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New Orleans Magazine June 2008

ERROL’S COMMENTARY: Snowball Men

When George Ortolano would leave for work each day he could rightfully say that he was off to see the wizard. He could even go one step further and say that he was off to make the wizard. Ortolano, who died at 86 in 2002, was a craftsman who never got the publicity he deserved. […]

ERROL’S COMMENTARY: NEW ORLEANS: JULY 4, 1776

* July 4th was on a Thursday in 1776 so it would have been a busy day for fishermen who were preparing to bring their catches to the markets in Catholic New Orleans for the next day’s meatless Friday. *Louisiana’s Spanish governor, Luis de Unzaga, was secretly helping the American cause by arranging for five tons […]

OnStage Magazine is now online!

Catch a show. Take a class. Laugh out loud. Get everything you need to know about the theatre industry and the performing arts in New Orleans at http://www.neworleansmagazine.com/onstage Check it out now!

ERROL’S COMMENTARY: THE FIG AND ME

On the morning of Friday, July 6, 2007 I spotted the bulb which seemedas though it was staring back at me from beneath a leaf. This was a moment that had been a long time coming but would not have come at all were it not for the wacky way our world has been scrambled […]

ERROL’S COMMENTARY: Saving Jim Letten

Here is a question to ask candidates in the race for Bill Jefferson’s Second Congressional District: If a Democrat is elected president, will you urge that Jim Letten be retained as U.S. Attorney? Those who serve as U.S. Attorney do so at the pleasure of existing presidents. Letten, a Republican whose appointment was made official […]

ERROL’S COMMENTARY: 5 REASONS WHY THE SAZERAC SHOULD BE LOUISIANA’S OFFICIAL COCKTAIL

Granted, this is not the most pressing issue facing the legislature, but still alive (though barely) is the proposal to name the Sazerac as the state’s official cocktail. Early in the session the idea ran into flak from mostly upstate lawmakers who saw evil in giving sanction to an alcoholic drink. (Curiously, wine is mentioned […]

June 30˚90˚ Calendar

Through July 31. “Roger Brown: Southern Exposure;” Ogden Museum of Southern Art. Information, 539-9600, www.ogdenmuseum.org. June 4, 7. YLC Wednesday at the Square; Lafayette Square. Information, 427-5429, wednesdayatthesquare.com. June 5-12, 21-24, 30. New Orleans Zephyrs Home Games; Zephyr Field. Information, 734-5155, www.neworleans.zephyrs.milb.com June 6-8,13-15, 20-22. Cabaret; Le Petit Theatre du Vieux Carre. Information, 522-9958, www.lepetittheatre.com. […]

Fathers and Sons

Wayne Baquet Longtime local restaurateur; owner of L’il Dizzy’s Café on Esplanade Avenue and Poydras StreetSimilarities: My son has my tenaciousness, my character and my desire to succeed in everything I do. He’s got it in him. He’s tough. In business, you have to be tough.We love cars – he’s worse than I am, he […]

Seeing Red

There’s only one thing better than eating a red, ripe Creole tomato and that’s growing one. To the urban “farmer,” the tomato is first and foremost in the vegetable garden. The love of the tomato dominates June menus and outdoor markets revel in their displays of bright red, often misshapen and huge tomatoes. Best of […]

Testosterone

A sexist short-course in sexual hormones has estrogen as the hormone of beauty and sensitivity and testosterone as the hormone of aggression and war. Research published this year in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences fuels this debate and moves the playing field from war zones and sports arenas to the financial trading […]

Coming Home

Ed. Note: This is the last of a series of columns written by a New Orleanian on duty in Iraq. Because of military regulations, he was not able to use his name. We can tell you that he is a decorated Navy pilot from a prominent New Orleans family. By the time this “Baghdad Dispatch” […]

The Prophecy

National Guard troops in armored vehicles patrol New Orleans streets as the June drawdown date nears. Children as young as 14 rob pedestrians at gunpoint. Murders climb, despite millions of dollars in increased funding for cops and prisons. “People are scared,” City Council President Arnie Fielkow tells WWL-TV, after earlier vowing to hold the New […]

When an Obsession Pays Off

Sometimes a woman has to take matters into her own hands. Such a woman is Sheila Ealey, founder of the Creative Learning Center, a school for autistic children. When her own son, Temple, now 8, was diagnosed with severe autism, she was told he would eventually need to be institutionalized. At the time of the […]

Science as Business

The challenge to the local bioscience industry is a little like the task of herding cats: With each fiercely independent member of the group inclined to sprint down its own path, how do you convince everyone to move in the same direction? The bioscience sector in New Orleans is a diverse collection of entities, ranging […]

Saving Jim Letten

Here is a question to ask candidates in the race for Bill Jefferson’s Second Congressional District: If a Democrat is elected president, will you urge that Jim Letten be retained as U.S. Attorney? Those who serve as U.S. Attorney do so at the pleasure of existing presidents. Letten, a Republican whose appointment was made official […]

Sheikh Chic

While hurricane recovery may seem achingly slow to locals living with its day-to-day challenges, frequent visitors to New Orleans often remark on the progress between their trips made evident across the city. One recent visitor in particular had a special reason to celebrate the city’s steps forward, since he bankrolled approximately $100 million worth of […]

Read and Spin

Phenom Amanda Shaw’s notoriety began when she was too young to stay at Clearview Mall past 4 p.m. Now 17, this fiddler-singer-songwriter-bandleader-actress has released her newest album, Pretty Runs Out, with her band The Cute Guys. Shaw’s tremendous fiddle work shines throughout and her sprightly vocals, while still emanating traces of youthfulness, are solid overall, […]

An Evening with the Creole Wild West

Though a dazzling presence in the popular imagination, Mardi Gras Indian gangs (as these groups have named themselves) aren’t personally well known to music lovers. People at the New Orleans Country Club have been dancing to Deacon John’s band for decades; so have the masses at Tipitina’s and concert venues. People see the bandmaster in […]

Reefs of Rubble

Local motorists may be anticipating a faster commute while watching the rapid construction of the larger, new Interstate-10 bridge spans connecting New Orleans and Slidell. Now, fishing enthusiasts have their own reason to be pleased with the progress of the massive roadway project. That’s because a new plan advocated by the Coastal Conservation Association of […]

Restaurant Insider

La Côte Brasserie (700 Tchoupitoulas St., in the Renaissance Arts Hotel) is in a less-traveled section of the Warehouse District but with valet parking and a spacious dining room (pictured below), there’s no reason not to make it a regular stop.  Here’s one reason I really like Chef Chuck Subra’s food: At a recent lunch […]

Breakfast Places

If breakfast is the most important meal of the day, then why not approach it with a little panache? After all, this is the city where Brennan’s elevated it to an art form, turning the most neglected meal of the day into a three-course exercise in indulgence. While most of us don’t regularly have the […]

Decorated doctor’s New Orleans path

A medical career that began at Tulane University more than 70 years ago has earned Dr. Michael DeBakey the highest honor the nation can bestow on a civilian. Renowned as a medical pioneer and the inventor of many procedures, tools and medical delivery concepts credited with saving thousands of lives, DeBakey was recently awarded the […]

Carlton Dufrechou

Carlton Dufrechou is that cool science teacher you never had. First of all, the classroom: a conference room overlooking the Lake Pontchartrain to the north and the southshore lakefront. Though the lake is murky because of the influx of Mississippi River water (the Bonnet Carre Spillway – which had been opened to ensure it didn’t […]

From Vine to Table

Tomatoes, when they’re shipped to our supermarkets from California or Mexico, are picked green, sprayed with a gas to delay spoilage, packed into a refrigerated boxcar, sent to a wholesale distributor, then trucked to the store. At best, the process might take a week. Tomatoes, when they come from Plaquemines and St. Bernard parishes, are […]

Julia Street

Dear Julia and Poydras,Years ago, I remember there being two very prominent florists on St. Charles Avenue not very far from one another. Whatever happened to those two establishments and what became of their buildings? If my memory on the location is correct, it looks like one of those buildings has been converted into a […]

Marquee

They Say Tomato, We say Creole TomatoTake a bite into a juicy, red Creole tomato during this steamy month and you’ll feel instantly cooler and a bit healthier, too. Loaded with vitamins and antioxidants, the tomato is something to celebrate. The French Market Tomato Festival will take place June 13-15, featuring live music, cooking demonstrations, […]

The Doodlebug and Me

My favorite insect is the doodlebug. The relationship between the bug and me developed when I was in grade school. Each morning I waited at the corner for the school bus to arrive. The neighbor at the corner house had planted a row of hedges that were a doodlebug metropolis. It was easy to be […]

Farewell to St. Henry’s

Ed. Note: In April, Archbishop Alfred C. Hughes announced the closing of 25 Catholic Church parishes throughout the archdiocese of New Orleans. In his book, Historic Churches of Old New Orleans, written prior to Hurricane Katrina, author George Gurtner outlined the historic significance of many of those churches now slated for closing. A native New […]

Sweet Story

Oh, Mimi made the most beautiful roses!” photographer Catherine Ledner says of her grandmother’s skill with sugary icing. When Catherine was a teenager she worked in the Metairie bakery where her “Mimi,” Beulah Ledner, created confections that delighted New Orleanians. A grand-daughter’s fond memories are shared by many who enjoyed the products of Beulah Ledner’s […]

The Word

I am getting ready to go to a fancy wedding and I slip into my pink frilly dress with the bow in the back. But I can’t see to tie it. I live in an apartment behind the Sloth Lounge in the French Quarter. (I don’t drink much but it’s nice to know I can […]

Last Call

For over 100 years, even after Louisiana became an official state, it looked as though the French and the Spanish were going to set the tone of New Orleans forever. Then, as New Orleans emerged as a major port, a commercial powerhouse and a cultural center, Americans began to arrive in great numbers. Beginning in […]

Etc.

Take it for granite Surprisingly for some, natural stone is “very affordable,” says Rachel Jones, office manager for Triton Stone Group of New Orleans, a wholesale natural stone yard that provides granite, marble, travertine, onyx and other natural stone products. “Our stone is imported from all around the world, with the majority coming in from […]

Etc.

The art of Amzie AdamsThe All Amzie All The Time Gallery features artwork by local artist Amzie Adams, who describes his style as “post-impressionistic spacialism.” He combines New Orleans “dreamscapes” and psychedelic color palates, explains gallery owner of Lisa Faia. Adams, who has lived in New Orleans for over 40 years, is a poet, actor, […]

NOLA by the Numbers

1966Year the brown pelican officially became Louisiana’s state bird. 4Ingredients in Abita – water, malted barley, yeast and hops. 579Poultry producers in Louisiana (according to the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Forestry). 10,000Square feet of gallery space at the Contemporary Arts Center. 48Percent of Louisiana’s land area covered by forest. 1998Year Café Du Monde introduced […]

30˚90˚ Dining Features

Fired up at 5 Fifty 5The restaurant 5 Fifty 5 offers a fresh approach to food, incorporating New Orleans, Cajun, French, American and Creole cuisine based on a unique wood-fired grill concept. Located inside the Marriott Hotel, 5 Fifty 5 offers “something for everyone,” says Manager Vanessa Jackson, who adds that there’s a private dining […]

Belly Up

Atypical visit to Jamila’s Restaurant in the Riverbend might include mergeuz lamb sausage, a steaming clay pot of couscous and, if the dinner happens to be on a Saturday night, a close encounter with the shimmying, shaking, bejeweled spectacle of live belly dancing. Jamila’s is one of  several local restaurants and nightclubs to regularly showcase […]

Spotlight on Success

On Friday, June 20, step into the spotlight at Generations Hall for a happening charity event that’s sure to rock New Orleans. Guests will delight during a night of fun, dining and dancing in support of the March of Dimes. Presented by New Orleans Magazine, the Spotlight on Success is an annual event that selects […]

Be a Tourist in Your Own Town

BACCO310 Chartres StreetNew Orleans504.522.2426www.bacco.comChef Chris Montero serves up fresh local seafood and housemade pastas with Creole Italian flair at this chic Ralph Brennan eatery Bon Appetit calls BACCO “a gem”. Don’t miss the 10¢ lunch martinis or the Lobster Ravioli which the Zagat Restaurant Survey says “will send you to heaven.” Another reason to love […]

Best Places to Live

With its colorful mixture of shotgun houses, skyscrapers and elegant mansions, New Orleans has a place for everyone to call home, and whether you want to be right at the center of the action or away from it all, if you like cozy spaces or something more grand, the greater New Orleans area has myriad […]

Resources for Health

Whether you consider yourself an athlete or not, the game of life often results in injuries that require the care of medical professionals. Louisiana boasts a number of orthopedic and sports medicine resources to get patients back on track. Orthopedics is the branch of medicine concerned with diseases, injuries and conditions of the musculoskeletal system. […]

Prevention is the Best Medicine

While the gap between the life expectancy of women and men is narrowing, worldwide men live an average of two years less than women. According to the Centers for Disease Control, the overwhelming killers of American men are heart disease and cancer, followed by accidents, stroke, chronic lower respiratory diseases and diabetes. Staying healthy requires […]

97 Quirky New Orleans Discoveries

New Orleans. Endlessly interesting. Mysterious. Offbeat. What can you say about a city that has been through so much, yet remains as vibrant and intriguing as any city in America? We New Orleanians know that we have something special in this low-lying plot of earth between the Mississippi River and Lake Pontchartrain. But how many […]

Drawing the Line

This year we’re seeing the first institutional, post-Hurricane Katrina projects come online. They precede a series of publicly funded projects that will make a substantial contribution to the area, including new and refurbished schools, police and fire stations, and libraries. We have learned to be patient with respect to rebuilding. Whether it’s the bureaucracy associated […]

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