Let’s not sugar coat this: Trying to park around the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival simply sucks and it generally breeds ill will with the beleaguered people living anywhere near the Fair Grounds. Also, though I, gratefully, have no personal experience with the matter, one can assume a D.U.I. after a day of partying in the sun is a buzz kill, too.
Lyft and Deutsches Haus to the rescue.
The ride sharing service has partnered with the newly opened German heritage hall on Bayou St. John to get you to the festival grounds with minimal hassle. In addition to a dedicated pickup and drop-off spot for festivalgoers, riders will also receive a $5 discount off a beer and a bratwurst at Deutsches Haus (1700 Moss St, 522.8014, deutcheshause.org). Throughout both of the festival weekends attendees can show Deutsches Haus employees their Lyft receipt to receive the $5 discount.
This evening at 6 p.m. NOLA Brewing Company will kick off “Hendrix, Heads & Tails,” a funk tribute to Jimi Hendrix, music of The Talking Heads and piles of crawfish cooked by Neil McClure of McClure’s Barbecue. This amazing good time is all yours for a thrifty $15 in advance at hendrixheadsandtails.eventbrite.com or for $20 at the door (3001 Tchoupitoulas St., 896-9996, nolabrewing.com) the day of the event. The bash will feature a funk tribute to Jimi Hendrix with Terence Higgins (Warren Haynes Band), Tony Hall (Dumpstaphunk), Luther Dickinson (North Mississippi Allstars), John Medeski (Medeski Martin & Wood), Ed Williams (The Revivalists), and Jonathan Long, as well as music of the Talking Heads, performed by Gravity A with Cliff Hines.
While the masses are descending upon the Fair Grounds this weekend, if a floral chapeau, a proper frock and a mint julep are more your style than a floppy hat, a tank top and 60,000 of your closest friends, the Bombay Club’s (in the Prince Conti Hotel, 830 Conti Street, 577.2237, bombayclubneworleans.com) second annual Kentucky Derby Viewing Party & Happy Hour ( 3-7 p.m., with 6:50 p.m. post time) may be just the place for you! Guests are encouraged to wear their nattiest attire and most outlandish hats. Classic Derby cocktails, including mint juleps, happy hour bites, cigar and bourbon pairings and drink specials will be offered. For each cocktail purchased, guests will receive a ticket which, in turn, will be placed in a bag representing one of the 20 horses racing in the Derby. At the end of the race, names will be drawn from the top three finishing horses’ bags. Winners will receive a Creole Cuisine gift card – WIN will receive $75 gift card, PLACE will receive $50 gift card, and SHOW will receive $25 gift card. Winner must be present to win.
It’s time to start thinking about ya Mama. Mother’s Day is May 12 and for the first time in a decade , GW Fins (808 Bienville St, 581-3467, gwfins.com/reservations) will be serving lunch on her special day. While any meal at GW’s is stellar and memorable, for this occasion Executive Chef Michael Nelson is offering several special dishes: Royal Red shrimp with spicy green apple slaw and Vietnamese glaze, blackened tuna salad, a soft shell crab BLT, tuna poke with yuzu ponzu and cucumber salad, and the hit of this year’s French Quarter Festival (I know, I had this, swoon) a poor boy of fried crawfish tossed in Crystal Hot Sauce butter. Just for the occasion he is also bringing back the crave-worthy individually baked warm apple pie with cheddar cheese straw crust served with house-made vanilla bean ice cream. Never been done before: Nelson is also offering a special children’s menu with several delicious and healthy options for the younger set. All Mothers will receive a long stem rose during both lunch (11a.m. – 2:30 p.m.) and dinner ( 5-10 p.m.) on Mother’s Day. GW Fins is always a tough reservation to snag and this day is guaranteed to book faster than Concord. Waste no time.
Have a great weekend, everyone. Use it to celebrate the people and the community you love.
