“We kids feared many things in those days – werewolves, dentists, North Koreans, Sunday school – but they all paled in comparison with Brussels sprouts.” -Dave Barry When overcooked, as many of our mother’s Brussels sprouts were, admit it, transformed from bright bundles of green joy into bitter, gray blobs […]
$150 & Under
“Anyone who lives within their means suffers from a lack of imagination.” ~Oscar Wilde Frugality is king these days. What with our crumbling economy and high unemployment rate, most people are looking at how to save a dollar, rather than how to spend one. We scramble for sales, subscribe to […]
Rising to the top
Cream of the crop, crème de la crème, cream of society … these are all idioms, phrases and sayings signifying the best of the best, after all, the best part of milk is indisputably the cream. There are so many delicious and delightful dishes made with cream, but I think […]
The modest Louisiana oyster
“Oysters are the most tender and delicate of all seafoods. The stay in bed all day and night. They never work or take exercise, are stupendous drinkers, and wait for their meals to come to them.” -Hector Bolitho Growing up in the San Francisco Bay Area seafood caught fresh from […]
Pass the popcorn
Lights dim and the noise level in the crowd rapidly decreases as people shush their children and latecomers rush to find seats, squinting down long, red aisles of filled chairs, their eyes not yet adjusted to the dark. At last everyone is in place, bubbly beverages safely stowed into built-in […]
Tasting blood
“Blood is really warm,it’s like drinking hot chocolatebut with more screaming.” -Ryan Mecum, Zombie Haiku We live in an interesting age where the supernatural is natural and everyone wants to be a vampire, or a werewolf, or one of the mystic fae possessing not only their supreme powers, but their […]
Put the phone down and come to the table
While enjoying a magnificent, yet artery-clogging Monte Cristo Sandwich at The American Sector a few months back, I stopped gorging for a moment to take a sip of soda and consider a question my dining companion posed about a family sitting a few tables away from us. “Why did they […]
A Piece of the Pie
“Well we’re movin on up,To the east side.To a deluxe apartment in the sky.Movin on up,To the east side.We finally got a piece of the pie.” – The Jeffersons Perhaps my age is showing, but every time I think of the idiom “a piece of the pie,” I cannot help […]
Meet + Greet: Robin Barnes
Local singer vocalizes her passions and lives for her dreams Raised in a musical family, Robin Marie Barnes grew up with rhythm in her blood and soul. Her father and namesake Robino Barnes who plays bass himself, taught his daughter about music and appreciating the roots of jazz and blues. […]
What’s hotter than hot?
As the summer temperatures soar above 90 and feel (thanks to our high humidity) 10 to 15 degrees hotter, we all have a tendency to seek foods that are cool. Crisp salads, chilled soups, snoballs and popsicles are typical summertime fare in the midst of steaming August rains and almost […]
With enthusiasm and talent, Chef Kristen Essig rises to claim a kitchen of her own
“I always get offended when people don’t have chocolate on their dessert menu.” -Kristen Essig Vibrant, assertive, playful and talented, Chef Kristen Essig already has definite ideas about the food and ambiance at Sainte Marie Brasserie, though she only took the position a little over two months ago. Kicking off […]
Meet + Greet: Tim Williamson
New Orleans native is rooting for the economic future of his hometown Born and raised in New Orleans, Tim Williamson of The Idea Village grew up near the universities Uptown and attended Isidore Newman, a private, college preparatory school that’s been teaching privileged youth since 1903. After high school, Williamson […]