Each Friday in Lent, we'll bring you a fish-forward recipe from a local New Orleans chef. This week, Chef Scot Craig of Katie's Restaurant and Francesca by Katie's shares his crab cake recipe. What you'll need: 8 slices…
It’s Lenten season and many people decide to give up drinking during this time. This year, Lent takes place from Wednesday, Feb. 17, to Thursday, April 1. So, what do you sip on if you’re giving up the practice of…
Mixologists find it easy to fall in love with Empress 1908 gin derived from butterfly pea blossoms that give the libation its natural indigo color. Handcrafted in small-batch copper pot stills, its exquisite taste, regal look and delicate aroma make…
One thing everyone agrees upon is that seafood is a healthful food choice. It is high in good things, such as protein, vitamins and minerals, and low in bad things, such as calories, total fat and saturated fat. Eating seafood…
There’s so much to love about fried ravioli. (Fun fact it was one of the recipes I submitted to “Guys Grocery Games” when I got picked to compete, so it holds a special place in my heart.) It’s the combo…
There are so many fun and creative ways to make the best of this off-colored Carnival season. From house floats to fabulous door decorations or creative cocktails, we are up for the challenge. Since city officials are encouraging us…
Mardi Gras will be different this year. Official floats will not be rolling in 2021, the best time of the year will be condensed and we will be forced to find alternative ways to maneuver through Carnival season. This…
It seems restrictions are getting tighter when it comes to going out and visiting our favorite bars. We understand, but that makes for challenging times when trying to come up with festive and great cocktails for the holiday season.…
Hey, we don’t want to hear, "Bah Humbug," and references to the "Grinch Who Stole Christmas." It’s time for cocktail lovers to turn our frowns upside down and consider the glass half full. Let’s get the excitement for the…
As I near the finish line of my six-month alcohol-free adventure, which is Jan. 4 for those following along, the holidays — aka mulled beverage season — are upon us. Deprivation is not part of the Bon Vivant lifestyle,…
NEW ORLEANS (press release) – Chef Brian Landry of Jack Rose and Chef Isaac Toups of Toups Meatery offer a few recipes perfect for your holiday season. Chef Brian Landry, Jack Rose – This holiday season, Brian Landry, Chef/Owner of…
Holiday cocktails are calling our names, and right about now we are dreaming of hot toddy’s, whimsical cocktails and seasonal wines. It’s time to trim the tree, hang the mistletoe and get creative about our festive holiday drinks. Like…
Variables are a problem with most recipes. Unless you are following instructions that include weights for every ingredient – which is typical only for baking – your ingredients are going to vary from time to time and that’s particularly…
Acadiana’s unconventional winter holidays of 2020 are undulating like Bach’s celestial “Christmas Oratorio” trumpets that crescendo and decrescendo until the Epiphany on Jan. 6, when Twelfth Night signals Carnival king cakes and cocktails. Revelers can step up their Mardi Gras…
When it comes to holiday menus, my family is all over the table. When I was a youngster, we had the usual baked turkey, roast pork, rice dressing (or eggplant dressing), some kind of sweet potatoes, green bean bundles and…
December is always the perfect time to throw a little extra love in the air. Bring this year to a grand finale with this full-flavored showstopper - juicy pork chops complimented perfectly by a sweet whiskey berry sauce with a…
The holiday season is upon us and, like everything else, it will be a bit different this year. There will likely be fewer people, less spirited revelry and we will be forced to find ways to use our creative…
NEW ORLEANS (press release) – Loews New Orleans Hotel is sharing its iconic cocktail, the NOLA Hurricane to give a little taste of New Orleans for those dreaming of a getaway. “Getaways in a Glass” is a new Loews Hotels brand-wide…
This week I hit month four of my six-month alcohol-free challenge. (It’s going well, I don’t miss booze and I feel great, thanks for asking!) I celebrated by mixing up and hoisting an ice-cold Michelada. That is, an ice cold,…
Many of us are swirling from the whirlwind of hurricanes, the pandemic, elections and so much more these days. And recently, some of you have been asking us for cocktails to match our ever changing moods. So, we are…
This past was a particularly crafty weekend. I spent it carving elaborate pumpkins with my niece and creating one of those monster-themed candy shoot things so we can issue candy to trick-or-treaters from a distance. That Halloween is on…
Everyone needs an impressive soup under your belt, and nothing says “I’m about to impress the hell out of my guests” better than a good bisque. In some cities they call it “chowder,” but in New Orleans, when we make…
I know what you are thinking: What’s the point of a zero proof French 75? It is said to have been created not long after World War I and named after a French 75mm field gun, precisely because of…
I have identified several large, centuries-old oak trees with ground sweeping boughs in public spaces in various small neighborhood parks around town in which to meet friends. It is always 10 to15 degrees cooler under such a tree and…
The new government rule states that bars can now begin serving to-go drinks again, but other restrictions still remain in place. Our suggestion is that you check with a place before you go in to make sure you are…
I was 27 when I bought my home near Magazine and Jefferson in Uptown's West Riverside neighborhood. That was 1996 and I still love it here. I never get bored. I have seen things change and, due to an…
LAFAYETTE, La – Festivals Acadiens et Créoles is going virtual this year, but that doesn't mean you can't add a little something special while celebrating at home. Acadian Slice sent their "Brown Butta Pecan Pie" recipe to Acadiana Profile…
Unlike the hours-long little teaser that dropped us into the mid 70s last weekend, a bonafide days-long cool front offering evening lows in the 60s and daily highs in the 70s has settled upon our weary, sweaty city. The…
Bartender Toure Folkes founded Turning Tables in July 2019. Turning Tables advocates for equity in the hospitality industry providing mentorship, educational tools and classes, as well as exposure for the brown and black community of New Orleans. A core component…
"Work hard, play hard" – the phrase so many of us in New Orleans have lived by for years. COVID-19 has made the mantra a bit harder. Now, finding a place that offers drink specials and happy hours is…
Though an enthusiastic cook and appreciative of the slight reprieve from the summer temperatures, I remain unconvinced that Gumbo Weather is upon us. I am still avoiding heat belching ovens, roiling liquids in a hot pots, and, for the most…
The temperature seems to be giving us a little break, and there are some exciting things to celebrate on the culinary scene. Check it out. When she died last year at age 96, Chef Leah Chase, the embodiment of…
NEW ORLEANS (press release) – Live Kids Cooking Classes with SoFAB Kids! Every other Wednesday at 4 p.m., kids 7-11 years old, or adults young at heart, are invited to cook along with Miss Jennie via zoom and FB…
Due to the weirdness that is our year of the pandemic, the 146th Kentucky Derby did not run on the first Saturday in May. Rather, it is running tomorrow — the first Saturday in September. My husband and I are…
Long story short, I ended up in Greenville, Mississippi at the home of Frankie Keating for an extended stay after Katrina. She and her then recently departed husband, Bern, were a brilliant, elegant, worldly couple, who were still going…
Chicken is to a cook what an empty canvas is to a painter. It suggests infinite possibilities, limited only by one’s imagination and talent. There have probably been more culinary improvisations involving chicken than most any other ingredient, in part…
A couple of weeks ago my suggestions for dining out – or at least acquiring food from somewhere other than your own kitchen – on the cheap were received with enough enthusiasm as to warrant additional exploration of the…
NEW ORLEANS (press release) – Chefs Nina Compton, Isaac Toups and Bryan Landry have shared a few of their favorite recipes ahead of Labor Day celebrations. Chef Brian Landry, Bayou Bar 1&1 Burger with Hickory BBQ Sauce - No…
With statewide and city pandemic phasing and social distancing mandates still in place and a few tropical storms in the Gulf of Mexico, it is easy to let everything consume your mood and completely kill the romance. But it’s…
With potential atmospheric calamities threatening to enter the Gulf, record-breaking temperatures, nowhere to go and nothing to do, continuing record high unemployment, a barbaric election cycle, and COVID – a most unwelcome guest now bearing the stench of nearly…
In the heat of a New Orleans summer, like now, for instance, creativity and more effort fade away to a “Let’s just get this done as quickly as possible” attitude. Understandable. The daiquiri cocktail takes its name from both a…
I once tracked down the best routes out of New Orleans to load up on fresh peaches in August. That’s not to say the grocery stores weren’t selling them, but I have a childhood love of food fresh off the…
Baby, it’s hot outside and many of us are looking for cool cocktails to beat the heat. Finding a place that is open might be a bit of a challenge these days, but if you call ahead and ask around,…
Whether you have a hole in your pocket the size of 1. The job you used to have before COVID; 2. The federally enhanced unemployment check you used to get before the system went off of the rails; 3.…
I love to go tubing. A simple creature, plopping my butt in an inner tube then floating down a river with a group of friends while alternating between eating fried chicken and drinking beer (this is the only time…
While the swimsuits and shorelines of summer vanish with the Sept. 22 autumn equinox, Acadiana’s cooling cocktails prevail with the lingering heat. Soaring temperatures invariably converge with the onset of fall, when fields of sugar cane reach harvest heights along…
NEW ORLEANS – Chef Isaac Toups of Toups Meatery has shared his recipe for roasted oysters with crab fat butter ahead of National Oyster Day, which is Aug. 5. Below you'll find Toups' recipe. Make the recipe yourself? Let us…
NEW ORLEANS (press release) – A few New Orleans bartenders are sharing cocktail recipes in a new Summer Sippin' in New Orleans series. The bartenders are from popular local restaurants and the cocktails are perfect to make at home.…
Over the past few years, I’ve become one of those smoothie people. I make them with spinach and beets and pretty much any veggie you can stick in a blender and mask the potential weirdness with one or more…
It’s the heat of summer and we recently had a quick taste of getting things back to normal, or somewhat normal. We grew accustomed to walking into a bar masked up, sitting apart at a same distance... Then BAM,…
We lived in Texas for 12 years and to this day, I frequently crave a good Mexican Martini. For the uninitiated, it’s a margarita, but with the addition of olive juice and a lot more tequila. The extra tequila…
When Ruby left to spend the summer with her dad five weeks ago, Georgia and I spent about an hour moping around the house. Then, to cheer ourselves up, we got drive-thru Taco Bell and took a walk at…
Rich Mocha Ice Cream 1 cup strong brewed coffee or espresso ⅔ cup Dutchprocess cocoa 1 cup granulated sugar 2 cups heavy cream Combine coffee, cocoa and sugar in a mixing bowl and whisk until smooth. Add cream and whisk.…
Usually the trek to arrive at a New Orleans’ July is not so manic, not so distressing. This year we have all paid a dear price for the journey and we have arrived at a season not usually associated with…
On a hot summer day of my childhood, there was nothing like an ice-cold watermelon to pick up your spirits. If nothing else, it cooled you down a notch and entertained you long enough to make scary teeth out of…
Since sometime in 2019, I’ve been living in the middle ages. Well, that is, literarily speaking. I’ve been reading every book I can get my hands on by Elizabeth Chadwick, foremost author of medieval tales, so thankfully I’m living…
Roasted Garlic Mac and Cheese Ingredients 1 pound macaroni noodles salt, to taste 2 tablespoons butter 1/4 cup minced garlic 2 tablespoons flour 1 pint milk 1 pound shredded cheddar cheese 1/2 pound…
Our neighbors and friends returned from a brief trip out of town today, and the first thing my friend Joe said to me was – paraphrasing – that the hot sauce I’d given him was quite nice. I have…
Our previous column, The Joys of Rum, Part 1, seems to have hit a responsive chord among readers and so we are pleased to continue the thread. Besides, rum is such a broad topic and close to our lives…
Rum needs better publicity representation. How can a spirit so outstanding and enjoyable not be a part of every drinking person’s daily program? If nothing else, on historic value alone, rum certainly makes for a better story than vodka.…
Since childhood, summer has been my favorite time of year. What better time to enjoy lolling in a hammock staring at the clouds, and maybe a having a quick dip in a cool swimming pool. In my adult life, a…
Even in a place with a strong Italian and Sicilian heritage, such as New Orleans, the Garibaldi cocktail, like its namesake, is relatively unknown. Which is a shame because the cocktail is easy to make and has a valid background…
My first invitation to lunch In New Orleans after moving here was to meet under the clock at D.H. Holmes and then it was on to Galatoire's. I'll never forget that meal - oysters Rockefeller and shrimp-and crab-stuffed eggplant. It…
A few weeks back, Cinco de Mayo and its joyous convergence with Taco Tuesday inspired most of us to mix up a batch of margaritas at home. It reminded me how much I love a good margarita and since…
In the midst of the global pandemic, many couples are socially distancing and staying at home together. For anyone, this time is trying and can cause stress. For the past few weeks, we have brought back a series we…
Here are the things I know if you are reading this: 1) You have a device capable of accessing the internet. 2) You are a human of discerning taste. The latter makes me think you will appreciate a recipe…
As the global pandemic strikes us all, it leaves bars with closed doors and quiet registers. Owners, servers and bartenders are forced to find alternative ways to survive. And bars don’t even have the option to adopt the now…
The weather has been gorgeous the past couple of days in New Orleans, which only makes social distancing – especially for social New Orleanians – even more difficult. Many families and groups of friends have gotten crafty when it…
The entire internet has seemingly been baking homemade bread for weeks, with the exception of those of us who weren’t prescient enough to buy yeast before the COVID-19 hoarding began in earnest. My husband Mark and I bake bread…
Before Hurricane Rita washed me out of it, I lived on a small bayou that emptied into Vermilion Bay. I knew shrimp season was about to open when I heard my neighbor tuning up the engine on his boat, the…
It has been an interesting quarantine chez Peyton. There’s Chef’s Brigade, which has taken up a good bit of time and then my father-in-law was hospitalized with double pneumonia. He was released a couple of weeks ago and for…
Eggs Hussarde Brennan’s New Orleans Cookbook (1961) Ingredients: 2 large thin slices ham, grilled 2 Holland Rusks (a light, crisp toast available at most grocery stores) 1/4 cup Marchand de Vin Sauce 2 slices tomato, grilled 2 eggs, soft poached 3/4…
While sitting at your favorite bar and partaking of a carefully crafted, perfectly balanced cocktail remains a dream, you can still pick up a pre-mixed version without booze. Or, better yet, mix up a batch of your own specialty!…
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…
Much like hand-washing, I was into sourdough bread before it got trendy. In grad school, I had a sourdough starter that I used to make a garlic-cheese bread that was always a hit at potlucks and dinner parties, but…
Now and then my mother will come across some documents from my grandparents’ house in Amite and share them with me. They’re always fascinating, but this weekend she gave me a bunch of recipes, most of which were handwritten by…
Comfort food is high on my list these days. But, I’m also keen to eat economically, nutritiously and — to paraphrase food journalist Michael Pollan’s advice in the 2009 PBS documentary "In Defense of Food," which was based on…
We've been indoors for weeks now due to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. Though the weather has been nice, it's difficult to keep spirits equally as sunny. In today's "Let Them Eat Cake" we wanted to flashback to a "Caterer's…
The phrase, “Most men lead lives of quiet desperation” has never rang so true for so many. We are all pretty much on the same path, the same schedule. This town, like most towns in America, is shut down.…
(This article was composed before the full implementation of the effects and governmental restraints as applied to the Corona Virus outbreak. This article was penned on Friday March 13, which now seems eons ago. But the hope is that…
I have been working remotely for several years. By “working remotely,” I mean “working from home and often in casual clothing/dainty unmentionables.” I am used to being alone and dealing with other humans via cell phone, Skype and my…
Seafood Salad with Green Goddess Dressing Seafood Salad 2 pounds shrimp, peeled and deveined 1/8 cup crab boil seasoning ¼ cup salt 4 lemons, squeezed 2 bay leaves 1/8 cup Creole spices ½ gallon water 1 pound jumbo lump crabmeat,…
Springtime is high time for seasonal veggies and, my favorite, fruits. Thankfully, New Orleans is home to several farmers markets throughout the week, local and national grocery stores committed to carrying fresh, local food and services which bring the goods…
When you decide to give up alcohol for Lent, suddenly everyone wants to go to happy hour and boozy birthday parties abound. At least, that was my experience the first weekend of the Eat Fit Alcohol Free for 40…
For many New Orleanians, even those who for most of the year are not strict followers of a particular Faith, Lent is a season of sacrifice. Nothing wrong with that approach, and it does not hurt to give up…
Not long ago, good Southern barbecue was a rare find in New Orleans. A slice of meat drenched in barbecue sauce was about the closest you could get. Shortly before the turn of the 21st century, a few cooks with…
When the weather turns cool, and to be honest in January that really should happen despite how we do winter in south Louisiana, then to me the perfect accompaniment is whiskey. Oh sure, brandy, port and hot toddies all…
My go-to dish for winter evenings is a pot roast, with all but the rice in one pot. At one time it could be consumed by my family, but as children went off to college, it began to cover two…
Sometimes the dressings outweigh the turkey at my family’s Thanksgiving table. There are those, including me, who must have oyster dressing. A simple cornbread dressing pleases those who don’t like oysters, and you might as well count the must-have mirliton…
Today’s word, students, is “authenticity.” It is one of my favorite answers to the question, “What makes New Orleans different and special when compared to other American towns?” Or “Why are we this way, and they are that way?”…
Football Fans, we are here for you! There are so many amazing happy hours around town to get a good deal and watch the game while sipping your favorite libation. But some may argue that the best seat in…
If I have learned one thing about raising children, it is to feed them noodles. Really, any kind of pasta will do, but noodles are a favorite among kids, who like to slurp things. We Americans, of all ages, have…
It’s a known fact that tourists avoid New Orleans in the heat of summer. And many who live here try to escape. Hard as I try, my trips lean toward early summer or fall, leaving me to survive the inferno…
The recent annual gathering of Tales of the Cocktail is finished, and the last hedonist has returned home. We are left with fine memories and new ideas. It happens this way every year, and when the final ice cube…
Easy construction? Obtainable ingredients? Speed to build? The portable party we know as summer presents its own set of challenges when it comes to creating a drink that satisfies. This time of year, tackling a build-your-own-cocktail project with too many…
Ask Leah Chase what soul food is and she’ll say, “It’s food that soothes you when you eat it. It fills you up. It tastes good. Anybody in the South has been eating it all his life.” She should…
Looks like the corner, finally, has been turned. And not a moment too soon. We went through a period of ego and self-congratulations in the Cocktail World of the early 1990’s and into the new century where crazy drink…
Prior to the birth of the current cocktail era, which made a first appearance around 1985, no city on the planet could claim the birth of more styles of cocktails than New Orleans. Even now, those classic cocktails invented…
Today is National Shrimp Day, and seeing that Louisiana is prime location for all things seafood, we wanted to share a post from our "Caterer's Choice" series that highlights the delectable crustacean. Below you'll find the original post from…
Pork Belly 2 pounds pork belly Sea salt and black pepper 4 fresh bay leaves 3 garlic cloves, peeled and bashed 1 teaspoon cardamom pods 4 star anise 1 Tablespoon fennel seeds Olive oil 2 quarts chicken stock 1 Tablespoon…
