French Quarter Fest Saturday

The French Quarter Fest is as much about local cuisine as it is about our amazing music with over 65 local vendors tempting tastebuds with everything from spicy seafood to sweet snowballs. Saturday, the  festival was also the proving ground for Rouses Crawfish Eating World Championship. There were several rounds of competition culminating with the 4th annual win for Sonya Thomas AKA “The Black Widow.” She managed to pack 2.2 pounds of crawfish into her 100 pound body in 10 minutes. Louisianan hunk Adrian Morgan came in second with 2 pounds. I finished one Pulled Pork Sandwich topped with Cole Slaw ($6) from The Joint while watching

French Quarter Fest 2012 – Day 2

Friday was another amazing day at French Quarter Fest. The weather was, again, amazing. We started with a yummy Cochon de Lait Po-Boy from Love at First Bite ($7) as well as a Combo of Shrimp Cakes and Cajun Shrimp Bowl ($7) from Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. Then it was off to see the Irene Sage Band Tribute to Coco Robicheaux. The music was great and the recently-passed Coco would’ve certainly been pleased but the highlight was definitely the bees. Yep, the bees.

Favorite Things in NOLA 2011

I continue to accumulate favorite things about New Orleans, but here’s my second year favorites in a nutshell. Anything named previously in my Favorite Things in NOLA 2010 is marked with an Asterix*. Though there are too many “ties,” revealing an inability to “just pick one,” I promise you there were so many more things I wanted to include, so many more people and places I felt deserved mentioning.

Christmas in NOLA

Due to technical difficulties, I’ve been unable to write about the many NOLA Christmas festivities I’ve been enjoying. I will attempt a Reader’s Digest version. First up, the Newcomers Club of New Orleans annual gift-giving at Raintree Children and Family Services. Raintree has been providing services to foster children and the families who care for them as well as the homebound of all ages for 85 years. The Newcomers Club offers activities to women moving to the area including a book club, a gourmet group and, of course, participation in non-profit organizations like Raintree.

Coco Robicheaux

I was unable to attend the second line for the recently passed Coco Robicheaux and hadn’t planned on writing anymore about it since hearing the news on Thanksgiving. Then I saw a 12 minute video someone else shot of the second line. I was moved to tears and decided to share it with you.

Happy Thanksgiving, Darlin’

Just after Thanksgiving two years ago this week, I moved from Los Angeles, my city of nearly 18 years, and came to New Orleans. I spent last year’s Thanksgiving in L.A. with the same friends I was lucky enough to see again a week ago. So, this year I opted to share supper with my family across the lake. I started the day watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. The parade doesn’t normally make my to-do list but I wasn’t about to miss the “Ordinary Men, Extraordinary Moves” of the 610 Stompers, New Orleans first all male dance troupe.

French Quarter Fest – Day 2

French Quarter Fest day 2 began with the welcome cry of Mr. Okra driving by, “I’ve got fresh plums. I’ve got fresh oranges.”  My mother recently told me that her first words were not mama or dada, but “swimp boy.” Growing up with wagon vendors outside her window, everyday she heard the guy roll by yelling, “Shrimp boy” like an ice cream truck’s bells announcing goodies coming your way. Mr. Okra drives a truck donated by locals after Katrina but his call-outs are part of the soul of New Orleans. We bought 7 over-ripe bananas and 4 plums for $2 and headed out.