The heart of boudin country lies two hours west of New Orleans in the flatlands surrounding Lafayette. There, boudin is nearly as omnipresent at a gas station as lottery tickets and cold beer. Make it a habit when traveling to towns like Mowata or Scott to keep an ice chest in the back of your [...]
Daiquiri Days: White Russians and Soulja Slims
A crowd formed outside of Gene’s on the last hot Friday night of the summer, waiting for their party bus to arrive. No one seemed to mind that it was running a little late because they had unlimited refills at the daiquiri bar. What was the hurry? They’d shown up for Daiquiri Days, the first-ever [...]
Dining Out: Velvet Cactus
Initial Impressions Peter: The crowds are out in full force, and there is not an empty parking spot to be found on Harrison Avenue. Kids are running around strollers holding their younger siblings while mom and dad sip their drinks to placate themselves for the 30-minute wait. Not an empty seat on the patio, at [...]
Rick Olivier of the Creole String Beans Hits the Spot at Pho Tau Bay
Pho Tau Bay 113 Westbank Expressway (504) 368-9846 I see you’re not scared of jalapeños. I like to put one in. And plenty of sriracha, the hot sauce, and some lime juice. It’s like a tonic; clears your head. What’s in your bowl? Pho tai, the noodle soup, with the beef medium rare. Why Pho [...]
The Gravy: In the Kitchen with Mystikal
“I do most of the morning cooking. I’m the breakfast chef. I grew up in New Orleans, Uptown, in the 12th ward, a block off of Louisiana and a block off of Tchoupitoulas. My mom cooked everything. Gumbo, all the traditional New Orleans cuisine; the red beans, the crawfish etouffee. She got down, from the [...]
The Overstuffed Oak Street Po-Boy Festival Menu
The po-boy is our signature comfort food for good reason. There’s nothing like flaky bread stuffed with proteins as recognizable as fried shrimp or roast beef, or as eccentric as grits or paté. The innovations are endless. All this in a sandwich? Loyal foodies have came out in droves for the Oak Street Po-Boy Festival [...]
Dining Out: Ancora
Two years ago, Freret Street was a ghost town at 8:30 on a Friday night, save for a few cocktail nerds heading into Cure. Today the scene is hopping, especially at Ancora, where the bar is three deep and each table is piled high with pizzas, bruschetta, and a cornucopia of cured meats. Because of [...]
Tyler Scurlock of Sun Hotel Hits the Spot at Lebanon’s Cafe
Lebanon’s Cafe 1500 S. Carrollton Ave. (504) 862-6200 What are you ordering today? The Chicken Shawarma wrap, it’s terrific, with hummus and wheat pita bread. How often do you come here? Probably once a week. Who do you come here with? All my friends like to go here. My friend Ben Jones and I come [...]
The Gravy: In the Kitchen with Big Al Carson
“I grew up right here in New Orleans. I’m homegrown, as I always say. I grew up in the Seventh Ward and the Lafitte projects. I’m right here in the midst of things. Homegrown. I used to cook more than I do now, because I just can’t stand up at the stove like I used [...]
Dining Out: Banana Blossom
While “location, location, location” may be the first rule of restaurant entrepreneurship, interesting food can often be found in the most unassuming places. When traveling the long road to Banana Blossom, first timers may give up their search when their GPS first leads them to a non-existent address in Gretna. But hopefully the persistent eaters [...]
