Arnaud’s is making it easy (and even more enticing) to stay out of the boiling August heat and eat your fill with its “Starter Pack for Foodies.” The campaign, which kicked off in July and runs through Sept. 7, includes happy hour in the French 75 Bar and Richelieu Bar from 5 to 7 p.m. with drink specials and $5 snacks, as well as a prix-fixe summer menu featuring lobster bisque, chicken fricassé, pan roasted snapper and a profiterole mousse trio. Young professionals (aged 21 to 30) can take advantage of a 30 percent discount off of dinner (food only) Monday through Wednesday. On Aug. 22, you belong down at the Pink Rosé Club from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and don’t miss the Moët French Riviera Pop-Up at the French 75 Bar, also through Sept. 7, which showcases dishes inspired by the Riviera, such as sorbet pour overs and tempenades, as well as oysters. arnaudsrestaurant.com
All Aboard!
On Aug. 18, train enthusiasts, adventurers and commuters across the Gulf South can hop aboard Amtrak’s new, twice-daily intercity train between Mobile, Alabama and New Orleans. With stops in Bay Saint Louis, Gulfport Biloxi and Pascagoula in Mississippi, Mardi Gras Service passengers can choose between Coach and Business Class, take advantage of Wi-Fi, wide reclining seats and, most important to us, the train’s Café service. Nosh on breakfast fare including sausage, egg and cheese bagels, streusel coffee cake and omelette cups; lunch and dinner muffulettas, angus beef burgers and vegan burgers; as well as snacks such as cheese and cracker trays, nuts and Zapp’s potato chips. No Mardi Gras-themed activity is complete without adult beverages, which are plentiful and range from beer (including regional craft brews from Abita and Chandeleur) and hard seltzer to wine and cocktails. For an additional fee (and with the appropriate carrier), passengers can also bring along their furry friends. Let the good times roll! amtrak.com/Mardi-Gras-Service
Smørrebrød and Coffee
Artisanal coffee lovers in the know have been quietly sipping Applied Arts Coffee, roasted by Chef Baruch Rabasa, for the past year-ish, getting their fix at places like Le Ponce in Mid-City or buying a bag at Meyer Provisions in Uptown. Chef Baruch and partner Melissa Stewart are embarking on a brick-and-mortar adventure at 612 Piety St. in the Bywater neighborhood, which was slated to “open soon” as of press time. Applied Arts Coffee will feature the sustainable and responsibly sourced coffee its customers have come to know, as well as Scandinavian open-faced sandwiches called smørrebrød, a nod to Stewart’s Norwegian roots. appliedartscoffee.com
Werk Your Way to Sunday Brunch
Fans of the popular and raucous drag brunch at Saint John’s former location on Decatur Street rejoice for its comeback in the relocated St. Charles Avenue location. Sunday seatings are at 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. and include performances by legendary drag queens Debbie with a D and Laveau Contraire, as well as guest performers. Mimosas for $7.15 honor the St. Charles Avenue address and brunch includes cochon de lait boudin, eggs baked in spicy tomato sauce with parmesan and toasted focaccia, fried chicken and waffles to name a few. Pro-tip: Book reservations well in advance, because brunch spots go fast. saintjohnnola.com
Town and Country
In June, Mosquito Supper Club chef and owner and cookbook author Melissa Martin and Cassi Dymond, owner of Kalimera General Contracting and co-owner of Satsuma, opened Saint Claire restaurant and event space in Algiers. Located in a center hall Federalist-style house at 1300 Richland Road, the restaurant is nestled amid live oak trees on nearly four acres of property. Citing the book “Port of No Return: Enemy Alien Internment in World War II New Orleans,” by Tulane University professor Marilyn Miller, Verite News reported earlier this year that the land at one time “functioned as a World War II internment camp for non-U.S. citizens” and later “roughly one-third of the property operating as a station for U.S. Customs and Border Protection until 2019.” Despite, or perhaps because of the property’s complicated history, on the restaurant’s website, Saint Claire is described as “an inclusive space for events of all kinds” and visitors are invited to “see her as a refuge in a city that we love.” The menu features local and seasonal ingredients in elevated Southern cuisine, such as oysters mignonette, duck and andouille gumbo and jumbo lump crab cakes. saintclaire.me
