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ARTS + ENTERTAINMENT
The hosts from hell
Overlook Film Fest brings horror ficks, immersive events and more
THERE HAVE LONG BEEN POPULAR HOSTS FOR HORROR FILMS AND LATE-NIGHT TV, from Vincent Price to Elvira. New Orleans had its version in Morgus the Magnificent, the mad scientist and host of the TV show “House of Shock.”
The Boulet Brothers, the drag personas Dracmorda and Swanthula, are the latest Queens of Darkness and hosts of horror entertainment. They run the horror drag TV competition “The Boulet Brothers Dragula,” now in its fourth season. The contestants compete to exhibit the most monstrous behavior in a drag world dominated by horror, glam and filth. They now do a holiday show as well.
This week, the Boulet Brothers will be in New Orleans for the Overlook Film Fest, where they’ll do a panel about their work and witching hour programming. They’ll even share treasures given to them by Elvira. They also kick off a tour of a live stage version of their show to close out events on Sunday.
The Overlook Film Festival includes more than 35 feature films, slates of short films, immersive experiences, panel discussions and more on April 9-12. Many filmmakers, including Kevin Bacon, will attend screenings. Though it’s named for the haunted resort in Stephen King’s “The Shining,” the fest has made its home in New Orleans and opens with a horror-themed second-line parade on Thursday.
Overlook has a diverse slate of features from across the globe, with world premieres, anniversary screenings and recent festival debuts of horror comedies, monster films, supernatural thrillers and inventive storytelling. “Buffet Infinity” is told through fictional TV commercials as a town’s competing fast food restaurants build cult-like followings and incite ever more drastic devotion.
The opening night film is Curry Barker’s “Obsession,” which premiered in early fall at the Toronto International Film Festival. Barker is known for comedy sketch work and the viral success of his found footage horror film “Milk & Serial.” “Obsession” takes the familiar terrain of an awkward 20-something who’s fallen for a coworker he’s already befriended. His friends are leery that something about Bear’s advances aren’t right, and they distance themselves from him. But Nikki falls hard for Bear, and as the two are left alone, the situation spirals to bloody and surreal heights. It screens Thursday and Friday at The Prytania in Uptown.
by Will Coviello |
The centerpiece film is “Leviticus,” an Australian entry that premiered earlier this year at the Sundance Film Festival. Director Adrian Chiarella’s debut feature is set in a small religious community. As two teen boys realize their affection for each other, the community intervenes with its own extreme conversion therapy. The teens aren’t deterred, but the treatment unlocks curses that are far more insidious. It screens at The Prytania in Uptown on Friday and Saturday. In the horror comedy, “Cramps! A Period Piece,” a young woman aspires to get a job in a beauty salon, but her menstrual cramps rage out of control. The film is shot like a 1970s technicolor TV show, and drag performers ratchet up the campiness. It screens Sunday at The Prytania in Uptown. There are several features from Japan. Director Genki Kawamura’s “Exit 8” is based on a video game and follows a commuter trying to escape the labyrinthine tunnels of a Japanese subway station (there are two screenings Thursday at The Prytania at Canal Place). Other Japanese entries include “New Group,” Yuta Shimotsu’s dive into a school’s demand for conformity bordering on extremism and authoritarianism (It screens at Canal Place on Saturday and Sunday). The fest also screens what is thought to be Japan’s first horror film, the 1926 experimental silent piece “A Page of Madness.” In it, a sailor who has spent his life at sea returns home to find his wife confined to an asylum, where he becomes a
janitor to be near her. It’ll be presented with a live score by local composer Jeff Pagano. Filmed in New Orleans, “Faces of Death” is Daniel Goldhaber’s reworking of the original 1978 cult film, and the cast includes British singer and actor Charlie XCX. In the update, a woman who filters out inappropriate content for an online video platform instead discovers producers who may be re-enacting murders. It screens Thursday at The Prytania in Uptown.
John Landis is known for directing “Animal House,” “The Blues Brothers” and “Trading Places.” He also directed the horror comedy “An American Werewolf in London,” which the fest screens on its 45th anniversary. Oscar-winning makeup artist Rick Baker will attend the screening Saturday at The Prytania in Uptown. Kevin Bacon has appeared in numerous films, and he directed and starred in the slasher film “Family Movie,” in which an actual dead body is discovered on the set of a horror film. The cast also includes his wife Kyra Sedgwick and their children. Bacon and Sedgwick will attend. There are two screenings Saturday at The Prytania at Canal Place. Among festival events are several immersive experiences, including some for audiences of one, both in person and via phone. “Claws” happens via phone as a young man calls and asks for help while spilling out horrifying revelations. Panel discussions include John Kassir, the voice of the Cryptkeeper in the early cable TV show “Tales from the Crypt,” talking about its impact. There also is a horror trivia session and a vampire market. There are a couple of types of festival passes offering access and priority seating for films. Many events require separate tickets. Individual tickets are available to non-passholders, but supplies are limited.
For a full schedule, tickets and information, visit overlookfilmfest.com.
Hogs for the Cause
The annual barbecue and music festival features more than 90 barbecue teams and a lineup topped by country music stars. The entertainment roster includes Charles Wesley Godwin, Stephen Wilson Jr., The Castellows, Buffalo Traffic Jam, Jason Scott & the High Heat, Southern Avenue and more. Teams compete for awards for whole hog, ribs, best bacon dish and more, and last year’s winners included Hog Addiction, Pork Illustrated, Sir Pork-A-Lot, Fleur de Que, The Boar’s Nest and more (See 3-course interview, page 25). In 15 years, the festival has raised more than $12 million to fight pediatric brain cancer. Outdoors on the grounds of the UNO Lakefront Arena. Gates open at 3:30 p.m. Friday, April 10, and 11 a.m. Saturday, April 11. Find information at hogsfest.org.
Ponchatoula Strawberry Festival
Ponchatoula hosts its annual festival with live music, a parade, amusement rides, games like egg tosses and sack races, food vendors and more. The festival grounds are in Memorial Park, and the lineup includes PaperChase, Mothership, Kings of Neon, Thomas Cain, Swampland Revival, Peyton Falgoust Band and more. The parade starts at 9:30 a.m. Saturday on E. Pine Street in downtown Ponchatoula. Festival hours are 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Friday, April 10, 9 a.m.-8 p.m. Saturday, April 11, and 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday, April 12. Visit lastrawberryfestival.com for information.
Ryan Davis & The Roadhouse Band
On their latest album, “New Threats From the Soul,” Ryan Davis & The Roadhouse Band goose their character-driven Americana with grand, experimental moments, electronica and some indie rock. Catch them live at
PHOTO BY SCOTT THRELKELD / THE TIMES- PICAYUNE
‘Leviticus’ is the centerpiece film at the Overlook Film Festival.
PHOTO COURTESY OF NEON
THUMBS UP/ THUMBS DOWN
Thousands of New Orleanians gathered March 28 for the third No Kings rally to protest against the Trump regime’s violations of the Constitution, ICE’s violent anti-immigrant tactics and the war with Iran. Around 7,000 protesters gathered at the Lafitte Greenway’s Great Lawn, organizers said. The New Orleans event was one of 3,300 rallies happening across the country, drawing an estimated 8 million people.
OPENING GAMBIT
NEW ORLEANS NEWS + VIEWS
The Louisiana Abortion Fund last year helped 1,885 people seeking abortion care, the organization recently reported in its 2025 review. LAF’s community support line helps people navigate the maze of trying to access abortions in the post-Dobbs landscape and in 2025 pledged more than $1 million directly toward abortion care for 955 people. It also connected callers to other funds and resources, helped people understand the legal landscape and assisted in travel, lodging and child care coordination.
La. Senate panel backs plan to shrink New Orleans court system
THE LOUISIANA SENATE COMMITTEE ON JUDICIARY A ADVANCED MARCH 31 THREE BILLS that would reshape New Orleans’ court system and reduce the number of judges and clerks in the city after more than five hours of debate.
The move comes despite opposition from local leaders and members of the New Orleans legislative delegation.
the only parish that has one clerk of criminal district court and another clerk of civil district court.
Unlike under a House proposal passed out of committee last week, New Orleans would be able to keep separate criminal and district court benches. House Bill 911 by Dixon McMakin, a Baton Rouge Republican, aims to completely combine the civil, criminal and juvenile court systems.
Louisiana elected officials are increasingly signing nondisclosure agreements with massive corporations like Meta and Amazon, the Gulf States Newsroom reported. At least 50 public officials, including state representatives and senators and Lt. Governor Billy Nungesser, have signed NDAs since Gov. Jeff Landry took office. Some officials say NDAs are needed to attract business to Louisiana. But it really keeps constituents in the dark and only benefits corporations exploiting Louisiana communities.
Senate Bill 197 by Sen. Jay Morris, a Monroe Republican, would reduce the number of Orleans Parish Civil Court judges from 14 to 12 and the number of criminal court judges from 13 to nine. Additionally, it cuts the number of juvenile court judges by half, from four to two.
The bill would also merge the judicial expense fund of the civil and criminal courts in hopes that the civil court — through land records and court record fees — will help pay for the criminal court, as in other systems.
SB 197 would decrease the number of judges at the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals, which covers New Orleans, from 12 to 8.
SB 256 would have one clerk in the parish covering criminal and civil courts. Currently, Orleans is
Morris, like McMakin, argued that it wasn’t necessary to talk with New Orleans legislators and judges in drafting the bill because he assumed they’d be against it.
Morris said he did talk to Gov. Jeff Landry’s office and some judges and lawyers outside New Orleans.
There was a lot of confusion surrounding data on the number of judges and trials in Orleans Parish as compared to the rest of the parishes in the state, with legislators looking at two different reports.
Morris argued that the number of cases Orleans Parish sees doesn’t justify the number of judges.
Democrats argued that the figures he was using weren’t a fair comparison, both in how they were counted and in the types of cases judges were handling — some of which include
1,500
THE NUMBER OF POTHOLES MAYOR HELENA MORENO HOPES TO REPAIR PER WEEK.
Since Moreno took office in January, the city has averaged 500 pothole repairs a week. In a social media post late last month, Moreno pledged to ramp up those efforts dramatically as part of her quality of life agenda. The mayor also hopes to significantly boost the size of the city’s pothole repair workforce, from its current level of 12 to as many as 70.
C’EST WHAT ?
If Elon Musk tries to build a tunnel in New Orleans, what’s the worst that could happen?
Gov. Jeff Landry
PHOTO BY JOHN BALLANCE / THE TIMES- PICAYUNE
complex cases, like maritime and mesothelioma, that take more time.
“Are you suggesting that the judges down in New Orleans aren’t working?”
asked Sen. Gary Carter, a New Orleans Democrat who was a consistent voice against the bill during the long meeting.
“No, but they could probably work faster if they put their mind to it,” Morris replied.
Several judges warned that cutting positions would increase their caseloads and potentially cause increased wait times for
trials. Morris later suggested those delays could be on purpose.
“There’s a chance that in order to prove that this legislation was bad that there will be an intentional slowdown,” he said. “Bureaucrats have been known to do that.”
“It’s disappointing to hear how we as a judiciary have been referred to from this table,” said Louisiana Fourth Circuit Court of Appeal Judge Sandra Cabrina Jenkins later in the meeting. Orleans Parish Clerk-elect of Criminal Court Calvin Duncan, who was elected in November and takes office May 4, would have his position eliminated under Morris’ package of bills.
Duncan, who was wrongly convicted and imprisoned for decades and ousted incumbent Darren Lombard in a landmark victory, promising reforms to the office. In his passionate testimony against SB 256, Duncan said it would disenfranchise everyone who voted for him and be “devastating” to his mental health.
“They gave me an opportunity, and this one person, with all due respect to Sen. Morris, one person is going to ruin my whole life,” Duncan said.
Duncan said when he and Morris spoke over the phone last week, Morris said the governor was pushing for the bill.
“I called the senator, and I tried to appeal to his sense of reason, and his response was, ‘This is what the governor wants,’ ” Duncan said.
“C’mon, man, that’s ridiculous.”
Morris said that the bill wasn’t personal and that he wasn’t aware of Duncan’s “compelling” story when he decided to bring it forward. He said he planned to read Duncan’s book.
However, Alanah Odoms, ACLU of Louisiana executive director, said the bills were personal, as they would only cut New Orleans area judges, a majority of whom are Black.
“This is, in fact, a targeted effort to remove Black women from the only appellate bench in Louisiana where they hold significant power,” she said.
The Senate committee ultimately voted 4-3 along party lines on all three bills, with Republicans Rick Edmonds, Beth Mizell, Alan Seabaugh, and Gregory Miller voting
Calvin Duncan. PHOTO COURTESY OF CALVIN DUNCAN
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for it and Democrats Gary Carter, Sam Jenkins and Jay Luneau voting against it. As chair, Miller cast the tie-breaking votes. — Kaylee Poche
Trump regime ends key Endangered Species Act rules in Gulf of Mexico
THE TRUMP REGIME MARCH 31 EXEMPTED OFF-SHORE OIL AND GAS EXPLOITATION IN THE GULF OF MEXICO from key Endangered Species Act restrictions.
The decision will likely be a death sentence for Rice’s whales and potentially other species but could mean more money for petroleum companies and their wealthy investors – including many of the regime’s top apparatchiks.
According to CNN, the Endangered Species Committee – also known as the “God Squad” for its ability to literally sentence species to death –made the decision at the request of Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, who also serves on the committee.
Hegseth ostensibly requested the exemption for “national security” reasons, though no such reasons seems to actually
exist. Indeed, according to CNN Hegseth’s argument was largely based on simply making it easier for companies to exploit oil and gas resources in the gulf.
“These legal battles waste critical government resources and make it impossible for energy companies to plan and invest in new projects,” Hegseth said, according to CNN.
Rice’s whales are a critically endangered species, with only 50 members believed to exist, all of which make the Gulf of Mexico their home.
The ruling will also further endanger a host of other species, including sea turtles and manatees.
In February, some 30,000 gallons of oil were spilled in the Gulf near Port Fourchon. That spill has already had a devastating impact on the environment, as well as the seafood industry.
Trump, a convicted felon and land developer with a long history of disdain for environmental protections, has randomly used made up claims about the safety of whales as part of his bizarre war on offshore wind energy projects. His fixation with wind energy has had a significantly negative impact on the industry, including in Louisiana. — John Stanton
Rice’s Whale
PHOTO PROVIDED BY NATIONAL MARINE FISHERIES SERVICE
JOHN STANTON
Unjustifed
Reforming New Orleans’ courts should start here, not the governor’s mansion
AS THE
LOUISIANA
LEGISLATURE enters its second month of the 2026 legislative session, Republicans in the state House and Senate are pushing through a series of measures that would drastically shrink New Orleans’ courts, eliminate the Clerk of Criminal Court position and potentially wreak havoc on the city’s already stressed judicial system.
In the Senate, Monroe Republican Sen. Jay Morris is pursuing three bills that would reduce the number of judges serving on all city courts and the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals, which covers Orleans Parish. The package would also place the criminal and civil courts under a single clerk of court, eliminating the Clerk of Criminal Court position.
Meanwhile in the House, Baton Rouge Republican Rep. Dixon McMakin’s House Bill 911 would merge all the city’s courts, abolish the juvenile court entirely and dramatically slash the number of sitting judges.
Republican supporters of the court restructuring insist their plans would make the city’s judiciary the same as other parishes in the state and that population declines and reductions in criminal cases make reductions in the number of judges necessary.
But those arguments ring hollow when you remember that it wasn’t so long ago that Republicans were bitterly complaining about case backlogs and lengthy trial times in New Orleans. While the city is currently enjoying low crime rates, that may not always be the case. Further, it still takes significant time for cases to work their way through the system with the current number of judges.
More concerning is the fact that none of the city’s leaders or judges have been consulted about what reforms could be needed. Indeed, Republicans have made clear they don’t want input from local leaders.
Laura Cannizzaro Rodrigue — a conservative activist and former Orleans Parish prosecutor (and daughter of controversial former District Attorney Leon Cannizzaro) — dismissed the common-sense notion that the people actually involved in the judicial process
might have some thoughts on how to reform it.
“To say you should have to consult with the judges in Orleans about removing their jobs makes no sense,” Rodrigue said during a House committee hearing on McMakin’s bill.
Likewise, during the Senate Judiciary Committee’s March 31 hearing, Morris admitted he hadn’t talked to Orleans Parish judges and elected officials — though he had consulted with Gov. Jeff Landry and judges and lawyers from other parishes. What’s more, Calvin Duncan, the city’s incoming Clerk of Criminal Court, testified that Morris told him, “This is what the governor wants.” Notably, Morris didn’t push back.
It’s doubtful the good people of Monroe or Baton Rouge would take kindly to having their court system — or frankly, any aspect of their local governments — changed by legislative fiat authored by New Orleans’ Democratic Rep. Mandie Landry or Sen. Royce Duplessis. So why do Morris and McMakin feel entitled to meddle in the affairs of New Orleanians?
This is not to say reforming New Orleans’ court system isn’t necessary. There are undoubtedly changes that could be implemented that would make it more efficient, cost effective, equitable and just.
If lawmakers are truly serious about making the city’s court system better, they should scrap these bills and open an honest dialogue with the mayor, our legislative delegation and the courts themselves.
@ gaetanasnola
State Sen. Jay Morris, R-West Monroe, with Gov. Jeff Landry
PHOTO BY JAVIER GALLEGOS / THE TIMES- PICAYUNE
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Hey Blake, While driving the Causeway across Lake Pontchartrain recently, two questions came to mind. How long did it take to build, and was it always a toll bridge? If so, how much was the first toll?
Dear reader,
THE STORY OF THE 24-MILE LAKE PONTCHARTRAIN
CAUSEWAY’S CREATION begins in 1948 when the state legislature put a constitutional amendment before voters. It authorized a $30 million bond issue to finance the bridge’s construction.
“The causeway would be modeled after the famous causeways of Biscayne Bay, Fla. and the Zuider Zee, Holland,” reported a May 1948 New Orleans States article. Many business leaders backed the plan, saying the bridge would “bring people living in the Ozone Belt 25 to 30 miles closer [to] the city,” according to an October 1948 New Orleans Item article. The next month, voters approved the amendment.
Construction began in May 1955 and was completed by Aug. 30, 1956, at a cost of $57 million. Some 600 cars traveled across on the first day. “It was a ride right out of this world — and right into Jefferson Parish and right
into the piney woods of St. Tammany,” wrote New Orleans Item reporter Thomas Sancton as he chronicled his trip across on opening day. “The hot summer-baked streets of city life gave way to cool breezes … this is a ride you have to make to believe.”
The southbound bridge is the original bridge, featuring two lanes of traffic when it opened: one northbound and one southbound. A second span, today’s northbound span, was opened on May 10, 1969.
The bridge has always had a toll, which has increased over time. For instance, in 2017, it increased to $5 (or $3 with a toll tag). And in 2023, the price went up again to $3.40 for toll tag owners and $6 for other drivers.
THIS WEEK, AS THE THREE-DAY RAGTIME DAY NOLA EVENT celebrates the history of ragtime and early jazz, we spotlight a group that has kept the historic art form alive: the New Orleans Ragtime Orchestra.
The orchestra was founded in 1967 by Lars Edegran, a pianist from Sweden who moved to New Orleans because of his love for jazz. As a 1973 Times-Picayune profile explained, Edegran “caught the fever and began researching the Tulane University Jazz Archives. He found a mine of material (there) and, with this in hand, organized the New Orleans Ragtime Orchestra.”
The group researched and performed the music of such composers as Jelly Roll Morton, Armand Piron, Clarence Williams and Scott Joplin. Within a year, the group was performing at the Newport Jazz Festival. In 1970, they performed at the first New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival and performed here and around the world.
In addition to Edegran, founding orchestra members were legendary trumpeter Lionel Ferbos, bassist Walter Payton Jr., trombonist Paul Crawford, clarinetist Orange Kellin (who, like Edegran, moved to New Orleans from Sweden) and violinist William Russell.
The orchestra will perform as part of Ragtime Day NOLA on Sunday, April 12, at Longue Vue House and Gardens. You can also see them at the French Quarter Festival on April 18 and in the Jazz Fest Economy Hall tent on April 26.
BLAKE VIEW
The Lake Pontchartrain Causeway PHOTO BY DAVID GRUNFELD / THE TIMES- PICAYUNE
APRIL 8
9AM TaiChi in the SculptureGarden Amphitheater
12:30 PM and 6PM Galler yTalk on Hayward Oubre: Structural Integrity with MaPóKinnord
2PM Docent guided tour of NOMA. Meet in the GreatHall.
VIVA NOLA uplifts New Orleans’ vibrant Latino community
BY SARAH RAVITS
AnaMaria Bech’s work goes beyond just storytelling.
As founder and publisher of VIVA NOLA magazine, a bilingual publication and multimedia outlet, Bech is on a mission to connect Latino residents and Spanish speakers to each other, and to share their positive contributions with the rest of the region.
Whether she’s hosting a podcast interview, filming TV spots, writing features, livestreaming to her social media audience, or sharing details about upcoming celebrations, her main goal is to support and uplift the Latino community in the Greater New Orleans area.
“I wanted everybody else to learn what we are about,” Bech says of her decision to launch VIVA NOLA in 2018. “It’s important to talk about the good of what the community does.”
VIVA NOLA, which is published six times a year, covers a range of topics and maintains a wide, ever-expanding scope.
In the issues, Bech often features a local celebrity or a rising star in a creative or entrepreneurial field. She also publishes profiles on Latino and immigrant-run shops, restaurants, and other businesses, along with health tips and other items of local interest — all of which are available in both English and Spanish, online and in print. She also hosts events.
Singer Amanda Shaw, who discussed her Guatemalan heritage with the outlet, and chef Adolfo Garcia, the son of Panamanian immigrants, have both been featured on the magazine’s cover. And VIVA NOLA’s most recent issue highlights the accomplishments of New Orleans’ first Mexican-born mayor, Helena Moreno.
AnaMaria Bech, founder and publisher of VIVA NOLA
PHOTO BY MADDIE SPINNER / GAMBIT
Construyamos Puentes, No Muros
“We became this hub of resources ... We get a lot of (direct messages) asking ‘Can you help us with food?’ or from people looking for jobs. We’ve always been there for the community’s needs.” — AnaMaria Bech
“I felt like we (Latinos) were always in the news for the wrong reasons,” Bech says. “And other outlets aren’t really covering the good things happening.”
A lot of what she does is shine a light on people and places that aren’t always covered by traditional, mainstream media outlets.
“It’s like, hey, ‘Go to this restaurant, try it, love it, support them,’ ” Bech says. “Or, ‘This lady here is doing an amazing job with a nonprofit, go support them or see how to get involved.’ The idea was always to be a connector.”
MAKING CONNECTIONS has always come pretty naturally to Bech, who has worked in bilingual local media for her whole adult life.
She’s always been high energy, she says, and even as a kid “always had something to say.”
But she struggled when she first moved to the United States at 17 from her native Colombia, not knowing much English.
As the new kid at Grace King High School in Metairie, she was determined to catch up as quickly as possible and was extremely disciplined as a student, particularly in her English as a Second Language (ESL) classes.
She remembers memorizing lines from “The Canterbury Tales” in Middle English and reciting a passage almost perfectly in class — only to be mocked by a white student over her accent.
Being unable to fully grasp the new language at first was frustrating and even embarrassing, Bech says. “I would beg my teachers, please do not make me speak,” she says. “It was really hard and embarrassing, and I didn’t want to be heard for a long time.”
But these early challenges solidified her determination to become fluent
in English, while maintaining a connection to her native country and language.
Once she enrolled at University of New Orleans, she decided to pursue a degree in communications and even signed up for a theater class to help improve her public speaking skills and boost her confidence. In the process, she says she also became a much better listener.
After graduating, she cut her chops in local media by working at Spanishlanguage outlets, including a stint in producing and editing for a WLAE-TV series called “Conexiones,” which means “Connections.” It later rebranded as VIVA NOLA TV on social media and ran on the station.
The show was about “connecting cultures and communities and highlighting the impact of Latinos in the region,” she says.
Early on, Bech had a knack for this type of work.But she felt like she might be better suited for print
journalism, feature writing and event organizing.
“A magazine was more appealing to me,” she says. “I wanted to do the community and culturedriven stories.”
So she launched VIVA NOLA and hasn’t looked back since. She’s run the publication on her own, with the help of a few freelancers. And just five months ago, her husband Herbert Bech quit his day job to help Bech full-time doing technical work and stepping in as VIVA NOLA’s chief operating officer.
A BIG PART OF BECH’S WORK AT VIVA NOLA is not just in publishing or producing content, but also in engaging with readers and viewers behind the scenes and guiding people during emergencies.
She partners with Fox 8 to provide critical information to the
VIVA NOLA is published six times a year and maintains a robust online presence.
PHOTO BY MADDIE SPINNER / GAMBIT
Construyamos Puentes, No Muros
Spanish-speaking community and appears on a bilingual segment every other Tuesday, where she talks about community news and events. And since the COVID-19 pandemic, her live translations during news conferences have been shared on the station’s website and social media. She also translates during hurricane season as needed, as well as during the Trump regime’s recent occupation of the area. It’s partly a response to her active community engagement efforts. People come to her with a variety of requests, and she’s become a trusted resource in the community. Bech spends a lot of time responding to queries from readers and viewers.
For instance, before Hurricane Ida hit in 2021, she says she got all kinds of questions from concerned residents who didn’t speak English.
“When people move to certain areas, they have zero experience
(with hurricanes), so they don’t understand the gravity of the situation,” Bech says. “People were asking, ‘Should I actually leave?’ And I was like, ‘Yes, if you’re in the area, you need to go.’ There were people living in trailers and motor homes.”
In the days following the storm, she received an influx of messages from Spanish speakers in the Houma area who were desperate for food and water.
Bech and her husband ended up driving a U-Haul with donated goods from Second Harvest to the region and distributing supplies at a local church.
“We became this hub of resources,” she says. “People would be like, ‘I don’t have this, or that — where can I get food or diapers?’ And we’d send people that way (to help).”
“The need is so big” for this type of response, Herbert says.
THEN
THERE
WERE THE
TRAUMATIZING ICE AND BORDER PATROL RAIDS in December and January.
During this time, Bech received messages from immigrants and their families in search of legal aid, resources and even food, as many people were afraid to leave their homes out of fear of being detained or deported without due process, or targeted and harassed based on their skin color.
“We get a lot of (direct messages) asking ‘Can you help us with food?’ or from people looking for jobs,” she says. “We’ve always been there for the community’s needs.”
Bech says she believes that things have calmed down in large part because of the public backlash. But she hears from many Latinos who still fear going out in public — regardless of their citizenship status.
“People are still scared,” says Bech. “The visible tactics that (ICE) used and the violent way of doing it really made people afraid. They felt like their lives didn’t matter.”
That’s hear tbreaking for Bech, who knows the Latino community has so much more to offer than the racist, negative stereotypes perpetuated by the Trump administration.
That’s why it’s so important to her to show the contributions of Latinos to the New Orleans area.
In 2025, she completed a mini-docuseries about the role Latinos played in post-Katrina recovery.
“They made the city come back,” she says of all the workers who helped rebuild homes and businesses. “People will say mean things, like, ‘Go away, we don’t want you. You’re illegal.’ But (people) forgot that they wouldn’t be here if we weren’t all there to help.”
AnaMaria Bech did live translations of news conferences during the COVID-19 pandemic. SCREENSHOT BY HERBERT BECH
APRIL23RD –MAY 3RD,2026
“I wanted everybody else to learn what we are about. It’s important to talk about the good of what the Latino community does.” — AnaMaria Bech
Construyamos Puentes, No Muros
AnaMaria and Herbert Bech
Moreno’s spokesperson, Isis Casanova, who is also Latina, told Gambit that the type of work
Bech does is especially important because it centers an often-overlooked population.
“There is a unique type of isolation that occurs when your own experiences and the language you hear at home are not represented,” Casanova says.
The type of access Bech provides to Spanish-speakers and bilingual residents “helps break down these barriers,” Casanova adds.
These days, Bech is hoping to continue to grow the outlet, including with a series of events, like a brunch she recently hosted to honor various successful Latina women in the region.
She also keeps a pulse on the entertainment scene, and recently highlighted Damian CH, a
rising reggaeton and hip-hop artist in New Orleans, who was born in Mexico and recently graduated from Loyola University.
In the magazine, Damian CH says, “She gave me a space to be myself.”
What strikes him the most is how much she embraces people from other countries who have moved to the area.
“She really respects the culture where we (her interview subjects) are from,” Damian CH says. “New Orleans has a lot of diversity, and (publications like VIVA NOLA) needed to happen in the city.”
He says he also appreciates that the outlet helps humanize a population that has faced tremendous adversity.
“AnaMaria lets us represent who we really are,” he says. “I think
everybody who comes here (to the U.S.) is here because they want to have a better opportunity in life. Most of us, as immigrants — that’s what we do.”
That’s exactly what Bech hopes to get across in her work.
“We want to be the storytellers of what’s happening,” Bech says. “We’re Latino, we’re New Orleanians, we’re Louisiana ... We want people to experience our culture. We want everyone to know what we’re doing and what we’re about.”
To support Bech’s efforts, you can become a member of the Viva Nola Club at vivanolamag.com/ business-economy/become-partof-the-movement-that-elevateslatino-culture-in-new-orleans.
LEFT: AnaMaria Bech at work throughout the years
PHOTOS PROVIDED BY ANAMARIA BECH
ABOVE:
at their office
PHOTO BY MADDIE SPINNER / GAMBIT
EAT + DRINK
Family friendly
Alon and Emily Shaya open Safta’s Table at the Lakefront by
WHEN CHEF ALON SHAYA WAS 4 YEARS OLD, HIS FAMILY MOVED FROM ISRAEL to the Philadelphia suburbs. In the next few months, his parents split up and he started school, navigating a new language in a world that felt upside down.
His “saba” and “safta,” Hebrew words for grandfather and grandmother, visited often to help their daughter take care of Alon and his sister.
“My safta was the person who connected me to food,” Shaya says. “I was dealing with major roadblocks that a 5-year-old should not have to go through. Our daughter is almost 5, and I can’t imagine that for her.”
When his grandmother was visiting, he’d come home from school, open the door and smell her cooking.
Beth D’Addono |
“She’d be roasting eggplant and peppers over the fire,” Shaya says. “There would be fried eggplant with caramelized tomato paste on the table, borekas stuffed with cheese, matzah ball soup. It smelled like things would be OK.”
Shaya and his wife and business partner Emily Shaya founded Pomegranate Hospitality in 2017 and opened two restaurants in 2018, Saba in Uptown and Safta in Denver. Next came Miss River in the Four Seasons Hotel New Orleans in 2021.
With the March opening of Safta’s Table in Lakeview, the couple continues to pay homage to Shaya’s heritage, this time in a more casual setting.
“My safta cooked the foods I remembered from Israel,” Shaya says. “From a very young age, I connected my safta’s cooking to normalcy and safety, to what it means to be family, to feel comfort. It’s the feeling I try to channel as we care for our guests.”
Unlike their other restaurants, which offer full-service fine dining, Safta’s Table is a casual order-at-thecounter model, with grab-and-go
options and a menu of the chef’s Mediterranean-inspired greatest hits.
The restaurant occupies a space that used to be the Robert E. Lee movie theater. The couple leased the white box space and built it out to suit their purposes. There is inside seating for 50 and another 40 seats outside. The space is bright and airy, with tiled walls, a checkerboard floor and a basket of toys for kids.
“We get a lot of people who walk here from the neighborhood,”
Emily Shaya says. “We see retirees, young families, a lot of the same faces coming back already.”
The idea is to offer affordable Mediterranean food, the kind of flavors a family would want to eat more than once in a while, the chef says. The grab-and-go case has harissa olives, tiramisu parfait, meatballs in red sauce and roast chicken. To drink, there is wine on tap, beer and a few cocktails.
Food ordered at the counter is delivered to diners’ tables. For breakfast,
options include cured salmon on a Flour Moon bagel, avocado toast, overnight oats and an egg and cheese sandwich that’s even better with pastrami.
The lunch/ dinner menu includes spiced lamb ragu over hummus, a crowd pleaser at Saba, served with puffed hot sourdough pita. The chicken schnitzel sandwich comes with a fennel tzatziki slaw and green goddess aioli, and a falafel sandwich with green goddess aioli offers a vegan option.
Slow-cooked lamb is a seasoned and dry brined sous vide leg of lamb that’s sliced, seared on the griddle and served with lemon- and oregano-flavored jus. Dishes like the lamb, roasted chicken and Atlantic salmon come with a choice of side, like lemon-garlic broccoli or tomato cucumber salad.
A handful of recipes were his grandmother’s, including the lutenitsa, a roasted eggplant and pepper mezze, and the Mushroom Cigars, flaky borekas stuffed with mushrooms and mozzarella and flash fried. There’s a chopped salad, a little gem Caesar and chicken noodle soup.
“We’re working hard for sure,” says the chef. “But we empower our team, and our general manager Marie Guevara has been with us as head chef at Saba and senior manager over Saba and Safta.
“This is the restaurant we think the neighborhood needs and wants,” he adds. “The support we’ve gotten from day one is amazing.”
FORK + CENTER
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Bevi returns
SOCIAL MEDIA CAN PLAY TRICKS ON US, occasionally surfacing an image from long ago that seems fresh. Perhaps, I thought, that explained the return of Bevi Seafood in online posts.
The local seafood market and restaurant once had locations in Metairie and Mid-City and was among the best for boiled crawfish. It’s been just a memory since 2023, when founder Justin LeBlanc closed down the last of them.
But Bevi is back, in a new seasonal pop-up form and again boiling some fantastic crawfish.
LeBlanc now sets up shop at 5908 Magazine St. in the space formerly occupied by Avo, the upscale Italian restaurant. Chef/owner Nick Lama closed Avo in December, and the property is now for sale. He and LeBlanc are lifelong friends, and with crawfish season hitting high gear, LeBlanc decided to get back into the game a bit. On weekends, he brings one of his trailer-mounted boilers to the restaurant and serves hot crawfish by the pound from a makeshift counter in the dining room.
It’s lushly seasoned with citrus and has a roasted flavor in the peppery spice, behind the sweet tail meat. Bevi was known for exceptionally clean, well-sourced crawfish and this is again evident.
The old Avo dining room is still set up, as if for service, but the crawfish is all prepared for takeout. People grab orders for home or head to nearby Audubon Park and The Fly. Also back are Bevi’s daiquiris, always a highlight at the restaurants. These are made with fresh fruit and agave, so they are mellowly sweet. A pineapple and rum daiquiri had a little snap of
Emily and Alon Shaya opened Safta’s Table.
PHOTO BY MADDIE SPINNER / GAMBIT
Justin LeBlanc, founder of Bevi Seafood
PHOTO BY IAN MCNULTY / THE TIMES- PICAYUNE
ginger running through it that paired perfectly with the rich crawfish.
LeBlanc started out as a fine dining chef before opening Bevi, which he named for his kids, Benjamin and Violet. The first opened in 2013 in Metairie (the location is now home to the seasonal seafood restaurant Bon Temps Boulet). The second opened in 2015 in Mid-City, and that location is now Porgy’s Seafood Market. He’s fielded enough requests for catering from his old customers that he figured a pop-up would do well. His fans have indeed been turning up.
The Bevi pop-ups continue Saturday and Sunday from 1 p.m. until sellout at Avo through the season.
— Ian McNulty / The Times-Picayune
Frostop to be demolished NEXT TO TED’S FROSTOP DINER IN UPTOWN NEW ORLEANS, AN OVERSIZED, foamy root beer mug rises above South Claiborne Avenue — first a beacon of roadside Americana, later a defiant symbol of Hurricane Katrina recovery. Now, the 14-foot-tall sign will outlast the diner itself, which is set to be demolished to make way for student housing for Tulane University’s Uptown campus. Frostop will return as the anchor tenant in the new building.
The demolition marks the loss of another deep-rooted establishment in a city long resistant to change, from its neighborhoods and businesses to its traditions. Frostop joins a growing list of longtime establishments New Orleans has bid farewell to in the past year, including Milan Lounge, Palace Cafe and Checkpoint Charlie.
Though Frostop became a local icon after opening in Uptown in the 1950s, the restaurant’s story begins far from New Orleans. Founded by L.S. Harvey, Frostop root beer began brewing in 1926 in Springfield, Ohio, with the goal of creating the “creamiest, most flavorful root beer imaginable” using real cane sugar, according to the company. That same year, Harvey opened his first stand to promote the soda.
Frostop peaked by the late 1950s, when fast-food chains like McDonald’s and Burger King were rising in popularity, serving the quintessential American meal of burgers, fries and milkshakes. By then, there were more than 350 Frostop locations nationwide.
Jefferson Parish became home to Louisiana’s first Frostop outpost in 1954. To draw in customers, franchisee T.W. Ganus decided to produce a 14-foot-tall root beer mug to place outside his restaurant, the company said. The towering mug helped popularize the brand, with more
FORK & CENTER
locations sprouting up across the New Orleans area soon after. Without it, the Uptown diner may have never existed.
A year later, Ted Sternberg bought the franchise. Sternberg, who died in 2014, later said in an interview that he purchased Frostop — and lent his name to the brand — because he wanted to own his own business after returning from the Korean War, in which he served as a fighter pilot. At its peak, he owned 15 Ted’s Frostops, including the location on South Claiborne Avenue.
In a 1982 interview with The TimesPicayune, Sternberg said Ted’s Frostop began “as a very simple operation,” with strictly walk-up service and no indoor seating. He later upgraded the diner with overhead fans and peacock chairs, while preserving its nostalgic atmosphere and fast service.
Spaghetti and meatballs, roast beef sandwiches, fried shrimp and their signature “Lot-O-Burger” were among the popular menu items. Nectar sodas — a distinctly New Orleans concoction — were especially popular among Tulane and Loyola University students.
The root beer was also a hit, with Sternberg noting in a 1982 interview that it “blends especially well with ice cream.” At the time, the Uptown outpost was the only one still serving fountain sodas and root beer floats in frozen mugs, just as the sign suggests.
During Hurricane Katrina, the sign was toppled and remained upside down for years, serving as a constant reminder of the disaster. But in 2012, it returned — spinning once again atop its pole — under new ownership.
Though Sternberg retired after Katrina, he remained a regular at the diner, eating there once a week and catching up with staff into his 80s.
Frostop’s demolition, as well as construction of the student housing complex, is expected to begin in late summer and be completed by the start of classes in 2027.
The Robert family — owners of the Robert’s Fresh Market grocery chain — is developing the complex, which will house around 160 students in 39 apartments and include a ground-floor parking garage and space for neighborhood shops.
This will be the family’s largest real estate project to date, according to Matthieu Robert, who is helping lead the project through the family’s real estate company, RCR Ventures
CAPTURE THE FLAG is back!
The Frostop acquisition in 2025 also included the restaurant, along with its recipes and branding. Matthieu Robert said his family intends to preserve its legacy. — Poet Wolfe / The Times-Picayune
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Brian Duley
Captain, Three Pig Mafa
by Will Coviello
AFTER HIS FAMILY WAS DISPLACED BY HURRICANE KATRINA, Brian Duley grew up in Memphis. Following college, he moved back to New Orleans, but Memphis provides inspiration for his Hogs for the Cause team, Three Pig Mafia, a riff on the band Three 6 Mafia. The team also includes his brother Kevin Duley and pitmaster Kendal Adair, who are competitive barbecuers. This will be Three Pig Mafia’s third year at Hogs, the barbecue and music festival that raises funds to fight pediatric brain cancer. The festival is April 10-11 on the grounds of the UNO Lakefront Arena. For more information, visit hogsfest. org. For more on Three Pig Mafia, see @threepigmafia on Instagram.
How did you start your team?
BRIAN DULEY: My little brother shoes horses for a living in Mississippi. He’s a blacksmith. During Covid, he could still work, but he and his best friend didn’t have anything to do, so they started getting into barbecue and started getting serious about it. The other guy had a little bit of experience on another team. They started their own team (Smoked N Spiced) and started competing on the barbecue circuit. I was talking to my brother and I was like, Hogs is pretty much always the first weekend of April, and that’s two or three weeks before the world championship that’s in Memphis (the ‘Memphis in May’ barbecue cookoff). I was like, why don’t I start a team down here, and you can come and test out your recipes, and we can hang out and get our friends together. That’s how Three Pig Mafia started. Three Pig Mafia, which is a play on Three 6 Mafia, the whole Memphis connection. All of our dishes are named after their songs, so ribs are called Hog on My Knob. We have the Good Googly Moogly Meatballs. Half of my team is friends that I grew up with in Memphis, and the other half is friends that I hang out with down here. My wife is from here. So it’s a good mix of people. We have a member who is a pediatric neurosurgeon at Children’s Hospital. We have the only female pediatric neurosurgeon out there. Her name is Kelsey Hundley. She’s from Mamou. Her father donates wild boar boudin to us to serve our team while we cook.
How did your team do?
D: There’s 93 teams out there. Our first year, we finished 17th. We had a perfect score on our whole hog, but there was a four-way tie for first with four perfect scores. According to the rulebook, they flip a coin. We lost the coin flip twice and finished fourth. In our first year, we raised about $10,000. It’s tough. I had never done fundraising. I didn’t realize how difficult it is. But our first year, we raised $10,000 and got two top 10 scores. Our second year, which was last year, we raised about $31,000. We finished in the top eight in four different categories and got 12th overall. This year, we’re shooting for a top five final placement. With competition cooking, you really only turn in a third of what you actually cook. But the thing about Hogs, because it’s for the public, you can sell whatever is left over. So, people are eating the turn-in meat. In a lot of competitions, what isn’t turned in (to the judges) gets thrown away. That’s a lot of meat. Some events are now figuring out ways to co-ordinate with food banks. So that’s one of the good things about Hogs — we serve that meat.
What
are you doing this year?
D: This year, we’re debuting a bolognese hot pocket. It’s going to be It’s Hard Out Here for a Hot Pocket, like the song. It’s got mozzarella cheese in it. If it goes well, we’re going to make it our staple item going forward. We’re also doing my wife’s family’s meatball recipes. The Good
Googly Moogly Meatballs, which is going to be on a bed of polenta with Parmesan cheese on top. For our bacon dish, we’re going to do a new turn-in. We just tested it. It’s like shredded olive that’s stuffed with Terranova’s boudin. It has green onions in it. We’re going to make like an arancini ball with olive and sausage and bacon fat, and we’re going to cover it in panko and deep fry it. It’s crunchy, but the inside is bacon fat and boudin.
We’re going to have the ribs we don’t turn in. We’ll sell those till we run out. We got eighth in whole hog last year. We’re going to pull that hog apart, turn in our competition meat, and then we’ll have 200 waffle cones, and we’re going to put the meat in those cones with barbecue sauce. It’ll have green onions and shredded cheese on it. We’re calling that the Roll With It waffle cone. We want to sell as much of that meat to the public as we can. The most expensive thing on our menu is $6. We want to entice as many people as possible.
This year, we have our first band performing. It’s the Desert Nudes. They’re going to perform at our tent at our Friday night party. They fit the vibe because they play a lot of country. As soon as Stephen Wilson Jr. finishes on the main stage, the Desert Nudes fire it up at our tent. We hope if people enjoy the music, they’ll throw some money at the POS system, because all the money on the POS system goes right to Hogs directly.
The main focus is raising the funds and then having as much fun as possible.
Three Pig Mafia is led by Brian Duley, bottom right.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY BRIAN DULEY
Out to Eat is an index of Gambit contract advertisers. Unless noted, addresses are for New Orleans and all accept credit cards. Updates: Email willc@gambitweekly.com or call (504) 483-3106.
3rd Block Depot — 316 Char tres St., (504) 552-4095; 3rdblockdepot.com — The menu ranges from seafood gumbo and Gulf shrimp ceviche to smashburgers and steaks. Brunch brings shrimp and grits and more. Reservations available. Breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner daily. $$$ Angelo Brocato’s — 214 N. Carrollton Ave., (504) 486-1465; angelobrocatoicecream.com — This Mid-City sweet shop serves its own gelato in flavors like praline, salted caramel and tiramisu, as well as Italian ices in flavors like lemon, strawberry and mango. There also are cannolis, biscotti, fig cookies, tiramisu, macaroons and coffee drinks. No reservations. Lunch and dinner Tue.-Sun. $
Annunciation — 1016 Annunciation St., (504) 568-0245; annunciationrestaurant. com — Gulf Drum Yvonne is served with brown butter sauce with mushrooms and artichoke hearts. There also are oysters, seafood pasta dishes, steaks, lamb chops and more. Reservations recommended. Dinner Thu.-Mon. $$$ Audubon Clubhouse — 6500 Magazine St., (504) 558-1200; audubonclubhouse. com — The menu by Dickie Brennan and Co. includes crabmeat cheesecake, shrimp remoulade, fried oysters, burgers, sandwiches and more. Outdoor seating available. Reservations recommended. Brunch, lunch and dinner daily. $$$ Banana Blossom — 500 9th St., Gretna, (504) 500-0997; 504bananablossom. com — There are traditional Thai dishes like pad thai, green curry, pineapple fried rice, drunken noodles and coconut shrimp as well as original creations. No reservations. Lunch and dinner Tue.-Sat. $$ Boil & Barrel — 900 Harrison Ave., (504) 332-2645; boilandbarrel.com — The menu includes dishes like barbecue shrimp, charbroiled oysters, boiled crawfish, seafood platters and roast beef po-boys. The bar offers a long list of bourbons and whiskies. Outdoor seating available. Reservations available. Lunch and dinner Tue.-Sun. $$$ Budsi’s Authentic Thai — 1760 N. Rampart St., (504) 381-4636; budsisthai.com — Chef Budsaba Mason prepares dishes from her native Issan region of Thailand and other popular Thai dishes like papaya salad, grilled pork shoulder, larb, khao soi, pad thai and red curry. No reservations. Lunch and dinner Tue.-Sun. $$
Chef Ron’s Gumbo Stop — 2309 N. Causeway Blvd., Metairie, (504) 8352022; gumbostop.com — The Gumbo Stop has several gumbo varieties including chicken and sausage gumbo and seafood gumbo with shrimp, crab and crawfish. The menu also has boudin balls, Bayou shrimp scampi, crawfish etouffee and fried shrimp po-boys. Reservations accepted. Lunch and dinner Tue.-Sat. $$ The Commissary — 634 Orange St., (504) 274-1850; thecommissarynola.com — Dickie Brennan’s Commissary supplies his other restaurant kitchens and also has a dine-in menu and prepared foods to go. A smoked turkey sandwich is served with bacon, tomato jam, herbed cream cheese, arugula and herb vinaigrette on honey oat
$ — average dinner entrée under $10
$$ $11-$20
$$$ — $20-up
bread. The menu includes dips, salads, sandwiches, boudin balls, fried oysters and more. No reservations. Outdoor seating available. Lunch Tue.-Sat. $$
The Country Club — 634 Louisa St., (504) 945-0742; thecountryclubneworleans.com — The Bywater restaurant and pool has a menu of crab beignets, truffle mac and cheese, shrimp and grits, burgers and more. Outdoor seating available. Reservations recommended. Lunch, brunch and dinner daily. $$$
Delacroix Restaurant — 1 Poydras St., (504) 655-9002; delacroixrestaurant. com — With views overlooking the Mississippi River, the restaurant serves a mix of South Louisiana dishes like duck and andouille gumbo, crawfish bisque, shrimp buns, blackened redfish and crawfish étouffée. Reservations available. Lunch and dinner daily. $$$
Desire Oyster Bar — Royal Sonesta New Orleans, 300 Bourbon St., (504) 5860300; sonesta.com/desireoysterbar — A menu full of Gulf seafood includes oysters served raw on the half-shell or char-broiled with with Parmesan, garlic and herbs. The menu also includes po-boys, gumbo, blackened fish, fried seafood platters and more. Reservations recommended. Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. $$
Dickie Brennan’s Bourbon House — 144 Bourbon St., (504) 522-0111; bourbonhouse.com — There’s a seafood raw bar with raw and char-broiled oysters, fish dip, crab fingers, shrimp and more. Redfish “on the half-shell” is cooked skin-on and served with crab-boiled potatoes, frisee and lemon buerre blanc. The bar offers a wide selection of bourbon and whiskies. Reservations accepted. Lunch and dinner daily. $$$
Dickie Brennan’s Steakhouse — 716 Iber ville St., (504) 522-2467; dickiebrennanssteakhouse.com — The menu includes a variety of steaks, plus seared Gulf fish, lobster pasta, barbecue shrimp and more. A 6-ounce filet mignon is served with fried oysters, creamed spinach, potatoes and bearnaise. Reservations recommended. Dinner Mon.-Sat. $$$
Domenica — 123 Baronne St., (504) 6486020; domenicarestaurant.com — The Italian restaurant offers a mix of woodfired Napolitano-style pizzas and housemade pastas. Appetizers include various salumi and cheese boards, antipasti, roasted cauliflower and more. Reservations accepted. Lunch and dinner daily. $$$
Don’s Seafood — 4801 Veterans Memorial Blvd., Metairie, (504) 888-1555; donsseafoodonline.com — The seafood options range from char-broiled oysters to seafood gumbo, fried shrimp and catfish platters and stuffed flounder. The menu also has rib-eye steaks. Reservations accepted for large parties. Lunch and dinner daily. $$ Elizabeth’s Restaurant — 601 Gallier St., (504) 944-9272; elizabethsrestaurantnola.com — Elizabeth’s is known for its signature praline bacon, and the menu also includes boudin balls, shrimp and grits, chicken and waffles and eggs Florentine. Outdoor seating available.
B&B Fruit de Mer is a seafood pasta made with shrimp, crawfish and mussels in tomato sauce at Boil & Barrel (900 Harrison Ave., 504-332-2645; boilandbarrel.com).
Reservations accepted for parties of 10 or more. Breakfast and lunch daily. $$ Katie’s Restaurant — 3701 Iberville St., (504) 488-6582; katiesinmidcity. com — The Cajun Cuban is stuffed with roasted pork, ham, Swiss cheese, pickles and mustard. The eclectic menu also includes char-grilled oysters, sandwiches, burgers, pizza, fried seafood platters, pasta, salads and more. Delivery available. Reservations accepted for large parties. Lunch and dinner daily. $$ King Brasserie & Bar — Kimpton Hotel Fontenot, 501 Tchoupitoulas St., (504) 324-3000; kingbrasserieandbar.com
The restaurant’s menu is inspired by the cuisine of the Riviera and southern France. There are dishes like steak frites and bouillabaisse as well as blackened Gulf fish and barbecue shrimp and oysters. Reservations recommended. Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. $$$
Legacy Kitchen’s Craft Tavern — 700 Tchoupitoulas St., (504) 613-2350; legacykitchen.com — The menu includes oysters, flatbreads, burgers, sandwiches, salads and sharable plates like NOL A Tot Debris. A slow-cooked pulled pork barbecue sandwich is served with coleslaw on a brioche bun. Reservations accepted. Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. $$
Legacy Kitchen Steak & Chop — 91 Westbank Expressway, Gretna, (504) 513-2606; legacykitchen.com — The selection of steaks and chops includes filet mignon, bone-in rib-eye, top sirloin and double pork chops and a la carte toppings include bearnaise, blue cheese and sauteed crabmeat. There also are burgers, salads, pasta, seafood
entrees, char-broiled oysters and more. Reservations accepted. Outdoor seating available. Lunch and dinner Mon.-Sat. $$ Luke — 333 St. Charles Ave., (504) 3782840; lukeneworleans.com — The raw bar offers oysters, boiled shrimp, cured tuna, smoked trout dip and more. The menu has dishes like shrimp and grits, crab omelets, crawfish etouffee and steak frites. Reservations encouraged. Breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner daily. $$$ Lyons Corner — 537 Gravier St., (504) 527-0006; lyonscornernola.com — The eclectic menu includes Cajun prawns, bang-bang fried oysters, chicken sandwiches, salads and more. In the morning, there are breakfast empanadas. Delivery and takeout available. No reservations. Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. $$ Mikimoto — 3301 S. Carrollton Ave., (504) 488-1881; mikimotosushi.com — The menu of Japanese cuisine includes sushi, signature rolls, tempura fried items, udon noodles, teriyaki, salads and more.The South Carrollton roll includes tuna tataki, avocado, snow crab, green onion and wasabi roe. Reservations accepted. Delivery available. Lunch Sun.-Fri., dinner daily. $$ Mosca’s — 4137 Highway 90 West, Westwego, (504) 436-8950; moscasrestaurant.com — This family-style eatery serves Italian dishes and specialties including shrimp Mosca, baked oysters Mosca and spaghetti bordelaise and chicken cacciatore. Chicken a la grands is sauteed with garlic, rosemary, Italian herbs and white wine. Reservations accepted. Dinner Wed.-Sat. Cash only. $$$
PHOTO BY IAN MCNULTY / THE TIMES- PICAYUNE
Mother’s Restaurant — 401 Poydras St., (504) 523-9656; mothersrestaurant.net — This counter-service spot serves po-boys dressed with sliced cabbage like the Famous Ferdi filled with ham, roast beef and debris. Creole favorites include jambalaya, crawfish etouffee, red beans and rice and more. Breakfast is available all day. Delivery available. No reservations. Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. $$
Orleans Grapevine Wine Bar & Bistro — 720 Orleans Ave., (504) 523-1930; orleansgrapevine.com — The wine bar offers a selectoin of cheese boards and appetizers. Creole pasta combines shrimp and andouille in tomato cream sauce. Reservations accepted for large parties. Outdoor seating available. Dinner Thu.-Sun. $$ Pascal’s Manale — 1838 Napoleon Ave., (504) 895-4877; pascalsmanale.com — This Creole-Italian spot invented New Orleansstyle barbecue shrimp, and the menu also includes seafood gumbo, crab cakes, oysters and Italian-style pasta dishes. There’s also an oyster bar. Reservations recommended. Lunch and dinner Tue.-Sat. $$$
Peacock Room — Kimpton Hotel Fontenot, 501 Tchoupitoulas St., (504) 324-3073; peacockroomnola.com — At brunch, braised short rib grillades are served over grits with mushrooms, a poached egg and shaved truffle. The dinner menu has oysters, salads, pasta, shrimp and grits, a burger, cheese
plates and more. Reservations accepted. Dinner Wed.-Mon., brunch Sun. $$
Pizza Domenica — 4933 Magazine St., (504) 301-4978; pizzadomenica.com — Pizza is the focus of this offshoot of the Italian restaurant Domenica. There also are meatballs, roasted cauliflower and house-made pastas. No reservations. Lunch and dinner daily. $$
Restaurant August — 301 Tchoupitoulas St., (504) 299-9777; restaurantaugust.com — The fine dining restaurant serves Creole and contemporary dishes featuring foie gras, Gulf fish, duck and more. Reservations recommended. Dinner Sun.-Fri., lunch Fri. $$$
Rivershack Tavern — 3449 River Road, Jefferson, (504) 834-4938; rivershacktavern.com — This tavern along the levee offers a casual menu of roast beef po-boys, burgers, fried shrimp platters, catfish and gumbo. Outdoor seating available. No reservations. Lunch and dinner daily. $$
Shaya — 4213 Magazine St., (504) 891-4213; shayarestaurant.com — The Mediterranean and Middle Eastern menu includes dishes like hummus, falafel, kebabs, grilled chicken and wood-oven pita bread. Outdoor seating available. Reservations recommended. Lunch and dinner daily. $$$ Stingray’s Restaurant & Bar — 1303 W. Esplanade Ave., Kenner, (504) 443-4040; stingraysseafoodrestaurant.com — Zydeco fish is stuffed with crabmeat dressing and topped with shrimp cream sauce. The menu also includes fried shrimp and oyster
platters, grilled redfish, crabmeat jalapeños, and boudin egg rolls. Reservations available. Lunch and dinner daily. $$$ Tableau — 616 St. Peter St., (504) 934-3463; tableaufrenchquarter.com — The menu features traditional and creative Creole dishes. Pasta bouillabaisse features squid ink mafaldine, little neck clams, Gulf shrimp, squid, seafood broth, rouille and herbed breadcrumbs. Outdoor seating available on the balcony. Reservations recommended. Dinner Wed.-Sun., brunch Thu.-Sun. $$$ Tacklebox — 817 Common St., (504) 827-1651; legacykitchen.com — The menu includes raw and char-broiled oysters, seafood platters, po-boys, fried chicken, crab and corn bisque and more. Redfish St. Charles is served with garlic-herb butter, asparagus, mushrooms and crawfish cornbread. Reservations accepted. Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. $$ Tavi — 330 N. New Hampshire St., (985) 200-2045; tavirestaurant.com — The menu combines dishes from the Middle East, North Africa and the Mediterranean. There’s hummus, falafel, kebabs, flatbreads, grilled fish, lamb burgers and more. Reservations accepted. Lunch and dinner daily. $$$
Theo’s Neighborhood Pizza — 1212 S. Clearview Parkway, Elmwood, (504) 733-3803; 2125 Veterans Memorial Blvd., Metairie, (504) 510-4282; 4024 Canal St., (504) 302-1133; 4218 Magazine St., (504) 894-8554; 70488 Highway 21, Covington, (985) 234-9420; theospizza.com — A Marilynn Pota Supreme pie is topped with mozzarella,
pepperoni, sausage, hamburger, mushrooms, bell peppers and onions. There also are salads, sandwiches, wings, breadsticks and more. Delivery available. Lunch and dinner daily. $ The Vintage — 3121 Magazine St., (504) 324-7144; thevintagenola.com — There’s a full coffee drinks menu and baked goods and beignets, as well as a full bar. The menu has flatbreads, cheese boards, small plates and a pressed vegetable sandwich with avocado, onions, arugula, red pepper and pepper jack cheese. No reservations. Delivery and outdoor seating available. Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. $$ Vyoone’s — 412 Girod St., (504) 381-4384; vyoone.com — The French-Creole menu includes dishes like escargot, crawfish beignets, crab cakes, shrimp pasta, duck a l’orange and lamb chops. Reservations recommended. Dinner Wed.-Sun. $$$ Willa Jean — 611 O’Keefe Ave., (504) 5097334; willajean.com — The bakery and cafe serves biscuits with honey butter, cookies, pastries, breakfast sandwiches, shrimp and grits and more. Outdoor seating available. No reservations. Breakfast and lunch daily. $$ Yinzer’s Amazing Cheesesteaks — 1514 Delachaise St., (412) 860-6801; yinzersamazingcheesesteaks.com —There are classic and original cheesesteaks filled with steak, chicken and more. Diners can opt for toppings like provolone, house-made cheddar whiz, mushrooms, onions, banana peppers and more. Delivery available. No reservations. Lunch and dinner Wed.-Sun. $
Chickie Wah Wah at 8 p.m. Tuesday, April 7, with Frank Hurricane. Tickets are $26.96 via chickiewahwah.com.
St. Bernard Irish-Italian Islenos Community parade
The parade features almost 50 floats, marching groups and more, and riders toss plenty of vegetables along the route on Judge Perez Drive in Chalmette. The parade starts at 11 a.m. Saturday, April 11. Find information on facebook.com.
SUNN O)))
The Seattle duo SUNN O))) may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but for people who like heavy music styles like doom metal, drone and noise, Stephen O’Malley and Greg Anderson are luminaries. The band, which takes its name from the kind of amplifiers they use, play loud, slow and shrouded in robes and fog. The looming sound and its physical effects are the point, and it’s a unique experience — just bring earplugs. SUNN O))) recently released its 10th studio album, and first on Sub Pop Records. They play the Civic
Theatre at 8 p.m. Monday, April 6, and tickets are $44.05 via civicnola.com.
Hondo Rodeo Fest
The fest includes rodeo events and headlining concerts in the Caesars Superdome and more. The competition features bull riding, steer wrestling, saddle bronc riding, breakaway roping, barrel racing and more in the Superdome. The Street Fest has live music, a market, food vendors and brand displays in Champions Square. Music headliners include Jason Aldean, Cody Johnson, Creed, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Old Dominion and Bailey Zimmerman. Friday, April 10, through Sunday, April 12. Visit thehondorodeofest. com for information and tickets.
Fruhlingsfest
Deutsches Haus celebrates spring with a traditional Maypole dance, dachshund races, live music, German beer and food and more. The craft market has 20 vendors offering art, jewelry, soap, candles, food items and more. At Deutsches Haus’ home along Bayou St. John. Festival hours
are 4-8 p.m. Friday, April 10, 1-8 p.m. Saturday, April 11, and 1-5 p.m. Sunday, April 12. Admission is free. Visit deutscheshaus.org for details.
The Get
New Orleans band The Get mix folk, electronica, rock and more into a unique sound that recently caught the attention of NPR’s Tiny Desk contest judges. They can be seen live next playing the intimate concert series Couches at 8 p.m. Thursday, April 9, at The Columns Hotel. Couches also is growing. The event producers recently launched a label and are opening a storefront on April 18 on St. Claude Avenue. Tickets for The Get are $20 via couchesrecords. com and $30 day of the show.
Abita Springs Buskers Festival
Though it’s named for street busking, the festival features bands on stage, plus food vendors and more at the Abita Springs Trailhead Museum. The weekly farmers’ market happens at the same time. The museum
NEWWAYS TO EXPLORE
Whetheryou have twohoursor an entire day, experiencethe best of what theMuseumhas to offer with our guided Highlights Tour or aself-guided itinerary.
is currently presenting its “En Plein Air” expo of landscapes by Louisiana artists. At 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Sunday, April 12. Festival admission is free. Visit trailheadmuseum.org for information.
Zora Lucent
Now mostly based in Berlin, artist Zora Lucent spent a number of years in New Orleans’ electronic music community, making ethereal, expansive works. Zora recently released a new album, “Vestige,” and is back in New Orleans for a performance at 9 p.m. Tuesday, April 14, at Siberia. Laura Fisher with Theresa Romero and Solomon Z are also on the bill. Tickets are $12.47 via dice.fm.
Songkran Festival and Food Fair
The Buddhist temple Wat Wimuttayaram in Algiers celebrates the Thai New Year with a food festival, music, games for kids and more. From 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, April 12, at the temple (1601 Stanton Road). Admission is free. See @nolathaifoodfest on Instagram for information.
MUSIC
MUSIC L ISTINGS AND MO R E EVENTS TAKING PL ACE IN THE NEW O RL EANS A R EA, VISIT CALENDAR.GAMBITWEEKLY.COM
To learn more about adding your event to the music calendar, please email listingsedit@gambitweekly.com
MONDAY 6
30/90 Margie Perez, 6 pm; Piano Man ‘G’, 9 pm
ALLWAYS LOUNGE Betsy Propane & The Accessories, 7 pm
APPLE BARREL — Mark Appleford, 6 pm
BACCHANAL — Byron Asher, 6 pm
BAMBOULA’S The New Orleans Rug Cutters, 12 pm; Jon Roniger Band & The Good for Nothin’ Band, 4:30 pm; Ted Hefko & The Thousandaires, 9 pm
BJ’S LOUNGE Red Beans & Blues with Washboard Chaz & Jonathan Freilich, 9 pm
BROADSIDE Lawrie Duckworth, 7 pm
BUFFA’S — David Doucet, 8 pm
CAFE NEGRIL — Mother Ruckus, 6 pm; Keep It Rolling Brass Band, 9:30 pm
CIVIC THEATER sunn o))), 8 pm
COLUMNS HOTEL — Stanton Moore Trio, 6:30 pm
DBA — Secret Six Jazz Band, 6 pm; Corey Henry & The Treme Funktet, 9:30 pm
DOS JEFES John Fohl, 8:30 pm
HOLY DIVER — International and Irrational with DJ Chrischarge, 10 pm
LE BON TEMPS ROULÉ — VetJams, 7 pm
MAPLE LEAF BAR George Porter Jr. Trio, 7 pm; 10 pm
MAYFIELD’S 208 Kermit Rufns ft. Irvin Mayfeld: Red Bean Mondays, 6 pm
NOLA BREWING & PIZZA CO — Bluegrass Pickin' Party, 7 pm
CAESARS SUPERDOME — The Hondo Rodeo Fest ft. Creed + Bailey Zimmerman, 6 pm
CHICKIE WAH WAH — The New Orleans Jazz Vipers, 7 pm
DBA — Paradise Jazz Band, 6 pm; The Jump Hounds, 9:30 pm
NEW ORLEANS MUSEUM OF ART Music in the GardenSping into NOMA, 2 pm
OKAY BAR — Daybreak, WaunBand, Daiquiri Rene Jones, 7 pm
SANTOS BAR — One Night In New Orleans ft. DJs Beautato, Starr Noir, Hot Knobbin’ Gristle & Cole Grey, 10 pm
SIBERIA — Call Me Spinster with Alva Leah, Bon Bon Vivant, and Shape, 9 pm
THE TIGERMEN DEN — Cajun Brunch and Dance, 11 am
TIPITINA’S — Fais Do-Do With Bruce Daigrepont Cajun Band, 5:15 pm
SCAN FOR THE COMPLETE GAMBIT CALENDAR
Bon Bon Vivant performs with Alva Leah and Shape at Siberia Sunday, April 12, at 9 p.m.
PHOTO BY SOPHIA GERMER / THE TIMES- PICAYUNE
Backyard hang
by Jake Clapp
RENÉE GROS WROTE MANY OF THE SONGS THAT WOULD ULTIMATELY end up on her new album, “Glad I’m Wrong,” in her mom’s backyard. At the time, the New Orleans singer-songwriter was living with her mom, also a musician, and was working on more songs to follow up her first EP, “Temporary Love.”
A vocalist who had grown up singing with other New Orleans performers, Gros made her first step into the world as a songwriter with “Temporary Love.” So although she continued to write, she says she still felt green and unsure.
In her mom’s backyard, though, Gros found inspiration. Sometimes, like on the reflective “Morning Song (Glad I’m Awake),” she just needed a moment to pause.
“I was just really struggling at the time. And I was like, ‘You know what, though? Let me just look at the present, look at what’s physically around me and just be grateful for it,’ ” Gros says. “That’s the place that I was in when I started writing the album.”
Driven by vocals and Wurlitzer piano, “Morning Song” opens “Glad I’m Wrong,” an album full of ’70s-inspired rock, R&B and Southern soul. Gros releases her full-length album on vinyl on Friday, April 10, and plays a show that night at BJ’s Lounge. Feeferella will open.
A lively cover photo of Gros in her mom’s backyard, taken by photographer Noé Cugny, sets the vibe for the album. There are lots of blues and reds, a couple of lawn chairs, trophies and an exercise bike, and Gros lights a joint while watering the grass.
“I consider [‘Glad I’m Wrong’] kind of a coming-of-age record for me, and a lot of the songs are about my relationships with a lot of different people in my life,” Gros says.
There are songs, like the title track, about learning to trust your instincts and give yourself grace and, like the song “Winding Me Up,” about asserting oneself when pressed by other people. On the track “Nashville,” Gros questions what could bring her satisfaction in life, and the song “Homesick,” is about finding a home anywhere with the right person.
The cover, Gros adds, helps set up the idea of “being the fullest, sassiest, most vibrant version of yourself while getting your life done. That’s
really the ethos of the album: You are you, do you and get it done.”
Gros’ husband and creative partner, musician Tiago Guy, co-wrote and co-produced most of the songs on “Glad I’m Wrong.” And they worked closely with keys player Nigel Hall, whose Hammond organ gives the album a classic rock feel.
There also are contributions by drummer Terence Higgins, who last year toured with Gov’t Mule, keys player Andriu Yanovski, guitarist Danny Abel, percussionist Thomas Glass, vocalist Yolanda Robinson and more. The album was recorded at Marigny Studios and Major Sounds with engineer Mack Major.
On the album, Gros leans into her love for classic roots rock, R&B and soul, music her mom introduced to her. Gros grew up on the West Bank and often watched her mom, Nancy “Lil’ Red” Gros, perform with her band Big Bad around the city. Renée Gros’ first experience on stage was with her mother’s band at Parkway Bakery and Tavern in 2007.
After attending Emerson College in Boston, where she graduated in 2018, Gros returned to New Orleans and began performing with musicians like the late Russell Batiste. After releasing “Temporary Love” in 2022 — which featured Hall, Jon Cleary and Ivan Neville — Gros has grown her solo performances and also works often with Guy.
“Glad I’m Wrong” will ultimately end up on streaming platforms, but for now, Gros wants to focus on releasing the vinyl, she says. A debut album is a meaningful project, and it was important to Gros to have something people can hold and look over.
“It’s a physical work of art,” Gros says. The April 10 show starts at 9 p.m. Cover is $10. Find a link to the vinyl and more on Instagram: @the.renee.gros.
Summer
Renée Gros PROVIDED PHOTO BY NOÉ CUGNY
NEWSVIEWS MUSICPOLITICS
WHAT’S WORKING WHAT’S NOT
CULTURE CUISINE CARNIVAL
GOING OUT
Puppet Carnival
by Will Coviello
THE NEW ORLEANS GIANT PUPPET FESTIVAL has always had puppets of all sizes, but the popularity of giant puppets and massive costume-style puppets shows the festival’s impact beyond the annual spring event. Giant puppets are at the heart of the Krewe of Monsters, and they’re showing up elsewhere throughout the year. This year, that’s all coming back to the festival’s Giant Puppet Parade.
“There is a lot of Carnival crossover coming into the parade this year,” says festival founder Pandora Gastelum.
This year’s festival is April 9-13 at venues and outdoor spaces across Bywater and Marigny, and there’s everything from programing for children to adultsonly late-night shows. There are two parades, and the Saturday night parade is a highlight.
The parade will feature giant puppets from festival artists, as well as members of the Intergalactic Krewe of Chewbacchus and the Krewe of Mayahuel, which leads an annual Dia de los Muertos commemoration in St. Roch. The procession includes a brass band, and there are short puppet slam performances along the way. People are welcome to join the parade and bring their own giant puppets. (Anyone bringing a float or music is asked to contact the festival to coordinate a place in the parade). It starts at 10 p.m. Saturday in Plessy Park at Press and Dauphine streets.
On Sunday, the See It Be It parade is not exclusively a kids parade, but it will include youth and puppets made in the See It Be It workshop. It starts at noon at Plessy Park.
The festival has grown in many ways, and is supported by a Jim Henson Foundation grant and other sponsors. This year has more than 40 companies, including returning performers Velvet Effigy, Toybox Theatre, Poose, Abandoned Ships, Flutterbug, Nate Puppets and more. There’s everything from rod and shadow puppets to object-driven theater and the costume puppetry of Amica Hunter’s “Tube Tied.”
Plantain Futures is a new local company making its festival debut. Founder Samille Kinney’s show “Butter Woman” uses life-size puppets to reclaim a Nigerian folktale involving a jealous wife that’s been distorted by colonialism. (Thursday through Sunday at New Marigny Theatre.)
Brooklyn’s Boxcutter Collective presents “Dimension Zero,” a sci-fi romp with rock music, space monsters and an epic battle against the forces of capitalism. (Thursday through Sunday at New Marigny Theatre.)
Mutual Obsession Circus brings its truly grand scale show, with everything from stilt-walking puppets to marionettes, to an outdoor stage in Architect Alley. In the surreal show, Pierrot tries to make sense of a world full of conflict and in dreams yearns to fix it. Off Architect Alley is the Den of Muses, home to Krewe du Vieux (though many floats will be covered to keep the space family friendly). Among the shows there is Oracle Puppets’ “Octopus Dreams.” The undersea adventure features hand puppets, marionettes and giant puppets, and on Saturday, the giant puppets will join the parade after the show. “Octopus Dreams” runs Thursday through Sunday.
This year’s event is spread among 16 venues, from Gastelum’s Mudlark Public Theatre to Marigny Opera House, Hotel Peter & Paul and more. There are shows in large tents at Clouet Gardens and the courtyard at New Marigny Theatre. Miss Pussycat presents “Super Castle People,” with music by Quintron, at the Spellcaster Lodge. Naughty Little No Good’s psychedelic vampire tale is one of the adult offerings at the AllWays Lounge & Theatre.
There’s a festival box office at St. Coffee from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. during the fest. Visitors can get a printed festival program, tickets and passes, and there’s merch from the fest and individual companies. The box office moves to the lobby of the New Marigny Theatre at 6-9 p.m.
The festival also has workshops and a panel discussion.
Visit neworleansgiantpuppetfest.com for information.
‘Cinderella’ and ‘Charlie’ PHOTO BY PANDORA GASTELUM
Hosted by John Stanton WATCH
PREMIER CROSSWORD PUZZLE
APT ORDERS
By Frank A. Longo
1 Decelerated
“Same here”
12 Estimated to have a value of
Run, as an art exhibit
21 Artsy mavericks, informally
22 All through the region
23 Pub spigot
24 Shout harshly, “L.A. Law” actor!
26 Steal cattle, “Gladiator” star!
28 Natal lead-in
29 Two, in Peru
30 Pig -- poke
31 Ring a funeral bell, “Gimme a Break!” actress!
36 Lay a wager, “From a Distance” singer! 42 “Price negotiable” initialism 43 Podded plant
Ending for margin or Saturn 45 Stimpy’s pal 47 Play the violin, “The Fabulous Baker Boys” co-star!
53 Hide something in the ground, “Mandy” singer! 58 Entertainer Zadora
Easily fooled
Fruit drink
Actor Ken 62 Beanie, e.g. 64 Wife’s title
66 By birth 67 Big name in energy drinks 69 Tie the knot, “Coquette” star!
Wrath
Craving
911 gp. 76 Irish actor Stephen 77 Imitate a horse, anti-apartheid activist! 82 Cousins of rainbows 86 Dress edge 87 Min. division 88 Yoko of art
-- Romeo
-- Lanka 91 Novelist Jong 94 “Well well!”
Hatch of politics
114 Film director Sidney 115 French river to the Rhône 117 Slaloms, say 120 Not Reps. or Dems.
121 Rainbow flag initialism
122 Clumps
123 Stork relative
124 Cut and run
125 “Ocean’s Twelve” wife 127 U.S. lang. 128 4G -- (smartphone standard) 129 Pie -- mode
