There once was a time when bar food was simpler fare, think beer nuts, pretzels and, if you were lucky, some freshly microwaved popcorn. Though you can still find spots that offer those old-school, blessedly-free treats, pub grub has elevated considerably since the “good old days,” you just have to […]
Munching on Maple Street
When seeking affordable eats, sometimes the best area to seek out is anywhere near a college campus. After all most students are typically cash poor, relying on stipends from their parents or part-time, minimum wage jobs to get them through the month. Dining out means discovering a spot that offers […]
A Recipe for Success
Jacques “Jack” Leonardi, owner of the exceedingly popular Jacques-Imo’s on Oak Street and Crabby Jack’s on Jefferson Highway, shares his life and lessons about thriving in New Orleans’ highly competitive restaurant industry. Drive by the corner of Cambronne and Oak Street during dinner time and you will inevitably see a […]
Food Hall Feasts
As a suburban-born and bred woman, I have fond (and not so fond) teenage memories of hanging out in the mall after school and grabbing snacks from the food court. My friends and I would regularly ruin the dinners our mothers had planned for us by feasting on big-as-your-head pizza […]
Uncovering the past: The Eliza Jane
Celebrating the indomitable spirit of its namesake and city, a 196-room boutique hotel embraces its storied history in an elegant design touched with just the right amount of nostalgia and whimsy. Located in the Central Business District, The Eliza Jane is a uniquely-designed addition to The Unbound Collection by Hyatt. […]
Letting in the light: Auction House Market
Local real estate firm Felicity Property Co., with the help of Bell Design & Architecture and the team behind St. Roch Market, has taken the dingy ground floor of a two-story property in the Warehouse District and transformed it into a bright, delightful “contemporary” food hall. Built over 120 years […]
The Gift of Chocolate
“All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn’t hurt.” – Charles M. Schulz There are so many things that can be said about chocolate, it’s hard to know where to begin. Like most people I know, especially women, I have what might be called an […]
Breaking Budgets for Brunch: Coquette
For almost eight years I have penned this column discussing delicious and affordable eats in the Greater New Orleans Area. Every month I reveal at least two (often as many as six) dishes or meals to be had when one is limited by an unforgiving budget. But just this once […]
Holistic Design at the Sunday Shop
A pair of Baton Rouge natives offer a comprehensive approach to interiors, everything from furnishings and art to scents and textiles, with their home goods shop in the Lower Garden District. It seemed destined that Katie Logan Leblanc and Jensen Killen would one day be working together in a field […]
Sparkling Hospitality: AC Hotel New Orleans Bourbon
Only two years after opening, the Downtown Marriott hotel undergoes renovations on its 220 guest rooms and names Kenneth Jacques as its new General Manager. Originally constructed in 1921 and named a National Historic Landmark in 1977, the New Orleans Cotton Exchange building on the northern corner of Gravier and […]
Getting Grounded: Turkish Coffee
“Interesting,” the woman murmured. Her gaze flicked back and forth between my face and the almost empty coffee cup in her hands. I had never met her before. She was strikingly beautiful with dark, almond-shaped eyes, black-brown hair and smooth, olive-toned skin. A friend of my aunt’s, she had been […]
Downtown Renaissance: The Jung Hotel & Residences
More than a century old, a renovated icon breathes new life into a long-defunct corner of Canal Street, anchoring the city’s growing bio-medical district. Originally opened in 1907, the Jung was designed by renowned local architectural firm Weiss & Dreyfus for entrepreneurs Peter Jung, Sr., Peter Jung, Jr., and A.L. […]
Like a fat girl loves cake …
Over the past several years I have formed a somewhat unhealthy addiction to king cake. It’s an affliction you can chalk up to loving “all things New Orleans,” but I think it also goes deeper than that. The mammoth brioche-like rolls heavily iced with purple, green and gold seem to […]