Neville family members were out in force as Quint Davis and various Jazz & Heritage Foundation and Festival officials and Lt. Gov. Mitch Landrieu made a host of announcements about the 2008 Jazz Fest. Ivan and Ian Neville both played as a crowd gathered at the Foundation’s offices on North Rampart Street. Art Neville was also in attendance as Davis announced the return of the Neville Brothers to their closing slot on Sunday. Read the rest of this entry »

Or at least, I’ve now temporarily skipped over Thanksgiving, winter holidays of all denominations and Mardi Gras anticipation in my head to start salivating over future Creole stuffed breads and strawberry lemonade. The folks at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival announced this morning that for the first time since ‘05, they’re tacking the second Thursday of the festival back on for a full seven days of Fairgrounds fun. Read the rest of this entry »

 by Sam Winston

In Blog Watch today, blogger Ernie The Attorney offers up a horrifying but true story about his recent experience with the Road Home Program. Despite the “good news” that the program will get a federal bailout of $3 billion, this account raises serious concern.

“Following Katrina’s devastation Congress allocated money to be given to home-owners who suffered flood damage. Not every one was eligible, but those who were eligible were sent to a ‘Road Home closing’ that was supposed to be like a regular real estate closing. The net outcome was the State of Louisiana would send the homeowner some money. This is, of course, a complete fairy tale.” - Ernie the Attorney writes. Read the rest of this entry »

It turns out there’s a mini district of professional kitchen supply purveyors in Mid-City. I’ve recently visited Loubat Equipment Co. and Caire Hotel and Restaurant Supply, two large, warehouse-style stores located a few blocks from each other and each offering everything from pro-grade stoves to cutlery.
Loubat held a holiday open house this week, and on my visit I started thinking how helpful a place like this can be for the home cook or someone shopping for them. Sure, it’s not everyone who needs a stack of plastic cafeteria trays, steam table pans or vinegar dispensers by the dozen. But if someone gave me a 32-gallon stockpot, I would certainly find an excuse to use it. As it happens, I left with Read the rest of this entry »