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 »

In the words of our city’s leader, “I don’t care what people are saying Uptown or wherever they are, this city will be chocolate at the end of the day.” Lucky Nagin and lucky you! A sweet new shop opened up on Magazine Street a few weeks ago: The Lucky You Candy Company.

Weekend To Do: Be a kid in a candy store
This classic candy store offers the opportunity to fill a basket with pounds and pounds of Read the rest of this entry »

By Sam Winston

The Camellia Grill waiter known simply as Marvin likes to call the tap water he serves “Mississippi mud water.” Indeed just about every time I drink New Orleans water from the faucet, at the grill or otherwise, I can hear Marving humming, “Getchyall some of that Mississippi mud water, Hom bruh!” Read the rest of this entry »

At some point when no one was paying attention, belly dancing quietly became New Orleans’ third-favorite form of new alternative entertainment. (The first two, for extra credit? Whoever guessed mobile non-Tex-Mex Mexican food and amateur outdoor theater, send a SASE to Gambit HQ — you have some tickets and tacos coming.) Read the rest of this entry »

Let me start by saying that I love horror films and I am a very big fan of graphic novels, especially the ones that are of the horror genre. Also, I am not a page-to-screen critic who relentlessly criticizes a film for not being exact to its predecessor novel. I understand that some things do not translate to screen and that in some instances time does not allow one to show all the details that words can convey. These are my novel-to-horror film standards, and I am sticking to them … or am I? Read the rest of this entry »

By Sam Winston

How the Saints stumbled and how LSU reclaimed the number one ranking makes for morning fodder while former Saints head coach Jim Haslett has his own words coaching opposite the Saints.

However, what folks ought to be talking about it is how FEMA continues to neglect and disparage the lives of folks living on the Gulf Coast. Last week it was revealed that FEMA forbid its own employees from entering stored trailers due to toxic fumes yet the agency continues to allow Read the rest of this entry »

On Monday mornings when the office is monopolized by Saints and NFL talk, do you hang your head in shame because you took advantage of the city being glued to their Superdome seats and took to the empty shops. Does vintage Halston make you cheer more than Marques Colston? Who said shopping wasn’t a sport? Read the rest of this entry »

On Thursday Old Navy opened in Elmwood Shopping Center, replacing the void left by the closing of the Lakeside Store. As of Saturday, the new location was making a fresh, clean distinction from it’s cluttered and crowded predecessor. The displays were organized and shoppers could move freely about.This change in atmosphere coupled with the appeal of their sleek holiday “sweater” television and print ads prompted me to give this big box store another shot after avoiding it for years. Read the rest of this entry »