Sometimes to stars align. I called a Lyft to collect me from a health-oriented culinary seminar the other day and my driver turned out to be, according to her very colorful, fanciful business card, “Mrs. Debbie, The Original JelL’o…
As many of you know, I was one of the lucky humans to visit outer space recently. No, it was not with Branson or Bezos; I was on the rocket built by Joe Lotrglio. I am told that we…
NEW ORLEANS (press release) – The team behind the Marigny’s European inspired escape, The Elysian Bar, has officially reopened the Rectory for imbibing. Guests can now enjoy a spritz or cocktail from The Elysian Bar’s drink menu every…
We always try to find fun and festive happy hour deals to share with cocktail lovers. Here are just a few options as we gear up to tolerate the dog days of Louisiana summer heat. Try them all, or…
As a lifelong plant and flower enthusiast I am excited about the return of floral design workshops at Mitch’s Flower’s, a beautifully appointed horticultural oasis on a shaded block of Magazine Street. While they were once common, today shops…
NEW ORLEANS (press release) – Uptown neighborhood taco stand and margarita garden Barracuda will open its second location in Algiers Point on the West Bank today at 446 Pelican Ave. Barracuda was founded by Brett Jones in March 2019…
NEW ORLEANS (press release) – In the 1870’s, Madame Begue invented the meal “brunch” for New Orleans’ working people who finished their shifts after traditional breakfast hours, but before lunch hours began. Since then, brunch has become a cultural sensation,…
NEW ORLEANS (press release) – For over a decade, Copeland’s of New Orleans has celebrated National Cheesecake Day (July 30) with a special buy one, get one free promotion from July 28 – July 30. In celebration of this…
NEW ORLEANS (press release) – Join Arnaud’s Restaurant in celebrating Christmas in July! Guests can choose from a special three-course, prix-fixe menu, featuring Pan Seared Gulf Fish, Crab Cakes, Croque Madame, Duck Confit and Grilled Pork Chop as entrée…
NEW ORLEANS (press release) – Mister Mao, the highly-anticipated restaurant from Chef Sophina Uong and husband/partner William “Wildcat” Greenwell is set to officially open to the public in New Orleans’ Uptown neighborhood on Saturday, July 24, 2021. With a bar…
NEW ORLEANS (press release) – Zócalo Cocina Mexicana & Cantina, along with Zócalo Fest and El Tesoro tequila, will host a dinner and tequila tasting in celebration of National Tequila Day 2021. The event, to be held Wednesday, July 21,…
Seemingly forever, brothers John and Moe Thabata have run Rainbow Grocery (4837 Magazine St., 504-875-3635), the popular Uptown corner store best known for its extensive selection of everything from very cheap beers sold as singles to fine wines and…
NEW ORLEANS (press release) – New Orleans & Company is re-launching its popular COOLinary New Orleans summer restaurant campaign from July 14 – Sept. 5, with some new twists. Unlike previous years, the campaign has opened participation to include delivery…
Both beloved and reviled, the frozen daiquiri in a Styrofoam cup from a drive-through has some solid upscale competition around town and wise restaurateurs are rolling out a plethora of options for those seeking to stay cool while imbibing…
I’m not a huge fan of the capitalization where “COOLinary New Orleans” is concerned, but I’m a fan of the endeavor. It’s a chance for people, mostly locals, to check out some restaurants that maybe they’d been meaning to…
It is too hot to hang in the kitchen, so I have been on a sushi kick of late. At the suggestion of a friend my daughter, Cecilia, and I hit up Yakuza House in Metairie for a late…
NEW ORLEANS (press release) – Chef Emeril Lagasse and Emeril's Homebase are excited to announce the reopening of Emeril's restaurant in New Orleans on Aug. 31 for dinner service. The restaurant has been closed since March of 2020. "We…
NEW ORLEANS (press release) - Copeland's of New Orleans will kick off a nine-day fundraising campaign for the Al Copeland Foundation on Al Copeland Day, June 28, and culminate on National Fried Chicken Day, July 6. The fundraising campaign…
It’s not unusual for us to constantly work to upgrade our cocktail game, trying to find over the top cocktail creations and fun places to enjoy them. While the weather is heating up, so are the bartenders who are…
This is the time of year in which restaurants are typically slow. It is hot and it is humid and we don’t have the tourists we normally do during the year. That’s in a good year, but this year?…
NEW ORLEANS (press release) – Enjoy a day of bubbly, bites, and Studio 54 dance moves at the Broussard's Restaurant Disco Drag Brunch June 26 at 11 a.m. or 1:30 p.m.! Come see the Southern Barbitchuates, Monalot Fontaine, Gia Giovanni,…
NEW ORLEANS (press release) – Exploring the terrain of wine is now becoming more accessible with the announcement of Copper Vine’s new private wine tasting experiences – bringing the winery tour to your table! Copper Vine’s wine experiences showcase…
It is so much fun watching the city come back to life and seeing how things have changed in the last year. Restrictions are slowly being lifted, which means many bars and restaurants are loosening the rules and allowing…
There are restaurants opening around town, which is not all that unusual. One is a pizza joint that was also a pizza joint before. Another is a Haitian restaurant that, when I first ran into it, was at the…
In 1957 a feature in Holiday magazine described ladies dining on bowls of crawfish bisque Galatoire's. The article was already a relic by the time I read it years ago, but it stuck for its description of the women…
NEW ORLEANS (press release) – With Memorial Day and the unofficial start of summer just days away, it is fitting that one of summer’s most iconic foods has its own day to kick off the holiday weekend. National Hamburger Day…
As reported by the Times Picayune Advocate, the mask mandate has been lifted in New Orleans, per new guidelines from the CDC. I don’t know how to feel about it, to be honest. Given my work, I’ve been dining out…
Eating and drinking your way through town is something so fun to do, especially this time of year. Now we are noticing many places lifting some of the coronavirus restrictions and making going out, an enjoyable experience. There are…
Sooo, as much as I really do not like being on camera that is exactly where my new gig as the NOSH columnist for New Orleans Magazine has landed me. Check it out here if you are ready to…
NEW ORLEANS (press release) – Nestled on the ground floor of the Pontchartrain Hotel, the Bayou Bar is a casual tavern-style bar where music played an integral role in its storied past: both Sinatra and Capote spent many a night…
Perhaps the only child in Louisiana history to be born to a mother with absolutely no culinary skills at all, Jyl Benson began cooking in self-defense at the age of six. She is 13 years younger than her closest sibling so her parents were tired and paid little attention as she use the household kitchen as per personal laboratory, sometimes with disastrous outcomes. Her skills have improved greatly over the years and kitchen fires are a thing of the past.
She began her editorial career in 1990 with The Times Picayune and served as a regional reporter covering the southeastern United States for both The New York Times and Time magazine. She wrote "Galatoire's Cookbook: Recipes & Family History from the Time-Honored New Orleans Restaurant" (Random House 2005), as well as several cultural, historical and architectural guides to New Orleans. She served as editor-in-chief of Louisiana Cookin’ magazine from 2009 to 2011 and founded Louisiana Kitchen & Culture magazine in 2012. Sheis a dining columnist for St. Charles Avenue, Acadiana Profile and Louisiana Life magazines, a frequent contributor to New Orleans Magazine, and the author of "Fun Funky, Fabulous: New Orleans Casual Restaurant Recipes" (2015, Pelican Publishing) and "Louisiana's Tables" (2017, Savory House Press).
