New Orleans Magazine July 2014

JULY 2014

Dry-aged Porterhouse at Doris Metropolitan Restaurant

myneworleans.com

$4.95

AN IES L R E MO OT ME CH H I X A ILO BE S B TER T N WA SE RE OAD P R S B YE W THE

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july 2014 VOLUME 48 NUMBER 10 Editor 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 Lauren LaBorde Staff Writer Melanie Warner Spencer Intern Lexi Wangler Senior Account ExecutiveS

Jonée Daigle Ferrand, Kate Sanders Account Executives

Sarah Daigle, Lauren Lavelle, Elizabeth Schindler traffic manager Erin Duhe Production Manager Staci McCarty Production Designers Antoine Passelac, Ali Sullivan Chief Executive Officer Todd Matherne President Alan Campell Executive VICE PRESIDENT/Editor-in-Chief Errol Laborde Vice President of Sales Colleen Monaghan DIRECTOR OF MARKETING AND EVENTS Kristi Ferrante Distribution Manager Christian Coombs Administrative Assistant Denise Dean SUBSCRIPTIONS Sara Kelemencky

WYES DIAL 12 STAFF (504) 486-5511 Executive Editor Beth Arroyo Utterback Managing Editor Aislinn Hinyup Associate Editor Robin Cooper Art Director Jenny Hronek

NEW ORLEANS MAGAZINE Printed in USA A Publication of Renaissance Publishing 110 Veterans Memorial Blvd., Suite 123 Metairie, LA 70005 (504) 828-1380 Subscription Hotline:

(504) 828-1380 ext. 251 or fax: (504) 828-1385

Online at MyNewOrleans.com

New Orleans Magazine (ISSN 0897 8174) is published monthly by Renaissance Publishing, LLC., 110 Veterans Blvd., Suite 123, Metairie, LA 70005; (504) 8281380. Subscription rates: one year $19.95; Mexico, South America and Canada $48; Europe, Asia and Australia $75. An associate subscription to New Orleans Magazine is available by a contribution of $40 or more to WYES-TV/Channel 12, $10.00 of which is used to offset the cost of publication. Also available electronically, on CD-ROM and on-line. Periodicals postage paid at Metairie, LA, and additional entry offices.

POSTMASTER: Send address changes to New Orleans Magazine, 110 Veterans Blvd., Suite 123, Metairie, LA 70005. Copyright 2014 New Orleans Magazine. No part of this publication may be reproduced without the consent of the publisher.

The trademark New Orleans and New Orleans Magazine are registered. New Orleans Magazine is not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts, photos and artwork even if accompanied by a self-addressed stamped envelope. The opinions expressed in New Orleans Magazine are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the view of the magazine managers or owners.

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CONTENTS

BEST NEW RESTAURANTS PAGE

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FEATURES 59 Best New Restaurants New places; new choices; clear winners. by Jay Forman,Tim McNally and Robert Peyton 72 Top Female Achievers Our annual class of inspirational local women. profiles by Kimberly Singletary

IN EVERY ISSUE 8 12 14 143 144

INSIDE “Covers That Might Have Been” speaking out Editorial, plus a Mike Luckovich cartoon JULIA STREET Questions and answers about our city Try This “Free Floating” STREETCAR “Vive la France”

ON THE COVER From the dry-aged Porterhouse from Doris Metropolitan pictured on our cover to the barbecue salmon above from Cava, learn more about New Orleans’ Best New Restaurants on pg. 59.

Photographed by Sara Essex Bradley

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HEALTH PAGE

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CONTENTS THE BEAT 18 20 22 24 26 28 30 32 34 36

MARQUEE Entertainment calendar PERSONA New Orleans Saints Defensive End Cam Jordan newsbeat “Amazon Increases Delivery Competition” Biz “Dollars and Diplomas” newsbeat “Art Teachers Receive Funds” Education “Degrees and Jobs: The collage thrust” newsbeat “New Orleans East to Increase Access to Healthcare” HEALTH “Joint Session: April wedding brings May hospitalization” HEALTHBEAT The latest news in health from New Orleans and beyond Crime Fighting “When Felons Escape”

HOME PAGE

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LOCAL COLOR 40 42 44 46 48 50 52 54

THE SCOOP “Liberation Landings:” the National World War II Museum music “Evolution of the New Orleans Style” Read & Spin A look at the latest albums and books CAST OF CHARACTERS “Ronald Sciortino: The Flavor Man” MODINE’S NEW ORLEANS “Adventures in Dog Sitting” Joie d’Eve “Maternal Baggage: When life becomes a hodgepodge” CHRONICLES “Keeping It Cool: Savvy New Orleanians beat the heat” HOME “Compound Assets: A family that lives together, but wit their own space”

THE MENU 90 table talk “Harrison Avenue Dining” 92 restaurant insider “Johnny Sanchez Taqueria,

Del Fuego Taqueria and Pho Cam Ly” 94 Food “Picks for the Picnic” 96 LAST CALL “Hurricane Caesar” 98 DINING GUIDE

DIAL 12 D1 Explore the story of the re-election campaign of Stacy Head in POV “Getting Back Abnormal” airing on WYES-TV/Channel 12 on Monday, July 14 at 9:00 p.m. Visitors and residents share special moments of the coastal city in WYES’ newest documentary, Biloxi Memories and the Broadwater Beach Hotel, premiering on Wednesday, July 23 at 7:00 p.m. Get ready to find your ancestors! “Genealogy Roadshow” is heading to New Orleans. Individuals with intriguing stories are encouraged to submit them online before July 31 at wyes.org.

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TABLE TALK PAGE

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IN SID E

Covers That Might Have Been

O

u r two main feat u res this month are

Top Female Achievers and Best New Restaurants.

There was a time when a German transplant named Elizabeth Kettenring could have won both awards in the same year. The only problem, at least for the life of this magazine, is that the year would have been 1863. And while there were no doubt many other worthy female achievers around town that year, quite likely her restaurant might have been not just the best, but the only. The restaurant, named Dutrey’s, specialized in serving late morning “second” breakfasts mostly to the men who worked the early shift along the French Quarter docks. Tourism became more of a factor in the Quarter in 1884, the year of the Cotton Centennial World’s Fair, so visitors began to discover second breakfasts, too. By then the restaurant’s name had changed and become a part of the city’s culinary lore. After her first husband died, Kettenring married Hippolyte Begue and gave the restaurant his name. Elizabeth would eventually be enshrined in the history books as Madame Begue. Her restaurant’s location would be remembered as the site that now houses Tujague’s.

Had this magazine been around in 1863, young Mrs. Dutrey might have been on the cover holding a plate of sausage and hominy. I can almost envision her looking confident, ambitious and maybe even a tad sexy staring into the camera – wait a moment, I’m thinking about Susan Spicer. She has definitely been on our cover, at least a couple of times, including in the 1980s when she was this magazine’s very first chef of they year.

Spicer’s world is filled with more opportunities that Madame Begue ever had, but there’s a common spirit of women excelling as chefs and entrepreneurs. Curiously, one of the popular menu items at many restaurants is second breakfasts, only now they’re referred to as “brunches.”

One hesitates, for fear of omission, to name other local women who followed the same course, although it would seem lacking not to mention the matriarchs at Commander’s Palace and the still effervescent Leah Chase.

We didn’t plan it that way, but it works out that our choice of the very best of the new restaurants is located in the French Quarter and is named after one of its cofounders – a woman.

Even as a name source, females are achieving.

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O N TH E WEB

NOLA STATE OF BEING This shot of Matthew McConaughey and Drew Brees went viral, and we interviewed the photographer who took it. Claire Bangser runs the portrait project called NOLA Beings, which captures the city’s colorful characters in photos and quotes from them. Read the interview with her and other exclusive web content at MyNewOrleans.com.

TRUE ROMANCE The summer issue of our sister magazine New Orleans Bride is out, and in addition to picking it up at newsstands you can find it online. Read about romantic gowns and more than 200 tips for hair, makeup and photos. Find the issue at BrideNewOrleans.com.

LIKE SUSHI FEST ON FACEBOOK Have you heard about our newest event? The New Orleans Sushi Fest presented by East Jefferson General Hospital on Aug. 17 will feature a sushi competition, live music, Japanese art and culture activities and so much more. Like the Sushi Fest page at Facebook. com/NewOrleansSushiFest to stay up-to-date on the festival.

facebook.com/NewOrleansMagazine | twitter.com/neworleansmag | pinterest.com/neworleansmag 10

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S P E A KI N G O U T

When Life Is A Stage Governors take on reality TV

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here has been conject u re that G ov . B obby J indal ’ s name wo u ld

one day be associated with a dynasty. Only it came quicker than we expected, and the dynasty is named not after him, but ducks. Last month Jindal performed in an episode of “Duck Dynasty.” Playing the role of Governor of Louisiana, he fit the part. “Duck Dynasty” is the type of show that generates strong feelings; some people passionately like it, others passionately hate it. The latter group is not likely to include Jindal supporters, so the Governor had little to lose while at the same time shoring up his pro-“Duck” base.

Jindal is the second Louisiana governor to have been a part of a reality TV program. Edwin Edwards even co-starred in his own show, although the name went to the “Governor’s Wife.” Edwards in a supporting role is not something Louisianans were used to seeing, and their opportunity was brief. The show sank quicker than a bated hook nabbed by a catfish. Failure, of course, is the ultimate reality.

Louisiana, with its colorful collection of alligator hunters, swamp loggers and bayou folk, is a hotbed for reality TV shows, so much so that we suspect that future governors will all have their chance, at least for a cameo appearance, as long as their politics is not too apart from the free spirits who get their own shows.

Previous governors did not have such opportunities, but they would have been right for the part.

Imagine a series, “Politics and Pasties,” having been built around Earl Long and his trysts with stripper Blaze Starr. Scenes could have been shot at the governor’s mansion and at a Bourbon Street strip club. Imagine the discussion as Blaze wondered what to wear for the inauguration ball. Critics would have been titillated by the opportunity to describe the series as being about “cover-ups.”

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Mike Foster, who each Friday afternoon rode his Harley from the mansion back to his hometown of Franklin, would have been a hit in, “The Biker Governor.”

Imagine the camaraderie at a pit stop when Foster encounters a gang of Hells Angels.

No Governor received a harder dose of reality than Kathleen Blanco. Her reality was so harsh that it almost seemed unreal. There were no laughs, but lots of drama as Blanco saw her state flooded in the wake of hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

There was only terror at the televised scene of looters and lawlessness. The tension between Washington and Baton Rouge was often unbearable. Her story was that of reality going mad.

Reality TV seems to settle on lighter fare, although the notion of life being segmented into amusing situations is hardly real. Still, what everyday life cannot accomplish other forces may be able to. We have now seen duck hunters standing together with a governor whose native culture frowns on hunting. That may or may not be amusing TV, but it is great politics.

AN ORIGINAL ©MIKE LUCKOVICH CARTOON FOR NEW ORLEANS MAGAZINE

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JULIA STREET

W IT H P O YD R A S THE PARROT

T H E P U R S UIT T O A N S W E R E T E R N AL Q U E S TI O N S

Dear Julia.

I’ve enjoyed your column for almost 20 years since I moved to the Big Easy. In any case, in your April 2014 issue you gave a history of Solari’s that included a picture but, curious as I am, I was intrigued by the building next door. It appears to be very ornate and it looks like there are drapery tassels on the facade. Can it have been a department store? Please give me, if you will, the origin and any history of this building.

Thank you, Ralph Ruder New Or l e ans

You saw far more detail than I did in the photo we ran of Solari’s in our April 2014 issue, but you didn’t see an old department store. My best guess is that you were wondering about the adjacent La Louisiane Restaurant, which, like Solari’s, is long-gone. A long-lived and elegant restaurant, La Louisiane in its later years was associated with “Diamond Jim Moran.” A larger-than-life man whose real name was James Brocato Sr., Moran once served as Huey P. Long’s bodyguard.

Moran purchased the eatery in February 1954. At La Louisiane as well as Moran’s other restaurant holdings, diners were informed some lucky guest might find a real diamond nestled in a meatball. Thus, the proprietor’s enduring nickname: Diamond Jim.

Dear Julia, How long was Kreeger’s Department Store in existence and why did they close?

Any information would be appreciated.

Allison Hamilton Covington

Kreeger’s operated for 121 years, from 1865 to 1986; it was still under family management when it closed and its last president was Harbey Kreeger Jr. Best known for its store at 805 Canal St., Kreeger’s hit hard times in the 1980s.

Hoping to weather a soft economy and changing fur market, they opened outlet stores at Canal Place, Uptown Square, Lakeside and in Lafayette. The effort, however, failed and the venerable department store soon fell into bankruptcy. A well-regarded furrier, Kreeger’s often allowed valued customers to store their furs in the department store vaults; when they closed their last store – the Lakeside Mall location – approximately 4,000 customers were notified to please retrieve their coats and stoles.

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Dear Julia and Poydras, When I was a kid, back in the early 1960s, my family and I used to drive down Franklin Street to St. Claude Avenue on our way back from Pontchartrain Beach. Along the way, we would pass a number of neon signs. The one I remember best was a barbecue place about a block away from St. Claude Avenue on Franklin Street. It had a flashing neon sign showing three or more pigs of ascending sizes.

Our family had a black-and-white television set but the programming schedule was limited. I guess we were easily amused but animated neon pigs were a must-see attraction in those days.

The side of the building faced Franklin Street and was brightly lit. It looked like a house that had been converted to commercial use. We never went there to eat – I wish we had – perhaps I’d remember the name. Do you happen to know anything about this unique sign or the business it advertised?

Allen Mayfield La kev iew

Your little glowing piggies adorned Fletcher’s Barbecue Restaurant, which, from the late 1940s though at least the ’60s, served up basted beasties from their location at the corner of Marais and Franklin streets (formerly Almonaster). The A. Fletcher Harvey family ran the business from their home. City directory listings indicate the business address appeared variously as 2601 Marais St. and 1201 Franklin St. photo co u rtesy of the historic new orleans collection

Dear Julia, My dad and I used to go crabbing when I was little. We used chicken necks and backs for bait – whichever one was cheaper – but I’ve heard that melts are better, though my father never could never tell me exactly what part of a cow constituted its melt. He was quite squeamish so he never bought melts for crab bait but he’s occasionally pointed out bloody packages in the grocer’s freezer. Can you please solve this childhood mystery for me? What are “melts?”

Looking forward to your reply, Stephanie Holder R iver Ridge

I could have gone all day without thinking about this but, since you ask, “melts” refers to a slaughtered bovine’s spleen. The term is derived from the Middle English word, milte, generally meaning spleen but more specifically referring to the spleen from a bovine that has been slaughtered for food.

Dear Julia and Poydras, In the 1910s and ’20s, a locally made soft drink called Grapico became so popular that it was sold far beyond Louisiana and advertised itself as “The Drink of the Nation.” However, despite its widespread popularity I know very little about it. I think I would’ve liked it since one of my favorite summer treats remains a grape snowball with whipped cream.

Do you or Poydras know anything about Grapico?

Mike Boureaux N ew Orleans

The brand name, which was introduced around 1915, was pronounced “GRAPE-E-CO.” J. Grossman’s Sons, previously known as successful liquor merchants, manufactured the sparkling grape-flavored soft drink. By August 1916, brothers August and Isidore Grossman were marveling at Grapico’s stellar success and eagerly describing to the local press some details about the popular product and the manufacturing process overseen by chemist Harry H. Forst. In its first year of production, Grapico’s output surged from 28,000 cans to 2,288,000 – nearly 3 million – cans sold throughout Louisiana and the southern United States, Most of the details simply note the sanitary conditions prevailing at the bottling plant. However, one processing step would raise modern eyebrows and safety concerns; once the syrup formed, it was first run though a particular asbestos filter, which had been specially imported from Germany. While the chief danger from asbestos is that its fibers are early inhaled and carcinogenic, the idea of running hot fruit syrup though an asbestos filter wouldn’t have raised concerns at the time because the dangers of asbestos were not known during Grapico’s heyday.

Win a Court of Two Sisters Jazz Brunch Here is a chance to eat, drink and listen to music, 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 Jazz Brunch gift certificates for two at The Court of Two Sisters in the Vieux Carré.

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: Allison Hamilton, Covington; and Ralph Ruder, New Orleans.

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THEBEAT MARQUEE

PERSONA

BIZ

EDUCATION

HEALTH

CRIME FIGHTING

NEWS

PERSONA:

Cam Jordan PAGE 20

“As far as myself, I got to do a better job of being more of a leader on the D-line ... As far as the team goes, we’re always looking to win a Superbowl. I need some metal on that hand.”

g r e g m i l e s P H O T O GR A P H

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T HE BE A T OUR

MARQUEE

T O P P I C K S O F T H E M O N T H’S E V E N T S BY

LAUREN

LABORDE

the play’s the thing

Beatlemania

It will be 50 years in September since The Beatles played to thousands of shrieking fans at New Orleans’ Tad Gormley Stadium.

While there’s plenty of touring Beatles tributes (both the Saenger and the Joy Theaters hosted Beatles musicals in the past two years), the annual New Orleans Beatles Festival features an all-locals lineup paying tribute to the band. The Topcats, Rockin Dopsie Jr. and Robin Barnes are just some of the artists involved. The concert is July 12. Information, HouseOfBlues.com

July 4-Oct. 12. “Alexis

July 12. Bastille Day Fete,

Rockman: Drawings From Life of Pi,” New Orleans Museum of Art. Information, Noma.org

Spanish Plaza. Information,

July 10-13. Tulane Summer Lyric presents A Chorus Line, Tulane’s Dixon Hall. Information,

SummerLyric.Tulane.edu

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BastilleDayNola.com July 12. El Encierro:

The Running of the Bulls, Central Business District/French Quarter.

Information, NolaBulls.com July 16. New Orleans

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OUT to the Movies

The New Orleans Film Festival has typically included a series of LGBT-oriented films in its larger programming. Now the New Orleans Film Society, which presents the film festival, is partnering with Shotgun Cinema to present the standalone LGBT film fest OUTakes, July 10-13 in Marginy’s Old Firehouse (718 Mandeville St.).

Films include To Be Takei, about the “Star Trek” actorturned-gay activist George Takei; Before You Know It, a documentary about gay seniors citizens, which will feature director PJ Raval in attendance; Female Trouble, the John Waters classic and more. Information, NewOrleansFilmSociety.org

Magazine’s Top Female Achievers event, Hotel InterContinental.

Information,

Monteleone and other locations. Information,

MyNewOrleans.com July 17-20. Tales of

July 18. Akula Foundation’s All That Jazz gala, Rosy’s Jazz Hall. Information,

the Cocktail, Hotel

AkulaFamilyFoundation.com

TalesOfTheCocktail.com

July 20. Beyonce and Jay-Z in concert, Mercedes-Benz

El Encierro: The Running of the Bulls, July 12

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Runn i n g w i th th e Ru l l s photo b y Sa l l y A s h e r

photo cou r t e s y of th e L i b r a r y of C on g r e s s

In presenting the well-trodden works of Shakespeare, many directors like to take artistic license in when the play is set – which is how you end up with Romeo & Juliet’s star-crossed lovers as teen Los Angelinos (Baz Lurhmann’s 1996 film) or Much Ado About Nothing set in on an Old South plantation (The NOLA Project’s 2013 production). The New Orleans Shakespeare Festival at Tulane is taking similar liberties with its production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, which runs through July 12, setting it in the 1930s and using multimedia effects. The festival, which began last month, continues until Aug. 3 and features The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged), a presentation from the University of Warwick and the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, a student production of Twelfth Night and more. Information, NewOrleansShakespeare.org

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events. Jack Pruitt, THNOC’s director of development and community relations and the organizer of the event, talked to us about the forum.

What are some of the hallmarks of southern style in antiques? Our tagline is: What sets it apart? The people. It’s customs, tastes, art and the combination of all those elements. We cherish those things that we’re talking about. The things tell a story of families so often – for instance, the quilts. We discuss how those things we hold close and cherish in homes are apart of culture.

Why did you choose this theme? Relatively little has been done over the years looking at southern decorative arts. There’s been a tremendous amount of attention given to the northeast, MidAtlantic and Europe. This event allows us to focus on those things we have, things were made here or we made apart of our homes.

Southern furniture, for example, is very distinct. THNOC a few years back published a book called Furnishing Louisiana: Creole and Acadian Furniture, 1735–1835 … it’s very unique and has grown in popularity among collectors, scholars, antique shops, auction houses and with new publications and new scholarship.

C H ERYL GER B ER P H O T O GR A P H

Why do you think southern decorative arts are overlooked?

SPOTLIGHT

southern style The New Orleans Antiques Forum’s Director of Development, Jack Pruitt, talks about the focus on “Southern Expression.”

When many people think of the south, especially New Orleans, they think of those sprawling manses housing gorgeous antiques.

But as it turns out, the South doesn’t get as much credit as other places do for their contributions to the decorative arts world.

The Historic New Orleans Collection (THNOC) hopes to correct that with its annual New Orleans Antiques Forum, held July 31-Aug. 3. The theme this year is “Southern Expression,” and seminars by experts (including a contributor to PBS’s “Antiques Roadshow”), excursions to historic homes around Louisiana and other events celebrate art made in, or have been made apart of, the South. There is also a brunch, tour and other

Superdome. Information,

July 24-Sept. 21. “One Place:

Superdome.com

Paul Kwilecki and Four Decades of Photographs from Decatur County, Georgia,” Ogden Museum of Southern Art. Information,

July 21-27. The New Movement’s Megaphone Marathons comedy festival, The New Movement. Information,

TNMComedy.com

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Aug. 2. Whitney White

Linen Night, New Orleans Arts District. Information, NewOrleansArtsDistrict.com Aug. 3. Justin Timberlake in concert, Smoothie King Center. Information,

Summer Lyric presents Cabaret, Tulane’s Dixon Hall. Information,

July 26. Steely Dan,

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and jewelry in the 19th century South. It was a region that was plagued by death, and that was reflected in our jewelry and in our art. That’s something that’s interesting.

For more information about this year’s New Orleans Antiques Forum, visit hnoc.org.

July 31-Aug. 3. Tulane

OgdenMuseum.org

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What else about this year’s programing would you like to mention? A topic garnering a great deal of attention is mourning art

July 31-Aug. 3. Satchmo Summerfest, Old U.S. Mint. Information, Fqfi.org

SmoothieKingCenter.com

SummerLyric.Tulane.edu

UNO Lakefront Arena.

Information, Arena.uno.edu

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They’re relatively new. Scholarship has so focused on European contributions, which are tremendous. There may have been a bit of a bias towards looking at the South, perhaps that we were not seen as quite as sophisticated and savvy. We have proven that was not the case. Again, we’re very unique there’s some tremendous art from the South, and people are beginning to take note. It’s about time.

What was the original purpose of the forum? The origins are postKatrina. We wanted to attract a cultured audience and bring people back to New Orleans and the south post-Katrina. One of the primary reasons of the forum was to bring people back and help antique shops and galleries that were struggling at the time, and help restaurants and businesses in New Orleans and the Gulf South. It was also designed to raise awareness of the region and the important of the region, and show that THNOC is a resource for understanding all of this.

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T HE BE A T

PERSONA It turns out that this poodle might be Jordan’s spirit animal. He is big, as defensive ends are, but he’s got a soft spot and a goofy sense of humor. He is eager to talk about frozen yogurt and how he’s recently gotten into “country stuff” like fishing and hunting. When I ask him if he’s married, he says, “Married to life.”

The West Coast native is coming up on his third season with the Saints. The 2013 season was a breakout one for him, earning the fifth most sacks in the NFL and a spot in the Pro Bowl. We talked about the upcoming season, adjusting to life in New Orleans and the merits of do-it-yourself frozen yogurt places.

Your dad is former Minnesota Vikings tight end Steve Jordan. Growing up were you expected to play football? That’s probably

far from the truth. My mom sort of kept us away from that life. Really, we played every sport except football. We weren’t allowed to play football until we were teenagers, so she sheltered us a little bit.

What did you want to be growing up? I wanted to play basketball, but I felt like every kid wants to play basketball when they start. I thought I was legit at basketball, but there were so many other routes to go. If I left it up to my mother, I’d probably still be in school somewhere.

What career would you want to have if you didn’t play football, and it didn’t matter what training or education you had? You mean

Cam Jordan

BY LAUREN LABORDE

A

s C a m e r on J o r d an i s wa l k i n g i nto th e bu i l d i n g wh e r e I

will interview him, a woman walking her large gray poodle is also entering.

The poodle immediately gravitates toward the Saints defensive end, and soon I’m treated to the adorable image of this hulking football player and fluffy dog interacting. “Are you afraid of poodles?” the dog’s owner says. “No,” Jordan replies. “But I’ve never met a friendly one.”

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besides being a basketball player? If sports weren’t an option, I’d probably be a P.E. teacher.

Are you good with kids? I’m pretty good with kids. Normally my off-field activities have everything to do with kids.

I’m always talking to kids in schools around New Orleans. Back home I’m doing camps with my boys. I’m just really involved in giving back. It’d be nice to still be around kids and zap a little energy from them every once in a while.

What is like playing under Defensive Coordinator Rob Ryan? Rob is great. He’s

a rock star, man. He coaches with such energy that you have to try to match it.

What did you learn as a rookie from the veteran players? I learned a lot of things. I

learned how to actually watch film. And then you know, how to live and getting into your own routine, what’s best for you and not just what you’re being told to do, and things like that.

Do you think you’re the most intimidating Saints player on Twitter? The most intimig r e g m i l e s P H O T O GR A P H

dating? Not at all. I don’t even think I give a real opinion. I just put out my opinion. I don’t get a really heavily formulated opinion on any topic. Most intimidating? No way. I’d probably have to give that to my other D-lineman, Junior Galette. I’d give him that one.

What’s your favorite social network? Probably Instagram, because you can see everything. For some reason people feel like they can post things on Instagram that they won’t put on Twitter, that they don’t put on Facebook.

What do you like doing in the offseason? I like traveling. I like being in different areas. Honestly, within the next year or two, I need to get to at least two more different countries. I’m going to see if I can knock off another country this summer before my birthday, but we’ll see what happens.

I’m getting into the country thing right now. I just started going fishing – been going once a week for the past month and a half.

Went hunting, shot me a wild boar last weekend. We’re getting some sausages and pork chops being made, a little fatback. I don’t even know what “fatback” is but I’m looking forward to it.

Been mudding … went bow fishing. I’m sort of up for it all.

What are some of your goals this year for the defense, as far as how you play and how you want the team to play? As far as myself,

I got to do a better job of being more of a leader on the D-line.

As far as the D-line goes, I think we have enough talent to be one of the best, if not the best, D-line to hit the game this year.

As far as defense goes, we’ve got to be better than we did last year. We were top five defense, I’m pretty sure we can break in to No. 1. Easy. As far as the team goes, we’re always looking to win a Superbowl. I need some metal on that hand.

Was it an easy adjustment moving to New Orleans? Ha. Yeah, sure. Let’s go with that one. I’m a West Coast kid. I’m from Arizona, went to school up in the Bay at Cal. And then my life changed – I got shipped down here. Everything’s different from where I’ve been. Even in Arizona you’ve got Phoenix, Scottsdale, Chandler, Tuscon – everything’s in pretty close proximity, different cities you can go to. As far as California you’ve got San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose, L.A., Vegas, wherever you need to go … and then you come here, and the closest thing is … Mississippi is an hour away, that’s what you get if you come here. You get Biloxi. Which is not a bad place, I’m finding out this year. Four hours away is Houston. You got to make drives to go places.

But do you like living here overall? Yeah, it’s grown on me.

True confession? I like frozen yogurt over ice cream.

Do you go to Pinkberry? I like Tutti Frutti better than Pinkberry.

Not the quality of it – Pinkberry tastes better – as far as Tutti Frutti goes, I like to put my own toppings on it. I guess you can call me a control freak.

I feel like I go crazy when I have the option of doing it myself.

It ends up costing $12 when I’m through with it.

But hey, you’re happy. That’s what it’s about: self-satisfaction.

At a Glance

Age: 24 Profession: Defensive end, New Orleans Saints Born/ raised: Born in Minnesota, raised in Arizona Education: University

California, Berkeley Favorite Movie: “Of all time? The Lion King.

But of my adult recent years? Breakin’ All the Rules.” Favorite TV Shows: “I just got into ‘Brooklyn Nine-Nine’” Favorite band/musician: “Depends on my mood. I will go from electronic to funk so fast.” Favorite restaurant: Mr. John’s Steakhouse Favorite food: Mexican Favorite vacation spot: Argentina or Brazil myneworleans.com

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Amazon Increases Delivery Competition Amazon.com recently expanded its Sunday delivery service to 15 cities, including New Orleans. The original Sunday delivery service, which began last November, only included New York and Los Angeles.

“We’re pleased to be delivering more packages on Sunday and just allowing the shippers and customers to appreciate the benefits of U.S. Mail,” says U.S. Postal Service spokeswoman Sue Brennan. “This is a win-win for both organizations, and we do hope it expands.”

The spread of Amazon’s Sunday delivery service presents a business boost to the struggling U.S. Postal Service, which has been seeking ways to tap into the growth of online shopping.

Currently, the U.S. Postal Service is Amazon’s exclusive Sunday distribution partner.

Amazon Prime members who order an eligible item as late as Friday can receive the package as soon as Sunday. This twoday shipping, however, is only available for customers who are a pay the $99 annual Prime membership.

Amazon Prime customers don’t have to do anything special to take advantage of Sunday shipping. If a purchased item is available for Sunday delivery in a particular city, Amazon customers will see that option when they add the item to their shopping carts during checkout.

Customers who don’t pay the annual Amazon Prime fee can also get Sunday delivery, but they must pay standard shipping rates.

Amazon says that “millions” 22

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of products qualify for Sunday delivery. Mike Roth, Amazon’s vice president of North America operations, says that so far the most common items delivered on Sunday include baby supplies, such as newborn apparel, books and toys. “Sunday delivery is clearly crossing errands off the weekend to-do list,” he says.

According to an article in USA Today, chief investment officer at ClearPath Capital Partners in San Francisco Brendan Connaughtan believes Amazon’s Sunday push puts added pressure on rival retailers. “I think it’s going to just make it tougher for their competitors to compete against them. The thing about Amazon is it’s a category killer and an industry killer.”

“In terms of who’s likely to be next, I’d be looking to some extent at the other largest online retailers, and that includes Staples, Wal-Mart, Office Depot, OfficeMax, Sears, QVC, Best Buy and Macy’s,” says Jan Dawson, chief analyst at Jackdaw Research.

“But it’s probably best positioned by most of those retailers as a premium service for people who need certain items urgently, and they’d pay accordingly.”

– t aylor burley

myneworleans.com

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T HE BE A T

BIZ

Dollars and Diplomas At graduation time, parents’ biggest test may be financial B y K a t h y F i nn

I

t i s a h e a d y t i m e of y e a r fo r fa m i l i e s of n e w l y

graduated high schoolers. As the young grads prepare to take their next big steps, parents who have prepared well for the moment can look ahead and share in their excitement.

But for parents of college-bound kids who, for whatever reason, are not financially prepared for this turning point, it can be an anxious time.

According to the National Center for Education Statistics the cost of a college education at public, four-year institutions in the United States has shot up 40 percent during the past decade. A public university degree costs about $67,000 on average, while four years at a private institution will chew through about $135,000.

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Kids from high-net-worth families and those whose academic records sparkle with scholarship promise may not find those costs frightening. But a great many others could be headed for a financial struggle.

Most financial advisers strike a common chord when it comes to funding a child’s higher education: Start planning when the child is still in diapers. The earlier that parents can begin stashing money away for college, the smaller the financial hurdles will be 15 to 18 years down the road.

The good news for many students is, both federal and state governments have taken steps to help families accumulate the resources they’ll need when college time arrives. One of the most important tools is the 529 Plan.

Named after a section of the Internal Revenue Code, the 529 is an education savings plan that works a little like an IRA. Once parents set it up, they can make periodic contributions to it and have their investments grow on a tax-deferred basis.

When they take money out of the plan – as long as the distributions are used to pay for college – they’ll owe no federal tax on whatever income and appreciation the investment has generated.

Most states now offer some variation on the basic 529, and Louisiana offers an outstanding 529 called START. People who invest in a START Plan can receive a state income tax deduction of up to $2,400 a year for their contributions to the plan. The law allows a husband and wife both to invest in the plan for a deduction as high as $4,800 a year.

Louisiana sweetens the deal by kicking in matching funds ranging from 2 percent to 14 percent of donors’ contributions, depending on their income level.

“Louisiana’s 529 is a great plan, and not enough people are taking advantage of it,” says Jude Boudreaux, a certified financial planner.

He warns, though, that some parents are unlikely to hear about the SMART Plan from their financial advisers because other types of 529 plans carry bigger rewards for salespeople.

Some brokers are pushing 529 plans that cost the investor a commission, carry higher management expenses and don’t provide the state income tax benefits available from the SMART Plan, he says.

Because of their higher costs, those vehicles would have to perform substantially better than the SMART Plan to justify choosing one of them, says Boudreaux, who provides financial advice on a fee-only basis.

Investments in the SMART Plan are managed by low-cost mutual fund provider Vanguard Investment Group, he notes, and investors can set up the plan on their own, without going through a financial adviser.

While Boudreaux sees college saving as a vital part of a family’s overall financial planning, he says that families should keep their critical financial needs in perspective. If parents are torn between putting money into a retirement plan or a college savings plan, for instance, he suggests taking the long-term view.

“I like to tell people, ‘You can get a loan for college, you can’t get a loan for retirement,’” he says. “Take care of your retirement needs first.”

One investment that could serve either purpose is a Roth IRA. For people who are eligible to take advantage of it, the Roth IRA provides tax-deferral on the investment’s growth, and if the money is used to pay college costs, distributions from the

vehicle come out tax-free.

“It gives you the flexibility to use the money for college or retirement,” Boudreaux says.

While the soaring cost of college strikes fear in many parents, some advisers suggest pausing for a breath of reality.

“Save what you can, but expect college to be more affordable for newborns than it is for today’s graduates,” MarketWatch.com financial writer Chuck Jaffe wrote in a recent column.

Jaffe said tuition costs have nearly reached a breaking point, meaning they aren’t likely to continue rising as fast as in recent years.

“As with any commodity – and that’s what an education is, no matter how much academics scoff at the idea,” costs will start to come down, he said.

One force that’s likely to drive down the price of a traditional university education is the Internet. The proliferation of online learning already has forced major institutions to offer Web-based courses.

“You can take online classes at Harvard (University) for a couple thousand dollars per credit hour,” Boudreaux points out.

He predicts that the “democratizing” effect the Internet has had on many other products and services is going to have a similar impact on higher education.

Forecasts of declining college costs aside, it’s still a good idea for parents to begin planning early if they want to help their kids get the best possible start on their adult lives. A good place to start is the website SavingForCollege.com, which offers tools to estimate the future cost of a particular college and a calculator that can help determine the amount of monthly savings needed to arrive at the goal.

Get Started With a 529

Here are some of the benefits of 529 college savings plans in general and Louisiana’s START plan, in particular: Federal tax benefits While the contributions are not deductible on a federal tax return, 529 plan investments grow tax-deferred and distributions that are used to pay for the beneficiary’s college costs are free of federal tax.

START benefits Louisiana’s START Plan allows state tax deductions up to $4,800 a year for investments made by a husband and wife. Louisiana adds matching funds to the tune of 2 percent to 14 percent (depending on donor’s income) of a Louisiana participant’s contributions when the account is used for qualifying expenses.

Flexibility With few exceptions, the named beneficiary has no rights to the 529 funds, so parents’ withdrawals are taken and used at the parents’ discretion. Most plans even allow the donor to reclaim the money if it isn’t needed for college, though the earnings portion of the “non-qualified” withdrawal will be subject to income tax and a 10 percent penalty in that case.

Low maintenance Once the account is set up, the underlying investments are managed by the plan. Louisiana’s plan offers several investment options, including mutual funds managed by the Vanguard Investment Group, a low-cost provider. There is no enrollment, account maintenance or program management fee.

High deposit limit Everyone is eligible to take advantage of a 529 plan, and the deposit amounts allowed are substantial – topping out at nearly $300,000 per beneficiary in Louisiana’s START Plan.

Source: SavingForCollege.com myneworleans.com

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Art Teachers Receive Funds Three New Orleans high school art teachers were selected to receive a total of $3,270 in much-needed supplies for the art programs they supervise. This year’s recipients are Beverly Cook, Eleanor McMain Secondary School, Orleans Parish ($1,335); Rickey Henry, Lake Area New TechECHS, Orleans Parish ($635); and Katy SimmonsCarroll, Mount Carmel Academy ($1,300).

The Rau for Art Teacher’s Art Fund awards high school art instructors in the New Orleans area whose schools are experiencing cut backs for art supplies. Each teacher must submit an individual proposal through the foundation’s website for a chance to win up to $2,500 in supplies for each school.

“I am so grateful to the Rau for Art program for helping us,” said Katy Simmons-Carroll, Mount Carmel Academy. “We are using the money for our Empty Bowls Project, an international grassroots effort to fight hunger.

The students will learn wheel and hand-building ceramic techniques to create bowls for sale to benefit a local food bank.”

Another grant recipient, art and ceramics instructor Beverly Cook with Eleanor McMain Secondary School added, “We are so excited to be able to provide the materials for the ceramics classes which our students have been looking for26

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ward to using.”

The Teacher’s Art Fund, provided by M.S. Rau Antiques, is now in its third year. The Rau for Art Foundation was founded by Bill Rau in commemoration of M.S. Rau Antiques’ 2012 Centennial.

“We had such a great experience our first year with the RFA that we expanded our mission to reach beyond just the students to the teachers who are responsible for incubating this creative talent,” says M.S. Rau Antiques founder Bill Rau, who also oversees the Rau for Art program. “Meeting all of the art educators in our area has been enlightening. These teachers work incredibly hard, and knowing that we’re assisting them and all the talented young artists they impact makes all of us feel both honored and humbled.”

“We continue to have an excellent response and engagement with the local art community for this program, as well as our annual Rau for Art student scholarship contest,” explained Bill Rau. “Meeting these teachers is always so inspiring and they work incredibly hard to nurture creative talent.”

To learn more about the Rau for Art program and the Teacher’s Art Fund, visit RauForArt.com.

– t aylor burley

myneworleans.com

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T HE BE A T

EDUCATION

Degrees and Jobs The college thrust

by D a w n R u t h

A

t N un e z C o m m un i t y C o l l e g e ’ s Ma y g r a d uat i on c e r e m on y ,

the photograph of a chubby-cheeked toddler wearing a bow tie decorated the top of his mother’s tasseled cap. The photo’s caption “I did it for HIM” said it all about Mom’s incentive for being there.

Many female students say that they attend college to better their children’s lives, an offshoot of the typical economic reasons students enroll in college. At the end of every semester at Nunez, where I teach English, I distribute articles pertaining to increasing college enrollment nationally and prompt answers to this question: “Why are you here?”

“To get a better job,” and “To make more money,” are quick answers. Only one in a 100 will say “to learn” or “to have knowledge.” The apparent lack of interest in the learning process once troubled me. As a baby boomer who graduated from college in the late 1970s, my liberal arts education was steeped in the idealism of the period, a time when people could still get decent paying employment without a college degree, but wanted one for its own sake.

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Those days are long gone.

Recent studies about college attainment and income explain in stark terms why it’s so vital for today’s adults to get a degree.

A recent Pew Research Center article entitled “The Rising Cost of Not Going to College” shows that 12.2 percent of adults between 25 and 32 with a high school degree were unemployed in 2012 compared to 8.1 percent with a two-year degree or some college and 3.8 percent with a bachelor’s degree or higher. Moreover, only 5.8 percent of college graduates in this age group and 14.7 percent of those with some college lived in poverty last year compared to 21.8 percent of people who only attained a high school degree.

Salaries are predictably higher for college graduates in the same age group – $45,500 compared to $28,000 for high school graduates in 2012. The “some college” group only earned about $2,000 more than the high school graduate group, Pew Research Center data show, but clearly they are more likely to be employed. The Pew studies also indicate that both those with at least a bachelor’s degree and “some college” are more satisfied with their employment.

Even more striking is the increase in the wage gap over the years between college-educated adults and those without a college degree. The Pew Research Center says that high school graduates between the ages of 25 and 32 who were born between 1946 and ’54, known as early Baby Boomers, earned 77 percent of the wages earned by college graduates in their age group. Today’s high J O SE P H D A N IEL F IEDLER ILL U S T R A T I O N

school graduates who are 25 to 32 years old – Millennials – are only earning 62 percent of what the typical college graduate earns, the data show.

These numbers explain why so many politicians on both sides of the political divide are beginning to think of a college education as a basic “right” on the order of “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”

In May, Tennessee Republican Gov. Bill Haslam signed a law that gives free community college tuition to the state’s high school graduates. According to CBS News’ website, Haslam said that the program is a “front end” investment in the state’s economic future.

Louisiana has basically offered free college tuition for two- and four-year colleges since 1998 through the TOPS scholarship program. The requirements to earn a free ride to a public college are so low that any high school graduate earning a “C” average in a college preparatory curriculum qualifies.

Even though statistics show that Louisiana is second from the bottom in the percentage of adults nationally who have a two- or four-year college degree, its percentage is growing faster than most states. A 2014 Lumina Foundation report entitled “A Stronger Nation through Higher Education” says that 39.4 percent of 25-64 year old adults in the United States have a college degree.

Louisiana’s rate is 29.1 percent, which is 10.3 percent below the national average and only higher than West Virginia’s percentage. The report says that Louisiana’s rate increases to 32.6 when the core group is reduced to 25-34 year olds, an indication that past education initiatives are beginning to work.

All over the state, students are taking the TOPS college preparatory curriculum in greater numbers. According to the Board of Regents, Louisiana’s coordinating board of higher education, about 70 percent of high school graduates followed the college prep curriculum in 2013-’14, a 10 percent increase since ’03-’04. The report also says that in ’12, TOPS college prep curriculum graduates scored an average of 21.4 out of a possible 36 on the ACT college entrance test compared to an average score of 16.7 for high school graduates who didn’t take the curriculum.

The numbers are pink-tinged but not totally rosy. The state’s investment of $1.9 billion to send high school graduates to college between 1999 and 2014 hasn’t produced as many college graduates as one might expect for such expense. Not only is the state trailing 49 other states in the percentage of college graduates, Board of Regents figures show that of the 136,616 students who received TOPS scholarships between ’04 and ’13, a third lost their awards before graduating, mostly because they failed to attend college full time.

Even more troubling is the irrational juxtaposition of increased support for TOPS and decreased support for the state’s colleges and universities. The Board of Regents says funding for TOPS has increased 307 percent over the years. Another board report says that funding to higher education has been cut 42 percent, with less than half replaced with increases in tuition. The state’s lack of financial support for its colleges and universities diminishes the quality of the education students receive, raising the distinct possibility that the high tech companies that employ college grads in states such as North Carolina and Texas will never find their way here.

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New Orleans East to Increase Access to Healthcare New Orleans East will receive a portion of the $105 Million BP settlement awarded to coastal communities affected by the oil disaster, a settlement which will increase access to healthcare for Gulf Coast residents. The initiative will be led by the Alliance Institute, Vietnamese Initiatives in Economic Training and the New Orleans East Louisiana Community Health Center, in conjunction with the Gulf Region Health Outreach Program.

The Gulf Region Health Outreach Program (GRHOP) is a five-year-long program dedicated to strengthening healthcare, health literacy and resiliency of Gulf Coast communities affected by the BP oil spill, especially for members of the settlement class, the uninsured and medically underserved residents of the 17 affected coastal counties and parishes in Alabama, Louisiana, Florida and Mississippi. The Alliance Institute will be in charge of community involvement for the GRHOP. Stephen Branberry, Executive Director of the Alliance Institute, says that the organization is honored to be working with nonprofit organizations across the Gulf Coast region as part of the GRHOP program.

“Immediately following the oil disaster, the Alliance Institute held listening sessions across the region and received feedback from citizens that the lack of access to adequate health care was a major concern. For us to now be working with organizations from those same communities is fulfilling and a testament to what can happen 30

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when communities are organized to give voice to their solutions for the issues that confront them,” Branberry says.

The New Orleans East Louisiana Community Health Center, which describes itself as “a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving and promoting our unique diversity and improving the quality of life of residents in the Greater New Orleans area, beginning in New Orleans East,” is also thrilled to be a part of the project.

“As a local community health center, we’re honored to provide high quality, affordable, primary and preventive health care services to the residents of this community. We see this collaboration as a positive endeavor for the advancement of a healthier community,” says Diem Nguyen, Chief Executive Officer of NOELA CHC. GRHOP’s funding will also allow organizations such as the Vietnamese Initiatives in Economic Training (VIET) to increase work in the New Orleans East community. VIET, created in 2001, works to develop educational and economic training programs and act as a resource center for minority residents in Louisiana.

For more information about the GRHOP Initiative, visit GulfRegionHealthOutreach.com.

– t aylor burley

myneworleans.com

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T HE BE A T

HEALTH “It looked like Chris had a septic ankle. Overnight his swelling returned in spite of the intravenous antibiotics. His swollen ankle was hot, red and very painful,” says Dr. Kevin Watson, an orthopedist. Watson, like Oster, was a Holly Cross graduate before he zigzagged from undergraduate studies at Vanderbilt, Tulane for medical school, University of Alabama in Birmingham for an orthopedic residency and then back to New Orleans to practice in 2007.

“We see a lot of hot, swollen joints. The common culprits are gout, pseudogout and frank infections. I took him to surgery,” says Dr. Watson, who made a 1-inchplus incision and inserted an arthroscope for a look-see. “There wasn’t that much pus left, but he had some inflamed synovial tissue. The cartilage surfaces looked undamaged.”

Joint Session April wedding brings May hospitalization

by B rob s on L u t z M . D .

“M

y right ankle was huge. It happened all of a sudden.

I didn’t realize it was swollen until I took off my boot,” says Christopher Oster, a 30-year-old industrial painter and Holy Cross High School graduate. “It didn’t bother me that much at first, but later that evening it was hurting so much I could hardly get off the sofa.”

His wife Wendy drove him to the emergency room at Ochsner Baptist Medical Center on a Friday night last May. As Oster hobbled into the emergency room, the physician on duty took one look and called for a syringe to drain the hot, swollen joint. In went the needle and out came a syringe of pus, a ticket for admission and an orthopedic consult.

Normal joint fluid is the WD-40 of the skeletal system. It is clear and slightly viscous.

Infections and certain inflammatory conditions cause white blood cells, the foot soldiers of the immune system, to stream into the joint. The abnormal accumulation of these cells causes pain, swelling and a change in the cloudy joint fluid. Sticking a needle into a swollen joint can reduce abnormal pressure and pain. It also gives the physician a specimen to send to the laboratory to culture for bacteria. But just like a high white blood cell count doesn’t always indicate infection, pus in a joint doesn’t always equate to an infection.

Day 2

“For a week or so before my ankle started hurting, my eyes turned bloodshot and were glued shut with crusts each morning. My doctor prescribed a Z-Pak. Wendy and I thought I just had the flu until my ankle started hurting,” said Oster the morning after admission when a physician was asking about other recent infections.

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Day 3

The lab reported “no growth” from a culture of the pus collected in the emergency room. The etiology of his ankle inflammation was turning into a medical mystery, until his wife gave the clue that cracked the case.

“You know it may not be important but we both came down with food poisoning from a wedding reception about a month ago. It got my aunt, too,” said Wendy.

“The reception was on a Friday night, about 50 people at a St. Bernard reception hall. I started feeling queasy on Sunday, but Monday I started with non-stop diarrhea. It lasted a couple of days.

It didn’t seem that big of a deal,” added Christopher.

The diagnosis

So how did a wedding reception in April bring a swollen ankle in May? Chris had reactive arthritis, a postinfectious reaction to an earlier bacterial infection in another part of the body. The classic clinical presentation for reactive arthritis is sudden onset of arthritis one to four weeks after an intestinal or urinary tract infection. Usually only one knee, ankle or foot becomes

J E F F ERY J O H N S T O N photo g r aph

swollen and painful, but up to five joints can be involved, including the fingers. Low-grade fever and malaise often pre-date the joint symptoms. Concurrent eye irritation or conjunctivitis is commonly reported and sometimes wrongly diagnosed as pink eye.

Chlamydia, Clostridium difficile, Salmonella, Shigella and Campylobacter are some of the more common bacterial triggers for reactive arthritis. Chlamydia causes urethritis, a sexually transmitted disease usually much milder than gonorrhea. The enteritis caused by Clostridium difficile is a complication of antibiotic use.

But most other bacterial species linked to reactive arthritis are those that cause foodborne infections.

Reactive arthritis is uncommon but not rare. It is like winning a full jackpot from a video poker machine in reverse rather than wining the power ball. For every 100,000 persons with acute bacterial intestinal infections, maybe two or three develop reactive arthritis symptoms. The percentage of reactive arthritis after Chlamydia infections is higher.

White males between 20 and 40 years old are most at risk for reactive arthritis. The disease seems milder in women. There is an increased prevalence in Scandinavian countries. This epidemiology and other data point to a genetic predisposition as postinfectious inflammation occurs in only a small percent of persons following any foodborne outbreak.

The trigger infection

The foodborne bacteria associated with reactive arthritis must first survive a stomach acid wash and a dousing by digestive juices before finding the right intestinal niche to attach and begin multiplication. The various incubation periods, calculated as the time interval between ingestion of tainted food and the first onset of symptoms, is measured in days not hours. By the time reactive arthritis develops, the foodborne bacteria that caused the initial symptoms are long gone.

First line treatment for reactive arthritis is the same as for osteoarthritis: non-steroidal antiinflammatory drugs such as Motrin, Aleve and Naprosyn for several weeks to months as needed for symptom control. If symptoms persist, additional therapy can be steroids or other disease-modifying drugs pulled from a rheumatologist’s quiver.

If you have to have arthritis, reactive arthritis might be the one you want. The acute swelling usually resolves within a few weeks and all signs and symptoms of inflammation resolve within four to six months. Occasionally persistent musculoskeletal symptoms transition into chronic reactive arthritis. In additions, persons who test positive for the genetic marker HLA B27 are prone to other immune and rheumatologic problems including ankylosing spondlitis and inflammatory bowel disease.

From Reiter’s Syndrome to Reactive Arthritis German physician Dr. Hans Reiter published a case report about a World War I soldier with urethritis, conjunctivitis and arthritis. This triad of “can’t see, can’t pee and can’t climb a tree” became known as Reiter’s Syndrome.

But Reiter was an enthusiastic Nazi. “Anti-tobacco research flourished in the Third Reich” according to the Anti-Defamation League in 1996. With an orchestra playing Mozart in the background, Reiter keynoted the opening of a Hitler-inspired anti-tobacco institute in ’41. Citing tobacco use was an “epidemic, a plague, dry drunkenness and lung masturbation.”

After World War II, Reiter’s old Nazi days led to a Nuremberg conviction for war crimes. Having one’s name associated with a disease is an honor in medicine not worthy of a Nazi guilty of war crimes. Hence, the more descriptive name of “reactive arthritis” now describes what was once known as Reiter’s Syndrome. myneworleans.com

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HEALTHBEAT In May, Gov. Bobby Jindal signed legislation banning the sale of electronic cigarettes and other tobacco alternatives to people under the age of 18. The bill by state Sen. Rick Gallot, D-Ruston, merged the gap in the law regarding new alternatives to tobacco and nicotine products, including e-cigarettes.

The legislation passed unanimously in both the state Senate and House of Representatives and takes effect on August 1.

This month, Team Louisiana participates in a national, Olympic-style competition in Houston.

The 2014 Transplant Games, July 11-15, offers recipients of transplants and those affected by transplants, a chance to shine in sporting and non-sporting events, including swimming, bowling, golf and table tennis. Living donors and donor families also can participate in workshops and will be honored during the opening ceremonies. In May, Ochsner Medical Center, the Louisiana Organ procurement Agency and Team Louisiana celebrated the countdown to the Transplant Games with a second-line led by the Gentilly Brass Band and held a flag signing ceremony. The flag, which continued from Louisiana to Texas for signatures from the more than 40 participating teams, will fly over BBVA Compass Stadium during the opening ceremonies of the games in Houston.

The Advocate reported recently that the Administration of Gov. Bobby Jindal’s plan to privatize LSU hospitals is pushing forward with the 10-1 state House committee vote to close Pineville’s Huey P. Long Medical Center. According to The Advocate, it’s the ninth of LSU’s 10 hospitals affected by the privatization plan.

It also reported “under a ‘cooperative endeavor agreement,’ Christus’ St. Francis Cabrini and Rapides General Medical Center take over the care of the poor and uninsured in central Louisiana and with completion of the deal, only Lallie Kemp Medical Center in Independence would remain under LSU operation.”

– MELANIE WARNER SPENCER 34

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T HE BEA T

CRIME FIGHTING

When Felons Escape Law enforcement responds in different ways

by A llen J o h n s on J r .

O

n th e n i g ht of Ma y 1 5 , r e t i r e d Lou i s i ana p r i s on

Warden Frank L. Jobert Jr. ponders the fate of Andy Fowler, a convicted killer who escaped from his custody almost 25 years.

On June 16, 1989, Fowler vanished from a highway work crew on Interstate 12, dispatched from a former state minimum-security prison at Jackson Barracks in the Lower 9th Ward. Jobert was warden over the 369 inmates in the work release facility, which closed in ’94.

Jobert retired from the state department of corrections (DOC) in 2003, more than a decade ago. (For more, read this column in the October ’12 issue: 36

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“Behind the Wire.”) He admits “fugitive Fowler” (the DOC’s term) has never been far from his thoughts.

After two decades as warden over thousands of adult and juvenile prisoners in Louisiana, Fowler is the only inmate Jobert has not yet accounted for.

“It would be interesting to catch him,” Jobert says.

“He’s been out 25 years. Or, he might have died under an assumed name.”

If alive, the Pearl River, man is 59 years old and he has been a fugitive for roughly half of his life.

Fowler was convicted in 1984 in the beating death of Rickey Fontenot, 48, also of Pearl River, who died the previous year after the two men fought over a woman.

Fowler had served five years of his 16-year sentence for manslaughter when he escaped. He has been on the FBI’s wanted list since ’90.

Jobert hopes that Fowler’s long run without a felony arrest means he has stopped drinking to blend into society. “Most alcoholics don’t go 25 years without an arrest,” he says.

At worst, Jobert says he hopes Fowler has started a new life, perhaps with a job and an unwitting wife, like another Barracks escapee who enjoyed 17 years of freedom. (That fugitive was exposed after being booked by undercover police in New York City on a false charge of soliciting prostitution.)

On the night of our May 15 telephone interview, Jobert says he had no idea that fugitive Andy Fowler’s 25-year run from the law would end the next day.

At about 4:25 p.m. Friday, May 16, armed FBI agents from Mobile, Alabama and New Orleans surrounded a car and arrested Fowler at a lonely rural intersection, outside Semmes, Alabama. The agents acted on a tip received earlier that week, the FBI said in a terse press release.

I immediately called Jobert for his reaction.

He said he and his wife were driving to see the movie God Is Not Dead. When he called back, he sounded stunned. Shock gave way to excitement, and an expectation that 25 years of history would soon be revealed.

Unfortunately, the mystery of Fowler’s whereabouts over the last 25 years has only deepened during the two weeks since his arrest. Strangely, a reporter’s requests for information about the FBI’s success in catching Fowler – and other aging fugitives – have hit a (stone) wall.

He was extradited from Alabama and quickly returned to the custody of the Louisiana Department of Corrections, like a lost ball tossed back over a neighbor’s fence.

Warden Jobert has another theory about Fowler’s arrest: “I think because you started investigating the escape, a fire was lit under someone that led to his capture.”

Or it may be serendipity.

On Jan. 8, 2014, U.S. Chief Magistrate Judge Joseph C. Wilkinson Jr. sent new U.S. Attorney Kenneth Polite a list of 77 “inactive” criminal cases, which were “open and pending for an inordinate period of time with no action having been taken to actively pursue prosecuJ O SE P H D A N IEL F IEDLER ILL U S T R A T I O N

tion.” The cases ranged from 1972 to 2012, covering every prosecutorial era from U.S. Attorneys Gerald Gallinghouse to Letten (justice. gov/usao/lae/former_usa.html).

They included the 1990 federal warrant for fugitive Fowler, the first criminal case assigned to then-federal prosecutor Greg Gerard Guidry, now an elected justice of the Louisiana Supreme Court.

On Feb. 28, Duane A. Evans, chief of the criminal division under Polite, asked that the court allow nine “active” fugitive investigations on the list to remain “open” including the case against Fowler (2:90-mj-00244).

Evans also asked the judge for more time to research five criminal complaints filed in 1994, ’96, ’97 and 2004 that “remain sealed.”

“There is no supporting documentation to assist the government in identifying the defendant(s),” Johnson wrote.

On Feb. 28, Judge Wilkinson ruled he was “SATISFIED” with Johnson’s “full and complete report” on the 77 cases.

Through a spokeswoman, Johnson declined to discuss the FBI’s “active investigations” of the nine fugitives, including a 1976 murder-robbery-and-arson warrant filed by the late iconic prosecutor Al Winters.

Under former U.S. Attorney Jim Letten, the arrest of a 25-year prison escapee like Fowler would have merited at least a press conference.

Letten might have cited five-year statistical tables by the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts showing the average federal prison escapee is recaptured within only one year. He would have emphasized any federal regional cooperation with state and local authorities.

There would be corny stanzas about how the “FBI never sleeps,” but the public would know a lot more about both its government and how a fugitive can avoid the FBI for almost 25 years.

William “Trap” Trepagnier, 70, recently retired as the NOPD’s top fugitive chaser, says fleeing felons who don’t brag and don’t drink can avoid arrest - if they follow traffic laws: “You stop at stop lights. You don’t speed. You don’t tell anybody who you are. You don’t go into barrooms.”

A recent USA Today investigation showed thousands of fugitives escape justice by simply crossing state borders. Disparate computer systems, arrest protocols and a lack of communication work in favor of the fugitive – and against federal, state and local enforcement. “Hopefully, they all talk to each other, but in reality they don’t,” Jobert says.

Details of Fowler’s escapade may help validate or disprove findings of flawed fugitive apprehensions and poor coordination by the FBI and U.S. Marshal’s Service, as reported by the U.S. Department of Justice Office of the Inspector General reported in 2005. (OIG Audit Report 05-37) Today, Andy Fowler is confined at Hunt Correctional Center, a state medium-security prison at St. Gabriel. “The Department does intend that Fowler will serve the remaining time he has [10 years] in DOC custody as well as any additional time that may get added on as a result of the escape,” DOC communications director Pam Laborde says.

How he spent the last 25 years since his escape on June 16, 1989 is still unknown.

“Andy was clean-cut, intelligent and never gave us any trouble,” Jobert recalls.

Prisoner No. 105595 was a trustee with no prison disciplinary record during five years.

He worked as a clerk-typist for one of the colonels at the Louisiana National Guard facilities at the Barracks and Camp Villere. After he escaped, the colonel lamented how difficult it would be to replace Fowler, Jobert recalls. “He said he was sorry to see him go.”

Jobert says he’s eager to catch up with Fowler. Yes, the former warden says, he would accept a collect call from the prison housing the former fugitive. “My number is still in the book.” myneworleans.com

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LOCALCOLOR THE SCOOP

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“From the homefront to the battlefield, The National World War II Museum engages visitors of all ages throughout their three buildings and many hands-on, interactive exhibits.”

SCOOP:

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Liberation Landings The D-Day anniversary gives more reasons to re-visit The National World War II Museum.

By Margaret Quilter

F

r o m t h e h o m e f r o n t to t h e b att l e f i e l d ,

The National World War II Museum engages visitors of all ages throughout their three buildings and many hands-on, interactive exhibits.

“We are the official World War II Museum for the United States, and that’s a big responsibility with a lot of stories to tell,” says Kacey Hill, director of communications.

With such a wealth of information to digest it’s easy for any firsttime visitor to feel overwhelmed. That is why both Hill and museum curator Kimberly Guise advise visitors to take some time to research their experience and plan accordingly.

“Visitors should choose their own adventure based on their own connection to the war – maybe their father or relative was involved in certain aspects – and then focus on those areas first before exploring the rest of what the museum has to offer,” advises Hill.

Guise recommends visitors download the free “National WWII Museum Guide” app onto their smart phones. The app not only helps you navigate your way around the museum, it also suggests itineraries depending on how much time you have. It gives you access to listing of events, oral history, video content and descriptions and images of the exhibits.

Exhibits

Visitors can explore the permanent exhibits of the US Freedom Pavilion: The Boeing Center, which displays fully restored Warbirds, 40

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U.S.-made aircraft and vehicles of war, including the M4 Sherman tank; gain greater insight into what it was like in the water in the USS Tang Submarine Experience; or put your morals and ethics to the test in the interactive “What Would You Do?.”

After viewing all the beautifully restored aircraft and vehicles, visitors can see how it’s done at the Kushner Restoration Pavilion.

With glass exterior walls, visitors have a permanent behind the scene view of the current multi-year restoration project, the Higgins Industries PT boat, PT-305.

“The PT boat is a highlight for me as it is one of most spectacular artifacts,” says Guise. “We have one tour at noon daily, which is roughly an hour long.”

The Louisiana Memorial Pavilion features short films, galleries filled with artifacts, photographs and maps depicting D-Day and what it was like on the battlefield. Closer to home, Hill recommends starting a visit with the museum’s new Train Car Experience.

Inside the Louisiana Memorial Pavilion is the special exhibit gallery, which is currently featuring “From Barbed Wire to Battlefields: Japanese American Experience in WWII,” on display until Oct. 12.

“The ‘Japanese American Experiences’ exhibit has some fantastic artifacts. We don’t have a wealth of them in our own collection, so we have borrowed from a range of places, including 16 pieces from the Smithsonian collection,” says Guise.

Over 33,000 Japanese Americans fought for the U.S., while the very nation they were defending put Americans with Japanese c h e r y l g e r b e r P H O T O GR A P Hs

ancestry – men, women and children – behind barbed wire in 10 War Relocation Centers. The exhibit features oral histories, photographs and artifacts of what life was like for Japanese Americans on the home front and the battlefield.

Films

Showing exclusively at the museum is Beyond all Boundaries, a 4D film narrated by executive producer Tom Hanks, showing daily on the hour starting at 10 a.m. in the Solomon Victory Theater. The film gives first-person accounts mixed with special effects and animation, providing viewers with an overview of the war.

“Beyond all Boundaries is under an hour long, and it gives you an overview of the war and conveys the global conflict on many fronts,” says Hill.

In the Malcolm Forbes Theater, Price for Peace a documentary on American youth and how they dealt with being thrust into war and D-Day Remembered are two 45-minute short films that run daily.; film times are available on the museum’s website.

Get hands on and interactive at the museum

For greater depth, visitors can take a variety of tours offered both daily and weekly. Some tours provide an in-depth look at certain aspects of the museum, while others provide a general overview of the museum in its entirety. Additionally, every month there’s a listing of lectures and discussions on a diverse range of topics themed around current exhibits in which the public are welcome to participate. The museum’s website’s “What’s On” page lists specific times, dates and topics.

Visitors can get an understanding of what infantrymen had to wear and carry at White Glove Wednesdays. Held every Wednesday, from 9 a.m. to noon, visitors can pick up and try on a 40-pound infantryman’s backpack, as well as original and reproduction helmets, uniforms, boots, packs and other personal equipment.

Also on Wednesdays throughout the summer, the Victory Belles perform their show “Spirit of America,” featuring folk, bluegrass and patriotic-themed American songs. Visitors will also enjoy the American Sector restaurant and the Stage Door Canteen; buffet seating begins at 11:45 a.m.

Families can camp out underneath a B-17 at the museum for the Family Overnight in the US Freedom Pavilion: The Boeing Center.

This overnight adventure is for families with children aged 7 to 12 years. Campers can participate in scavenger hunts, teamwork challenges and experience a USO show.

Families must pre-register for the Family Overnight, offered this month on Sat., July 19 at 6:30 p.m. to Sun., July 20 at 7 a.m.

On the third Saturday of every month from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., the Living History Corps, the museum’s World War II reenactors, wear uniforms and carry equipment of both the Allied and Axis forces and tell stories and share their knowledge of the day-to-day lives of the military men and women.

If you are a game master of any board or miniature game simulating a historic American military action, then join in the battles at the museum. The new “Heat of Battle VIII” will be played out at the museum from August 8 to 10.

The National World War II Museum 945 Magazine St. (Entrance is on Andrew Higgins Drive), 528-1944 General Admission starts at $22. Discounts for seniors, students and military personnel. Free for WWII veterans. Second day tickets available for $6.

Open 7 days a week, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Visit NationalWW2Museum.org for more information. myneworleans.com

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Evolution of the New Orleans Style Kid Howard and the jazz trumpet line

By Jason Berry

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h e e vo l ut i o n o f N e w O r l e a n s S t y l e – t h e c l ass i c ja z z i d i o m

that arose in the early 1900s – relied heavily on the trumpeter to advance the melody, laying out a song line to which the clarinet sang back in counter-melody, the drums and rhythm instruments driving ahead.

One hears it with Louis Armstrong at an apex in the Hot Five and Hot Seven sessions in the mid-1920s, taking the music to another level with Johnny Dodds, a Crescent City reedman who left for Chicago in the diaspora between Storyville’s closing in ’17 and the Great Depression in the ’30s.

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Armstrong left New Orleans in 1922, by which time the sound that he would famously popularize had been well forged by men who started out on the cornet, the pioneering Buddy Bolden and those who made the switch to trumpet, Bunk Johnson, Buddy Petit, Henry Allen Sr. and his son Henry “Red” Allen, among others. King Oliver, Amstrong’s mentor in his hardscrabble teenage years, established himself in Chicago and invited Armstrong to join the Creole Jazz Band in Chicago.

The line of talent that left New Orleans exported a style of music that had a huge impact on American popular culture, even as many of those early exponents made the shift to big band swing.

The musicians who stayed behind, playing in church parades, funerals, society clubs and dance halls, gave New Orleans Style an odd lease on life; they kept the root idiom alive when the national economy crashed though few of them had recording opportunities and many of them must have felt envy for the jazzmen who made it by leaving. But playing the traditional music – New Orleans Style is the term coined later by historian Bill Russell – trumpeters like Kid Howard popularized the standards that became canon, and extended a tradition of dance music that crossed the color line and is still going strong today.

How many times have I gone to music clubs in “foreign countries” like New York, Chicago, San Francisco, where the people sit there, heads bobbing, shoulders swaying and they don’t get up and dance.

Born in 1908, Avery “Kid” Howard played the cornet well into the ’30s; he had a greater distinction after mastering the trumpet. He made a living at his music, taking no day job, playing through the hard years, past World War II, and enjoyed a recording career comparatively late in life.

p h oto Cou r t e s y o f t h e N e w O r l e a n s J a z z C l u b Co l l e c t i o n o f t h e Lou i s i a n a S tat e Mus e u m

The Hottest Trumpet: The Kid Howard Story by Brian Harvey is a Jazzology Press release, the label founded by the late George Buck whose GHB Music recorded many traditional jazzmen and distributes reissues from specialty labels. Howard died in 1966; the book followed him by 41 years, and to call it a love’s labor as opposed to high social literature is a gentle caveat to the relentless research by Harvey, an Englishman who went beneath the stones he overturned to inspect the nature of the soil.

Howard started out as a drummer, switched to the horn, found a stride in the brass bands and advanced by playing funerals. “The fact that the foundation of Howard’s income through the 1930s was from funerals may be related to his very strong and active respect for his faith,” writes Harvey. “The Kid was a churchgoer throughout his life and with George Lewis’s family attended the neighborhood Zion Hill Baptist Church regularly ... Sacred melodies formed the central platform of the New Orleans brass band music.”

Howard hit his zenith with Lewis, the esteemed clarinetist and a catalytic figure in the New Orleans Revival of the 1950s.

Through his association with Lewis, Howard found “fame at last,” as Harvey notes, and did a good deal of traveling.

“Lewis played with a bunch of guys, but the one who was a key to that great sound of the Lewis band at its peak was Kid Howard,” says Tom Sancton, the clarinetist who studied with Lewis in high school, and recalled his experiences in his graceful memoir, Song for My Fathers.

“Kid Howard was forceful, assertive and hot, but not all over the place soaking up too much oxygen. That band had plenty of space for everyone to do their work collectively. Howard had that hot trumpet style, and a pronounced vibrato with an emotional warmth that showed in the blues. For my money he was the best trumpeter who played with Lewis.”

Howard recorded with Lewis on several Blue Note albums. The most accessible CD may be The Best of George Lewis, 1943-64, now on the GHB label (bcd 559/560.)

Harvey credits Kid Howard with exposing the Lewis band to “a wider variety of songs, rather than the muchrequested but hackneyed New Orleans jazz repertoire ... ranging from Joplin rags out of the old Red Book to hymns and popular numbers.”

Howard died in 1966, a year before Sancton graduated from Ben Franklin. “When I heard him play with Lewis at Preservation Hall his best days were behind him, but he had a voice with nice harmonics, and a depth to his singing, a lot of passion and humor,” says Sancton. “He sang a blues – ‘The reason my grandmother loved my granddaddy so / He had the same jelly roll he had 72 years ago’ – and he did it with mischief in his eye.”

Preaching to The Choir “If Daddy hadn’t been a musician, he might have been a preacher.

He had a natural preacher’s voice, ’cause he had that low range. I look at a lot of the ministers when they are preaching ... Most of them are good singers and they can play an instrument.”

– Norma Howard Lampton, quoted in The Hottest Trumpet: The Kid Howard Story by Brian Harvey myneworleans.com

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NON-FICTION For anyone who has ever wondered about the story behind New Orleans’ often historically, sometimes colorfully and occasionally whimsically-named streets, Hope & New Orleans: A History of Crescent City Street Names is your new best resource. Author, historian and photographer Sally Asher weaves together the tall tales, seedy underbelly, political battles, art and culture of the Crescent City, along with explanations of the head-scratching spellings and pronunciations of the city’s street names in this comprehensive and accessible history. The book also features Asher’s photography, which has appeared in Newsweek, U.S. World News and this publication.

BLUES July 15 marks the release of Viper’s Drag by Henry Butler-Steve Bernstein and the Hot 9. It is the first issue by the Impulse! label, reactivated by Universal Music Group this year. Legendary New Orleans pianist Henry Butler serves up his brand of low-down jazz and blues, along with trumpeter, bandleader, arranger and composer Steven Bernstein.

Impulse!, known for its release of classic recordings by legendary artists, including John Coltrane, was a force in the 1960s and ’70s. Butler, who was born blind, has been performing since he was 6, and as a professional since age 12. He has performed at Jazz Fest and countless festivals in the United States and abroad, and was featured on Treme, Season 2: Music from the Original HBO Series.

FICTION When Charley Bordelon inherits an 800-acre Louisiana sugarcane farm from her late father, the widowed mother of an 11-yearold relocates from Los Angeles for a fresh start in her hometown. In, Queen Sugar, writer Natalie Baszile delves into the world of the region’s sugarcane farming and the challenges faced not only by a woman, but also a woman of color, in a male-dominated business in the rural South.

COUNTRY On July 12, Christian Serpas and Ghost Town celebrate the release of their new album, Revved Up and Ready to Go, at Old Point Bar. The CD features originals and a sweet cover of “You are my Sunshine,” in the band’s signature twangy, rockabilly-meets-rock sound.

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

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Ronald Sciortino The Flavor Man

by George Gurtner

O

K , h e r e ’ s a q u e st i o n f o r y ou : W h at i n v i s i b l e p e r so n p l a y s

a major role in the way our food, from snowballs to steak dinners, taste in New Orleans? Hint: This guy may be the ultimate unsung hero.

Woooooonnnnk! Sorry! The clock gotcha!

Chances are you would never have come up with the name Ronald Sciortino anyway.

To put all this in proper perspective you should know Sciortino’s gustatory roots in New Orleans go back to the early 20th century. His family tree, which includes branches named “Ortolano,” reaches into the grocery, restaurant and snowball businesses from Kenner to the French Quarter. And in just about every phase of that family along the way, Sciortino has been front and center.

Today, he’s proud to call himself a “flavorist.” (Do not dare to call him a “chemist” or a “flavor chemist;” “flavorist” will do nicely, thank you.) His workplace from sun up to sun down is a surgically spotless laboratory on the second floor of an equally pristine SnoWizard building straddling the Orleans-Jefferson parish line, a few yards from the river. Giant stainless steel tanks highlight one side of the laboratory and are complemented by shelves containing tiny bottles of just about any naturally based chemical you can imagine. Sooner or later Sciortino will magically concoct these into an endless list of flavors that will find their way into everyday foods to be found all over New Orleans. In an adjunct to the lab, a lone worker painstakingly is hand-labeling bottles of vanilla that will be packaged and sold nationwide.

“In one way or another, I’ve always been in the food business,” Sciortino says. “I bought the SnoWizard manufacturing business from my uncle and aunt in 1981. That was the manufacturing of the snowball machines my grandfather invented, and my aunt and uncle made famous.” He continues, “Today we build 400 a year, all right downstairs from the lab. We sell them all over the country. In ’85, I bought the supply business from them. That included the flavorings they were getting from the Charles Dennery

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Company. In fact, if you went into any bakery in the Gulf South back then, every product in there was from Dennery.”

Back in the early days, in addition to Dennery, Sciortino was purchasing flavors from a variety of other companies around the country. “Most of those companies are now out of business,” Sciortino says. “Most were bought out by larger businesses.”

But when you’re operating with 40 flavors and you have your goal set on a rainbow of other flavors, you’ve got to go somewhere else to expand.

In steps Warren Leruth, a long-time flavorist, restaurant consultant and salesman for Dennery, who branched out with his own flavoring company and eventually ran his own restaurant – Le Ruth’s in Gretna – that quickly became known as one restaurant critic gushed, “One of the finest eating places in the world.”

“Warren and I were longtime friends,” Sciortino says. “He sold me his flavoring business and told me, ‘I’ll teach you how to make your own flavors.’ He had the formulas for a small number of flavors that he was doing. That inspired me to learn more about flavoring.”

Le Ruth’s closed its doors in 1991, and the great chef passed away in 2001, knowing that he left his flavoring business in good hands.

“He (Leruth) was not only a great restaurateur but a great teacher as well,” Sciortino says. “Right now I’m up to 150 flavors that we compound. I have some others on the drawing board that I can’t discuss right now, but they look like they’re going to be winners.”

And lest anybody be turned off by the words “artificially flavored” on packaged foods, Sciortino is quick to point out that that ain’t exactly so.

“Take strawberry,” he says as he runs his glance over the countless tiny bottles of compounds on a shelf in the lab.

“We’ll run a gas chromatography analysis of a strawberry so that all the (chemical) compounds that make up that flavor can be identified. We’ll take all those chemicals. They’ll be measured, put into a container then mixed up. And you’ll have the same strawberry taste that you’ll have if you took a bite out of a strawberry FR A N K ME T HE P H O T O GR A P H

on the vine.” He continues, “It all depends if those chemicals that are used comes from a natural source of if they’re taking the chemicals from another source. The finished product still has a natural identity and the exact same molecular structure. In every sense of the words, it’s a strawberry. But you cannot call it’ natural’ if it didn’t come form a natural source like a tree or a vine.

“So you see the words ‘artificially flavored’ are not a bad thing,” he says. “It just means that we can now reconstruct the strawberry using the exact same chemicals that were identified in a strawberry that was formed naturally. We could use all-natural chemicals that came from natural sources, or we could use chemicals that are more economical but will produce the exact same molecular structure by getting them from an alternative source. You can’t tell the difference. You just cannot call it ‘natural.’”

He continues, “They are the exact same ingredients when you put them under a microscope. What we have built is consistency. You don’t always get that consistency with strawberries – or any plant that’s grown: not enough rain, too much fertilizer, bugs, pesticides, the soil wasn’t right. Not so with what we produce here in our lab. Once we arrive at our formula it’s 100 percent clean and it’s consistent time after time. We’ve taken all the elements out that we can’t control. “ Sciortino opens one bottle after another and gently waves his hand in front of the opening to waft the aroma toward a visitor’s nose.

“Wow!” the visitor says. “That’s peppery!” “Capsicum extract,” Sciortino says. “If you put this too close to your face, your eyes will start watering and burning.

Sciortino opens another small bottle.

“Pineapple,” the visitor says. “That’s right,” Sciortino nods Ditto for black cherry, rum, ad infinitum. Sciortino’s voice takes on a tinge of pride when he points to his “library” of flavors. “… 500 now,” he says. “This to me is just like learning cooking. I didn’t go to formal school for cooking but I grew up in the catering business with my mother and I recall everything she did. You just have to learn the ingredients that go into it and the percentages … from there its just a matter of writing out the formula.” He continues, “And it’s not just strawberry or pineapple. Take peach. Do you want peach flavor with the fuzz? The entire peach. Canned peaches?

We can do it all through mixing and matching. There’s a lot of trial and error, but we eventually have the formula. I’m always experimenting with new flavors for foods. Last year we came out with a new flavor for snowballs: jalapeño stinger. I’m also working on a new flavor for next year: chili. And it’s hot! Just the vapors from it would make you cough …”

Sciortino is on a roll; he’s obviously a man who’s doing something for which he has passion. He is throwing out one familiar name and product after another – past and present – that use his flavors: King Cakes from Haydel’s Bakery, Hubig’s Pies, “500 or so” snowball stands around the Greater New Orleans area, cream cheese ...”

So, you can call Ron Sciortino “Dr. Franken-flavor” or you can call him “a master flavorist.” But whatever you do, don’t call him a chemist. And the next time you’re driving down Oak Street and you cross over the railroad tracks into Jefferson Parish on River Road, take a gander at the second floor of that pristine white building on your right.

Ron Sciortino just may be up there concocting a red cherrypineapple-fuzzy peach lalapalooza that will be all the rage in the ice cream market next year. myneworleans.com

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Adventures in Dog Sitting Sometimes things go wrong

by Modine Gunch

I

t is so hot I’m keeping my underwear in the

freezer so I can wear it cold. But my mother-in-law, Ms. Larda, has already started her Christmas shopping. She likes to be prepared.

Me, I’d rather spend my days in front the air conditioner vent.

Then my daughter Gumdrop asks me to stay at her house up near Folsom for a week to “feed the animals,” while she and her little family go to Disney. She tells me about their new aboveground swimming pool with its own deck and her new margaritamaker. “Say no more. I’m there,” I tell her.

Now, by “feeding the animals” I assume she means her cats, Rocky and Carlos, and Dorothy, the hamster, and maybe Audrey, the Venus flytrap she got in her window. She don’t mention the new dog.

Not that I got anything against dogs. They ain’t no worse than babies, even though babies generally don’t chew up your high heels and lift their legs at the coat rack.

I don’t find out about Lucky Dog until I get there. He ain’t a weenie dog like you might think; he’s a shaggy dog that wiggles all over when he wags his tail. Gumdrop almost ran over him one day at the gas station, and when she stopped to see if he was hurt, he jumped in the car. Nobody at the gas station knows nothing about him; nobody in all of Folsom knows nothing about him. Suddenly he’s Gumdrop’s dog.

My friend Awlette got a theory about dogs that appear like that. She thinks they’re reincarnated relatives come back to complete whatever unfinished mission they had in this life. (She don’t explain why this includes drinking out the toilet and licking their private parts.) I got to admit, this dog reminds me of my Aunt Gildamae – with them bushy eyebrows and hairy ears.

Anyway, Lucky Dog ain’t “quite” housebroken, Gumdrop informs me, and their backyard don’t quite have a fence. This means he stays in the kitchen, where there’s a baby gate, unless he’s out being walked on a leash. It also means I stay in the kitchen, too, because he gets upset when he’s in there by himself.

Gumdrop bought a dog-training book and she says it explains what I been doing wrong with all the dogs I’ve put up with in my life.

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dog in the backyard whenever he starts relieving himself on the floor. No, it means taking him out on his leash when he whimpers, and repeating the special “password” (I mispronounced that at first) until he answers nature’s call. You are supposed to pick a “password” that you would not normally say inside.

Lucky Dog’s password is “Stella.” I am standing outside in the rain at 4 a.m. yelling “Stella!” “STEL-LA!” when I realize that Gumdrop probably thinks this is funny. I pity her if she ever takes this poor dog to that Stella-calling contest they got in the French Quarter every spring.

Next day I call Ms. Larda. She bought a portable doggy pen for her Chihuahua, Chopsley, when she was getting her fence fixed. I promise her pool time and margaritas if she’ll bring that doggy pen here.

She comes that evening. We float around the pool, sip a couple margaritas and she decides to spend the night. But first we set up the doggy pen outside the back door, and leave the pen gate open so I can put Lucky Dog in there in a hurry. I forget we’re out in the country.

When I hear Lucky Dog squeal at 4 a.m., I race to the kitchen, grab him by the collar, rush him into the pen, slam the gate and yell “Stella!” I am padding back to bed when I hear another squeal.

That was quick. He is pawing at the gate already. I bring him inside. Then I inhale. Me and him are both gagging when Ms. Larda stomps in and proclaims “Skunk!” One must have gotten in the pen and sprayed poor Lucky.

Ms. Larda grabs a bag of kitty letter and rubs him down with it.

I heard tomato sauce helps, but there ain’t none, so we use ketchup. Then we use Bloody Mary mix. (I hold back enough so we can each have a Bloody Mary.) Nothing works. I start looking up stuff on the Internet. Baking soda and vinegar. Vanilla. Dishwashing liquid. He still smells awful.

By this time we’re all pretty pungent. He will have to sleep in the garage, and Ms. Larda and me drag in patio lounge chairs and sleep there, too. The next day, when I go to the hardware store for Skunk-Off, the clerk asks me to step outside and she hands it out the door. “Come back and pay later,” she says.

Finally Gumdrop comes home and we leave. Lucky Dog, after a couple hundred baths, gets promoted out of the garage and back to the kitchen.

But my social life ain’t so hot for a while. Even though I live in the French Quarter, which ain’t especially fragrant in the summer, my aroma is noticeable.

Ms. Larda got the same problem; she said she had to leave the Wal-Mart halfway through her Christmas list.

Finally my gentleman friend Lust treats the two of us to a day of aromatherapy at Uptown Ladies Spa. We get scrubbed with sea sponges, wrapped in herbal wraps, massaged and manicured and then left to soak the day away in a perfumed whirlpool with rose petals. By the end, we smell wonderful. We are limp as dishrags and happy as larks.

“If I was any more relaxed, I’d be dead,” Ms. Larda says. “And we owe it all to that dog.”

Thank you, Aunt Gildamae.

Enjoy your toilet water.

L O RI O S IEC K I ILL U S T R A T I O N

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J OIE D’ E V E

BLOGS FROM THE NEW NEW ORLEANS

Maternal Baggage

When life becomes a hodgepodge

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by Eve Crawford Peyton r u e sto r i e s o f a wo r k i n g m ot h e r : O n e

week alone, I ...

1. Walked into work completely unaware that my daughter had clipped a ridiculously poofy hot-pink bow into my hair. In her defense, she told me she was doing it while she was doing it.

In my defense, she told me before I had had any caffeine, and I apparently lack the vanity to look in a mirror before leaving my house. I didn’t notice it until lunchtime when I was washing my hands and I looked up in the mirror over the sink and said, out loud to the entire restroom, “What the hell is in my hair? DAMMIT, RUBY!” 2. Changed from business professional to school fair casual in my car while rushing from a work event to my volunteer shift at the Morris Jeff Community School Feria de Primavera.

3. Pulled a diaper (clean, at least) out of my purse while frantically rummaging through it for a business card to hand to a colleague.

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The last got me thinking about how much my life has changed since my college days. When I was, say, 19, I carried my student ID in the back pocket of my jeans and a tube of Chapstick and probably $5 in my hip pocket. I had one key – for my 1989 Toyota – because my apartment had a punch-code. I don’t think I even had a credit card.

Now? Well, for a very brief while after Georgia was born, I had a real diaper bag that was separate and distinct from my purse. It contained a changing pad, diapers, wipes, various creams and ointments, a nursing cover, a spare set of nursing pads, a change of clothes for the baby, snacks for Ruby, sunscreen, infant Tylenol, spare pacifiers and pacifier wipes, and a small selection of baby toys and books.

But I hated carrying the diaper bag plus my purse, and so when I needed to take the diaper bag, I often just threw my wallet and cell phone into the diaper bag and left my purse at home.

This worked out well-enough until one extremely sleep-deprived afternoon when I decided to leave the baby with my husband and treat myself to a much-needed mocha at PJ’s – and realized while attempting to pay for my coffee that I had left the wallet in the diaper bag. Luckily the barista took pity on me and comped me the coffee (it’s safe to say I am an extremely loyal customer; she knew I’d be back). But any system that threatens to come between me and my coffee simply isn’t sustainable, and so shortly after that close call, I said to hell with the diaper bag and just started throwing baby things in my purse. You women with multiple purses that go with multiple outfits: I respect you, but I don’t understand you. I can manage to keep up with exactly one (1) handbag.

So now my purse contains a hodgepodge of the stuff that’s in every woman’s purse (wallet, keys, phone, Chapstick/lipstick, gum, tissues, Advil); the stuff that’s in every mom-who-isn’ttogether-enough-to-carry-an-actual-diaper-bag’s purse (a zip-top baggie of wipes, a spare diaper, a binky or two, sunscreen, baby socks, Happy Meal toys, a wrapped-but-crushed teething biscuit); and the stuff unique to me (special-ordered hand sanitizer, a pen because I won’t use public pens to sign things because I’m crazy, Post-It notes because I’m obsessed with them, a Tide pen because I’m incapable of eating or drinking anything without spilling at least part of it on myself and a huge bottle of Zyrtec because oak pollen makes me want to scratch my face off).

When I think back to myself at age 19, blessedly free of a cell phone or a chunk of keys or a purse full of Pampers and binkies, I’m envious in some ways of the person I was. I was young and free with better hair and a smaller waist and an unwrinkled forehead. If I was up at 2 a.m., it was my own stupid fault. If I wanted to spend a rainy Saturday watching bad TV, I did it. If I didn’t feel like cooking, I’d wander over to the bar two blocks from the journalism school and eat happy-hour fried cheese sticks. (And yet, I still had a smaller waist.)

I had the luxury of being completely self-absorbed, and I can’t lie and say I never miss that. But ultimately, 15 years later (God, really?), I’m proud of both the diapers and the business cards in my purse. Both are achievements in their own ways; both take a lot of time and effort. Being a working mom isn’t easy – working isn’t easy; being a mom isn’t easy – but I love it.

I still can’t believe none of my coworkers said anything about that stupid bow, though.

Excerpted from Eve Kidd Crawford’s blog, Joie d’Eve, which appears each Friday on MyNewOrleans.com. For comments: Info@NewOrleansMagazine.com. ja n e sa n d e r s i l l ust r at i o n

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L OCAL C O L O R

C H R O N I C L ES

Tulane University’s Gibson Hall on St. Charles Avenue

Keeping It Cool Savvy New Orleanians beat the heat

by Carolyn Kolb

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i n d a S a n t i ’ s ut i l i t y b i l l s av e r a g e a b out

$24 a month – even in summer. With an HAVC (Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning) system to be envied, Santi, the interim chief executive officer of New Orleans’ Neighborhood Housing Services, is one of the beneficiaries of a remarkable project.

In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, the Make It Right Foundation, most famously supported by actor Brad Pitt, sponsored the construction of homes in the 9th Ward. Renowned architects were charged with the goal of creating suitable residences to meet New Orleans homeowners’ needs, while using ecologically sound methods.

Santi’s home is a duplex, designed by architect Frank Gehry. Some of her low utility costs result from solar panels producing electricity.

“The lower 9th Ward has more solar panels than just about anywhere,” Santi admits. Hers, however, are a little different. “My solar panels don’t just lie on the roof – they also serve as a canopy on the upper deck, the third level of the house. And they clearly work well, they have been made water repellant and you can be up there in the rain – we’ve made it through some tropical events, too.”

The house also has a second floor deck, “That’s where I hang my laundry – I don’t know if that adds to cooling, but there’s a 52

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wonderful smell to fresh dried clothes” she says. The house is raised so a breeze can blow underneath, and the windows are positioned for cross ventilation.

Santi’s previous residence was one of the “Steamboat Houses” in the Holy Cross neighborhood. In that 19th century home (with its upper floor mimicking a steamboat’s top deck), Santi also enjoyed low utility bills and energy efficiency. “It was right on the levee, the second floor had floor to ceiling windows, you could walk around the gallery and catch the river breeze. The lower floors were tile and the walls were glazed brick: it was natural insulation.”

As Santi suggested, historic New Orleans houses were designed with weather in mind. High ceilings, windows aligned to catch breezes, covered porches and galleries, window shutters – all kept air circulating and direct sun off interior rooms, says Ann Masson.

The former director of Gallier House, Masson nots that this was one of the first house museums to “dress the house for summer.”

That included changing to lighter summer curtains and rolling up woolen carpets (and storing them with tobacco leaves, camphor or pepper to keep out insects) and covering floors with straw matting. Additional summer decorating involved putting white slipcovers on furniture, and wrapping gauze or mosquito netting around chandeliers, clocks and pictures to avoid insect spots. p h oto c ou r t e s y o f t h e h i sto r i c n e w o r l e a n s c o l l e c t i o n

Attorney Walter Carroll recalled that in older New Orleans homes with double-hung windows, the top and bottom sections could both be opened “creating a convection current to bring cool night air inside.” Opening the transoms over interior doorways could add to ventilation.

Awnings over windows were common (Tulane University’s Gibson Hall on St. Charles Avenue had curved canvas awnings to fit its curved window tops). Interior window shades could also be used, and, according to Masson, were sometimes painted decoratively.

According to Carroll, another past hot weather custom involved the closing of Orleans Parish Civil District Court for the summer – leaving one judge in town to handle things until the fall.

A sure way to stay cool involved ice. In early years it was shipped from the north and stored in New Orleans ice houses.

The first commercial ice-making venture was tried here in 1868.

By 1903, ice was being manufactured in quantity by the Pelican Ice Company, which had begun in 1870 as an ice storage facility and is still in business today. Besides being chipped and served in drinks, ice could be used for cooling.

One of the late Betty (Mrs. Eben) Hardie’s favorite memories was when she and her husband and their friend Bill Monroe (once head of “Meet the Press” on NBC-TV) spent an evening seated around a block of ice in a washtub, over which a fan was blowing.

New Orleans churches, according to Carroll, relied on ice to keep things cool for congregants. An underground vault near Rayne Memorial Methodist Church on St. Charles Avenue was stocked with ice and used to pipe cool air into the sanctuary.

The St. Charles Avenue Presbyterian Church used a refrigeration machine in its underground storage center to chill brined water for cooling the church.

According to Masson, another cooling feature of New Orleans architecture could be brick or masonry walls. “The walls could act as a wick that draws water up through the building. When it evaporates from the walls, it acts like a terra cotta wine cooler.”

Those huge pottery jars in old patios served a similar purpose in cooling water.

Carroll recalled that the predecessor grocery at Langenstein’s Arabella Street location tried lawn sprinklers on the roof – leaks put an end to that. Somewhat more successful was the effort of the Boston Club in having a staff member stationed on the roof aiming a hose at the brick wall of the then-adjacent Harmony Club to provide cooling in the building’s side driveway area.

Mel and Gasper Schiro both have memories of cooling summer strategies. Mel recalls her family’s solution to the heat: “We would go out to the lake and we’d float on the inner tubes from my Daddy’s car.”

Gasper Schiro mentions seersucker suits and straw hats, and going across the lake. “My uncle’s house in Bay St. Louis had a screened sleeping porch. And, the house had a long side hall – I don’t think that hall every really got hot.”

“We ate a lot of ice cream,” Gasper recalls.

One New Orleans favorite can still beat the heat: nectar ice cream sodas. Stay cool and think pink!

Flowing the Air In the June of 1911, the Maison Blanche department store entrance on Canal Street attracted a crowd with a draft of cool air. As The Daily Picayune noted, the store had installed a system that forced air from a rooftop opening through a “screen” of flowing iced water, and then circulated the chilled air in ductwork inside the store. Finally, at ground level, an exhaust took the cooled air outside, where onlookers “stand in about the same position as they would in front of a stove, and make the same gestures, in an effort to cool off, as they would to get warm.” myneworleans.com

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L OCAL C O L O R

HOME

Compound Assets A family that lives together, but with their own space B Y B ONNIE WARREN

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p h o t o g r a p h e d b y c HERYL GER B ER

nnette and Frank Loria built their dream house in Lakeview in a compound including the homes of their sons David and Paul. “Imagine being just a green space away from six of our grandchildren,” says Annette. “We love everything about our new home, but the greatest asset is that we’re near our sons, their wives and six of our eight grandchildren.” She hastens to add that there’s also a lot available for Abigail, her daughter, and Abigail’s husband Sam Ebeyer, where they may build in the future.

Add the fact that they are near the Lakeview Christian Center, the church they all attend, and that Gwen, Paul’s wife, is the architectural designer who designed all three new houses in the compound and Paul was the contractor.

“Gwen was the perfect person to design our home,” Annette says. “She understood that we wanted a house we could enjoy as we grow older. It is perfect for our active lifestyle today, yet it’s definitely very senior friendly, with every feature we may ever 54

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need. It is also important to note that since we’re cancer survivors and living a vegan lifestyle, we have the perfect kitchen for our needs, including space for juicing, a dehydrating oven and plenty of prep space for fresh vegetables and fruit. Gwen even designed the space for an organic garden on the side of the house to grow our greens in raised beds for easy access.” Frank adds, “We even have an indoor compost mill that takes kitchen refuse and turn it into wonderful organic material for the garden.”

It was Paul, their younger son, who came up with the idea of trying to buy adjoining property near their church. “The area had been flooded from Hurricane Katrina so he had a vision that we Above: Designed by Gwen Loria (UPLUH), daughter in law of Annette and Frank, the 3,544-square-foot home is full of modern features such as a wall of windows in the great room that fold open to totally open the large indoor space with the outside living and dining room, and the deck and swimming pool beyond; their son Paul served as contractor.

could all build new homes where flooded homes had been torn down and live near our church where we spend a lot of time,” Frank says. “We purchased the first piece of property in May 2008. The property directly behind the first lot was purchased three moths later, and we were able to qualify for the Road Home program and purchased the lots adjoining both properties in April 2010.” He continues, “The final piece of land became available in July that year. We re-subdivided the land so we had a possible lot for each of the three children and their families, with one for our new home, and a 100-by-100-foot common lot for the grandkids play yard.”

Top, left: The dining room table seats 16 to accommodate the Lorias’ large family. Top, right: Frank and Annette Loria.

Bottom: The modern, state-of-art kitchen blends seamlessly with the contemporary feeling of the home; the island in the kitchen was designed to accommodate the Lorias’ eight grandchildren. myneworleans.com

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Gwen delivered on every feature Annette and Frank requested for their 3,544-square-foot home. “It is actually divided in two distinct spaces: downstairs with the open floor plan that incorporates the great room, dining room and kitchen, with a large master bedroom, bathroom, office, exercise room and powder room,” Annette says. “Upstairs there are guest quarters that include a living room, breakfast room, kitchen, bedroom and bathroom. There is even an additional sitting room, bedroom and bathroom upstairs in addition to the guest quarters that has a separate entry and a common door between it and our living space downstairs.”

“It is very much a part of our home” Frank adds. “We often use it to entertain guest ministers who visit our church.”

Paul served as the contractor for the project. The couple jointly owns their company, UPLUH. “Gwen and Paul are a talented team,” Annette says. “They also designed and built their own home and the home of David and Whitney, his wife.” (Ed. note: Gwen and Paul Loria’s home was published in the March-April 2013 issue of Louisiana Life Magazine, Top: The great room with the wall of folding glass panels on the left leads to the outdoor living and dining room, and the patio and swimming pool. Middle: The master bedroom opens into the exercise room through double doors. Bottom: The master bathroom features a tub, large shower and an infrared sauna.

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and Whitney and David’s home was published in the January 2014 issue of New Orleans Magazine.)

Careful attention was paid to all the exterior spaces, including the outdoor living and dining room that becomes part of the main house when the folding glass panels are completely opened to make the main downstairs unobstructed to the outdoor living area, patio and swimming pool. On the opposite side of the house are a patio, the raised garden, fountain and fishpond, plus a putting green that’s constantly utilized by the couple’s larger grandsons. “Yes, we feel blessed to live in a compound with our sons, their wives and six of our grandchildren,” Frank says. Annette agrees, “We never tire of being with our grandchildren.

We consider it a blessing.”

Top, left: A putting green is neatly tucked into the front yard. Top, right: Jude, Micah, Nathan and Camille enjoy playing around the hot tub that adjoins the swimming pool. Middle: The stylish yet comfortable outdoor living room features a large curved sofa to accommodate the Loria family; the door and window join the space with the exercise room next nestled between the master bedroom and outdoor entertain. Bottom: The comfortable outdoor dining and seating area is stylish, yet everything is childproof for the Lorias’ grandchildren.

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New Places; New Choices; Clear Winners photographed by sara essex bradley

They keep on coming and some are truly distinguishing themselves. Each year at this time we go through the exercise of trying to recommend the best of the new restaurants. Each year we’re overwhelmed by the number of freshly opened places to consider. At some point, we suspect, that growth will slow down, but that will still leave many untried places for most of us.

Our selection process consisted of a gathering of our food writing and editorial staff, fittingly over lunch. The judgments are subjective but based on a buffet of dining experience. When it comes to learning about new restaurants, dinner is now being served. The choices are many.

Miami’s Loss; New Orleans’ Triumph When your grandchildren ask you about the urban myths of a mournful female apparition along a place called Mona Lisa Drive, or whether you have ever encountered a loup guru, or about the story of a couple of business men who stopped over in New Orleans on their way to open a restaurant in Miami, saw a bigger opportunity, so stayed and let the opportunity in Miami go by, you can tell them you aren’t certain about the first two things, but as for the latter, you were here for the entire episode and it’s true – not a myth.

Partners Itai Ben Eli and Doris Reba Chia enjoyed grand success with previous restaurant efforts in Israel, Costa Rica and California. Before embarking on a new project, Chia came to New Orleans for a bit of rest and a scenery change. After about four days he called Itai and said, “Get over here.” Itai was hesitant, and noted that he had plenty to do with the company’s properties as well as assure that the plan for development of a location in Florida was a workable schedule.

“I’m not asking you to get over here for vacation,” Chia noted. “I think we

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should do the next project in New Orleans instead of Miami.” Itai was amenable to the trip, but not convinced that the Crescent City was the direction the company should head. He came. And within two days saw what Chia was so excited about. They agreed New Orleans was something very special and the partners’ project could fit perfectly into the dynamic dining and cocktail scene alive all over town.

And they settled on a place that had been for years a breakfast destination, the shuttered Alpine Restaurant on Chartres Street, just off of Jackson Square. Lots of work, but here was an historic building they could fashion for their own purposes.

Doris Metropolitan’s trademark is aged steak. The steaks at Doris are butchered and aged to the restaurant’s specifications. They created a room facing Chartres Street to serve as the dry aging space. According to Itai, “Dry aging beef allows it to develop flavors more slowly and with more complexity.

We keep it for a minimum of 21 days and some of our cuts, the bone-in New York strip and the ribeye, are also aged

to 31 days. Both time-frames provide the development we’re seeking.”

The surprising discoveries about this steak house menu are the fish offerings.

“Look where we ended up,” Itai notes.

“We could not turn our back on the finest seafood to be found anywhere that is literally at our doorstep.”

The appetizers are Mediterraneanrooted, with carpaccio, calamari, eggplant, artichoke and sweetbreads all playing central starring roles in various preparations.

In addition to the open kitchen design, the bar also became a point of emphasis, with the usual offerings as well as more innovative creations, such as the Aviation Ball. The wine list is literally on display on all the walls, with bottles placed in individual racks to entice the diner to select the perfect liquid accompaniment from around the world, including the owner’s native Israel.

If al fresco is your mood, the courtyard has been completed with the same excellent and comfortable taste as the interior.

– Tim McNally

BEST of the Best New Restaurants Doris Metropolitan 620 Chartres St. / 267-3500 / DorisMetropolitan.com myneworleans.com

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Ringing In the Harrison Avenue Revival Definitely on the rebound since the ravages of the floodwaters of Katrina, Lakeview continues unabated with grander homes replacing ranch-style designs, more diversity in commercial activity and new restaurants alongside old standards opening at an upbeat pace.

Cava has been a while in coming but the wait has not been in vain. Cava, replacing the old location of Landry’s, which made a darn fine poor boy but “ain’t there no more” since Katrina, is ringing all the right bells, with due respect to the ones at St. Dominic’s Church practically next door.

Proprietor Danny Millan, longtime New Orleans restaurant host, manager and owner, has put together the place

cava 789 Harrison Ave. / 304-9034

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and the team he has long desired. A complete overhaul and redesign of the space has yielded a restaurant that is Cajun/Creole in cuisine style and metropolitan/cosmopolitan in the decor.

Modern, with minimalist fixtures and surroundings, the tout ensemble is tastefully integrated, featuring a welcoming bar at the entrance and opening to a 65-seat dining room. Cava even offers a second floor loft that opens to an outdoor gallery seating area.

The cuisine is already knock-yoursocks-off stunning. A couple of local guys, executive chef Adam Asher and chef de cuisine Donovan Tullier Sr., are to cooking what computer geeks are to digital code. These guys look at all the

angles. Local ingredients, combinations, preparations and presentations are what these incredibly creative and gifted cuisine experts dream about.

Frog legs, tender like you’ve never had them. Crawfish meatball pasta or lobster and wild mushroom risotto are not the dishes you thought about when you came in the door, but now you can’t live without them. Barbecue salmon is something you’ve likely never enjoyed, but see if you can stop talking about it after just one bite.

Keep in mind that while this place is in its infancy, Cava acts like it’s been here a long, long time.

– Tim McNally

IVY 5015 Magazine St. / 899-1330

Blooms Along the Vine Slotted along a quiet stretch of Magazine Street is Ivy, the small plate and libation lounge established by restaurateurs Patrick and Rebecca Singley. It is helmed by chef Sue Zemanick, who is also the chef at Gautreau’s and on a roll following her 2014 James Beard Award for “Best Chef South.”

If Gautreau’s is the gala, then Ivy is the after-party. Whereas Gautreau’s feels formal, Ivy is celebratory. True, it carries some of the same aura of Uptown pedigree, but the ambiance is far more egalitarian. The small room pops with action and the décor is quirky-romantic, with wallpaper patterned in velvet and a pair of creamcolored banquettes to collect larger groups. On pleasant evenings al fresco tables along the restaurant’s vine-draped flank capture the spillover.

On the menu, refined choices such as Hamachi Crudo with slivers of fennel and jewel-like grapefruit sections share space with eclectic dishes such as Spicy Fried Baby Back Ribs with celery and blue cheese.

The later, a riff on Buffalo wings tastes something concocted during the later hours of Service Industry Night. You would never find this on the menu at Gautreau’s but it’s what they might be snacking on in the back.

An array of delicate seafood dishes tempt: the Grilled Lobster, half a crustacean split lengthwise, is complemented by components that enhance its flavor.

Corn picks up the sweetness of the lobster while arugula adds

peppery notes. It is all bound together with a cilantro-spiked crème fraiche. Simpler dishes, like the chilled Snow Crab Claws with melted butter and snipped chive, let the ingredients shine.

The cocktail menu hews close to the classics and is supplemented by an elegant

wine list. Underscoring the romantic vibe is a “Wedding Cake for Two” dessert. Ivy is dinner only but reservations are now accepted. Limited parking is available but fills up quickly.

– Jay Forman myneworleans.com

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KINGFISH 337 Chartres St. / 598-5005 CocktailBarNewOrleans.com

TALLYING THE VOTES One of the criteria when determining a Best New Restaurant award is style done properly with excellence in the right place.

Kingfish wins on all counts. The name refers to Huey Long, one of the most flamboyant, outrageous and important political figures in Louisiana’s long history. As you step into the restaurant you’re met with the image of a grand piano; an upbeat, boisterous bar scene; 64

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and a more-than-life size photo of Long, all bug-eyed, railing about something. The exgovernor would be proud.

Noted mixologist, cocktail historian and native, Chris McMillian, holds court over the bar area. A wide range of first-rate and historic cocktails is created along with tales of how the drink was created and where in New Orleans it all happened. Classic versions of the

Sazerac, Ramos Gin Fizz, Pimm’s Cup and French 75 are as good here as you will get anywhere. The wine list is diverse, decently priced and quite adequate.

The long, narrow dining room is defined on one end by the kitchen behind large picture windows, and at the other features French doors opening onto Chartres Street. The decidedly Creole menu has important notes of Cajun and Southern cuisines.

The kitchen’s king and local lad through and through, chef Greg Sonnier, is a long-time staple of the New Orleans dining scene, and he’s continually altering the menu to reflect the season and what’s freshly available. The gumbo is a mustdo, along with the Hoppin’ John crawfish salad. There is a Cajun farmhouse sausage wonton on a bed of creamy cheese grits that will have you considering another order of the same.

The chargrilled marinated lamb loin is tough to pass up, so don’t.

Kingfish to its credit is open late most nights, which is fitting given the proclivities of its namesake and its location in the middle of the French Quarter.

– T.M.

marti’s 1041 Dumaine St. / 522-5478 MartisNola.com

ENCHANTING REVIVAL In opening Marti’s on the corner of Rampart and Dumaine streets, restaurateurs Patrick and Rebecca Singley counterintuitively reference the past (a former establishment with the same name operated in the location until the late 1980s) to chart the future. To head up the kitchen, they brought in chef Drew Lockett, a New Orleanian recently returned from Oregon with a resume that includes stints with the Link Restaurant Group as well as Ristorante Del Porto in downtown Covington.

“Our menu is grounded in French brasserie classics but prepared with a contemporary touch,” Lockett says. “We want to cook food that fits the feel of the room.” Seafood figures prominently,

with chilled Fruits de Mer platters and some of the best oysters in town. Raw, they come to the table with a trio of accouterments, including an effervescent champagne mignonette. If you prefer cooked, a recommended oyster roast comes topped with pimento, herbed compound butter and breadcrumbs fired at a high temperature.

The dinner-only menu is largely traditional but notably well executed, with great attention to detail. The Gulf Fish Amandine is a case in point.

You can find this dish easily enough in New Orleans, but almost nowhere as well prepared as it is here, where the bright acidity of the lemon perfectly balances out the nuttiness of the

browned butter. For more contemporary selections, look to the small plates menu, which offers up interesting selections like Grilled Rabbit Sausage with Pickled Peaches and a take on the French-Canadian comfort dish poutine – this version made with short rib gravy and aged goat cheese in lieu of the traditional curds.

Marti’s is enchanting. The elegant restaurant’s feel is old-world genteel, with robin egg-blue walls and gold drapes.

And in its establishment a storied location, also once home to Anne Kearney’s Peristyle, has returned to form.

– J.F.

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Flavors of the Philippines Chef Cristina Quackenbush started her restaurant Milkfish as a pop-up, serving food at places such as Who Dat Coffee and A Mano (now La Boca). This spring she opened her own space in Mid-City and it’s been a welcome addition to the neighborhood.

Filipino food is often described by its influences, which include the cooking of Spain, China, Malaysia and Indonesia. The menu at Milkfish is full of items that show multiple influences, but each dish together add up to something uniquely Filipino.

Filipino food often has a significant sour component. Adobo, for example, is a dish flavored with garlic, vinegar and soy sauce and served over rice; but depending on where you get it and what other ingredients are involved, it

may have be a brothy stew or almost entirely dry. At Milkfish the chicken adobo is more like a stew, whereas the pork version is more like barbecue ribs in appearance. Quackenbush’s sinigang is another tart dish, a soup made with tamarind, guava, pork and spinach.

Every country in Asia has famous noodle dishes, one of which in the Philippines is a rice noodle dish called Pancit. Milkfish has two varieties on offer; the standard can be ordered with chicken, beef, pork or shrimp sautéed with vegetables, while the version named for chef Quackenbush’s Manilla neighborhood, Malabon, combines thick rice noodles with pork belly, shrimp, squid and milkfish, which is both the national fish of the Philippines and not coincidentally the origin of the

restaurant’s name.

Milkfish (the fish) shows up in a number of dishes in addition to the pancit; you can have it with the traditional Filipino breakfast, silog, and it’s also an option in the sinigang, but it’s the star of the show when prepared as ginataang isda, where the whole fish is braised in coconut milk with ginger, garlic, chiles and shrimp, then topped with spicy purple cabbage and bean sprouts.

Milkfish (the restaurant) would be noteworthy for being the only Filipino restaurant in New Orleans, but it’s on our list of the best new restaurants for 2014 because chef Quackenbush and her team are making some of the most delicious food – whatever the origin – in town.

MILKFISH 125 N. Carrollton Ave. / 267-4199 / MilkfishNola.com

– Robert Peyton

MIZADO 5080 Pontchartrain Blvd. / 885-5555 MizadoCocina.com

DISCOVERING NUEVO LATIN A couple of years ago I read an article that predicted the next big food trend would be Nuevo Latin, cooking that takes advantage of the wealth of flavors and ingredients beyond the cooking of the MexicanAmerican border.

Mizado was designed to expose diners to some of the diversity of the cuisines of Central and South America, including by expanding what we think of as “Mexican”

food. It is a bold venture, but one that’s been paying off for chefs Hans Limburg, Gary Darling and Greg Reggio (aka “the Taste Buds”) who are also responsible for Semolina and Zea Rotisserie & Grill.

Mizado’s menu begins with a selection of guacamoles and salsas that start simply before taking off on interesting tangents.

Adding pistachios to guacamole might not seem like much of a stretch, but the

“India” adds about banana, cumin and date and cashew chutney to the mix. Tomatillo salsa is played straight, with just garlic, onion, Serrano chiles and cilantro flavoring the tomatillos; but there’s also a chile de arbol salsa that includes pumpkin and sesame seeds, apple cider vinegar and cloves. Most of the salsas (particularly the orange-habanero) pack a serious amount of heat, another indication that the restaurant isn’t playing to the lowest common denominator crowd.

Tacos range from the traditional (carnitas, chicken with ancho, grass-fed beef and chorizo) to the adventurous (alligator in adobo, duck confit with caramelized onions and pineapple-melon salsa and grilled scallops). Peruvian-style ceviches include salmon with citrus, habanero and avocado and scallop with tomato, pomegranate and melon. A more modern take on the dish called tiradito includes Gulf tuna with citrus ponzu, cucumber and jalapenos.

The restaurant’s wood-burning grill produces an excellent Gulf fish with crema, chimichurri and Manchego cheese smashed potatoes, and is used to finish a beerbraised tri-tip steak served with smoked pork belly potatoes and more of the chimmicurri sauce that graces the fish. The menu is too large to fully address here, but there are similarly innovative recipes throughout.

The Taste Buds have a deserved reputation for restaurants that produce consistently good food, but with Mizado they’re aiming higher. Fortunately, they’re hitting the mark.

– R.P. myneworleans.com

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mopho 514 City Park Ave. / 482-6845 MoPhoNola.com

Expanding Vietnamese Cuisine Chef Michael Gulotta has a deep appreciation for the flavors of Vietnam. Before he opened MoPho, his inventive Mid-City restaurant, he was best known locally as the executive chef at August, so his decision to serve more casual fare took some people by surprise.

MoPho is unpretentious, but the plates bear evidence of Gulotta’s background – the menu includes riffs on traditional recipes 68

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that sometimes look odd on paper but which invariably work on the plate.

Take the soup that gives the restaurant its name: In simplest terms pho is a light beef broth, flavored with star anise and charred onion, served over rice noodles and cuts like brisket, eye of round and flank. At MoPho you can get those things, but you can also order oxtail and chile-braised tripe. The chicken version allows options

like cocks comb, duck sausage and grilled chicken thigh, and other choices include head cheese, pork belly and grilled mustard greens.

In New Orleans we call banh mi “Vietnamese poor boys,” and MoPho takes the local connection to a logical conclusion, stuffing the Vietnamese bread with things such as fried shrimp with Chisesi ham and fried P&J oysters with blue cheese, each “dressed” with housemade mayonnaise, pickled vegetables and a spreadable, spicy pork pâté. They are not authentic, but they’re delicious and that’s what counts.

Specials are where Gulotta’s background is most apparent; clams are cooked with lamb lardo, crispy shallots and basil and served with addictive beignets flavored with annatto seed. Lamb neck is slow-roasted and comes in a green curry stew with smoked tofu and beets as well as a creole cream cheese roti. The menu isn’t extensive, but it’s full of interesting plays on classic Vietnamese and southeast Asian cooking.

– R.P.

EARNING THE SPOTLIGHT A deal struck between the Dickie Brennan Restaurant Group and the board of Le Petite Théâter in 2011 helped stave off a foreclosure facing America’s oldest community theater. For lovers of fine dining, the gustatory result was Tableau, a quintessentially New Orleans beauty carved out of the rambling three-story building anchoring the corner of Chartres and St. Peter streets.

More akin to a mansion than a traditional restaurant, Tableau sprawls across three floors and nine dining rooms. At the helm is chef Ben Thibodeaux, who served as chef de cuisine at Palace Café before being tapped for the role of Tableau’s Executive Chef. Born

and raised in Lafayette, Thibodeaux externed in La Rochelle, France and was a natural fit for the new FrenchCreole restaurant concept.

The core of Tableau’s menu is classic New Orleans. Tourists will find dishes they expect to see in a French Quarter grande dame, such as Crabmeat Ravigote and Creole Courtbouillon. But Thibodeaux gets inventive with options such as his Creole Scotch Eggs. Poached first then battered with an Andouille crust and flash-fried to order, these are served with a Creole mustard cream sauce and poached oysters. Dishes that stand out include his barbecue shrimp, as well as his Tournedos Rossini Moderne. “Every

time we plate one I think to myself, ‘I want to eat you.’ It is just a tempting, decadent dish,” Thibodeaux says.

Tableau offers a deep list of wines served by the carafe, as well as a craft cocktail menu. Pastry chef Stephanie Bernard’s menu is impressive as well.

Try the Tart a la Bouille, a rustic Cajun composition of custard and sweet dough. Tableau offers lunch and dinner seven days a week, as well as a Sunday Jazz Brunch. A three-course Pre-Theater Menu complements this quintessentially New Orleans arrangement between great food and great theater.

TABLEAU 616 S. Peter St. / 934-3463 / TableauFrenchQuarter.com

– J.F.

TOO NEW TO REVIEW, YET DEEMED WORTH TRYING SQUARE ROOT / SAMMICH / CARROLLTON MARKET / TOAST

Some restaurants that opened near our press date deserve mention, even if we couldn’t fully evaluate them for the Best New Restaurants list. Here are a sample: At Square Root chef Phillip Lopez is taking the modernist cuisine he cooks at his Warehouse District spot Root to another level. There are 16 seats at a long bar around an open kitchen, and depending on when you dine you’re either getting eight to nine or 12 to 15 small courses, with wine and cocktail pairings available. It is innovative and ambitious cuisine, and we’re betting locals will take to it.

Michael Brewer’s casual restaurant The Sammich is another innovator

that takes the humble sandwich as a launchpad for seriously creative and delicious food. Start with french fries cooked in duck fat or tuna dip made with house-smoked fish, and then move on to sandwiches filled with tempura-fried lobster knuckles and spicy mango cream, or duck confit with brie and foie gras mayonnaise.

Carrollton Market opened this

SQUARE ROOT CARROLLTON MARKET

THE SAMMICH TOAST

year in the space that housed Riverbend standout One, and chef Jason Goodenough’s menu is already gaining fans. The food is inspired by home-style Southern cooking but dishes are pulled off with the aplomb you’d expect from a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America. To wit: New Orleansstyle cassoulet replaces white beans with red, and features local smoked sausage as well as duck confit and pork belly.

New Orleans native Cara Benson’s breakfast and bakery spot Toast replaced Laurel Bakery earlier this year, giving the chef-owner a second restaurant in addition to Tartine. The menu at the breakfastlunch spot features baked goods, crêpes and sandwiches, but the highlight may be the abelskivers, a Danish dish that’s a cross between a pancake and a doughnut, and which at Toast come with things like lemon curd, maple syrup or chocolate sauce. They are light, fluffy and reason enough to visit the place.

– R.P.

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We present here our annual class of top female achievers, any one of whom could have made the list in previous years. As is our tradition, in presenting our achievers we not only honor them but also hope to learn from them as they reveal mentors and offer advice. Our city is richer because of these women who were selected by our editorial staff. Future generations, we trust, will benefit because these women provided inspiration.

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imee Hayes vividly remembers the first time she stepped on a stage.

“I was 8 years old and I was playing the role of the evil stepmother in Cinderella,” says the native New Orleanian. “I remember getting my first big laugh from the audience. It was at that moment I just knew – this was the thing I was meant to do.”

While still in high school, Hayes branched out into directing.

“I love the storytelling aspect of theatre and I guess, as a director I thought I could have control in a broader way,” she says. “I could create that visual landscape. I could sculpt an entire world and how it sounded, looked and felt.”

Since 2008, Hayes has been sculpting other worlds in her role as the producing artistic director for Southern Rep – New Orleans’ only year-round professional theatre. Hayes is responsible for choosing the season’s performances and overseeing production, along with the Rep’s extensive arts and education program.

More than 10,000 people come to see one of the four to six plays offered at Southern Rep each year.

Hayes says she’s particularly proud that typically at least one play each season is from a local play write.

“Some of those plays go on to be performed all over the country,” she adds.

During the upcoming 2014-’15 season, Southern Rep will take its local focus to the limit with an entire season of plays by or about New Orleanians.

“We’re presenting this new play called Boudin: The New Orleans Music Project, where we’ll start by asking everyday people the question, ‘How has New Orleans music saved my soul?’” Hayes says. “These personal stories will then be performed along with local music.

It’s going to be a rocking, funky, fabulous evening at the theatre.”

While she says she can’t imagine doing anything other than her current position, Hayes says that, like most in her industry people, finding success in the theatre was a long road.

She is particularly proud of the Rep’s YO NOLA (Youth Onstage New Orleans) program. This free after-school program runs in partnership with Success Preparatory Academy, a charter school in the TreméLafitte neighborhood.

After graduating from Loyola University with a bachelor’s degree in English, she eventually moved to New York for a time before returning to finish a master’s of fine arts in directing from Tulane University.

Within those years, like many theatre people, Hayes held down a lot of odd jobs to support her creative goals.

“I had a lot of suit jobs in marketing and fundraising and sales and such for years,” Hayes says. “I’d work during the day and go direct at night.”

Throughout those years, Hayes never lost focus.

Her reward has been securing a job she loves in a city that loves live theatre.

New Orleanians love a good story,” she says. “We love to tell them through our music and our visual arts, and of course what could be more exciting then seeing them brought to life on a stage.”

Aimee Hayes Producing Artistic Director, Southern Rep

mentor: (The late) Buzz Podewell, head of the directing program at Tulane University. He really taught me how to trust myself and to always have a sense of humor about what we do. defining moment: I guess it has to be the decision to leave New York and come home. That was in January of 2005, not long before Katrina. I wanted to spend time with my family and finish my master’s degree, but I wound up finding myself more connected to my field here than I ever was in New York. advice for young women: Wow, I could fill a book with that. I’ve given a lot of speeches to young women about different things, but I think what I’d say is really important right now is the idea of economic equality between men and women. It’s definitely something we all have to work toward. I guess what I’m saying is, don’t be afraid to ask for more. goals: I’d have to say that right now, everything is how I’d want it to be. favorite thing about what I do: I have so much fun. It’s so amazing getting to collaborate with a group of artists. I can’t imagine anything I’d rather do. myneworleans.com

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“She would stick me at the counter and I would just smile.

She would tell me ‘Just say what I say and you’ll be OK.’ She could talk to anyone. To this day I still channel her.”

After earning a fine arts degree at Loyola University, Hansen worked in commercial cooking. She says she always took jobs that allowed her to work at the stand in the summer.

Then came Hurricane Katrina, which, for Hansen, was one blow after another.

“My mom died in March of 2005, then my dog died, then our family lost both houses in the storm,” she says.

“Then, nine days after Katrina, my grandmother passed away at the age of 95. My grandfather lasted only six months without her. He was 94. It was a horrible, horrible time in my life.”

Shortly after her grandfather’s death, Hansen’s Sno-Bliz reopened with Ashley Hansen at the helm. She has been running the stand ever since.

Extremely sensitive to the role she plays in guarding her family’s history, she has no desire for big changes.

She has, however, brought the business into social media with a presence on sites such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, and about four years ago the company began doing offsite catering at weddings and special events.

“We’ve added a new line of all natural flavors,” she says, adding that she and her staff try out special flavors every Friday.

“Bryce made this watermelon flavor that is out of this world. It will probably be on the menu next year.”

Hansen went to New York this past May to receive the 2014 James Beard Foundation Award, the food industry’s highest honor. Hansen’s Sno-Bliz was honored as an “American Classic.”

The key to her family’s success is simple, she says. In fact, it’s been written on the shop’s walls for decades.

“There are no shortcuts to quality.”

ashley ,hansen Owner, Hansen s Sno-Bliz

mentor: Definitely my grandmother and grandfather.

I

defining moment: There was a moment after Katrina, after Grammy and then Ernest died, that I decided I was going to reopen the stand. When Ernest died, customers and friends started leaving flowers outside the stand. They left Polaroids, flowers, kid’s drawings of snow balls and wonderful letters I still have.

At first I reopened because I thought I was doing it for them. On retrospect, I think now I was doing it for me. I needed to be there.

t is tradition. It is a time capsule of sweet summer memories reaching back for generations.

“It’s air conditioning for your tummy,” laughs Ashley Hansen, owner of Hansen’s Sno-Bliz, referencing the frozen treat that is to New Orleans what coffee is to Seattle.

After 75 years in business, Hansen’s Sno-Bliz is more than just a snow ball stand, it’s a local institution, and nobody appreciates her family’s legacy more than Ashley Hansen. Every day she shows up to work at the same corner shop on Tchoupitoulas Street that her grandparents, Ernest and Mary Hansen, started back in 1939.

From March through the end of September Hansen’s serves 37 flavors poured atop soft fluffy ice that’s still made using the same ice shaving machine Ernest Hansen, a machinist, built from scratch in 1939.

“I started working in the shop around age 15,” Hansen says. “My twin sister would go to leadership camps in the summer but I was painfully shy, so I hung out with my grandparents as much as I could.”

Hansen says it was her grandmother who taught her how to overcome her shyness.

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advice for young women: To be positive and figure out where your talents are and your heart is. Follow your heart and your gut and the money will follow. goals: I’d like to start exercising again – besides stirring a pot of syrup. favorite thing about what I do: I love my job. I love the people that work for me because they almost always smile. I’m very sentimental. I love that we still make all our syrups in a pot my grandfather used. In fact, he made the stand for it and the tap. This place was such a part of my youth, and that of so many others, so I like that it hasn’t changed. In such a changing world I know I can walk in everyday and know it’s going to be the same.

mentor: I’d say that my mother has always been my best mentor. As a child I remember her being such a glamorous, independent hard worker. As a single mom and without a college education she worked her way up to being vice president of a bank, all while wearing four-inch heels! defining moment: Cliché to say, but the birth of my children, (one is 6 and one is 2.5) I feel like having children has changed me so much more for the positive. It has made me a better person in every way – kinder, more tolerant and a much better multi-tasker! advice for young women: Do what you’re passionate about. Do it everyday and be ready and willing to put in the time and pay your dues. Anything worthwhile takes time and effort.

Also, be willing to be poor for your dreams. If you aren’t willing to struggle then you probably don’t want it badly enough. goals: I’d love to expand the Trashy Diva stores outside of New Orleans and have retail locations of our own in other cities.

We sell the Trashy Diva brand in 75 or so boutiques worldwide, but have only retail locations in New Orleans. favorite thing about what I do: I love being surrounded by so many talented and exceptional women. It feels like a family at Trashy Diva and I am so grateful to have so many amazing ladies to work with everyday.

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ith seven stores throughout New Orleans, Trashy Diva has become a fashion fixture in the Crescent City. And where else could a name like that be so well received?

“I’ve thought about changing the name a million times, in fact, I still think about it,” says owner Candice Gwinn. “I just don’t like people getting the wrong idea.

But it’s funny, actually. It’s been popular. We’ve sold a lot of T-shirts that say Trashy Diva.”

The name appealed to Georgia native Gwinn and her friend when they came to New Orleans in their early 20s to sell vintage clothing in the French Quarter. They liked it, not only for the idea of irreverent beauty it suggested, but because it described how they were literally taking other people’s “trash” and turning it into treasure.

“We started at 304 Decatur St. back in 1996,” Gwinn says.

“The space was maybe 600 square feet. It was so small that it exists now as the bathroom for a club,” she laughs.

With extremely limited funds, the women started out selling what she describes as, “very low-end vintage” from the 1970s and ‘80s.

“It was basically what we could find or what someone gave us,” she says, noting that she would often have to make major repairs on garments – a skill that would serve her well in the future.

The girls’ big break came when they were offered the chance to purchase a warehouse of what turned out to be high-end vintage garments and jewelry for $1,000.

“That was it,” Gwinn says. “Suddenly we were highend vintage dealers.”

While the clothing was selling in their store and online, Gwinn realized that people were loving the styles of the 1940s and ‘50s, just not the fit.

Thus began her foray into clothing design. Gwinn’s first pieces were a long silk and satin 1930s-style dress and coat.

Candice Gwinn Owner and designer, Trashy Diva

“I sent them to this factory in China and ordered about 100 or 200 of each piece,” she says. “They came back looking great.”

Sales continued, and after Hurricane Katrina Gwinn became the sole owner.

Her collection of 1930s, ‘40s, and ‘50s-inspired clothing kept growing.

“Now we’ve got 2,000 or more pieces coming in every two weeks,” she says. Gwinn still designs all the clothing herself.

The Trashy Diva line has expanded to include lingerie, shoes and accessories sold in seven New Orleans locations, online and in boutiques worldwide.

Not a woman to rest on her stylish laurels, Gwinn has plans to open her first store out of New Orleans in the next few years.

“We’ve been looking and we haven’t found the right fit yet, but it will happen.” myneworleans.com

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Carla Adams Director of Marketing, The Shops at Canal Place mentor: Probably my parents. When it comes to what I do now, I learned mostly from them. defining moment: When I moved from Saks to Canal Place. Picking up that phone call and hearing “We’d like to talk to you.” I was happy where I was, but I was so excited. It was like a whole new world opened up. advice for young women: For a number of years I was a mentor at Loyola’s business college for a handful of freshmen students. I always told them make sure to be happy doing what you’re doing and you will be successful. Don’t do it for the money or because it would make your parents proud. You have to find out what you like and make a career out of it. goals: To keep making “my boys” (Roger Ogden and Darryl Berger) happy. They really do take a very active role. Canal Place is their baby. They’re around all the time. favorite thing about what I do: The ability to recognize and accept challenges and then fix them. I’m a fixer. I also love that every day is different. It keeps things fresh and exciting.

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or a local girl who grew up loving to shop, Carla Adams’ job is a dream come true.

In 2003 she became the director of marketing for The Shops at Canal Place, among the most well known shopping destinations in the city.

“I don’t like to think of us as a mall,” Adams says. “We’re more of a relaxed shopping environment. Canal Place is just so visually appealing.”

Spanning three floors at the base of the famed Canal Street, The Shops at Canal Place features more than 30 stores, along with a fitness center, barber shop and movie theater that features in-seat dining service. Everexpanding, recent additions include Tiffany & Co., Lululemon Athletica, Michael Kors and just this past March, Armani Collezioni.

Born and raised in New Orleans, Adams attended Mount Vernon College in Washington, D.C., graduating with a degree in art history, remaining in the city to attend a three-year management training program with Bloomingdales. She was then hired as a department manager, where she worked for three years before returning home.

“My father was a real estate attorney with Delta Title, so I came home to work with him for about a year before he passed away. I did the marketing there.”

Accompanied by her mother, Adams continued to do the marketing for her family’s business until they sold it five years later.

“At that point, around my early 30s, I was at a crossroads,” Adams says. “I realized that what I really wanted to do was something that encompassed my love of both retail and marketing, so I moved over to Saks Fifth Avenue.”

Soon Adams worked her way up to co-managing the public relations, marketing and special events department at Saks for five years.

“Then one day Roger Ogden and Darryl Berger, owners of The Shops at Canal Place, called me up and said they were looking for a director to put Canal Place back in the community,” Adams says. “It was an incredible opportunity.”

As soon as she accepted the position, Adams began partnering with local nonprofits, offering up Canal Place as a free fundraising and event venue that even included free parking.

Adams’ efforts have paid off. As Canal Place has cemented itself as a community fixture, Adams says sales have increased every year and are currently above the national average.

Whether it’s assisting shop owners, attending community events or overseeing advertising and social media efforts, Adams says all her efforts are aimed at providing shoppers with the ultimate experience.

“This place is like my home,” she says. “When people come here I want them to be happy and feel comfortable.”

mentor: I’ve been fortunate to have many, including Mrs. Dolores Aaron, Loyce Pierce Wright, Lee Frazier and Elizabeth Rayne. All were excellent role models in terms of providing guidance and wise counsel relative to my career development as well as my personal growth. defining moment: I’d have to say when I had the opportunity to serve on the LSU Board of Supervisors. I wanted to be of service there and saw the things I’d be able to do for the university and people of Louisiana. At that time I also decided to leave healthcare full time and start my own business in 2005. advice for young women: If you absolutely believe in yourself and your dream, stick with it. It’s about hard work, networking and recognizing that you need to be open to wise counsel that will come your way. goals: I’d like to further develop our consulting firm. We’re unique in that we’re a women-owned company run by two African-American women. We’ve grown tremendously, but I’d like to grow larger and expand our clientele base. favorite thing about what I do: Mentoring young women. I really enjoy when I have an opportunity to spend some time with young women seeking advice about their personal growth or professional development.

D

ottie Reese has devoted her life to fighting for equality in every aspect of life, from the professional to the personal.

Not long after Reese relocated from Los Angeles to New Orleans to join her husband, a Crescent City native, she received a master’s in public health and a master’s in social work from Tulane University.

Taking those skills, Reese spent the next 20 years in different leadership capacities at Methodist Hospital, starting the hospital’s Office of Diversity and creating a system-wide diversity initiative focused on educating the workforce on cultural competencies in healthcare.

While at Methodist, Reese would frequently fly to New York to attend Cornell University’s Executive Diversity Management program. She was later asked to join the faculty, continuing her East Coast jaunts to offer instruction to corporate executives.

“Then Katrina hit, and that really changed the landscape,” Reese says.

Like many New Orleanians, Reese took the opportunity to make a change. Together with Margaret Montgomery-Richard, the two women formed their own organizational development and project management firm, DMM & Associates LLC. Just prior to starting her firm, Reese became involved with the Urban League of Greater New Orleans (ULGNO), a group committed to developing equality and parity in business, the economy and education for African-Americans and other minorities. She currently serves as the chairman of the board.

“We’re a board driven organization of about 25 members from a cross section of industries,” she says, adding that the ULGNO recently participated in an expo at the Superdome earlier this year to help parents

,, ,, Dorothy Dottie Reese Chairman of the Board, Urban League of Greater New Orleans learn more about the new One App school admissions program and provide information on common core.

Reese also serves on the board of the New Orleans Chamber of Commerce and is a past member of the LSU Board of Supervisors.

Included among her long list of awards are: the New Orleans Medical Association’s Excellence in Heathcare award, the Dorothy Schenthal Leadership Award from the New Orleans Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers, Grace House’s Women of Substance award New Orleans Jack and Jill of America Leadership and Community Service award, and the WEISS Award from the New Orleans Council on Community and Justice.

“I believe everyone can make a difference,” she says. “There are contributions every individual can make that will improve the quality of life for everyone.” myneworleans.com

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Among the most satisfying ways Brettner has found to use her law skills was when she worked in conjunction with Louisiana Appleseed to form the policy work behind the Louisiana Language Access Guidelines. Brettner helped draft a law that gives those who speak English as a second language access to interpretation services within the legal system.

“It was signed into law by Justice Kimball in 2012,” she says.

On Valentine’s Day that same year, Brettner married her partner Lauren, a pediatric nurse she met while playing for the Big Easy Rollergirls. The couple were married in New York, where samesex unions are legal.

Lauren gave birth to their daughter, Sophie, in April 2013. Though legally married, when the couple tried to have both their names written on the birth certificate, the Louisiana state registrar denied the request.

Brettner is now again hoping to make a difference through the legal system as part of a lawsuit challenging Louisiana’s constitutional ban on recognizing marriages performed legally outside the state. The suit was filed on behalf of an organization called Forum for Equality. The Brettners are one of four plaintiff couples – three from New Orleans and one from Shreveport.

“I was honored to be asked to be a part of it,” Brettner says. “Not just for our family, but for all families. We live in two different America’s right now and that just doesn’t feel right. But I have faith that we will be on the right side of history very soon.”

Jacqueline M. Brettner Attorney and mediator, Carver, Darden, Koretzky, Tessier, Finn, Blossman and Areaux, LLC

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urricane Katrina caused many New Orleanians to question their future.

For Jacqueline Brettner, the exact opposite happened.

“Suddenly I knew what I wanted to do,” she says. “I lost everything in the storm, but it made me see how much I loved the city, and when it came back better and stronger I wanted to be a part of it.”

Brettner was part of Tulane University’s first graduating class post-Katrina.

Armed with her J.D., she began work at local law firm Phelps Dunbar LLP, moving over to her present firm in 2011.

“I worked on all of the consolidated cases from both Katrina and Rita,” she says. “The BP oil spill, Chinese drywall, I’ve worked on it all from the insurance perspective.”

Born in California, Brettner grew up in her mother’s native country of Panama. She received her undergraduate degree at the University of Florida where her father practices law.

“I love the nuances of law,” she says. “I love that it’s never the same, there’s always a new client, a new problem.”

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mentor: I’d say I have three: my grandmother, who taught me that the only person who can give you limits is yourself, my mom, who always told me that no task is too small to give it 110 percent and my partner Lauren, who has taught me that the key to a balanced and happy life is an open mind and heart. I think of these three women every day. defining moment: Professionally, I’d say Katrina.

Like most things in my life, my career path was a result of a fortuitous accident. Personally, I feel there is no greater perspective than parenthood. Sophie changed how I saw the world and I intend to spend the rest of my time being someone she can be proud of. advice for young women: Don’t let other people’s dreams define you. Only you know what inspires you. goals: I want to continue doing the work that I’m doing and be there for my family. favorite thing about what I do: The constant new challenges and the diversity of people I come in touch with. I love to learn new things and come up with innovative solutions with the people I work with and the clients I represent.

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nce referred to as “the pied piper of Louisiana music traditions,” Johnette Downing has spent the last 26 years performing what she calls, “Louisiana roots music for kids.”

A leader of her genre, Downing’s collection of 14 books and 10 CDs have garnered her 22 awards from parenting and family organizations and publications throughout the country.

“I have this passion for the music and culture of Louisiana, and I want to share it with children and families,” she says. “I don’t ever want our children to lose the simple things, like why we eat red beans on Monday and what it means to dress a poor boy.”

A proud New Orleans native, Downing grew up in a musical household. Her mother played piano and sax, while her father, a minister, played tuba and violin.

“I always had music and books around,” she says. “That’s why I think for me they go together and so many of my books are also songs.”

Throughout high school and college, Downing performed in folk bands, country bands – basically anywhere she could.

“Then one day I was playing at the Neutral Ground coffee shop and a friend of mine said, ‘you’d be great performing for kids,’’’ she says.

“Well then this other guy jumps up and says, ‘Hey, I book performances for schools and I’d hire you.’ I said, ‘OK, hire me,’ and that was that. This bell went off in me.”

Downing has since performed not only locally at schools, festivals, libraries and art centers, but also in almost every continent in the world.

“It always amazes me how much other countries love Louisiana culture,” she says.

“Wherever I go they just love to hear about it.”

Parents and children around the globe will be excited to know that Downing has more creations on the horizon.

This fall she’ll be releasing her 15th book, entitled Macarooned on a Dessert Island. It will be followed shortly after in 2015 by a CD called Swamp Romp, which she produced with her new husband, Grammy Award-winning producer and musician Scott Billington.

Then will come another book that represents a slight departure for Downing.

“This one is the first time I’ve done something a little eerie,” she says. “It’s called The Fifolet, and it’s about these lights that come out at night in the swamp. Some call it swamp gas, but I say it’s the Fifolet.”

Pretty soon many, many children, are going to agree.

Johnette Downing , Children s Musician and Author

mentor: My husband, Scott. We’ve been friends for 10 years. Anytime I have a music industry question I ask him. He’s always really patient with me. defining moment: It has to be when I released my From the Gumbo Pot CD, and the book that came from it, Today is Monday in Louisiana, which won the Silver Parent’s Choice Award. Those were career changers for me. It really kind of all came together as far as where I was going and what I wanted to say. advice for young women: Follow your heart; I know it sounds cliché, but if you lead with your heart than everything falls into place. goals: My goal is to continue to put out great books that children love and great music that is still meaningful and purposeful for families. favorite thing about what I do: The children, by far. Listening to them laugh when they get it. That’s what I do it all for.

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Julie Mao

, Attorney, New Orleans Workers Center for Racial Justice mentor: My mom, for being the strong woman that she is and always has been, despite all the odds. defining moment: Testifying before City Council on how the enforcement of immigration law by local law enforcement destroys community trust and harms their ability to report crime. advice for young women: Don’t be afraid of your big dreams or your own opinions – speak up and speak out! goals: To build a strong, safe, and vibrant New Orleans for all members of our community. On a personal note, I’d like to finally catch a Muses shoe! favorite thing about what I do: That I have the privilege of working with community members to protect the civil and labor rights of all New Orleans residents.

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ost-Katrina, thousands of immigrant workers came to New Orleans to help the city.

Julie Mao came to help them.

“The workers were being exploited,” Mao says, noting that many worked in dangerous conditions, sometimes with no health or safety equipment, all while being paid less than a livable wage.

Mao is part of a four-person legal team at the New Orleans Workers’ Center for Racial Justice, a center that was formed post-Katrina to organize workers across race and industry.

“When I started there it was this real grassroots organization,” Mao says. “New Orleans is definitely reflective of all the large problems we’re seeing in this nation, but postKatrina it became so much more intense.”

Among the problems is guest worker exploitation. Guest workers are those who are in the United States because an employer is sponsoring their visa.

“This creates a problem if you have a bad employer,” Mao says. “The worker is then so scared to complain about bad conditions or unfair treatment for fear they will lose their status.”

According to Mao, Louisiana has one of the highest guest worker sponsorship rates in the nation. In 2014, Forbes Magazine named Mao among its “30 Under 30” for her work with student guest workers.

“These students were paying $5,000 to $6,000 to come over here for what they were told was a cultural exchange program,” she says.

“Instead they ended up working at a factory.”

Mao’s work helped force government officials to crack down against the employers and recruiters involved let to new state department oversight and regulations.

A native of the northeast, Mao received her law degree at New York University. Her intention was always to tackle immigrant issues.

“I’m from an immigrant background, Chinese American, so I was always interested in those issues. It just naturally extended into the legal field where I felt I could do some good.”

Mao says she feels she has done some good and has seen important progress, but says there’s still a long way to go.

When things get too much, Mao says she likes to revel in the joys of her adopted city.

“I am constantly inspired by the resilience of the people here,” she says. “The music, the art, the culture, it keeps people going. The culture here is so strong that these people aren’t coming in and changing it, they’re adopting it as their own.”

mentor: I’ve had a number. Tulane is a great community.

There have been so many wonderful deans and provosts and department chairs and older faculty members. Because I’ve played so many roles, I’ve been able to work with so many amazing professionals. defining moment: Hurricane Katrina. That year I was chair of the English department. We closed that fall of 2005 and it took an extraordinary effort to come back in the spring. I really saw then how precious our city is and how dedicated we all are to it. I am always looking at how we can engage in this community further in our education at Tulane. advice for young woman: Never sell yourself short. Don’t be afraid to take risks. Choose as your role models the strongest men and women you know and then just go for it. goals: I want to be engaged even more so in the community.

I just accepted a board seat with Planned Parenthood. There’s so much work to be done yet in terms of gender equity, women’s rights to their own bodies and education on reproductive choices. Then there are the equally large issues of poverty and race and equality. favorite thing about what I do: I’m such a one trick pony, but I love literature. I love teaching it and I love the fact that at Tulane we have such a wonderful creative writing program. Getting to meet so many talented writers, that’s a neverending delight for me.

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ince joining the staff at what is now NewcombTulane College in 1989, Molly Abel Travis has worn many hats, including English professor, director of freshmen writing, chair of the English department, director of the Office of Service Learning and associate dean for global education.

Last year she took on the role of associate dean for Newcomb-Tulane.

Travis says one of her biggest challenges came not long after arriving on campus, when then-president Eamon Kelly asked her to head a task force on teaching.

“It may sound strange, but Tulane is a research institution and at that time we didn’t have enough ways to recognize the importance of good teaching,” Travis says.

“There was a lot of discourse and I think some good initiatives were created.”

Almost a decade later she was again called to lead – this time it was Tulane’s current president, Scott Cowen, asking Travis to lead a large group of undergraduate educators in his strategic planning process.

“The goal was to revise and update Tulane’s entire undergraduate experience,” she says. “That was a two year project but it probably cost me about 10 years of my life,” she laughs.

Out of those efforts, though, came Tulane’s current focus on service learning and experiential learning, international studies and study abroad programs – all things Travis feels passionate about.

She is always looking to get students out of the classroom and into the world, for instance she took her feminist theory class to nursing home with a black population.

“Our reading barely touched on older women and there was very little about African-American women,” Travis explains. “It made the material come alive.”

Molly Abel Travis Associate Professor of English and Associate Dean, Newcomb-Tulane College More globally, Travis has lead student groups on three trips to study literature in South Africa.

“It’s cliché but this is a global era. It’s important to experience the literature of other English speaking countries. South Africa for instance has two Nobel Prize-winning literature authors. Then of course you have the heated politics of that area. It’s created a hothouse that has produced extraordinary blooms.”

Travis’ love of South African literature will be on display soon in her second book, which will examine the area’s contemporary writings.

About to start the second year in her new position as associate dean, Travis acknowledges the big job that lies ahead, but says she couldn’t be happier.

“I love working with students to solve problems and help them lay the foundation for their future,” she says.

And as for the college’s future?

“We have a new president joining us in July so it’s going to be another of those pivotal moments. I look forward to being at a college that is entering into a new tenure. There are bound to be interesting changes ahead.” myneworleans.com

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Denver Broncos. A five-time league MVP, he’s ranked among the greatest quarterbacks of all time. The youngest is Eli, quarterback for the New York Giants; he currently holds the record for most fourth-quarter touchdown passes in the NFL. Long before the Super Bowl rings and huge contracts though, the Manning boys attended Isidore Newman School. As an involved parent, Manning was a frequent school volunteer.

Over the years she has continued to give back to organizations, including the Junior League, the Red Cross and the American Heart Association. She also cochaired the Longue Vue House & Gardens fundraiser “Sentimental Journeys” in 1999 and was the 2013 chair of the Audubon Zoo’s annual “Whitney Zoo-to-Do.” Manning is thrilled that her children have followed her example.

“I’m really proud of the boys – of the ways that they have found ways to give back,” she says, noting both Peyton and Eli’s foundations, as well as the work Cooper and his wife have done locally to support Academy of the Sacred Heart.

Football has always been a part of Manning’s life – her father also played for Ole Miss – but she says that, as a mother, it has also been a source of almost non-stop stress.

“I’m just as nervous about them in the NFL as I was when they were in high school,” she says. “I’m still always looking to make sure they get up way before I worry if the pass was complete.”

Manning’s sideline worrying is likely far from over.

“I now have grandsons at Newman,” she says. “It feels like starting over again. It’s like, ‘Here I go again!’”

Olivia Manning Mother and Volunteer

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n an age where we’re constantly barraged by stories of professional athletes behaving badly, Peyton and Eli Manning stand as notable exceptions.

Both are members of Louisiana’s first family of football, the Mannings.

The family is led by matriarch Olivia Manning – a woman quick to note that her biggest and happiest achievement is raising her children.

A native of Philadelphia, Mississippi, Olivia Williams, as she was once known, attended Ole Miss where she earned a bachelor’s degree in elementary education. It was during that time that she met a young man named Archie.

Then there was the age-old love story: college quarterback falls for the homecoming queen.

Only after college, this lucky quarterback was drafted to the Saints. The Mannings moved into their first apartment as a married couple in Metairie.

Soon Manning found herself the mother of three boys. The eldest, Cooper, lives in New Orleans and works as an energy broker with the firm Howard Weill. Then came Peyton, currently the quarterback for the 82

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mentor: Probably my mother. I just think about the way she raised her children, all four of us. She always had such a calm demeanor and put lots of trust in us. Now, when I look back, I realize that I tried to be that same kind of mother to my boys. defining moment: When I married Archie. I knew that was the beginning of football for us. That definitely has defined our life. advice for young women: I’m not much on giving advice, but I’d say if you’re a mother, be a part of your children’s lives in every way you can because it goes by so quickly. Make sure to find lots of enjoyment through friends and family. Live life to the fullest. goals: Right now I’m trying to keep up with technology.

I feel like I just mastered my iPhone and then the next thing comes out. I try to stay savvy so that I can keep up with my grandchildren. favorite thing abut what I do: Right now it’s just about enjoying my family. I have three grandchildren in town and four out of town. We love exploring New Orleans when they visit or going to visit them. cheryl gerber photograph

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allie Ann Glassman says she was “born with the spirit.”

“I have always believed that what we see on the surface is just that – the surface,” she says. “It’s all about what lies within.”

What lies within this Jewish woman from Maine is one of New Orleans’ most famous current Voodoo practitioners.

Born to atheist parents, Glassman says her lifelong search and love for the sacred is what ultimately led her to New Orleans, and from there, Haiti, where she became one of few Americans to ever undergo the intense week-long ceremony to become a Voodoo (or in Haitian, Vodou) priestess.

Just like Glassman herself challenges misconceptions of what you would envision a Voodoo priestess to look like, she says the religion is very different from frightening, dark, curse-filled way it has been popularly portrayed.

Practiced by an estimated 50 million people worldwide, Glassman says Vodou is “beautiful, empowering and focused on healing.”

She sees her role as a priestess as a healer, and it’s one that expanded from the individual to the community level after Hurricane Katrina devastated her Marigny/Bywater neighborhood.

Looking beyond the surface of desolation, destruction and rampant crime, Glassman saw a community that needed healing.

Joining with a group of citizens, Glassman helped form the Hope and Heritage Project. Among its goals was the transformation of an old furniture building on St. Claude Avenue into a healing center.

We had three goals with the center,” she says. “The first was to revitalize the local economy. The second was to create healing at every level – economic, environmental and personal.

We also wanted it to serve to unify a polarized community.”

Together with her now-husband Pres Kabacoff, CEO of HRI Properties, a real estate development company that specializes in adaptive re-use of historic structures, the 55,000-square-foot Healing Center was completed in August 2011. It is currently home to 28 businesses and organizations, including neighborhood services like a fitness center, a food co-op, a credit union and a district office for the New Orleans Police Department, as well as yoga, various alternative healing practitioners, an interfaith center and the Alliance for Alternative Energy.

The Healing Center also houses Glassman’s Vodou religious supply store and Haitian art gallery, Island of Salvation Botanica. It is here, while assisting a customer in search of “something for a broken heart,” that she expressed how proud she is of how the center has helped spur a neighborhood revitalization and serves as a place where residents come together daily to find healing and community.

“It’s amazing what can happen when all the identifiers go away,” she says. “When we can work together and relate to each other as allies and human beings.”

mentors: Definitely by spiritual mentor was Edgar Jean Louis.

I also have a small but extraordinary family, which includes my husband Pres. He has definitely introduced me to the level of creativity that goes into finances and development. As an artist I was kind of snooty I guess, I thought artists had a corner on the creativity market. defining moments: I have three actually. The first would be during a day I spent making magic things with Edgar in Haiti.

Sallie Ann Glassman Co-Founder and Co-Chairman of the Board, New Orleans Healing Center and Owner, Island of Salvation Botanica

When I was young I used to hold the skein of yarn between my hands while my mother rolled it into a ball. At one point I found myself doing the exact same thing with Edgar and I thought to myself “this is not a movie, this is my life.” I was just so absolutely happy to be there in that moment.

My second moment would be holding my mother’s hand as she died. And the third would be a few years ago when, at the age of 57, I found myself in my own backyard marrying the man of my dreams. advice for young women: Live from your passion. Find your voice and use it. Always think, ‘What about this matters to me?’ goals: I really have the same motto as the Healing Center, which is to help heal and empower. And one day I hope to go back to painting all the time. favorite thing about what I do: To be part of someone’s or some place’s healing. myneworleans.com

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Sandy Franco Owner, Franco’s Health Club and Spa mentor: There are so many people that have definitely influenced what we do, including other people in my industry. I love it when we get together and share ideas. defining momEnt: There have been many moments when I’ve stood there shocked that we’ve had this kind of success. I suppose one was when a group from the Travel Channel came out and filmed us as a “World’s Greatest” fitness club.

That was incredible. Another recent example would be at our 25th anniversary party for the club. I’m one of those people who always worries about hosting a party that nobody comes to, but I remember looking out and just seeing a sea of people. We have over 15,000 members now. I think they all showed up that night. advice for young women: As a mother of three girls, I’d say be strong. Be fearless. Believe in yourself. To me the greatest thing a woman can have is confidence.

Most women, including myself, have struggled with confidence issues. Through fitness I’ve become stronger in so many ways. goals: I couldn’t be more content or feel more blessed about where I am right now. I’ve been giving so much. From here on out my goal is to give more back to the amazing community that has supported us all these years. We wouldn’t be where we are today without them. favorite thing about what I do: I get a lot of satisfaction from marketing.

When that deadline is met or that publication gets out it just feels good. I also love hearing from our members. The other day I received a text with a picture of a woman sitting on an airplane. It was the first time she was ever able to use one seat belt. She said she just wanted to say thank you.

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ven before Jane Fonda came onto the scene, Sandy Franco was in love with the fitness industry.

When she was 15, she followed her mother to Foxy’s Fitness Center in Baton Rouge and liked it so much she asked for a job.

“This was back when gyms had separate hours for men and women,” she says. “I did everything, I sold memberships and did tours, I even went through workout routines with people – there were no workout classes back then. Then, before the men’s hours started, I was also the cleanup crew. I was a one-woman band so to speak.”

Her enthusiasm for the gym translated into huge membership sales.

“In 1978 I was making $30,000 a year working parttime, two days a week, just selling memberships,” she says.

After breaking to get a bachelor’s degree in home furnishings and interior design, she was lured back to Foxy’s where she met her husband Ron. The two were married in 1986 and moved to Mandeville where they purchased the 28,000 square-foot Bon Temps Club – a racquetball and social club – in ’88.

Franco’s Athletic club opened April 17, 1988. It has since grown to be one of largest health clubs in Louisiana.

“When we bought the club we had just had our first baby,” Franco says. “We decided we could set ourselves apart as a family gym. Those just didn’t exist back then, but as a new mom, I knew there were others like myself that would go for it.”

The Francos were hopeful their new club would sell 1,000 memberships in the first year. They sold 500 the first month.

“It’s just kept growing from there,” she says. “We have now gone from 28,000 square feet to 100,000 square feet on 11 acres – including four pools and 11 tennis courts, a hair salon, a Starbucks and a library lounge,” she says.

In 2000, Franco’s expanded to New Orleans with a gym in Lakeview. Five years later it was wiped out by Katrina.

“We’ve been trying to get back there ever since,” she says. “We still have people calling us asking when we’re coming back.”

Expansion has continued, however. On May 8, Franco’s celebrated the opening of a new boutique location on Magazine Street, just one week apart from their new 18,000 square-foot crossfit location in Mandeville. They also celebrated the 25th anniversary of their original Mandeville club.

“This past year is the hardest I think I’ve worked in my entire career,” Franco says.

Although she’s thrilled with the expansions, it’s taken a toll on her own fitness routine.

“I used to teach classes every day, but now it’s hard to find the time,” she says. “I know though, how much I need it, how much it impacts every part of my life, so I’m committed to making it a priority.”

mentor: My husband’s grandmother, Edith Stern, (owner of Longue Vue House & Gardens) was my true mentor. She was the wisest person I have ever known. She was comfortable in every milieu and could read people perfectly. I was so sorry when she died because I still had so much I could have learned from her. Thinking of what she taught me has always helped me choose the right path. defining moment: I was president of the Louisiana Nature Center when it opened in the early 1980s. We really pushed to make that happen. Looking back on that time has made me realize that I have always loved the hard job, the one that would challenge me the most and really make me stretch. advice for young women: From personal experience I’ll say that reaching a “decade” birthday can be really difficult. To help you slide through, pick an ambitious goal well in advance. When you achieve your goal you will feel so good about yourself that the birthday will be easy! goals: Becoming president of City Park has been a goal of mine since Hurricane Katrina. I’m determined to help bring the park back to its full glory so it can take its place as one of the best urban parks in the United States. favorite thing about what I do: Virtually my whole life has been spent in the field of volunteerism. It has been a wonderful gift. I have been privileged to be able to always choose what I love to do. The more I have worked at it, the more I have been rewarded. I have seen the fruits of my labor spread out and benefit our whole community. Could anyone ask for anything better?

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keep a note taped to the chair in front of my desk,” says Susan Hess. “It says ‘Just Say No.’” It hasn’t worked.

Since moving to New Orleans in the 1980s from New York City, Hess hasn’t been able to stop herself from volunteering her time and talents to a dizzying array of local organizations covering everything from the National Urban League to the Girl Scouts.

“I’m really having to pare down now,” she says, speaking about the full-time position she will take up in December as president of the City Park board.

Hess joined the park’s commission two years before Hurricane Katrina, just when the park had begun a lengthy two-year strategic planning process. The plan was adopted in May. Katrina hit three months later.

“The devastation to the park was just so complete,” she says. “Every building, every bird, every plant.”

Following the storm, Hess jumped in to help raise funds, even bringing members of the Trust for Public Land (of which she was a local officer) from San Francisco and Seattle to garner their support.

“That’s how we got that big lake area in front of NOMA,” she says.

Hess says she’s proud of how the park has bounced back bigger and better, but there’s still so much to be done – future additions are set to include a splash park and a championship golf course. She is committed to carrying out the park’s strategic plan before her two-year presidential term is up.

Hess’ presidential role is only the latest in a long line of leadership position that have included founding the

Susan Hess Volunteer and Incoming President, City Park Board of Commissioners Louisiana Association of Film and Video Professionals (her husband is in the film industry), and serving as the president of the Louisiana Nature and Science Center when it opened.

An animal lover with six dogs, she’s particularly proud of her work with the Louisiana SPCA, which includes serving as a past president and chairing the capital campaign for a new building after Katrina.

She also remains committed to her alma mater, the University of New Orleans. Since serving as one of the original members of the UNO Foundation, she has worked to connect the university to the local business community and chaired the school’s 30th, 40th and 50th annual celebrations.

Hess says that all the late nights, all the sneaking out to coffee shops to get in a few extra hours, have been more than worth it.

“I love this city,” she says. “I’ve always said that I have gotten more out of doing this work than it has gotten out of me.” myneworleans.com

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“I’m obsessed with natural forms like leaves and seed pods,” she says. “I also draw some inspiration from Mayan hieroglyphics and the art deco style of architecture.”

McMurry’s signature piece is a hammered leaf necklace.

“It’s an unusual form created from a tremendous amount of hammering,” she explains. “You have to open the metal up like an oyster and then the forming is done with a lot of hand work. Each hammered leaf is about 140 hammer strokes.”

McMurry acknowledges that the life of an artist can often be a solitary one, which, she says, is one of the reasons she became a founding member of the RHINO (Right Here In New Orleans) Contemporary Crafts Company, a nonprofit cooperative of Louisiana fine crafts artists.

“RHINO serves as an incubator for artists who are starting out, and it gives all of us the chance to be part of a community, to interact with our peers,” she says.

“It’s always an education.”

Education is something McMurry also has a passion for. Since 1983 she has spent two days a week teaching metalworking to grades six through 12 at Metairie Park Country Day School. Students learn to come up with their own original designs, which they then create using skills like sawing, filing and soldering.

“It’s more physical than any other art that they study,” she says. “That’s the beauty of working with metal though. There’s so many things you can do, so many levels.” mentor: My parents were really great mentors. They were self-employed, self-starters and hard workers. I’d also have to say fellow artists Courtney Miller, as far as how to do business, and Michael Curtis, as far as inspiring craftsmanship. For several years I’ve also taken private lessons from a jeweler and enamellist out of Chapel Hill, North Carolina named James Carter. His work is astounding and he’s a really incredible teacher.

Vitrice McMurry Jewelry Designer and Educator

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rank Zappa once said, “Art is making something out of nothing, and selling it.”

Local jewelry designer Vitrice McMurry wholeheartedly agrees, and says she has enjoyed doing exactly that for about 30 years now.

In addition to being a regular feature at the Palmer Park monthly arts market, McMurry’s silver, gold, stone and cloisonné enameled jewelry is sold at the Ogden Museum of Southern Art, the New Orleans Museum of Art, at Symmetry Jewelers in Uptown and often at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, where she served as the festival’s original craft director for 10 years.

Since she first fell in love with metalworking during a class in her last semester of an English degree at LSU, McMurry has been on a continuous quest for perfection.

“It’s about that quest,” she says. “That ability to take a small thing and create perfection. It’s very satisfying.”

From a studio in her home in Bayou St. John, McMurry creates pieces inspired by the local landscape.

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defining moment: After Katrina, my husband (renowned guitarist John Rankin) and I were living in Nashville and it dawned upon us, like a lot of people during the second or third week away, that we were not going home anytime soon.

At that point it crossed my mind for the first time that I maybe needed to go get a job – go out and pound the pavement. But I decided no, I wasn’t giving up. I did what I could to scrape up enough weird old junk together to set up a little studio in our basement. advice for young women: I’ve learned that there is a market out there for everything. It’s just about finding your market. To be an artist you have to work hard, stick with it and find your market. goals: This summer my goals are to get a new enameling oven and do a lot of new enamels. I also need to update my website and Facebook page – those things take a lot of time. More long term, I suppose I’d like to go experience the Mexican Day of the Dead. That’s on my list. favorite thing about what I do: I really enjoy the designing – combining all the thoughts going through my mind, putting that on paper and then translating it into actual metal pieces.

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THEMENU TABLE TALK

RESTAURANT INSIDER

FOOD

LAST CALL

DINING LISTINGS TABLE TALK:

Harrison Avenue Dining PAGE 90

“Nowadays the hard thing isn’t finding a good place to eat (on Harrison Avenue), it’s finding a place to park.”

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T A B L E T A L K

Caribbean Benedict with Curry Coconut Hollandaise at Mondo

Harrison Gems

Mondo 900 Harrison Ave. 224-2633 MondoNewOrleans.com Lunch Mondays-Fridays; dinner Mondays-Saturdays; brunch Sundays El Gato Negro 300 Harrison Ave. 488-0107 ElGatoNegroNola.com Lunch and dinner Tuesdays-Sundays; closed Mondays Lakeview Harbor 911 Harrison Ave. 486-4887 NewOrleansBestBurger.com Lunch and dinner daily Jaeger Burger 872 Harrison Ave. 482-1441 JaegerBurger.homestead.com Lunch and dinner Mondays-Saturdays; closed Mondays

Harrison Avenue Dining Whacked by Katrina; now it’s flooded with restaurants

by Jay Forman

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or a l ong t i m e after H u rr i c ane K atr i na there w asn ’ t m u c h

action on Harrison Avenue. Nowadays the hard thing isn’t finding a good place to eat, it’s finding a place to park. The Lakeview neighborhood corridor has boomed in recent years. Supplementing the tried-and-true burger joints such as Lakeview Harbor is a new crop of restaurants greatly expanding the scope of dining possibilities. The most recent of these to open is Cava (read more on pg. 62). Here are a few others.

Susan Spicer’s Mondo arguably served as the spark for the revitalization of the restaurant scene along Harrison Avenue. It is fitting, as she’s a Lakeview resident. “Susan always wanted to open a restaurant in her neighborhood that had a bit of a fine dining mentality,” says Mondo’s Chef de Cuisine Eason Barksdale. “We are trying to create a casual place with an emphasis on quality – just to put really good food out there for our neighborhood.”

As the name implies, Mondo draws inspiration from all over the globe. Chinese dishes such as 90

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Velvet Cactus 6300 Argonne Blvd.

301-2083 TheVelvetCactus.com Lunch and dinner Fridays-Sundays; dinner Mondays-Thursdays

Szechuan Eggplant Stir Fry co-exist alongside Spanish-inspired Gambas Fideos – garlic-and-sherry cooked shrimp in pimiento butter atop campanili pasta toasted to bring out its nuttiness. In another organization’s hands such an eclectic mash-up might result in chaos, but that isn’t the case here.

A few things make Mondo special.

One is the breadth of the menu; there’s a broad range of dishes guaranteed to excite most anyone and diners can have confidence in their execution.

Another is their wood-burning oven.

When Mondo opened in 2010 it was a relative novelty. Since then the list of places employing them has grown, but Mondo continues to be inventive in the ways in which they make use of it. Along with the expected array of pizzas, they bake off a broad range of dishes such as Roasted Mussels with

JEFFERY JOHNSTON PHOTOGRAPH

Chorizo in sherry butter. “It is actually a really versatile piece of equipment,” Barksdale says. “It helps with the flow of the line, too.”

One interesting item they fire in the oven is their bialys. “A bialy is a savory Italian pastry – kind of like if an English muffin had a love child with a bagel,” says Barksdale. “We are the only place in the city you can get one right now.” Served hot with its woodfire charred exterior it’s accompanied by a terrific smoked trout spread, similar to whitefish but creamier. This is a compellingly rustic dish that will leave you wanting more.

The menu changes fairly often, though some items tend to stay on, such as the addictive Thai Pork and Shrimp Meatball appetizer. Southern cuisine, currently in vogue nationwide, is well represented with dishes like Shrimp and Grits sharpened with aged cheddar and dressed up with an Abita Beer Creole Sauce. The Pimento Cheese Renaissance marches on with a fun option on the brunch menu: An Andouille, Fried Egg and Pimento Cheese Sandwich is served with fries redolent of crab boil. While the influence is global, Barksdale has a soft spot for Mediterranean fare. “My special menu does lean pretty much towards the Mediterranean. I really love Moroccan, Turkish and Italian dishes,” he says. These are all represented, but most important, the menu is fun.

Mondo’s brunch is terrific and flies under the radar. Egg dishes get dolled up with global flourishes, such as a recent Caribbean Eggs Benedict with Curry Coconut Hollandaise Sauce. This came served atop a carrot and plantain cake and garnished with jicama slaw. Mondo also caters to the little folk; on their kids menu there are several transitional-type dishes – like the Silver Dollar Pancakes with Steen’s Cane Syrup and strawberries – on the brunch menu that children would enjoy as well. A snack menu is available between main seatings and for late night.

El Gato Negro is one of a growing number of Mexican restaurants that offer cuisine distinct (for the most part) from the ubiquitous TexMex. True, El Gato Negro hedges its bets with safe staples such as quesadillas and three-cheese enchiladas, but the best choices here are the ones that focus more on the owner’s home state of Michoacán, though the menu goes bicoastal in featuring dishes from Quintana Roo on the Yucatan peninsula. The former would include choices like Mixed Grill Michoacán Style, with a chimichurri sauce spiced up with serrano pepper and lime, the later with sautéed Red Snapper in a tequila-spiked Pico de Gallo sauce. The guacamole, made fresh tableside, is a signature dish. Gluten free and vegetarian options are offered as well. Much of El Gato Negro’s appeal leans on their exhaustive list of tequila and tequila-inspired cocktails.

But despite all the expanded options along its corridor, Harrison Avenue at its core serves up the basics. For burger lovers, Lakeview Harbor lures diners with thick half-pound patties offered with an array of garnishes. A long list of poor boys and other crowd-pleasing items round out the menu, which has plenty for kids as well. Jaeger Burger, adjacent to Parlay’s, offers burgers more in touch with today’s artisan craze. The beef for these is ground in-house daily and the buns are buttered and griddled on the flattop. Fries are hand-cut and they also serve up a version of the French-Canadian comfort food poutine, only here they amp it up with roast beef debris in lieu of the more traditional gravy. While a broader range of choices now tempts along Harrison, some things never go out of style.

Tex-Mex Togetherness

Velvet Cactus’ crowd-pleasing Tex-Mex menu and rambling outdoor patio make this Mexican restaurant a popular gathering spot. The menu is an eclectic mix of favorite dishes like fajitas, burritos, mix grill and the like.

Kids will enjoy its kitschy décor and adults will appreciate the beverages. myneworleans.com

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R E S T A U R A N T IN SID ER

Johnny Sanchez Taqueria, Del Fuego Taqueria and Pho Cam Ly

by Robert Peyton

G i v en that the fo c u s of th i s c o l u m n i s

Speaking of taquerias, chefs John Besh and Aron Sanchez recently announced plans to open Johnny Sanchez Taqueria (I’ll let you guess where they got the name) in the space that until recently housed Ste. Marie, at 930 Poydras St. The chefs met in the early 1990s when Sanchez was working in New Orleans with chef Paul Prudhomme. Sanchez is a frequent judge on the Food Network TV show “Chopped,” and a native of El Paso, Texas, who clearly has a love for the Crescent City.

As noted above, taquerias are typically causal places, and that appears to be the plan for Johnny Sanchez as well, though with two fine-dining chefs in the mix, no one will be surprised to find more ambitious food on offer. I thought Ste. Marie was an under-rated restaurant, particularly during its last months when chef Kritsen Essig was in charge. But while the sleek, modern space fit into the overall design of the office building that hosts it, the address is crying out for a more comfortable eatery.

The plan is for Johnny Sanchez to be open for lunch and dinner seven days a week, and while the press release announcing the restaurant had little details about the drinks program, I’m going out on a limb to predict there will be multiple cocktails featuring tequila and mescal. Look for Johnny Sanchez to open in the fall, hopefully in time for at least part of the Saints season.

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Folks driving down a certain stretch of Magazine Street earlier this year no doubt wondered what was going on at 4518. That is the address of Del Fuego Taqueria, a California-style Mexican restaurant that was scheduled to open at the beginning of this month. Owner and chef Dave Wright is a native of the Golden State, and though his most recent cooking experience was at the Chicago-style pizzeria Midway, indications are that he takes Mexican cuisine seriously.

In addition to a wide selection of high-end tequilas and mezcals, Del Fuego will make its own corn tortillas. Taquerias are meant to be casual, and the menu will be reasonably priced.

Contact Del Fuego at 894-8558 to find out more.

There was a time when a Vietnamese restaurant opening anywhere but the West Bank or New Orleans East was notable. That isn’t exactly true any more, but numbers don’t always mean quality; while some of the newly opened places are good, others haven’t prompted me to return.

I will go back to Pho Cam Ly, which opened in March at 3814 Magazine St. The restaurant is named for a waterfall near Da Lat, where owners Mung and Minh Ha grew up. The menu is standard for local Vietnamese eateries, but I found the pho to be excellent, with a clear, fragrant broth and high-quality meats. There is one novel aspect to the place; if you can eat 2 pounds of noodles, 2 pounds of meats and a big bowl of broth, you can win the Pho Challenge, which gets you a T-shirt and no bill for the soup.

Pho Cam Ly is open Mondays through Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., and until 6 p.m. on Sundays. Call 644-4228 to find out more.

Questions? Comments? Suggestions? Email rdpeyton@gmail.com

( l eft ) H O W A R D C H IL D S ( R I G H T ) S A R A E S S E X B R A D L E Y P H O T O G R A P H S

generally on new and changing restaurants, the July issue should present a real challenge. But this is New Orleans in 2014, and finding new restaurants to cover is less difficult than it might otherwise be, even during the hot months when the industry generally slows down.

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FOOD

S

Picks for the Picnic Leisure food for the summer

by Dale Curry

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u m m er p i c n i c s

require two things: deviled eggs and pimento cheese

sandwiches.

These are comfort foods for me and I never tire of them whether it’s a picnic, road trip or parade party. I can remember carrying pimento cheese sandwiches in my lunchbox to grammar school, and I sometimes sent my kids to school with them, too.

It is amazing how these simple foods disappear at a party.

I figure they’re comfort food for a lot of people besides me, because they always go fast in a crowd. Stuffed celery is another favorite that flies off a buffet as soon as you serve it.

Years ago our friend Rick made some sandwiches that my husband and I still make for fishing trips or boating outings.

Similar to a poor boy, they’re foot-long pieces of French bread, overstuffed with cold cuts, cheese, vegetables and olive oil. The key is using topquality hard salami and ham with dried black olives and whole green onions. They are wrapped tightly in tin foil and easily transported in a cooler. I see them as a cross between a poor boy and a muffuletta.

My family loves the outdoor performances of the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra in City Park, Lafreniere Park and other locations. There is nothing like an evening of picnicking and beautiful music with appeal for all ages. However, mosquito spray runs a close second to good food for enjoying these occasions.

Finding a good location for a picnic takes some practice.

The obvious places are the city’s magnificent parks, but there are others to be found as well. We once drove across the Causeway to picnic on the Mandeville lakeshore. And on

e u gen i a u h l photo

another occasion we found a spot on a bayou just over the spillway bridge near LaPlace. The only drawback was a four-foot moccasin that serpentined too close for comfort. We have also found places over the levee along the Mississippi River where giant ships entertained us while we ate.

If I’m under a live oak anywhere, I’m a happy camper. I became a live oak aficionado when I lived Uptown and watched the streetcar go by through the limbs of the magnificent trees. Now that I reside next door in Jefferson, I’m elated that the parish has hundreds of live oaks reaching maturity in the neutral grounds along many boulevards. Most recently, our parish officials have given us

hundreds of new magnolia trees and crape myrtles. With the beauty of constantly improving Lafreniere Park, Jefferson may someday rival its neighbor’s as yet unmatched charm.

At our house we’re trying something new to stay cool this summer. It is a mister, delivering a cooling spray while we sit outside. It might be just the thing for more picnics in our own backyard.

Following are recipes for simply made picnic foods. For example, my pimento cheese sandwiches won a little contest we once held at the office against more complex recipes.

Sometimes simple is best; it’s often how our mamas did it.

Pimento Cheese Sandwiches

New Potato Salad

Deviled Eggs

8

1 1/2 1

3 pounds small red new potatoes 2 large stalks celery, chopped 1/2 cup red onion, chopped 3 packed Tablespoons fresh dill leaves, chopped 1/2 cup high-quality or homemade mayonnaise 1/2 cup sour cream 1/4 cup Creole mustard 1/4 teaspoon Creole seasoning 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1 dozen large eggs 1/2 cup olives stuffed with pimentos 2/3 cup mayonnaise 2 Tablespoons yellow mustard 1/2 teaspoon Creole seasoning Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste Paprika (optional)

ounces extra-sharp Cheddar cheese, at room temperature 4-ounce jar pimentos cup mayonnaise loaf soft, round-top bread

Grate cheese into a bowl. Drain pimentos and add to cheese. Add mayonnaise and mix well.

Spread liberally onto fresh bread. If for a party, trim edges and cut into four triangles.

Makes 6 whole sandwiches or 24 finger sandwiches

Rick’s Sandwiches 1 long poor boy loaf 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil 1/3 pound hard salami 1/3 pound ham, sliced thin 1/3 pound sharp Cheddar cheese, sliced thin 1/3 pound Swiss cheese, sliced thin 1 bunch green onions, cut in thin slices length-wise 1/2 cup dried black olives or oiled

black olives Salt and pepper to taste

Slice bread in half length-wise. Drizzle bottom layer with a little of the olive oil.

Layer all ingredients, occasionally drizzling a little of the olive oil. Top with lightly oiled bread and cut into desired number of pieces.

Wrap whole loaf in heavy tin foil and refrigerate until ready to serve, or wrap in individual pieces. This sandwich is best made the night before, allowing time to marinate.

Boil potatoes until fork tender. Cut into halves or fourths, depending on size, and place in a large bowl. Add all other ingredients and mix well. Serve at room temperature or chill for later use.

Serves 6 to 8

Stuffed Celery

Carefully place eggs in a medium pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a full boil. Cover and turn off heat. Let eggs set for 10 minutes without removing top. Pour hot water off and replace with cold running water. Holding each egg under water, peel and place on paper towels. When all are peeled, slice eggs in half. Remove yolks and place on a flat plate. Place whites on serving plate or in a refrigerator container.

Mash egg yolks with a fork. Mash drained olives with a fork into little pieces.

Add remaining ingredients and mix thoroughly.

Spoon filling into whites, covering the whole tops of the egg whites. Sprinkle with paprika, if desired. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Makes 24 deviled eggs

8 large stalks celery 8 ounces cream cheese 4 Tablespoons crumbled blue cheese 2/3 cup sour cream 8 shots Tabasco 2 Tablespoons lemon juice Salt and pepper to taste

Clean and cut celery stalks into fourths.

Mix all other ingredients together, mashing with a fork, and stuff into celery pieces using a knife.

Makes 32 pieces

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LAST CALL

N

ot so l ong ago , s u m m er w as

noted as a “low season” around here.

The hotels were empty; restaurants downsized staff and menus; and other employers encouraged their employees to take off “all the time you need.”

That was then; now it’s different. The summer season, notably July, is wall-to-wall with events that fill rooms and puts patrons into seats in restaurants.

July begins with Essence Festival, which spills from the Convention Center to Mercedes-Benz Superdome and all points in between. Dining experiences have to be scheduled in between seminars and performances.

That is followed, also this month, by Tales of the Cocktail, a New Orleans-born-and-bred celebration of adult beverage concoctions, attended by celebrities and bartenders (often the same thing), spirit company professionals and regular folks interested in the latest little-known ingredient or new recipe to wow their friends. They all come from around the world to be here in July.

That, too, is different from the not-so-distant past.

The featured drink at Tales this year is the Hurricane Caesar, a play on the original Hurricane recipe, which bears little or no resemblance to drinks of the same name dispensed along Bourbon and St. Peter streets. In a spirited competition, Joe Cammarata from Backbar in Somerset, Massachusetts, bested almost 250 other entrants with his original creation:

Hurricane Caesar 1.5 ounces Bacardi 8 Rum 1 ounce Rhum Clement V.S.O.P. 1 ounce Passion Fruit-Honey Syrup* 3/4 ounce fresh lime juice 1/2 ounce Orgeat Syrup 1/2 ounce Campari

A Hurricane of a Different Type Rum with a tropical swirl B y T i m McN a l l y

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Combine all ingredients except Campari in Boston Shaker and shake with ice. Strain into Hurricane glass and top with crushed ice. Top with Campari and serve with straws.

Garnish with grated nutmeg and a metal sword skewer stabbing a maraschino cherry through a lime wheel.

Passion Fruit-Honey Syrup 2 parts Dafruta Passion Fruit Concentrate 1 part clover honey 1 part water Special thanks to Tales of the Cocktail; for full information on activities, TalesOfTheCocktail.com.

Also special thanks to Ryan O’Dwyer and Chris Benton, Le Foret, for making the Hurricane Caesar for photography purposes. sara essex brad l ey P H O T O G R A P H

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DINING GUIDE

$= Average entrée price of $5-$10; $$=$11-15; $$$=$16-20; $$$$=$21-25; $$$$$=$25 and up.

Roll winner. $$$$$

5 Fifty 5 Restaurant Marriott Hotel,

212-5282, Uptown. B, L Tue-Sat, Br Sun. Nested among the oaks in Audubon Park, the beautifully situated clubhouse is open to the public and features a kid-friendly menu with New Orleans tweaks and a casually upscale sandwich and salad menu for adults. $$

555 Canal St., 553-5638, French Quarter, ­555Canal.com. B, L, D daily. This restaurant offers innovative American fare such as lobster macaroni and cheese. Many of the dishes receive an additional touch from the woodburning oven. $$$$

7 on Fulton 701 Convention Center Blvd., 525-7555, CBD/Warehouse District, 7onFulton.com. B, L, D daily. Upscale and contemporary dining destination. $$$$

13 Restaurant and Bar 517 Frenchmen St., 942-1345, Faubourg Marigny, 13Monaghan. com. L, D daily, open until 4 a.m. Late-night deli catering to hungry club-hoppers. Bar and excellent jukebox make this a good place to refuel. $

Abita Brew Pub 72011 Holly St., (985) 892-5837, Abita Springs, AbitaBrewPub.com.

L, D Tue-Sun. Famous for its Purple Haze and Turbodog brews, Abita serves up better-thanexpected pub food in its namesake eatery.

“Tasteful” tours available for visitors. $$

Acme Oyster House Multiple locations: AcmeOyster.com. L, D daily. Known as one of the best places to eat oysters. $$

Ancora 4508 Freret St., 324-1636, Uptown, AncoraPizza.com. D Mon-Sat. Authentic Neapolitan-style pizza fired in an oven imported from Naples keeps pizza connoisseurs coming back to this Freret Street hot-spot. The housemade charcuterie makes it a double-winner. New Orleans Magazine’s 20011 Pizza Restaurant of the Year. $$ Andrea’s Restaurant 3100 19th St., 8348583, Metairie, AndreasRestaurant.com. L Mon-Sat D daily, Br Sun. Indulge in osso buco and homemade pastas in a setting that’s both elegant and intimate; off-premise catering.

New Orleans Magazine Honor Roll honoree 2009. $$$

Antoine’s 713 St. Louis St., 581-4422, French Quarter, Antoines.com. L Mon-Sat, 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 are available. $$$$$

Arnaud’s 813 Bienville St., 523-5433, French Quarter, ArnaudsRestaurant.com. D daily, Br Sun. Waiters in tuxedos prepare Café Brûlot tableside at this storied Creole grande dame in the French Quarter; live jazz during Sun. brunch. New Orleans Magazine’s 2011 Honor

Audubon Clubhouse 6500 Magazine St.,

August Moon 3635 Prytania St., 899-5122, Uptown, MoonNola.com. L, D Mon-Fri, D Sat. Lots of vegetarian offerings and reasonable prices make this dependable Chinese/ Vietnamese place a popular choice for students and locals. Take-out and delivery available. $

Austin’s 5101 W. Esplanade Ave., 888-5533, Metairie, AustinsNo.com. D Mon-Sat. Mr. Ed’s upscale bistro serves contemporary Creole fare, including seafood and steaks. $$$

The Avenue Pub 1732 St. Charles Ave., 586-9243, Uptown, 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.” $

Bacchanal Fine Wines and Spirits 600 Poland Ave., 948-9111, Bywater, BacchanalWine.com. L, D daily. The pop-up that started it all, this ongoing backyard music and food fest in the heart of Bywater carries the funky flame. Best of all, the front of house is a wine shop. $$

Barcelona Tapas 720 Dublin St., 861-9696, Riverbend, LetsEat.at/BarcelonaTapas. D TueSun. Barcelona Tapas is chef-owner Xavier Laurentino’s homage to the small-plates restaurants he knew from his hometown of Barcelona. The tapas are authentic, and the space, renovated largely by Laurentino himself, is charming. $ Basin Seafood & Spirits 3222 Magazine St., 302-7391, Uptown. L Thurs-Sun, D daily. The focus is on seafood at this uncluttered, contemporary joint venture between Colombian chef Edgar Caro from Barü Bistro & Tapas and Louisiana fishing guide Tommy Peters. Their generally lighter approach is represented in dishes such as whole grilled snapper as well as traditional favorites such as spicy boiled crawfish (in season). $$

Bayona 430 Dauphine St., 525-4455, French Quarter, 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. $$$$$

District, 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 businessmen and politicos. Also features the Swizzle Stick Bar. $$$$

Besh Steak Harrah’s Casino, 8 Canal St., 533-6111, CBD/Warehouse District, HarrahsNewOrleans.com. D daily. Acclaimed chef John Besh reinterprets the classic steakhouse with his signature contemporary Louisiana flair. New Orleans Magazine’s Chef of the Year 2007. $$$$$

Café Burnside Houmas House Plantation,

Bistro Daisy 5831 Magazine St., 899-6987, Uptown, BistroDaisy.com. D, Tue-Sat. Chef Anton Schulte and his wife Diane’s bistro, named in honor of their daughter, serves creative and contemporary bistro fare in a romantic setting along Magazine Street. The signature Daisy Salad is a favorite. $$$$

Café Degas 3127 Esplanade Ave., 945-5635,

The Bombay Club Prince Conti Hotel,

Café du Monde 800 Decatur St., 525-4544,

830 Conti St., 586-0972, French Quarter, TheBombayClub.com. D daily. Popular martini bar appointed 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. $$$$

Bon Ton Cafe 401 Magazine St., 524-3386, CBD/Warehouse District, TheBonTonCafe. com. L, D Mon-Fri. A local favorite for the oldschool business lunch crowd, it specializes in local seafood and Cajun dishes. $$$$

40136 Highway 942, (225) 473-9380, Darrow, 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. $$ Mid-City, CafeDegas.com. L Wed-Sat, D WedSun, Br Sun. Light French bistro food including salads and quiche make this indoor/outdoor boîte a Faubourg St. John favorite. New Orleans Magazine’s 2010 French Restaurant of the Year. $$$ French Quarter; multiple other locations; CafeDuMonde.com. This New Orleans institution has been serving fresh café au lait, rich hot chocolate and positively addictive beignets since 1862 in the French Market 24/7. $

Café Equator 2920 Severn Ave., 8884772, Metairie, CafeEquator.com. L, D daily. Very good Thai food across the street from Lakeside Mall. Offers a quiet and oftoverlooked dining option in a crowded part of town. $$

Riverbend, Boucherie-Nola.com. L, D Tue-Sat. Serving contemporary Southern food with an international angle, Chef Nathaniel Zimet offers excellent ingredients, presented simply. New Orleans Magazine’s Best New Restaurant 2009. $$

Café Freret 7329 Freret St., 861-7890, Uptown, CafeFreret.com. B, L, D Fri-Wed. Convenient location near Tulane and Loyola universities makes this a place for students (and dogs) to indulge in decadent breakfasts, casual lunches and tasty dinners – and their “A la Collar” menu. $$

Brigtsen’s 723 Dante St., 861-7610,

Café Giovanni 117 Decatur St., 529-2154,

Boucherie 8115 Jeannette St., 862-5514,

Uptown, Brigtsens.com. D Tue-Sat. Chef Frank Brigtsen’s nationally-famous Creole cuisine makes this cozy Riverbend cottage a true foodie destination. $$$$$

Broken Egg Cafe 200 Girod St., (985) 2317125, Mandeville. B, Br, L daily. Breakfastcentric café in turn-of-the-century home offers a sprawling assortment of delicious items both healthy and decadent. $$

Brooklyn Pizzeria 4301 Veterans Blvd., 833-1288, Metairie, EatBrooklyn.net. L, D daily (drive thru/take out). Pie shop on Vets specializes in New York-style thin crust. The pizza is the reason to come, but sandwiches and salads are offered as well. $

Byblos Multiple locations: ByblosRestaurants. com. L, D daily. Upscale Middle Eastern cuisine featuring traditional seafood, lamb and vegetarian options. $$

Café Adelaide Loews New Orleans Hotel, 300 Poydras St., 595-3305, CBD/Warehouse

Downtown, CafeGiovanni.com. D daily. Live opera singers three nights a week round out the atmosphere at this contemporary Italian dining destination. The menu offers a selection of Italian specialties tweaked with a Creole influence and their Belli Baci happy hour adds to the atmosphere. $$$$

Café Luna 802 Nashville Ave., 333-6833, Uptown. B, L daily. Charismatic coffee shop in a converted house offers a range of panini, caffeinated favorites and free Wi-Fi. The front porch is a prime spot for people-watching along adjacent Magazine Street. $

Café Maspero 601 Decatur St., 523-6250, French Quarter. L, D daily. Tourists line up for their generous portions of seafood and large deli sandwiches. $ Café Minh 4139 Canal St., 482-6266, MidCity, CafeMinh.com. L Mon-Fri., D Mon-Sat. Chef Minh Bui and Cynthia Vutran bring their fusion-y touch with Vietnamese cuisine to this corner location. French accents and a contem-

Square Root to Offer Abbreviated Eight- to Nine-Course Menu 1800 Magazine St., 309-7800, SquareRootNola.com

Chef Phillip Lopez’s newly opened Square Root restaurant in the Lower Garden District will offer a $95 eight- to nine-course tasting menu on Tuesdays through Thursdays. The original 12- to 15-course menu will continue on Fridays and Saturdays. “The smaller menu will be available on weeknights when our guests have less time to spend eating out, but still want to experience the art of the meal,” says Lopez. The chef’s award-winning progressive cooking will still be on full display in the shortened menus for the restaurant’s nightly maximum of 16 diners. Note: The cocktail and charcuterie bar on the second floor, Root2, requires no reservations. – M i r e l l a C a m e r a n 98

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sara essex brad l ey photograph

porary flair make this one of the more notable cross-cultural venues in town. New Orleans Magazine’s 2010 Maître D’ of the Year. $$

the original waiters have returned. The new downtown location has a liquor license and credit cards are now accepted. $

Café Negril 606 Frenchmen St., 944-4744,

Capdeville 520 Capdeville St., 371-5161,

Marigny. D daily. This music club draws locals in with its lineup of live reggae and blues. Tacos and barbecue in back are a plus for late-night revelers. $

French Quarter, CapdevilleNola.com. L, D Mon-Sat. Capdeville is an upscale bar-bistro with a short but interesting menu of food that’s a mix of comfort and ambition. Burgers are on offer, but so are fried red beans and rice – a take on calas or Italian arancini. $$

Café Nino 1510 S. Carrollton Ave., 8659200, Carrollton. L, D daily. Nondescript exterior belies old-school Italian hideaway serving up red-sauce classics like lasagna, along with some of the more under-the-radar New York-style thin crust pizza in town. $$

Café Opera 541 Bourbon St., 648-2331, Inside Four Points by Sheraton, French Quarter. B, L daily, D Thu-Sat. Chef Philippe Andreani serves Creole and Continental classics on the site of the old French Opera House. Choices include crabmeat beignets with corn maque choux as well as fried green tomatoes with shrimp remoulade. Validated parking is offered for dine-in. Free valet parking. $$$

Cake Café 2440 Chartres St., 943-0010, Marigny, NolaCakes.com. B, L Wed-Mon. The name may read cakes but this café, helmed by head baker Steve Himelfarb, offers a whole lot more, including fresh baked goods and a full breakfast menu along with sandwiches. A popular place to while away a slow New Orleans morning with a coffee and a slice. $

Camellia Grill 626 S. Carrollton Ave., 3092679, Uptown; 540 Chartres St., 522-1800, Downtown. B, L, D daily, until 1 a.m. SunThu and 3 a.m. Fri-Sat. The venerable diner has reopened following an extensive renovation and change in ownership (in 2006).

Patrons can rest assured that its essential character has remained intact and many of

Carmo 527 Julia St., 875-4132, Warehouse District, CafeCarmo.com. L Mon-Sat., D TueSat. Caribbean-inspired fare offers a creative array of vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free fare in a sleek location on Julia Street. One of the few places in the city where healthy dining is celebrated rather than accommodated. $$

Carmelo Ristorante 1901 Highway 190, (985) 624-4844, Mandeville, RistoranteCarmelo.com. L, D Wed-Mon, Sun-Mon. Italian trattoria serves old-world classics. Private rooms available. $$ Casamento’s 4330 Magazine St., 895-9761, Uptown, CasamentosRestaurant.com. L TueSat, D Thu-Sat. The family-owned restaurant has shucked oysters and fried seafood since 1919; closed during summer and for all major holidays. $$

CC’s Community Coffee House Multiple locations: CCsCoffee.com. Coffeehouse specializing in coffee, espresso drinks and pastries. $

Chateau du Lac 2037 Metairie Road, 831-3773, Old Metairie, ChateauduLacBistro. com. L Tues-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.

A Provençal-inspired atmosphere and French

wine round out the appeal. $$$$

Checkered Parrot 133 Royal St., 592-1270, French Quarter; 3629 Prytania St., Uptown; CheckeredParrot.com. B, L, D daily. The Checkered Parrot is an upscale sports bar with a large menu, featuring nachos, fajitas, wings in seven flavors, wraps and burgers and an outdoor patio. $$

Cheesecake Bistro by Copeland’s 4517 Veterans Blvd., 454-7620, Metairie; 2001 St. Charles Ave., 593-9955, Garden District; CopelandsCheesecakeBistro.com. Br Sun, L, D daily. Dessert fans flock to this sweet-centric Copeland establishment which also offers extensive lunch and dinner menus. $$$

Chiba 8312 Oak St., 826-9119, Carrollton, 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. Externsive sake list and late night happy hours are a plus. $$$

Chophouse New Orleans 322 Magazine St., 522-7902, CBD, 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. $$$

Clancy’s 6100 Annunciation St., 895-1111, Uptown, ClancysNewOrleans.com. L Thu-Fri, D Mon-Sat. Their Creole-inspired menu has been a favorite of locals for years. $$$ Cochon 930 Tchoupitoulas St., 588-2123, CBD/Warehouse District, CochonRestaurant. com. L, D, Mon-Sat. Chefs Donald Link and Stephen Stryjewski showcase Cajun and Southern cuisine at this Warehouse District hot spot. Boudin and other pork dishes reign supreme here, along with Louisiana seafood and real moonshine from the bar.

New Orleans Magazine named Link Chef of the Year 2009. Reservations strongly recommended. $$

Commander’s Palace 1403 Washington Ave., 899-8221, Uptown, CommandersPalace. com. L Mon-Fri, D daily, Br Sat-Sun. The Grande Dame in the Garden District is going strong under the auspices of chef Tory McPhail. The turtle soup might be the best in the city, and its weekend Jazz Brunch is a great deal. $$$$ Cooter Brown’s 509 S. Carrollton Ave., 866-9104, Uptown, CooterBrowns.com. L, D daily. Riverbend-area sports bar serves up the city’s largest selection of beers along with great bar food. The cheese fries are a rite of passage, and the Radiator’s Special poor boy makes for a great late-night meal. $

Copeland’s Multiple locations: CopelandsofNewOrleans.com. L, D daily, Br Sun. Al Copeland’s namesake chain includes favorites such as Shrimp Ducky. Popular for lunch. $$

Coquette 2800 Magazine St., 265-0421, Uptown, Coquette-Nola.com. L Wed-Sat, D Wed-Mon, Br Sun. A bistro located at the corner of Washington and Magazine streets. The food is French in inspiration and technique, with added imagination from chef Michael Stoltzfus (New Orleans Magazine’s Best New Chef 2009) and his partner Lillian Hubbard. $$$

Corky’s Bar-B-Q Restaurant 4243 Veterans Blvd., 887-5000, Metairie, CorkysBarBQ.com. L, D daily. Memphisbased barbecue chain offers good hickorysmoked ribs, pork and beef in a family setting with catering service available. $ Court of Two Sisters 613 Royal St., 5227261, French Quarter, CourtOfTwoSisters. com. Br, D daily. The historic environs

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T HE M E N U make for a memorable outdoor dining experience. The famous daily Jazz Brunch buffet and classic Creole dishes sweeten the deal. $$$$$

Crabby Jack’s 428 Jefferson Highway, 833-2722, Jefferson. L Mon-Sat. Lunch outpost of Jacques-Imo’s chef and owner Jack Leonardi. Famous for its fried seafood and poor boys including fried green tomatoes and roasted duck. $

Crépes a la Carte 1039 Broadway St., 866-236, Uptown, CrepeCaterer.com. B, L, D daily. Open late. An extensive menu of tasty crêpes, both savory and sweet, make this a great spot for a quick bite for college students and locals. $

Crescent City Brewhouse 527 Decatur St.,866-2362, French Quarter, CrescentCityBrehouse.com. L, D daily.

Contemporary brewpub features an eclectic menu complementing its freshly brewed wares. Live jazz and good location make it a fun place to meet up. $$$

Crescent City Steaks 1001 N. Broad St., 821-3271, Mid-City, CrescentCitySteaks.com.

L Tue-Fri & Sun, D daily. One of the classic New Orleans steakhouses, it’s a throwback in every sense of the term. Steaks, sides and drinks are what you get at Crescent City. New Orleans Magazine’s Steakhouse of the Year 2009 and Honor Roll honoree 2007. $$$$

Criollo 214 Royal St., Hotel Monteleone, 681-4444, French Quarter, 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. $$$ The Crystal Room Le Pavillon Hotel, 833 Poydras St., 581-3111, CBD/Warehouse District, LePavillon.com. B, D daily; L, MonFri. Franco-American cuisine with Louisiana influences is served in the environs of the Le Pavillon Hotel. The Southern-style breakfast features its decadent Bananas Foster Waffle “Le Pavillon.” $$$ Dakota 629 N. Highway 190, (985) 8923712, Covington, TheDakotaRestaurant. com. L Tues-Fri, D Mon-Sat. A sophisticated dining experience with generous portions. $$$$$ The Delachaise 3442 St. Charles Ave., 895-0858, Uptown, TheDelachaise.com. L Fri-Sun, D daily. Elegant bar food fit for the wine connoisseur; kitchen open late. $$

DINING GUIDE

borhood seafood joint in historic Algiers Point near the ferry landing. Burgers, sandwiches and fried seafood are the staples. $$

El Gato Negro Multiple locations: Dick and Jenny’s 4501 Tchoupitoulas St., 894-9880, Uptown, DickAndJennys.com. Br Sun, L Tue-Fri, D Mon-Sat. A funky cottage serving Louisiana comfort food with flashes of innovation. $$$$

Dickie Brennan’s Bourbon House 144 Bourbon St., 522-0111, French Quarter, BourbonHouse.com. B, L, D daily. Classic Creole dishes such as redfish on the halfshell and baked oysters are served with classic Brennan’s style at this French Quarter outpost. Its extensive bourbon menu will please aficionados. New Orleans Magazine’s 2011 Oyster Bar of the Year. $$$$ Dickie Brennan’s Steakhouse 716 Iberville St., 522-2467, French Quarter, DickieBrennansSteakhouse.com. L Fri, D daily. Nationally recognized steakhouse serves USDA Prime steaks and local seafood in a New Orleans setting with the usual Brennan’s family flair. $$$$$

Domenica The Roosevelt Hotel, 123 Baronne St., 648-6020, CBD, DomenicaRestaurant.com. L, D daily. New Orleans Magazine’s 2012 Chef of the Year Alon Shaya serves authentic, regional Italian cuisine in John Besh’s sophisticated new restaurant. 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 Besh’s Northshore farm. $$$$

Domilise’s 5240 Annunciation St., 8999126, Uptown. 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. $

Dong Phuong 14207 Chef Menteur Highway, 254-0214, N.O. East. L Wed-Mon. Vietnamese bakery and restaurant in the community of Versailles makes great banh mi sandwiches and interesting baked goods both savory and sweet. Unbeatable prices. $

Drago’s 3232 N. Arnoult Road, 888-9254, Metairie; Hilton Riverside Hotel, 2 Poydras St., 584-3911, CBD/Warehouse District; DragosRestaurant.com. L, D daily (Hilton), L, D Mon-Sat (Metairie). This famous seafooder specializes in charbroiled oysters, a dish they invented. Raucous but good-natured atmosphere makes this a fun place to visit. Great deals on fresh lobster as well. $$$$

ElGatoNegroNola.com. Popular spot serves up authentic Central Mexican cuisine along with hand-muddled mojitos and margaritas made with freshly squeezed juice. A weekend breakfast menu is an additional plus. $$

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

Galatoire’s 33 Bar & Steak 215 Bourbon St., 335-3932, French Quarter. L Fri, D Sun-Thurs. Galatoires33BarAndSteak. com. 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 are accepted. $$$

Emeril’s 800 Tchoupitoulas St., 528-9393, CBD/Warehouse District, EmerilsRestaurants. com. L Mon-Fri, D daily. The flagship of superstar chef Emeril Lagasse’s culinary empire, this landmark attracts pilgrims from all over the world. $$$$$

Gallagher’s Grill 509 S. Tyler St., (985) 892-9992, Covington, GallaghersGrill.com. L, D Tue-Sat. Chef Pat Gallagher’s destination restaurat offers al fresco seating to accompany classicaly inspired New Orleans fare.

Event catering is offered as well. $$$

Feelings Cafe 2600 Chartres St., 945-2222, Faubourg Marigny, FeelingsCafe.com. D WedSun, 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 offered. $$$$

Galley Seafood 2535 Metairie Road, 8320955, Metairie. L, D Tue-Sat. TheGalleySeafood. com. A great local place for seafood, both fried and boiled. Famous for its softshell crab poor boy, a Jazz Fest favorite. $$

Fellini’s Café 900 N. Carrollton Ave., 4882155, Bayou St. John. L, D daily. With décor inspired by its namesake Italian filmmaker, this casual indoor/outdoor spot serves large portions of reasonably-priced Mediterranean specialties such as pizza, pastas and hummus. $

Gautreau’s 1728 Soniat St., 899-7397, Uptown, GautreausRestaurant.com. D, Mon-Sat. Upscale destination serves refined interpretations of classics along with contemporary creations in a clubby setting nested deep within a residential neighborhood. New Orleans Magazine named Sue Zemanick Chef of the Year 2008. $$$$$

Fiesta Latina 1924 Airline Drive, 468-2384, Kenner, 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. New Orleans Magazine’s 2010 Latin Restaurant of the Year. $$

GG’s Dine-o-rama 3100 Magazine St., 373-6579, Uptown, 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. $$

Five Happiness 3605 S. Carrollton Ave.,

Gracious Bakery + Café 1000 S. Jeff

482-3935, Mid-City, FiveHappiness.com. L, D daily. This longtime Chinese favorite offers up an extensive menu including its beloved mu shu pork and house baked duck. A popular choice for families as well. $$

Flaming Torch 737 Octavia St., 895-0900, Uptown, FlamingTorchNola.com. L MonSat, D daily, Br Sun. French classics including a tasty onion soup make this a nice place for a slightly upscale lunch while shopping along Magazine Street. $$

Dry Dock Cafe & Bar 133 Delaronde St.,

Frank’s 933 Decatur St., 525-1602, French Quarter. L, D daily. Locally inspired Italian sandwiches such as muffulettas and Genoa salami poor boys are served here in the heart of the French Quarter. $$$

361-8240, Algiers, TheDryDockCafe.com. L, D daily, Br Sun. Fancier daily specials have been added to the menu of this casual neigh-

Galatoire’s 209 Bourbon St., 525-2021, French Quarter, Galatoires.com. L, D TueSun. Friday lunches are a New Orleans

Restaurant & Bar R’evolution celebrates with new creations 777 Bienville St., 553-2277, RevolutionNola.com

The highly acclaimed Restaurant R’evolution in the heart of the French Quarter is celebrating its second birthday with new additions. The menu at Restaurant R’evolution is extending both its dinner and brunch offerings with popular plates such as Foie Gras Biscuits and Gravy – you can also dine at the bar. To celebrate the Fourth of July, there is a special “Patriots Punch” composed of fruit liqueurs, fresh fruit, Don Q rum and Pinot Blanc served over crushed ice. The brainchild of James Beard Award-winning chef Rick Tramonto and highly revered Louisiana native chef John Folse, Restaurant R’evolution is a place for celebration. – M . C .

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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. $$$$$

Davis Parkway, Suite 100, 301-3709, MidCity, GraciousBakery.com. B, L Mon-Sat. Boutique bakery in the ground floor of the new Woodward Building offers small-batch coffee, baked goods, individual desserts and sandwiches on breads made in-house.

Catering options are available as well. $

The Green Goddess 307 Exchange Place, 301-3347, French Quarter, GreenGoddessNola.com. L, D Wed-Sun. Located in a tiny space, the Green Goddess is one of the most imaginative restaurants in New Orleans. 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. $$ The Grill Room Windsor Court Hotel, 300 Gravier St., 522-1994, CBD/Warehouse District, GrillRoomNewOrleans.com. B, L, D daily, Br Sun. Jazz Brunch on Sunday with live music. Featuring modern American cuisine with a distinctive New Orleans flair, the adjacent Polo Club Lounge offers live music nightly. $$$$$

GW Fins 808 Bienville St., 581-FINS (3467), French Quarter, GWFins.com. D daily. To ensure the best possible flavors at GW Fins, owners Gary Wollerman and New Orleans Magazine’s 2005 and 2001 Chef of the Year Tenney Flynn provide dishes at their seasonal peak by flying in products from around the globe. That commitment to freshness and quest for unique variety are two of the reasons why the menu is printed daily. $$$$$ Herbsaint 701 St. Charles Ave., 524-4114, CBD/Warehouse District, Herbsaint.com. L Mon-Fri, D Mon-Sat. Enjoy a sophisticated cocktail before sampling Chef Donald Link’s

(New Orleans Magazine’s Chef of the Year 2009) menu that melds contemporary bistro fare with classic Louisiana cuisine. The banana brown butter tart is a favorite dessert. $$$$$

Horinoya 920 Poydras St., 561-8914, CBD/ Warehouse District. L, D daily. Excellent Japanese dining in an understated and oftoverlooked location. The chu-toro is delicious and the selection of authentic Japanese appetizers is the best in the city. $$$ Hoshun Restaurant 1601 St. Charles Ave., 302-9716, Garden District, HoshunRestaurant.com. L, D daily. Hoshun offers a wide variety of Asian cuisines, primarily dishes culled from China, Japan, Thailand and Malaysia. Their five-pepper calamari is a tasty way to begin the meal, and their creative sushi rolls are good as well. $$ House of Blues 225 Decatur St., 310-4999, French Quarter, HouseOfBlues.com. L, D daily. World-famous Gospel Brunch every Sunday. Surprisingly good menu makes this a complement to the music in the main room.

Patio seating is available as well. $$

Il Posto Café 4607 Dryades St., 895-2620, Uptown, ilPostoCafe-Nola.com. B, L, D Tue-Sat, B, L Sun. Italian café specializes in pressed panini, like its Milano, featuring sopressata, Fontina, tomatoes and balsamic on ciabatta. Soups, imported coffee and H&H bagels make this a comfortable neighborhood spot to relax with the morning paper. $ Impastato’s 3400 16th St., 455-1545, Metairie, Impastatos.com. D Tue-Sat. Bustling Italian restaurant on the edge of Fat City serves homemade pasta in a convivial atmosphere. Chef/Owner Joe Impastato greets guests warmly and treats them like family. The prix fixe options are a good way

to taste a lot for not much money. $$$$

Irene’s Cuisine 539 St. Philip St., 5298811, French Quarter. 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. $$$$

Iris 321 N. Peters St., 299-3944, French Quarter, IrisNewOrleans.com. L Fri, D Mon, Wed-Sat. This inviting bistro offers sophisticated fare in a charming setting. The veal cheek ravioli is a winner. New Orleans Magazine’s Best New Restaurant 2006. $$$$

Jack Dempsey’s 738 Poland Ave., 9439914, Bywater, JackDempseys.net. L Tue-Sat, D Wed-Sat. Local favorite nestled deep in the heart of the Bywater is known for its stuffed flounder and baked macaroni served in generous portions. $$$

Jacques-Imo’s Cafe 8324 Oak St., 8610886, Uptown, Jacques-Imos.com. D MonSat. Reinvented New Orleans cuisine are served in a party atmosphere at this Oak Street institution. The deep-fried roast beef poor boy is delicious. The lively bar scene offsets the long wait on weekends. $$$$

Jamila’s Mediterranean Tunisian Cuisine 7808 Maple St., 866-4366, Uptown.

D Tue-Sun. Intimate and exotic bistro serving Mediterranean and Tunisian cuisine. The Grilled Merguez is a Jazz Fest favorite and vegetarian options are offered. $$

Jeff’s Creole Grille 5241 Veterans Blvd., 889-7992, Metairie, JeffsCreoleGrille.com.

L, D Mon-Sat. This quaint, upscale restaurant offers a variety of classic New Orleans cuisine, fresh fish and homemade soups and salads with early bird and daily chef specials. $$

Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville Café

1104 Decatur St., 592-2565, French Quarter, MargaritavilleNewOrleans.com. L, D daily.

Parrotheads and other music lovers flock to Jimmy’s outpost along the more local-friendly stretch of Decatur. Strong bar menu and stronger drinks keep them coming back. $$

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. $$$$

Joey K’s 3001 Magazine St., 891-0997,

KyotoNola.com. L, D Mon-Sat. A neighborhood sushi restaurant where the regulars order off-the-menu rolls. $$

Uptown, JoeyKsRestaurant.com. L, D MonSat. A true neighborhood New Orleans restaurant with daily lunch plates keeps it real; red beans and rice are classic. $

The Joint 701 Mazant St., 949-3232, Bywater, AlwaysSmokin.com. L, D Mon-Sat. Some of the city’s best barbecue can be had at this locally owned and operated favorite in Bywater. $ Juan’s Flying Burrito 2018 Magazine St., 569-0000, Uptown; 4724 S. Carrollton Ave., 486-9950, Mid-City. L, D daily. Hard-core tacos and massive burritos are served in an edgy atmosphere. $ Jung’s Golden Dragon 3009 Magazine St., 891-8280, Uptown, 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. This is one of the few local Chinese places that breaks the Americanized mold. New Orleans Magazine’s 2010 Chinese Restaurant of the Year. $ Kosher Cajun New York Deli and Grocery 3519 Severn Ave., 888-2010, Metairie, KosherCajun.com. L Mon-Fri & Sun, D Mon-Thu. Great kosher meals and complete kosher grocery in the rear make this Metairie eatery a unique destination. The matzo ball soup is a winner and catering is available for parties of any size. $

K-Paul’s Louisiana Kitchen 416 Chartres St., 596-2530, French Quarter, ChefPaul. com/KPaul. L Thu-Sat, D Mon-Sat. Paul

Kyoto 4920 Prytania St., 891-3644, Uptown,

La Boca 870 Tchoupitoulas St.,525-8205, Warehouse District, 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. New Orleans Magazine’s Chef of the Year 2010 & 2006 Steakhouse of the Year. $$$ Lakeview Harbor 911 Harrison Ave., 4864887, Lakeview, BestNewOrleansBurger.com.

L, D daily. Burgers are the name of the game here at this restaurant which shares a pedigree with Snug Harbor and Port of Call. Rounded out with a loaded baked potato, their halfpound patties are sure to please. Daily specials, pizza and steaks are offered as well. $ La Macarena Pupuseria & Latin Cafe 8120 Hampson St., 862-5252, Uptown.

PupusasNewOrleans.com. L, D Mon-Sat, Br, L, D Sat & Sun, Br Sun. This cash-only and BYOB restaurant has recently overhauled its menu, now including a large selection of vegan and vegetarian items, as well as a tapas menu. $$

La Petite Grocery 4238 Magazine St., 891-3377, Uptown, LaPetiteGrocery.com.

L Tue-Sat, D daily, Br Sun. Elegant dining in a convivial atmosphere quickly made this place an Uptown darling. The menu is heavily French-inspired with an emphasis on technique. $$$

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T HE M E N U La Provence 25020 Highway 190, (985) 626-7662, Lacombe, LaProvenceRestaurant. com. D Wed-Sun, Br Sun. John Besh (New Orleans Magazine’s Chef of the Year 2007) 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, an elegant French colonial stucco house. $$$$$ La Thai Uptown 4938 Prytania St., 8998886, Uptown, LaThaiUptown.com. L, D TueSun. Uptown outpost of the Chauvin family’s ingredient-driven Thai-Cajun fusion cuisine.

The summer rolls are good as is the tom kar gai soup. Lunch specials are a good deal and vegetarian dishes are offered as well. $$ Latil’s Landing Houmas House Plantation, 40136 Highway 942, (225) 473-9380, Darrow, HoumasHouse.com. D Wed-Sun. Nouvelle Louisiane, plantation-style cooking served in an opulent setting features dishes like rack of lamb and plume de veau. $$$$$

Le Salon Windsor Court Hotel, 300 Gravier St., 596-4773, CBD/Warehouse District.

Afternoon Tea, Thu-Fri, seating at 2 p.m., Sat-Sun, seating at 11 a.m. & 2 p.m. Formal afternoon tea with harpist or string quartet served in a sophisticated atmosphere. A local mother-daughter tradition. $$ Liborio’s Cuban Restaurant 321 Magazine St., 581-9680, CBD/Warehouse District, LiborioCuban.com. L Mon-Sat, D Tue-Sat. Authentic Cuban favorites such as Ropa Vieja and pressed Cuban sandwiches along with great specials make this a popular lunch choice. $$$ Lil’ Dizzy’s Café 1500 Esplanade Ave., 5698997, Mid-City. B, L daily, D Thu-Sat. Spot local and national politicos dining at this favored Creole soul restaurant known for homey classics like fried chicken and Trout Baquet. $

Lilette 3637 Magazine St., 895-1636, Uptown, LiletteRestaurant.com. L Tue-Sat, D Mon-Sat. Chef John Harris’ innovative menu draws discerning diners to this highly regarded bistro on Magazine Street. Desserts are wonderful as well. $$$$$

Lola’s 3312 Esplanade Ave., 488-6946, MidCity. D daily. Garlicky Spanish dishes and great paella make this artsy Faubourg St. John boîte a hipster destination. $$$

Lüke 333 St. Charles Ave., 378-2840, CBD, LukeNewOrleans.com. Br Sat-Sun, B, L, D daily. John Besh (New Orleans Magazine’s Chef of the Year 2007) and executive chef Matt

DINING GUIDE Regan characterize the cuisine “Alsace meets New Orleans in an authentic brasserie setting.” Germanic specialties and French bistro classics, house-made patés and abundant plateaux of cold, fresh seafood. New Orleans Magazine’s Best New Restaurant 2007 and 2012 Raw Bar of the Year. $$$

Mahony’s 3454 Magazine St., 899-3374, Uptown, MahonysPoBoys.com. L, D MonSat. 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. $ Mandina’s 3800 Canal St., 482-9179, MidCity, MandinasRestaurant.com. L, D daily.

Quintessential New Orleans neighborhood institution reopened following an extensive renovation. Though the ambiance is more upscale, the same food and seafood dishes make dining here a New Orleans experience.

New Orleans Magazine’s 2010 Neighborhood Restaurant of the Year. $$

Manning’s 519 Fulton St., 593-8118, Warehouse District. L, D daily. 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. $$$

Maple Street Café 7623 Maple St., 3149003, Uptown. L, D daily. Casual dinner spot serving Mediterranean-inspired pastas and Italian-style entrées, along with heartier fare such as duck and filet mignon. $$

The Marigny Brasserie 640 Frenchmen St., 945-4472, Faubourg Marigny, MarignyBrasserie.com. L, D daily. Chic neighborhood bistro with traditional dishes like the Wedge of Lettuce salad and innovative cocktails like the Cucumber Cosmo. $$$

Martin Wine Cellar Multiple locations: MartinWine.com. Wine by the glass or bottle to go with daily lunch specials, towering burgers, hearty soups, salads and giant, delistyle sandwiches. $ Mat & Naddie’s 937 Leonidas St., 8619600, Uptown, MatAndNaddies.com. D MonTue, Thu-Sat. Cozy converted house along River Road 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. $$$$

Roll winner. Note: Cash Only. $$$

Maximo’s Italian Grill 1117 Decatur St.,

Warehouse District, 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. $$

586-8883, French Quarter. MaximosGrill. com. D Daily. Italian destination on Decatur Street 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.

New Orleans Magazine’s 2012 Continental Italian Restaurant of the Year. $$$

Middendorf’s Interstate 55, Exit 15, 30160 Highway 51 South, (985) 386-6666, Akers, 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 transitioned to its next generation of owners when Horst Pfeifer purchased it in 2007.

More than a restaurant, this is a Sunday Drive tradition. $$

MiLa 817 Common St., 412-2580, French Quarter, 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. New Orleans Magazine’s Best New Restaurant 2008. $$$$ Mona’s Café 504 Frenchmen St., 949-4115, Marigny; 4126 Magazine St., 894-9800, Uptown; 1120 S. Carrollton Ave., 861-8174, Uptown; 3901 Banks St., 482-7743, Mid-City.

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. New Orleans Magazine’s 2012 Middle Eastern Restaurant of the Year. $

Mondo 900 Harrison Ave., 224-2633, Lakeview, MondoNewOrleans.com. Br Sun, L Mon-Fri, D Mon-Sat. New Orleans Magazine’s 2010 Chef of the Year Susan Spicer’s take on world cuisine isn’t far from her home in Lakeview. Make sure to call ahead because the place has a deserved reputation for good food and good times. $$$ Morton’s, The Steakhouse The Shops at Canal Place, 365 Canal St., 566-0221, French Quarter, Mortons.com/NewOrleans. D daily.

Quintessential Chicago steakhouse serves up top-quality slabs of meat along with jumbo seafood. Clubhouse atmosphere makes this chophouse a favorite of Saints players and businessmen alike. $$$$$

Mosca’s 4137 Highway 90 West, 463-8950, Avondale. D Tue-Sat. Italian institution near the Huey Long Bridge dishes out massive portions of great food family-style. Good bets are the shrimp Mosca and chicken à la grande. New Orleans Magazine’s 2010 Honor

Mother’s 401 Poydras St., 523-9656, CBD/

Mr. Ed’s Seafood and Italian Restaurant 1001 Live Oak St., 838-0022, Bucktown; 910 W. Esplanade Ave., Ste. A, 463-3030, Kenner. AustinsNo.com L, D MonSat. 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. $$

Muriel’s Jackson Square 801 Chartres St., 568-1885, French Quarter, Muriels.com.

L, D daily, Br Sun. Enjoy pecan-crusted drum and other New Orleans classics while dining in the courtyard bar or any other room in this labyrinthine, rumored-to-be-haunted establishment. $$$$ Naked Pizza 6307 S. Miro St., 865-0244, Uptown (takeout & delivery only), NakedPizza. biz. L, D daily. Pizza place with a focus on fresh ingredients and a healthy crust. The Mediterranean pie is a good choice. $ Napoleon House 500 Chartres St., 5249752, French Quarter, NapoleonHouse.com. L Mon-Sat, D Tue-Sat. Originally built in 1797 as a respite for Napoleon, this family-owned European-style café serves local favorites: gumbo, jambalaya, muffulettas and for sipping, a Sazerac or lemony Pimm’s Cup. $$ Nine Roses 1100 Stephen St., 366-7665, Gretna, NineRosesResturant.com. L, D SunTue, Thu-Sat. The extensive Vietnamese menu specializes in hot pots, noodles and dishes big enough for everyone to share.

Great for families. $$ NOLA 534 St. Louis St., 522-6652, French Quarter, Emerils.com. L Thu-Sun, D daily.

Emeril’s more affordable eatery, featuring cedar-plank-roasted redfish; private dining. $$$$$

Nuvolari’s 246 Girod St., (985) 6265619, Mandeville, Nuvolaris.com. D daily.

Dark woods and soft lighting highlight this Northshore Creole Continental-Italian fusion restaurant famous for crabmeat ravioli, veal dishes, seafood specialties and delectable desserts. $$$$

Orleans Grapevine Wine Bar and Bistro 720 Orleans Ave., 523-1930, French Quarter, OrleansGrapevine.com. D daily. Wine is the muse at this beautifully renovated French Quarter bistro, which offers vino by the flight, glass and bottle. A classic menu with an emphasis on New Orleans cuisine adds to the appeal. $$$

Palace Café 605 Canal St., 523-1661, CBD/

Roll With the Hawaii 5-0 Special at Rock-n-Sake 823 Fulton St., 581-7253, RockNSake.com

Rock-n-Sake Bar and Sushi is celebrating summer with an island-themed promotion. Customers can dive into the bar for a mojito and Hawaii 5-0 roll – coconut tempura shrimp, cream cheese, mangos and avocado – for just $15. Additional mojitos are available for $6. Sushi fans need to mark their calendars: the promotion is available Wednesdays through Fridays, 5-7 p.m. throughout the summer at the New Orleans downtown location. – M . c .

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Warehouse District, PalaceCafe.com. L MonSat, D daily, Br Sun. Dickie Brennan-owned brasserie with French-style sidewalk seating and house-created specialties of chef Darrin Nesbit at lunch, dinner and Jazz Brunch.

Favorites here include crabmeat cheesecake, turtle soup, the Werlein salad with fried Louisiana oysters and pork ”debris” studded Palace Potato Pie. $$$$$

Parkway Bakery and Tavern 538 Hagan Ave., 482-3047, Mid-City, ParkwayBakeryAndTavernNola.com. L, D daily, closed Tue. Featured on national TV and 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 a great price. $

Pascal’s Manale 1838 Napoleon Ave., 895-4877, Uptown. L Mon-Fri, D Mon-Sat.

Vintage New Orleans neighborhood restaurant since 1913 and the place to go for the house-creation of barbecued shrimp. Its oyster bar serves icy cold, freshly shucked Louisiana oysters and the Italian specialties and steaks are also solid. $$$$

Patois 6078 Laurel St., 895-9441, Uptown, PatoisNola.com. Br Sun, L Fri, D Wed-Sat. 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 (New Orleans Magazine’s Best New Chef 2009).

Reservations recommended. $$$ Paul’s Café 100 E. Pine St., (985) 3869581, Ponchatoula, PaulsCafe.net. B, L daily.

Best known for its strawberry daiquiris, Paul’s also cooks up egg breakfasts and lunches including all manner of sandwiches and poor boys. $

The Pelican Club 312 Exchange Place,

then it’s all about the Monsoons. $$

René Bistrot 700 Tchoupitoulas St.,

Praline Connection 542 Frenchmen

613-2350, CBD/Warehouse District, LaCoteBrasserie.com. Br Sun, L Mon-Fri, D Mon-Sat. Fresh local seafood, international ingredients and a contemporary atmosphere fill the room at this hotel restaurant near the Convention Center. $$$

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

Ralph Brennan’s Red Fish Grill 115 Bourbon St., 598-1200, French Quarter, RedFishGrill.com. L Daily, D Mon-Thu & Sun. Chef Austin Kirzner cooks up a broad menu peppered with Big Easy favorites such as barbecue oysters, blackened redfish and double chocolate bread pudding. $$$$$ Ralph’s On The Park 900 City Park Ave., 488-1000, Mid-City, RalphsOnThePark.com.

Br Sun, L Tue-Fri, D daily. A modern interior, a view of City Park’s moss-draped oaks and contemporary Creole dishes such as City Park salad, turtle soup, barbecue Gulf shrimp and good cocktails. $$$$

523-1504, French Quarter, PelicanClub.com.

D daily. Tucked into a French Quarter alley, Pelican Club 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. $$$$$

The Red Maple 1036 Lafayette St., 367-

PJ’s Coffee Multiple locations: PJsCoffee. com. The city’s first iced-coffee spot that pioneered the coffee house experience in New Orleans and introduced us all to velvet ices, drinkable granitas and locally made Ronald Reginald vanilla. A wide assortment of pastries and bagels are offered as well as juices and fresh ground or whole bean coffees. $

Reginelli’s Pizzeria Multiple local loca-

Port of Call 838 Esplanade Ave., 523-0120, French Quarter, 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,

0935, Gretna, TheRedMaple.com. L Tue-Fri, D Tue-Sat. This West Bank institution since 1963 is known for its seafood, steaks, wine list and some of the best bread pudding around. $$$$ tions: Reginellis.com. L, D daily. Pizzas, pastas, salads, fat calzones and lofty focaccia sandwiches are at locations all over town. $$

Arnaud’s Remoulade 309 Bourbon St., 523-0377, French Quarter, 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. $$

Restaurant August 301 Tchoupitoulas St., 299-9777, CBD/Warehouse District, RestaurantAugust.com. L Fri, D daily. James Beard Award-winning chef (New Orleans Magazine’s Chef of the Year 2007) John Besh’s menu is based on classical techniques of Louisiana cuisine and produce with a splash of European flavor set in a historic carriage warehouse. $$$$$

R’evolution 777 Bienville St., 553-2277, French Quarter, RevolutionNola.com. L WedFri, D Mon-Sun, BR Sun. R’evolution is the partnership between chefs John Folse and Rick Tramonto. Located in the Royal Sonesta Hotel, it’s an opulent place that combines the local flavors of chef Folse with the more cosmopolitan influence of chef Tramonto.

Chef de cuisine Chris Lusk and executive sous chef Erik Veney are in charge of day-today operations, which include house-made charcuterie, pastries, pastas and more. New Orleans Magazine’s 2012 Restaurant of the Year. $$$$$

Ristorante Da Piero 401 Williams Blvd., 469-8585, Kenner, RistoranteDaPiero.com.

L Tue-Fri, D Tue-Sat. Homemade pastas and an emphasis on Northern Italian cuisine make this cozy spot in Kenner’s Rivertown a romantic destination. $

Rib Room Omni Royal Orleans Hotel, 621 St. Louis St., 529-7046, French Quarter, RibRoomNewOrleans.com. L, D daily, Br SatSun. Old World elegance, high ceilings and

views of Royal Street, house classic cocktails and Anthony Spizale’s broad menu of prime rib, stunning seafood and on weekends, a Champagne Brunch. $$$

Riccobono’s Panola Street Café 7801 Panola St., 314-1810, Garden District. B, L daily. This breakfast spot has been waking up bleary college students for years. The omelets and Belgian waffles are good. $ Rio Mar 800 S. Peters St., 525-3474, CBD/ Warehouse District, RioMarSeafood.com.

L Mon-Fri, D Mon-Sat. Seafood-centric Warehouse District destination focuses on Latin American and Spanish cuisines.

Try the bacalaitos and the escabeche. The tapas lunch is a great way to try a little of everything. Save room for the Tres Leches, a favorite dessert. New Orleans Magazine’s Chef of the Year 2006. $$$$ Ristorante Filippo 1917 Ridgelake Drive, 835-4008, Metairie. L, D Tue-Sat. CreoleItalian destination serves up southern Italian specialties bathed in red sauces and cheese alongside New Orleans classics like pan-fried Gulf fish and plump shellfish. $$$ River 127 Westin New Orleans Canal Place, 100 Rue Iberville, 533-5082, French Quarter.

B, L, D daily. Continental cuisine with Louisiana flair overlooking the Mississippi River and French Quarter. $$$$ Rivershack Tavern 3449 River Road, 8344938, Jefferson, TheRivershackTavern.com. L, D daily. Home of the Tacky Ashtray, this popular bar alongside the Mississippi levee offers surprisingly wide-ranging menu featuring seafood, poor boys and deli-style sandwiches along with live music. Open late. $ Rock-N-Sake 823 Fulton St., 581-7253, CBD/Warehouse District, RockNSake.com. L Fri, D Tue-Sun. Fresh sushi and contem-

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T HE M EN U porary takes on Japanese favorites in a clublike setting. Open until midnight on Fri. and Sat.; a unique late-night destination. $$$

Root 200 Julia St., 252-9480, CBD,

DINING GUIDE 901 Veterans Blvd., 835-0916, Metairie, SammysPoBoys.com. L Mon-Sat, D daily.

Bucktown transplant offers a seafood-centric menu rounded out with wraps, kid meals and catering options all at a reasonable price. $

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. New Orleans Magazine’s 2012 Maître D’ of the Year. $$$$

Satsuma Café 3218 Dauphine St., 304-

Royal Blend Coffee and Tea House

37, Metairie, 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. $$

621 Royal St., 523-2716, French Quarter; 204 Metairie Road, 835-7779, Metairie; RoyalBlendCoffee.com. B, L daily. Known for its frozen Café Glace and a wide selection of coffees and teas, as well as pastries, daily specials and hearty breakfasts. $

Ruth’s Chris Steak House 3633 Veterans Blvd., 888-3600, Metairie. L Fri, D daily, Br Sat-Sun; 525 Fulton St. in Harrah’s Hotel, 587-7099, L, D daily, Br Sat-Sun; RuthsChris. com. Filet Mignon, creamed spinach and potatoes au gratin are the most popular dishes at this area steak institution, but there also are great seafood choices and top-notch desserts. $$$$$ Sake Café 2830 Magazine St., 894-0033, Uptown, SakeCafeUptown.com. L, D daily.

Creative and traditional Japanese food in an ultramodern décor. Sushi and sashimi boats, wild rolls filled with the usual and not-sousual suspects and a nice bar with a number of sakes from which to choose. $$$

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5962, Bywater; 7901 Maple St., 309-5557, Uptown; SatsumaCafe.com. B, L daily (until 5 p.m.). Two locations offer healthy, inspired breakfast and lunch fare, along with freshly squeezed juices. $

Semolina 4436 Veterans Blvd., Suite

Serendipity 3700 Orleans Ave. 407-0818, Mid-City, SerendipityNola.com. D daily, Br Sun. An eclectic and far-ranging style of cuisine with classically inspired cocktails at an outpost in American Can. A late-night option as well. $$

Slice 1513 St. Charles Ave., 525-7437, Uptown; 5538 Magazine St., 897-4800; SlicePizzeria.com. L, D Mon-Sat. Order up slices or whole pizza pies done in several styles (thin- and thick-crust) as well as pastas, seafood, paninis and salads. $

Slim Goodies Diner 3322 Magazine St., 891-EGGS (3447). B, L daily. This diner offers up an exhaustive menu heavily influenced by local cuisine. Try the Creole Slammer, a breakfast platter rounded out

with Crawfish Étouffée. The laid-back vibe is best enjoyed on the patio out back. $

SoBou 310 Chartres St., 552-4095, French Quarter, SoBouNola.com. B, L, D daily. There is something for everyone at this “Modern Creole Saloon,” the latest offering from the Commander’s Restaurant Family. Decidedly unstuffy with an emphasis on craft cocktails and wines by the glass, diners will find everything from $1 pork cracklins to an extravagant foie gras burger on the accomplished yet eclectic menus. $$ Snug Harbor 626 Frenchman St., 9490696, Faubourg Marigny, SnugJazz.com.

D daily. The city’s premier jazz club serves cocktails and a dining menu loaded with steaks, seafood and meaty burgers served with loaded baked potatoes. $$$$ Stein’s Market and Deli 2207 Magazine St., 527-0771, Uptown, SteinsDeli.net. B, L, D Tue-Sun. New York meets New Orleans.

The Reuben and Rachel sandwiches are the real deal and the half-sours and pickled tomatoes complete the deli experience. $

Stella! 1032 Chartres St., 587-0091, French Quarter, RestaurantStella.com. D daily.

Global cuisine with a Louisiana blush by native son chef Scott Boswell. Dishes are always inventive and flavorful from appetizer to dessert. The wine list is bold and the service “stellar.” Boswell was New Orleans Magazine’s 2005 Chef of the Year. $$$$$ Sun Ray Grill Multiple locations: SunRayGrill. com. L, D daily, Br Sun (at Annunciation). This local chain offers a globally influenced menu with burgers, steaks, sesame crusted tuna, sandwiches and salads. $$

Surrey’s Café and Juice Bar 1418 Magazine St., 524-3828, Coliseum Square; 4807 Magazine St., 895-5757, Uptown;

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.

Note: Cash only. $$

Tan Dinh 1705 Lafayette St., 361-8008, Gretna. B, L, D Wed-Mon. Roasted quail and the beef pho rule at this Vietnamese outpost.

New Orleans Magazine’s 2010 Vietnamese Restaurant of the Year. $$ Theo’s Pizza Multiple locations: TheosPizza.com. L, D daily. The cracker-crisp crust pizzas are complemented by a broad assortment of toppings with a lot of local ingredients at cheap prices. $$ Three Muses 536 Frenchmen St., 2524801, Marigny, TheThreeMuses.com. L FriSun, D Sun-Mon, Wed-Sat. Three Muses is a bar-restaurant serving the eclectic cuisine of chef Daniel Esses. The menu changes, but expect Esses’ take on Italian, Spanish, North African and Korean cooking. Local bands provide music on a regular basis. $ Tivoli & Lee 2 Lee Circle, 962-0909, Warehouse District, TivoliAndLee.com. B, L, D daily, Br Sat-Sun. Progressive Southern cuisine is the focus at this sleek outpost in the Hotel Modern. Rabbit Sliders, Poke Salad and Pickled Shrimp redefine locally sourced ingredients and a craft cocktail and bourbon menu rouds out the appeal. $$$ Tommy’s Cuisine 746 Tchoupitoulas St., 581-1103, CBD/Warehouse District, 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. $$$$$

Tony Angello’s 6262 Fleur de Lis Drive, 488-0888. Lakeview. D Tue-Sat. CreoleItalian favorite serves up fare in the completely restored Lakeview location. Ask Tony to “Feed Me” if you want a real multi-course dining experience. New Orleans Magazine’s 2010 Traditional New Orleans Italian Restaurant of the Year. $$$$

Tout de Suite Cafe 347 Verret St., 3622264, Algiers. B daily, L Tue-Sat, Br Sun. Neighborhood coffeehouse/café in historic Algiers Point offers a light menu of soups, salads and sandwiches for a quick meal or carryout. $$

Tracey’s Irish Restaurant & Bar 2604 Magazine St., 897-5413, TraeysNola.com, Uptown. 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.” $

Trey Yuen 600 N. Causeway Blvd., (985) 626-4476, Mandeville, TreyYuen.com. L Mon-Fri, D Daily. Chinese cuisine meets with local seafood in dishes like their Szechuan Spicy Alligator and Tong Cho Crawfish; private rooms available. $$ Tujague’s 823 Decatur St., 525-8676, French Quarter, TujaguesRestaurant.com. L Sat-Sun, D daily. For more than 150 years this landmark restaurant has been offering Creole cuisine. Favorites include a nightly sixcourse table d’hôté menu featuring a unique Beef Brisket with Creole Sauce. New Orleans Magazine’s Honor Roll honoree 2008. $$$$$

Upperline 1413 Upperline St., 891-9822, Uptown, Upperline.com. D Wed-Sun. Consummate hostess JoAnn Clevenger and

talented chef Dave Bridges make for a winning combination at this nationally heralded Uptown favorite, New Orleans Magazine’s 2012 Honor Roll winner. The oft-copied Fried Green Tomatoes with Shrimp Remoulade originated here. $$$$

Vega Tapas Café 2051 Metairie Road, 836-2007, Metairie. 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. $$

Yuki Izakaya 525 Frenchmen St., 943-1122, Marigny. D Mon-Sat. Authentic Japanese Izakaya serves small plates to late-night crowds at this unique destination.

Try the Hokke Fish or the Agedashi Tofu. An excellent sake menu rounds out the appeal, as does the sexy, club-like ambiance. $ Zea’s Rotisserie and Grill Multiple locations: ZeaRestaurants.com. L, D daily. This popular restaurant serves a variety of grilled items as well as appetizers, salads, side dishes, seafood, pasta and other entrées, drawing from a wide range of worldly influences. Zea’s also offers catering services. $$$

Venezia 134 N. Carrollton Ave., 488-7991, Mid-City, VeneziaNewOrleans.com. L Wed-Fri & Sun, D Wed-Sun. Casual neighborhood Italian destination known for its thin-crust pizzas. Good lunch specials make this a popular choice as well. $$

Zoë Restaurant W New Orleans Hotel, 333 Poydras St., 2nd Floor, 207-5018, ZoeNewOrleans.com. B, L, D daily.

Completely redone both in décor and cuisine, each section features a separate menu by executive chef Chris Brown. $$$

Vincent’s Italian Cuisine 4411 Chastant St., 885-2984, Metairie, L TueFri, D Mon-Sat; 7839 St. Charles Ave., 866-9313, Uptown. L Tue-Fri, D Tue-Sun; VicentsItalianCuisine.com. Snug Italian boîte packs them in yet manages to remain intimate at the same time. The cannelloni is a house specialty. $$$

SPECIALTY FOODS

Wolfe’s in the Warehouse 859 Convention Center Blvd., 613-2882, CBD/ Warehouse District. 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. $$$

Ye Olde College Inn 3000 S. Carrollton Ave., 866-3683, Uptown, CollegeInn1933. com. D Tue-Sat. The institution moved next door into brand-new digs but serves up the same classic fare, albeit with a few new upscale dishes peppering the menu. $$$

Antoine’s Annex 513 Royal St., 525-8045, French Quarter, Antoines.com/AntoinesAnnex. Open daily. Around the corner from the oldest continuously operated restaurant in the country, Antoine’s Annex serves French pastries, including individual baked Alaskas, ice cream and gelato, as well as panini, salads and coffee. They also deliver.

Bittersweet Confections 725 Magazine St., 523-2626, Warehouse District, BittersweetConfections.com. Open MonSat. Freshly baked cookies, cupcakes and specialty cakes. Serving handmade chocolate truffles, fudge, caramels, gelato, ice coffee, chocolate-dipped strawberries and freshly squeezed lemonade. Children’s birthday parties, chocolate tasting parties, custom chocolates and truffle party bar.

Blue Dot Donuts 5236 Tchoupitoulas St., 941-7675, Uptown. 4301 Canal St., 218-4866, Mid-City, BlueDotDonuts.com. B, L daily. Heard the one about the cops that opened a donut shop? This is no joke. 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. New Orleans Magazine’s 2012 Doughnut Shop of the Year.

Blue Frog Chocolates 5707 Magazine St., 269-5707, Uptown, BlueFrogChocolates. com. French and Belgian chocolate truffles and Italian candy flowers make this a great place for gifts.

Calcasieu 930 Tchoupitoulas St., 588-2188, Warehouse District, 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.

Magic Seasonings Mail Order (800) 457-2857, ChefPaul.com. Offers chef Paul Prudhomme’s famous cookbooks, smoked meats, videos, seasonings and more. Online shopping available.

St. James Cheese Company 5004 Prytania St., 899-4737, Uptown, 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; 3301 Veterans Blvd., 834-2277; ShopSucre.com.

Desserts daily & nightly. Open late weekends.

Chocolates, pastry and gelato draw rave reviews at this sdessert destination. Beautiful packaging makes this a great place to shop for gifts. Catering available.

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Houmas House Plantation and Gardens

End of Summer Travel S

ummer goes quickly, but it isn’t over yet! There’s still time to take advantage of warm, sunny days and the slow pace that accompanies them. A variety of adventures await those looking to explore the Southern region over the next couple of months. From staycations in the French Quarter to sandy beaches, museum exhibits and exciting gaming, the list of available activities is as extensive and diverse as ever. Gather your closest friends for a weekend of laughter and relaxation, or take the family for a weeklong vacation with a fun-filled agenda. Make memories this summer with a little help from the following destinations and offerings.

Four Points by Sheraton French Quarter is located in the heart of the French Quarter on world-famous Bourbon Street. The hotel features 186 comfortable guest rooms, more than 4,000 square feet of market-leading meeting facilities, an outdoor pool, tropical courtyard, 24-hour fitness and more.

Café Opéra, the Four Points’ full-service restaurant, features a classic New Orleans menu of Creole and continental cuisine. Guests can also enjoy a wide selection of specialty drinks at the Puccini Bar. Beginning July 15, the Puccini Bar presents “A History of Cocktails in New Orleans,” an exhibit of the city’s unique mixology.

Four Points by Sheraton French Quarter is located on the site of the French Opera House (1859-1919), a legendary New Orleans cultural 106

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venue. Their performance series, “Opera Returns to Bourbon Street” features local operatic talent from the New Orleans Opera Association and local classical vocalist group Bon Operatit!

Four Points by Sheraton French Quarter is located at 541 Bourbon St. in New Orleans. For reservations and more, call 504-524-7611 or visit FourPoints.com/frenchquarter.

Nestled between Baton Rouge and New Orleans is Houmas House Plantation and Gardens, the “Crown Jewel of Louisiana’s River Road.”

This historic property boasts 38 acres of the South’s most beautiful, lush and vibrant gardens. Visitors may also tour the magnificent mansion featuring a rare collection of period artwork and furnishings.

While exploring Houmas House, dine in your choice of three restaurants featuring a contemporary progressive approach to Louisiana delicacies. The grounds offer both a casual and fine dining atmosphere for breakfast, lunch or dinner.

The latest addition of the Inn at Houmas House completes this plantation destination, making it the most extensive experience of all the plantations along the Great River Road. Twenty-one private cottages nestled along an alley of oaks create a serene environment, perfect for a romantic getaway. Each room is complete with marble bathrooms, old world furniture and a private porch for viewing the sunset along the Mississippi River.

Houmas House invites you to slow down and enjoy a leisurely time of old. Experience the South the way it was meant to be at Houmas House Plantation and Gardens (HoumasHouse.com).

The Hyatt French Quarter Hotel is a historic hotel in one of the city’s oldest and most popular neighborhoods: The French Quarter. The property resides in the former D.H. Holmes building and offers 254 guest rooms and more than 10,660 square feet of customizable function space located in one central area of the hotel's first floor. With 10 meeting rooms, the Hyatt French Quarter can accommodate meetings, events and weddings, up to 300 people.

Enjoy their market-inspired eatery, Powdered Sugar, and the artisan lobby bar, Batch, which showcases a collection of quality Bourbons and flask service. The popular and award-winning Red Fish Grill, owned and operated by Ralph Brennan Restaurant Group, is also part of the Hyatt French Quarter, as well as The Hard Rock Café, serving casual cuisine and live music during the week. The Hotel is located at 800 Iberville St. For more information, visit: FrenchQuarter.hyatt.com.

Travel less than an hour southwest of New Orleans and you’ll enter Louisiana’s Bayou Country – Houma, LA. Embark on a unique summer adventure with thrilling swamp tours, a wildlife park and alligator farm, world-class charter fishing and a wide assortment of festivals and fetes.

In Houma, you don’t just see the sights – you become a part of them!

On July 5, salute the flag with family fun at the Houma Independence Day Celebration, which features a parade, memorial ceremony, beauty pageant, bike race, fun run, live music, games, food and fireworks.

In Houma, there’s always something for the kids to do. Beat the heat with the 15th annual Summer Fun Kids Day, a fun-filled indoor festival on July 19 at the Houma-Terrebonne Civic Center, which will feature fun and interactive exhibits, video game trailers, a rock wall and inflatables, a vendor marketplace plus live on-stage entertainment! Stay the entire weekend, and let Houma be your passport to adventure! For more information, call 985-868-2732 or visit HoumaTravel.com.

When you visit the Mississippi Gulf Coast, plan to have plenty of time to visit the large variety of attractions. Lodging along the coast ranges from B&Bs, to RV parks, to fancy full-service casino resorts.

Along Mississippi’s 62 miles of beaches, opportunities abound to get in and on the water. Down here, fishing is a way of life. Charter a boat to ensure a visit to the hot spots.

Shopping ranges from unique boutiques to premium outlet malls.

ADVERTISING SECTION

Additionally, historic sites greet you around every turn. Art galleries and museums dot the coast as well. Kids will find exciting water parks, a nationally recognized children’s museum, and the new Infinity Science Center.

Whether you stay for a day or a week, you’ll never run out of exciting activities and attractions on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. For information, deals and more on Mississippi Gulf Coast Attractions, go to MississippiFun.org.

Make your summer plans today and take your vacation to Gulf Gulf Shores Rentals

Shores/Orange Beach and see why Gulf Shores Rentals has been one of the area’s favorite vacation destinations for more than 20 years.

For each night you stay, you’ll receive complimentary tickets to area attractions such as championship golf, deep-sea fishing, Dolphin Cruises, Waterville USA Waterpark and more!

This area boasts some of the best fishing around, so gather friends and enjoy reeling in a big catch on the Gulf. Or, update your summer wardrobe with a stroll through the area’s shops and boutiques. Kids enjoy mini-golf, thrill rides, go-karts and more.

With more than 175 properties ranging from one-bedroom condos to six-bedroom beach homes, Gulf Shores Rentals can help arrange the perfect vacation package for you. See GulfShoresRentals.com for more information and reservations.

Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort, the No. 1 resort on Florida’s Emerald Coast, offers summer vacation savings from sunrise to sunset with a free night’s stay and a full slate of complimentary events and activities that take guests from day to evening and beach to bay in style.

Once at Sandestin, complimentary activities encourage exploration of the resort’s 2,400-acre playground. Select from children’s activities, bicycle rentals, kayak, boogie board rentals, miniature golf, YOLO boarding and much more. Sandestin also offers complimentary entertainment weekly at the Village of Baytowne Wharf and throughout the resort all summer long. From Wednesday night concerts to Tuesday and Thursday firework shows, the events are endless.

Soak up the fun in the sun this summer at Sandestin and get a free night with the purchase of three, making your vacation an even better one. Visit sandestin.com/nom or call 866-544-1026 for more information and mention code “FREE4”.

The Maritime & Seafood Industry Museum, located in Biloxi, is scheduled for a grand re-opening on Aug. 2. It has been closed since Hurricane Katrina destroyed its original structure.

The Museum was established in 1986 to preserve and interpret the maritime history and heritage of Biloxi and the Mississippi Gulf Coast. It accomplishes this mission through an array of exhibits on shrimping, oystering, recreational fishing, wetlands, charter boats, marine blacksmithing, wooden boat building, catboats/schooners

and one-of-a-kind historic photographs and artifacts, all the while telling the tale of more than 300 years of history, culture and heritage. Featured in the Grand Hall will be the “Nydia,” built in 1898 with mast stepped and sails raised.

The Museum has brought life to local maritime history and heritage by replicating two 65-foot, two-masted Biloxi Schooners. Examples of living maritime history, they sail the Mississippi Sound and waters of the north central Gulf of Mexico almost daily. The Museum also conducts year-round educational programs and a summer Sea-n-Sail Adventure Camp, which teaches youth about local maritime heritage. For more information and programming, visit MaritimeMuseum.org.

L’Auberge Casino & Hotel Baton Rouge spans across 575 acres of land in the heart of South Baton Rouge. This truly unique casino entertainment complex captures the feel of a Southern river lodge.

Embracing local culture and cuisine, L’Auberge Baton Rouge offers a genuine Louisiana experience and exudes a Laissez les bon temps rouler atmosphere of fun.

L’Auberge Baton Rouge features an expansive 74,000-square-foot casino with nearly 1,500 slot machines, 50 table games, a 12-story hotel with more than 200 rooms and a rooftop pool, as well as three restaurants and a casino bar with breathtaking views of the Mississippi River. L’Auberge also features a multi-purpose event center for concerts, banquets and other events, and additionally, the complex includes outdoor festival grounds.

To find out more about L’Auberge Casino & Hotel Baton Rouge, visit MyLauberge.com or find them on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.

Visit beautiful Bayou Lafourche for a wide array of unique Louisiana events and destinations. Get your fishin’ rods and coolers ready this summer for a variety of exciting fishing rodeos and tournaments. The Golden Meadow – Fourchon International Tarpon Rodeo takes place July 3-5, the Louisiana Salt Fishing Rodeo is July 19, and the Casting for Kids Fishing Tournament takes place Sept. 27. On July 4, Thibodaux will light up the sky as part of the Let Freedom Ring Festival at Peltier Park, where festivalgoers celebrate with fireworks, family, food and fun.

Summer is also a great time of year to venture into Louisiana’s unique wetlands on one of the area’s many available swamp tours, or learn about the area’s history at the Jean Lafitte National Park Wetlands Acadian Culture Center. History buffs will enjoy going back in time at historic Laurel Valley Plantation. Find endless events and attractions at VisitLafourche.com and experience all Lafourche has to offer. • Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort

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Antoine's Restaurant 713 Rue St. Louis (504) 581-4422 | Antoines.com With the heat of summer upon us, its always nice to find something special to look forward to. At Antoine's it's their three course $20.14 "Spring into Summer" Lunch Special. They are offering their oysters 1-11, a sample of three of their famous baked oysters: Rockefeller, Thermidor and Bienville. And don't forget, you can also always ask for the .25 cent seasonal martini's with your meal.

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Austin's / Mr. Ed’s Oyster Bar & Fish House 3117 21st St., Metairie (504) 833-6310 | MrEdsOysterBar.com Mr. Ed’s Oyster Bar & Fish House, formally Mr. Chris’ Bozo’s Restaurant location since 1979, offers raw, fried and grilled oyster favorites. From the stand up oyster bar to the patio dining, it’s the perfect place to enjoy this summer. Lunch and dinner, Monday-Saturday. The French Quarter location will be opening soon at 512 Bienville St.

Bayona 430 Dauphine St. (504) 525-4455 | Bayona.com Bastille Day, Monday, July 14th, brings Fete des Art de Montmartre 6 p.m. nightly. Wine, cocktails and Local Artists on Bayona's Parisian like Courtyard.

Also at dinner, Bastille Day Wine Amnesty will be granted! You may bring a special bottle of wine with no corkage (1 bottle per couple).

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Boudreaux’s Fine Jewelers 701 Metairie Road, Metairie | (504) 831-2602 4550 Highway 22, Mandeville | (985) 626-1666 7280 Corporate Blvd., Baton Rouge | (225) 928-6868 BoudreauxsJewelers.com

Broussard's 819 Conti St, New Orleans (504) 581-3866 | Broussards.com

Chophouse New Orleans 322 Magazine St., New Orleans (504) 522-7902 | ChophouseNola.com

Since 1933, the craftsmen of Boudreaux’s Jewelers have taken enormous pride in designing exquisite creations of outstanding quality and enduring value.

To this day, Boudreaux’s has offered distinguished pieces from many of the world’s finest watch and jewelry designers. Check out our Summer Specials in one of our three locations.

Broussard’s Restaurant has been a fixture in New Orleans for nearly a century, and after an extensive renovation continues to provide an atmosphere of understated elegance. Chef Guy Reinbolt offers a three-course Jazz Brunch on Sundays that showcases a New Orleans interpretation of traditional Continental European Cuisine, including favorites such as Eggs Versailles, French Toast Bread Pudding and Redfish Bonaparte.

The only thing more refreshing than a cocktail is one made with cucumbers. The light and refreshing Cucumber Lime Rickey is especially good on a blazing-hot day … or any summer day in New Orleans.

Commander’s Palace 1403 Washington Ave. (504) 899-8221 | CommandersPalace.com

Contractors Discount Appliance 2421 Albany St., Kenner (504) 602-5990 ext. 285 | ContractorsDiscount.com

The Court of Two Sisters 613 Royal St. (504) 522-7261 | CourtOfTwoSisters.com

The Commander’s Family of Restaurants, made up of Commander’s Palace, Café Adelaide and SoBou, introduce #FitDish Summer 2014. We now have Eat Fit Nola approved menu items at every meal at all three restaurants! Post a photo with #FitDish and you may win a gift certificate to our restaurants. You gotta fight for your right to eat right!

Contractors Discount Appliance Sales is your Greater New Orleans Big Green Egg "Gold Dealer." Ancient Cooking method meets modern technology! Grilling, roasting, smoking, even baking utilizing 100 percent organic charcoal and precise temperature control, produces dishes that taste the way they should: moist and flavorable!

The Court of Two Sisters, known for its large dining courtyard, serves a lavish daily Jazz Brunch buffet. At night choose from its à la carte dinner menu or a four-course dinner. Complete menus available at CourtOfTwoSisters.com. Reservations are recommended.

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Cristy Cali (504) 407-5041 | CristyCali.com

Daiwa 5033 Lapalco Blvd., B6, Marrero (504) 875-4203 | DaiwaSushi.com

Eye Center for Animals 524 Moss St. (504) 483-8704 | EyeCenterForAnimals.com

At Daiwa, the emphasis is offering their customers the best. They offer party platters for every occasion and also recently added five new private party rooms equipped with Karaoke (available until 2 a.m. on weekends).

As the heat starts to rise in summer, so do the amounts of pet eye traumas! Our furry friends enjoy playing outdoors right now, whether it’s the beach or your backyard, and sometimes accidents happen. If you see your pet with squinting, discharge or cloudiness, call your veterinarian!

Five Happiness 3605 S. Carrollton Ave. (504) 482-3935 | FiveHappiness.com

Grand Hotel Marriott Resort, Golf Club & Spa One Grand Boulevard, Point Clear, Alabama (800) 544-9933 | MarriottGrand.com

Gulfport Premium Outlet One Grand Boulevard, Point Clear, Alabama (800) 544-9933 | PremiumOutlets.com

Come to Five Happiness and let the ambience and friendly staff take you to a new level of dining experience. This award-winning restaurant always strives to achieve its best. Private party and banquet rooms are available.

This summer, experience America’s top historic hotel – The Grand Hotel in Port Clear, Alabama. Escape to a Conde Nast Traveler top resort and spa. Plunge into five resort pools, play golf, enjoy the spa, shop in Fairhope, stroll at sunset, enjoy great meals and relax.

Packages available at MarriottGrand.com.

Visit Gulfport Premium Outlets and find extraordinary savings at 70 designer and name brand outlets including Ann Taylor, Banana Republic, Coach, Gap Outlet, Guess, J.Crew, Nike, Polo Ralph Lauren, Tommy Hilfiger and much more. Visit our website for complete information and to register for the VIP Shopper Club.

The Gulf Coast bracelet was designed to capture the beauty and elegance of our Gulf’s most precious treasures. Compatible with Pandora and Chamillia brands.

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Hoshun Restaurant 1601 St. Charles Ave. (504) 302-9717 | HoshunRestaurant.com Chinese or Japanese? Can’t decide? Hoshun is your answer! They offer an extensive menu from classic Chinese dishes to Japanese sushi and everything in between (like Vietnamese pho or pad thai). Stick with one cuisine or mix and match! Open daily untill 2 a.m.

Louisiana Alarm Watch, Inc. (504) 780-8775 | LAAlarmWatch.com Upgrade your alarm system with a Telguard cellular communicator. Arm and disarm your system from your phone or tablet and get alarm notifications by text message.

Louisiana Custom Closets New Orleans: (504) 885-3188 Covington: (985) 871-081 Baton Rouge: (225) 753-3001 LouisianaCustomClosets.com Louisiana Custom Closets designs and installs custom shelving for closets, garages and utility rooms.

The company’s No. 1 priority is customer service and customer satisfaction, provided by professional and experienced designers, installation crews. Please call for a free estimate.

Martin Wine Cellar 714 Elmeer Ave., Metairie (504) 896-7350 | MartinWine.com

Hotel Monteleone 214 Royal St. (504) 681-4444 | CriolloNola.com

More SMILES Dental Spa 7007 Highway 190 East, Covington (985) 809-7645 | (855) 809-7645

Martin Wine Cellar, known for its extensive selection of wine, spirits and beer, has been family-owned and operated since 1946. Splash into Summer with their Summer Dinner Special, 2 Appetizers and 1 Glass of Wine for $20, Monday through Friday from 4-8 p.m. in Metairie.

June 2014 marks the second anniversary of the Criollo Restaurant in the historic Hotel Monteleone.

Come celebrate and taste the bold creative dishes that reflects our culinary culture.

Sleep apnea and snoring can be treated successfully with methods other than CPAP. Since many patients are intolerant to CPAP masks, Dr. James Moreau, a member of the American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine, works with physicians to provide alternate therapies with custom fitted oral appliances. He has a proven path for successful outcomes and happy, well-rested patients.

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Mosquito Squad (985) 872-0301 | MosquitoSquad.com

New Orleans Hotel Collection 855-798-6642 | neworleanshotelcollection.com

The most trusted professional mosquito elimination for everyday outdoor living. Summer Special $275 for 12 weeks of protection!

Newest addition to the New Orleans Hotel Collection: The Whitney Hotel – Book our “Summer in the City” package with free parking and free breakfast, free WiFi and welcome drink – make your summer visit more fun! NewOrleansHotelCollection. com/summer or call (855) 798-6642 and ask for “Summer."

Steamboat Natchez Toulouse Street (504) 569-1401 | SteamboatNatchez.com

Nurses Registry (504) 736-0803 | MyNursesRegistry.com

The Steamboat Natchez offers a Sunset Dinner Jazz Cruise Special with a breathtaking view of the city and casual buffet-style dining. Indoor and outdoor seating available. Featuring live jazz by the Grammy nominated "Dukes of Dixieland." Departs from the Toulouse Street Wharf behind Jax Brewery.

Reservations required.

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The Right Care. The Right Place. The Right Time.

The Compassionate, Skilled Professionals at Nurses Registry can provide clients with Medical or Non Medical Personal Care Services, Private Duty and Home Health Nursing, and complete Care Coordination when going from the Hospital to your Home.

NO/AIDS Task Force Michael Weber | 2601 Tulane Ave., Suite 500 (504) 821-2601 | NOAidsTF.org NO/AIDS Task Force offers Free, Rapid, Oral HIV testing. Testing is always done one-on-one with a state certified counselor and takes about an hour. Check our website for testing times and locations.

Parkway Bakery & Tavern 538 Hagan Ave. (504) 482-3047 Parkway Bakery and Tavern is the oldest, most entertaining poor boy shop in New Orleans, overlooking the historic Bayou St. John at 538 Hagan Ave. in Mid-City, New Orleans. Come and enjoy a Parkway poor boy in our restaurant, covered patio or our classic New Orleans bar.

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Ralphs on the Park 900 City Park Ave. (504) 488-1000 | RalphsOonThePark.com Chef Chip Flanagan has revived his summer signature 3 appetizers and a glass of wine for only $33 at Ralph¹s on the Park. Now through August, choose three of 16 appetizers, like Grilled Lamb Ribs, Sherry Shrimp & Grits and Crawfish Ravioli.

Saint Germain Shoes The Shops at Canal Place 333 Canal St., 2nd level (504) 522-1720 | SaintGermainNewOrleans.com For a special occasion or just because, these elegant pearls by Jordan Alexander is the perfect gift! This beautiful necklace represents one of many jewelry designs at Saint Germain located in Canal Place.

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The Outlet Collection at Riverwalk 500 Port of New Orleans Place The Outlet Collection at Riverwalk offers the hottest in summer fashion. Great national and local brands offer 25-65 percent off the latest styles every day! Shoppers can revel in discounted parking, which is available with $20 purchase at nearly 3,000 nearby spots.

Royal Sonesta Hotel New Orleans 300 Bourbon St. | (504) 586-0300 Sonesta.com/RoyalNewOrleans| rsnoreserv@sonesta.com The Royal Sonesta’s French Quarter Fling makes planning your trip a breeze. Start your vacation with a complimentary bottle of champagne, escape to your deluxe accommodations and enjoy the 2014 Sonesta Savings Pack with savings on popular visitor attractions. Make reservations today with Promo Code FQF by calling or book online.

Southern Lacross 1517 Kuebel St., Harahan (504) 826-9425 | RougeLacross.com

Symmetry Jewelers 8138 Hampson St. (504) 861-9925 | SymmetryJewelers.com

Lacrosse is the fastest growing game on two feet and Southern Lacrosse will get you suited up and moving in the right direction! Offering a variety of professional camps, clinics and consultations, this one-stop-shop is leading Lacrosse here in the South! Next Clinic: July 28-29; hurry, they're filling fast!

Symmetry revives a classic. In the coming months will introduce a new collection of their “Shadowbox” monograms. Featured here is an art deco style crafted in 14 karat yellow gold and sterling, originally designed in the 1980s. Custom made in any precious metal combination.

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DJ Bella djbellaloxx@gmail.com The Gulf Coast’s No. 1 Teen DJ. Available for bar mitzvahs, graduation parties, birthday parties, school dances, kid functions, pool parties, putdoor events and more! Spinning tunes from mob to NOLA to Florida.

For the under 18 crowd* Travel fees may apply.

Trashy Diva 537 Royal St. | (504) 522-4233 829 Chartres St. | (504) 581-4555 2048 Magazine St. | (504) 299-8777 TrashyDiva.com Say Aloha to summer with Trashy Diva’s Carole Tie Top and High-Waist Shorts in our Blue Hawaii Collection! From swimwear to sandals, stay chic with new warm weather arrivals in clothing, lingerie, shoes, and accessories in stores and online.

Tujague's Restaurant 823 Decatur St. (504) 525-8676 Tujagues.com | Dine@tujagues.com Tujagues's summer menu is filled with special splendor crafted by our Executive Chef Richard Bickford. Light, fresh salads feature local seafood and housemade dressings. We also offer beautiful Blackened Guf Fish served over a Creole Corn Maque Choux for a sunny taste of traditional Louisiana. On the modern side, our airy gnocchi (vegetarian or with crabmeat) is a perfect easy meal.

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tay healthy and active this summer! Whether purely preventative or necessary in nature, seeing the doctor can ensure years of fun in the sun. Take advantage of the slower days and make time to schedule that appointment you’ve been too busy to add to the calendar. The following local health care providers are renowned for their expertise in a wide array of specialties. From general women’s health to breast cancer, cardiovascular care and home health, experts in various fields are keeping area women moving and grooving all year round. Have a need you haven’t addressed? Find a solution among these area providers.

General Health

As a woman, caring for those you love may be one of your most important priorities. But don’t forget to take care of yourself as well.

Preventive visits and yearly wellness exams are covered by most insurance plans and are good practice in staying on top of your health. Depending on your age and any concerns you may have, your doctor will perform a variety of measurements and screenings. Screening tests, such as blood pressure checks and mammograms, look for diseases before you have symptoms. You know your body better than anyone. Always tell your doctor or nurse about any changes in your health or any concerns that you may have.

Visit Touro.com/FindADoc or call Touro at 504-897-7777 to find the right doctor for all your health needs.

OB/GYN & Fertility

The specialized health care team of Tulane Center for Women’s Health meets the unique health care needs of women by providing comprehensive care for the challenges faced in every phase of a woman’s life. Specializing in the areas of general obstetrics and gynecology, maternal fetal medicine, reproductive endocrinology and fertility, minimally invasive surgery, female pelvic and reconstructive surgery, and gynecologic oncology, the center operates on the belief that every woman not only has the right to good obstetric and gynecologic care, but that she is a partner in her care. Continued evaluation and implementation of Obstetrics & Gynecologic best practices promotes the delivery of safe and quality patient care for women throughout the region.

With more than 100 years of involvement in patient care, research and resident education, you can “Trust Our Experience.” Call 504-988-8070 today to meet your health care needs by scheduling an appointment at Tulane’s Metairie office.

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one of the nation’s leading, state-of-the-art clinics specializing in new infertility treatment, and this year, the Fertility Institute celebrates 30 years of successful in vitro fertilization (IVF).

Employing traditional treatments and the latest advances in reproductive technology, including IVF, intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI), pre-implantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) and cryopreservation of eggs, the Fertility Institute offers new hope for families who have trouble conceiving or who have genetic abnormalities that may cause a difficult quality of life for a child.

The Fertility Institute is a pioneer in the Gulf South. It is the first to perform IVF in the region and achieve a pregnancy with its first IVF. With a team of five physicians and additional staff, the Fertility Institute has accomplished more than 14,000 pregnancies.

For more information on the Fertility Institute and advanced reproductive procedures, visit FertilityInstitute.com. They have offices in Mandeville, Metairie, Baton Rouge and Uptown New Orleans.

Appointments may be scheduled by calling 1-800-375-0048.

Pain Management

New Orleans residents suffering from pain have a new option in a group of exceptional physicians led by Dr. Eric I. Royster, founder of Integrated Pain and Neuroscience (IPN). IPN offers a comprehensive treatment experience for patients suffering from chronic pain through a variety of treatments. Common conditions such as spine pain, orthopedic pain, neurologic pain and headaches are successfully treated. In addition to medical procedures, they also offer nonmedication-based treatments for pain including differing types of injections in the back, acupuncture and P-Stim. In some cases these treatments may be available the same day as the initial consultation appointment.

Acupuncture offers complementary care with numerous benefits. Because it has few side effects, many pregnant women now

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seek this alternative to drug therapy for a number of common pregnancy complaints. Today, the treatment relies on modern, evidence-based medicine and meets all safety standards. At IPN, Drs. Royster and Friedman provide an array of treatments through acupuncture to enhance wellness during pregnancy and labor.

Saturday appointments are available. For more information, visit PainIsAPuzzle.com or call 504-300-9020. IPN is located Uptown at 2801 Napoleon Ave.

Mammography

New 3-D Mammography, or tomosynthesis-assisted mammography, represents a tremendous breakthrough in the fight against breast cancer and is now available at East Jefferson General Hospital (EJGH). Where traditional mammography gives your physician three views of the breast, 3-D gives them hundreds of images with the same low dose of radiation.

Especially applicable for premenopausal women with dense breasts or those with increased risk factors, 3-D can not only be an enhanced diagnostic tool, it can reduce the number of unnecessary biopsies or false positive readings.

Dr. Mary Beth Lobrano, Radiologist at East Jefferson General Hospital refers to 3-D Mammograph in glowing terms, “3-D represents the greatest single breakthrough in our fight against breast cancer I have seen since I started practicing medicine.”

Requiring no more time or preparation for the patient, 3-D offers many advantages to those patients who fit the profile outlined above. Ask your doctor if 3-D mammography is right for you. Find out more about EJGH offerings at EJGH.org.

Cardiovascular Worried about unsightly varicose or spider veins this summer? These veins may be caused by a serious underlying condition called venous disease, which occurs when vein vessels become damaged and blood flows backward causing the veins to stretch, swell and twist. Symptoms of venous disease include swelling or heaviness in legs, calf pain or cramping, visible varicose or spider veins, itchiness or eczema, skin discoloration or ulcers on the legs. Venous disease can progressively get worse over time, so it’s important to be checked if you think you may be at risk.

The Vein Center at Cardiovascular Institute of the South (CIS) in Houma diagnoses and treats venous disease with minimally invasive procedures, resulting in less pain, cosmetic improvement and quicker recoveries for patients. CIS cardiologists have received national recognition for the prevention, detection and treatment of cardiovascular disease. To schedule an appointment, call 1-800-425-2565 or visit Cardio.com to learn more.

Hearing & Balance

Don’t ignore persistent hearing and balance issues, which can be a sign of a serious medical condition. The CNC Hearing and Balance Center specializes in the treatment and diagnosis of hearing, balance, facial nerve and skull base disorders. Neurotologist Moisés Arriaga M.D. utilizes a Team Skull Base Surgery approach in which physicians specializing in both ear surgery and neurosurgery collaborate to diagnose and treat conditions of the hearing nerve, acoustic tumors, skull base tumors or severe inner ear dysfunction. This team approach has been shown to improve patient outcomes and result in faster hospital discharges. Audiologists are also available to custom-fit hearing aids to suit your needs.

The CNC Hearing and Balance Center is located in the West Jefferson Medical Center physician’s office building, 1111 Medical Center Blvd., Suite S-630 in Marrero or Uptown at 3715 Prytania St., Suite 502. Call 504-934-8320 for an appointment or visit CulicchiaNeuro.com.

Women with heart and vascular health are the foundation for a healthy society for generations. Women can and do get heart disease. In fact, heart disease is the No. 1 killer of women and the leading cause of disability among women. The most common cause of heart disease is coronary artery disease – the narrowing or blockage of coronary arteries, the blood vessels that supply blood to the heart. A major cause of heart attacks, this blockage can happen slowly over time, and two-thirds of the women who have a heart attack fail to make a full recovery.

The Tulane Heart & Vascular Institute strongly believes in aggressive prevention, early diagnosis and treatment of women’s heart and vascular disease by promoting healthy lifestyle changes. For risk assessment, education, a comprehensive cardiac and vascular evaluation or risk management, request an myneworleans.com

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appointment at one of four locations: Metairie, downtown New Orleans, New Orleans East and on the West Bank. For information about scheduling an appointment, visit TulaneHeart.com.

Home Health & Hospice

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 more than 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 activities 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 National Private Duty Association, and the National Association of Professional Geriatric Care Managers. Home Care Solutions is also a licensed Personal Care Attendant Agency. For more information, call 504-828-0900 or visit HomeCareNewOrleans.com.

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, 120

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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 504-8182723.

Chartered in 1891, The John J. Hainkel, Jr. Home and Rehabilitation Center and Adult Day Health Care is located in Uptown New Orleans and provides health care services including a range of skilled services in its new Parkside Red Rehabilitation Wing. Services are available to individuals with private pay, private insurance, VA benefits and Medicaid/Medicare benefits.

In 1979, the facility was sold to the state.

The original non-profit organization leased it back from the state in April 2011. As a privately operated non-profit, it exhibits the highest quality of care; Hainkel received “0” deficiencies in its most recent annual surveys conducted by the Department of Health & Hospitals in both the Nursing Home and the Adult Day Health Care. The Hainkel Home promotes quality of life as a unique and caring alternative for the elderly and those who suffer from serious illnesses and disabilities. In addition to long-term care, they provide respite care, rehab-to-home and other short term stays.

Please call 504-896-5904 to schedule a tour of The Hainkel Home facilities and see why it is the right choice for your family. Visit HainkelHome.com for additional information.

Mental Illness

River Oaks Hospital has provided quality treatment to individuals with mental illness since 1970. Services are available in three levels of care.

When patients do not require medical supervision 24 hours a day, their partial hospitalization and intensive outpatient programs allow patients to receive the clinical and therapeutic treatment they need while being able to return home each day.

For those needing the highest level of care, they offer inpatient psychiatric treatment for children, adolescents and adults. They also provide a medical detox on their dual diagnosis unit and treat trauma-based disorders for adults as well

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as eating disorders for adolescents and adults. A wide variety of private insurances are accepted in addition to Medicare and Tricare.

If you or a loved one is considering treatment, River Oaks provides confidential assessments. To schedule an assessment, call 504-734-1740. To learn more about services, trauma-based disorders or eating disorders treatment visit RiverOaksHospital.com.

Orthopaedics

Dr. Alexis Waguespack is a fellowship-trained spine specialist providing treatment of cervical, thoracic and lumbar spine disorders, including scoliosis, spondylolythesis, kyphosis (aka adult deformity), cancer, leukemias to the spine, stenosis (pinched nerves) and herniated disc.

Dr. Waguespack is one of few specialists in the country experienced at treating adult deformity using the latest advancement in spinal deformity/scoliosis. She uses a minimal access extreme lateral surgery for effective correction and balance. This minimally invasive procedure gives superior results with minimal soft tissue disruption, allowing for quicker recoveries that lead back to an active lifestyle. Another procedure utilized is kyphoplasty for osteoporotic fractures as well as for spinal pain from leukemias and cancer. Cement is injected into the bone to restore height, re-establish its previous strength and provide immediate pain relief, allowing patients to stand and walk again.

Dr. Waguespack is a board-certified orthopedic surgeon and a member of the North American Spine Society, Cervical Spine Research Society and the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons. She maintains Eastbank, Westbank and Uptown offices to serve the needs of patients. For more information, call 504-392-7123.

Dale Gedert has focused on foot care for more than 40 years.

He brings his expertise to Greater New Orleans 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, leg length discrepancies, as 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 504-832-3933.

Pharmacy

For more than 55 years, people have turned to Patio Drugs for help in managing their health care needs. Patio Drugs has helped individuals and families understand their medications, both prescription and over-the-counter, since 1958 and provides free prescription delivery throughout East Jefferson.

In addition to being a full-service pharmacy, the oldest independent pharmacy in Jefferson Parish, Patio Drugs is also a leading provider of home medical equipment. For everything from a Band-Aid to a hospital bed, Patio Drugs is your one-stop source for all home medical equipment needs.

Patio Drugs has over 55 years of experience in specialized compounding services. No two people are the same. Their pharmacists work with physicians to customize medication doses and dosage forms to meet the individual needs of each patient.

Some of their compounding services include: Hormone Replacement Therapy, Gluten Free Formulations, Medicated Troches, Sugar Free Preparations, Preservative Free Formulas, Transdermal Gels and Sterile Injections.

Whether you need prescriptions, medical equipment or specialized compounding services, call Patio Drugs, 5208 Veterans Blvd. in Metairie, 504-889-7070. Patio Drugs, “Large Enough to Serve You,

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Yet, Small Enough to Know You.”

Fitness & Weight Management

In the heart of the historic Garden District, a chic, edgy health and fitness club has emerged, Franco's Fitness Club, best known for its sprawling Northshore flagship location, has launched a 10,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art fitness destination in the 2100 block of Magazine Street. The ambiance is inviting and exudes an upscale and vibrant energy that has attracted many local residents.

Known as a leader in innovation, Franco's on Magazine Street

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unveils the first of its kind "Multi-Functional Training Studio.”

Gym-goers can work individually on total body strength and stability, power and flexibility or join in group training classes such as ariel yoga, suspended barre, kettlebell classes, boxing circuits or crossfit-style workouts. The possibilities are endless.

Franco's memberships are all-inclusive: barre; yoga; Pilates mat; Les Mills favorites Body Pump and Body Combat; cardio; strength training equipment; and much more. Franco’s “offers the best in fitness all under one roof.”

Ron and Jessie Morel collaborated to start an innovative personal trainingconcept, which ultimately became Trainer To Go. Trainer To Go is a mobile personal training service where the gyms comes

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to you, and train you in the comfort and privacy of your home.

Additionally, Trainer To Go offers group training and group fitness classes, as well as advice on nutrition. They can even create a comprehensive corporate wellness program for your company or facilitate a relaxing, rejuvenating wellness retreat. For more information, visit TrainerToGoNola.com or call (504) 994-3822.

Managing your weight is a vital part of your health. Obesity is a life-threatening disease, which is growing at an alarming rate, and is now considered the second leading cause of preventable deaths. At the Weight Management Center of Thibodaux Regional, located in Lafourche Parish, physicians and staff can help you lose weight and keep it off. Weight loss surgery, including gastric bypass, gastric banding and gastric sleeve, decreases the size of the stomach, reduces food intake and results in significant weight loss. These are not cosmetic, quick-fix surgeries but medical procedures that require a lifetime commitment to a healthy lifestyle. In preparation for weight loss surgery, the program includes nutritional, behavioral and exercise counseling by a highly qualified team.

If you have been unable to achieve sufficient, lasting weight loss through diet and exercise, you may benefit from weight loss surgery. Call the Weight Management Center of Thibodaux Regional today at 985-493-4769. Let them help you lose weight and gain better health.

Financial Health & Retirement Since 1992, Anthony J. Cangemi has provided trusted counsel, valuable advice and financial solutions to people across Greater New Orleans. In 2008, Anthony became an Investment Advisor Representative (IAR) and Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor with Crescent City Retirement Group, LLC. Anthony is dedicated to helping people increase their wealth, minimize their taxes, protect their assets and most importantly, maintain their independence.

Anthony works with clients to create customized strategies offering principal protection and a lifetime income. Committed to both clients and the community, Anthony offers time every Sunday on WRNO 99.5FM’s Financial Focus Radio from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. Anthony works hard to ensure that his clients and the people he consults with enjoy this important time in their lives and feel comfortable financially.

With a motto of “A Partner in your Stress Free Retirement,” Anthony focuses on five keys in retirement: preservation of capital, tax efficient strategies, income planning, distribution and health care planning. Schedule a consultation by calling tollfree 1-800-830-0655. •

WESTBANK PLASTIC SURGERY, LLC Cosmetic, Reconstructive & Microsurgery DIEP Flaps)

Board Certified Plastic Surgeons

aggressive)

Jonathan C. Boraski, M.D., D.M.D., F.A.C.S.

Charles L. Dupin, M.D., F.A.C.S. • Facelifts • Rhinoplasty (Nose) • Blepharoplasty(Eyelids) • Otoplasty (Ears) • Facial Reconstruction

• Breast Reconstruction (Including DIEP Flaps) • Breast Augmentation • Breast Lift (Mastopexy) • Breast Reduction

• Gynecomastia • Bracheoplasty • Abdominoplasty • Body Contouring • Fat Transfer/Grafting

• Liposuction • Hand Surgery • BOTOX • Juvederm

Esthetic Treatments Massages, Facials, Waxing, Chemical Peels (aggressive & non aggressive), Fraxel, Clear + Brilliant, We offer the full line of Dermaware products

504-349-6460

1111 Medical Center Boulevard • Suite South 640, Marrero, LA 70072

Call or visit our website to check out our monthly specials

www.westbankplasticsurgery.com

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Looking & Feeling Younger: Health & Beauty Earthsavers

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hether by necessity or preference, summer is the time for showing skin. For some, glowing and smooth skin may be a natural asset. For others, it may take some work to turn back the hands of time. The same can be said for radiant smiles and perfecting those pearly whites. Fortunately, health and beauty experts around New Orleans have a variety of treatments and techniques for erasing time’s effects on the body and restoring a youthful glow. From cosmetic and general dentistry to the latest advances in skin care, find your fountain of youth among the following industry leaders based here in the city.

Oak Family Dental, the private practice of Dr. Troy L. Patterson and associates, is conveniently located on Causeway Boulevard in Metairie. Having proudly served the New Orleans area for more than 30 years, Dr. Patterson and his outstanding staff have the latest dental technologies and cutting edge procedures to create beautiful smiles for patients of all ages.

Focusing on comprehensive care, a variety of treatments are offered including implant procedures, cosmetic procedures, Invasalign and customized smile enhancement for a more youthful appearance.

The newly renovated, state-of-the-art office includes an inhouse certified dental laboratory technician to create optimum cosmetic restorations. The team at Oak Family dental is fully equipped to solve all your dental needs.

Convenient evening and Saturday appointments are available and doctors can be reached 24 hours a day for dental emergencies. For more information and to see current promotions, visit OakFamilyDental.com or call 504-834-6410.

As we age, so does our skin. Collagen decreases, cell turnover slows and antioxidant protection diminishes. Don’t worry – there’s hope. Three simple steps can help maintain, prevent and even reverse signs of aging. Earthsavers’ skin care philosophy is easy: correction and prevention. It works for everyone and works fast! Three critical ingredients will unveil your skin’s best potential and prevent new damage from forming.

Retinol (Vitamin A) forces cell turnover from a normal 28 days to three to five days, promoting younger, firmer skin. L-Ascorbic Acid (Vitamin C) is a superstar, providing the best defense against free radicals and offering protection at the cellular level. It also corrects by breaking up pigment, which evens skin tone. Finally, Physical Sunscreen with Zinc and Titanium gives maximum topical protection by putting a physical layer between you and the sun (also computer screens, light bulbs and windows). Retinol and L-Ascorbic will give you maximum correction while L-Ascorbic and Physical Sunscreen will give you maximum prevention.

Go to earthsaversonline.com and visit an Earthsavers skin care expert today!

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Skin Science Medical Spa in Metairie is dedicated to delivering the best summertime treatment for your skin. Skin Science has the highest standard of skin care and provides the latest advances in skin care wellness. Staffed with experienced medical aestheticians, laser technicians and physicians, their goal is to reclaim the youthfulness and beauty of your skin.

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At Skin Science, they work only with the most up-to-date technology available, such as Ultherapy (Lifts and Tightens Skin), CoolSculpting (Fat Freeze), Venus Legacy (Cellulite and Stretchmark Treatments), Palomar Laser (Hair Removal, Stretchmark, Vein Reduction and Fine Lines and Wrinkles). All of the technology they provide is FDA approved and creates fabulous results. Most of the procedures performed at Skin Science have NO downtime and NO surgery.

Summertime Specials are 20 percent off Ultherapy and Coolsculpting, 30 percent off Venus Legacy and 50 percent off all Laser Packages. Call 504-309-7048 today to schedule a free consultation.

Spurred on by their loyal clientele and the belief that waxing is a lifestyle, not an occasional treat, the founders of Waxing the City created a dedicated waxing studio, offering access to expert waxing services without a trip to an expensive spa. At Waxing the City, licensed estheticians are not only waxing specialists, they are the ultimate professionals at their craft. They use hard wax (cerazul) and soft (cerasauve), both specifically formulated for Waxing the City. The only way to provide the very best wax experience is to start with the very best wax. Their wax not only offers gentle hair removal, it also soothes and comforts your skin.

Waxing the City is a ‘no-tipping’ salon– your best tip is to tell your friends and family about your experience. New customers receive 50 percent off their first service. As a company, Waxing the City prides itself on hiring the best and training them to be better.

Their cerologists are sent to Denver for exclusive training in wax-

ing. Visit the New Orleans location at 4121 Magazine St. Call 504899-1500 or visit WaxingTheCity.com for more information and online booking.

Dr. Deborah Lesem provides family dental services ranging from preventive care to complete dental restoration and cosmetic makeovers. Preventive treatments include dental cleanings, performed by Dr. Lesem herself, and thorough examinations that include screenings for gum disease and oral cancer.

Restorative treatments range from cosmetic procedures and white fillings to root canals, crowns, implant restorations and full and partial dentures.

Regarded as one of the city’s top cosmetic dental providers, she uses her artistic skills to change patients’ look by improving their smiles. Of the services that Dr. Lesem provides, she says that her patients seem to truly appreciate the cosmetic procedures the most.

“Patients really love it when they come in with teeth that they may be self-conscious about, and leave with a gorgeous smile that they can’t wait to show off!” Dr. Lesem says that many of the cosmetic procedures she performs only take one or two visits and do not require shots.

For more information, check out Dr. Lesem’s Website at DrLesem.com, or to schedule an appointment, call 504-286-3880.

Westbank Plastic Surgery is a small private practice with a dedicated staff of doctors and medical professionals who are

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among the best in their fields. Charles L. Dupin, M.D., F.A.C.S. and Jonathan C. Boraski, M.D., D.M.D., F.A.C.S., specialize in breast reconstruction as well as cosmetic, other reconstructive procedures and microsurgery. Dr. Dupin is a pioneer in the development of breast reconstruction using the DIEP free flap. He is Clinical Professor and Director of Plastic Surgery training at Louisiana State University. Dr. Boraski trained at Louisiana State University and is highly respected in the field of breast reconstruction. These doctors lead their talented staff with a patient-oriented philosophy, providing top quality reconstructive procedures, cosmetic surgery and medical care.

Services include abdominoplasty, facial procedures, breast surgeries, liposuction, bracheoplasty, fat injections, body contouring procedures, chemical peels (aggressive and non aggressive), Botox, Juvaderm, as well as treatment of skin cancers and breast reconstruction. The practice also provides facials, massages, waxing, Fraxel and Clear + Brilliant. They accept most health insurance plans and offer financing for patient services.

Please call the office for monthly specials 504-349-6460 or visit WestbankPlasticSurgery.com.

Dr. Joseph J. Collura has worked at the forefront of cosmetic dentistry for more than 30 years, providing top quality care and brighter smiles to patients all over the New Orleans region. He specializes in cosmetic dentistry, advanced restorative dentistry, single-tooth to complete-mouth implant treatment, root canal therapy, nonsurgical gum care and prevention and treatment of bite-related problems, and he has been honored with a guest faculty position with the prestigious Scottsdale Center for Dentistry. The Center, led by world-renowned faculty, provides the latest in programs, seminars and hands-on training.

Dr. Collura’s Metairie-based practice features individualized care and advanced methods of cosmetic dentistry. He offers a full range of services to create a healthier, more attractive smile, including tooth-colored fillings, porcelain crowns (caps), porcelain fixed bridges, porcelain veneers, procera crown and tooth whitening. He is licensed by the Louisiana State Board of Dentistry for conscious sedation and nitrous oxide analgesia.

For more information or to make an appointment, visit DrCollura.com or call 504-837-9800.

Eyes are the most expressive feature of the face, and for those looking to enhance the appearance of their eyes, Dr. Kyle V. Acosta of the Eyelid Cosmetic Surgery Center of the South offers numerous highly specialized procedures for recreating youth and beauty. An award-winning, highly trained and experienced physician, Dr. Acosta is board certified in Ophthalmology and fellowship trained in Ophthalmic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.

Eyelid Surgery Center of the South has a state-of-the-art, onsite, private surgical facility with experienced anesthesia care provided for your comfort. The highly qualified staff will make your surgical experience pleasant and effortless from the initial consultation to discharge from the surgical suite.

In addition to cosmetic procedures for the eyes, Dr. Acosta also treats age-related changes to the eyelids, congenital abnormalities and the repair of unsuccessful cosmetic eyelid procedures. For more information, call 985-898-2001.

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DeFelice Dental is committed to a conservative approach in patient care—focusing on preventative measures and maintenance as well as on patient education. They provide top quality care in a relaxed atmosphere. For patients who may require more complex treatment, the DeFelice Dental team provides comprehensive care with a gentle, caring touch. Services provided at the practice include gentle cleanings, tooth-colored fillings, nonsurgical gum care, teeth whitening, porcelain veneers, natural looking crowns and implants.

Prior to leading his team at DeFelice Dental, Dr. Tre DeFelice worked as the Clinical Director of a unique specialty practice in New Orleans, where he planned, delivered and coordinated patient treatment along with a team of dental specialists, gaining tremendous experience and knowledge along the way. Dr. DeFelice spends many hours in continuing education to advance in areas of comprehensive patient care, esthetics and dental implants.

DeFelice Dental is conveniently located at 1900 N. Causeway Blvd. near Interstate 10. For more information, visit DeFeliceDental.com or call 504-833-4300.

The main goal at Le Visage Day Spa is to incorporate treatments to reverse aging and preserve youth. They have direct products and treatments, both internal and external.

C-Estamins by the Jan Marini skin care line offers a high level of skin rejuvenation with benefits such as biocells collagen, which affects the skin’s elasticity and volume as well as improves the skin’s texture and reduces the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.

RG-Cell is the first product to be introduced with the power to reactivate old and dormant stem cells naturally to restore your skin for a healthier and younger-looking appearance. These innovative and powerful stem cells penetrate directly into the skin. Le Visage Day Spa experts advise clients to enjoy a close relationship with their esthetician for the best results.

To schedule an appointment, call 504-265-8018. • Waxing the City

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TRYTHIS j effe r y j ohston p hoto g r a p h

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Free Floating Do nothing for an hour and learn about yourself By morgan packard

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n a Friday afternoon, at the end of a long, stressful work week, I drove out to 20th Street in Metairie, right off Causeway Boulevard, and discovered what will likely soon be my end-of-week decompressing ritual in half of a small house: NOLA Float Tanks (NolaFloatTanks.com).

I had experienced a float tank (what can also be called a sensory deprivation or isolation tank) once before in a ritzy spa in Cape Town, South Africa. Their tank seemed small, with multi-colored lights that gradually disappeared and then reappeared when my time was up. I had some trouble relaxing and it took me a while to be ready to close the door to the tank.

At Nola Float Tanks, everything is provided for you. You can make an appointment for anywhere from 30 minutes to three

Pets

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hours long on their website or by calling, and pay the reasonable prices (less than a massage) directly through the site. There are two showers, one for each tank room, where you shower off before and after your session. (Note: Don’t float if you have a cut or sore, and don’t get the water in your eyes – it will sting, badly.)

Each tank room is private, and towels and disposable earplugs are offered. When your time is over, the water around you begins to bubble, helping to ease you back into the world.

Owner Spencer Fossier, 24, was driving to Houston to use the closest float tanks offered all the time, so he decided to open his own. Two tanks area available, one at skin temperature and one a little cooler for people who tend to overheat (which might be lovely during our hot summers). Each tank is filled with 850 pounds of Epsom salt in 200 gallons of water, which is fully filtered seven times between each float. Fossier also offers speaker systems inside the tanks so that you can plug in your phone and play whatever you’d like – such as music or guided meditations.

Once you’re floating weightless in skin-temperature water saturated with Epsom salt, the resulting deep relaxation – usually between 30 and 45 minutes into your float – causes your brainwaves to gradually transition from beta (wide-awake and alert) to theta (that between waking and sleeping state) – and your skin won’t wrinkle. The benefits of a one-hour session have been shown to relieve stress, reduce blood pressure, ease joint and muscle pain and enhance your mood.

This time I put in the earplugs, closed the tank immediately upon getting in, put a washcloth over my eyes and concentrated on the meditation music on which I had decided. After a few moments I was completely relaxed; a few times I started to think that being alone with my brain, just me and the meditation music, was going to be too much, but then I’d relax again and just float.

I enjoyed my hour and can’t wait to schedule another appointment, as with each hour spent floating away is an hour unplugged from all of the stress, inputs and media that fills my days, which means I can start fresh with new ideas and inspirations.

Safeguarding Animal Vision

524 Moss St., 483-8704, EyeCareCenterForAnimals.com

This summer the Eye Center for Animals in New Orleans is encouraging pet owners to be vigilant for signs of cataracts in their animals’ eyes. For more than 20 years board-certified ophthalmologist and DVM Paul da Costa, owner of the Eye Center for Animals, has been advising pet owners and reuniting them with their sighted pets. His practice encourages pet owners to ask their veterinarians if their animals need a referral for cataract surgery. The center stresses that with cataract removal surgery there’s a window of opportunity for the pet to have the most successful outcome for vision restoration. After a certain point that window may close, so it’s important to understand your animal’s condition and the options available to safeguard their vision as much as possible. – M i r e l l a c a m e r a n

Cleaning

Young’s Dry Cleaning’s Locker System

905 Harrison Ave., 872-0931; 6227 S. Claiborne Ave., 866-5371; YoungsDryCleaning.com

The third generation, family-run Young’s Dry Cleaning is expanding its innovative advanced locker system, which allows customers to place and pick up their orders at convenient metro locations. Customers communicate with the Young’s Express team via email or smart phone or night.

There are already 10 lockers available in the downtown area; a new one launched in the Pan – M.C. American Life building on Poydras Street in June and more are planned. myneworleans.com

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Vive La France B Y ERROL LA B ORDE

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everal years ago I was at a breakfast where the then-French Ambassador to the United States was the center of attention. Over a selection of breads that certainly reflected frugality in the French entertainment budget, the ambassador received questions. Most were business-like queries about trade and commerce, but as the morning wore on and the ambassador wore out, I asked the question that had been bothering me most. “Mr. Ambassador, we Americans always hear that the French don’t like us. Now, we’re nice people. Why don’t they like us?” He nodded. Being he was an Ambassdor I expected a denial followed by a list of all the ways that France loves America.

Instead he gave an answer that was amazingly frank. “It is not the French who don’t like Americans,” he said, “it is the Parisians. But then the Parisians don’t like anyone. My advice is to visit Paris in August when the Parisians are on vacation.”

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We all laughed. I paused to butter my croissant with what butter was left. Others in the crowd began to recite encounters where they found, if not love, at least acceptance in the old country.

Had that breakfast been today I could have contributed more to the latter conversation, because last year I visited a place where the French do love us – it’s called Normandy. They love us for the invasion that liberated their country in 1944 and they love us for the invasion of American tourists, many descendants of the original invaders, who still walk the beaches 70 years later. They love us every time they go to the bank, even if we are little tiring in our uniform of Reeboks, football jerseys and baseball caps. If that is the look of freedom, so be it.

Had the cheese not run out over breakfast there might have been time to ponder how much Louisiana in turn owes to France, foremost for Louis XIV having sent Canadians to found a city. That not only defined us as a place on the map, but also gave us a carefree Latin character long before the more serious English or Dutch got here. And secondly, for selling us. For the price of New Orleans, the fledging union of states got extra land stretching to Montana. Had the French not created a city on the big bend in the Mississippi River, the British might have done so eventually, only instead of frolicking on Mardi Gras we might be pouring syrup on Pancake Day. While it still might be wise to avoid Parisians out of season, our cities share stories to tell, one appropriate to this the month of Bastille Day. It was in that very building, the home of the French Consul General, that a famous toast was exchanged during the 1960s. The reigning French Ambassador was there that night too, presiding over what we assume was a more bountiful dinner. As the story goes, Vic Schiro, the then-mayor of New Orleans, rose to lift his glass. “I offer a toast,” he said, “to the King of France.” There was an embarrassed silence as the representative of a republic whose last monarch ended his reign at a guillotine rose to reply. “And I offer a toast to the Queen of America.” Posterity does not recall Schiro’s reaction, but there was reportedly good-natured laughing. A glass of champagne can always save a moment.

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