One morning I woke earlier than usual and couldn’t go back to sleep. I crept out of bed, got dressed and made coffee without waking my boyfriend John, though our new puppy was alert as soon as I pushed back the covers. Her eyes followed me as I left the […]
Cookies & Cream Ice Cream
The Ranjbars are huge ice cream fans. My father always made sure the fridge was stocked with mint chip, the not quite sorbet and not quite ice cream sensation sherbet, and Neapolitan. I clearly recall getting told off several times for eating all of the chocolate. My mom’s pick was […]
No Grill Needed: New Orleans BBQ Shrimp
Put the sticky-sweet, tomato-based sauce back in the fridge and step away from the grill, because New Orleans-style BBQ shrimp is not at all like what y’all think of when y’all think barbecue. A New Orleans food writer with a lot of local cuisine knowledge “under her belt” once told […]
Meat of the Matter: New Orleans’ Roast Beef Po-Boys
Who makes the most exceptional roast beef po-boy in New Orleans is the subject of much debate, but deciding the ultimate winner is a question only you can answer. It’s hard to believe it’s been over a decade since Brett Anderson, the Times-Picayune’s last official restaurant critic, surveyed nearly all […]
Developing a Sweet Spot: ONE11 Hotel
In the midst of shutdowns, Hotel One11 emerges as the French Quarter’s newest hotels in over 50 years. One of the last architectural remnants of the Louisiana Sugar and Rice Exchange, the building on the French Quarter’s riverfront stood derelict for over 30 years. The almost 150-year-old structure began life […]
Dinner for Four from Compère Lapin
Once again I was regaled with a three-course feast for four by Moveable Feast, this time from a New Orleans restaurant, Compère Lapin. When acclaimed chef Nina Compton opened her Warehouse District restaurant Compère Lapin almost eight years ago, I waited an anxious three months before I finally walked through […]
A Bubbly Lift: Crescent 9 THC Seltzer
Even though it’s legal in more than half of the country (not to mention the world), marijuana, and those who partake, are still seen in a bad light. Refer Madness must be pretty potent propaganda, because to this day, folks will persist in denigrating those who like to smoke a […]
It’s Bananas [Foster]!
There’s no such thing as “too much of a good thing” when it comes to the endless iterations of this classic New Orleans recipe. You’ve placed your napkin on the table and declared yourself “full” when all at once you’re surrounded by the caramel-like aroma of melting butter, brown sugar […]
NOLA’s Memory Lane is Paved in Gold Brick Chocolates
There’s no hiding Louisiana’s nostalgic connection to Elmer’s confections, as many natives confess “it’s just not Easter without Elmer’s!” For kids all over the country, Easter morning will arrive with the sweet surprise of jelly bean-stuffed plastic eggs and hollow chocolate bunnies, but the baskets in Louisiana are just a […]
A Piece of Cake: Tres Leches
Creamy, light and just sweet enough, tres leches cake is a splendid, springtime dessert and finding a slice in the Crescent City is as easy as . . . cake! Made with an airy, eggy sponge and three kinds of milk, tres leches cake (a.k.a. pan tres leches) is a […]
Feast Like You’re Festin’
As much as we all love the music, art and food at the annual New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, we can’t all go. Maybe you came here during those two magical weeks for work, not to play, perhaps you suffer from enochlophobia – an intense fear of crowds or, […]
The World is Your Oyster: Klara Cvitanovich
At the famous Drago’s Restaurant, family matriarch Klara Cvitanovich continues to honor the oyster empire launched by her husband over half a century ago. Several times a week, Klara Cvitanovich still spends her evenings greeting diners, welcoming them like long lost family to their flagship restaurant on N. Arnoult Road […]