Random Acts of Kindness and 3 Birthday Meals

My birthday celebrating started early this year with a dinner at John Besh’s Domenica with old friend Richard Dreyfuss and his lovely and amazing wife, Svetlana. Over the 25 years we’ve known each other, Richard and I have worked on 3 movies together, collaborated on a Katrina relief project and he even wrote the foreword to my book, Know Small Parts: An Actor’s Guide to Turning Minutes into Moments and Moments into a Career. The menu from Executive Chef Alon Shaya, 2015’s  James Beard Foundation’s Best Chef: South award winner, provided a delicious take on some traditional Italian dishes as well as offering show-stoppers like the Squid Ink Tagliolini with blue crab & herbs. We finished the meal with 3 beautiful and decadent desserts selected by our charming server, Cristina. Each dessert was decorated with a chocolate birthday banner. We were there for hours enjoying fabulous food and great company with perfect service. I’m definitely going back for that squid ink pasta dish.

Favorite Things in NOLA 2013

The categories are: Food & Beverage, Music & Entertainment, Culture, Shopping and Giving & More. Anything named previously in my Favorite Things in NOLA 2012 is marked with an Asterix*. Most items have links to their site, but if you’d like to know more, use the search window on the right to find photos, videos, history and stories.

This year, I’ve added a gallery of photos. The first photos are of items listed and the last half are of stuff I love in New Orleans from Creole tomatoes to Ashley the Traffic Tranny.

I’m also revealing Your Favorite Posts of 2013.

3 – Saints Soundtrack Vol. 2

2 – Street Musicians – Tanya and Dorise

1 – Endymion Extravaganza – My First Ball! – which is also your favorite post of all time.

TV in New Orleans

There’s a lot of talk about all the movies filming in New Orleans but Louisiana is also home to many television shows from A&E’s Duck Dynasty to the CW’s Star-Crossed. This Sunday, HBO’s Treme returns for its 4th and final season. I have been blogging about the show since its inception in April 2010 when I first watched it playing on a bed sheet in a back yard in the Treme. We all squealed when we saw the very house we were sitting behind fly across the “screen” in an early scene. It was clear from the opening credits that this show would be for and about New Orleanians and their amazing resilience and unendurable trials after Katrina.

Red Dress Run and Restaurant August

The good news is that I’m working. The bad news is that I have no time to blog about the festivities of my day off. The 25th anniversary Red Dress Run began at 11:oo am. At least 10,000 people showed up in red dresses to support over 100 local non-profits and party in the streets all day and night throughout the French Quarter. The Hash House Harriers, a “drinking club with a running problem,” have raised more than $500,000 in the last 3 years. The run had an added sentimental value as “The Lady in Red,” the woman who accidentally inspired the event years ago, passed in April.

A Very Big Easy Birthday Party

New Orleans is known for being a good time and a great place to party. There may be no bigger party in the nation then the marathon of Mardi Gras – especially when we are taking a “break” from Carnival in the middle to have a week of Super Bowl festivities! That said, the only topper would be to celebrate your birthday during this party-palooza. A friend of mine did just that last weekend and it was as good as it gets.

Parades, Festivals, Saints and Treme

Is there another city where 4 parades cross your path by 6pm? It’s not even Mardi Gras, but Saturday was one of those days. There’s nothing like hearing a brass band heading your way, running to door and finding a birthday girl leading a second line, or the talented kids of The Roots of Music marching past or an endless stream of women in neon-lit hats or poodle skirts passing by. The city was hopping this weekend with the Treme Creole Gumbo Fest, Ladyfest, the Falcons getting their asses kicked at the Dome and Veteran’s Day doings. Good thing so much of it passed in front of our door since we were nursing a change-of-season cold and barely left the house.

Galas – Raintree and Make it Right

The day started with a slice of the 340 ft. oyster po-boy at the 6th annual Oyster Jubilee on Bourbon Street. It takes about 2 hours to set up the block-long sandwich and only a minute or so for it to disappear. We stood in front of the Drago’s section and were treated to a remoulade sauced fried oyster po-boy dressed with lettuce. Yum.

So many events in New Orleans are designed to give back to the community but galas tend to be fancier affairs designed to raise a lot of money quickly. Our first event of the evening was the Paint the Town Green gala benefitting Raintree Children and Family Services and held at Harrah’s Casino.

COOLinary – Eating in NOLA Gets Affordable

Every August, about 40 restaurants participate in “COOLinary” – low priced menus designed to inspire locals to dine during New Orleans’ least toured month. Each restaurant offers a COOLinary menu of 3-course meals priced $20 or less for lunch, $35 or less for dinner (though some offer only lunch or dinner, not both). It’s a great excuse to try some of the finest and priciest restaurants in town as well as try new items at favorite haunts.

Go Hornets – I’m In!

Today, our fabulous and troubled Hornets beat the defending NBA champion Lakers 109-100. The Lakers have won 16 championships, second only to the Boston Celtics, and have played 15 other Finals. The Hornets have been through a lot this season and keep rising above.