“I’d give you a cookie, but I ate it.” – Cookie Monster I refuse to bake chocolate chip cookies. It’s not because I don’t love baking or hate chocolate chip cookies (perish the thought). It’s the simple fact that I turn into a demon-possessed, chocolate chip cookie-hoarding monster who will […]
Flower Power
A relative plain-Jane flavor-wise of the vegetable world, cauliflower has risen to great heights over the past several years, even surpassing that green of all revered greens, kale. According to Nielsen, sales of cauliflower has leapt 40% from over the past four years due to an increasing interest in low-carbohydrate […]
True to Herself
Despite founding several successful restaurants, winning local and national awards, and making television appearances, Chef Susan Spicer remains down-to-earth, sincerely genial and passionate about making great food. Right up there with Paul Prudhomme and Emeril Lagasse, Susan Spicer has earned her position as one of New Orleans most notable chefs. […]
Fresh Perks
“I’d rather take coffee than compliments just now.” -Louisa May Alcott From its provocative aroma while brewing to the moment when that first, flavorful sip hits your tongue, coffee … particularly good coffee … is equal to none. For many, it’s a morning ritual, a sacred ceremony wrapped up in […]
Palm & Pine Pivots and Perseveres
With the city’s recent entry into Phase 2, French Quarter newcomer Palm & Pine reopened their doors to limited dine-in service just this past week. Although the Rampart Street restaurant has been offering takeout and delivery since the COVID-19 shutdowns began, many friends, fans and newcomers are masked and ready […]
Local Cottage Food Industry: Black-Owned Bakeries
Long before the rise of social media (or even the internet), people have been making baked goods in their own kitchens for sale to the public. Though laws vary from state-to-state, Louisiana’s Cottage Food Act (enacted in 2013 and amended in 2014) allows residents to sell specific, low-risk goods like […]
Hot Chefs, Cool Flavors
If there’s one thing summer stirs, it’s the childhood memories of cool, sweet treats. Though any kid from Los Angeles to Manhattan can enjoy creamy ice cream and fruity popsicles, only New Orleans kids (both young and old) are blessed with sno-balls. A super simple confection at its core – […]
A Louisiana First: Broad Street Cider & Ale
Pursuing a PhD in history may not be the usual path to opening a cidery, but fortunately for Jonathan Moore and his wife Diana Powell, it was a path that was also strewn in craft beer and cider. In 2010, Moore moved to New Orleans after being accepted to the […]
Gastronomical Luck
Tapping Chef Philip Whitmarsh to head the kitchen at their French Quarter restaurant Jewel of the South was culinary kismet for business partners Nick Detrich, Chris Hannah and John Stubbs. Tucked along the edge of the French Quarter in a Creole cottage mere steps from Rampart Street lies Jewel of […]
Served Straight Up: The Sazerac
What does one say about the Sazerac cocktail that hasn’t already been said? This historic tipple is reputed to be the first American “cocktail,” created right here in New Orleans in the 1830s by famed apothecary Antoine Amédée Peychaud, the creator of Peychaud’s Bitters, a crucial ingredient in any Sazerac […]
Prodigious Plates: For the Love of Leftovers
Though there’s many a snob who would scoff at a dish piled high with more food that any average person could eat in one sitting, there are also those who seek to “supersize.” Perhaps those individuals have a hearty appetite; those frustrating, blessed with high-metabolism folk who can eat dizzying […]
À la mode
What with all of the hoopla of Mardi Gras going on, it’s easy to miss one of the most significant celebrations of February, Great American Pie Month! Naturally this is said with a heavy inflection of snark, but to take it that extra mile, what is even more paramount than […]
Recreating an Icon: Irene’s
For over two decades, locals and visitors alike returned again and again to the small, cypress wood arched door on St. Phillip Street seeking Italian cuisine heavily perfumed with garlic and rosemary, and a warm, intimate atmosphere that felt like coming home. In 2015, Irene’s Cuisine‘s fate was sealed when […]