It’s not much of a contest whenever some challenge arises regarding where in the world the most amped celebrations take place. While New Orleans may not be in the top spot all the time, for sheer numbers of celebrations, and…
For our annual December list of restaurant, food and drink “bests,” our team of writers, plus our editorial staff, met with the difficult task of honoring a few of our favorites. The restaurants, people and places listed within mark some…
We’ve been put on notice about our diet, and now our drinking pleasures are assaulted. But it’s all rightfully so. New Orleans is a tough town for healthy living. Maybe eating and drinking in a healthy fashion makes some…
We cannot prove whether Ernest Gantt was born in New Orleans or not, but that is the legend. What is easier to prove is that this hospitality character became the renowned Donn the Beachcomber, opened an international string of Tiki-style…
We cannot prove whether Ernest Gantt was born in New Orleans or not, but that is the legend. What is easier to prove is that this hospitality character became the renowned Donn the Beachcomber, opened an international string of Tiki-style…
We are not going out on a limb here, but it’s safe to say that Halloween in New Orleans is not like the celebration anywhere else. We take this date seriously. The surface frivolity that other places commemorate All…
We live in confusing times. Simplicity does not seem to be a goal of any endeavor. And the more complicated the approach, it appears, the better the outcome. Or so it would seem. I am trying to avoid using…
Today’s word, students, is “authenticity.” It is one of my favorite answers to the question, “What makes New Orleans different and special when compared to other American towns?” Or “Why are we this way, and they are that way?”…
October makes the perfect bookend on the without-end New Orleans festival calendar. While March gets the big celebration ball rolling in the spring, October, ending with Halloween, punts us into the end-of-the-year’s holiday season with plenty of forward momentum. The…
When most of us first started drinking, and in New Orleans that seems to have happened at a very early age, it was all about quantity. Many was the morning we awoke after not-enough sleep time to an ugly…
It’s right about now that summer fatigue begins to set in and take hold. We’ve “tolerated” hot, humid weather now for over two months and we are ready for something a bit cooler. It’s’ not like we have much…
In many ways, September may be the most difficult month in the New Orleans calendar. Money is spent on the children assuring a good back to school experience for them, rather than on vacations or festivals. The hot summer lingers…
Many consumers would probably like to enjoy and understand wine. People who make wine seemed bent on making understanding as difficult as possible. There are all kinds of bottle shapes. Labels are not easily deciphered. Smelling and tasting seem…
Sometimes a festival, no matter how much fun they are to attend, is just a lot of drudge work for organizers. I am sorry to break your fairy tale impressions of how these massive and involved events unfold, but…
Of all the months of the year, August has the worst reputation. Other months are beastly hot, crazy humid, and even provide the settings for hurricanes. But August is the month that catches most of the grief for our discomfort…
The recent annual gathering of Tales of the Cocktail is finished, and the last hedonist has returned home. We are left with fine memories and new ideas. It happens this way every year, and when the final ice cube…
All is not well in Wine Land. At the national level, consumption is statistically flat. Little or no sales growth. Prices are on the ascension, most not reverting to lower levels noted when the costs went up even when…
Discussing food, cooking and restaurants is a part-time sport for New Orleanians. From breakfast to brunch, lunch to cocktail bites, dinner to late night eats and desserts, we’ve got a lot to talk about. Enjoy our selection of the best…
Of all the seasons of the year, summer is mentally the least serious. We don’t wear as many clothes. We seek refuge at the beach. Eat lighter and drink the same way, lighter. Anything overwhelming, like too much alcohol, or…
Easy construction? Obtainable ingredients? Speed to build? The portable party we know as summer presents its own set of challenges when it comes to creating a drink that satisfies. This time of year, tackling a build-your-own-cocktail project with too many…
Occasionally, I show evidence of a less-than-cordial personality streak. Yes, it’s true and I admit it. It can come out at times when I should be more respectful and gracious. One of those times can come whenever I meet…
The old expression about the best meals served in our internationally respected restaurant town being served in people’s homes is absolutely correct. Every chef within shouting distance will credit their mothers and fathers for setting them on a winning path.…
Looks like the corner, finally, has been turned. And not a moment too soon. We went through a period of ego and self-congratulations in the Cocktail World of the early 1990’s and into the new century where crazy drink…
Prior to the birth of the current cocktail era, which made a first appearance around 1985, no city on the planet could claim the birth of more styles of cocktails than New Orleans. Even now, those classic cocktails invented…
We know what we like. Basically, we are all born with a penchant for stuff we like and a disdain for stuff we don’t. Those in-bred preferences pretty much stay with us all of our breathing days. There are changes…
When you think about all of the wines and spirits you have enjoyed over the span of your life, there actually have been darn few that stick out in the memory bank. Something may still live on because of…
The axiom we have all heard since we were 10 years old, or thereabouts, is that learning is a lifetime experience. It never ends. Those of us who have been present for the dawn and unfolding of the Digital Age…
While other places struggle with definition and innovation, New Orleans revels in identification and rebirth. There is something quite satisfying about being recognized as the first and still the best. That can be applied to any number of culinary and…
How many festivals and new restaurants can you attend and patronize?
A look ahead to St. Patrick's Day
