Diners, Drive-ins and Dives Wednesday, Feb 10 2010

I like good food, but I find that good food is not always found in the fanciest restaurants at the highest prices. And New Orleans is the poster child for fine eating at inexpensive, out-of-the way places. I discovered this year’s ago, when we ventured to Austin Leslie’s Chez Helene. Unpretentious food in a plain setting at a reasonable price. To this day, a memorable dining experience.

New Orleans has it’s share of celebrity chefs, trendy venues, and tradition-bound restaurants where patrons pay others to wait in line for them. But those are not the places I frequent.

No, I’m not talking McDonald’s or Subway, but locally owned places, with well-prepared, traditional food. The places where you’ll sit next to a group of elevator repairmen. Where they might offer you a draft beer if you’ve waited in line too long. Places where you consider it lax service if the waitress fails to call you “baby” at least three times.

I do not consider myself an expert; I’d have to visit New Orleans more than once a year, which would be just fine with me, by the way. But over the past five years, I have acquired a list of places that I return to again and again.  And they are:

• Mena’s Palace, in the French Quarter, on Chartres at Iberville. Friendly, inexpensive lunch counter for hearty breakfasts and fabulous lunch specials. Attentive waitresses, frequented largely by locals, it is a New Orleans experience waiting to happen. Favorites: fried chicken plate, red beans and rice, and fried oysters. I have to eat there at least once when I’m in New Orleans.
• Rocky and Carlo’s Restaurant on St. Bernard Highway in Chalmette, LA. A wonderful melange of Creole, Italian, and fried seafood. Clean, moderately priced, with an overtly friendly staff and clientele. it’s like eating at home without having to bother with the dishes.
• Central Grocery on Decatur Street in the French Quarter. OK, this is right up there with Cafe du Monde as a tourist spot, but it is a singular experience. As someone for whom food and cooking is close to being a religious vocation, the vibe of this century-old Italian grocery cuts to the bone. Add to that, muffalettas on incredible Italian loaves and cold beer out of the cooler; it doesn’t get much better.
• Domilise’s Po-Boys, Uptown on Annunciation Street. A nondescript frame building in which the most fabulous Po-Boys in New Orleans are prepared. It features a wide range of sandwiches, but for me it is impossible not to gravitate toward fried seafood po-boys, fried and made to order, fully dressed. While many locals go with a Barq’s as an accompaniment; it’s an Abita Amber for me. Check out the autographed photos of the Archie, Peyton, and Eli Manning behind the bar.
• Praline Connection on Frenchmen Street in Faubourg-Marigny. Probably not the best Afro-Creole restaurant in New Orleans, but for a music lover, it’s location, location, location.  And, reasonably priced entrees coupled with friendly, attentive service. Favorite’s: fried okra, fried catfish, and vegetarian sides. And when you’re finished, you are only steps away from the music.
• Wild card. OK, there has to be one fast food alternative, found most everywhere and consistently good. For me, it’s Popeye’s Fried Chicken. Seldom a first choice, but never a last resort, it is real fried chicken with passable sides. The meal of choice when on the go.

Every year, I find at least one new thing, but for the time being, these are the kind of places you’ll find me at mealtime.

Leave a Response »

 

Who Dat? Nobody! Redemption, at last. Monday, Feb 8 2010

I don’t think there has ever been an American city that could have as much going on as once as New Orleans. And this is a city that thrives on special occasions.

OK, first of all, this is the first big weekend of Mardi Gras parades and celebrations. Then there is this election to choose a successor to Ray Nagin. So, let’s throw in a little thing called the Super Bowl  for the neer-do-well local team — just to make it interesting.

So, Monday has dawned. New Orleans has a new mayor. Multiple opponents. No run-off, First white mayor in 32 years, but one who received a majority of the African-American votes against a black opponent. It helps that the new mayor, Mitch Landrieu, is the well-connected son of the last white New Orleans Mayor, “Moon” Landrieu. To see the new mayor’s first press conference, see here.

Then there’s this little thing called Mardi Gras. Parade times, along with mass schedules had to be rearranged to accommodate the Super Bowl. What a pain. The normal parades took place, although crowds were a little thinner than usual. Sunday parades included one of my favorite, the Krewe of Barkus parade, themed: “The Dogs Go Barking In.”

BUT, and I must repeat, BUT, the Super Bowl and the Saint’s definitive victory is the exclamation point on the weekend, if not, in fact, that of an entire decade. It’s as if the remaining water left from Katrina has been drained from the streets of New Orleans. The city is back. The people are looking forward. The sadness is over. If the Saints can overcome four decades of football futility, the city can overcome four decades of decline.

This is a time for the city to celebrate. But what this may represent, is a far more significant reason for New Orleans to celebrate. It is back! Big time.

Leave a Response »

 

Who Dat Say They Gonna Replace Ray Nagin? Saturday, Feb 6 2010

Some things are normal in New Orleans. Krewe members are gathering bags of throws to distribute at Mardi Gras Parades. Dog owners are preparing costumes for their pets so they can march in Sunday’s Krewe of Barkus parade in the French Quarter. But wait, the Mardi Gras parade schedule has to be rearranged. Churches are altering mass schedules. And school on Monday; don’t count out on it. So Mardi Gras, mass, and school all take a back seat when the Saints are playing in their first Super Bowl.

But something else of importance is happening this weekend. Today, New Orleans is holding an election to see who replaced Ray Nagin as mayor. Eight years ago, businessman Ray Nagin was swept into office because he was not a career politician. He would bring business sensibilities to city government and had no history of personal entanglements that would lead to corruption. History may or may not disprove these assumptions.

So, all eyes are not on this race. There’s a lot at stake, but the election is far from being on the front burner. Early voting has been strong, but that could be because voters want to clear their weekend to follow the festivities. So what’s at stake?

Much rebuilding needs to be done, and electing someone with political connections appears important to most. And race, whether from post-Katrina demographics or Ray Nagin-fatigue, doesn’t appear that important. The most promising African-American candidate withdrew, leaving Lieutenant Governor Mitch Landrieu as the odds-on-favorite to follow Nagin. In fact a low turnout could make him outright winner without the usual runoff election.

The result: the first white mayor of New Orleans in 32 years. But a pedigree that makes him a politically-connected him one. His sister, Mary, is the senior U.S. Senator from Louisiana. And his father, Maurice “Moon” Landrieu, was the last white mayor of New Orleans. In fact, one of my favorite spaces in the city is the green space along the river know as the “Moon” Walk in his honor.

So, while krewes march through the streets. And the Colts and the Saints prepare for battle. New Orleans will also be electing a mayor. And while neither as colorful as parades, nor as exciting as the Super Bowl, the election will have significant impact on the future of New Orleans. For more on the election, click some fine analysis from the New York Times here.

Leave a Response »

 

WWOZ 90.7 FM New Orleans Thursday, Feb 4 2010

In March 2006, my first visit to New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina, I first learned about WWOZ.  Frankly, I don’t remember how. I spent the week in a FEMA camp without a car. Maybe I heard it on the radio of my friend Bruno’s truck. Maybe it was the night I drove my tent mate’s car back to Chalmette when my companions decided to eschew the strictly enforced curfew; I’m too old for fence jumping. However it happened — it happened. And once I returned to New Hampshire, I found it online and began listening while at work.

A year later,  I returned to New Orleans to work once again with Habitat for Humanity and to greet the UNH students who drove the 1500 miles in vans. I rented a car at the Louis Armstrong International Airport using Habitat’s corporate account number. For whatever reason, I paid for a $149 per week compact and they provided me with a Nissan Murano SUV. Stunned, I nodded to the attendant and before I left the airport’s bounds, I tuned the radio to WWOZ. It was exactly 11:00am on a Friday, and inexplicably, Tom Morgan and his “New Orleans Music Show” was coming on. And before I exited onto I-10 East, Tom spun his first tune: Louis Armstrong’s “Do you Know What It Means, to Miss New Orleans?” At that moment, I was thoroughly smitten by the power and meaning of WWOZ.

New Orleans has its cathedral, the bawdy bars of Bourbon Street, and the stately mansions uptown, but to me, WWOZ is a 30-year old monument to the Crescent City. It captures the soul of the city like nothing else, as it personifies music, the music that is New Orleans’s gift to the world.

It was host to the rants of celebrity DJ, rhythm and blues artist Ernie K-Doe. It helps sponsor the annual New Orleans and Jazz and Heritage Festival. And more importantly, as the station itself proclaims, it brings “New Orleans music to the universe.” And the wonderful stable of announcers do just that in a personal, quirky, New Orleans sort-of-way.

When visiting New Orleans, DO tune your radio to 90.7 FM. But wherever you are, so long as you have internet access, you can listen online or receive updates on programming information from Facebook.

WWOZ is one of New Orleans gifts to us, but only if you listen!

Leave a Response »

 

Saints Fans 1, National Football League 0 Tuesday, Feb 2 2010

The saying has long been: “Don’t Mess with Texas, ” but the same could apply to New Orleans Saints fans. In the last week, the Exxon-Mobil of sports merchandising, the National Football League challenged “Who Dat Nation” with copyright infringement, and like the Arizona Cardinals and Minnesota Vikings, they came to New Orleans and got their asses kicked.

The NFL monopoly machine would make old man Rockefeller blush, but nonetheless, the ministry of merchandising decided to take on two mom and pop t-shirt shops who were marketing “Who Dat” shirts with either team colors or the requisite fleur-de-lis. The two shops, Fleurty Girl and Storyville, were surprised to find that the NFL claims copyright over a phrase used for over a century in New Orleans. I mean, does the NFL hold copyright over the Patriots’ red, white and blue? If so, someone should contact America’s flag makers. And less face it, the fleur-de-lis has been a presence in New Orleans centuries before the formerly hapless Saints were added to the NFL roster.

Saints fans are outraged and both U.S. senators, David Vitter and Mary Landrieu have flexed their legislative muscles and in the process, have found something to agree upon. As a result the NFL has backed off, while still holding that anything bearing “Who Dat,” team colors, and the fleur-de-lis, marketed in the name of the Saints are a violation.

For the time being, sales continue, and I suspect they will through the Super Bowl. However, New Orleanians have a long memory, especially for those who have done them wrong, and Vitter is trying to extinguish the memory of his liaisons with prostitutes in New Orleans and Washington, DC; both will be dogged in making this right for the home team.

As is usual during Super Bowl week; there is always a game within the game. So enjoy.

Leave a Response »

 

Allen Toussaint and “The Bright Mississippi” Sunday, Jan 31 2010

The Grammy Awards will be presented tonight. Every year, it is safe say that music-wise, whether it’s jazz, blues, gospel, rhythm and blues, rock and roll, hip-hop, rap, well, you get the idea, there will be some musical notion from the street of New Orleans mixed in.

In recent years, Dr. John, Irma Thomas, Lil Wayne, and Terence Blanchard have picked up Grammy Awards. But this year, with the exception of the Zydeco and Cajun category, New Orleans-area musicians are rather scarce among the nominees.

In spite of this, I’ll be watching to see if producer, composer, arranger, pianist, singer Allen Toussaint can score his first Grammy. Toussaint has produced acts like Irma Thomas, Ernie K-Doe, Lee Dorsey, and Meters. Others like Glen Campbell and the Pointer Sisters has had megahits with songs such as “Southern Nights” and “Yes We Can,” respectively. A member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the 72 year-old, with a long and distinguished musical career, has yet to win a Grammy. That could change tonight with his first jazz album “The Bright Mississippi.”

In it, Toussaint applied his experienced producer’s chops and R & B infused piano to more traditional tunes. And the result is fresh and original. Well-deserved recognition for trying something new. And while Toussaint has decided not make the trip to Los Angeles, it’s high time for him to be able to put a Grammy Award on his mantelpiece back home.

Follow-up: Chick Corea and John McLaughlin Five Piece Band bested Allen Toussaint for best jazz instrumental band. However, the New Orleans Jazz Orchestra won for best large jazz ensemble, and Buckwheat Zydeco garnered best Zyedco and Cajun cd for “Lay Your Burden Down.”

Leave a Response »

 

Unconventional Times for an Unconventional City Saturday, Jan 30 2010

“Stop thinking of New Orleans as the worst-organized city in the United States. Start thinking of it as the best-organized city in the Caribbean. New Orleans is a city-sized act of civil disobedience.” Dan Baum

Weird times for New Orleans.

For over 290 years, New Orleans has accepted life behind the eight ball. Spring floods, yellow fever epidemics, ethnic strife, hurricanes, and pervasive corruption. Even before Hurricane Katrina, the city was a mess. Just this week, Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said that Katrina was the best thing that ever happened to education in New Orleans.

Honestly, New Orleans still has serious problems: crime, corruption, education, health care, and the realization that the next big storm could cripple the city for decades. And while residents remain aware of their collective frailties, they are drawn to the good things that are taking place in the city. And much of this energy is focused on the annual carnival celebration and the singular success of their perennial NFL near-do-wells, the Saints.

The Saints entered the league in 1967, on the heels of Hurricane Betsy, and although they have fielded numerous stars, from field goal Kicker Tom Dempsey, to quarterback Archie Manning, to running back Deuce McAllister, they are a stranger to the playoffs and have never appeared in the Super Bowl. Until now.The Super Bowl will affect Mardi Gras parades, Catholic mass schedules, and, quite possibly,  public school on the Monday following the big game.

On the Saturday before the Super Bowl, citizens will go to the polls to elect a successor to Ray Nagin. Many fear that the mania will depress voter turnout, which will likely benefit Mitch Landrieu, son of former mayor “Moon” Landrieu and brother of U.S. Senator Mary Landrieu. And while the results are of intense importance to the city’s future, more immediate interests cloud the peoples’ minds.

So, even though New Orleans’s values have never been aligned with “American” values, this level of disconnect is extraordinary. But I think it can be explained. New Orleans, regardless of its problems, is the epitome of resilience. It went from hard-scrabble colonial settlement to become the richest city in America. And within a few decades, it was among America’s poorest cities. Through it all, the residents surround themselves with tradition, history, and a joie de vivre  that is fed by local food, music, and culture. It’s easy to come back if you’ve never, truly been anywhere else.

The entire region is gearing up for the Super Bowl. If they win, it will be the biggest municipal party in the history of the United States. However, if they lose, they’ll look to their new mayor, to the last nine days of Mardi Gras. They will eat well, party hard, sing, dance, and make the most of their days before the beginning of Lent. And they’ll be fine, thank you. And they will do this, because that is what they’ve always done; overcome the most awful adversities and move on.

One Response »

 

Saintly Deliverance Tuesday, Jan 26 2010

The Saints entered the NFL in 1967, a year after Hurricane Betsy pummeled the city of New Orleans. Seldom in the playoffs; never in the Super Bowl. Over the years, the franchise was the model of futility. The “Aints.” Fans arriving at games with paper bags over their heads.

January 2010. Four and a half years after Katrina, a forty yard field goal. Simple enough, but it sends the New Orleans Saints to their first Super Bowl. For many fans, it would be a great win. To the people of New Orleans, redemption.

They nearly lost their city. They nearly lost their team to San Antonio. Now, they are NFC champs. Anything is possible. Now, New Orleans will not just be rebuilt, it will be reborn.

Sally Jenkins of the Washington Post beautifully captures the meaning of the event, in both sports and social terms. And the Times-Picayune, well, reports on the local craziness following the game. And from ESPN, a video essay featuring trumpet player Kermit Ruffins.

Now, we must wait to see if  a Super Bowl win over shadows or supplants Mardi Gras. Regardless, we know that New Orleans will be celebrating new hope for renewal.

Leave a Response »

 

Treme Thursday, Jan 7 2010

Filmmakers long have found New Orleans to be a ripe and inviting place for movie settings. The same cannot be said for television. To most Americans, the city is a “mystery wrapped in an enigma.” It provides a backdrop that is too distant, too weird for “main street” viewers. Then there is the problem of “getting it right.”

A great example of the former was “Frank’s Place,” a “dramady” that aired on CBS during the 1987-87 seasons. Critics and folks from New Orleans loved it for its textured verisimilitude, but it failed to draw rating numbers high enough to sustain it. A good example of the second is “K-Ville,” Fox’s post-Katrina cop show. It displayed some understanding of the setting, but appeared challenged by local dialects and even geography. And its audience and lead actors quietly disappeared.

The problem with putting New Orleans’ foibles and eccentricities on the small screen may be solved in April, when HBO is scheduled to premier David Simon’s new drama, “Treme.” Named for the African-American neighborhood to the north of the French Quarter, it will focus on the culture of New Orleans, with Katrina increasingly in the rear view mirror. And while a show about the food and the idiosyncratic music scene of a small, distant American city might be a stretch, I think it could work.

First of all, producer David Simon, the former police beat reporter from Baltimore, created shows like “Homicide” and “The Wire,” both gritty, raw, and hyperealistic. Plus it is on HBO, where such a series can find a niche audience. He has hired a great stable of actors, including Steve Zahn, New Orleans native Wendell Pierce, Melissa Leo (who received an Oscar nomination for her work in last year’s “Frozen River”), and John Goodman, who just signed on this week. He’s also using writers and consultants from New Orleans itself, which should produce a credible product. In fact, Simon hired local trumpet player Kermit Ruffins as a consultant and ended up making him a character in the show…playing himself. And I think Kermit promises to be a star beyond the clubs of the Crescent City…

We’ll see how this plays out. Is New Orleans just too different for the television screen or will “Treme” rise to the level of the growing buzz. Regardless, it’ll be an interesting ride.

Leave a Response »

 

An Epiphany Wednesday, Jan 6 2010

January 6^th is the Catholic feast day Epiphany, which comes from the Greek for appearance. Also known as “Twelfth Night,” it marks the presentation of the infant Jesus to the Magi or Wise Men. And in much of the Christian world, it is day on which Christmas gifts are exchanged.

In New Orleans, which never shies away from an opportunity to celebrate, it takes on more meaning. While to many, Epiphany represents the end of the Christmas season, in New Orleans it is also the start of Carnival, which this year ends on Tuesday, February 16^th, Mardi Gras day.

In a tradition that dates back to the 18^th Century, It begins with “King Cake,” a baked confection decorated with purple, green, and gold sugar. The cake contains a trinket (often a plastic baby) or dried bean. The person who gets the prize may be required to supply the next cake. King Cake parties are common throughout the Carnival season.

While most focus on the Mardi Gras parades leading up to Mardi Gras itself, Carnival also features dances, masked balls, and debutante coming out parties. And even though most krewes and social clubs parade over the days leading up to Mardi Gras, there are some parades sprinkled throughout the season. In fact, on Epiphany itself, the members of the Phunny Phorty Phellows mask and take over the St. Charles Streetcar Line to mark the beginning of the next season of festivities.

Leave a Response »