Satchmo Summerfest – Day 3

It was bound to happen some time. After nearly a decade of blogging, a post I’d spent over 4 hours writing and preparing just disappeared into the ether. Here are the photos and I’m truly, truly sorry there’s no blog full of context, history and details. Enjoy the many photos!

French Quarter Fest – Friday

Day 2 of French Quarter Fest supplied more beautiful weather, fabulous food and some of our region’s best music. Nightingale-voiced Sarah Quintana started our day with her Miss River Band.  She played whimsical, ethereal originals and a wonderful cover of “Natural Woman.” Brunch was a Crawfish and Goat Cheese Crepe ($7) from Muriel’s Jackson Square, Two Pieces of Fried Chicken with Potato Salad ($8) from McHardy’s Chicken & Fixin’ and Fried Green Tomatoes with Remoulade ($6) from Wink’s Bakery.

Satchmo SummerFest – Saturday

Day 2 of Satchmo SummerFest was another hot one. Before heading in, we stopped for brunch at Wink’s on Decatur. I had the breakfast platter but they were hosting a weekend-long pop-up restaurant, Arceneux’s contemporary creole cuisine, so we had the stuffed Pork Loin Roulade with braised brussel sprouts and orange gastrique. I also wanted to try the Roasted Cornish Hen with corn maque choux and tomato jus and the Watermelon Salad with Farmer’s Cheese, avocado, shallots and candied pecans (all about $10). All meals came with a free glass of sangria. 

French Quarter Fest – Day 1

French Quarter Fest, my favorite music festival of the year and the largest free festival in the South, opened its 28th year with a special treat – Locals Lagniappe Day (though some called it “Hooky Day” as many bosses snuck out after lunch and unattended employees were gone by 3). An entirely local festival featuring over 70 local, non-chain restaurants and more than 800 local musicians and international musicians playing local music on 18 stages throughout the Quarter, the normally 3-day festival was opened a day early to provide a less crowded experience for locals.