Author Archives: Rene Louapre

The Saints: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner of Champions

To paraphrase Dave Barry, the stomach is the most important organ in the human body. The heart is fine and dandy, but it is not nearly as satisfied by a slice of pizza. Without a stomach, armies would not be able to march and the heart of a man would be unreachable.
Dean Pigeon (pronounced Pea-jean) [...]

Behind the Bar: Mixologists’ Challenge

What rhymes with “orange”? Nothing. What goes with orange? For New Orleans’ mixologists, the only limit is that of their imagination. We approached some of the city’s finest to get a sense of how they construct a cocktail when given such a common element as a starting point.
 
Sean Thibodeaux, Clever
The Bloody Mary has her fans, [...]

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The Pros Know: Chefs Reveal Their Jazz Fest Favorites

When Jazz Fest releases the “cubes” each year, eager beavers begin mapping, plotting, and GPSing their way around the grounds. But real fans of Jazz Fest know the only real planning you need to do is deciding what you are going to eat.
Especially if you are a chef. Jazz Fest crowds can make or break [...]

The Maestro: Patrick Van Hoorebeck, Maitre d’ of Restaurant August

In the last 15 years, chefs have undergone a remarkable metamorphosis. Back in the day, a cook and a waiter would meet working in someone else’s restaurant. After a few drinks one night, they would hash out a plan, save their money and open a small place together. The chef was not well- known and [...]

Dining Out: Lakeview Harbor

Tucked away in a strip mall along Harrison Avenue is the kind of no-frills, cold beer, stiff drink, good food hangout every neighborhood wishes they had. Lakeview Harbor, the iconic meeting spot for the residents of 70124, turns out one of the best burgers in the city.
Made with fresh ground beef, the burger arrives with [...]

Dining Out: Stanley

When we first visited the reopened and relocated Stanley back in January, we sadly left very disappointed. The lowlights: burned gumbo, raw steak masking as Korean barbecue, and dishes that seemed more theoretical than practical. What a difference a few months make.
If you have eaten at Stella! you know that Scott Boswell’s creativity can be [...]

Dining Out: Vega Tapas Cafe

The foodie press will have you believe the small plates revolution has arrived in America with a gusto not seen since the Beatles. But for Vega Tapas Café, small plates have been the specialty for the past 13 years. Vega’s cuisine spans the Mediterranean combining Spanish, French, Italian, Greek, Middle Eastern, and Moroccan flavors and [...]

Dining Out: Dooky Chase’s

Every now and then, a hug is in order. Dooky Chase’s provides that hug and more. The history of Dooky Chase is iconic. Leah Chase has tended the fires, watched over the dining room and fed a multitude of historical figures for decades. Recently Mrs. Leah turned the pans and kitchen over to her grandson, [...]

Sucre: The Sweet Spot

Anyone can cook savory items. Throw a steak on flame, wait an amount of time, and dinner is ready. But to make it on the softer side of the line, the place where sugar, flour, and patience become sweets takes a special kind of magic.
In August 2007, Joel Dondis and Tariq Hanna partnered up to [...]

The Missing Link

Admit it. You have needed a Cajun style, European-influenced charcuterie, meat market, sandwich shop, and wine bar in your life. The Link Restaurant Group addressed this need when it recently opened Cochon Butcher directly behind Cochon on Andrew Higgins Drive.
Molecular gastronomy may be all the rage, but preserving foods with little more than salt and [...]

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