress by Poridge over Nadia Tarr striped halter top at SöPö Southern Posh; Louisiana outline pendant by Cristy Cali at Adler’s and CristyCali.com; Hunter rain boots in Clementine Gloss at Jean Therapy.

XCVI fringe cardigan and cropped cargo pants, Young Wild & Free T-shirt, Italian carved wood necklace by alisha.d at NeimanMarcus Last Call Studio at The Outlet Collection at Riverwalk; Metal Saber hat at Free People New Orleans; Cristy Cali New Orleans Collage sterling silver band at Adler’s and CristyCali.com; sustainable Louisiana alligator cuff bracelet by Ginja Moseley at Weinstein’s.

What’s Up Along

Carrollton More than you might expect

By Kim Singletary Photographed by Craig Mulcahy

“… We are no longer in recovery, no longer rebuilding. Now we are creating. Let’s stop thinking about rebuilding the city we were and start dreaming about the city we want to become. The world deserves a better New Orleans. People of New Orleans hear this: Today is a new day.

Today is a new time.”

– Mayor Mitch Landrieu’s inauguration speech, May 3, 2010.

See related story, pg. 46

This call to action found within the closing words of Landrieu’s first mayoral address “raised the bar for everyone in the city,” says Councilmember Susan Guidry, who heard these words just two months after winning the right to represent New Orleans’ District A for the first time in March 2010.

Almost five years later, she says Landrieu’s words still inspire her, and she feels that idea – to create a city better than the one that existed prior to Hurricane Katrina – is alive in well throughout the Carrollton Avenue corridor.

Street on Fire “The Carrollton corridor is the most happening corridor in the city right now,” she says. “There are so many exciting things going on.”

It is a point that’s hard to argue.

In only the past two years, the major thoroughfare that stretches 3.9 miles – from City Park to New Orleans’ famed St. Charles Avenue – has experienced tremendous growth, including the addition of the city’s first Costco just off Interstate 10, along with the addition of 100,000 square feet of commercial space in the form of the new Mid-City Market shopping center.

“The growth has been so fast and profound on Carrollton that some people have been complaining that it’s becoming too much like Veterans Memorial Boulevard,” says Jennifer Farwell, president of the Mid-City Neighborhood Organization. “As a neighborhood organization, we’ve been trying to address and manage those concerns without curtailing developers. Our goal is always to maintain the livability of our historic neighborhood.”

The struggle to find that perfect mix – between big box and mom-and-pop, progress and respect for the past – is far from a new problem for New Orleans, or any growing city, but nonetheless, it’s one that’s currently very much alive on one of the city’s main thoroughfares.

Starting at the north end (toward the lake) of Carrollton and working south, the following is a look at some of the latest developments on the corridor – a mix of not only large scale commercial enterprises, but a revitalization of school and community spaces.

“Carrollton Avenue is a reflection of how far we’ve come as a city in the past 10 years,” Guidry says. “As well as a reflection of the work our entrepreneurs and the community as a whole are doing to create better business.”

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Mid-City Market 401 N. Carrollton Ave. Formerly a blighted 6.5-acre parcel of commercial land that included a car dealership and strip mall, the new Mid-City Market opened for business July 31, 2013. At that time, the $40 million adaptive reuse was hailed by the city as “one of the most significant retail developments in New Orleans since Hurricane Katrina.”

Encompassing 108,763 square feet of retail space, it’s anchored by a 54,390-square foot Winn-Dixie grocery store and Office Depot, and features an array of quick dining and service options.

“Winn-Dixie liked the area and, even though it’s across from a Rouses Market, it has become clear that the demand in that area is strong enough to support two grocery stores,” says Eugene Schmitt, asset manager for Stirling Properties, the developer of Mid-City Market.

According to Farwell, Mid-City neighbors were happiest to see the inclusion of the Office Depot.

“We definitely advocated for local retailers, and we were happy to see the inclusion of stores like Jefferson Feed, Mariposa Salon and Shine Space and Specialties, but Office Depot was a biggie that everyone wanted,” she says.

Schmitt confirms that the store has been well received, reporting “double-digit sales increases.” In fact, response has been so strong to the 98.2 percent occupied shopping center that parking has been stretched to its limits.

It is a problem Stirling aims to address with its next project: Offices at Mid-City Market.

Lafitte Greenway Both Mid-City Market and the forthcoming Offices at Mid-City Market sit adjacent to Lafitte Greenway, a 2.6-mile multi-use trail and linear park that will run from Louis Armstrong Park in the French Quarter to North Alexander near City Park.

Construction on the $9.1 million project began in March 2014 and is expected to be completed this spring.

“It’s going to be a great economic development engine,” Guidry says.

“It’s already attracting businesses.

Carrollton Commissary 8837 Willow St. In Dec. 2014 the New Orleans City Council approved a zoning change that would allow a blighted former small grocery store within a residential area to become a shared-use commercial kitchen.

When complete, the 1,300 squarefoot Carrollton Commissary will provide a space that can be rented out to food trucks – who are required to have a brick-and-mortar kitchen – or for use by any licensed food preparers. “It’s a really cool idea,” Guidry says. “A really innovative adaptive reuse.” Owners have also offered to provide the space, free of charge, to local nonprofits once a month.

Costco

3900 Dublin St. The doors to New Orleans’ first Costco opened Sept. 21, 2013 on a 14.7-acre site just off the intersection of Carrollton Avenue and Interstate 10 in what was once the Carrollton Shopping Center.

The $40 million 148,000-square-foot store has been thriving ever since, according to the store’s General Manager, John Brown.

“Our sales numbers have grown almost 40 percent over last year,” he says. “That’s really almost unheard of. It’s just a fantastic number.”

Strong sales numbers also mean more sales tax for Orleans Parish, which Guidry says is expecting to benefit from the store to the tune of “tens of millions of dollars.”

Brown says the store is expecting to exceed its budget this year by 15 to 20 percent and is getting ready to redouble its marketing efforts around the city and become more involved with the community.

According to Guidry, the focus on the community surrounding the store began before it even opened.

“When Costco was coming in they made a promise to recruit employees from the surrounding communities – Hollygrove, Gert Town, Dixon, Palmer – and they did it,” she says. “I go there and I see people I know working there and I’m just thrilled.”

Brown confirms that the store limited employee transfers from other Costcos and he says he’s proud to say that a number of neighborhood employees that were hired during the opening now hold supervisory and management positions.

Hollygrove Market & Farm 8301 Olive St.

When Hollygrove Market & Farm (HM&F) opened its doors a little over six years ago on a one-acre site that was formerly a plant nursery, the neighborhood-based nonprofit did so with the goal to increase access to fresh, local produce through

its weekly produce market, on-site urban farm and community garden space.

Two years ago the market began running seven days a week, working with thousands of pounds of produce each week and 20 to 30 different local farms.

Hollygrove now also offers a home delivery service where locals can sign up to receive a box of fresh produce delivered to their door anywhere from every week to once a month, or order custom items from the market.

“In the past few years we’ve seen more and more locals coming in,” says Rie Ma, outreach specialist for HM&F. “We’ve began offering a neighbor discount, along with an EBT discount.”

Ma says upcoming plans for the market – possibly as early as this year – include the addition of outdoor areas that beckon locals to “come and do homework, read a book or just hang out,” along with “maybe some workshops or cooking classes, things that provide value to the community.”

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CVS Pharmacy Strip Mall Community Commitment Education Center 8540 Spruce St.

Another neighborhood building project Guidry says she’s especially excited about is the Community Commitment Education Center.

Formerly an old hardware store that had stood vacant for years, Nicole Bouie purchased the property and transformed it into a community center that opened June 2, 2014. The center provides a wide array of services to community members of all ages, including computer skills training, reading classes and an after school program that runs every weekday. All services are provided free of charge, so the center depends on a coffee shop it runs in the back of the center, Stella’s, to contribute to the cause.

500 N. Carrollton Ave.

Among the development being spurred by the Lafitte Greenway is a new strip mall anchored by CVS Pharmacy.

Previously home to a Winn-Dixie prior to Hurricane Katrina, post-storm the 55,000 square-foot space held a Home Depot until the store closed November 2014.

“That Home Depot was always intended to be temporary while the city was rebuilding,” Guidry says. “Rouse’s purchased that land, maybe in part to make sure another grocery store didn’t move in, but they bought it always with the intention to sell.”

Plans call for the demolition of the site’s building and the construction of a 13,600 square-foot CVS Pharmacy on the front of the property along Carrollton.

“The current plan also includes a series of small buildings that will house businesses that will face the greenway,” Guidry says. “We’ve talked about including an entry to those businesses from the greenway. The plan is in design review with the City Planning Commission.”

Afred E. Priestly Junior High School 1619 Leonidas St.

The site of what’s still called the Alfred E. Priestly Junior High School actually has not seen children within its walls since 1980, when it ceased being a school and instead served as office space. It hasn’t been occupied at all since ’93, when it switched to a storage spot for old furniture until Hurricane Katrina caused significant damage.

In mid-Sept. 2014, the site was sold to Lycee Francais de la Nouvelle Orleans Charter School for $425,000. After extensive renovations, it will serve as the home for the school as it expands to include classes up through 12th grade.

Better + Boulder Behind Rouse’s Supermarket on 400 N. Carrollton Ave.

Plans are also underway for an eight-acre development that includes an extensive fitness center set to include 11 squash courts, a performance training lab and a special space for children called Funtopia. The fitness center will be topped with a boutique hotel, and sit adjacent to an office building and two multifamily housing properties of between 250 and 300 units.

“This space offers more commercial area, along with more walkability and traffic flow than you typically get in a downtown location,” says Ryan Donegan, founder of Better + Boulder, who hopes to develop what’s currently being referred to as Better + Boulder Village.

Donegan says they have been under contract since June 2014 on the five parcels of land and are expected to close by July of this year.

“A lot of the initial steps for the entitlement process have already been done so we’re hoping that part goes quickly and we can break ground sometime between October of this year and January 2016,” he says.

Recent Culinary Action in the Carrollton Corridor: Milkfish

Hollygrove Senior Center

Offices at Mid-City Market

3300 Hamilton St.

4141 Bienville St.

Under construction since April 22, 2014, with an expected opening this spring, the Hollygrove Senior Center’s return is something Guidry says she’s especially excited to see happen, calling it “one of my top priorities since I took office.”

Built in the 1920s by the first black physician in the area to house his clinic, the building later served as housing for civil rights leaders who came to New Orleans during segregation.

In 1980, it was converted to a senior center, and Guidry says it spent the next almost 30 years serving as an important community staple for generations of families. Since its destruction during Hurricane Katrina, the community has been aggressively lobbying to bring it back.

A $3 million multi-purpose center – financed with FEMA recovery dollars and city bond funds – the Hollygrove Senior Center will span 19,000 square feet across two stories that will include an exercise room, dining lounge and patio, computer and library spaces and a commercial grade kitchen. The center will also provide seniors with access to a doctor’s office and examination room, as well as social services.

.Just behind Mid-City Market sits a parcel of land just over two acres that includes a commercial building that served formerly as the home of Loubat Foodservice Equipment Company.

Construction is slated to begin this month, with the goal to open before the end of the year.

Stirling Properties says they plan to maintain the historical integrity of the 1954 building, while renovating the interior to include 9,720 square feet of office and 6,036 square feet of retail space as well as 140 additional parking spaces that will service both the offices and adjacent market. The Offices at Mid-City Market is currently leasing for both office and retail.

125 N. Carrollton Ave. Opened April 17, 2014; it’s the only restaurant in Louisiana specializing in Philippine cuisine.

Namese 4077 Tulane Ave. Vietnamese restaurant; opened Dec. 2013.

Boucherie 1506 S. Carrollton Ave. Boucherie’s move onto Carrollton was designed to provide extra seating and the ability to use the former space for Bourré (opening soon) at Boucherie (8115 Jeannette St.) to serve daiquiris, wings and small plates.

Carrollton Market 8132 Hampson St. Southern farm-to-table dining; opened March 18, 2015.

Brown Butter Southern Kitchen & Bar 231 N. Carrollton Ave. Opened Jan. 13, 2015; specializing in cuisine from “low country” to “Cajun country.” n

Can Tipitina’s Inspire the

Two guys with a dream say it will

by Mike Griffith

Photo by Jeffery Johnston

W When the Orpheum Theater was built in 1918, among the architectural features was a room-sized concrete tub below the stage. This tub was filled with dry ice during summer performances so that cool air could be drawn up through the seats to chill the audience efficiently without the noise of a mechanical contrivance bothering the audience. Standing on the balcony, developer and co-owner of the theatre, Roland Von Kurnatowski, explains that duplicating that effect was one of the major challenges that he and co-owner Dr. Eric George had to address when reimagining the space. The balcony is lit by a combination of beautifully restored ceiling fixtures and standard construction lamps strung through the corridors.

Von Kurnatowski points out an impressive new series of vents cut every couple of feet into the risers below shelves where the seats will be affixed. The replication of the early 20th century cooling innovation demanded a 21st century solution; in the new scheme cold air comes down through the walls into a large pocket and is gently pushed through the vents via the accumulated pressure. It is clear that the absolute preservation of the sanctity of performance is built into every aspect of the renovation scheme.

This is a perfect metaphor for the path that Von Kurnatowski has walked in his public role as the owner of Tipitina’s, founder of the Tipitina’s Foundation and now co-owner of the Orpheum. It is clear over the course of our afternoon walking through the rapidly reviving theatre that the balance between historical New Orleans and contemporary New Orleans is one that Von Kurnatowski has learned to weigh expertly. A New Orleanian by birth and a developer by trade, he stepped into a public role when he purchased a majority stake in Tipitina’s in 1996. This transition was rocky for the new partners. Browsing through The Times-Picayune archives from that period reveals the shape of the tension but not the cause.

Even the progression of article titles gives the reader a sense of what was happening. “Tip’s Taking Long Hard Look at Booking and Use of Space” in November ’96 is followed by “New Hand Running the Show at Tip’s” in January ’97 and “Stage Manager at Tipitina’s Leaves After 23 Years at Club” in March ’99. Why should a club garner such close scrutiny? Since its inception in ’77, Tipitina’s has transcended labels like “bar” or “club”. Tipitina’s is the figurative kitchen table where the family of New Orleans musicians gathers in the morning to have coffee and catch up. This is the space where fans become families of their own (one need look no further than the annual January gathering of the Fishheads around the Radiator’s reunion shows to see this principle in action). One of the ironies of true community spaces is that without a guiding hand they can often disappear, as Tipitina’s itself did for a year and a half in the mid-’80s. When Von Kurnatowski stepped into the scene in ’96, he recognized that danger and worked to strike a balance between tradition and development of the future. This balance came in the form of the Tipitina’s Foundation.

Over the course of our time at the Orpheum, Von Kurnatowski and I discussed moments of serendipity, “You heard somebody give you a piece of advice or a suggestion that just kinda came out of nowhere or one call leads to another and the next thing you know the picture is either clearer or the goal more attainable because of that twist.”

One afternoon Von Kurnatowski found himself mired in the traffic that has come to accompany the downtown road renewal program.

As his mind began to wander, he noticed that not only was the Orpheum for sale, but it was listed by his old friend Don Randon. Von Kurnatowski didn’t have a current number for Randon, but there it was on the sign, so he figured that he would make the best of his time

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in traffic and give him a ring. Randon was immediately able to convince him to take a tour of the space, which he and Dr. George put under contract a couple of days later. It so happened that the president of the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra’s board of trustees, Hugh W. Long, was planning to attend an event at the Von Kurnatowskis’ house a couple of days after the contract was executed, so Roland was able to deliver the news in person and invite the LPO back to their pre-Katrina home. “To be in the room with Hugh, I struggled with whether to say anything because it wasn’t a done deal, it was the beginning of a contract. There were a lot of hurdles to overcome before the contract would be realized. In a lot of ways it was premature to say anything, but it was Hugh and I couldn’t contain myself in a way. His reaction was extremely interested. The reality is we sat in a room at my house and talked for an hour and a half. The essence of the meeting was 10 or 15 minutes. We knew this could work. We wanted it. We felt that having the LPO come back to the Orpheum just made sense on every level.”

Von Kurnatowski shows me the old LPO bandshell frame and explains that before the storm the heavy frame was mounted on large counterweights that rolled around the stage into position. The disadvantage of this system was that the Orpheum has a relatively small Vaudeville style stage, which means that there is no backstage, and the only storage for large set pieces was in the wings – directly off stage. Von Kurnatowski and his team have devised a new scheme to restore the bandshell and fly the individual pieces above the stage as a means of freeing up space while maintaining the tradition of the bandshell itself. The Orpheum project seems to consist entirely of these moments of synergy; the serendipity of connections among individuals captured and executed through careful stewardship of relationships through planning and engineering.

“Von Kurnatowski asserted that he was not an expert on music. Yet, when he tells stories about his relationships with the musical royalty of New Orleans, clearly he’s an expert on musicians.”

Several times during our conversation (and many times in print since he purchased Tipitina’s) Von Kurnatowski asserted that he was not an expert on music. Yet, when he tells stories about his relationships with the musical royalty of New Orleans, clearly he’s an expert on musicians. While we stand in the open foyer of the theatre, he tells me two stories. The first is about the terracotta accents that had been chipped away in order to allow drywall to sit flush against the original walls. This is a story of restoration and the struggle to find the expertise necessary to restore the damaged art.

The second is about booking Fats Domino to play for the Millennium celebration, his exuberant manner and demonstrable awe in the face of both the history of the space and Fats’ legendary talent and character is evident. Whether he’s aware of it or not, Von Kurnatowski is one of the stewards of the legacy of these spaces and performers simply by virtue of his and by extension the Foundation’s friendship and support.

In what obliquely became a moment of serendipity for the city,

the Tipitina’s Foundation was established in 1997 and designated as a nonprofit in 2003 with the mission of preserving and expanding the musical heritage of not only New Orleans but Louisiana as a whole. The Foundation would find its true purpose in the aftermath of the storm. The first line of their mission statement post-storm read: “The mission of the Tipitina’s Foundation is to restore Louisiana’s irreplaceable music community and preserve the state’s unique musical cultures.” At this point the “restore” has been replaced with “support,” but the sentiment remains the same. In addition to their Youth Music Workshops and High School Internship Program, the flagship program of the Foundation, Instruments A Comin’, provides underfunded school bands with instruments and mentorship. In a city where many schools had lost everything, this program went from being vital to being indispensable. To date this program has distributed more than $3 million worth of instruments to over 95 Louisiana schools, which means that more than 3,500 students are playing instruments donated by the Foundation daily. It is indeed serendipitous that the kinship of the Tipitina’s family had been distilled into a beacon that could stand for musical renewal in the fragile post-storm city.

The first call that Von Kurnatowski made after touring the Orpheum was to his friend and now coowner of the theatre, Dr. Eric George. Among his many pursuits, George leads ERG Enterprises, an investment company with such diverse holdings as the Omega Hospital, The Windsor Court and now the Orpheum. George’s group was founded on the idea of delivering high-quality experiences in comfortable Roland Von Kurnatowski environments, which seems like a natural match for the restoration project. “We always try to create a memorable experience for our customers,” George says. “This is no different with the Orpheum Theater. However, with the Orpheum, we must be careful when forming the balance between historic and modern. Jack Sawyer of Eskew Dumez Ripple, our architect on the project, has been instrumental in maintaining this balance. However, regardless of that balance, the level of quality and service must always be high.” It is this combination of attention to historical detail with an eye towards the modern that will give the Orpheum a restored local life and new role within the regional culture. Both men see their role as a stewardship of something much larger. As George points out in response to my questions about community culture “The stories we have heard from friends of the Orpheum really make you understand the importance this venue had in the everyday lives of the citizens of our great city … Our goal is to have the Orpheum continue to serve the community in the same fashion it had been doing prior to our involvement. At the end of the day, the Orpheum is an iconic venue that will live on after we’re gone. So it’s very important that we do it justice by giving it the care and attention

that it deserves so that 100 years from now, it will continue to be a focal point of New Orleans’ life.” Both George and Von Kurnatowski see themselves as not simply restoring the Orpheum, but preparing the venue for a new and continued life as part of the culture of New Orleans. Von Kurnatowski laid out this particular vision for the space, “We’re adamant that it stand on its own two feet. This isn’t an ego play from our point of view, it’s great that it’s deemed important. It’s great that it’s deemed desirable to do all this, but we want it to work and we want it to work in today’s world and then let it find its place.”

The enthusiasm around this project is truly infectious. It only takes a few minutes in the space to grasp the potential that’s already emerging through the renovation. Von Kurnatowski refers to Emerson’s observation “Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.” He continues, “On a project like this there is great enthusiasm all around us. People want this. They understand it. They can see it. They can almost taste it and feel it being accomplished … What I’ve noticed is that it’s infectious. Solution and consensus, even compromise become just the order of the day and it’s really refreshing.”

In the partnership of these two men the Orpheum has found champions who are capable of rescuing an important part of not only New Orleans history but the heritage of performance, community and play across the United States.

The Orpheum Theater will reopen its doors in late summer or early fall with a (yet to be announced) starstudded event. It promises to be a grand affair showcasing the restoration of this historic and iconic structure.

The whole team looks forward Dr. Eric George to sharing the theater’s beauty and grandeur, as well as the new vision for the space, which will encompass high end entertainment, topnotch hospitality and service excellence.

As Von Kurnatowski said toward the end of our time together “You can look at [recordings of] performances in Europe and one of the things that struck me in doing that is you’ll see these performances in these unbelievable settings – they’re probably hundreds of years old – that have been brought up into today’s world. But they’ve preserved the essence of what they were – of what they were supposed to be – if you do it right, that’s the best it can be. Contemporary functionality is combined with the beauty, grace and elegance of what they did a long time ago creating this place. Can it get any better than that? I don’t think so.”

The 14th annual Instruments A Comin’ event will be held on Mon., April 27, at 6 p.m. This annual fundraising event features a Battle of the Bands, Silent Auction, VIP event with food from area chefs and benefit concert in Tipitina’s. Funds raised will support the Foundation’s Instruments A Comin’ Program.

Look for periodic updates on the progress at the Orpheum in future “In Tune” columns and keep an eye on the “In Tune” blog on MyNewOrleans.com for further details and event information. n myneworleans.com / APRIL 2015

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DINING LISTINGS

“At NOLA Smokehouse, owners Rob and Emily Bechtold jumped around for three years before some media attention helped land them a permanent spot on Jackson Avenue. ... It is the backyard barbecue aficionado’s dream writ large.”

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jeffery johnston PHOTOGRAPH

THE MENU / TABLE TALK

NOLA Smokehouse

Rise of a BBQ TowN Here We Come

BY JAY FORMAN

“N

o good barbecue” used to be an accusation levelled at New Orleans. These days it no longer rings true. In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, a plethora of new barbecue joints have arisen in smoky splendor across the Crescent City like pigs in the mist. Hogs for the Cause, the homegrown fundraiser for pediatric brain cancer that just a few years ago was held informally at the Fly, has raced to the top of the Spring Festival Calendar faster than a greased cochon, serving as a lightning rod for all things low and slow. These days, where there is smoke there is love.

New Orleans barbecue is more a melting pot than a bastion of any particular regional style. This works to its advantage, with pit masters less constrained by convention and more willing to experiment with sauces, sandwiches and sides. Both restaurants mentioned below started as pop-ups.

Smoke ’Em Then Eat ’Em NOLA Smokehouse 739 Jackson Ave. 418-2591 NolaSmokehouse.com Lunch Wednesdays-Saturdays

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McClure’s Barbecue 4800 Magazine St. 301-2367 McCluresBarbecue.com Lunch and dinner daily, brunch Sundays

At NOLA Smokehouse, owners Rob and Emily Bechtold jumped around for three years before some media attention helped land them a permanent spot on Jackson Avenue.

Bechtold’s career in kitchens started when he was just 15 and took him as far as an executive sous position at K-Paul’s. It was there that his fellow chefs encouraged him to do his own thing before he got stuck in a career position that would make it harder for him to follow his heart.

“I asked my wife if she was willing to roll the dice with me,” Bechtold says. “She said yes, and NOLA Smokehouse was born.”

It is the backyard barbecue aficionado’s dream writ large. All his cooking is done on a pair of $400 offset smokers he bought at Academy Sports, the cost of which wouldn’t even cover freight charges on a typical piece of commercial restaurant hotline gear.

“I just work those things to death,” he says. “They are starting to shed some parts now that we’ve been open for a year. Hope and love and a lot of barbecue smoke hold it all together.”

Bechtold starts with a bed of hardwood charcoal that he later hits with hickory and cherry. All his meats get the same dry rub, a blend that includes salt, pepper, cane sugar, garlic and onion powder – nothing fancy.

“I don’t get crazy with Five Spice,” he says. “This rub gives it everything I need – a nice bark and it lets the meat shine through.”

Bechtold uses racks of full spare ribs, meaty slabs he cooks essentially untrimmed. He aims for competitionstyle ribs where you can see bite marks. If you like ribs with some tooth, jeffery johnston PHOTOGRAPH

Kamp-side BBQ Hillbilly Bar-B-Q in Harahan is well worth the drive. Owner Larry Wyatt hails from Paducah, Kentucky, and brings big, bold flavor to his ’cue using only hickory sourced from his home state. Try the German potato salad, the vinegar base of which pairs especially well with barbecue. If you go, keep in mind that he has moved to a new location at 2317 Hickory Ave., next to The Kamp.

these are right up your alley.

His brisket is terrific, with a thick bark and a tenderness that yields to the touch of a plastic fork. Choose fatty and enjoy the band on the backside of the bark to flavor the meat.

Brisket is by far his biggest seller, but he also runs specials like Chappapeela pork belly – cured, smoked, braised and glazed in-house. Specialty sandwiches on Leidenheimer’s bread rotate through, as well as excellent sides such as Sweet Corn Spoonbread and a Savory Bread Pudding made from burnt ends, pulled pork and smoked sausage.

Hours are limited, open Wednesdays through Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., or until they sell out. They have a BYOB policy and also provide catering. Bechtold also holds his by-reservationonly Smokehouse Supper Club on the first Friday of each month, offering a more diverse menu with dishes like smoked shrimp bisque and prime rib.

Further Uptown, McClure’s Barbecue has expanded its menu while staying true to its smoky promise. When it

began as a pop-up it operated out of Dante’s Kitchen, where Neil McClure worked as GM before demand outgrew supply and he staked out his brick and mortar claim on Magazine Street.

McClure cooks with a big custom trailer rig and an offset firebox just across the street. “I’m what they call a ‘stick burner’ – I burn whole logs of firewood, almost exclusively pecan,” he says. His style is an amalgam, drawing most heavily from Texas. He doesn’t sauce any of his meat, giving that decision to his customers who choose from an array of six sauces representing the most of the main types of regional barbecue. A Kansas City-style is heavy on molasses and tomato, whereas a vinegar style is representative of North Carolina. McClure’s personal contribution is his New Orleans Sauce, drawing on Vietnamese flavors from the East. If you order his chicken, be sure to reach for the White Sauce, a nod to Alabama’s ‘Big Bob’ Gibson made with mayo, vinegar and horseradish and black pepper.

His gets some added kick from Louisiana peppers.

More recently, McClure has expanded his menu to include burgers made from Two-Run Farms ground beef as well as a line of specialty sandwiches.

The first was a cheesesteak, born from personal obsession. Soon after came a Cuban, made with his pulled pork and house-made pickles.

His Sunday Brunch service features dishes such as Pulled Pork Eggs Benedict and Ribs and Grits.

Sides are also especially good, with a barbecue jambalaya that makes use of all the tasty bits and pieces and molasses-stewed collard greens. Going into April, keep an eye open for a second location to open soon. n

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THE MENU / RESTAURANT INSIDER

Small Plates; Big Dreams Balise, Shaya and Bourré

BY ROBERT PEYTON

Balise

Shaya

Bourré at Boucherie

Justin Devillier and his wife/partner Mia, most well known for La Petite Grocery, have opened a second restaurant, Balise, at 640 Carondelet St. in the CBD. The menu at Balise is divided into garde manger (salads and appetizers), entremets (French for “between courses,” which here translates to “small plates”), entrées and lagniappe (sides). It isn’t a large menu, and the majority of the offerings are small, which makes it easy to enjoy a meal of multiple courses without feeling like a glutton.

When I spoke to chef Devillier, he told me that Paul DiMaria, Trip Hartsell and Mark Falgoust are the sous chefs who “run the show” at Balise. DiMaria does double duty as pastry chef.

Highlights from the garde manger portion of the menu include fried chicken wings with Brussels sprouts, fish sauce, chiles and peanuts; venison tartare with dill mayonnaise and toasted rye breadcrumbs; and raw Wahoo with fermented chiles and olive oil with a salad of chilled haricots verts with shaved, pickled fennel, buttermilk dressing and bottarga.

As of this writing I’ve been to Balise three times and haven’t yet made it to the entrées side of the equation, but hope to soon.

There is, of course, a craft cocktail menu.

Jesse Carr is the bar manager, and I can recommend the Methuen Treaty and the Risico.

Balise is open Mondays through Fridays, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m., and 5 to 11 p.m. on Saturdays. You can reach the restaurant by calling 459-4449.

In February Alon Shaya opened Shaya at 4213 Magazine St., in the space that was most recently Dominique’s on Magazine.

Shaya is a native of Israel, and here he’s preparing a modern take on the cuisine of his homeland. Here, a familiar dish, hummus, has a section to itself on the menu, with variations including a fairly standard take (olive oil and Aleppo pepper) to fried cauliflower with curry and another garnished with a soft-cooked egg, pickles and a fiery Moroccan red chile paste.

Like his other two restaurants, Shaya has a wood-fired oven, but here it turns out loaf after loaf of flatbread that’s essentially pita bread, but with a more substantive crumb and a beautiful char.

I like other touches as well; perfect, nutty falafel are served over a raw cabbage salad flavored with fresh mint and orange blossom water; and sausage-shaped lamb kebabs are accompanied by dollops of roasted tomato and red pepper, hummus and pine nuts.

He gave a lot of credit to Shannon White, the director of operations, as well as Sean Courtney; Peggy Keplinger designed the beverage program. The menu is his, ultimately, but in the period before they opened, he had a lot of input from his entire team, particularly sous chefs Zach Engel and Liz Mervosh, and chef de cuisine Mike Wilson.

Shaya is open Sundays through Thursdays from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., and until 11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. Call 891 4213 to make a reservation.

Chef Nathanial Zimet and partner James Denio opened Boucherie in 2009 as a logical extension of their Big Purple food truck, Que Crawl. The restaurant in the Creole cottage on Jeanette Street has been wildly successful, and recently when they had an opportunity to lease a larger space, they took it.

Boucherie has moved, though not far. The new address at 1506 S. Carrollton Ave. is literally around the corner. The former location is now Bourré at Boucherie, a casual spot offering craft daiquiris, chicken wings and small plates.

When I sat down with Denio recently, he told me that the menu is still being finalized, but he anticipated five different wing preparations, including smoked jerk, spicy buffalo and a version with kimchee. The wings are tender and unctuous with serious attention paid to the sauce and garnishes. They also plan to serve five or so daiquiris, though here again things aren’t settled. They have solid recipes for daiquiri flavors like baked banana, gin and tonic and a take on the hurricane cocktail, but they’re still deciding how best to make the cocktails in batches.

In addition to wings, expect small plates such as Japanese grilled yakitori, and mussels with coconut and kaffir lime. The physical space won’t change much, but the seating will likely be at raised bar-height tables, and Denio said he anticipated a lot of their business would be takeout.

The hours for Bourré at Boucherie aren’t yet set, but you can call 862-5514 for details.

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SARA ESSEX BRADLEY PHOTOGRAPHs

THE MENU / FOOD

Easter Renewal A menu to welcome spring

by Dale Curry

EUGENIA UHL PHOTOGRAPH

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I Strawberry Trifle 8 cups strawberries 1/2 cup plus 4 Tablespoons sugar 2 Tablespoons lemon juice 1 pint whipping cream 1 pound whipped cream cheese, at room temperature 1 32-ounce pound cake, homemade or storebought, plain or lemonflavored Rinse and dry strawberries. Remove stems, reserving several large berries with stems for garnish. Mash stemmed strawberries with a fork one time each, creating juice. In a bowl, mix strawberries, 1/2 cup sugar and lemon juice and marinate for 30 minutes.

Whip cream in electric mixer. When almost whipped, gradually add 4 Tablespoons sugar. Whip until stiff peaks form.

Remove bowl from mixer and fold in whipped cream cheese by hand until mixed.

Cut cake into 1-inch squares.

In a trifle bowl or clear crystal bowl, layer half the cake, half the strawberries and half the whipped cream. Repeat and top with garnish berries.

Make this trifle a few hours ahead and keep refrigerated.

Serves a crowd

have always loved Easter Sunday since the days my family would set out at dawn to sunrise services in Memphis, where we’d watch the sun come up and begin the day with singing, renewal and sometimes chilling temperatures. We always wore our “Easter coats” in which we launched a day of family, food and egg hunts. Those were simpler days, it seems to me now.

Because of our early start, my mother had plenty of time to prepare the mid-day dinner of ham or stuffed chickens, sometimes attended by several relatives, whose children along with others from the neighborhood kept me busy all day. Children with no siblings love a crowd, and that crowd was me.

As time went on and I moved to New Orleans, Easter Sundays changed to crawfish boils, hotel buffets and other events. Being a Protestant with no available Saturday services, cooking the mid-day meal became a challenge of timing. Do you put the roast in before or after church? Who plans the children’s activities since they certainly can’t run loose on crime-ridden streets?

Grilled Lamb Chops Lamb loin chops, 2 to 3 per person Extra-virgin olive oil Sea salt Freshly ground black pepper Sweet paprika Garlic powder Fresh rosemary, about 1 teaspoon per lamb chop Two hours before cooking, rub lamb chops with olive oil and sprinkle liberally with all remaining ingredients except rosemary. Prepare a charcoal fire 30 minutes before cooking or heat a gas grill 5 minutes before cooking.

Meanwhile, chop rosemary leaves until almost minced. Set aside.

A half-hour before serving, place lamb chops on grill about 5 inches above hot coals or flames. Grill for 3 to 5 minutes, depending on heat, and turn. Sprinkle cooked side with a thin layer of rosemary, pressing it into the chop. Grill for 5 minutes and turn.

Cook for 1 minute. Sprinkle second side with rosemary. Turn and grill 1 minute. Lamb chops are best when pink in the center.

Serve 2 to 3 chops per person or as many as suits your crowd; you might use extra rosemary sprigs to decorate a platter holding the chops.

I think New Orleans’ casualness and abundance of crawfish are a perfect solution, but I also love a menu that’s simple, embodying the essence of renewal – spring lamb, new potatoes, fresh asparagus and local strawberries. To me, this menu marks the end of winter, the arrival of spring with new growth and new energy. The best part is that it can be prepared in little time, no matter how long you spend at church on Sunday morning.

Spring lamb is a dated term referring to the slaughtering schedule of years past. Fortunately, good lamb is available year-round, but tradition still keeps the springtime in mind when it comes to putting it on the menu. Similarly, Cajuns slaughtered pigs in the fall before refrigeration at day long festivities known as boucheries. All of the pig was used, some made into sausages and ham that was smoked and preserved for winter.

Lamb has Biblical ties to Easter and Passover. Ham also became an Easter favorite, probably because of the early ability to preserve it through the winter. And we don’t like to let go of history, especially in New Orleans.

Roasted Asparagus

New Potatoes in Dill Cream Sauce

2 pounds asparagus Extra-virgin olive oil Sea salt Freshly ground black pepper 2 Tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice Good-quality Parmesan cheese, grated, about 1/2 cup Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Snap off tough ends of asparagus.

Rinse and dry. Grease a baking sheet with olive oil and roll asparagus in the oil. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and lemon juice. A half-hour before serving, place in oven and roast for 25 minutes, turning once or twice.

When crisptender, remove from oven, sprinkle with Parmesan, rolling asparagus in cheese, and serve.

Serves 6

3 pounds small red potatoes 6 Tablespoons butter 5 Tablespoons flour 4 cups whole milk Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste 2 Tablespoons chopped fresh dill Peel and boil whole potatoes covered in water until done, about 20 minutes. Drain and place in serving bowl.

In a medium saucepan melt butter. Remove from heat and stir in flour until smooth.

Gradually add milk, stirring, until all is added and mixture is smooth. Set over medium heat and cook, stirring constantly, until sides begin to bubble. Remove from heat and add seasonings.

Pour over potatoes, mix and serve. Or, add potatoes to pot to keep warm until serving. If reheating, don’t bring to a boil.

Serves 6 to 8 n

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THE MENU / LAST CALL

Loup Garou – The Drink Wolfing it Down BY tim mcnally

H

aving completed the marathon that is Carnival then slipping into the Feast Days of Sts. Patrick and Joseph, this month we begin anew with a season of festivals celebrating heritage, music, culture, geography and shared history. Catch your breath and then hang on for dear life.

The many festivals of April are local, merriment shared with family, friends and visitors alike, and the key here is that they are ours. No need to remind you that nowhere else in the world is a Tennessee Williams Festival.

Accompanying every festival is an incredible bounty of riches from the land and the sea. When it comes to using our products with ingenuity and putting them all together, it’s obvious that our talent is we can – and we do.

Max Messier, a recent transplant, originally from both coasts – and a mixologist extraordinaire – is thrilled to find such an array and variety of fresh local products. He even has been inspired in his new hometown to create his own original line of syrups which support our line-up of ingredients, all used to excellent effect when added to cocktails and cooking.

This cocktail, named for the native mythical wolf-like boogeyman, uses primarily local ingredients. Messier’s syrup, fresh produce and even the bitters are from our neighborhoods. On display here isn’t just our ability to create fine cocktails and drinks, but also see the combining of time, ingredients and place to yield a most interesting result.

Excess? Nope, just the way we do things. n

The Loup Garou 2 ounces Rougaroux Sugarshine Rum (made from Louisiana Sugar Cane

by Downer-Peltier Distillery in Thibodaux) 1 ounce Cocktail & Sons Mint and Lemon Verbena (created and made by Max Messier) 1/2 ounce fresh pressed lime juice 2 medium sized Louisiana strawberries, sliced into quarters (Ponchatoula) 4 dashes El Guapo Bitters Polynesian Kiss (New Orleans) 3/4 ounce Prosecco Brut Sparkling Wine Muddle strawberries, mint, lemon verbena and lime juice together in a cocktail shaker. Add rum and bitters to shaker and fill shaker with ice.

Shake briskly for 10 seconds. Double strain into a chilled cocktail coupe glass.

Top with prosecco and garnish with a floating strawberry slice.

Created by Max Messier of Cocktail & Sons, (985) 503-7636 80

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sara essex bradley PHOTOGRAPH

THE MENU / DINING GUIDE H= New Orleans Magazine award winner / $ = Average entrée price. $ = $5-10 / $$ = $11-15 / $$$ = $16-20 / $$$$ = $21-25 / $$$$$ = $25 and up.

American

Zea’s Rotisserie and Grill Multiple Locations, ZeaRestaurants.com. L, D daily. Drawing from a wide range of worldly influences, this popular restaurant serves a variety of grilled items as well as appetizers, salads, side dishes, seafood, pasta and other entrées. Also offers catering services. $$$

Bywater–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Elizabeth’s 601 Gallier St., 944-9272, ElizabethsRestaurantNola.com. B, L MonFri, D Mon-Sat, Br Sat-Sun. This eclectic local restaurant draws rave reviews for its praline bacon and distinctive Southern-inspired brunch specials. $$$

H Maurepas 3200 Burgundy St., 2670072, MaurepasFoods.com. D Thu-Tue, Br Sat-Sun. Pioneering farm-to-table restaurant with an ingredient-driven menu that changes daily. Clever cocktails a plus as well. $$ Satsuma Café 3218 Dauphine St., 3045962, SatsumaCafe.com. B, L daily (until 5 p.m.). Offers healthy, inspired breakfast and lunch fare, along with freshly squeezed juices. $

CITY PARK––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Café NOMA, 1 Collins Diboll Circle, NO Museum of Art, City Park, 482-1264, CafeNoma.com. L, (snacks) Tue-Sun. Sleek bar and café in the ground floor of museum offers a thoughtful array of snacks, sandwiches and small plates that are sure to enchant, with a kids’ menu to boot. $$

CBD/Warehouse District––––––––––– The Grill Room Windsor Court Hotel, 300 Gravier St., 522-1992, GrillRoomNewOrleans.com. B, L, D daily, Br Sun. Featuring modern American cuisine with a distinctive New Orleans flair, the adjacent Polo Club Lounge offers live music nightly. Jazz Brunch on Sunday. $$$$$ Manning’s 519 Fulton St., 593-8118. L, D daily, Br Sat-Sun. Born of a partnership between New Orleans’ First Family of Football and Harrah’s Casino, Manning’s offers sports bar fans a step up in terms of comfort and quality. With a menu that

draws on both New Orleans and the Deep South, traditional dishes get punched up with inspired but accessible twists in surroundings accented by both memorabilia and local art. $$$ Pete’s Pub Intercontinental Hotel, 444 St. Charles Ave., 585-5401, IcNewOrleans.com/dining/petes_pub. D Mon-Fri. Casual fare and adult beverages are served in this pub on the ground floor. $$ Q&C Hotel/Bar 344 Camp St., (866) 247-7936, QandC.com. B, D daily. Newly renovated boutique hotel offering a small plates menu with tempting choices such as a Short Rib Poor Boy and Lobster Mac and Cheese to complement their sophisticated craft cocktails. $$

H Root 200 Julia St., 252-9480, RootNola. com. L Mon-Fri, D daily. Chef Philip Lopez opened Root in November 2011 and has garnered a loyal following for his modernist, eclectic cuisine. Try the country fried chicken wings and the Cohiba-smoked scallops crusted with chorizo. $$$$

H Restaurant August 301 Tchoupitoulas St., 299-9777, RestaurantAugust.com. L Fri, D daily. James Beard Award-winning chef John Besh’s menu is based on classical techniques of Louisiana cuisine and produce with a splash of European flavor set in an historic carriage warehouse. $$$$$ Tivoli & Lee 2 Lee Circle, 962-0909, TivoliAndLee.com. B, L, D daily, Br SatSun. Progressive Southern cuisine is the focus. Rabbit sliders, poke salad and pickled shrimp redefine locally sourced ingredients, and craft cocktail and bourbon menus round out the appeal. Craft cocktail bar Bellocq serves specialty and locally influenced libations. $$$ Walk-On’s Bistreaux & Bar 1009 Poydras St., 309-6530, Walk-Ons.com. L, D, daily. Burger, sandwiches, wraps and more made distinctive with a Louisiana twist are served at this sports bar near the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. $$ Warehouse Grille, 869 Magazine St., 322-2188, WarehouseGrille.com. L, D daily, Br Fri-Sun. Creative fare served in

an art-filled environment. Try the duck crêpes or the lamb spring rolls. $$ Wolfe’s in the Warehouse 859 Convention Center Blvd., 613-2882. B, L, D daily.

Chef Tom Wolfe brings his refined cuisine to the booming Fulton Street corridor.

His Smoked Kobe Short Ribs are a good choice. $$$

Downtown–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Camellia Grill 540 Chartres St., 5221800. B, L, D daily. A venerable diner whose essential character has remained intact and many of the original waiters have returned. This location has a liquor license and credit cards are now accepted. $

Faubourg Marigny–––––––––––––––––– The Marigny Brasserie 640 Frenchmen St., 945-4472, MarignyBrasserie.com. L, D daily. Chic neighborhood bistro with traditional dishes like the Wedge of Lettuce salad and innovative cocktails such as the cucumber Cosmo. $$$ Snug Harbor 626 Frenchman St., 949-0696, SnugJazz.com. D daily. This jazz club serves cocktails and a dining menu loaded with steaks, seafood and meaty burgers served with loaded baked potatoes. $$$$

French Quarter–––––––––––––––––––––– Hard Rock Café 125 Bourbon St., 5295617, HardRock.com. L, D daily. Local outpost of this global brand serves burgers, café fare and drinks in their rock memorabilia-themed environs. $$ The Pelican Club 312 Exchange Place, 523-1504, PelicanClub.com. D daily.

Serves an eclectic mix of hip food, from the seafood “martini” to clay-pot barbecued shrimp and a trio of duck. Three dining rooms available. $$$$$ Rib Room Omni Royal Orleans Hotel, 621 St. Louis St., 529-7046, RibRoomNewOrleans.com. L, D daily, Br Sat-Sun. Old World elegance and high ceilings, house classic cocktails and Anthony Spizale’s broad menu of prime rib, stunning seafood and on weekends a champagne brunch. $$$

GARDEN DISTRICT–––––––––––––––––––––––– Cheesecake Bistro by Copeland’s, 2001 St. Charles Ave., 593-9955, CopelandsCheesecakeBistro.com. L, D daily. Shiny, contemporary bistro serves Cajun-fusion fare along with its signature decadent desserts. Good lunch value to boot. $$

Metairie–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– café B 2700 Metairie Road, 934-4700, cafeB.com. D daily, L Mon-Sat. Br Sun. Ralph Brennan offers New American bistro fare with a Louisiana twist at this family-friendly neighborhood spot. $$$ Caffe! Caffe! 3547 N. Hullen St., 2679190. B, L Mon-Sat. & 4301 Clearview Parkway, 885-4845. B, L daily; D MonSat. CaffeCaffe.com Healthy, refreshing meal options combine with gourmet coffee and espresso drinks to create a tasteful retreat for Metairie diners at a reasonable price. Try the egg white spinach wrap. $ Heritage Grill 111 Veterans Memorial Blvd., 934-4900, HeritageGrillMetairie. com. L Mon-Fri. This lunch-only destination caters to the office crowd and offers a freshly squeezed juice menu to go along with its regular menu and express two-course lunch. $$ Martin Wine Cellar 714 Elmer Ave., 8967300, MartinWine.com. Wine by the glass or bottle to go with daily lunch specials, towering burgers, hearty soups and salads and giant, deli-style sandwiches. $ Vega Tapas Café 2051 Metairie Road, 836-2007, VegaTapasCafe.com. D Mon-Sat. Innovative establishment offers fresh seafood, grilled meats and vegetarian dishes in a chic environment. Daily chef specials showcase unique ingredients and make this place a popular destination for dates as well as groups of friends. $$

Mid-City–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Parkway Bakery and Tavern 538 Hagan Ave., 482-3047, ParkwayPoorBoys.com. L, D Wed-Mon. Featured on national TV and having served poor boys to presidents, it stakes a claim to some of the best sandwiches in town. Their french fry version with gravy and cheese is a classic at

Dip into ‘Goat Cheese Season’ at St. James St. James Cheese Company, 5004 Prytania St., 899-4737; 637 Tchoupitoulas St.; StJamesCheese.com Working at 200 year-old cheese shop, Paxton & Whitfield, in the St. James area of London, gave Danielle and Richard Sutton the experience of preparing cheese for The Royal Household. It also set them up to become the premier cheese mongers in New Orleans. This summer the Suttons will open their second location in the Warehouse District. Uptown at their Prytania Street location, customers are invited to come in during “Goat Cheese” season to try offerings from Alabama, Georgia, North Carolina and Tennessee. Many of these chevres will also be featured in the new spring luncheon menu. – Mirella Cameran

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cheryl gerber photograph

a great price. $

NORTHSHORE–––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Dakota 629 N. Highway 190, (985) 892-3712, TheDakotaRestaurant.com. L Tue-Fri, D Mon-Sat. A sophisticated dining experience with generous portions. $$$$$

Riverbend–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Carrollton Market 8132 Hampson St., 252-9928, CarrolltonMarket.com. D TueSat. Modern Southern cuisine manages to be both fun and refined at this tasteful boîte. $$$

Uptown–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Audubon Clubhouse 6500 Magazine St., 212-5282, AudubonInstitute.org. B, L Tue-Sat, Br Sun. A kid-friendly menu with local tweaks and a casually upscale sandwich and salad menu. $$ Camellia Grill 626 S. Carrollton Ave., 3092679. B, L, D daily. A venerable diner whose essential character has remained intact and many of the original waiters have returned. Credit cards are now accepted. $ GG’s Dine-O-Rama 3100 Magazine St., 373-6579, GGsNewOrleans.com. B Sat, L, Tue-Sun, D Tue-Fri, Br Sun. Upscalecasual restaurant serves a variety of specialty sandwiches, salads and wraps, like the Chicago-style hot dog and the St. Paddy’s Day Massacre, chef Gotter’s take on the Rueben. $$ Martin Wine Cellar 3827 Baronne St., 8997411, MartinWine.com. Wine by the glass or bottle with cheeses and snacks to-go. $ Slim Goodies 3322 Magazine St., 891

EGGS (3447), SlimGoodiesDiner.com. B, L daily. This diner offers an exhaustive menu heavily influenced by local cuisine.

Try the Creole Slammer, a breakfast platter rounded out by crawfish étouffée.

The laid-back vibe is best enjoyed on the patio out back. $ Stein’s Market and Deli 2207 Magazine St., 527-0771, SteinsDeli.net. B, L, D TueSun. New York City meets New Orleans.

The Reuben and Rachel sandwiches are the real deal and the half-sours and pickled tomatoes complete the deli experience. $ Surrey’s Café and Juice Bar 1418 Magazine St., 524-3828; 4807 Magazine St., 895-5757, SurreysCafeAndJuiceBar. com. B, L daily. Laid-back café focuses on breakfast and brunch dishes to accompany freshly squeezed juice offerings.

Health-food lovers will like it here, along with fans of favorites such as peanut butter and banana pancakes. Cash only. $$ Tracey’s Irish Restaurant & Bar 2604 Magazine St., 897-5413, TraceysNola.com.

L, D daily. A neighborhood bar with one of the best messy roast beef poor boys in town. The gumbo, cheeseburger poor boy and other sandwiches are also winners.

Grab a local Abita beer to wash it all down.

Also a great location to watch the game. $

H Upperline 1413 Upperline St., 891-9822, Upperline.com. D Wed-Sun. Consummate hostess JoAnn Clevenger and talented chef Dave Bridges make for a winning combination at this nationally heralded favorite. The oft-copied fried

green tomatoes with shrimp remoulade originated here. $$$$

H Wayfare 4510 Freret St., 309-0069, WayfareNola.com. L, D daily. Creative sandwiches and southern-inspired small plates. $$ Ye Olde College Inn 3000 S. Carrollton Ave., 866-3683, CollegeInn1933.com. D Tue-Sat. Serves up classic fare, albeit with a few upscale dishes peppering the menu. $$$

Asian Fusion/ Pan Asian Little Tokyo Multiple locations, LittleTokyoNola.com. L, D daily. Multiple locations of this popular Japanese sushi and hibachi chain make sure that there’s always a specialty roll within easy reach. $$

CBD/Warehouse District––––––––––– Horinoya 920 Poydras St., 561-8914. L, D daily. Excellent Japanese dining. The chutoro is delicious and the selection of authentic Japanese appetizers is the best. $$$ Rock-N-Sake 823 Fulton St., 581-7253, RockNSake.com. L Fri, D Tue-Sun, late night. Fresh sushi and contemporary takes on Japanese favorites in an upbeat, casual setting. $$$

French Quarter––––––––––––––––––––––– V Sushi 821 Iberville St., 609-2291, VSushiMartini.com. D daily, late-night.

Creative rolls and a huge list of fusion dishes keep party-lovers going late into the night at this combination sushi and martini bar. $$$

Garden District––––––––––––––––––––––– Hoshun Restaurant 1601 St. Charles Ave., 302-9716, HoshunRestaurant.com.

L, D daily. Offers a wide variety of Asian cuisines, primarily dishes culled from China, Japan, Thailand and Malaysia.

Five-pepper calamari is a tasty way to begin the meal, and their creative sushi rolls are good. Private dining rooms available. $$

H Tan Dinh 1705 Lafayette St., 3618008. B, L, D daily. Roasted quail and the beef pho rule at this Vietnamese outpost. $$

Lakeview––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Lakeview Pearl 6300 Canal St., 3095711, LakeviewPearl.com. L, D Mon-Sat. A long list of specialty rolls rounds out the offerings of this Asian-Fusion restaurant. $$

Metairie–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Aloha Sushi 619 Pink St., 837-0055, SunRayGrill.com. L Tue-Fri, D, Tue-Sun. Fresh fish and creative rolls, along with gluten-free options such as rolls in bowls, sushi burritos and other lunch friendly Japanese fare featured. $$

H Royal China 600 Veterans Blvd., 831-9633. L daily, D Tue-Sun. Popular and family-friendly Chinese restaurant is one of the few places around that serves dim sum. $$

MARRERO–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Daiwa, 5033 Lapalco Blvd., 875-4203, DaiwaSushi.com. L, D daily. Japanese destination on the Westbank serves an

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DINING GUIDE impressive and far-ranging array of creative fusion fare. $$$

Mid-City––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– H Café Minh 4139 Canal St., 482-6266, CafeMinh.com. L Mon-Fri, D Mon-Sat. Chef Minh Bui and Cynthia Vutran bring a fusion touch to Vietnamese cuisine with French accents and a contemporary flair. $$ Five Happiness 3605 S. Carrollton Ave., 482-3935, FiveHappiness.com. L, D daily.

This longtime Chinese favorite offers up an extensive menu including its beloved mu shu pork and house-baked duck. $$

H MoPho 514 City Park Ave., 482-6845, MoPhoMidCity.com. L, D Wed-Mon. Vietnamese cuisine meets southern Louisiana in this upscale casual hybrid by chef Michael Gulotta. Mix-and-match pho and an interesting poor boy menu rounds out the appeal. $$$

Riverbend–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– H Ba Chi Canteen 7900 Maple St., 3735628. L, D Mon-Sat. The kitchen plays fast and loose with Vietnamese fare at this eclectic outpost on Maple Street. Try the caramelized pork “Baco”. $

H Chill Out Café 729 Burdette St., 8729628. B, L daily, D Mon-Sat. Thai food and breakfast favorites like waffles and pancakes can both be had at this affordable college-friendly hangout. $

Uptown–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Chiba 8312 Oak St., 826-9119,

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Chiba-Nola.com. L Wed-Sat, D Mon-Sat. Contemporary restaurant features fresh, exotic fish from all over the world and fusion fare to go along with typical Japanese options. Extensive sake list and late night happy hours are a plus. $$$

H Jung’s Golden Dragon 3009 Magazine St., 891-8280, JungsChinese.com. L, D daily. This Chinese destination is a real find. Along with the usual you’ll find spicy cold noodle dishes and dumplings.

One of the few local Chinese places that breaks the Americanized mold. $

H Magasin 4201 Magazine St., 8967611, MagasinCafe.com. L, D Mon-Sat. Pho, banh mi and vegetarian options are offered at this attractive and budgetfriendly Vietnamese restaurant. Café sua da is available as well. $ Kyoto 4920 Prytania St., 891-3644, KyotoNola.com. L, D Mon-Sat. A neighborhood sushi restaurant where the regulars order off-the-menu rolls. $$

WEST BANK–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

institution has been serving fresh café au lait, rich hot chocolate and positively addictive beignets since 1862 in the French Market 24/7. $ CC’s Community Coffee House Multiple locations in New Orleans, Metairie and Northshore, CCsCoffee.com. Coffeehouse specializing in coffee, espresso drinks and pastries. $

CBD/Warehouse District––––––––––– H Merchant 800 Common St., 571-9580, MerchantNewOrleans.com. B, L daily. Illy coffee and creative crêpes, sandwiches and more are served at this sleek and contemporary café on the ground floor of the Merchant Building. $

H Ruby Slipper Café 200 Magazine St., 525-9355; 1005 Canal St., 525-9355, TheRubySlipperCafe.net. B, L daily, Br Sun. Homegrown chain specializes in breakfast, lunch and brunch dishes with unique local twists such as bananas Foster French toast and barbecue shrimp and grits. $$

Nine Roses 1100 Stephen St., 366-7665, NineRosesResturant.com. L, D Sun-Tue, Thu-Sat. The extensive Vietnamese menu specializes in hot pots, noodles and dishes big enough for everyone to share. $$

CARROLLTON–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Bakery/Breakfast

City Park–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Café du Monde Multiple Locations, CafeDuMonde.com. This New Orleans

Breads on Oak, 8640 Oak St., 324-8271, BreadsOnOak.com. B, L Wed-Sun. Artisan bakeshop tucked away near the levee on Oak Street serves breads, sandwiches, gluten-free and vegan-friendly options. $ Morning Call 56 Dreyfous Drive, City Park, 885-4068, NewOrleansCityPark.

com/in-the-park/morning-call. 24 hours a day; cash-only. Chicory coffee and beignets coated with powdered sugar make this the quintessential New Orleans coffee shop. $

Faubourg Marigny––––––––––––––––––– H Ruby Slipper Café 2001 Burgundy St., 525-9355, TheRubySlipperCafe.net.

B, L daily, Br Sun. Homegrown chain specializes in breakfast, lunch and brunch dishes with unique local twists such as bananas Foster French toast and barbecue shrimp and grits. $$

Mid-City––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Gracious Bakery + Café 1000 S. Jeff Davis Parkway, Suite 100, 301-3709, GraciousBakery.com. B, L daily. Boutique bakery on the ground floor of the Woodward Building offers small-batch coffee, baked goods, individual desserts and sandwiches on breads made in-house.

Catering options available. $

H Ruby Slipper Café 139 S. Cortez St., 525-9355, TheRubySlipperCafe.net.

B, L daily, Br Sun. Homegrown chain specializes in breakfast, lunch and brunch dishes with unique local twists such as bananas Foster French toast and barbecue shrimp and grits. $$

Barbecue

Bywater–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– The Joint 701 Mazant St., 949-3232, Al-

waysSmokin.com. L, D Mon-Sat. Some of the city’s best barbecue can be had at this locally owned and operated favorite. $

L, D daily. Burgers are the name of the game at this restaurant. Daily specials, pizza and steaks are offered as well. $

Lower Garden District–––––––––––––

METAIRIE––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Voodoo BBQ 1501 St. Charles Ave., 5224647, VoodooBBQAndGrill.com. L, D daily.

Diners are never too far from this homegrown barbecue chain that features an array of specialty sauces to accompany its smoked meats and seafood. $$

Cheeseburger Eddie’s, 4517 W Esplanade Ave., 455-5511, AustinsNo.com/ Cheeseburger-Eddie-s.html. L, D Mon-Sat. Hickory-grilled burgers are the main draw at this casual spot but tacos, tamales, poor boys and more are also served. $

Metairie–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Riverbend–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– H Cowbell 8801 Oak St., 298-8689,

Voodoo BBQ 2740 Severn Ave., 353-4227, VoodooBBQAndGrill.com. L, D daily.

Diners are never too far from this homegrown barbecue chain that features an array of specialty sauces to accompany its smoked meats and seafood. $$

Burgers

French Quarter––––––––––––––––––––––– Bayou Burger, 503 Bourbon St., 5294256, SportsBarNewOrleans.com. L, D daily. Sports bar in the thick of Bourbon Street scene distinguishes its fare with choices like Crawfish Beignets and Zydeco Bites. $$ Port of Call 838 Esplanade Ave., 5230120, PortOfCallNola.com. L, D daily. It is all about the big, meaty burgers and giant baked potatoes in this popular bar/ restaurant – unless you’re cocktailing only, then it’s all about the Monsoons. $$

Lakeview––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Lakeview Harbor 911 Harrison Ave., 486-4887, NewOrleansBestBurger.com.

Cowbell-Nola.com. L, D Tue-Sat. Burgers and homemade sauces on potato rolls are the specialty here, along with other favorites like skirt steak. $$

Uptown––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– H The Company Burger 4600 Freret St., 267-0320, TheCompanyBurger.com. L, D Wed-Mon. Custom-baked butter-brushed buns and fresh-ground beef patties make all the difference at this excellent burger hotspot. Draft beer and craft cocktails round out the appeal. $

French

CBD/Warehouse District––––––––––– Chateau du Lac 857 Fulton St., 301-0235, ChateauduLacWarehouse.com. L Tue-Fri, D Mon-Sat. This casual French bistro, run by chef-owner Jacques Saleun, offers up classic dishes such as escargot, coq au vin and blanquette de veau. $$$$ Le Foret 129 Camp St., 553-6738, LeForetNewOrleans.com. D Mon-Sat. Sophisticated fine dining melds southern cuisine and classic French with modern-

ist influences in an elegant setting. $$$$

Faubourg St. John–––––––––––––––––––– H Café Degas 3127 Esplanade Ave., 945-5635, CafeDegas.com. L, D Wed-Sat, Br Sun. Salad Niçoise, Hanger steak and frites are served in a lovely enclosed courtyard at this jewel of a French bistro. $$

French Quarter––––––––––––––––––––––– Broussard’s, 819 Conti St., 581-3866, Broussards.com. D daily, Br Sun. CreoleFrench institution also offers beautiful courtyard seating. $$$$

H Marti’s 1041 Dumaine St., 522-5478, MartisNola.com. D daily. Classic French cuisine, small plates and chilled seafood platters like Grand Plateau Fruits De Mer are the calling cards for this restaurant with an elegant “Old World” feel. $$$

Lacombe–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– H La Provence 25020 Highway 190, (985) 626-7662, LaProvenceRestaurant. com. D Wed-Sun, Br Sun. Chef John Besh upholds time-honored Provençal cuisine and rewards his guests with a true farm-life experience, from house-made preserves, charcuterie, herbs, kitchen gardens and eggs cultivated on the property. $$$$$

Metairie–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Chateau du Lac 2037 Metairie Road, 8313773, ChateauduLacBistro.com. L Tue-Fri, D Mon-Sat. This casual French bistro, run by chef-owner Jacques Saleun, offers up classic dishes such as escargot, coq au vin and blanquette de veau. $$$$

Uptown––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Bistro Daisy 5831 Magazine St., 8996987, BistroDaisy.com. D Tue-Sat. Chef Anton Schulte and his wife Diane’s bistro serves creative and contemporary bistro fare in a romantic setting. The signature Daisy Salad is a favorite. $$$$

H Coquette 2800 Magazine St., 2650421, CoquetteNola.com. L Wed-Sat, D Wed-Mon, Br Sun. The food is French in inspiration and technique, with added imagination from chef Michael and his partner Lillian Hubbard. $$$ Flaming Torch 737 Octavia St., 895-0900, FlamingTorchNola.com. L Mon-Fri, D daily, Br Sat-Sun. French classics including a tasty onion soup and often a sought-after coq-au-vin. $$

H La Crêpe Nanou 1410 Robert St., 899-2670, LaCrepeNanou.com. D daily, Br Sun. Classic French bistro fare, including terrific moules and decadent dessert crêpes, are served nightly at this neighborhood institution. $$$ La Petite Grocery 4238 Magazine St., 891-3377, LaPetiteGrocery.com. L TueSat, D daily, Br Sun. Elegant dining in a convivial atmosphere. The menu is heavily French-inspired with an emphasis on technique. $$$ Lilette 3637 Magazine St., 895-1636, LiletteRestaurant.com. L Tue-Sat, D MonSat. Chef John Harris’ innovative menu draws discerning diners to this highly regarded bistro. Desserts are wonderful as well. $$$$$

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DINING GUIDE Gastropub

Abita Springs–––––––––––––––––––––––––– Abita Brew Pub 72011 Holly St., (985) 892-5837, AbitaBrewPub.com. L, D TueSun. Better-than-expected pub food in its namesake eatery. “Tasteful” tours available for visitors. $$

CBD/Warehouse District–––––––––– Gordon Biersch 200 Poydras St., 5522739, GordonBiersch.com. L, D daily. Local outpost of this popular chain serves specialty brews made on-site and crowdpleasing lunch and dinner fare. $$ Victory 339 Baronne St., 522-8664, VictoryNola.com. D Tue-Sat. Craft cocktails served by owner and acclaimed bartender Daniel Victory, as well as refined small plates and gourmet pizza. $$

French Quarter––––––––––––––––––––––– H Cane & Table 1113 Decatur St., 5811112, CaneAndTableNola.com. L Sat-Sun, D daily. Open late, this chef-driven rustic colonial cuisine and rum and “proto-Tiki” cocktails make this a fun place to gather. $$ Orleans Grapevine Wine Bar and Bistro 720 Orleans Ave., 523-1930, OrleansGrapevine.com. D daily. Wine is the muse at this beautifully renovated bistro, which offers vino by the flight, glass and bottle.

A classic menu with an emphasis on local cuisine. $$$

H Patrick’s Bar Vin 730 Bienville St., 200-3180, PatricksBarVin.com. D daily.

This oasis of a wine bar offers terrific selections by the bottle and glass. Small plates are served as well. $$

Lower Garden District––––––––––––– The Tasting Room 1926 Magazine St., 581-3880, TTRNewOrleans.com. D WedSun. Flights of wine and sophisticated small plates are the calling cards for this wine bar near Coliseum Square. $$

Mid-City–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Trèo 3835 Tulane Ave., 304-4878, TreoNola.com. L Wed-Sat, D Tue-Sat. Craft cocktail bar also serves a short but excellent small plates menu to accompany its artfully composed libations. $$

Uptown––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– The Avenue Pub 1732 St. Charles Ave., 586-9243, TheAvenuePub.com. Kitchen open 24/7. With more than 43 rotating draft beers, this pub also offers food, including a cheese plate from St. James

Cheese Co. and the “Pub Burger.” Counter service only. $ Bouligny Tavern 3641 Magazine St., 8911810, BoulignyTavern.com. D Mon-Sat. Carefully curated small plates, inventive cocktails and select wines are the focus of this stylish offshoot of John Harris’s nationally acclaimed Lilette. $$ The Delachaise 3442 St. Charles Ave., 895-0858, TheDelaichaise.com. L SatSun, D daily. Cuisine elevated to the standards of the libations is the draw at this lively wine bar and gastropub. Food is grounded in French bistro fare with eclectic twists. $$

table sandwiches and more for lunch.

Homemade pastas and authentic Tuscan specialties like Cacciucco round out the dinner menu. $$ Tommy’s Cuisine 746 Tchoupitoulas St., 581-1103, TommysNewOrleans.com. D daily.

Classic Creole-Italian cuisine is the name of the game at this upscale eatery. Appetizers include the namesake oysters Tommy, baked in the shell with Romano cheese, pancetta and roasted red pepper. $$$$$

Faubourg Marigny––––––––––––––––––– Praline Connection 542 Frenchmen St., 943-3934, PralineConnection.com. L, D daily. Down-home dishes of smothered pork chops, greens, beans and cornbread are on the menu at this Creole soul restaurant. $$

Italian

Avondale–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– H Mosca’s 4137 Highway 90 West, 4638950, MoscasRestaurant.com. D Tue-Sat. Italian institution dishes out massive portions of great food, family-style. Good bets are the shrimp Mosca and chicken à la grande. Cash only. $$$

Bywater–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– H Mariza 2900 Charters St., 598-5700, MarizaNewOrleans.com. D Tue-Sat. An Italian-inspired restaurant by chef Ian Schnoebelen features a terrific raw bar, house-cured charcuterie and an array of refined adult beverages served in the industrial/contemporary setting on the ground floor of the Rice Mills lofts. $$$

CBD/Warehouse District–––––––––– H Domenica The Roosevelt Hotel, 123 Baronne St., 648-6020, DomenicaRestaurant.com. L, D daily. Chef Alon Shaya serves authentic, regional Italian cuisine.

The menu of thin, lightly topped pizzas, artisanal salumi and cheese, and a carefully chosen selection of antipasti, pasta and entrées, feature locally raised products, some from chef John Besh’s Northshore farm. $$$$

French Quarter––––––––––––––––––––––– Café Giovanni 117 Decatur St., 529-2154, CafeGiovanni.com. D daily. Live opera singers three nights a week. A selection of Italian specialties tweaked with a Creole influence and their Belli Baci happy hour adds to the atmosphere. $$$$ Chartres House, 601 Chartres St., 5868383, ChartresHouse.com. L, D daily. This iconic French Quarter bar serves terrific Mint Juleps and Gin Fizzes in its picturesque courtyard and balcony settings.

Also famous for its fried green tomatoes and other local favorite dishes. $$$ Irene’s Cuisine 539 St. Philip St., 529881. D Mon-Sat. Long waits at the lively piano bar are part of the appeal of this Creole-Italian favorite beloved by locals.

Try the oysters Irene and crabmeat gratin appetizers. $$$$

H Italian Barrel 430 Barracks St., 569-0198, ItalianBarrel.com. L, D daily.

Northern Italian dishes like Braciola di Maiale as well as an exhaustive pasta menu tempt here at this local favorite that also offers al fresco seating. $$$

Mother’s 401 Poydras St., 523-9656, MothersRestaurant.net. B, L, D daily. Locals and tourists alike endure long queues and a confounding ordering system to enjoy iconic dishes such as the Ferdi poor boy and Jerry’s jambalaya. Come for a late lunch to avoid the rush. $$

H Maximo’s Italian Grill 1117 Decatur

Red Gravy 4125 Camp St., 561-8844, RedGravy.com. B, Br, L, D, Wed-Mon. Farm-to-table Italian restaurant offers a creative array of breakfast items such as Cannoli Pancakes as well as delec-

Muriel’s Jackson Square 801 Chartres St., 568-1885, Muriels.com. L, D daily, Br Sun. Enjoy pecan-crusted drum and other local classics while dining in the courtyard bar or any other room in this

St., 586-8883, MaximosGrill.com. D daily.

Italian destination features a sprawling menu including housemade salumi and antipasti as well as old school classics like veal osso bucco. Private dining is offered for special events. $$$

labyrinthine, rumored-to-be-haunted establishment. $$$$ Napoleon House 500 Chartres St., 524522-4152, NapoleonHouse.com. L Mon-Sat, D Tue-Sat. Originally built in 1797 as a respite for Napoleon, this family-owned European-style café serves local favorites gumbo, jambalaya and muffulettas, and for sipping, a Sazerac or lemony Pimm’s Cup are perfect accompaniments. $$ NOLA 534 St. Louis St., 522-6652, Emerils.com. L Thu-Mon, D daily. Emeril’s more affordable eatery, featuring cedar-plankroasted redfish; private dining. $$$$$ Ralph Brennan’s Red Fish Grill 115 Bourbon St., 598-1200, RedFishGrill.com.

L, D daily. Chef Austin Kirzner cooks up a broad menu peppered with local favorites such as barbecue oysters, blackened redfish and double-chocolate bread pudding. $$$$$ Arnaud’s Remoulade 309 Bourbon St., 523-0377, Remoulade.com. L, D daily.

Granite-topped tables and an antique mahogany bar are home to the eclectic menu of famous shrimp Arnaud, red beans and rice and poor boys as well as specialty burgers, grilled all-beef hot dogs and thin-crust pizza. $$

H R’evolution 777 Bienville St., 5532277, RevolutionNola.com. L Wed-Fri, D daily, Br Sun. An opulent place that combines the local flavors of chef John Folse with the more cosmopolitan influence of chef Rick Tramonto. Chef de cuisine Chris Lusk and executive sous chef Erik Veney are in charge of day-to-day operations, which include house-made charcuterie, pastries, pastas and more. $$$$$

H Tujague’s 823 Decatur St., 525-8676, TujaguesRestaurant.com. L Sat-Sun, D daily. For more than 150 years this landmark restaurant has been offering Creole cuisine. Favorites include a nightly six-course table d’hôté menu featuring a unique beef brisket with Creole sauce. $$$$$

Lakeview––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– H Tony Angello’s 6262 Fleur de Lis Drive, 488-0888, TonyAngellos.com. D TueSat. Creole-Italian favorite serves up fare.

Ask Tony to “Feed Me” if you want a real multi-course dining experience. $$$$

Metairie–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– H Andrea’s Restaurant 3100 19th St., 834-8583, AndreasRestaurant.com. L

Crawfish Eating Contest at Deanie’s Deanies.com; PinchAPalooza.com Deanie’s Seafood Restaurants is holding the sixth annual Pinch A Palooza Festival on Sun., April 19, at the company’s Bucktown location in Metairie.

The event is free and includes a Crawfish Eating Contest. It also celebrates Louisiana culture with music by local acts including: Amanda Shaw & The Cute Guys, Vince Vance & the Valiants, 610 Stompers; Cajun folk band Chansons et Soulards; Breakwater Drive; and Mardi Gras Indians Krewe Big Chief Romeo & the 9th Ward Hunters. Activities include an art market, crawfish races and games for kids. – M.C.

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Mon-Sat, D daily, Br Sun. Osso buco and homemade pastas in a setting that’s both elegant and intimate; off-premise catering. $$$

shore’s premier fine dining destinations serving Italian food that makes use of locally sourced meats and produce. $$$

A local favorite for the old-school business lunch crowd specializing in local seafood and Cajun dishes. $$$$

melds contemporary bistro fare with classic Louisiana cuisine. The banana brown butter tart is a favorite dessert. $$$$$

Uptown–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Semolina 4436 Veterans Blvd., Suite 37, 454-7930, Semolina.com. L, D daily. This casual, contemporary pasta restaurant takes a bold approach to cooking Italian food, emphasizing flavors, texture and color. Many of the dishes feature a signature Louisiana twist, such as the muffuletta pasta and pasta jambalaya. $$

Amici 3218 Magazine St., 300-1250, AmiciNola.com. L, D daily. Coal-fired pizza is the calling card for this destination, but the menu offers an impressive list of authentic and Creole Italian specialties as well. $$

Café Adelaide Loews New Orleans Hotel, 300 Poydras St., 595-3305, CafeAdelaide. com. B, D daily, L Mon-Fri. This offering from the Commander’s Palace family of restaurants has become a power-lunch favorite for business-people and politicos.

Also features the Swizzle Stick Bar. $$$$

Mulate’s 201 Julia St., 522-1492, Mulates.com. L, D daily. Live music and dancing add to the fun at this worldfamous Cajun destination. $$

Vincent’s Italian Cuisine 4411 Chastant St., 885-2984, Metairie, VicentsItalianCuisine.com. L Tue-Fri, D Mon-Sat. Snug Italian boîte packs them in, yet manages to remain intimate at the same time. The cannelloni is a house specialty. $$$

Mid-City––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– H Liuzza’s 3636 Bienville St., 482-9120, Liuzzas.com. L, D daily. Classic neighborhood joint serves favorites like the “Frenchuletta,” stuffed artichokes and andouille gumbo. Kid’s menu offered.

Cash only. $$ Ralph’s On The Park 900 City Park Ave., 488-1000, RalphsOnThePark.com. Br Sun, L Tue-Fri, D daily. A modern interior and contemporary Creole dishes such as City Park salad, turtle soup, barbecue Gulf shrimp and good cocktails. $$$$

NORTHSHORE–––––––––––––––––––––––––––– H Del Porto Ristorante 501 E. Boston St., (985) 875-1006, DelPortoRistorante. com. L, D Tue-Sat. One of the North-

Pascal’s Manale 1838 Napoleon Ave., 895-4877, PascalsManale.com. L MonFri, D Mon-Sat. Vintage neighborhood restaurant since 1913 and the place to go for the creation of barbecued shrimp. Its oyster bar serves icy cold, freshly shucked Louisiana oysters and the Italian specialties and steaks are also solid. $$$$ Vincent’s Italian Cuisine 7839 St. Charles Ave., 866-9313, VicentsItalianCuisine.com. L Tue-Fri, D Tue-Sun. Snug Italian boîte packs them in yet manages to remain intimate at the same time. The cannelloni is a house specialty. $$$

Louisianian Fare

CBD/Warehouse District––––––––––– H Annunciation 1016 Annunciation St., 568-0245, AnnunciationRestaurant.com.

D Mon-Sat. Chef Steven Manning brings a refined sensibility to this refined Warehouse District oasis along with his famous fried oysters with melted brie. $$$ Bon Ton Cafe 401 Magazine St., 5243386, TheBonTonCafe.com. L, D Mon-Fri.

H Cochon 930 Tchoupitoulas St., 588-2123, CochonRestaurant.com. L, D, Mon-Sat. Chefs Donald Link and Stephen Stryjewski showcase Cajun and Southern cuisine at this hot spot. Boudin and other pork dishes reign supreme here, along with Louisiana seafood and real moonshine from the bar. Reservations strongly recommended. $$ Drago’s Hilton Riverside Hotel, 2 Poydras St., 584-3911, DragosRestaurant. com. L, D daily. This famous seafooder specializes in charbroiled oysters, a dish they invented. Great deals on fresh lobster as well. $$$$ Emeril’s 800 Tchoupitoulas St., 5289393, EmerilsRestaurants.com. L MonFri, D daily. The flagship of superstar chef Emeril Lagasse’s culinary empire, this landmark attracts pilgrims from all over the world. $$$$$

H Herbsaint 701 St. Charles Ave., 5244114, Herbsaint.com. L Mon-Fri, D MonSat. Enjoy a sophisticated cocktail before sampling chef Donald Link’s menu that

Palette 700 Tchoupitoulas St., 613-2350, B, L, D daily. Creole, Cajun and French flavors all come together at this restaurant in the Renaissance Hotel near the Convention Center. $$

Darrow–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Café Burnside Houmas House Plantation, 40136 Highway 942, (225) 473-9380, HoumasHouse.com. L daily, Br Sun. Historic plantation’s casual dining option features dishes such as seafood pasta, fried catfish, crawfish and shrimp, gumbo and red beans and rice. $$ Latil’s Landing Houmas House Plantation, 40136 Highway 942, (225) 473-9380, HoumasHouse.com. D Wed-Sun. Nouvelle Louisiane, plantation-style cooking served in an opulent setting features dishes like rack of lamb and plume de veau. $$$$$

Faubourg Marigny–––––––––––––––––––– Feelings Cafe 2600 Chartres St., 9452222, FeelingsCafe.com. D Wed-Sun, Br Sun. Romantic ambiance and skillfully created dishes, such as veal d’aunoy, make dining here on the patio a memorable experience. A piano bar on Fridays adds to the atmosphere. Vegan menu

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DINING GUIDE offered. $$$$

French Quarter––––––––––––––––––––––– Acme Oyster House 724 Iberville St., 5225973, AcmeOyster.com. L, D daily. Known as one of the best places to eat oysters. $$

H Arnaud’s 813 Bienville St., 523-5433, ArnaudsRestaurant.com. D daily, Br Sun. Waiters in tuxedos prepare Café Brûlot tableside at this storied Creole grande dame; live jazz during Sun. brunch. $$$$$ Antoine’s 713 St. Louis St., 581-4422, Antoines.com. L, D Mon-Sat, Br Sun. This pinnacle of haute cuisine and birthplace of oysters Rockefeller is New Orleans’ oldest restaurant. (Every item is á la carte, with an $11 minimum.) Private dining rooms available. $$$$$

H The Bistreaux New Orleans Maison Dupuy Hotel, 1001 Toulouse St., 5868000, MaisonDupuy.com/dining.html. L, D daily. Dishes ranging from the casual (truffle mac and cheese) to the upscale (tuna tasting trio) are served in an elegant courtyard. $$ The Bombay Club Prince Conti Hotel, 830 Conti St., 586-0972, TheBombayClub. com. D daily. Popular martini bar with plush British décor features live music during the week and late dinner and drinks on weekends. Nouveau Creole menu includes items such as Bombay drum. $$$$

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Café Maspero 601 Decatur St., 523-6250, CafeMaspero.com. L, D daily. Tourists line up for their generous portions of seafood and large deli sandwiches. $ Court of Two Sisters 613 Royal St., 522-7261, CourtOfTwoSisters.com. Br, D daily. The historic environs make for a memorable outdoor dining experience.

The famous daily Jazz Brunch buffet and classic Creole dishes sweeten the deal. $$$$$ Criollo Hotel Monteleone, 214 Royal St., 681-4444, CriolloNola.com. B, L, D daily. Next to the famous Carousel Bar in the historic Monteleone Hotel, Criollo represents an amalgam of the various cultures reflected in Louisiana cooking and cuisine, often with a slight contemporary twist. $$$

H Dickie Brennan’s Bourbon House 144 Bourbon St., 522-0111, BourbonHouse. com. B, L, D daily. Classic Creole dishes such as redfish on the halfshell and baked oysters served. Its extensive bourbon menu will please aficionados. $$$$ Galatoire’s 209 Bourbon St., 525-2021, Galatoires.com. L, D Tue-Sun. Friday lunches are a New Orleans tradition at this world-famous French-Creole grand dame. Tradition counts for everything here, and the crabmeat Sardou is delicious. Note: Jackets required for dinner and all day Sun. $$$$$

House of Blues 225 Decatur St., 3104999, HouseOfBlues.com/NewOrleans. L, D daily. Surprisingly good menu complements music in the main room. Worldfamous Gospel Brunch every Sunday.

Patio seating available. $$ K-Paul’s Louisiana Kitchen 416 Chartres St., 596-2530, ChefPaul.com/KPaul. L Thu-Sat, D Mon-Sat. Paul Prudhomme’s landmark restaurant helped introduce Cajun food to a grateful nation. Lots of seasoning and bountiful offerings, along with reserved seating, make this a destination for locals and tourists alike. $$$$

H MiLa 817 Common St., 412-2580, MiLaNewOrleans.com. L Mon-Fri, D Mon-Sat. Latest offering from husbandand-wife chefs Slade Rushing and Allison Vines-Rushing focuses on the fusion of the cuisines of Miss. and La. $$$$

accomplished yet eclectic menus. $$

H Tableau 616 S. Peter St., 934-3463, TableauFrenchQuarter.com. L, D daily, Br Sun. Gulf seafood such as trout amandine and classic Creole brunch dishes like eggs Sardou are the highlights of this Dickie Brennan restaurant that shares space with Le Petite Théâtre on the corner of Jackson Square. $$$

Kenner–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Copeland’s 1319 W. Esplanade Ave., 6179146, CopelandsofNewOrleans.com. L, D daily, Br Sun. Al Copeland’s namesake chain includes favorites such as Shrimp Ducky. Popular for lunch. $$

Lakeview–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– H Cava 789 Harrison Ave., 304-9034. D Mon-Sat. Fine dining (and excellent wine list) at this high-end Cajun and Creole restaurant that makes customer service a big part of the experience. $$$

Royal House, 441 Royal St., 528-2601, RoyalHouseRestaurant.com. L, D daily. B Sat and Sun. Poor boys, jambalaya and shrimp Creole are some of the favorites served here. Weekend breakfast and an oyster bar add to the crowd-pleasing appeal. $$$

Metairie/Jefferson––––––––––––––––––

SoBou 310 Chartres St., 552-4095, SoBouNola.com. B, L, D daily. There is something for everyone at this “Modern Creole Saloon.” Decidedly unstuffy with an emphasis on craft cocktails and wines by the glass. Everything from $1 pork cracklins to an extravagant foie gras burger on

Austin’s 5101 W. Esplanade Ave., 8885533, AustinsNo.com. D Mon-Sat. Mr. Ed’s upscale bistro serves contemporary Creole fare, including seafood and steaks. $$$

Acme Oyster House 3000 Veterans Blvd., 309-4056, AcmeOyster.com. L, D daily.

Known as one of the best places to eat oysters. $$

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Copeland’s 1001 S. Clearview Parkway, 620-7800; 701 Veterans Blvd., 831-3437, CopelandsofNewOrleans.com. L, D daily, Br Sun. Al Copeland’s namesake chain includes favorites such as Shrimp Ducky.

Popular for lunch. $$

H Redemption 3835 Iberville St., 309-

Crabby Jack’s 428 Jefferson Highway, 833-2722, CrabbyJacksNola.com. L MonSat. Lunch outpost of Jacques-Imo’s.

Famous for its fried seafood and poor boys including fried green tomatoes and roasted duck. $

Ave., 252-4999, ToupsMeatery.com. L, D Tue-Sat. Charcuterie, specialty cocktails and an exhaustive list of excellent à la carte sides make this restaurant a carnivore’s delight. $$$

Drago’s 3232 N. Arnoult Road, 888-9254, DragosRestaurant.com. L, D Mon-Sat. This famous seafooder specializes in charbroiled oysters, a dish they invented.

Great deals on fresh lobster as well. $$$$

Mid-City––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– H Katie’s Restaurant and Bar 3701 Iberville St., 488-6582, KatiesInMidCity. com. L, D Mon-Sat, Br Sun. Creative poor boys, local dishes such as gumbo and Sunday brunch make this a neighborhood favorite. $$ Lil’ Dizzy’s Café 1500 Esplanade Ave., 569-8997, LilDizzysCafe.com. B, L daily, Br Sun. Spot local and national politicos dining at this favored Creole soul restaurant known for homey classics like fried chicken and trout Baquet. $

H Mandina’s 3800 Canal St., 482-9179, MandinasRestaurant.com. L, D daily.

Though the ambiance is more upscale, the food and seafood dishes make dining here a New Orleans experience. $$

3570, Redemption-Nola.com. L Wed-Fri & Sun, D Wed-Sun. Chef-driven “Revival” Creole fare served in an inspiring former church. $$$

H Toups’ Meatery 845 N. Carrollton

NORTHSHORE––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Acme Oyster House 1202 N. Highway 190, Covington, (985) 246-6155, AcmeOyster.com. L, D daily. Known as one of the best places to eat oysters. $$ Gallagher’s Grill 509 S. Tyler St., (985) 892-9992, GallaghersGrill.com. L, D TueFri, D Sat. Chef Pat Gallagher’s destination restaurant offers al fresco seating to accompany classically inspired New Orleans fare. Event catering offered. $$$

Riverbend––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– H Boucherie 1506 S. Carrollton Ave., 862-5514, Boucherie-Nola.com. L, D Tue-Sat. Serving contemporary Southern food with an international angle, chef Nathaniel Zimet offers excellent ingredients presented simply. $$ Brigtsen’s 723 Dante St., 861-7610, Brigtsens.com. D Tue-Sat. Chef Frank Brigtsen’s nationally famous Creole cuisine makes this cozy cottage a true foodie destination. $$$$$

University Area––––––––––––––––––––––– H Dunbar’s 501 Pine St., 861-5451. Beloved budget-friendly Creole institution in an unlikely spot – Loyola University’s Broadway campus – but the excellent jambalaya, fried chicken and red beans and rice haven’t changed. $

Uptown––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– H Apolline 4729 Magazine St., 894-8881, ApollineRestaurant.com. D Tue-Sun, Br Sat-Sun. Cozy gem serves a refined menu of French and Creole classics peppered with Southern influences such as buttermilk fried quail with corn waffle. $$$ Casamento’s 4330 Magazine St., 8959761, CasamentosRestaurant.com. L Tue-Sat, D Thu-Sat. The family-owned restaurant has shucked oysters and fried seafood since 1919; closed during summer and for all major holidays. $$ Chappy’s 6106 Magazine St., 208-8772, Chappys.com. D nightly, Br Sun. Tradition reigns supreme at Chappy’s on a genteel stretch of Magazine Street near Audubon Park. Classics such as shrimp and eggplant casserole will be sure to please. $$$ Clancy’s 6100 Annunciation St., 8951111, ClancysNewOrleans.com. L Thu-Fri, D Mon-Sat. Their Creole-inspired menu has been a favorite of locals for years. $$$ Commander’s Palace 1403 Washington Ave., 899-8221, CommandersPalace.com.

L Mon-Fri, D daily, Br Sat-Sun. The grande dame is going strong under the auspices of James Beard Award-winner chef Tory

McPhail. Jazz Brunch is a great deal. $$$$ Dick and Jenny’s 4501 Tchoupitoulas St., 894-9880, DickAndJennys.com. L Thu-Fri, D Mon-Sat, Br Sun. A funky cottage serving Louisiana comfort food with flashes of innovation. $$$$ Domilise’s 5240 Annunciation St., 899912. L, D Mon-Wed, Fri-Sat. Local institution and rite-of-passage for those wanting an initiation to the real New Orleans. Wonderful poor boys and a unique atmosphere make this a one-of-a-kind place. $

H Gautreau’s 1728 Soniat St., 899-7397, GautreausRestaurant.com. D Mon-Sat. Upscale destination serves refined interpretations of classics along with contemporary creations. $$$$$ Jacques-Imo’s Cafe 8324 Oak St., 8610886, Jacques-Imos.com. D Mon-Sat. Reinvented New Orleans cuisine served in a party atmosphere. The deep-fried roast beef poor boy is delicious. The lively bar scene offsets the long wait on weekends. $$$$ Joey K’s 3001 Magazine St., 891-0997, JoeyKsRestaurant.com. L, D Mon-Sat. A true neighborhood restaurant with daily lunch plates; red beans and rice are classic. $ Mahony’s 3454 Magazine St., 899-3374, MahonysPoBoys.com. L, D daily. Along with the usual poor boys, this sandwich shop serves up a grilled shrimp and fried green tomato version dressed with remoulade sauce. Sandwich offerings are augmented by a full bar. $

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DINING GUIDE Mat & Naddie’s 937 Leonidas St., 8619600, MatAndNaddies.com. D Mon-Tue, Thu-Sat. Cozy converted house serves up creative and eclectic regionally inspired fare. Shrimp and crawfish croquettes make for a good appetizer and when the weather is right the romantic patio is the place to sit. $$$$

WEST BANK––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Copeland’s 2333 Manhattan Blvd., 3641575, CopelandsofNewOrleans.com. L, D daily, Br Sun. Al Copeland’s namesake chain includes favorites such as Shrimp Ducky. Popular for lunch. $$

Pizza

Reginelli’s Pizzeria Multiple Locations, Reginellis.com. L, D daily. Pizzas, pastas, salads, fat calzones and lofty focaccia sandwiches are at locations all over town. $$ Theo’s Pizza Multiple Locations, TheosPizza.com. L, D daily. The crackercrisp crust pizzas are complemented by a broad assortment of toppings with a lot of local ingredients at cheap prices. $$

Bywater–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– H Pizza Delicious 617 Piety St., 676-

restaurant, it’s a Sun. drive tradition. $$

this kid-friendly seafood destination. $$

CBD/Warehouse District––––––––––– H Borgne 601 Loyola Ave., 613-3860,

Pier 424, 424 Bourbon St., 309-1574, Pier424SeafoodMarket.com. L, D daily.

Seafood-centric restaurant offers long menu of traditional New Orleans fare augmented by unusual twists like “CajunBoiled” Lobster prepared crawfish-style in spicy crab boil. $$$

BorgneRestaurant.com. L, D daily. Coastal Louisiana seafood with an emphasis on Isleños cuisine (descendants of Canary Islanders who settled in St. Bernard Parish) is the focus of this high-volume destination adjacent to the Superdome. $$$

Kenner–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

PecheRestaurant.com. L, D Mon-Sat. Award-winning southern-inspired seafood destination by chef Donald Link serves whole roasted Gulf fish from its massive, wood-burning oven. An excellent raw bar is offered as well. $$$

Mr. Ed’s Seafood and Italian Restaurant 910 W. Esplanade Ave., Ste. A, 463-3030, AustinsNo.com. L, D Mon-Sat. Neighborhood restaurant specializes in seafood and Italian offerings such as stuffed eggplant and bell pepper. Fried seafood and sandwiches make it a good stop for lunch. $$

French Quarter–––––––––––––––––––––––

Metairie––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Bourbon House 144 Bourbon St., 5220111, BourbonHouse.com. B, L, D daily.

Local seafood, featured in both classic and contemporary dishes, is the focus of this New Orleans-centric destination.

And yes, bourbon is offered as well. $$$

Austin’s Restaurant, 5101 W. Esplanade Ave., 888-5533, AustinsNo.com. D MonSat. Signature steak, seafood and Italian specialties reign at this dinner-only destination. Catering offered as well. $$$

H Pêche 800 Magazine St., 522-1744,

Deanie’s Seafood 841 Iberville St., 5811316, Deanies.com. L, D daily. Louisiana seafood, baked, broiled, boiled and fried is the name of the game. Try the barbecue shrimp or towering seafood platters. $$$

Deanie’s Seafood 1713 Lake Ave., 8314141, Deanies.com. L, D daily. Louisiana seafood, baked, broiled, boiled and fried, is the name of the game. Try the barbecue shrimp or towering seafood platters. $$$ Mr. Ed’s Seafood and Italian Restaurant 1001 Live Oak St., 838-0022, AustinsNo. com. L, D Mon-Sat. Neighborhood restaurant specializes in seafood and Italian offerings such as stuffed eggplant and bell pepper. Fried seafood and sandwiches make it a good stop for lunch. $$

8282, PizzaDelicious.com. Authentic New York-style thin crust pizza is the reason to come to this affordable restaurant that began as a pop-up, but they also offer excellent salads sourced from small farms and homemade pasta dishes as well. Outdoor seating a plus. $

H GW Fins 808 Bienville St., 581-FINS

Uptown–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– H Ancora 4508 Freret St., 324-1636,

CocktailBarNewOrleans.com. L, D daily.

Gulf seafood and nouvelle Creole dishes such as smoked rabbit gumbo are the main draws at this establishment helmed by Greg Sonnier, as well as the excellent bar program by mixologist Chris McMillian. $$$

Uptown–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Landry’s Seafood 400 N. Peters St., 5580038, LandrysSeafood.com. Kid-friendly and popular seafood spot serves of heaping platters of fried shrimp, Gulf oysters, catfish and more. $$

Landry’s Seafood 8000 Lakeshore Drive, West End, 283-1010, LandrysSeafood.com.

Kid-friendly and popular seafood spot serves of heaping platters of fried shrimp, Gulf oysters, catfish and more. $$

AncoraPizza.com. D Mon-Sat. Authentic Neapolitan-style pizza fired in an oven imported from Naples. The housemade charcuterie makes it a double-winner. $$ Slice 1513 St. Charles Ave., 525-PIES (7437); 5538 Magazine St., 897-4800; SlicePizzeria.com. L, D daily. Order up slices or whole pizza pies done in several styles (thin- and thick-crust) as well as pastas, seafood, panini and salads. $

Seafood

Akers–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Middendorf’s Interstate 55, Exit 15, 30160 Highway 51 South, (985) 3866666, MiddendorfsRestaurant.com. L, D Wed-Sun. Historic seafood destination along the shores of Lake Maurepas is world-famous for its thin-fried catfish fillets. Open since 1934, it’s more than a

(3467), GWFins.com. D daily. Owners Gary Wollerman and twice chef of the year Tenney Flynn provide dishes at their seasonal peak. On a quest for unique variety, menu is printed daily. $$$$$

H Kingfish 337 Charters St., 598-5005,

Le Bayou, 208 Bourbon St., 525-4755, LeBayouRestaurant.com. L, D Mon-Sat. Blackened redfish and Shrimp Ya-Ya are a just a few of the choices at this seafood-centric destination on Bourbon Street. Fried alligator is available for the more daring diner. $$$ Oceana Grill 739 Conti St., 525-6002, OceanaGrill.com. B, L, D daily. Gumbo, poor boys and barbecue shrimp are served at

Frankie & Johnny’s 321 Arabella St., 243-1234, FrankieAndJohnnys.net. L, D daily. Serves fried and boiled seafood along with poor boys and daily lunch specials.

Kid-friendly with a game room to boot. $$

West End–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

Chophouse New Orleans 322 Magazine St., 522-7902, ChophouseNola.com. D daily. In addition to USDA prime grade aged steaks prepared under a broiler that reaches 1,700 degrees, Chophouse offers lobster, redfish and classic steakhouse sides. $$$

H Desi Vega’s Steakhouse 628 St. Charles Ave., 523-7600, DesiVegaSteaks. com. L Mon-Fri, D Mon-Sat. USDA Prime steaks form the base of this Mr. John’s offshoot overlooking Lafayette Square, but Italian specialties and a smattering of locally inspired seafood dishes round out the appeal. $$$

H La Boca 870 Tchoupitoulas St., 5258205, LaBocaSteaks.com. D Mon-Sat. This Argentine steakhouse specializes in cuts of meat along with pastas and wines.

Specials include the provoleta appetizer and the Vacio flank steak. $$$ Morton’s The Steakhouse 365 Canal St., One Canal Place, 566-0221, Mortons. com/NewOrleans. D daily. Private elevator leads to the plush, wood-paneled environs of this local outpost of the famed Chicago steakhouse popular with politicians and celebrities. $$$$ Ruth’s Chris Steak House Harrah’s Hotel, 525 Fulton St., 587-7099, RuthsChris.com.

D daily, Br Sat-Sun. Filet mignon, creamed spinach and potatoes au gratin are the most popular dishes at this area steak institution, but there are also great seafood choices and top-notch desserts. $$$$$

Garden District––––––––––––––––––––––– H Mr. John’s Steakhouse 2111 St. Charles Ave., 679-7697, MrJohnsSteakhouse.com. D Tue-Sat, L Friday. Wood paneling, white tile and USDA Prime Beef served sizzling in butter are the hallmarks of this classic New Orleans steakhouse. $$$

French Quarter––––––––––––––––––––––– Dickie Brennan’s Steakhouse 716 Iberville St., 522-2467, DickieBrennansSteakhouse.com. L Fri, D daily. Nationally recognized steakhouse serves USDA Prime steaks and local seafood. $$$$$

Steakhouse

CBD/Warehouse District––––––––––– H Besh Steak Harrah’s Casino, 8 Canal St., 533-6111, HarrahsNewOrleans.com. D daily. Acclaimed chef John Besh reinterprets the classic steakhouse with his signature contemporary Louisiana flair. $$$$$

H Doris Metropolitan 620 Charters St., 267-3500, DorisMetropolitan.com. L Sat-Sun, D daily. Innovative, genre-busting steakhouse plays with expectations and succeeds with modernist dishes like their Classified Cut and Beetroot Supreme. $$$$

South Walton Beaches Food and Wine Festival (850) 837-3099, SoWalWine.com The South Walton Beaches Food and Wine Festival will take place this year April 23-26 at the Grand Boulevard at Sandestin. Celebrity wine makers will pour over 800 quality wines, and well known chefs will be hosting the expanded Culinary Village. Visitors can also enjoy a Champagne Lane, a Nashville Songwriters showcase and more fun events. Proceeds will benefit the Destin Charity Wine Auction, among the top six wine auctions in the country as ranked by Wine Spectator, which benefits children in Northwest Florida. – M.C.

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Galatoire’s 33 Bar & Steak 215 Bourbon St., 335-3932, Galatoires33BarAndSteak. com. L Fri, D Sun-Thu. Steakhouse offshoot of the venerable Creole grande dame offers hand-crafted cocktails to accompany classic steakhouse fare as well as inspired dishes like the Gouté 33: horseradish-crusted bone marrow and deviled eggs with crab ravigote and smoked trout. Reservations accepted. $$$

seafood, lamb and vegetarian options. $$

Metairie–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––

World

Ruth’s Chris Steak House 3633 Veterans Blvd., 888-3600, RuthsChris.com. L Fri, D daily, Br Sat-Sun. Filet mignon, creamed spinach and potatoes au gratin are the most popular dishes at this area steak institution, but there are also great seafood choices and top-notch desserts. $$$$$

Mid-City––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– H Crescent City Steaks 1001 N. Broad St., 821-3271, CrescentCitySteaks.com. L Tue-Fri & Sun, D daily. One of the classic New Orleans steakhouses. Steaks, sides and drinks are what you get. $$$$

H Milkfish 125 N. Carrollton Ave., 2674199, MilkfishNola.com. L, D Thu-Tue. Filipino cuisine like adobo and lumpia is served, further expanding dining opportunities. $$

Vegan/Vegetarian

Byblos Multiple Locations, ByblosRestaurants.com. L, D daily. Upscale Middle Eastern cuisine featuring traditional

Lower Garden District––––––––––––– H The Green Fork 1400 Prytania St., 267-7672, GreenForkNola.com. B, L Mon-Sat. Fresh juices, smoothies and vegetarian-friendly fare make The Green Fork a favorite for lovers of healthy food.

Catering is offered as well. $$

Bywater–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– H Booty’s Street Food 800 Louisa St., 266-2887, BootysNola.com. B, L, D daily.

Street food culled from countries around the globe is the muse of this creative establishment, where papadum from India resides confidently alongside Peruvian ceviche. $$ The Green Goddess 307 Exchange Place, 301-3347, GreenGoddessRestaurant.com.

L, D Wed-Sun. One of the most imaginative local restaurants. The menu is constantly changing, and chef Paul Artigues always has ample vegetarian options.

Combine all of that with a fantastic selection of drinks, wine and beer, and it’s the total (albeit small) package. $$

CBD/Warehouse District––––––––––– H Lüke 333 St. Charles Ave., 378-2840, LukeNewOrleans.com. B, L, D daily, Br Sat-Sun. Chef John Besh and executive chef Matt Regan serve Germanic specialties and French bistro classics, housemade patés and abundant plateaux of cold, fresh seafood. $$$

Palace Café 605 Canal St., 523-1661, PalaceCafe.com. L Mon-Sat, D daily, Br Sun. Dickie Brennan-owned brasserie with French-style sidewalk seating and house-created specialties of chef Darrin Nesbit. Favorites here include crabmeat cheesecake, turtle soup, the Werlein salad with fried Louisiana oysters and pork “debris” studded Palace potato pie. $$$$$

Faubourg Marigny––––––––––––––––––– H Mona’s Café 504 Frenchmen St., 949-4115. L, D daily. Middle Eastern specialties such as baba ganuj, tender-tangy beef or chicken shawarma, falafel and gyros, stuffed into pillowy pita bread or on platters. The lentil soup with crunchy pita chips and desserts, such as sticky sweet baklava, round out the menu. $

French Quarter––––––––––––––––––––––– Bayona 430 Dauphine St., 525-4455, Bayona.com. L Wed-Sat, D Mon-Sat. Chef Susan Spicer’s nationally acclaimed cuisine is served in this 200-year-old cottage. Ask for a seat on the romantic patio, weather permitting. $$$$$ El Gato Negro 81 French Market Place, 525-9752, ElGatoNegroNola.com. Central Mexican cuisine along with handmuddled mojitos and margaritas made with freshly squeezed juice. A weekend breakfast menu is an additional plus. $$

Kenner––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– H Fiesta Latina 1924 Airline Drive, 4682384, FiestaLatinaRestaurant.com. B, L, D daily. A big-screen TV normally shows a soccer match or MTV Latino at this home

for authentic Central American food.

Tacos include a charred carne asada. $$

Lakewood–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– H Mizado 5080 Pontchartrain Blvd., 885-5555, MizadoCocina.com. L daily, D Mon-Sat. Sleek restaurant offers modern Mexican cuisine featuring pan-Latin flavors and influences. Small batch tequila and a ceviche bar make it a party. $$

Lakeview––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– H Mondo 900 Harrison Ave., 224-2633, MondoNewOrleans.com. L Mon-Fri, D Mon-Sat, Br Sun. Chef Susan Spicer’s take on world cuisine. Make sure to call ahead because the place has a deserved reputation for good food and good times. $$$

METAIRIE––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Vega Tapas Café, 2051 Metairie Road, 836-2007, VegaTapasCafe.com. D MonSat. Fun, eclectic small plates destination offers creative fare keeps guests coming back with frequent regionally inspired specialty menus served with humor and whimsy. $$

Mid-City––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Juan’s Flying Burrito 4724 S. Carrollton Ave., 486-9950, JuansFlyingBurrito. com. L, D daily. Hard-core tacos and massive burritos are served in an edgy atmosphere. $ Lola’s 3312 Esplanade Ave., 488-6946, LolasNewOrleans.com. D daily. Garlicky Spanish dishes and great paella make this artsy boîte a hipster destination. $$$

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DINING GUIDE H Mona’s Café 3901 Banks St., 4827743. L, D daily. Middle Eastern specialties such as baba ganuj, tender-tangy beef or chicken shawarma, falafel and gyros, stuffed into pillowy pita bread or on platters. The lentil soup with crunchy pita chips and desserts, such as sticky sweet baklava, round out the menu. $

H Taqueria Guerrero 208 N. Carrollton Ave., 484-6959. B, L, D, Tue-Sat. Friendly staff and authentic Mexican cuisine make this affordable neighborhood restaurant a neighborhood favorite. $

Uptown––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– H Café Abyssinia 3511 Magazine St., 894-6238. L, D daily. One of a just few authentic Ethiopian restaurants in the city, excellent injera and spicy vegetarian fare make this a local favorite. $$

H Irish House 1432 St. Charles Ave., 595-6755, TheIrishHouseNewOrleans.com.

L Mon-Fri, D daily, Br Sat-Sun. Irish pub dishes such as shepherd’s pie and fish and chips are featured here, as well as creative cocktails like Irish iced coffee. Check the schedule of events for live music. $$ Jamila’s Mediterranean Tunisian Cuisine 7808 Maple St., 866-4366. D TueSun. Intimate and exotic bistro serving Mediterranean and Tunisian cuisine. The Grilled Merguez is a Jazz Fest favorite and vegetarian options are offered. $$

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Juan’s Flying Burrito 2018 Magazine St., 569-0000, JuansFlyingBurrito.com. L, D daily. Hard-core tacos and massive burritos are served in an edgy atmosphere. $

H Mona’s Café 4126 Magazine St., 8949800; 1120 S. Carrollton Ave., 861-8174.

L, D daily. Middle Eastern specialties such as baba ganuj, tender-tangy beef or chicken shawarma, falafel and gyros, stuffed into pillowy pita bread or on platters. The lentil soup with crunchy pita chips and desserts, such as sticky sweet baklava, round out the menu. $

H Panchita’s 1434 S. Carrollton Ave., 281-4127. L, D daily. Authentic, budgetfriendly Mexican restaurant serves tamales, mole and offers free chips and salsa as well as sangria. $

H Patois 6078 Laurel St., 895-9441, PatoisNola.com. L Fri, D Wed-Sat, Br Sun. The food is French in technique, with influences from across the Mediterranean as well as the American South, all filtered through the talent of chef Aaron Burgau.

Reservations recommended. $$$

Specialty Foods

CBD/Warehouse District––––––––––– Calcasieu 930 Tchoupitoulas St., 5882188, CalcasieuRooms.com. For gatherings both large and small, the catering menus feature modern Louisiana cooking

and the Cajun cuisine for which chef Donald Link is justifiably famous.

French Quarter––––––––––––––––––––––– Antoine’s Annex 513 Royal St., 525-8045, Antoines.com/Antoines-Annex. Open daily. Serves French pastries, including individual baked Alaskas, ice cream and gelato, as well as panini, salads and coffee. Delivery available.

Metairie–––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– Sucré 3301 Veterans Blvd., 834-2277, ShopSucre.com. Desserts daily. Open late weekends. Chocolates, pastry and gelato draw rave reviews at this dessert destination. Beautiful packaging makes this a great place to shop for gifts. Catering available.

269-5707, BlueFrogChocolates.com. Open daily, closed Sundays in summer. French and Belgian chocolate truffles and Italian candy flowers make this a great place for gifts.

St. James Cheese Company 5004 Prytania St., 899-4737, StJamesCheese. com. Open daily. Specialty shop offers a selection of fine cheeses, wines, beers and related accouterments. Look for wine and cheese specials every Friday.

Sucré 3025 Magazine St., 520-8311, ShopSucre.com. Desserts daily & nightly.

Open late weekends. Chocolates, pastry and gelato draw rave reviews at this dessert destination. Beautiful packaging makes this a great place to shop for gifts.

Catering available. n

Mid-City––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– H Blue Dot Donuts 4301 Canal St., 2184866, BlueDotDonuts.com. B, L Tue-Sun. The Bacon Maple Long John gets all the press, but returning customers are happy with the classics as well as twists like peanut butter and jelly.

Uptown––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––––– H Blue Dot Donuts 5236 Tchoupitoulas St., 941-7675, BlueDotDonuts.com. B, L Tue-Sun. The Bacon Maple Long John gets all the press, but returning customers are happy with the classics as well as twists like peanut butter and jelly.

Blue Frog Chocolates 5707 Magazine St.,

If you feel that a restaurant has been misplaced, please email Managing Editor Morgan Packard at Morgan@MyNewOrleans.com.

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Festivals, Food, & Springtime Fun

F

rom seafood and music to antiques, wine and Cajun culture, festivals across South Louisiana run the gamut in terms of celebratory subjects, and the state’s springtime weather welcomes residents and visitors alike to join in the festivities.

Aside from the variety of festivals happening throughout the spring and summer months, there’s plenty to do across the region – and some favorite warm-weather activities include dining and imbibing, shopping, traveling, relaxing and exploring the art, culture and history of the region. New Orleans restaurants are taking advantage of seasonal seafood and vegetables while introducing new menu items and happy hours. Local shops are bringing in new merchandise, fest-friendly gear and other nearby venues offer a variety of options for entertainment in the form of tours, visual art, special occasions and more. Find your springtime enjoyment among the following exciting opportunities for family fun.

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their parents and the Festival Pass, an additional way to experience Festival International with perks like a Rooftop Lounge, express drink lines and a seated viewing area.

Visit their website for more information at FestivalInternational.org.

Culture, shopping and festivals take center stage in April in St. Landry Parish. The Semi Annual Antique Fair & Yard Sale in Washington, April 10-12, features more than 200 vendors. That same weekend, 2nd Saturdays kicks off along the Corridor des Arts on April 11. A different theme each month will highlight specific antiques, art, cuisine and special interests along the trail. Cap the day off by helping famed Cajun musician DL Menard celebrate his 83rd birthday at the Liberty in Eunice, starting at 6 p.m.

April 16-19, the historic town of Washington will host the Washington Catfish Festival. Then it’s Arnaudville’s turn to celebrate with the annual Etouffee Festival April 24-26. The following weekend welcomes spring flowers on May 2 at the Sunset Herb & Garden Festival. Take your pick of garden décor, yard art, herbs, flowers and pottery.

For more information, visit CajunTravel.com or call (877) 948-8004.

Festival International de Louisiane

Festivals, Fairs & More Downtown Lafayette, Louisiana, transforms into an entertainment complex during Festival International de Louisiane, April 22 through 26, the largest free Francophone festival designed to celebrate cultural expression in a variety of performance arts and to encourage understanding and appreciation for the different cultures that shape Acadiana.

This year’s lineup includes international acts such as Grammy award-winning artist Angelique Kidjo, Ukrainian folk-punk performers DakhaBrakha, Vieux Farka Toure from Mali and multi-lingual hip hop group Nomadic Massive. The lineup also features local legends such as Buckwheat Zydeco, Terrance Simien & the Zydeco Experience and Jon Cleary.

Particularly exciting this year are the collaborations with various arts organizations for Scene des Jeunes, an area full of activities for kids and

Festival season is in high gear this season in beautiful Bayou Lafourche.

Fill your belly April 17-19 at the Lockport Food Festival, “La Fete du Monde.” Also, don’t miss the Thibodaux Fireman’s Fair April 30May 3, complete with a Firemen’s Parade and a carnival midway.

Celebrate on into summer at The Bon Mangé Festival on June 5-7 in Gheens.

Each festival boasts an abundance of genuine Cajun food as well as music to keep you moving.

Spring is also a great time of year to venture outdoors and see Louisiana’s unique wetlands. From April 9-12, Paddle Bayou Lafourche provides the opportunity to experience the natural elegance of Bayou Lafourche. Paddlers choose between one to four days to participate in this 52-mile adventure from Donaldsonville to Lockport. For more information or to register, visit btnep.org. Find endless events and attractions at VisitLafourche.com, and experience all Lafourche has to offer.

Northwest Florida will be the epicenter of the wine world the myneworleans.com / APRIL 2015

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South Walton Beaches Wine & Food Festival

fourth weekend of April as the South Walton Beaches Wine & Food Festival and Destin Charity Wine Auction host many of the preeminent vintners from around the world. Fifth generation wine pioneer Marc Perrin of the legendary Château de Beaucastel is joining the star-studded lineup.

From the legendary Château de Beaucastel to a recent partnership with Miraval Estate owned by Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, Famille Perrin represents an approach to winemaking that respects the traditions of the past, while creating innovations for the future.

In addition, dashing French winemaker Jean-Charles Boisset of Boisset Family Estates and La Famille Des Grands Vins is also joining the dazzling roster of celebrity winemakers with the JCB Experience. Wine tastings will be complemented by culinary demonstrations, seminars, live music, a craft beer and spirits night and more.

The South Walton Beaches Food & Wine Festival will be held April 23-26, 2015 in Grand Boulevard at Sandestin.

Proceeds benefit the Destin Charity Wine Auction Foundation. For details and tickets, visit SoWalWine.com.

Just 40 minutes southwest of New Orleans, where the Intracoastal Canal meets the Bayou Lafourche waterway, local families are gathering for a tradition of Cajun food, music, an old-fashioned carnival midway, craft show and more! The Bayou Cajun Fest will be held May 8-10 at the Larose Civic Center. Parking and admission are free of 96

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charge and guests are invited to bring their chairs and spend the weekend!

This family-friendly festival features a craft show, payone-price seafood cook-off, live music, carnival rides and delicious food. The best musicians in Louisiana will take the stage – Friday opens with Aaron Foret and Drunk Punch Ponies. Saturday features Gary T, Ruff N Ready and Clustafunk. Sunday lunch-goers can enjoy a reservationsonly Mother’s Day Brunch prepared by Randolph Cheramie, while Waylon Thibodeaux and Ryan Foret & Foret Tradition close out the weekend on stage.

Information can be found at BayouCivicClub.org or by calling (985) 693-7355.

Memorial Day Weekend brings a yearly tradition of outdoor dancing, Greek wine and food, cultural performances and fun for kids along the beautiful Bayou St. John at New Orleans Greek Festival. Now in its 42nd year, New Orleans Greek Festival showcases all things Greek – traditional Greek dinners and gyros, feta fries and calamari; Greek wines, cheeses, olives and dips in the Greek Grocery; and live Greek music, complete with a dance floor. Located at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Cathedral at 1200 Robert E. Lee Blvd., the first Greek Orthodox church in the Americas, the festival offers fun for the whole family with a variety of entertainment, shopping opportunities, Greek pastries and activities for children.

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Bayou Cajun Fest

The festival kicks off Fri., May 22, 5-11 p.m., and the New Orleans Track Club’s 5k Greek Festival Run registration begins at 6 p.m. at Robert E. Lee and Wisner boulevards.

The fest runs 11 a.m.-11 p.m., on Sat., May 23, and 11 a.m.9 p.m., on Sun., May 24. Entrance is $7 and free for children under 12. Toga-wearers on Sunday get in free. For more information, visit GFNO.org.

The 10th annual Mid-City Bayou Boogaloo comes to the beautiful and historic banks of Bayou St. John on May 15-18.

With an art market, music from three stages and diverse food offerings, the free Mid-City Bayou Boogaloo is a familyfriendly event and local favorite.

The Mid-City Bayou Boogaloo is produced by the not-forprofit MotherShip Foundation, a 501c3 organization that uses proceeds from the annual festival for a variety of community improvements in the arts, culture and recreation and for its ongoing Restore the Bayou Canopy Campaign.

Festival goers who join the MotherShip Foundation at the $250 level will receive access to The Canopy Club for all three days of the 2015 Mid-City Bayou Boogaloo. A V.I.P. area located next to the main stage, the Canopy Club offers shade, comfy seating, a premium bar, cooling units and stage-level viewing.

Visit MothershipFoundation.org and TheBayouBoogaloo. com for an updated music schedule and more information.

Since 1928, the Deutsches Haus New Orleans has celebrated and fostered the rich culture, musical heritage, language and history of the German people. The Haus features organizations dedicated to German song, dance and language, and for years the Haus has awarded numerous scholarships for German language and history students to study abroad. In the fall of each year, however, the Deutsches Haus New Orleans is known for one thing: Oktoberfest!

Oktoberfest 2015 is approaching and will run for three consecutive weekends in the fall in the spacious Rivertown in Kenner. The 2015 Fest runs Oct. 9-10, 16-17 and 23-24. These six days will be filled with live German music, traditional German food and of course dozens of unique German beers. This year’s event will also include Wiener dog races, Stein holding contests and booths with activities for kids. An Oktoberfest 5K takes place on Sat., Oct. 10. For more information about Deutsches Haus and Oktoberfest, visit DeutschesHaus.org or facebook.com/ DeutschesHausNOLA. Just 40 miles north of the Big Easy, the historic City of Covington lies enveloped by scenic rivers, live oak trees and fragrant long-leaf pines. Covington’s charming downtown offers an abundance of world-class dining and entertainment options, as well as unique boutiques and art galleries where you can discover one-of-a kind treasures. myneworleans.com / APRIL 2015

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ArtsQuest at Grand Boulevard

Every Thursday in April, the city hosts the Rockin’ the Rails free concerts at the Covington Trailhead. The concerts run 5-7:30 p.m., and feature some of the most celebrated musicians of the Greater New Orleans Area.

Spring in Covington boasts several other events, including the fourth annual Taste of Covington, April 9-12, which celebrates local food and fine wine. The event takes place in conjunction with St. Tammany Art Association’s Spring for Art on April 11. The historic city is excited to announce the first annual Covington Heritage Antique Festival, April 18-19, which will feature antiques, vintage collectibles and crafts, architectural salvage, a live auction, appraisals, demonstrations, food, music and much more.

After attending your fests of choice, blissfully end your evening with an overnight stay at one of many charming bed and breakfasts. Visit CovLa.com for more information.

ArtsQuest, a fine arts festival produced by the Cultural Arts Alliance of Walton County (CAA) and presented by Visit South Walton and Grand Boulevard at Sandestin, is a juried fine arts festival featuring over 100 artists in various mediums including but not limited to ceramics, glass, oil and acrylics, photography and sculpture. Exhibiting artists from across the US compete for awards and cash prizes totaling $10,000. A Mother’s Day weekend tradition, the 27th annual festival is scheduled for May 8-10 in Grand Boulevard at Sandestin’s Town Center.

Inspired by Featured Artist Amanda Bennett’s artwork, ArtsQuest will be styled in a French circus theme with 98

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traveling entertainment, jugglers, stilt walkers and more.

The Grand Park Main Stage will feature continuous, family-friendly live music performances and ArtsQuest’s “ImagiNation (where kids rule),” will feature arts activities and a student art exhibit.

Live art demonstrations, a CAA Member exhibit and the new “Gallery Lane,” will round out the weekend. Food and a cash bar will be available in Grand Park. ArtsQuest is open to the public, and a $5 donation is suggested. For more information on the fest’s artists and schedule, visit ArtsQuestFlorida.com.

Dining & Imbibing Chappy’s Restaurant, located three blocks from beautiful Audubon Park on Magazine Street, is the perfect place for Sunday relaxation with its three-course, $15 Sunday Brunch from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. featuring $6 bloody Marys and mimosas.

Complimentary parking is available at Perlis.

The restaurant’s nightly menu focuses on seafood and steaks with a strong emphasis on the Creole-Cajun style of cooking. Wild-caught salmon and tuna, as well as scallops, speckled trout, redfish, shrimp and oysters are among the highlights, along with lamb, chicken and steaks. The restaurant proudly incorporates products from local dairies, farmers and meat purveyors. Chappy’s is home of the famous Pork Chop Napoleon, two blackened pork chops Photo Moon Creek Studios

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stuffed with oyster dressing and fried oysters drizzled with French tarragon béarnaise.

Private dining and special events are available at the restaurant. Sunday Brunch runs $15 for three courses. Call 208-8772 to make reservations or book your function. View menus and more online at Chappys.com.

Why limit the joys of brunch to weekends only? At the Court of Two Sisters, a sumptuous Jazz Brunch is an everyday occurrence with hot and cold dishes served in the restaurant’s beautiful French Quarter courtyard alongside live Dixieland music. The buffet’s selection features fresh foods based on the season.

Eggs any style, made-to-order omelets, Eggs Benedict and turtle soup are served all day. A typical morning selection of hot dishes includes pancakes, sausage, ham, bacon, hash browns and grits and grillades, while the afternoon’s sampling includes Creole jambalaya, Duck a L’Orange, Shrimp Etouffee, barbecue pork ribs, chicken and andouille gumbo, catfish roulade and an assortment of vegetables and side dishes. The cold buffet is a creative sampling of boiled shrimp (and crawfish when available), seafood and pasta salads, ceviche, pâtés, cheeses and a variety of fresh fruits.

The restaurant is available to host special events in a beautiful setting all season long. Open seven days a week, the Jazz Brunch Buffet is served from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. and romantic Creole Dinners are served nightly from 5:30-10 p.m. Reservations are recommended. For more information, visit CourtOfTwoSisters.com or call 522-7261.

Located in the Lower Garden District and just blocks from Downtown New Orleans, Hoshun Restaurant delivers a flavorful punch of pan-Asian flavors with their own take on traditional dishes from China, Japan, Vietnam and other South-Asian countries.

Popular menu items include pho soup and Vietnamese spring rolls, pad thai, sushi, General Tso’s Chicken, Hunan steak, Kung Pao shrimp and more.

Open daily until 2 a.m., Hoshun is a favorite late-night spot for locals and visitors alike. Visitors can look forward myneworleans.com / APRIL 2015

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to the addition of sharable small plates to the menu in the near future.

Whether you’re looking for seafood, steak or vegetarian fare, Hoshun’s extensive menu provides options for everyone. Salt & Pepper Shrimp and Ahi Tuna Seared are a couple of Hoshun’s seafood specialties, while Butter Pepper Mignon offers a meatier possibility.

For menu and information, visit HoshunRestaurant.com or call 302-9716. Located at 1601 St. Charles Ave., Hoshun offers a private party room overlooking the St. Charles Avenue streetcar line fitting 25-70 people.

Located just steps off Bourbon Street in the heart of the beloved French Quarter, Arnaud’s offers classic Creole cuisine and exemplary service in beautifully restored turnof-the-century dining rooms. Since its inception in 1918, Arnaud’s has remained true to its traditions and courtesies.

Enjoy live Dixieland Jazz in the Jazz Bistro, authentic New Orleans dining in the Main Dining Room, cocktails in the world-renowned French 75 Bar and 14 private dining rooms perfect for any occasion. Arnaud’s delivers a quintessential New Orleans experience to locals and visitors alike.

This spring, celebrate Easter, Mother’s Day and Father’s Day at Arnaud’s for a truly memorable dining experience with family and friends. Arnaud’s is open nightly for dinner and private dining and offers brunch every Sunday. For more information or to make reservations, call 523-5433 or visit ArnaudsRestaurant.com.

Arnaud's

Five Happiness, New Orleans’ award-winning Chinese restaurant, offers a delicious menu of Sichuan and Hunan specialties in a newly renovated sleek and elegant dining room. Enjoy the succulent shrimp with honey roasted pecans, General’s Chicken or asparagus sautéed with garlic sauce in a comfortable and unique setting distinguished by its authentic Chinese décor of etched glass and Chinese paintings. The dining room, now split into three rooms, provides a more private dining experience for guests.

The well-known and affordable Imperial Room is available at Five Happiness for private parties, receptions or other functions and can hold 50-150 people. Serving

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options are customized for each party, ranging from sitdown dinners to buffets or cocktails with hors d’oeuvres and prices ranging from $20-$45 per person. For more information, call 482-3935 or visit FiveHappiness.com.

Sucré

Combining exceptional artistry with culinary skill, nationally renowned Executive Chef Tariq Hanna and confectioners at Sucré use seasonal flavors to satisfy the sweet tooth of New Orleans. Award-winning French macarons, artisan chocolate bars, Big Awesome Cookies, gourmet drinking chocolates, hand-made marshmallows, southern candied pecans, gourmet coffee, gelato and traditional King Cakes are featured at their two current locations and recently opened French Quarter location at 622 Conti St. All of Sucré’s desserts, sweet treats and holiday collections make perfect gifts for family, friends, coworkers and party hosts and are available for delivery and curbside pick-up, or can be ordered online and shipped nationwide.

Sucré French Quarter debuted their new restaurant and private event venue, Salon, in March. Salon is Sucré’s take on afternoon tea and night service, including savory and sweet menus, a sophisticated wine list and specialty cocktails.

Sucré confectioners proudly use Louisiana cane sugar, produce and dairy in their high quality, locally made treats.

Celebrate your special day with Sucré’s one-of-a-kind specialty and wedding cakes in various flavors. Visit Sucré at 3025 Magazine St., right outside Lakeside Mall and in the French Quarter. To place orders online, visit ShopSucre.com.

The Q&C Hotel/Bar is committed to the timeless spirit of Southern hospitality, but don’t expect a stuffy or oldfashioned atmosphere. At the heart of Q&C are gastro-nerds, music fans and culture junkies devoted to spreading the gospel of New Orleans’ greatest undiscovered experiences.

Perfect for post-work or pre-partying, the Q&C Hotel/Bar showcases exceptional ambiance, in addition to the creative culinary concoctions of Executive Chef Josh Garic and craft cocktails by Bar Manager P.J. Hanne. Garic describes his menu as sophisticated bar food with an emphasis on small plates. He uses locally sourced ingredients and makes all dishes and components in-house. The bar recently established a new happy hour with $10 pizzas, $5 high balls,

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$5 house wines and the “French 75,” a French 75 cocktail served with hand-cut french fries. Smalls plates on the menu include selections such as boudin, fried cheese curds, house-made pimento cheese on jalepeño pepper jelly toast and french fries served with a house-made hot sauce mayo.

For more information the Q & C Hotel/Bar, visit QandC.com or call (866) 247-7936. You can also find the hotel/bar on Facebook (QCHotel), and Twitter and Instagram (@QCHotel).

Q&C Hotel/Bar

For a decade, Austin’s Restaurant has been known as Metairie’s hot spot for steak, seafood and the Creole-Italian creations of restaurateur Ed McIntyre and his esteemed culinary staff. Garnering awards and accolades from critics and readers alike, readers of New Orleans Magazine named Austin’s “Favorite Steak House” and voted founder Ed McIntyre as a “New Orleanian of the Year” in 2010.

Austin’s impressive menu includes signature appetizers, soups and salads such as the popular Austin’s Louisiana Creole Crab Salad and Oyster Fitzgerald, as well as the finest aged USDA steaks and savory Creole-Italian entrees of seafood, veal, duck and pork.

Austin’s is located at 5101 W. Esplanade Ave., in Metairie.

For more information or to make reservations, call 8885533. Visit Austin’s online at AustinsNO.com. Private party rooms are available for luncheons, banquets and rehearsal dinners. For more casual fare, McIntyre also oversees Mr. Ed’s Seafood & Italian Restaurant, Mr. Ed’s Oyster Bar & Fish House and Cheeseburger Eddie’s.

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Söpö Southern Posh

Fashion & Accessories Broussard's Restaurant

Broussard’s Restaurant has been a true New Orleans treasure for 95 years, providing unsurpassed cuisine in an atmosphere of understated elegance and historical significance. Broussard’s recently completed a million dollar renovation of the long-standing gem in the French Quarter, keeping the glamour and refinement while providing an elegant sense of modernity.

Today, Executive Chef Neal Swidler is overseeing the kitchen with more than 20 years of experience in some of the best kitchens in New Orleans. He offers a new dinner menu, including a dégustation menu, consisting of exciting new items, as well as some of his signature dishes. Expect many of the same classics with innovative new twists.

For more information on Broussard’s and its lunch or dinner menu, please visit Broussards.com or call 581-3866 to make reservations.

After the Fest, stop by any of the Tropical Isles, home of the Hand Grenade®, New Orleans’ Most Powerful Drink®. Also, enjoy a Hand Grenade at Funky Pirate Blues Club or Bayou Club. Experience Trop Rock, Cajun/Zydeco & the Blues with Tropical Isle’s nightly entertainment, the best on Bourbon.

State-of-the-art sound systems plus great live bands will keep you dancing the night away at Tropical Isle Bourbon, Tropical Isle Original, Little Tropical Isle, Funky Pirate and the Bayou Club. While you’re there, ask about the new Hand Grenade® Martini.

Enjoy big screen TVs at Funky Pirate, Bayou Club, Tropical Isle Bourbon and Top of the Trop. For more on Tropical Isle, visit TropicalIsle.com.

For a quiet escape, visit local favorite The Orleans Grapvine Wine Bar & Bistro right off of Bourbon at 720 Orleans Ave., which has more than 200 varieties of wine by the bottle and plenty of wine by the glass. For sample menus and wine lists, visit OrleansGrapevine.com.

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On Carrollton Avenue, right on the route to the Fairgrounds, lies Söpö Southern Posh, a locally owned twostory boutique with homegrown goods to please both the pickiest and quirkiest of palates.

Söpö offers a shopping experience unlike anything else in New Orleans, offering a fresh spin on southern-classic style.

Stocked with independent designers (many of them local), their curated collection of womenswear, home goods, gifts and baby wares are hand-selected by two stylish local ladies.

Festivalgoers are offered gauzy dresses, whispery tees and fest-ready bags and hats by nichey lines like Ace&Jig, Black Crane and Ilana Kohn. Stop by Söpö and when you leave, you’ll be all ready for shakin’ it on the fairgrounds.

To find out more about Söpö, head to SopoNola.com, like them on their Facebook page or follow them via Twitter or Instagram using @soponola.

There is an oft-touted bit of womanly wisdom that many of us choose to ignore: the right bra will make your chest, back and shoulders look and feel better. No one understands this truth better than bra expert (or “Genie”) Jeanne Emory, owner of Bra Genie. For more than a decade, Jeanne has been working with women to enhance the comfort and fit of their bras with international brand names and a team of fitting experts.

Bra Genie began in 2005 in Mandeville and has grown to a 3,500-square-foot store with more than 200 bra size options available. Whether you are voluptuous and busty or petite and small-breasted, looking to lessen the strain of that overnight shift or to enhance your look for a night out, Jeanne and her team of expert fitters will ensure a style and feel that will revolutionize your undergarment wardrobe.

Walk-ins, scheduled appointments and free shipping are all shopping options.

Bra Genie Baton Rouge (in Towne Center) opens in April!

For more information, visit TheBraGenie.com or call (985) 951-8638 to speak to a bra fit specialist.

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Bra Genie

When you’re exploring the city during French Quarter Fest, Jazz Fest or just a long weekend, don’t miss the most iconic and traditional New Orleans designs in art, jewelry, accessories and gifts, made by the designers at Fleur d’ Orleans. Drop in at 3701-A Magazine St., or at their charming new French Quarter location at 818 Rue Chartres.

Fleur d’ Orleans has created more than 150 unique pieces of sterling silver jewelry inspired by art and architectural designs found around the city, so you can celebrate and share the design heritage of New Orleans. Whether you need handmade sterling silver earrings, brooches or pendants, semi-precious jewels set in sterling, beautiful silk scarves or handmade paper notecards, you will find a rich array of designer accessories and gifts at Fleur d’ Orleans.

You can also explore their exclusive designs (with free online shipping) at their website, FleurDOrleans.com. For more information and hours, call 899-5585 (Magazine St.) or 4755254 (Chartres).

You have gotten the beads, hurricane glasses, masks and shrunken alligator heads, but would you also like to take home something that’s stylish and beautiful and that you cannot get anywhere else? Then visit QUEORK, a fantastic French Quarter boutique that’s the first of its kind not only in New Orleans, but in the United States! QUEORK is a local business that specializes in fine handbags, shoes and accessories for fashion, home and office that all prominently feature natural cork “leather.”

Cork leather comes from the same raw material as wine corks – the bark of the cork oak tree. Once the bark is removed by hand, which allows the tree to continue growing, it’s processed into a supple, waterproof, scratchproof, stain resistant, hypoallergenic, antimicrobial and durable fabric that QUEORK transforms into luxurious products. Visit QUEORK in the French Quarter and see the stunning array of colors and designs they offers. From handbags, wallets, belts, bowties, boots, jewelry, aprons, hats and more, there’s something for everyone at QUEORK. You can even get a collar for your special four-legged friend.

Visit QUEORK at 838 Rue Chartres or shop online at Queork.com. myneworleans.com / APRIL 2015

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The French Market District is comprised of a scenic sixblock stretch along the Mississippi River in New Orleans from Café du Monde to the Farmers and Flea Markets and also includes The Shops at the Upper Pontalba on Jackson Square. Stroll this eclectic “neighborhood within a neighborhood” to experience historic architecture, al fresco dining, live music, boutique retail shopping and plenty of affordable, eclectic souvenirs. Three parking lots, two streetcar stops and easily accessible horse-drawn carriages and pedicabs make this a relaxing, family-friendly and manageable destination.

The entire French Market District is open seven days a week, 365 days a year, 9 a.m.-6 p.m. (with some restaurants open later). With live music daily at restaurants, two weekly farmers markets (Wednesdays 2-6 p.m., and Saturdays 10 a.m.-2 p.m.), free special events on weekends, annual festivals such as the French Market Creole Tomato Festival, plus regular culinary demonstrations and concert series, it’s easy to see why “It’s always festival season at the French Market.”

For more information, visit FrenchMarket.org.

Opening this month at 2105 Magazine St. is Grandmother’s Buttons NOLA, a second location of the beloved Louisiana brand of jewelry created with antique buttons and vintage glass.

Attend the Grand Opening on Thurs., April 9, 5-8 p.m., to see the extensive jewelry collection and eclectic assortment of home goods and apparel. Be one of the first 50 customers (starting at 5 p.m.) and receive a gift bag filled with jewelry and fun gift samples.

Many Louisianians have visited Grandmother’s Buttons

The Grand Hotel

flagship store, located in an historic bank building in St. Francisville. Labeled “the best shopping in town” by Southern Living, this 20-year-old location for the company also features a button museum in the old bank vault. Many have also seen the jewelry as they travel, as Grandmother’s Buttons is carried by some 500 independent stores and boutiques around the United States and Canada.

For more information on the company, visit GrandmothersButtons.com, call 249-5821, or follow them on Facebook (Grandmother’s Buttons) and Instagram (@grandmothersbuttons_nola).

Grandmother’s Buttons NOLA

Spas & Relaxation Head East on Interstate 10 and escape to one of Conde Nast Traveler’s top resort spas: Spa at the Grand Hotel in Point Clear, Alabama. While spring is full of events and obligations, don’t forget about treating yourself. Bathed in the charm and beauty and serenaded by the timeless rhythm of the sea, The Spa at The Grand invites you to step into a world of gracious hospitality and luxurious service cocooned in 550 of the most beautiful acres in the region.

Spa at the Grand Hotel is devoted to your complete well being and provides a serene environment designed to relax, revitalize and rejuvenate the mind, body and spirit. Allow yourself to drift gently for an hour, a day or an extended stay.

After your Aromatic Warm Stone Massage and Signature Grand Facial, enjoy three pools, two golf courses, daily cannon firing, fine dining, Fairhope shopping or simple relaxation. Visit GrandHotelMarriott.com or call (251) 9289201 for more information.

Arts & Entertainment Natives and visitors alike will enjoy Mid-City Errands, a comic novel set in 1959 at the Fair Grounds, site of the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival and its surrounding neighborhood. Authored by New Orleans native Ronald 104

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Fisher, Mid-City Errands recounts the adventures of its 7-year-old hero who, while running to neighborhood shops for his mother to buy the best roast beef poor boy in the whole wide world and hanging out at the horse races with his daddy, tries to figure out what happens to doughnut holes, what impure thoughts are, why a mysterious black Pontiac ran over his friend on the street corner and whether his friend will die.

Paperback version of MidCity Errands is available at fine local bookstores, including Maple Street Book Shop and Tubby & Coo’s Mid-City Book Shop. The e-book is available online from Amazon.com. Learn more at VonnyFoster.com.

French Quarter Phantoms has been named one of TripAdvisor’s Top 10 Ghost Tours in the World and The Discovery Channel’s “Official Best of Louisiana 2014!” For skeptics and believers alike, this tour is the perfect way to

enjoy an evening in the French Quarter. Join French Quarter Phantoms Master Story Tellers for a lot of great laughs and some disturbing chills up your spine. True tales of hauntings and horrors – you’ll be surprised to hear what some “nice” ladies and gentlemen are capable of doing. Family-friendly fun for locals and visitors, the tours begin at 6 and 8 p.m. nightly.

Authorized tours of St Louis No. 1 Cemetery are available daily. Reservations are suggested. Call 666-8300. Join French Quarter Phantoms for the most interesting and unique tours in New Orleans!

A dynamic arts institution nestled among the live oaks of Tulane University, the Newcomb Art Gallery was born out of the rich creative legacy of Newcomb College, internationally renowned for its fine arts program and pottery studio. The gallery sustains Newcomb’s heritage of design innovation and social enterprise by presenting diverse shows by historically significant and noted contemporary artists, with a particular focus on women, interdisciplinarity and community.

Through May 24, the gallery presents “Edgar Degas: The Private Impressionist, Works on Paper by the Artist and His Circle” with drawings, prints and sculpture from a single private collection. The gallery is open TuesdayFriday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., and Saturday-Sunday, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Learn more by visiting NewcombArtGallery.tulane. edu or call 865-5328. The gallery and its programs are free and open to the public.

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Spring & Summer Travel Over more than 25 years, Vacation Express has grown to become one of the largest tour operators in the United States, specializing in quality, cost-effective, all-inclusive vacation packages to over 35 destinations in the Caribbean, Mexico and Costa Rica.

This year, Vacation Express will once again offer exclusive, non-stop flights from Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport to Cancun, Riviera Maya and introduce flights to the most sought after vacation destination, Punta Cana! These exclusive, non-stop flights will depart every Thursday, Saturday and Sunday from May 14 to Aug. 27, and are operated by Swift Air, LLC and Sunwing Airlines.

When booking with Vacation Express, your all-inclusive vacation package includes an exclusive non-stop flight, resort accommodations,a local representative, all meals, all drinks, taxes and more! Whether you want to visit paradise for a weekend getaway or escape reality for a week, Vacation Express is your go-to destination for all-inclusive beach vacations.

Visit VacationExpress.com to learn more.

Special Occasions The Jaxson’s unique New Orleans ambiance and exceptionally adaptable space make it a truly exciting location for any special occasion, large or small, funky or elegant. Situated on the Mississippi Riverfront with a spectacular outside terrace in the city’s historic and colorful French Quarter, it boasts an open floor plan capable of accommodating groups from 70 to 400. This is a place with its very own personality, evoking the romance of the Mississippi River in the era of steamboats and horse-drawn wagons.

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Creating an unforgettable event begins with an unforgettable level of service. At The Jaxson, personalized service is the central focus. The passion of The Jaxson staff is to make sure your event exceeds expectations, which is why a member of their team will work closely with you to ensure your vision becomes a reality. Their goal is to make your event as worry-free and enjoyable for you as it will be for your guests. If you’re ready to move from planning an event to creating an experience, contact The Jaxson today.

Start planning your event by visiting TheJaxson.com or calling 586-1309.

Special Event/Festival Resources Alternative Insurance Solutions, founded by Jeremy Scobey, is a New Orleans-based resource for homeowners looking to insure their homes from damages from fires, hurricanes, theft and flooding. Alternative Insurance Solutions also provides insurance for businesses (including but not limited to general liability for artisan contractors such as roofers, plumbers, electricians, painters, framers and general contractors) as well as offering auto insurance, both personal and commercial, covering one auto or a fleet of autos. Additionally, the agency writes policies for special events and festivals.

“I really love structures, whether it’s a house, an apartment complex, condo association, a strip mall or office building,” says Scobey. “My first real success story is saving a condo association over $50,000 on their annual insurance premium, saving them about 35 percent on their premium,” he says. Scobey’s previous experience as a mortgage broker gives him added expertise in working with realtors, lenders, title companies and builders.

For more information or for insurance assistance, call Alternative Insurance Solutions at 464-3000. •

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break from school doesn’t have to mean a break from learning, and area schools and educational programs are gearing up for a season of fun with summer camps in academics, athletics and the arts. If you’re looking for a way to entertain your children this summer and maintain some time for your own work and relaxation, summer camps are a win-win for both parent and student. A variety of camps are being offered across the metro area this summer for Pre-K children through young adults up to 20 years old. From horseback riding to educational jump-starts, theater and sports teams, the variety of offerings are sure to touch on at least one, if not several, of your child’s interests.

Peruse the following summer camps, programs and shopping resources, and you may find your child a step ahead when the school year rolls back around.

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Schools & Programs Have a “whale” of a summer on the 12-acre country campus of Arden Cahill Academy’s Camp Corral! Cahill Camp Corral offers a relaxed environment where children continue to grow and develop during the summer months under the supervision of qualified teachers and experienced instructors. Activities and amenities include horseback riding, swimming, art, theater, sports, a game room, petting farm, computer games, academic and enrichment classes, field days, dances, fishing, a water slide, bounce house, camp-out, archery, riflery and much, much more. Campers ages 3 through 14 are welcome to attend (camper must turn 4

by Sept. 30).

Conveniently located on the West Bank (10 minutes from the GNO Bridge), the camp runs from 9 a.m. until 3p.m., with before and after care available. Hot lunches can be provided for an additional fee. Session dates are June 1-July 3 and July 6-Aug. 7 with options for weekly, session and full summer rates. To find more information or to register now, visit Camp Corral online at ArdenCahillAcademy.com.

Academy of the Sacred Heart is thrilled to open registration for the Academy of the Sacred Heart Summer Camp 2015. The school is excited to offer Summer Fun Day Camp for girls and Sports and More Day Camp for

boys. Other popular camps include their early childhood day camp called Summer Hearts for boys and girls, Creative HeARTS, Lower School Theater Camp (Seussical, Jr.), Ceramics, Sports Camps and their kick-off to the 2015-’16 school year called Jump Start I and Jump Start II. Academy of the Sacred Heart is also introducing new camps this summer: Joyful Journey, Creative Fire for Middle School, Upper School Theater (The Little Mermaid) and “I Can Be.” Visit AshRosary.org and find Summer Camp under the Campus Life tab. To register, visit AshSummerCamp.

CampBrainRegistration.com to create a family log in.

Or, contact the school by calling 269-1230 or emailing ashsummercamp@ashrosary.org.

Prepping for an exam is as important as its results, which can affect one’s acceptance into college as well as possible scholarships and other financing.

The Princeton Review offers area students a vast array of prep options, ranging from private tutoring and small group instruction to self-guided online courses and the LiveOnline Classroom.

The Princeton Review’s SAT, ACT and PSAT programs provide students with a personal prep experience that fits their unique learning style, schedule and budget.

Find the option that works best for your future graduate.

Program components vary and include several hours of in-class instruction, practice tests, personalized feedback, interactive multimedia lessons and more.

For more information on prep possibilities, visit

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PrincetonReview.com or call 826-8406. Find out if your student will make the grade with a free practice test at PrincetonReview.com/FreePracticeTest. In addition to prep programs, a complete line of prep books for SAT and ACT are also available at PrincetonReview.com/Bookstore.

Nationally, the Y has been a leader in providing summer camp for nearly 130 years. The YMCA of Greater New Orleans continues to give youth an enriching, safe experience with caring staff and volunteers who model positive values that help build their kids’ character. Summer camp is an integral part of a child’s growth and development during their formative years. The YMCA’s summer camp program works to nurture child development by teaching kids how to cultivate healthy relationships, build self-esteem, discover new talents, learn to be part of a team and maintain a healthy and active lifestyle.

The YMCA’s New Orleans summer camp program spans 11 weeks of fun and runs from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day at each YMCA facility across the region. For more information on the Y’s summer camp program and how to enroll, visit YMCANewOrleans.org.

The Louisiana Children’s Museum is the cool place to be this summer with a variety of hands-on camps that explore fitness, cooking, music, art, science, Louisiana Broadway Theatre Connection

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culture, financial literacy and more. Kids can learn what it takes to put on a great circus in Cirque de Play camp.

Campers will prepare and taste distinctive Louisiana dishes in the Bon Appetite! cooking camp. Aspiring artists will discover the art and history of printmaking and explore techniques and tools used by a variety of artists to make stamps, stencils, prints, collages and more during the Art of Printmaking camp. With a total of 14 different camps, the Louisiana Children’s Museum offers something – or several things – for everyone.

The museum’s weekly themed camps are designed for children ages 5 to 8; art camps are for children ages 7 to 10. To learn more about weekly camp themes, hours and fees, visit LCM.org.

St. Martin’s Episcopal School is a coeducational, independent school that provides students from 12 months through 12th grade with a superior and challenging college preparatory education focused on the development of the whole person. Students and faculty embrace the school’s motto, “Faith, Scholarship and Service.”

STEAM Camp at St. Martin’s is taking summer camp to a whole new level! Mark your calendar for their STEAM Camp Open House on Saturday, May 30, from 1-3p.m. To learn more and register online now, visit StMSaints.com/

SteamCamp.

George Cottage, St. Martin’s early childhood program, is growing with the addition of its infant program in August 2015! St. Martin’s invites you to enjoy a private tour of their 18-acre campus. For more information, call 736-9917 or visit St. Martin’s online at StMSaints.com.

In conjunction with NOCCA, Broadway Theatre Connection (BTC) presents a five-day Musical Theatre Intensive July 27-31 with Broadway’s finest mentors. BTC offers an exciting curriculum in Musical Theatre for young artists ages 8 to 20 years old who are interested in becoming well-rounded performers. Classes include: jazz; theatre dance; tap; voice; Acting a Song; monologues and sides; mock auditions and tips; original Broadway choreography; and a Faculty Q+A. Broadway Theatre Connection’s faculty is comprised of currently working professionals in the theatre industry. This program guarantees a well-rounded experience with an unmatched caliber of teachers. Visit the BTC Facebook page for announcements about the BTC faculty members coming to New Orleans in 2015!

For acceptance to the Summer Intensive, Broadway Theatre Connection requires that a student have training in one of the three disciplines of musical theatre: dance, acting, or voice.

Visit BroadwayTheatreConnection.com for details and

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registration. Tuition for the BTC NOLA 2015 Summer Intensive is $495, plus a $40 nonrefundable registration fee. Space is limited and scholarships are available through the support and generosity of NOTA. Christian Brothers School is a private Catholic school serving academically capable middle school boys in grades 5-7.

Enrollment is 350 students.

In addition to a grade-level accelerated curriculum, the school offers over two dozen extracurricular activities in athletics, academics, the arts and community service. It is the only school of its kind in the Greater New Orleans Area.

Christian Brothers School is proud to offer summer camps for both boys and girls entering the third through seventh grades. Athletic and

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academic programs are available Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., with extended care available in the mornings and afternoons.

Session I takes place June 8-19; Session II takes place June 22July 3; and Session III will run July 6-July 17.

Christian Brothers School is located at 8 Friederichs Ave. in City Park. Visit cbs-no.org or call 4866770 for more information.

Brother Martin High School is a Brothers of the Sacred Heart school for boys in eighth through 12th grades. Brother Martin is committed to holistic education with a focus on personal attention, academic excellence and strong character formation. A District 9-5A school, Brother Martin offers a full range of LHSAA athletic teams for all grade levels. Students can also choose from over 80 extracurricular activities.

This summer, Brother Martin will

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offer summer camp for boys 6-12. Camp will run from June 1-July 10. Mornings will be dedicated to sports, along with scheduled activities or field trips during the afternoons. Specialty sports camps in baseball (boys 8-14 years old) and basketball (boys entering third through eighth grades) will be held July 13-July 17 and July 20-24, respectively.

Before and after care is also available at an additional charge. A camp brochure is available at BrotherMartin.com.

Shopping Resources Haase’s Shoe Store and Young Folks Shop has been dressing children for summer camp for generations. Stroll down Oak Street and stop by Haase’s to check out new spring and summer arrivals. Available styles include Keds, Sperry, Salt Water sandals, New Balance tennis shoes and water shoes.

Whether your kids are running, swimming, jumping, acting or dancing, Haase has the footwear to go with the fun. Do not forget to shop their cute solid color T-shirts and always-popular polos.

Founded in 1921, Haase’s has been New Orleans' shoe store of choice for generations. Come to Haase’s for the small stuff so you don't sweat the big stuff! Happy camping to area students! Remember: “Haase’s Has ’Em!” Visit Haase’s Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m., and on Saturdays 10 a.m.-4 p.m. •

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PET CARE Magazine street animal clinic 3458 Magazine Street, New Orleans 504-891-4115 MagazineStreetAnimaClinic.com

Magazine Street Animal Clinic is committed to providing pets and their owners in the New Orleans area with the finest veterinary care possible. Throughout their history, pet owners have come to rely on them as welcoming and skilled partners in the care of their pet. They are open late to better serve you and your pet!

My Little Friends Emergency Clinic 4734 Magazine Street, New Orleans 504-899-1850 MyLittleFriendsEmergency.com

My Little Friends Emergency Clinic, located Uptown, is the only full-service emergency veterinary practice in New Orleans. The clinic shares space with Dog Day Afternoon Boarding, Daycare and Grooming Services. My Little Friends also offers evening and weekend non-emergency appointments.

Petcetera

3205 Magazine Street, New Orleans 504-269-8711 petceterala@gmail.com | PetCeteraNola.com Unique, affordable, organic, locally-made and American-sourced describe Petcetera's toys, treats, food, bowls, beds, clothing and furnishings. This full-service boutique hosts a doggie bakery, grooming salon and pet sitting services. Friendly, knowledgeable staff help you select the right product for your pet's health and happiness. •

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Lambeth House

Aging Parents & Active Adults W

e all get by with a little help from our friends, but more often than not, it’s our families who take on much of the helping. As many parents age, their adult children are often the first to lend a hand when assistance is needed. Whether it be monitoring medications, helping with laundry, chauffeuring to appointments, running errands or supporting through more complex and involved tasks, the amount of assistance can grow or lessen depending on the transitions and health challenges that are faced. Families who need outside resources are fortunate to be in a city so full of opportunities and services for the aging in the community. From independent or assisted living to memory care, primary care, specialty clinics, legal advice and pre-planning, there are professionals in every field who can help tackle the challenges ahead.

Retirement Living

The opening of Poydras Home’s Oak House Assisted Living addition in 2013 brought the full complement of gracious living options to its residents. Located on three acres in scenic Uptown New Orleans, Poydras Home is a continuing care retirement community that has been serving the needs of New Orleanians since 1817. Poydras Home residents can enjoy aging by partaking in Garden House (independent living), Oak House (assisted living) or the Historic House (nursing care) and PHASE (adult day program). All rooms are private and overlook manicured grounds. Poydras Home’s state of the art memory support areas, Seasons and Hunter House, provide unparalleled services with unique individualized activities 116

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Resources for Families

and a secured outdoor garden and walking path.

Poydras Home is known nationally for its quality of care and innovative programs that allow residents to enjoy life to the fullest in a beautiful and historic setting. Known for highly individualized care, Poydras Home is the only full continuum of care community with dementia care and an adult day program in the Greater New Orleans Area. For more information, visit PoydrasHome.com or call 897-0535.

Touro’s Woldenberg Village is one of the region’s premier healthcare and retirement communities, located just minutes from downtown New Orleans. The community offers quality care and an engaging lifestyle across the full spectrum of senior living, including independent living, assisted living and skilled nursing care.

The compassionate and highly trained staff at Woldenberg Village enrich the lives of residents by delivering exceptional senior housing, active adult living and personalized care.

Services and amenities include a Skilled Nursing facility that provides around-the-clock care, specialized Alzheimer’s and dementia care units and Assisted Living and Independent Living communities. Woldenberg is a pet-friendly campus and features group transportation for activities, errands and appointments, weekly housekeeping and laundry service, delicious meals served daily in a community dining area and private dining for small gatherings or family visits. A peaceful Chapel with onsite religious services and a beauty salon/barber shop are available for the convenience of residents.

Woldenberg offers a 24-hour emergency response sys-

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The Oaks of Louisiana

tem, short-term rehabilitation and in-patient hospice are available. To learn more or to schedule a tour, call 367-5640.

Peristyle Residences offers Residential Assisted Living and Memory Care in the comfort of luxurious and secure homes.

Peristyle Residences’ alternative senior living model offers homes with private bedrooms and congregate dining and living areas for seniors who may no longer be able to safely live at home but who do not need or prefer more traditional settings such as nursing homes and assisted living facilities.

There are five beautiful homes within great neighborhoods in New Orleans, Metairie and the West Bank. Peristyle Residences offers care, supervision and compassion to seniors and convenience and peace of mind for families and friends. These small communities foster the development of sincere relationships between caregivers and residents. Families are encouraged to decorate and furnish the homes with familiar items that are comforting and keep memories vivid.

Healthy meals are prepared on-site, and an array of stimulating activities keeps residents active at home.

Peristyle Residences are licensed by the Louisiana Department of Health & Hospitals, and all caregivers are trained in dementia care, have received background checks and have several years of senior living experience. Schedule a tour at PeristyleResidences.com or by calling 259-0326.

Vista Shores is a luxury senior living and memory care community located on Bayou St. John. Vista Shores’ residents enjoy chef-prepared meals in the bistro, socialize over coffee or cocktails in the lounge and take in beautiful sunsets on the wrap-around porch.

Vista Shores’ diverse social and cultural activities and fitness programs keep residents active and engaged, while weekly housekeeping, laundry and transportation services ensure that residents are able to relax and focus on living their best lives.

All residents are provided with 24-hour personal care with individualized plans of assistance. Vista Shores offers a specialized Memory Care program – each staff member has been vigorously trained in Alzheimer’s/dementia care to enrich the

lives of memory care residents and enable them to function at their highest possible level.

In March, Vista Shores was presented with the Dementia Care Specialists Distinguished Provider Award, the highest level of recognition that can be conferred upon a memory care provider that’s awarded to assisted living communities that provide the most exemplary resident-centered care.

For more information, visit VistaShores.com or call 288-3737.

Since 1891, the John J. Hainkel, Jr. Home & Rehabilitation Center has been promoting quality of life through a unique and caring alternative for the elderly, as well as those suffering from acute illnesses and/or disabilities. If you’re looking for a long term nursing facility, Hainkel offers skilled nursing services, rehab transition to home, occupational, speech, recreational, music and art therapy, and weekly visits by a dentist and beautician. Located Uptown on Henry Clay Avenue, Hainkel Home is nestled among beautiful oak trees and lush greenery outlined by porches and patios.

Affiliated with Ochsner Health System, Hainkel Home currently services to Long Term, Respite, VA and Hospice residents, and accepts private pay in addition to being Medicaid/Medicare Certified. To learn more visit HainkelHome.com or call 896-5904 and ask for either Cathryn Abbott Jones or Laura Glazer.

The Oaks of Louisiana in southeast Shreveport is the area’s premier destination for active adults (55 and over) who want to downsize their homes and upsize their lives.

The 312-acre gated community features beautiful grounds with gardens, lakes and abundant wildlife. It offers a concierge lifestyle with luxurious amenities at surprisingly affordable prices. Independent living options include Tower at The Oaks, a multiple-story apartment residence with Spa & Wellness Center and Garden Apartments at The Oaks, which feature both front and back doors, patios perfect for grilling and gardens for flowers.

At The Oaks of Louisiana it’s easy to laissez les bons temps rouler. Maintenance-free living gives residents time to go, myneworleans.com / APRIL 2015

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see and do with friends – enjoying activities, events and off-campus trips while staying healthy and fit with weight and cardio machines, an indoor saltwater pool, a walking trail with LifeTrail fitness system and outdoor activities that include croquet and putting green.

Learn more at OaksOfLA.com.

When it comes to aging well, it’s all about choices. At Lambeth House, a full-service retirement center located in the heart of Uptown New Orleans, a full array of choices are available for those interested in maintaining a healthy mind, body and spirit. Exclusively for residents ages 62 and over, Lambeth House offers independent living plus a full continuum of care, including assisted living, nursing care and memory care.

Residences are open and spacious, many offering spectacular views. The full array of amenities for active seniors includes a new fitness center with a stunning indoor saltwater swimming pool, an art studio, meditation room and garden, fine and casual dining options and engaging activities and social events. In the words of one resident, “There is something to do here all day, every day, if you want to.”

“Today’s new generation of retirees want choices. They want to be active and to age well,” says President/CEO, Scott Crabtree. For more information, call 865-1960.

Home Care As our nation’s healthcare system changes, Nurses Registry remains a leader in the home care industry. Nurses Registry celebrates 90 years of service to the Greater New Orleans community in the art and science of nursing. Their 30-day

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re-hospitalization rates have been equal to or better than the national top 20 percent of agencies, with patient satisfaction also ranking at the top. Their founder, Rose Mary S. Breaux, RN, BSN, believed it an honor and privilege to serve the sick and aging in our community and to “treat the whole patient – body, mind and spirit.”

The dynamic organization implemented a Care Transition program to assist patients moving from hospital to home. Nurses Registry has also developed the Have A Heart cardiac program to help CHF patients and families heal and move toward safe self-management. Additionally, Health Coaches give special help to those with CHF, COPD and other at-risk patients.

Nurses Registry provides services across the healthcare spectrum: home health, private duty nursing, home infusion, customized services and medical and non-medical aide services. Call 736-0803 or 866-736-6744 today for a free in-home assessment or visit MyNursesRegistry.com for more information.

Home Care Solutions offers highly personalized caregiver services and geriatric care management services to help loved ones in the Greater New Orleans Area extend their independence. Locally owned and operated for over 22 years by licensed social workers, Home Care Solutions has particular expertise in dignified, compassionate Alzheimer’s care.

All home care services begin with a professional assessment visit. A care manager then designs a plan of care specific to the client’s needs while incorporating family input. Carefully selected and trained caregivers provide assistance with activi-

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ties of daily living and companionship, supported by routine care manager supervisory visits. Many clients need additional geriatric care management services and support beyond home care. These services provide peace of mind for far-flung families and include exploring the options and costs of elder care services in the area, attending medical appointments with clients and reporting back to family members, coordinating legal and financial referrals and managing crisis situations.

Home Care Solutions is a member of the Home Care Association of America and the National Association of Professional Geriatric Care Managers. Home Care Solutions is also a licensed Personal Care Attendant Agency. For more information, call 828-0900 or visit HomeCareNewOrleans.com.

Hospice Anyone looking for compassionate and dignified care for their terminally ill loved ones should take a look at the services offered by Canon Hospice. The caring team at Canon is dedicated to a hospice ministry that helps patients and families accept terminal illness positively and resourcefully. Their stated goal is to “allow our patients to live each day to the fullest and enjoy their time with family and friends.”

With special expertise in pain management and symptom control, Canon Hospice designs individualized plans of care for each patient based on their unique needs. Home-Based Services provide doctors, nurses, social workers, pastoral care and volunteers. For patients with more intensive symptom management needs, Canon has an Inpatient Hospice Unit.

This unit provides 24-hour care in a home-like environment where patients are permitted to receive visits at any hour.

For more information, visit CanonHospice.com or call 818-2723.

Weightloss

Medi-Weightloss®, a physician-supervised weight loss program known as The One That Works®, is now open in Metairie. Along with their team of medical professionals, Drs. Katherine Swing, Kathleen Sullivan, Sacha Wax, Robin Bone and Archana Paine provide individualized care based on each patient’s goals, current health status and medical history.

The program includes weekly consultations that focus on nutrition, lifestyle and exercise. Education is provided on how to lose weight in the real world using real food without prepackaged meals. Patients learn how to maintain their weight loss through a specialized Wellness Phase.

Medi-Weightloss is located at 4315 Houma Blvd., Suite 100 in Metairie. Additional information is available by calling 313-6113 or visiting MediWeightloss.com.

Pain Relief New Orleans residents suffering from pain are invited to find their own pathway to pain relief at Integrated Pain and Neuroscience. Physicians and advanced practice clinicians led by Dr. Eric Royster offer a custom multispecialty treatment experience for patients suffering from chronic pain. Common conditions such as headaches, spine, orthopedic and neurologic pain are successfully treated. Pain is difficult; their team can help.

The team consists of Dr. Eric Royster, board certified in Pain Medicine; Dr. Domenick Grieshaber, fellowship-

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trained in Pain Medicine; Dr. Andrea O’Leary, specializing in adult and child psychiatry; and Dr. Aaron Friedman, specializing in neurology and acupuncture. Their focus on coordination of care determines the most suitable treatment options for each patient. IPN physicians offer a variety of interventional procedures, including acupuncture, platelet rich plasma (PRP) treatments, psychiatric care and whole food plant-based nutrition counseling.

For more information, visit PainIsAPuzzle.com or call 300-9020. IPN is located Uptown at 2801 Napoleon Ave. Saturday appointments are available.

Orthopedics & Sports Medicine

Dr. Kevin Darr of Covington Orthopedic and Sports Medicine Institute is a board-certified and fellowship-trained orthopedic surgeon who has earned a reputation for offering innovative surgical and non-surgical treatment options.

“In addition to traditional orthopedic treatments and surgery, I offer minimally invasive alternatives utilizing state-ofthe-art technology and integrative orthobiologic treatments to qualified patients,” says Dr. Darr. He is currently conducting IRB-approved research studies measuring the safety and effectiveness of advanced cell therapy to treat joint osteoarthritis, soft tissue injuries, such as rotator cuff tears, knee tendon and ligament injuries and avascular necrosis of the bone. The goal of the studies is to augment surgical outcomes or to potentially prevent the need for surgical intervention.

For more information on these studies and on Dr. Darr’s qualifications and services, visit CovingtonOrtho.com or call 985-273-5888.

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Dermatology

Tulane University Department of Dermatology excels in providing the most advanced medical care to the New Orleans community.

Innovators in the treatment of numerous skin diseases, Tulane faculty physicians provide general dermatology care, as well as care for more complicated dermatological problems.

Led by Erin Boh, M.D., Ph.D., the department employs national experts in psoriasis care, skin cancer care and cosmetic dermatology. These doctors offer numerous surgical and nonsurgical treatments for skin cancer, including stateof-the-art treatment in Mohs surgery for nonmelanoma skin cancers and specialized treatments such as extracorporeal photopheresis for lymphoma and bone marrow transplants.

Tulane dermatologists treat all spectra of skin diseases in pediatric and adult populations and also provide cosmetic treatments and services. Tulane faculty serve as principal investigators in clinical trials and research and are able to offer new therapeutic modalities not yet offered by other dermatologists.

To better serve Northshore patients, the department is opening a new, expanded facility this month in Covington at 101 Judge Tanner Blvd., Suite 406. To schedule an appointment at their downtown, Uptown or Northshore locations, call (800) 988-5800.

OB/GYN Many women suffer from incontinence or overactive bladder in silence. Often these conditions occur from childbirth, aging and at times medical problems. But according to Margie Kahn, MD, clinical associate professor and board-certified Section

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Head of Female Pelvic Medicine and Reconstructive Surgery in the Departments of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Urology at Tulane’s School of Medicine, “Urinary incontinence is not a normal part of aging! We address all pelvic floor disorders, including accidental bowel leakage and pelvic organ prolapse, at the same time,” she says. “We have an experienced and sensitive team that understands most women are embarrassed to bring up these problems and may have had them ignored if they did so. We offer a multidisciplinary approach comprising behavioral interventions, physical therapy, simple office procedures and more complex, minimally invasive surgery in the operating room.”

Dr. Kahn’s patients are given every option for treatment, and every woman chooses what options are right for her. For more information on Tulane’s OB/GYN department and Dr. Kahn, call 988-8070 for the Metairie office.

Alzheimer’s Resources

The Alzheimer’s Association is the world’s leading voluntary health organization in Alzheimer’s care, support and research. Their mission is to eliminate Alzheimer’s disease through the advancement of research, to provide and enhance care and support for all affected and to reduce the risk of dementia through the promotion of brain health.

Their vision is a world without Alzheimer’s.

While the Alzheimer’s Association is a national organization, they offer help on a local level, too. Community Resource Finder (alz.org/crf) is a place that you can find support groups, programs, events and community services from at-home care to medical services. There are a variety of resources available to help those living with Alzheimer’s and their loved ones.

At ALZ.org, you can also find ways to personally help end the disease by becoming a champion for the cause.

For additional help or guidance, call their 24/7 Helpline at (800) 272-3900. You can also follow the association on Twitter (@ALZ_LA) and like them on Facebook (Alzheimer’s Association Louisiana Chapter).

Primary Care & Behavioral Health

The new CrescentCare Health and Wellness Center provides a variety of primary care and specialty services for the whole family. The brand new, community-based health center is dedicated to providing affordable, accessible healthcare regardless of income or insurance status. Additional services offered at the wellness center include behavioral health, case management, infectious disease referrals and nutrition counseling. Services are provided on a sliding scale based on income or through your current insurance provider. Medicare and Medicaid are also accepted.

The new facility is now open at 3308 Tulane Ave. in MidCity (near the intersection of Jefferson Davis Boulevard). For more information, call 207-CARE (2273) or visit CrescentCareHealth.org. Note: As a National Health Service Core site, CrescentCare is also seeking qualified health professionals dedicated to working in the heart of this community, making an impact in very powerful and personal ways. Visit the website to explore available positions.

Orthotics & Custom Footwear Dale Gedert has focused on foot care for more than 40 years. He brings his expertise to the Greater New Orleans Area with the opening of Therapeutic Shoes, a shopping resource for those suffering from a wide variety of conditions such as arthritis, diabetes, flat feet, heel spurs, plantar fasciitis, bunions, calluses, edema and leg length discrepancies, as myneworleans.com / APRIL 2015

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well as knee, hip and back pain and more.

“We specialize in custom accommodative foot orthotics, stylish extra depth shoes, diabetic shoes, custom shoes, shoe modifications, compression wear and diabetic socks,” says Gedert. “We’ve got over 175 styles and colors of men’s and women’s shoes.”

Therapeutic Shoes features an in-house orthotic lab with certified personnel who handle all custom orthotics and shoe modifications. They offer a large selection of compression wear. Their socks are hand-made with bamboo charcoal fiber, seamless and shaped to fit the foot for reducing fatigue and preventing circulation problems. “The science your feet need – the comfort you deserve.”

Therapeutic Shoes is located at 408 Maine St., in Jefferson.

For more information and hours, call 832-3933.

Legal Representation & Planning

Blue Williams, LLP, has been providing high-quality representation to clients throughout the Gulf South in commercial litigation, healthcare and construction law and business matters since 1982. By recruiting motivated and experienced attorneys in diverse areas of law, Blue Williams is able to provide a full spectrum of services and create lasting solutions to the legal dilemmas faced by clients. The firm’s attorneys practice in seventeen areas of law, including Commercial Litigation, Estate and Tax Planning, Disability and Elder Law Planning, Corporate Law, Healthcare Law, Construction Litigation, Insurance Law, Products and Professional Liability and more.

Blue Williams has a history of rising to the challenge and has defended clients in multi-million dollar exposure

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cases. The firm provides services to clients nationally, though primarily in Louisiana, and these clients range from Fortune 500 companies to international corporations, local businesses and individuals. Attorneys spend a significant amount of time with each client to be certain of the client’s individual needs and all available options.

For more information on Blue Williams’s commitment to providing lasting solutions, visit BlueWilliams.com or call (800) 326-4991.

Pre-planning & Arrangements Create a legacy that endures. As unique as New Orleans, Lake Lawn Metairie Funeral Home and Cemeteries is set among the majestic oaks and gentle beauty of the past, offering a unique and lasting memorialization in one of the country’s most renowned resting places. Explore exclusive options for a traditional burial and cremation remembrance – each as personal, simple, or elaborate as you choose.

Lake Lawn Metairie Funeral Home and Cemeteries demonstrates an ongoing commitment to community here in the Greater New Orleans Area by giving back to the community they serve. In addition to compassionately serving families during their time of need, the professionals at Lake Lawn Metairie Funeral Home and Cemeteries proudly offer a number of free outreach programs designed to honor those who serve, keep families safe, fight for a cause and comfort those who grieve through the Dignity Memorial® provider network.

For additional information concerning preplanning, don’t hesitate to contact Lake Lawn Metairie at 486-6331 or visit their website at LakeLawnMetairie.com. •

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Save Lives Through Stroke Awareness

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nfortunately, stroke is a prevalent threat in our society and knowing the risks, symptoms and availability of treatment can help save lives. The following area healthcare providers have demonstrated experience in dealing with stroke and are a great starting resource for learning more about the condition. Many offer information

Area Hospitals & Neurological Clinics

Every year, more than 795,000 people in the United States have a stroke. Stroke kills almost 130,000 people each year – that’s one out of every 20 deaths – according to the Centers for Disease Control.

The most common symptoms of stroke may be sudden and include: • Weakness or numbness of the face, arm or leg, especially on one side of the body • Confusion or difficulty speaking or understanding • Problems with vision, such as dimness or loss of vision in one or both eyes • Dizziness or problems with balance or coordination • Problems with movement or walking • Loss of consciousness or seizure

on what symptoms may be observed during stroke, while others offer help in reducing your risk in the form of education and screenings. Still other local healthcare professionals can be of service to patients and families following a stroke, providing necessary treatment and rehabilitative services. Learn more about stroke today and you may be someone’s hero tomorrow.

• Severe headaches with no other known cause, especially if sudden onset All of the above warning signs may not occur with each stroke. If any of these symptoms are present, call 911 immediately. Treatment is most effective when started immediately. Visit Touro.com to learn more.

“Time is Brain” when stroke strikes. No one should ever ignore its symptoms: sudden numbness or weakness (especially on one side of the body) and vision problems or dizziness. If you think you’re having a stroke, go immediately to the Emergency Room.

It is possible to prevent a stroke from happening. “Control of blood pressure, cholesterol and lipid levels in the blood is very important in stroke prevention,” says Dr. myneworleans.com / APRIL 2015

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Frank Culicchia, medical director of Culicchia Neurological Clinic and chairman of the LSU Health Sciences Department of Neurosurgery. See a doctor if you’re at risk for stroke; if you’ve already suffered a stroke, you may be at risk for another. The staff of neurologists, neurosurgeons and interventional neuroradiologists at Culicchia Neurological Clinic are able to evaluate and offer treatment.

The clinic has offices conveniently located Uptown, on the West Bank and on the Northshore in Slidell and Covington. Call 340-6976 for an appointment or email cnc@culicchianeuro.com. For more information, visit their website, CulicchiaNeuro.com.

Tulane Medical Center’s Comprehensive Stroke Program is a Gold Plus Stroke Center offering wide-ranging stroke services. Patients are rapidly evaluated and treated by the Stroke Team and cared for in a dedicated Stroke Unit. Tulane offers advanced treatments, including clot-busting drugs and surgical procedures, that can minimize disability caused by stroke.

According to one patient, Tulane’s Stroke Team saved her life: “I suffered a massive stroke at home. An ambulance quickly responded and called the Tulane ER to activate the stroke team. Upon my arrival, the stroke team was already in place and administered TPA and other life saving measures. The care at Tulane saved my life and was instrumental in helping me retain a high quality of life.

I have no vision loss or speech issues and I continue to work and drive. I credit Tulane’s Neuro-ICU and Inpatient Rehabilitation program for my recovery! They took excellent

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care of me and showed my family compassion and kept them well informed.”

For more information visit TulaneNeurology.com or call 988-5030.

For some stroke survivors, the road to recovery involves substantial rehabilitative therapy in order to regain basic functional independence. When making the choice between rehabilitation programs, it is important to choose a program that specializes in stroke rehabilitation. The Rehabilitation Center of Thibodaux Regional has an accredited Stroke Specialty Program, offering the most current rehabilitative treatments to stroke survivors close to home.

One of these treatments is the use of VitalStim Therapy, a somewhat new approach to treating swallowing disorders, which has been shown to improve swallowing in patients when used in combination with traditional therapies. Together, VitalStim and traditional therapies allow therapists to accelerate strengthening, restore function and help the brain remap the swallowing process. Approved for the treatment of dysphagia by the FDA, VitalStim is a non-invasive external electrical stimulation therapy. At The Rehabilitation Center of Thibodaux Regional, VitalStim-certified full-time SpeechLanguage Pathologists offer this safe and effective treatment to assist in accelerating the recovery time from a restricted diet and help patients achieve sustained improvement and long-term results.

For more information, call the Rehabilitation Center of Thibodaux Regional at (985) 493-4782.

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With American Stroke Month just around the corner, the West Jefferson Medical Center Stroke Center is gearing up for its annual Stroke Fair, which will be held on Tues., May 5, in the hospital auditorium at 1101 Medical Center Blvd..

Starting at 8:30 a.m., the event is open to the public.

Staff of the nationally accredited Stroke Center at West Jefferson remind us that stroke is largely preventable, treatable and beatable. With high blood pressure being a leading modifiable risk factor for stroke, free blood pressure screenings will be offered. The Stroke Fair will include informational talks given by experienced physicians, and light refreshments will be available. Other free screenings, including EKGs and carotid artery tests, will also be available; however, these screenings will be provided by RSVP while space is available. To register for the appointment-only screenings, call 349-1789.

For more information about West Jefferson, please visit WJMC.org.

The stroke program at East Jefferson General Hospital (EJGH) is recognized as an innovative and effective leader in stroke survival as well as in minimizing the long-term effects of strokes. Their comprehensive approach begins before you even arrive at the hospital.

Hospital EMS and ambulances have adopted the very latest in fast stroke responsiveness. Beyond that, every aspect of care from the Emergency Department through neurology, physical therapy and other departments work in unison, treating the patient as a whole in order to maximize the results of the patient’s recovery.

In the last two years, the American Heart Association, as part of their Get with The Guidelines initiative, has recognized EJGH Stroke Care with their highest possible awards: 2013 Performance Gold Achievement Award and 2013 Gold Plus Award. EJGH also received the Quality Achievement Award at the International Stroke Conference. EJGH stroke care is dedicated to continuously improving and advancing the care and responsiveness to not only strokes but also prevention and awareness.

For more on care at EJGH, visit EJGH.org.

Cardiovascular Care

Know the signs of stroke and call 9-1-1 if you notice face drooping, arm weakness or speech difficulty. Also look out for other less-known signs of stroke: sudden numbness in the leg, confusion, vision impairment, trouble walking, bad coordination or a severe headache with no known cause. Make sure to call emergency personnel as soon as possible to increase the victim’s chance of recovery.

Heart disease can be a silent killer, with no symptoms until a heart attack or stroke occurs. That is why it’s important to determine your risk factors, take preventative measures to lessen your risk and visit a cardiologist regularly.

With 14 locations throughout South Louisiana, Cardiovascular Institute of the South has an international reputation for providing state-of-the-art cardiovascular care and is known as a world leader in preventing and treating both cardiovascular and peripheral vascular disease. To learn more, call CIS at (800) 425-2565 or visit Cardio.com. •

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Grandmother’s Buttons Opens In NOLA GrandmothersButtons.com Grandmother’s Buttons, the Louisiana-made jewelry company, is opening its second location in New Orleans on Magazine Street. The grand opening on April 9 will feature food, music and gift bags for the first 50 customers. The opening coincides with the company’s 20th anniversary of its flagship store in St. Francisville. All jewelry is created using authentic antique buttons and vintage glass, and is also available online and in 500 stores around the county. Grandmother’s Buttons New Orleans will feature home goods, apparel and some one-of-a-kind pieces.

New Car Service App from Local Company Limousine Livery Ltd., 4333 Euphrosine St., 561-8777, LimoLivery.com Local firm Limousine Livery has launched their own Livery Car app for mobile devices. You input where you want to go and the rate and driver pop up, giving you the option to call. Aaron Dirks explains: “We’re a local firm offering luxury services at great prices. The app is great, but we also have 100 employees you can call and a 70-vehicle fleet, so even if it’s very busy you won’t suffer from surge pricing. The fare won’t be eight times higher because there aren’t many cars around.” In addition, “the size of our fleet means we often provide complimentary upgrades,” which is always an added bonus.

– Mirella Cameran cheryl gerber photo

On Needles and Pins Acupuncture therapy for wellness by morgan packard

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eeing the picture above drills home (sorry for the pun) what I must look like during an acupuncture treatment. But under the gentle and expert hands of Noell Eanes, M.Ac, ACA, RYT, who practices at Balance Integrative Health, I don’t feel like a pincushion, and during the two treatments I’ve had, I’ve never felt pain – I promise.

(Disclaimer: Consulting a physician and seeking a second opinion are advised before undergoing any medical treatment.)

Eanes’ treatments are a mixture of Five Element Acupuncture, TCM and Shakuju Therapy. We start by chatting about how I feel and what’s going on in my life, then I lie down on the table – a luxurious massage table with arms – and she begins the Shakuju, which feels like a tiny pinprick moving in a circular pattern around my belly.

A quick aside: During my treatment Eanes says many informative things that I don’t have enough knowledge of the subject to really understand. Each time I ask, “And what does that mean?” and she always patiently explains.

For instance, as I was getting up on the table she said, “You know, everything you’re telling me has to do with your liver meridian, so I think we’ll concentrate on that a bit.” I had no idea what that meant, but she explained that it had to do with Chinese medicine, the implications of it and how to work on fixing the unbalance.

After the beginning Shakuju, Eanes feels around my belly, hips and ribs and asks me where I feel tenderness. She then performs moxibustion, a traditional Chinese medicine therapy of lighting moxa, or dried Artemis mugwort, on my skin. Again, there’s no pain; the moment I feel heat, the herb is removed.

After that, she places the needles in specific places on my body, covers my eyes and leaves me to rest for 10 to 15 minutes. Then I flip over and we start again.

And though I don’t know why or how it works, yet, I can tell you that the places that were sore or tender at the beginning are no longer so when we’re done. And when I walk out of the building I feel lighter, calmer and more at ease in my body than I did when I arrived.

You can contact Noell Eanes for more information and to book a treatment through Balance Integrative Health, located at 2121 Magazine St., by calling 522-9645 or visiting BIHNola.com. n cheryl gerber photo

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The Sneeze By errol laborde

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pril is a big month for sneezing, such as recently when I was climbing the steps of a building that was surrounded by flora.

First there was the tickling in my eyes, followed by three rapid-fire blasts. There was a pause and then another sneeze. “That’s four,” a man climbing the steps behind me said. “Jeez, he’s actually counting my sneezes, ” I thought to myself as the fifth one burst loose.

I made a point of containing myself until he had passed me and was inside the building. He would never know that there had been a sixth.

That incident reminded me of the afternoon a couple of springs ago when, as I was driving up to my home, I could feel something build-

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ing between my eyes and nose and knew it was going to be big, like a zillion tiny space capsules about to be launched. Fearing a temporary loss of control I pulled the car to the curb and rolled down the driver’s side window. The action started quickly: one, two, three, four …

Some people’s sneezes are so soft they’re barely audible; others are backed with vocalization so loud that it causes birds to scatter.

(There is no connection between the vocal chords and the sneeze mechanism, a teacher once explained while writing a detention slip.)

Sneezes five through nine, as well as all the others to follow, were firm but not unnecessarily amplified. “Ten,” in all cultures is an important number – the gateway to double digits – the basis of the decimal system.

That milestone was passed quickly on the way to another significant number, “15.”

In some Latin Countries the tradition of Quince Años is celebrated when a girl reaches that age. In the town of San Pedro on Ambergris Caye in Belize, I once saw a Quince Años party celebrated on the town basketball court,

which was also the tennis court and party place. On an island in which even the mayor walked around barefoot, the honoree was about the only one who was shod.

If sneezes were years I reached the legal voting age at number 18.

By then my situation became less of a malady and more of a challenge.

No one keeps track of such things but certainly I must be approaching a record, especially when I issued my 20th sneeze. No. 10 seemed so long ago.

By then I could feel my eyes being less itchy and the pressure within dissolving. Still, there was enough ammunition inside for what would be, and still is, my personal best: 21. If sneezes were indeed years, mine would now be an adult.

I am not sure what brought on such an outburst. I have never again had an experience anywhere near the number. Because I was alone, there was no response of “God bless you” following each eruption. That could have been someone else’s personal best.

For the moment the day was quiet again, and that in itself is the very best. n ARTHUR NEAD ILLUSTRATION