[Terra Nola documents the long-distance love affair between a New Yorker and New Orleans.]

Well, if I hadn't read it with my own eyes I would not have believed it (not that we should believe everything we read). Looks like there is to be a second Camellia Grill, this one in Destin, Florida, beloved by teenagers on spring break everywhere.

As I said to Kelly Leahy, co-blogger here at bloggingneworleans, there can be only one. Even if the reopened version in Nola is doing well enough, the new owner is messing with some pretty serious karma to try and duplicate his success outside of the Crescent City. It was a miracle the Camellia Grill reopened at all given the devastation and destruction left in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Why tempt fate?

But, that said, if you're going to tempt fate, you might as well do it in the pan handle. If a greasy spoon operation is going to make it anywhere, it can make it in Destin. Not that Destin is lacking in diners--to the contrary, they're everywhere.

[This is a continuation of the author's series on New Orleans lessons, to commemorate both the 2nd anniversary of Hurricane Katrina as well as her 10th anniversary of living in New Orleans .]

S is for Savoring

It's no coincidence that I've learned how to meditate while living in New Orleans. Nor is it a coincidence that I've learned about the Slow Food movement and taken up gardening. If my northern family thought I was slow before, they think I'm downright sluggish now, after ten years of New Orleans life. And that's fine with me: living slowly allows me to contentedly follow my own muse, and screw the rest.

People ask how we can deal with the heat down here, and it's simple (but not always easy): slow down. Don't run anywhere; take your time and just relax. Sit and have some water. Take a nap. Watch the sunset. Savor your life before it passes you by.

T is for Traditions

Because we take life so slow around here, we make the time to hold onto our dear traditions. From red beans on Monday to grillades on Sunday, our heritage finds its way into our daily lives. If you take the streetcar downtown, or go to the racetrack on Thanksgiving, or eat king cake on Twelfth Night, or fix black-eyed peas and cabbage for the new year, or go to Galatoire's every Friday, or drive in the Mardi Gras truck parade, or start Jazzfest in the Gospel tent, you know what I mean.

I could go on and on with these standard traditions, but there are plenty of good ones dreamed up by our creative population. Grilling out on the neutral ground for Lundi Gras. Making waffles for brunch on Super Sunday. Spending Halloween in the graveyard. Rereading Gone With the Wind to cope with an Ash Wednesday hangover.

If you've got a juicy tradition to share, please leave a comment - you know we New Orleanians are always hungry for new ways to pass a good time!

[This is a continuation of the author's series on New Orleans lessons, to commemorate both the 2nd anniversary of Hurricane Katrina as well as her 10th anniversary of living in New Orleans .]

N is for Neutral Ground

Wouldn't it be great if there was a world's neutral ground? People from all nations could go there to catch beads at Mardi Gras parades, have Sunday afternoon cookouts, and park their cars when the rain falls a little too hard. While the world's powers continue their endless warring, us regular folks could gather on the streetcar tracks and make fair-trade deals: one can of High Life for a Popeye's chicken breast. No glass allowed, friends, it's safety first out here.

How great would it be to see kids from all cultures fighting over a plush football tossed from a float? To sing drinking songs in every language? To hang out in a place where traffic's permanently stopped so that people can sit in their lawnchairs and shoot the shit?

This is my dream, dear readers, and it may never come true. Fortunately for us here in New Orleans, there's always a neutral ground, no matter how many battles life throws our way.

O is for Okra

I'd never given much thought to this hardly little vegetable until my neighbors planted it in spades this past spring. From its lowly spot on the table - rarely seen in its pure state, but hidden in gumbo or fried beyond recognition - I never would have imagined that it came from a plant that towers above my head and blooms such exquisite flowers.

If you only knew okra from its restaurant incarnations, you'd never guess that it grows so fast that if you don't pick daily, those stinkers will end up as long as your forearm. Sadly, they're too tough to eat at that length, but their long, tapered shape remind me of witch's fingers. And voila: another Halloween costume is born. This year, keep on the lookout for the lady wearing a dried-okra skirt!

The husband and I toyed with the idea of going out for our anniversary. I didn't want to do anything that would require a sitter so our choices were narrowed to an early dinner or drive-thru. We'd both been meaning to try Ye Olde College in since it reopened its new location (next to the old one). I hadn't eaten there since 2001 when a near horrific experience kept me from ever going again. However, it is a New Orleans favorite so it figured it was worth a second try.

When I first went to Ye Olde College in years ago (probably 2001), I was seated in a dated dining room which would have been fine except that I was clearly younger than any of the other patrons by a good forty years. I remember wondering if the restaurant was a favorite for senior tours. My waitress was harried and I held my breath as she dropped an entire tray of food belonging to the table next to us. She returned almost instantly with new dishes prompting this exchange:

"Wow! That was fast," said the customer.
"Yeah, not all of it fell onto the ground," she replied.

I lost my appetite then and pretty much vowed never to return.

[Terra Nola documents the long-distance love affair between a New Yorker and New Orleans.]

People often ask me why I love New Orleans so much. They ask that a lot more now than they did before Katrina, as you might imagine, but it's a question I never tire of answering. And it's a question to which there are many, many answers.

One of the myriad reasons I love New Orleans is for the coffee. I've probably mentioned this in countless blogs, but there's just something--sumthin'--about the way coffee in New Orleans tastes that is better than anywhere else I've sipped it. New York City offers a pretty good variety of coffees, and many of them are downright tasty, but they don't have that special something that Nola coffee offers.

For years now I've figured that special something was really just in my mind. I thought I just loved Nola coffee for the simple reason that I was in Nola when I was drinking it. That would be special in and of itself. But that's not it.

My friend Kathy of Between Piety & Desire has been helping to organize an event which I think could be really critical in helping to revitalize an important but run-down public space.

Friday on the Roch is a new community event in the St. Claude Avenue neighborhood which will happen monthly beginning this Friday, August 24th. The old St. Roch Market was chosen as the location because of its cultural and historical significance. This city-owned building is well over 100 years old and was renovated back in the 1930s as part of a WPA project. It was once the site of a public marketplace, but it sustained a lot of damage during Katrina and has sat empty in disrepair ever since. A couple of years ago I lived only blocks from the St. Roch Market, and I've often thought what a cool building this is and wished that someone would do something to bring this place back to life. I'm so glad that plans are now in the works to do just that.

Friday on the Roch will be held from 5pm-9pm on the neutral ground behind St. Roch Market. There will be live musical performances by Sunpie Barnes and the Louisiana Sunspots, and the Black Notes, a jazz sextet from NOCCA. There will also be plenty of food & drink (pralines, fresh seafood, baked goods, po-boys, sno-balls...) as well as arts & crafts vendors. Kathy told me that the hope is for this event to join up with some of the other farmers markets that take place nearby and possibly to make this a weekly event in the future. If all goes well, maybe one day the people organizing this event will be able to tackle leasing and running the St. Roch Market itself and restore it to its former glory as a true community marketplace.

I can't wait to check out Friday on the Roch; I'm definitely going to have to stop by after work. I'm really hoping it takes off; I think it could be a major step in the right direction for the neighborhood, as well as the city.

Ok, I might now totally be irritated with Beyonce. Before I was just sorta annoyed, but now I may be royally ticked. According to this, which I scooped up from my beloved Pop Sugar, the Queen B claims she is Creole.

At a recent promotional event B was asked what her favorite smell was (don't worry, it wasn't a question totally out of context as it was a perfume promotion). B replied it was her mom's cooking, which is actually sweet as pie. Beyonce claimed her mom makes really good gumbo, which may be the case. But then she had to go and say she was Creole.

Now, this may be true and it may not. If it is, more power to B. If not, then she now annoys me more than Fergie.

So, good citizens of New Orleans (and the Gulf Coast), please edify me as to the accuracy of Ms. Knowles' comment. Is she, or isn't she? I mean, she could be--no one is saying she's definitely not. It just smells a little of self-promotion, not "Creole" cooking.

Pic of possibly Creole Beyonce by Pex Cornel.

On the third Wednesday of every month until December (Sept 19, Oct 17, Nov 21, Dec 19, 2007) businesses across the Lakeview area will be getting together in the parking lot at Robert E. Smith Center on Harrison Ave in New Orleans (across the street from Starbucks) for the Harrison Avenue Marketplace, an Outdoor Monthly Market. The first market was this past Wednesday and I happened to be in the neighborhood and grabbed some shots of this first ever community wide event

The lot was packed with current and former residents of the once flooded area of the city. As I walked through the 400 or so people I over heard talk of rebuilding, pre-fab housing, real estate, hurricanes and renewal. Various booths were set up selling food and trinkets. Plus some home remodelers were there showing off their talents. Of course the real estate agent tent was popular as well.

Before you may wonder why I would think any Starbucks is better than our local favorites, let me reassure you I still think Starbucks in the McDonalds of coffeeshops (especially with the extremely low quality of frappuccino I got today). But in this one case, I plan on getting drinks at this location whenever possible. The Starbucks you see pictured above is the brand new location that took over what was once Coffee and Company in Lakeview. In the heart of one of the most devastated areas of the city, Starbucks has decided to invest in the future of New Orleans and has opened this location with normal operating hours (open til 9pm everyday!) and a line around the front of the building that is a badge of honor. After the jump you will see a close up of this line that is painted around 5 feet up the wall on the front of the building.

I was inspired by my colleague Amanda Anderson's recent post, which also reminded me of something fun. Amanda recently celebrated her ten year anniversary of living in New Orleans (god love her) and was going through the alphabet, reflecting on what each letter brought to mind about our beloved (and beleaguered) Crescent City.

She reminded me of a game I used to force my husband to play with me. This was before we had the baby and he became such a big help that I felt bad trying to engage him with it. It's a stupid game with essentially no rules and no winner, that I cleverly call "A to Z." Spectacular, no?

Basically the point of the game is to pick a topic and go through all the letters of the alphabet (the English one) and come up with, well, you know, things that describe said topic or fit into it. And naturally I've forced him to, on at least one occasion, go through the alphabet with regard to Nola.

We came up with gems like B for booze and beads and boobs. We amused ourselves with C for Cajun and Creole Cooking. And the Columns Hotel. And the broken Concrete I fell on when we were running down St. Charles (another C!). Z naturally went to Zydeco (and the Zydeco Cha Chas, another C!).

As Amanda seems to be slowly engaging in just that very thing, I was delighted to read her sections for 'A, B, and C.' Clearly I have a sister in this silly but fun way of organizing my experiences and thoughts on New Orleans.

Did you know Sav-a-Center is pulling out of the New Orleans market? Once they leave there will be no full service super market in Orleans Parish on the park side of Mid City, unless someone comes in and takes over. According to City Business, the super market change is looking to sell their 21 stores in the New Orleans area as a group. Unfortunately this is going to make is hard for any of the locally owned stores (Dorignac's, Breaux Mart, Zuppardo's, Rouse's) to swoop in on the Sav-a-Center turf. All of these stores are to small to be able to afford to buy all 21 sites, but a number of them are interested in purchasing a few of the stores.

It would be nice it the locals could parse the group into prime locations, but I understand Sav-a-Center's need to sell in bulk in order to completely leave. Plus if only a few stores were taken then some may be left to close up and abandon their neighborhoods. Mid-City and New Orleans East and the edge of Gentilly could see the end of nearby grocery stores. Just look and the current locations on Carrollton (the Mid-City location near me) and Franklin Blvd (the only supermarket for all of the colleges on the lake, like UNO and SUNO). Both of these stores already have experiences that are much worse than the Veterans store in Metairie. Both have poor product choice and hours (though the Carrollton one has a better self serve policy than the Metairie one). At least the one on Carrollton seems to have higher prices than the Metairie one. I can only wonder what will happen after the sale. Will the stores close up further? Will prices get worse? Or, will that famous UK market, Tesco, decide to move into New Orleans in addition to their new Stateside stores in L.A.?

I'm salivating just reading about this... The Great American Seafood Cookoff comes to the Convention Center this weekend, August 4th-6th. How I would love to be a judge at this event, which brings twenty of America's top seafood chefs to town to compete against each other.

Governor Blanco apparently presented the challenge to her fellow governors to nominate an executive chef to represent each of their states in the competition. Eighteen states sent representatives, plus one chef will represent the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which is one of the event's main sponsors (okay... still seems a little odd, but when it comes to great seafood, the more the merrier). This is also kind of strange: as part of the event, they're also hosting an Alligator Soirée where culinary students from around the state will create dishes using Louisiana alligator... the creators of the winning alligator dish will receive a trophy.

This is making me so hungry... Luckily my sister is currently finishing up culinary school and begins work in a few weeks at Emeril's Gulf Coast Fish House in the Island View Casino in Gulfport. Yum. I can't wait to try out her new culinary skills.

via The Town Talk

[Every Thursday, Terra Nola documents the long-distance love affair between a New Yorker and New Orleans.]

Recently--as in yesterday--my mother-in-law sent me a little present as congratulations on getting a new job. It was a Williams-Sonoma cookbook entitled "Authentic Recipes Celebrating the Foods of the World: New Orleans."

I was immediately overjoyed by her sweet, thoughtful, and very personal gift. Then, as I started flipping through the pages full of beautiful photographs of the city and its culinary intricacies, I got a little sad. Ok, I'm lying--I got a lot sad.

I was sad because I won't be visiting any time soon. I was sadder because the photographs in the book were obviously pre-Katrina, when everyone was still having a grand old time eating and drinking and making merry. I was sadder still when I noted in the back of the book that it was published in 2005.

I hate 2005. Can I just say that? I mean, it was a crappy year for EVERYONE.

We pick the best images added to the Blogging New Orleans flickr group and post a resized version with a link to the original here. Just add your photos to the pool and you could see your image posted here! Be sure to check back for another NOLApic.



A favorite hangout for many locals and tourists alike, one of the coolest things about Checkpoint Charlie's is the sign that resides outside, on the corner of Decatur and Esplanade at the edge of the French Quarter. Not only is this New Orleans institution a bar & grill, but they've also got games and a laundromat to help while away the hours. Is there possibly a better way to kill the time while washing clothes than with a burger and a bloody mary? Go here for more pictures on Flickr tagged "Checkpoint Charlie's New Orleans".

This picture uploaded by Flickr user PubliusTX.

[Beat the Heat offers interesting and entertaining--and tasty!--ways to cool off in New Orleans this summer.]

Well, I think the article in the Crescent City Farmers Market weekly news bulletin says it all, but don't take my word for it. Check out the Farmers Market this week and sample one of local juicer Amanda's fruity concoctions. In fact, you'll have to--I'm stuck here in NYC. At least I have air conditioning.

This Tuesday I also have word that the Farmer's Market will offer FREE WATERMELON to folks who stop by. Now, if there is anything more refreshing that sums up summer than watermelon I haven't seen it. Or tasted it. Or basked in its cool refreshment.

The only thing left to do is get the free watermelon people with Amanda to make some sort of watermelon juice creation. Talk about tasty and refreshing. And sticky, but that's to be expected in these parts this time of year, no?

So get yourself on over to the Farmer's Market this Tuesday or Saturday. Yes, it may be hot--or perhaps raining--during your visit, but it will be well worth it when you enjoy Amanda's special papaya lime juice. You'll cool down AND help the local economy, as well as the environment, all at the same time.

Remember, the Tuesday market runs from 9:00AM (when it shouldn't be too hot and you could enjoy a nice cool juice for breakfast) until 1:00 PM (when you can enjoy one for lunch) at 200 Broadway, the Uptown parking lot. The Saturday market runs from early-bird 8:00AM to high noon at 700 Magazine Street.

Photo of lime juice with orange juice, another fabulous treat, by gigijin.

Can someone please try this juice and let me know how delicious it is? After all, I have to live vicariously through you.