Category Archives: food

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Landrieu hands keys to city to Rex

In Spanish Plaza, this year’s queen of Carnival, Carroll Gelderman, stood by as Rex issued a proclamation.
“I do hereby ordain decree the following,” Laborde said, “that during the great celebration all commercial endeavors be suspended. That the children of the realm be freed from their studies and be permitted to participate in the pageantry.”
And to the city’s political leaders, he added:
“That the mayor and City Council cease and desist from governance.”

“We will fulfill the will of the people and turn over the key to the city to you, so that tomorrow in New Orleans will be a day of abandon,” Landrieu said. “Happy Mardi Gras.”

Landrieu hands keys to city to Rex | wwltv.com New Orleans.

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Ya-Ka-Mein in New Orleans | Southern Foodways Alliance

Sara Roahen is maybe my favorite current New Orleans writer (although Katy Reckdahl, CW Cannon and Bill Lavender are always vying for the top spot, not that any of them care) and here she has written a fantastic history of Old Sober (aka ya-ka-mein), a street food beloved in Creole homes, along second lines and at JazzFest…

Ya-Ka-Mein in New Orleans | Southern Foodways Alliance.

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Sweets available: Croissants in the middle or donuts at the corner

the thing about the Quarter is you can’t always tell from the entrance how a place is going to turn out. Some of the nicest facades are those that any local or foodie would be aghast when tasting their food and some of the worst looking places are mainstays for those same folks.
One of the exceptions to that nice front rule is the little pâtisserie on Ursuline, Croissant d’Or. Located on the site of the legendary Angelo Brocato’s original gelato home, it has a lovely vibe even with the small ebbs and flows in their quality over the last few owners.
The latest folks (who are quite nice which is a welcome change from previous counter people) are bringing things back and their baguettes, their napoleons and their croissants are worth the trek. Unfortunately, because of people like me writing about them, lots of tourists do descend on the place around 8 am in the high seasons, but it is still possible to find a seat or at least grab a baked good to go almost all of the time. The best thing is to sit there and read your paper, work a bit (Guess where I am writing this?) or to slowly prepare for the day in a lovely setting with hot coffee in front of you.

breakfast at Croissant d'Or at historic Angelo Brocato's site.

breakfast at Croissant d’Or at historic Angelo Brocato’s site.

The other place is Juicy G’s and is the opposite in facade and in location: it’s a donut shop on Iberville right off N. Rampart. It’s a bit hard to find (look for his board out front) and sits next to a bunch of empty storefronts. But, like any true New Orleans place, inside you find warm people and heavenly smells. The young baker Gregory earned his cooking stripes working at many places headed by the infamous family restauranteurs often in the news lately, although not at the one Brennan’s on Royal currently padlocked!

G’s idea and hope are simple: make good food for workers, students and visitors without making them shell out the big bucks. I hope that his place is the start to rejuvenating Iberville and bringing back Creole and African-American entrepreneurs to the Quarter. His donut holes are very tasty and his lunch plates are filling and flavorful-when he has those. He slows down in production a bit in the summer of course, but you can find him open early for hot morning comfort.

Here is my original post on this place:
Juicy G’s

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Make Your Own Fun at FQF

Map of the stages for French Quarter Festival 2013

Map of the stages for French Quarter Festival 2013

Use the excellent schedule maker to select your own schedule each day for the French Quarter Festival, which has to be one of the greatest events in the U.S. to hear music while experiencing the center of our beautiful city.

French Quarter Festivals Inc. – New Orleans, Louisiana – Schedule.

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Hot and Fresh Comfort Food #1

I’m doing this a little out of order because I’ve actually been to the hot dog place a few times, but since this morning I found a new donut place in the Quarter, and its the weekend, I’m going to write about that first, and then hot dogs later in the week.
Juicy G’s Donuts in the 1000 block of Iberville (first block off Rampart) makes and serves cheap but good donuts and breakfast sandwiches. G (Gregory) is a professional kitchen guy, having spend the last almost 20 years working for Dickie Brennan’s at most if not all of his places. Now, he has his own shingle and passion and I urge you to stop by and taste his food.
The chocolate donut and the cake donut that i tried were both excellent. He was just about out of donut holes (A New Orleans tradition from MacKenzie days) but I’m sure they are just as good. The breakfast sandwich description was tempting and only 3 or 4 bucks so I’ll be back for those with such good prices. This is the way places used to be around town: someone did something well, they did it without spending hundreds of thousands on “ambience” and without artificially inflating prices and therefore demand. Since the recent huge success of Mr. Henry’s on St. Claude and his Buttermilk Drop on St. Bernard, more people are aware of the light touch with flour that many male New Orleanians have. Take the time to check out G’s as well.
Speaking of MacKenzie’s, this block used to have one, along with a shoe repair, locksmith, supermarket, card shop, pet store and post office among other things. Unfortunately, the owners seem to have let the buildings fall into disrepair, but a few are bravely rebuilding. (Well, the locksmith has never left so he really has hung in there! AND he knows his business and can make keys that ALWAYS work, unlike some of those stores that give their clerks 2 minutes of training on a key grinder…) Support these Iberville pioneers efforts by walking, biking or driving by and grabbing a few items and getting to know these guys.

Open 6 am til, 7 days a week. 504-428-2607