My sister, Beth, has been going through a really rough time lately, dealing with even more uncertainty and upset than the rest of us while also dealing with the same uncertainty and upset the rest of us continue to…
I usually spend the Fourth of July at my brother's compound near the Louisiana/Mississippi border hanging out in the woods around a massive swimming pool, slurping frosty beverages and arguing politics while my sister-in-law's many siblings, their children and…
Western St. Tammany Parish was first settled by Choctaw, Tchefuncte, Acolapissa and Houma Indian tribes, which were drawn to the northern shores of Lake Pontchartrain for the area's dense oxygen-rich pine forests, abundant natural beauty, and "curative" spring waters.…
Happy Fathers' Day to all of the fathers and grandfathers, both biological and chosen, in our extended community. I would like to issue a particularly heartfelt shout out to my husband, Andrew Martin Fox, for the crucial role he…
City Park was established in the mid -1800s on land fronting what is now City Park Avenue along the remains of Bayou Metairie, a former distributary of the Mississippi River that once ran from present day River Ridge to Bayou St.…
I am going to go out on a limb and assume everyone reading this is OVER IT. Over feeling anxious, over the terms "socially distant" and "social distancing," over feeling guilty about mail carriers and delivery drivers, over your…
Though this is hardly an ideal time to launch a new restaurant concept in New Orleans this is exactly what Chef Serigne Mbaye— one of the hardest working, most ambitious people I have ever known— did last week when…
On so many occasions throughout this lockdown I have felt immense gratitude for the home and garden I love, in a neighborhood I love, in a city I love. Things could be so much worse for me. Despite my…
My maternal grandmother, Cecilia Fletchinger, born in 1908, hailed from a large German-Irish Catholic family that lived in the building that now houses Camellia Grill on Carrollton Avenue in the Riverbend area. She attended Matter Dolorosa School and she…
"Shower the people you love with love. Show them the way that you feel." James Taylor, Shower the People Every year around Mother's Day I try to spend one-on-one time with each of the women who have served as…
A home health nurse, Beth Bayer has long had a side hustle making colorful custom aprons in cotton prints featuring from sports or holiday themes, political figures, botanical or culinary prints, sexy pinups, you name it. On March 10…
This particularly glorious Spring continues to roll along while we continue to be required to avoid those places where we might best enjoy it, places like the Botanical Garden at City Park. Last year the Botanical Garden became ever…
I am weeks behind the rest of the country in zealously cleaning out and organizing my pantry, closets and cupboards and scrubbing down every surface with sanitizer until it gleams but that is pretty much where I am this…
Every day my gratitude for what I have deepens as I continue to lose things I used to take for granted. Today I took a solitary one mile walk down Magazine Street from my home to Audubon Park, so…
Disaster can illuminate how we are connected and how we rely on one another. This is what is happening in my life, my relationships, and in my Uptown neighborhood near Magazine Street and Jefferson Avenue. By day the streets…
Until two weeks ago this weekly column/blog was largely dedicated to a combination of dining specials and fun things, usually free, to do in New Orleans in your free time. Now that most of us have nothing but either…
Today is St. Joseph's Day, a big deal here in New Orleans, but my advice to you is quite different this week then it was last. Last week I was encouraging you to visit St. Joseph altars and restaurants:…
With corona virus cases ticking up in New Orleans and mass public gatherings, such as the Irish Channel St. Patrick's Day parade, cancelled for this weekend, some will choose to hunker down while others will want to take precautions…
For Catholics, the practice of forgoing the consumption of meat during Lent (Ash Wednesday until Easter Sunday) has its roots in the early days of the church and the Black Fast, when the righteous were expected to partake of…
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…
Few things are more valuable than a friend with a home and a working bathroom on a parade route. Hell, even a parade-side portable toilet with crowds bumping into its side and water sloshing about can be a blessing…
My late father, Andrew Ernest Benson, Jr., was born in May of 1929. He was a war history buff, particularly when it came to WWII, which dominated his New Orleans childhood. For years I have gone to Parkway Bakery when…
New Orleans became home to many thousands of Vietnamese people following the fall of Saigon in the early 1970s. This weekend, the Vietnamese community celebrates the annual free, family-friendly Tet Fest at Mary Queen of Vietnam Church (14001 Dwyer Blvd.)…
A voyeur, I like to people watch. One of my top spots for doing so is the deep, gracious balcony off of the second floor of the triangular-shaped building that houses Gris Gris (1800 Magazine St., 272-024, grisgrisnola.com). Over…
We are most assuredly in the Season of the King Cake. They are seemingly everywhere. Throughout Carnival Season, both Cochon Butcher (930 Tchoupitoulas St., 588.7675, cochonbutcher.com) and La Boulangerie (4600 Magazine St, 269.3777, laboulangerienola.com) will offer King Cakes ranging…
I have known the fabulous and talented photographer Cheryl Gerber since we were both very green young journalists. We once joked that it must have been a kindergarten teacher who first pulled us together, pointed at me and commanded "You,…
To know Mosca's – an old, white clapboard Mafioso hangout of a restaurant with real-deal Italian food – is to know you will shout "Mama Mia" for mercy while sweating pure olive oil, safe in knowing you and your…
Twelfth Night is celebrated annually on Jan. 5. It is the last day of the Twelve Days of Christmas and is the traditional end of the Christmas season. It is also known as Epiphany Eve as it is followed…
How fortuitous for me! Cozy, super-chic Luvi (5236 Tchoupitoulas St., 504-605-3340, luvirestaurant.com) is located right around the corner from my house. The diminutive Asian restaurant is offering early dinner seatings at 6 and 8 p.m., at either a table…
Whether you are seeking time out in a festive holiday atmosphere or a means of entertaining guests without bringing the fa-la-la to your own kitchen a bevy of New Orleans restaurants have you covered for the next week of…
