A Parade, 2 Festivals & Fireworks!

With a parade, 2 festivals, and fireworks – things felt almost back to normal this Independence Day weekend in New Orleans. Our normal is always a bit festive. The Creole Tomato Fest at the French Market featured (limited) food booths, virtual events, and trails of specialty menu items at participating bars and restaurants throughout the French Quarter. I was able to get my annual favorite – the Pontchartrain from George’s Produce ($10) – sliced tomato topped with lump crabmeat and remoulade sauce. 

The first NOLA Zydeco Fest took place next door on the lawn of the U.S. Mint, home to the New Orleans Jazz Museum.

Prince Plays Essence Fest!

I may have missed the fireworks but I had a pretty perfect 4th of July. We ate hot dogs, like most of the nation, but we got ours at Dreamy Weenies so they were insanely good. I had the Pothole – potato salad below the dog and chili with cheese on top. Yum! Then we watched Purple Rain to get in the mood for Prince‘s performance at the 20th Essence Fest. Janelle Monae started the evening off with a firecracker’s burst of energy. She was the perfect artist to take on a cover of Prince’s Let’s Go Crazy and was rewarded for her efforts with a quick guitar solo from the man himself.

4th of July in Texas

Like so many whose families hail from Louisiana, we also have a Texas contingency. My grandfather was a Texan and I have many cousins there as well. I’m sure there are many places that take Independence Day as seriously as Texans do but I don’t know if any of them serve as tasty a barbecue.