FOOD & DINING

The latest reviews and listings from New Orleans and South Louisiana

Tales of the Cocktail, a cocktail and culinary festival celebrating the history and culture of dining and the cocktail in New Orleans, has chosen The Roosevelt New Orleans as the site of the July 8, 2009, opening-night reception for its seventh anniversary event.

Tales of the Cocktail runs through July 12, 2009.

Continue reading "Historic Sazerac Bar to host opening ceremony of Tales of the Cocktail" »

Spring has Bock and Summer has Wheat but it's the Fall and Winter with its Oktoberfests, spiced beers, and big, rich beers that's yield my favorite seasonal beers of all.

In the past, Fall seasonal beers have been limited to Oktoberfest styles and spiced pumpkin styles, but there's a new style for the Fall. What better way to celebrate the Fall harvest with actual fresh fall produce ... in the form of fresh hops! Traditionally, hops are picked, processed, and compacted into little pellets and then shipped off to breweries. But, the new Wet-Hop style is a style of beer where the hop leaves are picked off the plant just moments before going into the kettle. The result is a fresher, fuller, more diverse flavor. Not many breweries are doing this yet, but Sierra Nevada's already 12 years in. You've seen Sierra Nevada Pale Ale in bars, grocery stores, restaurants, and maybe in your fridge, so give their new Harvest Ale a try. You should be able to find it at Whole Foods and Stein's Market and Deli.

This brings us to Christmas beers...

Continue reading "Ho Ho Ho it's Winter Beers!" »

It was so fun seeing the first big display of our books on a wall in Changing Hands Bookstore in Tempe, Arizona. We had flown to Phoenix for Thanksgiving with our relatives, and some time ago, my husband suggested a signing there -- we could contact our friends there.

The first 25 people who showed up were total strangers and bought all 50 books. Then the

Continue reading "Book signing in Tempe, Arizona a sell-out! Again!" »

Today is generally one of the busiest days at Galatoire's, as locals decompress from Thanksgiving's indulgences with a healthy dose of immoderation.

Traditionally, lunches on the Friday before Christmas and the Friday before Fat Tuesday were even busier, with people lining up well in advance to secure a table. They were classic New Orleans scenes: The throngs looked less like regulars of a historic French-Creole restaurant than fans eager for tickets to see the Rolling Stones in a Mississippi Delta juke joint.

Continue reading "Galatoire's charity auction: Do I hear $2000?" »

It's not uncommon these days for po-boy specialists to lace their menus with their own signature innovations. Nor is it strange for ethnic restaurants to affix the po-boy name to sandwiches unique to other countries. Here are a few places to find successful examples of both phenomena. What's your favorite? Continue reading "More places for non-traditional po-boys" »

Turkey is the odd duck at the American table.

Benjamin Franklin famously preferred the turkey to the eagle as the country's official symbol, and among edible signifiers of patriotism, it's rivaled only by hot dogs and apple pie. Yet you rarely hear of people preparing a whole turkey more than once or twice a year.

Continue reading "No leftovers? No problem: New Orleans eateries are discovering the appeal of fresh turkey po-boys" »

Peter Peter pumpkin eater,
Had a wife and couldn't keep her!
He put her in a pumpkin shell,
And there he kept her very well!

Every year around this time, I remember this rhyme. I imagine Peter carrying around a pumpkin shell in which is wife is squashed. And I chuckle.

Rock, my husband, is the pumpkin pie eater in our family and always bakes several pies for the holidays, using the recipe on the can of Libby's pure pumpkin. Easy to make, the pies are always a hit.

Continue reading "This holiday season, give the pumpkin pie some pie-zazz" »