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. Continue reading
Tag Archives: The Secret of the Other Mother: A Charlotte Reade Mystery
Random Acts of Kindness and 3 Birthday Meals
Filed under Charity, Culture, Local Cuisine, Mama says, shopping
Tagged as acting, Alon Shaya, Ava DuVernay, birthday, book, books, Cajun Seafood, Charlotte Reade, Charlotte Reade mysteries, Commander's Palace, Domenica, female director, garden district, Hidden Huntsman, How to Be a Widow, How to Be a Widow: A Journey from Grief to Growth, James Beard, James Beard Award, James Beard Foundation, John Besh, Know Small Parts, Know Small Parts: An Actor's Guide to Turning Minutes into Moments and Moments into a Career, latonola, Laura Cayouette, Mystery, new orleans, Norma Dupont, Oprah Winfrey, OWN, Queen Sugar, Raintree, Raintree Children and Family Services, Random Acts of Kindness, Restaurant, richard dreyfuss, Secret of the Other Mother, Snoball, SnoWiz, snowizard, The Hidden Huntsman, The Hidden Huntsman: A Charlotte Reade Mystery, The Missing Ingredient, The Missing Ingredient: A Charlotte Reade Mystery, The Secret of the Other Mother: A Charlotte Reade Mystery, Trashy Diva, women in film
Another New Orleans Mystery!
If you’ve read any of my books, perhaps you’re already familiar with Charlotte Reade, the L.A. actor who returns to her family home in New Orleans to attend a funeral and ends up helping to find a birth mother in The Secret of the Other Mother: A Charlotte Reade Mystery. Charlotte’s search takes her down a path that starts in a laundromat in the 1950’s and winds through costume experts and a burlesque tour before landing her on the infamous Bourbon Street. Set during the Saints’ 2009 march to Super Bowl victory and the most-amazing-Mardi-Gras-ever, many of the details of those events are based on this blog.
Charlotte’s back in this second installment of the local best-seller Charlotte Reade Mystery series, The Hidden Huntsman. Continue reading →
Filed under Concerts, Culture, decorations and costumes, entertainment industry, history, Local Cuisine, Mardi Gras 2010, moving, oil spill catastrophe, parade, Super Bowl 2010, the Saints
Tagged as acting, amateur sleuth, Amazon, author, bayona, birth mother, book, Book Tent, brass band, Bryan Batt, carnival, chandelier, Charlotte Reade, Charlotte Reade Mystery, child literacy, children's literacy, Commander's Palace, concert, dancingman504, Derrick Tabb, family, family mystery, french quarter, French Quarter Fest, garden district, Garden District Book Shop, ghost, Hazelnut, Hidden Huntsman, jazz fest, Kindle, latonola, Laura Cayouette, literacy, los angeles, Mad Men, magazine street, mardi gras, mardi gras indian, music, Mystery, mystery book, mystery series, new orleans, New Orleans Gulf South Booksellers Association, New Orleans mystery, NOGSBA, oil disaster, parade, paranormal, Pinterest, playlist, promo, Pussyfooters, rebirth brass band, Restaurant, roots of music, Saints, second line, Secret of the Other Mother, series, signed copy, st. charles, stalker, Super Bowl, super sunday, Superdome, Susan Spicer, The Hidden Huntsman, The Hidden Huntsman: A Charlotte Reade Mystery, The Secret of the Other Mother, The Secret of the Other Mother: A Charlotte Reade Mystery, treme, Wednesday at the Square, YouTube
Satchmo Fest 2016
As usual, it was hot-as-heck for Satchmo Fest but the music and food were worth the sweat. Celebrating the life and contributions of Louis Armstrong, the festival moved to Jackson Square this year. Like last year, they charged a $5 admission – a move that still has its kinks (like local employees and neighbors can’t just walk in to grab a plate or a cocktail). The festival featured 2 stages with one focusing more on traditional jazz and the main stage offering a few more-modern takes on Satchmo’s sound. Continue reading →
Filed under Concerts, Culture, decorations and costumes, festival, Local Cuisine, parade
Tagged as Baby Dolls, Bayou Maharaja, Bayou Maharajah, Big Sam, Big Sam's Funky Nation, bonerama, brass band, Brass-A-Holics, Cajun Dill Gator-Tators, Charlotte Reade, Charmaine Neville, Cinnamon Black, concert, Cool Fruit Sensations, Cornet Restaurant, Crepes a la Cart, dancingman504, Ettie K-Doe, french quarter, Greg Hicks, Harry Connick Jr., Henry’s Original Buttermilk Drop, irma thomas, Jackson Square, James Andrews, James Andrews and the Crescent City AllStars, Kid Merv, Koz’s Restaurant, Lakeview Harbor, latonola, Louis Armstrong, music, Mystery, new orleans, Original Pinettes Brass Band, Original Tuxedo Jazz Band, Palmer’s Cuisine, parade, Pinettes Brass Band, Plum Street Snoballs, Praline Connection, PresHall Brass, Quintin's Ice Cream, Restaurant, Rib Room, Satchmo Fest, Satchmo SummerFest, second line, Secret of the Other Mother, soul rebels, The Praline Connection, The Secret of the Other Mother, The Secret of the Other Mother: A Charlotte Reade Mystery, The Soul Rebels, Treme Million Dollar Baby Dolls, Vaucresson Sausage Co., who dat, Yoshio Toyama, Zapp's, Zapp's Potato Chips
Festigals Parade, Mardi Gras World and Food!
I love sharing my city my way but one of the best things about having out-of-town guests is that it can push you to be a tourist in your own city. My mother has been coming to New Orleans throughout her life so we have things we ALWAYS like doing – like getting beignets at Cafe du Monde or snoballs (from my fav – SnoWizard). But we also like exploring new things, even taking a tour. Last week had plenty of both. Continue reading →
Filed under Charity, Culture, decorations and costumes, festival, free events and lagniappe, parade
Tagged as #OzarkSharks, #ZombieShark, ALS, Amelia Earhawts, bayona, beads, Big Easy Rollergirls, Black Storyville Baby Dolls, Blaine Kern, Blaine Kern’s Mardi Gras World, brass band, cafe du monde, Cakes & Desserts by Monica, Camel Toe Lady Steppers, Charlotte Reade, Commander's Palace, cornbread, dancingman504, Dick & Jenny's, Dick and Jenny’s, Distinguished Alumni Award, Django Unchained, domestic violence, Festigals, Festigals Stiletto Stroll, Garden District Book Shop, Gleason, James Beard Award, Kitten, knockaz Brass Band, krewe, Krewe des Fleurs, Krewe of Orpheus, latonola, los angeles, mardi gras, Mardi Gras World, Martin Wine Cellar, Moulton Tower, movie, Muff-A-Lottas, Mystery, new orleans, New Orleans Family Justice Center, No White Flags, NOLA, NOLA Krewe of Rogue Pirates, Nola Showgirls, OK Bicycle Shop, orpheus, Oui Dats, Ozark Sharks, paper mâché, parade, Pussyfooter, Pussyfooters, Quentin Tarantino, Restaurant, Rogue Pirates, Saints, Snoball, snowizard, Steve Gleason, Stiletto Stroll, styrofoam, Superdome, Susan Spicer, The Big Easy Rollergirls, The Secret of the Other Mother, The Secret of the Other Mother: A Charlotte Reade Mystery, tour, University of South Alabama, USA, wedding cake, who dat, Zombie Shark
Saints Draft Boil (Crawfish!)
Almost exactly 2 years ago, we became Saints season ticket holders. After 8 years on the waiting list and with only 2 days until our wedding, we considered finally getting the coveted tickets to be our wedding gift from the city. As fun as it was bouncing around the Superdome, seeing the game from different angles and meeting new people, I love having an “address” in the stadium. Even better are the many events open to us including the 2016 Draft Super Boil – a giant Who Dat Nation crawfish boil at the Saints Practice Facility. Continue reading →
Filed under Charity, Concerts, Culture, Local Cuisine, Pelicans, Super Bowl 2010, the Saints
Tagged as Black and Blue Report, bucktown all-stars, Charlotte Reade, community coffee, concert, crawfish, crawfish boil, fans, latonola, Louisiana Floods Response, Lucky Dogs, Mystery, new orleans, New Orleans Pelicans, New Orleans Saints, Pelicans, Saints, Saints Hall of Fame, saintsations, season ticket holder, Secret of the Other Mother, Sir Saint, Super Bowl, Superdome, The Secret of the Other Mother, The Secret of the Other Mother: A Charlotte Reade Mystery, training facility, who dat, Who Dat Nation, Zatarain’s
My Niece Visits NOLA – Fun Ensues
We were still in our formal wear at midnight when we got to the airport to pick up my niece and her 2 friends from college. We’d been dancing and dining at the annual Raintree Gala benefitting foster children and the families who care for them. We dropped the kids in the French Quarter and hoped they didn’t get in too much trouble on their Spring Break’s first night. We all enjoyed a tasty brunch at Wink’s Bakery the next morning, finishing our meal with super-tasty donuts and their famous Buttermilk Drops.
As Pelicans season ticket holders, we were invited to their annual appreciation day so we left the kids to the Quarter and headed to the Arena for a day of tours, games, lots of freebies and Pelicans players everywhere. Continue reading →
Filed under Concerts, Culture, decorations and costumes, free events and lagniappe, history, Local Cuisine, parade, Pelicans
Tagged as Anthony Davis, armstrong park, Bambara, beignets, Big Chief Tootie Montana, Buttermilk Drops, Cabildo, cafe du monde, Celtic Highlanders, Charlotte Reade, Commander's Palace, congo square, Dante Cunningham, Derrick Tabb, Dreamy Weenies, Frenchmen Street, G.G.'s Dine-O-Rama, garden district, Garden District Book Shop, Glen David Andrews, Gumbo Pot, Hansen's, Hansen's Sno-Bliz, Homer Plessy, Irish Parade, Irish Zulu, Jackson Square, Jim Monaghan, Jim Monaghan Parade, Lafayette Cemetery #1, Louisiana State Museum, mardi gras indian, Molly's at the Market, Muff-A-Lottas, Mystery, Pelicans, Pierre the Pelican, Ponchatoula strawberries, Raintree Children & Family Services, Raintree Gala, rebirth brass band, roots of music, season ticket holders, St. Patrick's, statues, tapas, The Buccaneer, The Roots of Music, The Secret of the Other Mother, The Secret of the Other Mother: A Charlotte Reade Mystery, Three Muses, uptown, Winks Bakery
Mardi Gras Tree 2016
Mardi Gras is about as early as it can get this year with Krewe du Vieux kicking things off on January 23rd! In New Orleans, we’re all eating King Cake. My genius friend and fellow Pussyfooter dancer ,Christine Miller of Two Chicks Walking Tours, hosts an annual “potluck” where women bring King Cakes from local bakeries and kitchens. (photo below by Elizabeth Zibilich). Like last year, I wasn’t able to attend but was the lucky recipient of a plate of samples from District Donuts Sliders Brew, Hi Do Bakery and the always amazing Manny Randazzo King Cakes. And like every year, I enjoyed the tradition of converting our home’s Christmas tree to a Mardi Gras tree. Continue reading →
Filed under Carnival, Charity, Culture, decorations and costumes, Mardi Gras 2016, parade, Super Bowl 2010, the Saints
Tagged as Ball, Blush Ball, carnival, Charlotte Reade, Christine Miller, christmas tree, Cinderella, corset, Dance I.H.C., District Donuts, District Donuts Sliders Brew, DJ Ronnie Roux, Django Unchained, Elizabeth Zibilich, handmade ornaments, Hi Do Bakery, King Cake, Krewe du Vieux, Krewe of Muses, Krewe of Zulu, latonola, Manny Randazzo King Cakes, mardi gras, Mardi Gras 2016, Mardi Gras Ball, Mardi Gras tree, medallions, Metro, Metropolitan Center for Women and Children, new orleans, ornament, ornaments, parade, Pussyfooters, Saints, Sculpey, Sculpey ornaments, Sculpted clay, Secret of the Other Mother, soul rebels, Super Bowl, The Secret of the Other Mother: A Charlotte Reade Mystery, throws, Two Chicks Walking Tours, zulu