No mo' N.O. Eats in NYC?

Well..that explains it. My wife and I were in NYC earlier this week for the Glen David Andrews show at Sullivan Hall and thought we'd get some New Orleans inspired food for dinner so we headed down to the Acme Bar & Grill on Great Jones Street. Lo and behold we got there and did a double take because it was shut down- not closed for the day shut down but metal shutters rolled down and really closed shut down. No signage or any other indication why or when. So, on to  plan B. I had a few months before eaten at another New Orleans type restaurant-Mara's Homemade- not too far away so we walked over and I'll be darned if they weren't closed as well- altho at least they had a sign on door saying they were closed on Tuesdays. So unbelievably we had been shut out at 2 New Orleans themed restaurants. Unbelievable...settled on some good old NYC pizza at Rays in the Village. Not too shabby of a Plan C. Anyway, it turns out that both the Acme Grill and Mara's Homemade have run into trouble and very recently Acme announced they were closing- initially it appeared for good but now more recently- just for a long needed renovation (see articles here and here); While Mara's Homemade is apparently closing for good at the end of April - see their story here. It's a shame -I had eaten at both a couple times over past couple years and food was good- not New Orleans good but pretty darn good for not being in New Orleans. Oh well, hopefully Acme will re-open with the same N.O. inspired menu and maybe someone else will come along and open another N.O. themed place to take Mara's place..Here's hopin...

Hubig's Takes Manhattan

To promote the release of HBO's 1st Season of Treme on DVD there will be a HBO food truck travelling around NYC handing out Hubig's pies. If you never had one of these signature New Orleans treats you don't know what you are missing. More event details HERE. To order some Hubig's pies from home go HERE .

Not East Coast but Definitely New Orleans: Jazz Fest Cubes are HERE!

Not going this year but feel obligated to post. The usual embarrassment of riches. Go to CUBES.

Glen David Andrews Rocks NYC

I was at last nite's show at Sullivan Hall in NYC. Mr. Andrews knows how to get the party started where ever he is at. Almost felt like his standing Monday nite gig at d.b.a. in New Orleans- urging the crowd in close as he works up a sweat onstage. If you have never seen him perform live and up close keep an eye out for the next time he comes around. He is one of New Orleans' top entertainers and also one of the city's top ambassadors for it's musical heritage and traditions.

Philly Oyster Shuck Off Results

Here's a nice article with pictures and video of this past Saturday's 2nd Annual Oyster Shuck Off at the Oyster House in downtown Philadelphia.

DIY Shrimp Po' Boys in Philly

I had a taste for a fried shrimp po' boy yesterday so here's what I did to build my New Olreans style sandwich. I started with a Leidenheimer roll- purchased frozen from the Khyber Pass Pub (see post earlier this month for review and details) in Old City Philadelphia. I went out and got some freshly fried shrimp from Chicken Time in Roslyn, PA. Dressed the sandwiches using lettuce, tomatoes, dill pickles and then slathered on some bottled remoulade sauce made by Louisiana Fish Fry Company (I think I bought in my local Super Giant grocery store). Anyway, as a side added some Zapp's chips purchased at Wegman's in Warrington, PA and voila- a pretty tasty New Orleans Fried Shrimp Po' Boy right here at home!

(Note: Speaking of Zapp's, the Louisiana based company was recently purchased by Pennsylvania's own Utz Potato Chip Company- hoping this means Zapp's products will soon be more available here on the East Coast).

Lousiana's Cajun Country Boudin Trail detailed in Philadelphia Inquirer



In yesterday's Sunday Philadelphia Inquirer Travel Section there was a really nice article about the Boudin Trails in Louisiana. If you ever get down to New Orleans for more than a few days I would highly recommend renting a car and driving out to Cajun Country to do some sightseeing and boudin (and cracklin') sampling. My wife and I have done so on our last couple trips down to Louisiana and it was a lot of fun. In addition to following and eating along the boudin trail other highlights could include a stop off at the Savoy Music Center and the Cajun Music Hall of Fame in Eunice, LA; the Tabasco Factory tour in Avery Island, LA, and a visit to Floyd's Record Shop in Ville Platte to pick up some cajun or zydeco music. I'll share some photos of my Cajun Country tour in a future post. For now here's a couple of boudin related photos to whet your appetite.





Music Live from New Orleans

I'm going to assume that most fans of New Orleans and the city's music know you can stream WWOZ over the internet or to your smartphone. But I don't know if a lot of folks know that Tipitina's in the Uptown neighborhood of New Orleans webcasts pretty much all of their shows live on the internet. The webcam can be a little bit tempermental at times but when it works gives you both a video and audio only option. I have watched a number of shows over the years- not quite like being there but is the next best thing. Here's the link to the Upcoming Webcasts section on Tip's website.


ALERT: This weekend's concerts are part of the "Brass Band Blowout" series and will include shows by 2 of the hottest brass bands in New Orleans- The Stooges Brass Band and To Be Continued Brass Band.

Philly Alert: Not New Orleans but Oysters are involved

Got an email the other day from the Oyster House here in Philadelphia. Tomorrow Saturday 3.26.11 they are having their 2nd Annual Oyster Shucking Contest. There is a professional and an amateur competition with prize money for each but even better for a $5 entrance fee you can be a spectator and have opportunity to eat the oysters that are shucked during the competition. There will also be a cash bar that includes a local unamed beer that will be tapped from a firkin (1/4 keg). Sounds like a good time. Here's the official write up  about the event:

                                              Second Annual Shucking Contest!

On Saturday, March 26th beginning at 2pm, Oyster House will host the 2nd annual Shucking Contest, featuring professional oyster shuckers from accross Philadelphia competing for a $200 Grand Prize.
An amateur shucking contest will follow the pros, with guests having the chance win a $100 Oyster House Gift Certificate.
Admission to the shucking contest is $5 per person and includes all the varieties of shucked oysters as well as access to the Oyster House bar and special firkin of local craft beer, which will be on a pay-as-you-go basis.
The profressional shuckers, including competitors from Oyster House and others from renowned Philly seafood houses, will be judged by local food writers Drew Lazor from City Paper and Mealticket, Art Etchells from Foobooz and Jamie Shanker from Midtown Lunch Philadelphia, on their speed and acuracy as they shuck their way through 2 dozen oysters, working in heats of three shuckers at a time. 
Onlookers can enjoy the fruits of the competitor's labors; the oysters will be passed out to the crowd after each heat!
Last year we had a full house with 18 pros and amateur shuckers and we can't wait to see who takes the prize home this year.
See you on Saturday!

EATS: Louisiana in Philadelphia

I read another review about Khyber Pass Pub here in Philadelphia, PA. in this weeks Philadelphia Weekly newspaper. I actually ate there a couple weeks ago based on the first (and much better) review I read in the Philadelphia Inquirer. Wow! I was there the day after Fat Tuesday. I had a couple bottles of Abita Mardi Gras Bock beer along with some boudin balls (excellent), gumbo (very good), and a shrimp po' boy -dressed (fantastic!). The side dish of fried okra was actually the highlight of the meal- came with something called "Alabama White BBQ Sauce"- don't know what it is but it tasted great. I also got a bag of the bacon popcorn to go- it definitely is addictive. For folks that know New Orleans, the special ingredient that makes the po' boy sing is the fact that they are served on  Leidenheimer French bread. Apparently, they get the bread sent up directly from New Orleans on a regular basis. (Secret: when I was there I asked if I could buy a few of the frozen rolls and they sold 'em to me for $1.25 each- quite a bargain in my book to be able to use in making my own 'po boys at home)! They also get their sausage from Cajun country so I am looking forward to going back multiple times to eat my way thru the menu.

EXTRA: Treme Music Tour This Summer

Read today that there is going to be a nationwide Treme Music tour this summer featuring New Orleans musicians who have appeared on the HBO series. At this point Washington, DC looks like the only East Coast destination but from article also looks like tour details are still being worked out. Read about it HERE.

New Orleans Jazz Funeral & 2nd Line in Coney Island NYC

Here's an interesting item. Next weekend- Sunday April 3, 2011- there is going to be a New Orleans Jazz Funeral and 2nd line to mourn the passing of "old" Coney Island and celebrate the hoped for rebirth of this American classic. Organized by NYC Photographer James Demaria and featuring Dancing Man 504 from New Orleans along with the Jambalaya Brass band from NYC it will be a little bit of NO in NYC. Read more about the event  here and get event details at Coney Island events webpage. See ya there!

I attended an event last year organized by and featuring the same folks- a 2nd Line across the Brooklyn Bridge and it was a lot of fun. You can see my pictures from the event in the slideshow on the right hand side of the page. You can also go here for additional photos and video.

WWOZ Spring Membership Drive March 22-31..Show some Love!

Join or re-new your membership to the "greatest radio station on the planet" New Orleans' WWOZ. Go here now!

More Mardi Gras Indian Super Sunday pics

A few more photos from my sister in New Orleans from this past weekend's Super Sunday Parade..what pretty suits!                                                                                                    

Feedshark

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Dis n' Dat

Just watched the 2011 Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame Induction ceremony on FUSE tv. Great show- 2 of my musical heroes w/ strong New Orleans ties- Dr. John and Tom Waits- were among the inductees. If you get FUSE on your cable lineup I would strongly recommend that you catch it. Otherwise you can go here to see and read about it.

Here they come...

.. a couple of links to pictures from yesterday's Mardi Gras Indian Super Sunday in New Orleans. First from NOLA.com..and then some more pics from WWLTV.com and NOLA DEFENDER.

Today is Mardi Gras Indian Super Sunday in New Orleans

..thought I would put up some photos I took at 2008 Super Sunday parade in a slideshow. Also, here's a photo of a suit taken by my sister who went to today's parade.

Yo, where y'at?

So, I'm a bit obsessed with New Orleans. Started back in 1989 when my wife & I took our first trip there. Jazzfest- had no clue- in fact, the first day there, we were sitting in the hotel room and I happened to turn on the radio- 'Oz of course- and they were broadcasting live from the festival- we had tickets for the next day and did not even realize it was more than a one day event. Up until then, my only knowledge of New Orleans was from the movie "The Big Easy". That first trip literarily changed me - from the food to the music it was all new; Like being in another country. Then our kids came along and we did not get back down until 2005 when my brother got married there. In between I had started to get more into the food, music and culture. During that '05 visit, I re-discovered the city and vowed after that visit to not wait 16 years to return...then Katrina hit. I had just been there 3 months before and now watched in horror along with the rest of the country as our government failed to respond to the biggest man-made disaster to ever hit this country. I made a decision to make sure to return to the city as often as I could starting then- felt it was my duty as a US citizen to do what little I could to help the city start to recover. So I began to embrace the idea of economic tourism- the city needed folks to visit as tourists to stimulate the local economy and to spread the word to people outside of the city that New Orleans needed visitors in order to start coming back. I have since 2005 now been back to visit - on my own or with my wife-1 or 2 times per year. I've been to Jazzfest a number of times, been to the Uptown St. Patrick's Day Parade, to Mardi Gras Indian Super Sunday, the Creole Tomato Fest, and have attended the Krewe du Vieux parade the last two years. We have visited at different times of the year and have been in there in the freezing cold (February 2010) and in the sweltering heat (June 2010). My wife and I have also started to branch out a bit during our visits, renting a car to take trips to Cajun Country a couple of times as well as driving across Lake Ponchitrain to the NorthShore. I rent and ride a bike when visiting so I have also gotten to know the city and it's neighborhoods from the street level as well. Now, my sister has re-located to an apartment in Mid-City -leaving Los Angeles after a number of years- so I have yet another excuse to visit the city. Anyway, I could go on and on-and I have- but just wanted to give some idea re: my personal history with New Orleans. When I return back East (I'm writing from outside of Philadelphia) after a visit I do anything that I can to seek out New Orleans food and music near home. Be it Philadelphia, New York CIty or even somewhere in New Jersey, I make an effort to seek out events with a New Orleans flavor and I hope to share these New Orleans East (Coast) experiences with folks via this blog..so laissez les bon temps roulet...