Beignets and Beets
I am a sucker for fried things, particularly fried things that combine sweet and savory flavors. It will come as no surprise therefore that I am a fan of beignets. I have fond memories of eating them with my…
Festivals
Fête Des Fromages Cheese Festival Returns To New Orleans
NEW ORLEANS (press release) – Fête des Fromages, aka NOLA Cheese Fest, returns to the New Orleans Jazz Museum on Saturday, Nov. 16. Fête des Fromages brings together the best cheese makers of Europe (including Beemster, Fulvi Pecorino Romano,…
Tales of Saving the Party!
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…
New Orleans & Company: What's New In New Orleans Hospitality
NEW ORLEANS (press release) – The 6th annual New Orleans Museum Month returns for the entire month of August encouraging locals to join a museum this summer. With one museum membership, visitors gain complimentary access to all 18 participating museums…
Satchmo SummerFest
Today begins the 19th Satchmo SummerFest at the New Orleans Jazz Museum at the Mint. As usual this year boast a great selection of food and a diverse musical lineup that represents the best of what New Orleans has…
August
Backstreet Boys One of the world’s most popular boy bands comes to the Smoothie King Center on August 30 as a part of their DNA World Tour. It will be the biggest arena tour the group has done in 18…
French Quarter Festival Announces New 2020 Date
NEW ORLEANS (press release) – French Quarter Festivals, Inc. (FQFI), the non-profit organization that produces French Quarter Festival presented by Chevron, announces new dates for the 2020 festival. Originally scheduled for April 2-5, 2020, the event will now take place…
Trinity Community Center Announces Back to School Festival
NEW ORLEANS – Trinity Community Center (TCC) will host its annual Back to School Festival and Family Resource Fair this Friday, July 26. TCC will be giving away 100 bookbags filled with school supplies for the upcoming 2019 school year.…
Winter Circle Productions and FREEWATER Announce Lineup for Inaugural FREEWATER BLOCK PARTY
NEW ORLEANS (press release) – Winter Circle Productions (WCP) and FREEWATER announced today the artist lineup for the inaugural FREEWATER BLOCK PARTY on Saturday, September 28, 2019. Artists announced include rappers DaBaby, Rico Nasty, Shordie Shordie and Grip, plus dance…
Taste of Africa Mini Fest; Saturday, July 27
NEW ORLEANS (press release) – The NOLA Caribbean Experience & Afrobeat NOLA are teaming up to bring New Orleans this one-of-a-kind event! The Taste of Africa Mini Fest showcases African & African diaspora cuisine, music, dance, and culture. The event…
Tales of the Cocktail - Is It Still Worth The Buzz?
The annual spirit conference has officially hit the Crescent City and people far and wide are enjoying every thing the event has to offer. Traditionally, thousands of people from around the country, and even…
City of Gretna To Announce 2019 Gretna Heritage Festival 25th Anniversary Lineup
GRETNA, La (press release) – The City of Gretna will reveal the confirmed daily lineup for the 25th Annual Gretna Heritage Festival at a press conference on Thursday, July 11 at 10 a.m. at the Gretna Cultural Center for…
The Essence of the Weekend
This year the Essence Festival turns 25 and the organizers have pulled out all the stops to celebrate. The music kicks off Friday evening with a remembrance of Aretha Franklin and a tribute to Patti Labelle featuring Brandy, Doug…
July
Family Block Party at the World War II Museum If you’d like to take your kids to something fun and educational during summer vacation, try the first annual Family Block Party at the National World War II Museum on July…
Events This Week and Bonnaroo In Review
Going on this Week Tonight one of the original industrial metal bands – Powerman 5000 – is at Southport Hall. Also tonight, Khris Royal (the extraordinary local saxophone player) and his band Dark Matter are the Free Friday show…
Beignet Fest Announces Musical Lineup
NEW ORLEANS (press release) – The fourth annual Beignet Fest presented by French Market Coffee is set for Saturday, October 5, 2019 from 10AM – 6PM at the Festival Grounds in New Orleans City Park. To continue to grow and…
National Mac n' Cheese Day Celebration! Sunday, July 14
NEW ORLEANS (press release) – To prepare for the third annual NOLA Mac n’ Cheese Fest this Fall, the team is excited to announce its National Mac n’ Cheese Day Celebration on Sunday, July 14 at the Civic Theatre (12 –…
This Week in Music and a Tribute to Dr. John
Missing Mac In the week since we lost Dr. John there has been an outpouring of remarkable testaments, stories and eulogies. The thing that was truly great about these offerings is that it seems that almost everyone has a personal…
Satchmo SummerFest Returns For Its 19th Year
NEW ORLEANS (press release) - Satchmo SummerFest presented by Chevron returns for its 19th year August 2-4 at the New Orleans Jazz Museum at the Mint. Satchmo SummerFest, a production of local nonprofit French Quarter Festivals, Inc. (FQFI), celebrates the…
New Orleans Pride, And Other Culinary Events This Weekend
This year’s New Orleans Pride celebration (togetherwenola.com) takes place Friday through Sunday with activities around the French Quarter. Voted the second most welcoming city in the U.S, and the number one festival destination for LGBT travelers, New Orleans Pride…
The New Orleans Film Festival Gears Up for 30th Anniversary, All-Access Passes On Summer Pre-Sale
NEW ORLEANS (press release) – The New Orleans Film Society (NOFS) unveiled the visual identity of the 30th annual New Orleans Film Festival which will be held Oct. 16–23. All-Access Passes for the festival are now on Summer Pre-Sale with…
Oyster Festival
This weekend is the New Orleans Oyster Festival at Woldenberg Park right in front of the Aquarium. The festival features the P&J Oyster Shucking Competition on Saturday and the Acme Oyster House World Oyster Eating Championship on Sunday as…
June
New Orleans Shakespeare Festival at Tulane – “Much Ado About Nothing” From June 14 - 30, visit Tulane University’s Lupin Theatre to see Shakespeare’s classic romantic comedy “Much Ado About Nothing” as part of the New Orleans Shakespeare Festival at…
Around Town: This Week In Music
Tonight The Pinettes Brass Band – New Orleans’ excellent and only all female brass band – are at Bullet’s Sports Bar. Trumpeter Cyrus Nabipoor – who seems like he is everywhere these days – brings his quintet to the…
Passing A Good Time From The West Bank To The Treme
We were starving. It was late on a Saturday afternoon and the two of us were the only people in Hong Minh (Hong Minh, 2101 8th St., Harvey, 592.7316, hongminhharvey.com) save for three generations of the extended Vietnamese-Chinese family…
SOLO Fest
Last year, Lafayette debuted a musical event that matched local songwriters with national and international professionals in a collaborative workshop. Titled South Louisiana Songwriters Festival and Workshop (SOLO), this four-day event partnered with the Buddy Holly Educational Foundation to…
Festival Season: Bayou Boogaloo Edition
Festival season is in full swing. This weekend Bayou Boogaloo returns to Mid-City and Bayou St. John with three days of music, food and art. There are some really great performers on the lineup and the setting is quite…
FestiGals Unveils June Schedule For New Orleans Women's Weekend Experience
NEW ORLEANS (press release) – FestiGals, the first and only New Orleans festival that inspires, connects and celebrates women while supporting causes important to their well-being, today announced official plans for the ninth annual women-centric event the weekend of…
46th Annual Greek Festival’s Year of the Mastiha
NEW ORLEANS (press release) – The 46th Annual Greek Festival is excited to feature an exquisite, sweet treat for the first time this year! 2019 is the year of the Mastiha – a delectable, unique liqueur that can only…
NOLA Soul & Art Festival
NEW ORLEANS (press release) – The inaugural NOLA Soul & Art Festival is already making a big splash in a crowded New Orleans festival scene. The festival showcases the best in New Orleans Soul, Funk, Blues, Brass and Jazz on…
Haute Plates
A weekly blog on the New Orleans fine dining scene
about
Robert D. Peyton was born at Ochsner Hospital and, apart from four years in Tennessee for college and three years in Baton Rouge for law school, has lived in New Orleans his entire life. He is a strong believer in the importance of food to our local culture and in the importance of our local food culture, generally. He has practiced law since 1994, and began writing about food on his website, www.appetites.us, in 1999. He mainly wrote about partying that year, obviously.
In 2006, New Orleans Magazine named Appetites the best food blog in New Orleans. The choice was made relatively easy due to the fact that Appetites was, at the time, the only food blog in New Orleans.
He began writing the Restaurant Insider column for New Orleans Magazine in 2007 and has been published in St. Charles Avenue, Louisiana Life and New Orleans Homes and Lifestyles magazines. He is the only person he knows personally who has been interviewed in GQ magazine, albeit for calling Alan Richman a nasty name. He is not proud of that, incidentally. (Yes, he is.)
Robert’s maternal grandmother is responsible for his love of good food, and he has never since had fried chicken or homemade biscuits as good as hers. He developed his curiosity about restaurant cooking in part from the venerable PBS cooking show "Great Chefs" and has an extensive collection of cookbooks, many of which do not require coloring, and some of which have not been defaced.
Robert lives in Mid-City with his wife Eve and their three children, and is fond of receiving comments and emails. Please humor him.
