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Bone Deep
Terence Blanchard brings ‘Fire Shut Up in My Bones’ to Civic Theatre
JUST SHY OF FIVE YEARS SINCE TERENCE BLANCHARD’S OPERA “FIRE SHUT UP IN MY BONES” opened at the Metropolitan Opera in New York, the New Orleans-born trumpeter and composer is bringing an adaptation of the work to his hometown. It’s a meaningful moment, Blanchard says, “because people don’t associate opera with New Orleans, and they should. New Orleans has had a huge history in the opera world.”
Presented by the New Orleans Opera Association, Blanchard and his band the E-Collective will be joined by baritone Justin Austin, soprano Adrienne Danrich and frequent collaborators the Turtle Island String Quartet to perform a suite from “Fire Shut Up in My Bones” on Sunday, Feb. 22, at the Civic Theatre.
The opera, with libretto by Kasi Lemmons and based on former New York Times columnist Charles Blow’s memoir of the same name, is the second opera by Blanchard, a multi-Grammy-winning bandleader, 2024 NEA Jazz Master and film composer. The work was first staged in 2019 at the Opera Theatre of Saint Louis and then went on to open the Metropolitan Opera’s 2021 season in New York.
When he reflects on that event, though, Blanchard looks further back and thinks about the people and events in his life that led him up to that point without him knowing it.
There was Blanchard’s father, a baritone and an amateur opera singer, who played opera records in the house. And although Blanchard as a kid didn’t stick around when his father put on those albums, “It became very apparent to me when I started composing opera where I got my sense of melody from,” he says.
“People have always talked about that in my film writing and all that stuff, and it didn’t hit me until I started on opera, thinking about hearing ‘Carmen,’ hearing ‘Rigoletto,’ hearing ‘La Boheme,’ hearing those in the house as a kid and how those melodies were very powerful,” Blanchard says. “And not only the melodies, but the performance of them.”
There also was Osceola Blanchet, who taught opera to Blanchard’s father and other young Black New Orleans men — lessons Blanchard overheard. Blanchard’s uncle was another singer who performed with his dad, along with Genevieve Short, an influential person in the church Blanchard grew up in.
by Jake Clapp |
“All of these Black people, who were refined, elegant musicians, who had a passion for this music, were imprinting on me when I was a kid without me know it,” Blanchard says. “They weren’t preaching to me. They were exposing me. And when I got time to do this, it all came back to me.”
Another person who impacted Blanchard was New Orleans pianist and educator Roger Dickerson, who gave him a key piece of advice: “Don’t write an opera. Tell a story,” Blanchard recalls.
“That was really helpful for me because then I wasn’t trying to write opera in the classic term of whatever that means for whoever you’re talking to,” Blanchard says. “I made it about the story and the music. And then workshopping it obviously is the next level of ironing out all of the kinks.”
In 2013, Blanchard premiered his first opera, “Champion,” which is based on the life of boxer Emile Griffith, and the Met also staged the work in 2023. The composer then found inspiration for his second opera in Blow’s 2014 memoir of the same name. A Louisiana native from Gibsland near Shreveport, Blow was a longtime New York Times columnist and is now a political analyst for MSNBC.
The opera “Fire Shut Up in My Bones” follows Blow as a Black child growing up in poverty and, as he becomes an adult, grappling with wanting to seek revenge over the sexual abuse he experienced at the hands of a cousin. In his score, Blanchard infuses opera with jazz and blues. A recording of a Met performance won a 2023 Grammy Award for Best Opera Recording.
“There were so many performers who related to the characters (in the work),” Blanchard says. Vocalists “Arthur Woodley and Karen Slack, when we did ‘Champion’ in New Orleans, they came to my house and we were hanging out and they made me realize that being an African-American opera singer means you have to turn off a large portion of who you are. A lot of people grew up singing in the church, or singing R&B or jazz, music that didn’t exist during the time of Puccini or Verdi.”
“So we had a big meeting the first day of rehearsal with the crew, dancers, actors, everybody, and I told them, ‘This is a modern opera and a modern story, and I want you to bring all these elements back and use them in your performance.’ ”
“Fire Shut Up in My Bones” marked the first time the prestigious Metropolitan Opera had staged an opera by a Black composer. Blanchard noticed more diverse and younger crowds at those performances.
But, he says, although his work was the first to be performed by the Met, there should be an asterisk: “Not the first qualified.” When Blanchard was interviewed about the opera in 2021 by CBS Sunday Morning, he had a chance to look through a ledger of submissions to the Met and those who were rejected. William Grant Still was rejected three times.
There have long been people of color working in opera, Blanchard says. Edmond Dede, who was born in New Orleans, composed “Morgiane” in 1887, which is believed to be the first opera by an African American artist.
“New Orleans is obviously known for its jazz heritage, but its classical heritage has been just as important as any other type of music that’s come out of this country,” Blanchard says.
Tickets for the Feb. 22 performance start at $55.90 via civicnola.com.
John Mulaney
John Mulaney had a successful fiveyear stint as a writer and performer on “Saturday Night Live” and has returned several times to guest host. Since leaving, he’s released several comedy specials, including “Oh, Hello on Broadway,” “Kid Gorgeous at Radio City,” and “Baby J,” which focused on his struggles with substance abuse. Last year, he launched the talk show “Everybody’s Live with John Mulaney” on Netflix. He brings his Mister Whatever tour to New Orleans at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 20, at Mahalia Jackson Theater. Tickets $96.99-$182.39 via mahaliajacksontheater.com.
Mardi Gras Morning
Big Chief Juan Pardo and Billy Iuso get Fat Tuesday going early with a free show of Black Masking Indian chants and funk grooves. At 5:15 a.m. Tuesday, Feb. 17, at Tipitina’s. Free admission. Find information at tipitinas.com.
Glbl Gras
New Orleans hip-hop collective glbl wrmng throws a Lundi Gras party at Art Space 3116 on St. Claude Avenue and the bar Nightbloom with DJ sets and live music by Antiwigadee!, Pellow Talk, Legatron Prime, Ghazi Gamali, Kr3wcial, $leazy EZ, Alfred Banks, D1ME, ShaoGrove Coal and LVCD. Music starts at 8 p.m. Admission is free. Find more info and an RSVP link on Instagram: @glblwrmng504.
Blackwater Holylight
Los Angeles-based band Blackwater Holylight wades through the murky, thick depths of sludge, doom, shoegaze and other heavy, distorted music genres. But there’s also always a balance lifting them up into more optimistic places, particularly in the atmospheric vocals. The band recently released “Not Here Not Gone,” its fourth full-length album and first after relocating from Portland,
FILE PHOTO
Terence Blanchard PROVIDED PHOTO BY|CEDRIC ANGELES
OPENING GAMBIT
NEW ORLEANS NEWS + VIEWS
Starting Wednesday, you are legally entitled to bedrot for the rest of the month.
THUMBS UP/ THUMBS DOWN
Drew Brees will be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in August, highlighting his legacy not only as one of the greatest New Orleans Saints players but as one of the alltime great NFL quarterbacks. Brees retired in 2021 after 15 seasons with the Saints, where he led the team to a Super Bowl championship and set several NFL records. He’s the first Saints player to enter the Hall of Fame on the first ballot.
Moreno fres head of homeless ofce accused of sexual assault
THE NUMBER OF CARS TOWED BY THE CITY OF NEW ORLEANS DURING THE FIRST LONG WEEK OF CARNIVAL.
City officials are going after drivers who owe unpaid parking fees and fines in an attempt to boost city coffers amid a $222 million budget deficit. But residents are frustrated that officials changed signs near routes, warning drivers they had to clear out four hours before the parade, a departure from the previous two-hour rule.
Numerous New Orleans parks have unsafe lead levels, a Verite News investigation found. Soil sample testing at 84 city parks and playgrounds found that about half had lead concentrations that exceed a federal hazard level, which can be especially harmful for kids. Further, Verite found that the city has not done any major remediation or lead testing in parks since a 2011 effort.
Hundreds of Louisiana restaurants were cited and fined in 2025 for not clearly labeling they were serving imported seafood, the Louisiana Illuminator reported. State law requires restaurants to say on their menus if they’re using imported shrimp or crawfish, but 919 restaurants were cited and 319 fined by state inspectors for violations. C’EST
NEW ORLEANS MAYOR HELENA
MORENO IS FIRING Director of Homeless Services and Strategy Nate Fields after a contract worker alleged he sexually assaulted her on the job last year.
“Following a full review of the 2025 disciplinary incident and related reports, it has been determined that Mr. Fields does not meet the conduct and professionalism standards set by the Mayor,” Moreno spokesperson Isis Casanova said in a Feb. 10 statement to Gambit. “He will be released from his position as Director of OHSS and his at-will employment has been terminated.”
The Cantrell administration hired Fields to lead the office when they created it around March 2023 to address homelessness in the city. Fields previously worked as the homeless outreach coordinator for Baltimore Mayor’s Office of Human Services and for the Downtown Partnership of Baltimore.
Fields’ termination comes more than a year after Mary Bonney, who was contracting with the City of New Orleans’ homelessness office through the company Civix, said Fields forcibly kissed her on the job the night of Jan. 6, 2025. She reported the
alleged incident to her supervisor at Civix, who filed a complaint with the city on Jan. 13, 2025.
“I’ve waited over a year for this moment. I’m so relieved,” Bonney told Gambit on Feb. 10. “This is a win for me and any other woman that has had to endure this.”
In a past interview, Bonney said the Cantrell administration’s handling of her complaint was “super intimidating.” This, plus Gambit’s reporting on the city ending the worker’s contract during the city investigation, prompted then-Council Members At-Large Helena Moreno and JP Morrell to request the Office of the Inspector General of New Orleans investigate the city’s handling of the complaint.
The Moreno administration last month said they were waiting to receive and review a copy of the full report of the city’s investigation into the complaint against Fields, which concluded last March, as well as on the results of the OIG investigation.
The OIG sent Gambit a summary of its investigation on Feb. 9, in which it determined that city officials did follow city policies in their response to Bonney’s complaint against Fields and the subsequent investigation.
New Orleans parking enforcement is ramping up during Carnival. What’s your trick for not getting towed?
24%
Nate Fields
PHOTO BY CHRIS GRANGER / THE TIMES- PICAYUNE
However, the OIG summary did not include any specific findings on whether those policies are adequate to protect victims.
Bonney described a confusing interview process with city officials on Jan. 16, 2025, during which she wasn’t sure why she was being recorded or who would be able to listen to the recording. Although she asked, Bonney said she never received a copy of the recording. She also stated she was told by human resources employees that “Nate had questions for you,” which they deny.
The OIG summary does not address these claims.
The day after her interview, Bonney said her Civix supervisor told her not to go to the office at City Hall, leaving her in limbo until she received a letter from the city’s Employee Relations Division on Jan. 28, temporarily reassigning her to the city’s Office of Youth and Families. She declined.
City policy “explicitly allows for the relocation of the complainant or the subject during a sexual harassment investigation, provided that the relocation is not a demotion of the
complainant,” the OIG report said. “CNO’s proposed reassignment did not appear to be a demotion.”
In a March 28 letter to Bonney, chief operations manager of the Employee Relations Division Rene Hollins wrote, “The Employee Relations Division was able to substantiate your allegation that on January 6, 2025, Mr. Nathaniel Fields kissed you while you were performing work for OHSS under Mr. Fields’ direct supervision.”
According to the OIG summary, “Mr. Fields admitted to a kiss during the ERD investigation. Mr. Fields denied all other claims ... including claims of touching and/or repeated kissing. ERD found that where statements of [redacted] and Mr. Fields conflicted, there was no evidence available to substantiate either person’s claims.”
The OIG summary also mentioned that an Employee Relations Division employee who was helping with the investigation into Fields recommended the Cantrell administration immediately fire Fields, “citing a zero-tolerance policy and Mr. Fields’ completion of CNO’s Sexual Harassment Training.” But, it said, “the aforementioned
opinion was unsolicited in this matter and has never been sought or offered in other similar cases.”
The OIG then noted that the city’s sexual harassment policy “does not call for termination as the only disciplinary action available” and allows the appointing authority, in this case the mayor’s office, to decide on disciplinary action.
The Cantrell administration suspended Fields for three days without pay.
Meanwhile, the Cantrell administration ended its month-tomonth contract between OHSS and Civix, Bonney’s employer, on March 30, 2025, claiming the work had been completed. The city’s maintained its overall contract with Civix.
The OIG summary said this meant the Civix contract wasn’t impacted by the complaint but does not fully explain how investigators came to that conclusion.
“Further, the overall CIVIX contract was renewed for 2025 and is set to expire in 2026. Therefore, it does not appear that the CIVIX contract was affected by [redacted’s] complaint,” the summary said. — Kaylee Poche
Mayor Helena Moreno
PHOTO BY SOPHIA GERMER / THE TIMES- PICAYUNE
@GambitBlake | askblake@gambitweekly.com
Hey Blake, Lots of people remember John Pela hosting a dance show for teenagers on WWL-TV in the 1960s, but I also remember watching a similar show hosted by a radio host named Larry Regan. What channel and how long did it last?
Dear reader,
LARRY REGAN, A NEW ORLEANS NATIVE, began his radio career at WTPS in the 1940s. In the 1950s, when he moved to WJMR-AM, he also began hosting record hops and dances at local schools, many produced by DJ, music promoter and record shop owner Jim Russell.
In 1956, Regan brought the record hop show to local television. It aired Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 4 to 5 p.m. on WJMR-TV Channel 20, which later became WVUE-TV Channel 8. “Larry, formerly one of the city’s most popular platter twirlers, will spin records, tell jokes and dance with the youngsters on the show,” wrote New Orleans Item columnist Ted Liuzza.
In the summer of 1958, Regan began hosting a daily show, called “The Larry Regan Show,” weekdays from 4:30 to 5 p.m. on WJMR. It pre-empted the last half hour of Dick Clark’s “American Bandstand.” Times-Picayune columnist Sim Myers wrote that some viewers preferred Clark’s show to Regan’s. “The calls to this department have come thick and fast protesting that Larry Regan’s new record hop is not
BLAKE VIEW
in the same class with Clark’s show,” Myers wrote. In October 1958, TV listings show Regan moved to 5 p.m. weekdays. The show ended soon after.
In 1963, Regan joined WSMB-AM, gaining notoriety as host of an overnight radio show. His colorful cast of call-in characters, dubbed the “Rascals,” ushered in an era of talk radio in New Orleans. A member of the New Orleans Broadcasting Hall of Fame, Regan died in 1999.
Another Hall of Famer, John Pela, hosted WWL-TV’s teenage dance show beginning in 1961. WWL introduced the show, originally called “Saturday Hop,” in 1958 with hosts Jack and Ann Elliott, radio hosts who appeared as “Jack the Cat” and “Jacqueline the Kitten.” Later hosted by Bill Biery, the program was renamed
“The John Pela Show” soon after Pela, a Channel 4 staff announcer, took over as host. The show ended in 1972.
THIS YEAR MARKS THE 200TH ANNIVERSARY OF A LANDMARK IN THE FRENCH QUARTER: the Historic BK House and Gardens. Located at 1113 Chartres St., across from the Old Ursuline Convent, the property was known as the Beauregard-Keyes House, bearing the names of two of its former residents: Confederate General P.G.T. Beauregard, who lived in the house from 1865 to 1868, and novelist Frances Parkinson Keyes, who resided there from 1945 to 1970. The Keyes Foundation, established by the noted author, now owns the property.
According to the BK House website, the house, built in 1826, was designed by architect Francois Correjolles for a wealthy auctioneer named Joseph LeCarpentier. Today, visitors can learn more about the seven families who have lived in the home, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and now serves as a museum, historic home and event space. Many of the home’s programs and events this year will reflect different aspects of its 200-year history. Supporters also are working to raise $200,000 to continue the home’s long-term mission and preserve the site and its collections. Learn more at bkhouse.org.
@ gaetanasnola
Larry Regan during his time hosting a late night show on WSMB-AM
PHOTO BY KEITH FREDERIC / THE TIMES- PICAYUNE ARCHIVE
A FEAST OF TRADITIONS
New Orleans chefs share recipes reflecting diverse heritages
BY JOHN STANTON, KAYLEE POCHE AND SARAH RAVITS
IT CAN BE HARD for most folks hailing from a European cultural heritage to remember, but it’s only relatively recently that much of the world adopted the Gregorian calendar to mark the progress of the year.
In fact, Greece became the last European country to adopt it in 1928, while many countries have adopted it in the decades since. And even then, huge parts of the planet continue to use their own calendars for religious and ceremonial purposes, many of which are based on the lunar cycle.
This year, Fat Tuesday on Feb. 17 happens to also line up with Lunar New Year, which cultures across the world celebrate with multi-day festivals featuring religious services, parades and special dishes for meals.
New Orleans is home to a large Vietnamese community, and for decades, the Lunar New Year, known as Tet, has been a major part of life for residents, particularly in New Orleans East. And several local Chinese restaurants, including LUVI and Miss Shirley’s are offering menu items to celebrate the Chinese New Year.
New Orleans’ suburbs, meanwhile, have become home to tens of thousands of people of Arab and Muslim descent, and this year, Ramadan also begins on Fat Tuesday. The month-long observance is a key part of Islam, and during Ramadan, the faithful fast between sun up and sun down. While Suhur, or the morning meal, is typically a family affair, the evening meal, known as Iftar, is often eaten in a social setting with friends and family. Various Muslim cultures have developed special dishes and menus for Ramadan, particularly Iftar.
With the Trump regime’s paramilitary forces targeting immigrant communities here in New Orleans and across the country, these celebrations have taken on greater importance — and danger when done in public.
For this issue, Gambit asked local chefs and community members for recipes celebrating Lunar New Year, Ramadan and Purim on March 2-3 — the annual holiday to mark the saving of the Jewish people from massacre in Persia — that readers can make at home.
Over the last year, people from across our region have stepped up to help support immigrant communities, Muslims and Jewish people who are facing increasing levels of discrimination and hatred. Given the role of food in New Orleans culture, learning about, enjoying and maybe even incorporating these culinary traditions is another, albeit small, step toward solidarity we can all take in these difficult times.
Pots of food are rolled through Tet Festival at Mary Queen of Vietnam Church. STAFF PHOTO BY SOPHIA GERMER
Vietnamese New Year Chinese New Year
Anh Luu
CHEF/FOUNDER OF XANH NOLA
“Growing up in a Viet-New Orleans home, I always associated Tet with Mardi Gras. I always knew it was Tet season because my mom would start making these sticky rice cakes stuffed with mung beans and chunks of fatty, peppery pork. They were packed inside banana leaves in perfect little square packages tied up with string and steamed all day. We would cut it into slices and pan fry the sticky rice cakes until golden brown, and we’d dip it in soy sauce with crushed Thai chilis for breakfast.
In Vietnamese, this square sticky rice cake is called bánh chung or bánh Tet, which is in the shape of a log. This special and time-consuming dish is primarily eaten during the Lunar New Year to send gratitude for our ancestors and symbolize the abundance of the earth. You can find these banana leaf packaged cakes readily available at Hong Kong Market near the hanging roast ducks.
Meanwhile at school, we were eating King Cake every Friday, another ‘symbolic cake.’ My mom would hang the house with red and gold decorations of whatever animal zodiac it was that year, and little red envelopes filled with cash (lì xì = lucky money) would start to appear for me from my elders. There were so many different foods we ate during Tet but one that I carry with me all year round is thit kho trung, small chunks of pork — shoulder or belly — braised in a dark fish sauce, caramel and coconut water with peeled hardboiled eggs. You eat it with steamed rice and pickled mustard greens. This dish is one of my top three favorite Vietnamese dishes. It’s just so homey and cozy when you eat it. During Tet, eating this dish symbolizes family unity and prosperity.”
THIT KHO (WITH EGGS)
INGREDIENTS:
⮞ Cooking oil
⮞ Salt and pepper
⮞ 2 pounds pork belly (or shoulder)
⮞ 3 cloves garlic, minced
⮞ 3 shallots, small dice
⮞ 3 tablespoons sugar
DIRECTIONS:
⮞ 3 tablespoons water
⮞ 1/4 cup fish sauce
⮞ 3 cups coconut water
⮞ 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce
⮞ 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
⮞ 6 hard boiled eggs, peeled
Cut the pork into 1-2 inch chunks and mix with garlic, shallots, salt and pepper. Set aside at room temperature.
In a small pot, mix 3 tablespoons sugar and water, and heat until it starts to boil. Stir constantly and watch as the mixture turns from clear to brown. Note: This happens very quickly — don’t let it get too dark! Add fish sauce, stand back and stir. Add pork belly mixture and stir together with caramel sauce and cook until pork is firm and not raw looking. Add coconut water and heat on high until it boils. Then turn the heat to medium, give it a good stir and let simmer for 1 hour and 25 minutes. Cover with lid, but crack it open a little bit to vent. While pork is braising, bring another pot of wat er to a boil for boiling eggs. Perfect hardboiled eggs are boiled for 9 minutes and cooled quickly in an ice bath. Peel the eggs and cook with pork for the last 10 minutes of braising. Taste for tenderness and salt. If it’s not quite tender enough, simmer for 5-10 more minutes.
» TIP: If you feel like the sugar was burned in the beginning and you can taste it, add a splash of white distilled vinegar to balance out the burnt taste.
Hao Gong
CHEF/OWNER AT LUVI
“No holiday carries the same weight as the Lunar New Year. It’s a season defined by a vibrant sea of red and fireworks, but the true magic lies in the homecoming. Much like the Western Christmas tradition, it serves as an essential time for family — reconnected with distant relatives and family that lives afar. Of course, red envelopes are also exchanged (to represent a transfer of good luck and blessings).”
LUVI will host a Year of the Horse event on March 3, when chef Gong Hao returns from visiting family in Asia.
HONG SHAO NIU ROU (BRAISED BEEF)
A classic Chinese home-style dish known for its rich, reddish-brown color, tender beef, and flavorful sauce.
INGREDIENTS:
⮞ 500 grams beef (preferably beef brisket or shank)
⮞ Optional add-ins: 1 potato or carrot, 2 dried red chilis
⮞ 5 slices ginger
⮞ 2 spring onion sections
⮞ 4 cloves garlic
⮞ 2 star anise
⮞ 2 bay leaves
DIRECTIONS:
⮞ 1 small cinnamon stick
⮞ 2 tablespoons cooking wine (Shaoxing wine)
⮞ 2 tablespoons light soy sauce
⮞ 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
⮞ 15 grams rock sugar (or granulated sugar)
⮞ Salt to taste
Blanch the beef. Cut the beef into chunks. Place in a pot with cold water and add ginger slices and 1 tablespoon of cooking wine. Bring to a boil, skim off anything off the top that rises. Remove the beef, rinse with warm water, and drain. Sear and caramelize. Heat a little oil in a wok or Dutch oven over low heat. Add the rock sugar. Cook slowly until the sugar melts and turns a deep amber color (with small bubbles). Immediately add the blanched beef and stir quickly to coat each piece evenly. Next, saute aromatics. Add the spring onions, ginger, garlic, dried chilies (if using), and all spices (star anise, bay leaves, cinnamon). Stir-fry for about 30 seconds until fragrant.
Braise. Pour the remaining cooking wine around the edge of the wok. Add light and dark soy sauce and stir well. Pour in enough boiling water to completely cover the beef. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for about 1 hour, or until the beef is tender. Add vegetables: Once the beef is tender, add the potato or carrot chunks. Continue simmering, uncovered, for about 15 minutes or until the vegetables are cooked through.
Reduce sauce and serve. Increase heat to high to reduce the sauce until it thickens and coats the beef. Season with salt to taste. Stir gently and serve hot.
» TIPS:
» The cut of beef matters. Beef brisket is fattier and becomes very tender, while shank is leaner with a pleasant chew. Choose according to your preference.
» When blanching, always start with cold water to slowly remove impurities and reduce gaminess.
» When caramelizing sugar, use low heat and watch carefully to avoid burning (which makes it bitter). Beginners can skip this step and rely on dark soy sauce for color.
» Use hot water: Always add boiling or very hot water for braising. Adding cold water will shock the meat and make it tough.
» A clay pot or Dutch oven is ideal for even, slow braising. To save time, use a pressure cooker. Cook under pressure for 20-25 minutes after Step 3, then release pressure, add vegetables, and finish by reducing the sauce in a regular pan.
PHOTO BY KYLA MADDEN PHOTOGRAPHY
PROVIDED PHOTO
Were We Are Now
Rolling
In 2019,the RTABoard acte donthe findings of an independentmanagementstudy by appointing itsfir st public CEOand hiring 75 staf ftoove rsee theprivate management contract,marking adecisiveshift toward stronge raccountabilit y. In 2020,the agency complete dits transition to afully public work forcebydirec tlyhir ingapproximate ly 80 0e mploye es,usher ingina newe ra focuse donrebuildingtrust andstrengthe ningope rations. Today, RTA’srenewed commitme nt to se rvic ea nd communit ye ngagementc ontinues to de ep en itsc onne ctiontothe ne ighbor ho odsitser ve swhile also suppor ting thecit y’se conomicfuture.
Clearexpectationshavebeenestablished,and riders should se eand feel thedif ferenceinhow thesystemworks.Fle et upgrades,new fare te chnology, improved acce ssibilit y, andneighborhood-focuse dproje ctsare re shapingdaily transitacros sthe re gion.Togethe r, theseinvestments arebuildinga mode rn transitsystemdesigned aroundhow NewOrleans actually move s.
BUILDING MODERN TRANSIT
$58 M for 66 Buses
$6M committed with 11 Vehiclesdue in 2026
$4.8 M for 25 Paratransit Vehicles
15 Hybrids
Built new Canal Street Ferry Terminal Commissioned 2new Ferries
ADAAccessibility on the St.Charles StreetcarLine
How New Orleans Rolls
AS tronger,R ider-Focused RTA
TheRTA todayope rate swithlocal leader ship,local accountability,and aworkforce inve sted in thecit yitser ve s. Localpubliccontrol hasallowed the agency to streamline de cision making,modernize equipment, andprovide more inve stment dire ctly into se rvicequality andsystemreliability
Rece nt accomp li sh me nt sr id er sc an se ea nd fe el:
•New buse sand hybrid vehicles
•Modernparatransit upgrades
•Two newfer ries andnew CanalSt. te rminal building
•Safet yand facility improvements across thesystem
Be hind thesce ne s, newsyste ms andproce sses arehelping theage ncyr un smar te rand more ef ficiently. Ever yinvestmentisfocused on reliabilit y, safety,and long-termstability
Building the Next Generation of Tansit
TheRTA is planning forthe next 10 to 30 year s, notjustthe next sche dule change.Major capitalproje ctsare unde rway to create faster connections, better transfer points,and more comfor tablerider spaces.
AlgiersFerry Terminal
Renovation
Moder nterminal upgrades and expandedpublic space
Target: End of 2026
Thegoalissimple: better se rvicetoday andasystembuilt to last. LEARN MORE about RTA’s Capital Improvement projects
Streetcar Moder nization
Study Completion
30-40 year roadmap for safety, reliability,and preservation
Target: End of 2026
Passenger Transfer Hubs Expansion
Six upgraded hubs with standardizedrider amenities
Target: First threesites by the end of 2027
Th es ep roje ct sa re ab ou teve rydayu sa bili ty:c le ar er tr an sfer s, fa ster bo ar ding,s afer facilities,and asystemthatworks foreve ryone.
Moving ForwardTogether
Fare Tech Moder nization
Rechargeabletap cards and easier payment options
Target: Endof2027
Transitshape show acit ygrows.Reliableser vice suppor ts jobs,schools,healthc areacces s, andneighborhood vitality.Eve ry improvementtothe system is an inve stment in NewOrleans itself.
The RTAi scom mitted to:
•safer se rvice
•bet te racces sibility
•cleaner,moresustainable fleets
•smarter infrastructure
•realcommunity input
•timelyand accurate ride rcommunications
Theresultisasystembuilt around ride rs;a transitnet work that reflects therhy thm, culture, andene rgyofNew Orleans.
’s howNew Orleansrolls.
—Lona Ed wa rd s Ha nk ins, CEO
Andrew Lu CHEF/OWNER AT GET YOUR MOM + DIM SUM
“Some of my favorite memories with my family involve the time surrounding Chinese New Year, the house alive with all the noises of preparation. My mother is scrambling around cleaning endlessly and making sure we have nothing borrowed in our home. My father is chatting everyone up and thinking his opinion matters. I am in the kitchen preparing for the feast ahead and the offering table. My mother is very strict in her preparations for the holiday as she wants to set us up with success and luck for the coming year. We fill our table with a whole fish for abundance, dumplings for wealth, tangerines for luck, a whole chicken for unity, and so much more. We fill the table until the elders tell us it is good. One of my absolute favorite memories with my mother during this time was when she taught me to fold the Zongzi, a special bamboo-wrapped glutinous rice dumpling. All dumplings are an intricate labor of love, with Zongzi being one of the hardest to correctly produce. Not only did I get to learn how to make these beautiful dumplings, but I got to sit with my mom and hear about her life in China. Asian parents rarely make small talk and scarcely talk about their lives, so it is always a treat to get some insight into who they are and the memories that they hold dear. We served Zongzi at the restaurant that year as well, and it was a hit! It was my mother’s first act of prosperity for the year.”
CHINESE STICKY RICE
INGREDIENTS:
⮞ 1 1/2 quart glutinous rice
⮞ 1 pint diced chicken thighs
⮞ 1 quart onion
⮞ 1 pint Lap Xuong Chinese sausage
⮞ 1 pint oyster sauce
⮞ 1 quart green onion
Note: All ingredients are easily found at local Asian markets.
DIRECTIONS:
Ramadan
Hilmi Abdeljalil
CHEF/OWNER AT GREEN OLIVES CAFE
During Ramadan, Green Olives offers kabsa as an off-menu special. It is lamb served over fragrant basmati rice, often topped with roasted nuts or raisins.
Soak glutinous rice for a minimum of four hours but overnight preferably. Chop onion, Lap Xuong sausage and green onion, and set aside. Dice chicken thighs into 1-inch cubes. Steam rice in a bamboo basket steamer lined with parchment paper. Leave an inch gap between the paper and the steamer to allow the holes to create steam. Important note: Make sure your steamer is not overcrowded as the rice will not cook properly. The rice should be less than one inch thick and not be touching the edges.
While the rice is steaming, begin cooking your sausage until the fat starts to render.
Add onion to the same pan. Once the onion begins to become translucent, add your chicken and cook together until chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees. Combine rice, chicken, sausage, oyster sauce and onion into a large mixing bowl. Fold in all the ingredients until they are evenly distributed and the oyster sauce gives the rice a light brown color. Garnish with green onions right before serving.
INGREDIENTS:
⮞ 1 1/2 pound lamb (shoulder or leg, chunks)
⮞ 2 cups basmati rice (rinsed and soaked 20 minutes)
⮞ 2 tablespoons oil or ghee
⮞ 1 onion, sliced
⮞ 4 cloves garlic, minced
⮞ 1 tomato, chopped (or 1/2 cup canned)
⮞ 3 1/2 cups water or broth
⮞ 1 teaspoon salt (adjust later)
⮞ 1 teaspoon ground cumin
⮞ 1 teaspoon coriander
DIRECTIONS:
Heat oil/ghee in a pot. Brown lamb on all sides for 5-7 minutes. Add onion and sauté until soft. Add garlic after 30 seconds. Stir in spices, bay leaves, cardamom and tomato. Add water/broth. Cover and simmer 35-45 minutes until lamb is tender. Drain rice and add to pot. Taste liquid (should be slightly salty). Cover and cook on low 15-18 minutes until rice is fluffy. Turn off heat. Let rest for 10 minutes. Fluff rice, top with lamb. Serve with choice of garnish, including fried onions, toasted almonds or pine nuts, raisins, fresh parsley or cilantro and/or choice of vegetables like peas, carrots and corn.
⮞ 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
⮞ 1/2 teaspoon paprika
⮞ 1/4 teaspoon cloves
⮞ 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
⮞ 2 bay leaves
⮞ 3 cardamom pods (crushed)
⮞ Optional: 1 dried lime (loomi) or splash of lemon at end
KABSA
PHOTO BY MADDIE SPINNER / GAMBIT
PHOTO PROVIDED BY GREEN OLIVES CAFE
PHOTO PROVIDED BY ANDREW LU
Breaking a Ramadan fast at Ahmadiyya Muslim Community Center in Kenner
PHOTO BY CHRIS GRANGER / THE TIMES - PICAYUNE
Purim
Alon Shaya
CHEF/OWNER OF SABA AND POMEGRANATE HOSPITALITY
“Purim is such an important holiday for Jewish people, reflecting our need to suppress antisemitism then and now. It’s a time of celebration in which Jews commemorate our steadfast commitment to the preservation of our community. We make hamantaschen to symbolize the three-pointed hat worn by Haman, who planned to destroy the Jewish people in the kingdom of the Persian empire. Luckily, this plan was foiled. I encourage you to make hamantaschen this Purim as a symbol of love and prosperity. Share this delicious treat with the ones you love.”
⮞ 3 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, divided, plus more for rolling
⮞ 1/2 teaspoon Morton kosher salt
⮞ 1 cup mascarpone
⮞ 1 egg yolk
⮞ 1 tablespoon milk
⮞ 3 tablespoons honey, divided
⮞ 1 cup sliced strawberries
DIRECTIONS:
Combine 1 cup sugar and the orange zest in a mixing bowl, rubbing the mixture between your fingers to release all the fragrant citrus oils. Add the butter and, with an electric mixer or the paddle attachment of your stand mixer, cream the mixture on medium speed until smooth and soft. Separate 1 egg, adding the white to the mixing bowl and reserving its yolk for the filling. Beat in the other egg along with 1 teaspoon vanilla and the orange blossom water, and mix until incorporated. Add 3 cups flour and the salt; beat on medium-low speed just until the dough forms a cohesive mass that starts to pull away from the bowl.
Dust a work surface with flour and scrape the dough onto it. Pat it into a disc about 1 inch thick, wrap it in plastic, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or overnight. (This dough can be made ahead, frozen, then thawed overnight in the fridge when you’re ready to use it.)
While the dough chills, make the filling: To the egg yolk that you reserved when you made the dough, add the mascarpone and the remaining 1/4 cup sugar, 2 tablespoons flour, and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. Beat or whisk them all together, then cover and refrigerate.
If the dough chilled awhile, let it sit at room temperature for 10 or 15 minutes, so it’s easier to work with. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper and make an egg wash by beating together the egg yolk, milk, and 1 tablespoon honey.
Flour a work surface and a rolling pin. Roll the dough into a 16- to 18-inch circle, turning and flipping it as you work to keep it at an even thickness. If the edges start to crack, gently reinforce them by pinching them back together, and dust with more flour if it starts to stick.
Put the dough into 4 1/2- to 5-inch circles (if you don’t have a cookie cutter that large, the lid of a plastic pint container makes a good stencil), then patch together any excess dough and reroll it, flouring as needed, to cut a few more. Don’t reroll it more than once, maybe twice, so that it stays tender.
Brush the egg wash in a thin, even layer over each circle, add a heaping tablespoon of filling to the center of each cookie, and top with a couple of strawberry slices. Gently lift the edges of each circle around the filling (use a butter knife or bench scraper to loosen them without tearing), and pinch the corners together to make a triangle. Brush a little more egg wash on the cookies’ outsides, and set them on the prepared baking sheets with an inch or two between them. Cover with plastic and chill for at least another 30 minutes. Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Bake the cookies, straight from the fridge, for 30 to 35 minutes, rotating the sheets after 15 minutes. Look for the tops to become a light but even gold, and don’t worry if the dough cracks a bit. Meanwhile, warm the remaining 2 tablespoons honey in the microwave or in a saucepan over low heat, just until it’s thin and easily pourable.
When the cookies are still warm from the oven, paint them all over with the honey. Cool completely on the baking sheets before eating.
PHOTO BY EMILY FERETTI
Students dance in celebration of Purim.
PHOTO BY SOPHIA GERMER / THE TIMES - PICAYUNE
EAT + DRINK
Crown jewel
The team behind Dahla open Chada in Mid-City by Beth D’Addono |
THE THAI FLOWER DUMPLINGS FROM CHEF TOM INTAVICHAI AT CHADA are astonishing in every way.
A study in traditional, royal Thai cuisine, these savory vegetarian dumplings are filled with a sweet-and-salty herb and peanut filling and wrapped in a tender butterfly-pea-flower-dyed dough that is a shade lighter than Mardi Gras purple. They arrive with herbs and lettuce for scooping on a pretty, Thai-sourced ceramic plate.
It’s a wow for sure, and just one of the many aesthetic and culinary accomplishments from a young chef committed to the kind of hospitality for which his country is known.
Opened in Mid-City in early January, Chada is the second restaurant from Intavichai and his life/business partner Glenn Mahiya. They opened their first place, Dahla, in the CBD in 2023.Intavichai previously worked with his parents at their place, Thai Ocha on Veterans Memorial Boulevard in Metairie. They hail from Sukhothai, Thailand’s ancient capital, situated between Bangkok and the northern city of Chiang Mai. When his folks decided to sell their restaurant and retire back to Thailand, they first helped him launch Dahla, which offers a more casual, traditional take on Thai cuisine.
For Chada, which is the name of the ornate, tiered, royal Thai crown or headdress, the partners brought in a third person to round out the ownership team. Their friend Sara Jinawong is a front-of-the-house hospitality professional who formerly managed Banana Blossom in Gretna. “Now that we have two places, Sara’s management skills are so important to us,” Intavichai says.
The partners looked for locations in Uptown, but Mid-City spoke to them, with its central access and dearth of Thai restaurants. They bought a blighted house on a residential stretch of Bienville Street and transformed it into a polished, elegant space with the help of Studio West Design, which also worked on SaintGermain and MaMou.
The restaurant can seat 100 diners between its glowing bar, front and back dining rooms and back deck and outdoor space crowned by plants and peacock sculptures. The back room can double as a private party space for 30. The partners imported almost everything from Thailand, from stunning light fixtures to the metal peacocks to the embossed fabric that covers the walls and inspires the staff aprons.
When it came to designing the menu, Intavichai planned to overlap with Dahla on dishes like spicy drunken noodles, stir-fried basil and chicken larb salad. But he also wanted some new dishes inspired by the food he learned to cook from his grandmother back home. “When I was little, I’d help her in the kitchen, watching her and chopping vegetables,” he says. “When I moved here, I wanted her food, so I had to learn how to make it.”
Some dishes he adapts, like the northern Thai favorite gaeng hung lay, a rich, sweet and tangy pork curry with influences from Myanmar. “We change it a little, add noodles, our own touches,” says the chef.
Beyond familiar items, the kitchen offers special dishes like chicken wings stuffed with minced pork, spices and glass noodles. Thai tuna larb is a riff on the usual chicken salad made with slices of raw tuna, onion, cilantro and mint. Khao soi is another curry from the north, layered with spices and a little heat, available with a choice of tofu, chicken, shrimp, scallops, duck or flash-fried soft-shell crab, and a vegetarian version is available as well.The short rib panang curry is outstanding, a bowl of rich curry with peanut sauce surrounding a meaty roasted rib. There’s a Thai-style fish, either fried and served with a mixed herb salad or steamed and accompanied by a spicy sauce. A lunchtime appetizer sampler features a tower of pea flower dumplings, shumai dumplings, fried shrimp and stuffed chicken wings.
The bar offers inventive sips like the Chada 75, a riff on the French 75 made with Empress gin, rose prosecco, lemon juice and St-Germain. The nutty Larb-jito is something new, built on roasted rice-infused rum, mint, lime juice and soda, with a little drizzle of chili oil on top. The compact wine list goes beyond the familiar with whites like Austin’s Paso Robles chardonnay and Banshee pinot noir from Sonoma County.
Like everything at Chada, the drinks are served to impress, in heavy glassware garnished with bits of edible flowers and herbs.
“I care a lot about the details,” Intavichai says. “I want things to look uniform and pretty. I like to create. Most of all, I love to feed my guests.”
FORK + CENTER
Fico fnds a home
AFTER NEARLY A YEAR OF POPPING UP AROUND NEW ORLEANS area bars, Fico Cucina has a permanent home with another brick-and-mortar venue in the works.
After years of working in restaurants around the New Orleans area, Valeriano Chiella thought he would take a break and slow down by operating a food pop-up in 2024. He said cooking in a restaurant can sometimes lead to a disconnect with customers, and that food becomes more about presentation than about the customer’s experience of it.
“It gives me a different perspective of what my job really is,” Chiella says. “The food pop-up made me a better person, a better cook, not in the sense of cooking, but in a sense of understanding.”
While Chiella hoped the pop-up would allow for more downtime so he could make his own schedule, the demand for his food didn’t allow it.
“My wife was like, ‘Yeah, you will be home,’ and then it never happened,” he says.
He was approached to run the kitchen in a new music venue slated to open in 2026 on Oretha Castle Haley Boulevard, but first, the owners offered him a permanent spot at their other venue, Balcony Bar.
His menu at the Uptown spot contains all the food that customers have come to enjoy when he would serve food at Second Line Brewing, Miel Brewery and Taproom, Peychaud’s Bar and other New Orleans venues. But now, with a kitchen, he can add more to his dishes and refine them a bit more than with his pop-up operation.
“It was amazing,” he says. “The more you get to be connected with
Sara Jinawong and chef Tom Intavichai at Chada
PHOTO BY MADDIE SPINNER / GAMBIT
Valeriano Chiella created Fico Cucina.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY VALERIANO CHIELLA
the guests, the more you understand what they’re looking for.”
The most popular item at Balcony Bar is his baked gnocchi with vodka sauce, mozzarella and a little Parmesan.
“Over here, we add some basil and olive oil. Because we have a cool kitchen, we can refrigerate everything,” he says.
Chiella says the food he serves draws upon his roots and experience. He moved here from a town outside of Florence, Italy, after meeting his wife, who is from Mandeville. After years of working in restaurants like Domenica, Shaya and August, he’s produced “a version of Italian street food, but approachable for the American palate.”
Chiella says that even in the first few weeks of operating at Balcony Bar, some of his regulars have come back to find him for items like the gnocchi and the chicken Milanese sandwich, but this time the location will be the same for their next visit. — Chelsea Shannon / The Times-Picayune
Pro-ICE hate mail
NEW ORLEANS BUSINESS OWNERS WHO RECENTLY PARTICIPATED in a nationwide protest against federal immigration crackdowns were not deterred by anonymous letters sent to them last week that called for violence on their shops and restaurants.
Restaurants and other businesses across the U.S. participated in the “ICE Out of Everywhere National Day of Action” on Jan. 30 by closing for the day, donating portions of their sales to mutual-aid efforts or giving away food and services. The protest, organized by the national group 50501, followed the killings of Renee Good and Alex Pretti in Minneapolis and was aimed at opposing the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown that sent Border Patrol into cities across the U.S., including in New Orleans.
More than a dozen local establishments offered specials and donated some proceeds that day to various nonprofits supporting immigrants or Hispanic communities.
The “ICE Out” specials were mostly a hit across the city, with many restaurants reporting busy sales days after receiving well wishes of support on social media.
But in the days that followed, a handful of New Orleans businesses — including Flour Moon Bagels, Smoke & Honey, Francolini’s, Turkey and the Wolf, Sports Drink, and NOLA Craft Culture — said they received letters in the mail seemingly condemning their participation. The letters appeared to have been written by the same
FORK & CENTER
person, addressing the businesses as “idiots” and ending with the line, “Hope you get robbed by an illegal.”
The letters, which were reportedly mailed and had no return address, highlight how the effects of the immigration enforcement operation have lingered in New Orleans, though the Border Patrol agents who came to South Louisiana during a December crackdown dubbed “Catahoula Crunch” have largely moved on to other cities.
Several businesses responded publicly to the letters, sharing images of them on social media. Flour Moon Bagels, which said it planned to donate 10% of sales to the National Immigration Law Center and Familias Unidas en Accion, wrote that “there’s only room for love and kindness in my business.”
Smoke & Honey, which matched Flour Moon Bagel’s pledge, said it is “proud to stand with our community and always support and love.”
NOLA Craft Culture, which offered to provide free supplies for customers to make protest signs, said the letter “clearly shows we are doing something right and we are on the right side of history.”
Other businesses reposted a video made by local social media influencer Aubrey Allison, known online as Aubrey Avocado, who criticized the letters and encouraged her more than 17,000 followers to support the businesses that received them.
Catahoula Crunch, which brought U.S. Customs and Border Patrol enforcement to the New Orleans area in December, netted hundreds of arrests and led to some restaurants temporarily closing due to fear of raids. With its large immigrant population, Kenner became a hotbed of Border Patrol activity, welcomed by Police Chief Keith Conley. Still, some protests called for ICE and other federal agents to leave. Controversy also erupted over Border Patrol’s detainment of U.S. citizens, including an incident when officers chased a U.S. citizen down the street to her West Bank home.
Other residents shared support for the operation and welcomed former Border Patrol commander in charge Gregory Bovino to the Crescent City. The crackdown was praised by Gov. Jeff Landry and Attorney General Liz Murrill, but criticized by Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser, who said there was a better way to target people
Louisiana
—Brunch
—DINNER—
Latonya Scott
Bartender/founder
Libations
by L. Ch’nel
by Will Coviello
LATONYA SCOTT RECENTLY WON the national Great Shakeup cocktail competition, held in New Orleans in January. She learned to bartend while evacuated to Houston following Hurricane Katrina, and it was during the pandemic that she went out on her own and ended up launching Libations by L. Ch’nel. She’s highlighting the winning drinks from the competition at a special Ancestral Hour pop-up at Blue Crawfish Boutique Hotel (1620 Dumaine St.) at 5-8 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 22. For more information about Scott and her cocktail business, visit @sip.libations on Instagram.
How did you start your business?
LATONYA SCOTT: I got into it during Covid. When the world closed down, I was idle. I wanted to do something to take my mind off of what was going on. So I started playing around in my mom’s kitchen and trying different things. A lot of the things I saw in stores, like a mint syrup, I was looking through cookbooks and realizing I could make those things for myself. I was developing my own cordials. She had a large bar with liquors to play around with, so I took it a step further and started making my own cocktails. A lot of them ended up being riffs on classic drinks like French 75s and old fashioneds and mai tais.
One of my friends was selling seafood plates. He was looking for a bartender. So I got these 20-ounce bottles and started batching things. I started with maybe three different cocktails.
We were Uptown on Toledano Street under a tent. I was selling my drinks for two for $20. When people would buy his plates, they would see how aesthetically pleasing my drinks were, because I was putting in fresh mint, or if I made a peach mint julep, I would add fresh peaches. It started from there.
We did that for maybe three years — working outside and building community. People were accustomed to seeing me, and I liked to tell them about the ingredients or answer, “What’s a cordial?” I let them know everything was made from scratch. I still have some repeat customers from those days.
My company is called Libations by L. Ch’nel. L is my first initial, and Ch’nel being my middle name. But I chose libations because that is a practice in showing gratitude to your ancestors. A libation is pouring from a deity, which is a goddess, whether she is taking wine or a spirit or even purified water. Doing this shows gratitude to your ancestors. Within six months of me starting to make drinks in 2020, I decided to get my license and make it a full-fledged business. I went from doing business under a tent to doing weddings, baby showers, nonprofit events and things. From there, I was able to create handcrafted menus for a couple of establishments.
What kind of drinks do you make?
S: I did a take on a Sidecar that I called The New Classic. I did a blueberry reduction syrup but with things I had on my personal altar — things like cinnamon stick, orange, clove and vanilla. Those are ingredients that are linked to abundance. I cooked it down and strained it into a blueberry harvest syrup. I implemented that with Cognac and my own orange liqueur and fresh lemon.
I like to play around with stone fruits like peaches, and I like to play with watermelon as well. I have a drink called Ancestors’ Water. It’s primarily fresh watermelon pressed juice that I reduced and steeped in mint. Then I implement it into a reposado tequila and let it sit for three or four days. Then I add fresh lime and top it off with sparkling rose. It’s a crowd pleaser.
What happened at the competition?
S: The first cocktail had to be made with Cognac. We could bring in one surprise ingredient. I actually made a butternut squash cordial. I took butternut squash and roasted it with star anise, clove, cinnamon and nutmeg. Then I pureed it and strained it and got the liquid out of it. It was nutty and sweet. I never would have thought I’d make a syrup out of butternut squash. But I took Cognac, the butternut squash cordial, fresh lemon and the orange cordial and strained it over ice.
Then I garnished it with a squash blossom. All of this was on the fly. It felt like we were on the show “Chopped,” but cocktail edition. They asked if I had a name for it, and I said it was Rooted in Culture. If you look at butternut squash, it’s not the prettiest thing. But sometimes when times are rough, that’s all you have. Coming from an African American background, we were given the ugliest things to nourish our bodies with. When making the syrup, I knew my ancestors used squash to make soup. The second cocktail, we had to use both rum and tequila. I did a split riff on a Manhattan. I used equal parts rum and tequila and one of the fruits they had for us to use was banana, so I muddled it into the spirits. I added a little simple syrup and I implemented some Mexican chocolate bitters. Then I double strained it, and the finishing touch was expressing a lemon twist over the glass. I call that drink Chess Not Checkers.
The judges’ notes were that it was very complex. This wasn’t something easy. The drink was well rounded but bold. The three drinks were based on the continued teachings that my mom gave to me in terms of what kind of fruit and vegetables we were exposed to in the diaspora and what we were given. We were given scraps to find nourishment. That was my theme in the competition. I want to push myself. I am who I am. I am an alchemist. I want to showcase my city. I want people to know that who I am is giving a piece of my ashe, my purpose, into each libation that I create.
PROVIDED PHOTO BY CARLOS M. SILVA PHOTOGRAPHY
OUT TO EAT
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.
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. $$$
Bamboula’s — 514 Frenchmen St.; bamboulasmusic.com — The live music venue’s kitchen offers a menu of traditional and creative Creole dishes, such as Creole crawfish crepes with goat cheese and chardonnay sauce. Reservations accepted. Lunch, dinner and late-night daily. $$
The Blue Crab Restaurant and Oyster Bar — 118 Harbor View Court, Slidell, (985) 315-7001; 7900 Lakeshore Drive, (504) 284-2898; thebluecrabnola.com — Basin barbecue shrimp are served with rosemary garlic butter sauce over cheese grits with a cheese biscuit. The menu includes po-poys, fried seafood platters, raw and char-grilled oysters, boiled seafood in season, and more. Outdoor seating available. No reservations. Lakeview: Lunch and dinner Tue.-Sun. Slidell: Lunch Wed.-Fri., dinner Wed.-Sun., brunch Sat.-Sun. $$
Broussard’s — 819 Conti St., (504) 5813866; broussards.com — The menu of contemporary Creole dishes includes bronzed redfish with jumbo lump crabmeat, lemon beurre blanc and vegetables. Brunch includes Benedicts, avocado toast, chicken and waffles, turtle soup and more. Reservations recommended. Outdoor seating available in the courtyard. Dinner Wed.-Sat., brunch Sun. $$$
Cafe Normandie — Higgins Hotel, 480 Andrew Higgins Blvd., (504) 528-1941; higginshotelnola.com/dining — The menu combines classic French dishes and Louisiana items like crab beignets with herb aioli. Sandwiches include po-boys, a muffuletta on flatbread and a burger. No reservations. Breakfast and lunch Mon.-Sat., dinner Fri.-Mon. $$
The Commissary — 634 Orange St., (504) 274-1850; thecommissarynola.com — Dickie Brennan’s Commissary supplies his other restaurant kitchens and also has a dine-in menu and prepared foods to go. A smoked turkey sandwich is served with bacon, tomato jam, herbed cream cheese, arugula and herb vinaigrette on honey oat bread. The menu includes dips, salads, sandwiches, boudin balls, fried oysters and more. No reservations. Outdoor seating available. Lunch Tue.-Sat. $$
Curio — 301 Royal St., (504) 717-4198; curionola.com — The creative Creole menu includes blackened Gulf shrimp served with chicken and andouille jambalaya. There also are crab cakes, shrimp and grits, crawfish etouffee, po-boys and more. Outdoor
$ — average dinner entrée under $10
$$ $11-$20
$$$ — $20-up
seating available on balcony. Reservations accepted. Lunch and dinner daily. $$ Dahla — 611 O’Keefe Ave., (504) 766-6602; dahlarestaurant.com — The menu includes popular Thai dishes like pad thai, drunken noodles, curries and fried rice. Crispy skinned duck basil is prepared with vegetables and Thai basil. Delivery available. Reservations accepted. Lunch and dinner Mon.-Sat. $$
Desire Oyster Bar — Royal Sonesta New Orleans, 300 Bourbon St., (504) 586-0300; 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, 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 Iberville 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. $$$
El Pavo Real — 4401 S. Broad Ave., (504) 266-2022; elpavorealnola.com — The menu includes tacos, enchiladas, quesadillas, ceviche. tamales and more. Pescado Vera Cruz features sauteed Gulf fish topped with tomatoes, olives, onion and capers, served with rice and string beans. Outdoor seating available. No reservations. Lunch and early dinner Tue.-Sat. $$
Juan’s Flying Burrito — 515 Baronne St., (504) 529-5825; 2018 Magazine St., (504) 569-0000; 4724 S. Carrollton Ave., (504) 486-9950; 8140 Oak St., (504) 897-4800; juansflyingburrito.com — The Flying Burrito includes steak, shrimp, chicken, cheddar jack cheese, black beans, rice, guacamole and salsa. The menu also includes tacos, quesadillas, enchiladas, fajitas, nachos, salads, rice and bean bowls with various toppings and more. Outdoor seating available. No reservations. Lunch and dinner Thu.-Tue. $$
The Cajun Cuban with roasted pork, ham, Swiss cheese, pickles and mustard. The eclectic menu also includes char-grilled oysters, sandwiches, burgers, pizza, fried seafood platters, pasta, salads and more. Delivery available. Reservations accepted for large parties. Lunch and dinner daily. $$
Kilroy’s Bar — Higgins Hotel, 480 Andrew Higgins Blvd., (504) 528-1941; higginshotelnola.com/dining — The all-day bar menu
includes sandwiches, soups, salads, flatbreads and a couple entrees. A muffuletta flatbread is topped with salami, mortadella, capicola, mozzarella and olive salad. No reservations. Lunch Fri.-Mon., dinner daily. $$
Legacy Kitchen’s Craft Tavern — 700 Tchoupitoulas St., (504) 613-2350; legacykitchen.com — The menu includes oysters, flatbreads, burgers, sandwiches, salads and sharable plates like NOLA Tot Debris. A slow-cooked pulled pork barbecue sandwich is served with coleslaw on a brioche bun. Reservations accepted. Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. $$
Legacy Kitchen Steak & Chop — 91 Westbank Expressway, Gretna, (504) 513-2606; legacykitchen.com — The selection of steak and chops includes filet mignon, bone-in rib-eye, top sirloin and double pork chops and a la carte toppings include bernaise, 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. $$
Mikimoto — 3301 S. Carrollton Ave., (504) 488-1881; mikimotosushi.com — The menu of Japanese cuisine includes sushi, signature rolls, tempura items, udon noodle dishes, teriyaki, salads and more.The South Carrollton roll includes tuna tataki, avocado, snow crab, green onion and wasabi roe. Reservations accepted. Delivery available. Lunch Sun.-Fri., dinner daily. $$
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. $$$
Mother’s Restaurant — 401 Poydras St., (504) 523-9656; mothersrestaurant.net — This counter-service spot serves po-boys dressed with sliced cabbage like the Famous Ferdi filled with ham, roast beef and debris. Creole favorites include jambalaya, crawfish etouffee, red beans and rice and more. Breakfast is available all day. Delivery available. No reservations. Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. $$
Neyow’s Creole Cafe — 3332 Bienville St., (504) 827-5474; neyows.com — The menu includes red beans and rice with fried chicken or pork chops, as well as shrimp Creole, seafood platters, po-boys, char-grilled and raw oysters, salads and more. Side items include carrot souffle, mac and cheese, cornbread dressing, sweet potato tots and more. No reservations. Lunch daily, dinner Mon.-Sat., brunch Sun. $$
Nice Guys Bar & Grill — 7910 Earhart Blvd., (504) 302-2404; niceguysbarandgrillnola. com — Char-grilled oysters are topped with cheese and garlic butter, and other options include oysters Rockefeller and loaded oysters. The creative menu also includes seafood bread, a Cajun-lobster potato, wings, quesadillas, burgers, salads, sandwiches, seafood pasta, loaded fries and more. No reservations. Lunch daily, dinner Mon.-Sat. $$$
orleansgrapevine.com — The wine bar offers cheese boards and appetizers to nosh with wines. The menu includes Creole pasta with shrimp and andouille in tomato cream sauce. Reservations accepted for large parties. Outdoor seating available. Dinner Thu.-Sun. $$
Parish Grill — 4650 W. Esplanade Ave., Suite 100, Metairie, (504) 345-2878; parishgrill.com — The menu includes a variety of burgers, sandwiches, wraps, pizza and salads. For an appetizer, sauteed andouille is served with fig preserves, blue cheese and toast points. Reservations accepted. Lunch and dinner Mon.-Sat. $$
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. $$
Rosie’s on the Roof — Higgins Hotel, 480 Andrew Higgins Blvd., (504) 528-1941; higginshotelnola.com/dining — The rooftop bar has a menu of sandwiches, burgers and small plates. Crab beignets are made with Gulf crabmeat and mascarpone and served with herb aioli. No reservations. Dinner Mon.-Sat. $$
Tableau — 616 St. Peter St., (504) 9343463; tableaufrenchquarter.com — The menu features traditional and creative Creole dishes. Pasta bouillabaisse features squid ink mafaldine, littleneck clams, Gulf shrimp, squid, seafood broth, rouille and herbed breadcrumbs. Outdoor seating available on the balcony. Reservations recommended. Dinner Wed.-Sun., brunch Thu.-Sun. $$$
Tacklebox — 817 Common St., (504) 827-1651; legacykitchen.com — The menu includes raw and char-broiled oysters, seafood platters, po-boys, fried chicken, crab and corn bisque and more. Redfish St. Charles is served with garlic-herb butter, asparagus, mushrooms and crawfish cornbread. Reservations accepted. Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. $$
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 veggie sandwich with avocado, onions, arugula, red pepper and pepper jack cheese. No reservations. Delivery and outdoor seating available. Breakfast, lunch and dinner daily. $$
Oregon, to LA. Blackwater Holylight plays Siberia at 9 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 19, with Glassing and Guts Club. Tickets are $24.92 via dice.fm.
Mahmoud Chouki’s Cigar Box Project
Mahmoud Chouki performed in January at the New Orleans Cigar Box Guitar Festival, an event highlighting home-made guitars. The composer and musician plays many stringed instruments, and he’s fashioned his own cigar box guitar and cigar box oud. This show features a host of homemade instruments, with Brett Gardner on cigar box guitar, Rurik Nunan on cigar box violin, Gerald Watkins on a trash drum kit and Martin Masakowski on bass. At 7:30 & 9:30 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 21, at Snug Harbor. Tickets $41.30 via snugjazz.com.
‘Natchez’
Suzannah Hebert’s documentary explores the small town of Natchez, Mississippi, and how its residents handle its antebellum past as a tourism draw. Numerous homes are preserved and offer tours, but they offer different visions of the past, some addressing slavery and others largely leaving it out. But it’s a small town, and the guides can’t help but cross paths. The film won several awards at the Tribeca Film Fest in November, including Best Documentary Feature. It opens Friday, Feb. 20, at The Prytania and The Broad Theater. Visit thebroadtheater.com and theprytania. com for showtimes and tickets.
‘Waiting Around’
Many aspiring performers have spent time in the service industry, so there’s plenty of inspiration behind Ricky Graham and Harry Mayronne’s musical show about waiters and some of the restaurant and celebrity chef trends of the times when they launched “Waiting Around” about 20 years ago. After an extended run here, it went to New York for a short off-Broadway run. Mayronne and company have updated the show, and he plays piano in the production running Friday, Feb. 20, to March 2 at Rivertown Theaters. The cast includes original member Chris Wecklein, Kyle Daigrepont, Darcy Malone and Tracey E Collins. Shows at 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays. Tickets $43.41 via rivertowntheaters.com.
Ryan Plunkett
Ryan Plunkett performs card tricks and sleights of hand, both up close with audience members and on stage. He’s a regular at places like the Chicago Magic
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Lounge and Los Angeles’ Magic Castle. He brings his Old Fashioned Magic show to New Orleans. At 7 & 9 p.m. Friday, Feb. 20, and 5, 7 & 9 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 21, at the Eliza Jane Hotel. Tickets $58 and up via ofmnola.com.
Banjo-V with Weston Olencki
Banjoist David Bandroski, saxophonist Martin Krusche and drummer Doug Garrison perform together as the Banjo-V, and the trio has a new cassette on the way. At this release show presented by Scatterjazz, they’ll be joined by Berlin-based banjoist and trombonist Weston Olencki, who will play a solo set and then join Banjo-V for an improvised music set. Banjo-V and Olencki perform at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 19, at Zeitgeist Theatre & Lounge. Find more info at scatterjazz.com.
Cosmic String Duo
Bassist Martin Masakowski and violinist Ira Echo have collaborated in the past as the Cosmic String Duo, a contemporary chamber folk project. The duo also released an album in 2019. They perform a rare reunion show at 7 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 22, at Studio Saint Philip. Tickets are $37.24 via eventbrite.com.
Bon Bon Vivant
Bon Bon Vivant mixes dark indie rock with swing, Americana and electronica touches. They next play at 8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 21, at Saturn Bar with Giant Day. It’s a free show. Find more info at dice.fm.
Nolatet
Vibraphonist Mike Dillon, pianist Brian Haas, bassist James Singleton and drummer Johnny Vidacovich make up this colossal quartet, blending funk, rock, jazz and some experimen tal elements. Nolatet plays at 8 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 19, at the Maple Leaf. Tickets are $17 via mapleleafbar.com.
Maestri Classic
Under coach Ron Maestri, the UNO Privateers baseball team won more than 540 games and went to the College World Series twice. He also served as the university’s director of athletics. The Maestri Classic is named for him, and the event pits the Privateers against teams from Alabama A&M, Northern Kentucky and the University of Louisiana at Monroe on Friday, Feb. 20, through Sunday, Feb. 22, at Maestri Field at UNO. There’s an opening night celebration with games, music and more at 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 19. Find a schedule and infor mation at unoprivateers.com.
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MONDAY 16
30/90 — Anne Elise & The Swamp Circus, 3 pm; Danger, Barnes & Wilson, 6 pm; Half Shell Boogie, 9 pm; DJ Duf (upstairs), 10 pm
ALLWAYS LOUNGE — Betsy Propane & The Accessories, 7 pm
APPLE BARREL — Decaturadio, 10:30 pm
BACCHANAL — Byron Asher, 6 pm
BAMBOULA’S — The New Orleans Rug Cutters, 12 pm; Jon Roniger & The Good For Nothin’ Band, 4:30 pm; Ted Hefko & The Thousandries, 9 pm
BAR REDUX — Lundi Gras with Joshua Benitez Band, 9 pm
BJ’S LOUNGE — Lundi Gras Throwdown with Kumasi, 9 pm
BLUE NILE — The Soul Rebels - A Lundi Gras Tradition!, 11 pm
BUFFA’S David Doucet, 8 pm
CAFÉ NEGRIL — Vibe Tribe Red Beans Pancake Breakfast, 10 am; Jason Neville Funky Soul Band, 2 pm; Jamey St. Pierre & Dana Abbott; 5:30 pm; Zena Moses & Rue Fiya, 10 pm
DBA — John Lisi & Delta Funk, 2 pm; Secret Six Jazz Band, 6 pm; Corey Henry & The Treme Funktet, 9:30 pm
DOS JEFES John Fohl, 8:30 pm
THE FILLMORE — DJ Pauly D, 10 pm
KING BRASSERIE AND BAR — Orpheus Parade Watch Party , 6 pm
THE MAISON — Silver Lining Serenaders, 1 pm; Aurora Nealand, 5 pm; Gene’s Music Machine, 8:30 pm
MAPLE LEAF BAR — George Porter Jr. Trio, 7 pm; Lundi Gras w/ New Orleans Suspects, 11 pm
MAYFIELD’S 208 Red Bean Mondays: Kermit Rufns and Irvin Mayfeld, 6 pm
BJ’S LOUNGE — James McClasky & The Rhythm Band, 9 pm
BLUE NILE — The Rozes, 7:30 pm; Street Legends Brass Band, 9:30 pm
BUFFA’S — Marty Christian, 7 pm
CAFE NEGRIL Decaturadio, 12 pm; John LIsi & Delta Funk, 5 pm; The Next Level Band, 9 pm
CIVIC THEATRE — New Orleans Opera Festival presents Terence Blanchard’s Fire Shut Up in My Bones, 2:30 pm
DBA Paradise Jazz Band, 6 pm; The Jump Hounds, 9:30 pm
DOS JEFES Joplin Parnell, 8 pm
JAZZ PLAYHOUSE — Amanda Shaw, 7:30 pm
MAPLE LEAF BAR — Keiko Kamaki, June Yamagishi & Donald MaGee, 8 pm
NEW MARIGNY THEATRE — Song Circles: Kitka & Trendaflka in Concert, 8 pm
OLD ARABI LIGHTHOUSE RECORDS AND BOOKS — Open Mic Night with Host Donnie Picou, 5 pm
STUDIO SAINT PHILIP — Cosmic String Duo, 7 pm
THE DOG HOUSE — Craig Cortello, The "Canine Crooner", 4 pm
THE JAZZ PLAYHOUSE — Amanda Shaw, 7:30 pm
SATURN BAR — Moon + Bride + Every Night Daily, 9 pm
SNUG HARBOR — Steve Detroy Trio, 4:30 pm; Jazz Piano & Drums: Herlin Riley & David Torkanowsky, 7:30 pm; 9:30 pm
ST. ROCH TAVERN Red McAdam + Lily
Unless & The If-Onlys, 9 pm
SuM mEr CaMpS
GOING OUT
Sklardi Gras
by Will Coviello
Comedians Jason and Randy Sklar have had a lot of good times in New Orleans, starting with a road trip to Mardi Gras in the ’90s.
“We went to the University of Michigan,” Randy Sklar says. “We drove our dad’s Oldsmobile Ninety-Eight. Terrible car, piece-of-garbage car. We parked it near Tulane and went out and partied all night. In the morning, the car is gone. We lost our dad’s car. We were like, ‘We are so dead.’ ”
“It was like ‘Memento,’ ” Jason Sklar says. “We were like, ‘Did we lose it? Did we crash it? Did we drive it into the Mississippi River?’ ”
Of course, they found it in the tow lot under the I-10 overpass on Claiborne Avenue. It took all their cash and their friends’ money to get it back, which ended their trip prematurely. Nonetheless, they’ve been fans of the city ever since.
Now they’re coming back just after Carnival, and they’re ready to keep the good times going.
“Let’s call it what it is,” Jason says. “It’s gonna be Sklardi Gras.”
The comedy duo is bringing Sklardi Gras to Sports Drink on Saturday, Feb. 21, and Sunday, Feb. 22.
Sports Drink, with its wall of orange coolers, is a welcoming space for the Sklars. They’ve been on all sorts of shows, including “Entourage,” “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia,” “Gray’s Anatomy” and “What We Do in the Shadows.” But one of their big early successes was the show “Cheap Seats,” which aired for several seasons on ESPN Classic.
That show featured them reviewing and riffing on odd sports tapes, often of obscure sports, absurd moments caught on film and low-rent competitions, like regional professional wrestling and the Scripps National Spelling Bee. But the show also featured all sorts of running bits, recurring characters and sketches.
When it started, the twin brothers were 25 and had been doing standup in New York for a decade. They convinced ESPN to let them film in New York instead of Bristol, Connecticut, and that allowed them to bring in a host of comics, including Paul Rudd, Zach Galifianakis, David Cross, Chelsea Peretti and Nick Kroll. Kristen Schaal’s first TV appearance was on “Cheap Seats.”
While they’ve done a lot of film and TV work, the brothers still perform as a rare comedy duo on stage. They grew up watching Jerry Seinfeld, Garry Shandling, David Letterman and Eddie Murphy, but they knew there were popular duos a generation earlier, like the Smothers Brothers and Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis. The Sklars first got on stage together when they were 14 and have remained a duo ever since.
At times, the sibling dynamic has been a ripe target, like when their friend Jeff Ross asked them to roast each other on his “Roast Battle” series.
“We were like, you want us to destroy our relationship?” Jason says. “And he was like, ‘Yeah.’ ” They did the show, and their act and relationship survived.
Currently they co-host the “Dumb People Town” podcast and run a Patreon page. They’re also writers and stars on “Good Sports with Kevin Hart and Kenan Thompson.”
With their interest in sports, it’s a natural fit. They’ve been keeping up with the Olympics.
“The U.S. is killing it in curling,” Jason says. “Why does everybody look like they’re dressed to work at a Boost Mobile Store. I want you to put the stone in the back of the house, but I also want to know about your roll-over minutes plan.”
The Sklar Brothers perform at 7 & 9 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 21, and Sunday, Feb. 22. Tickets $28.92 via
Randy, left, and Jason Sklar PROVIDED PHOTO
ACROSS
1 Old New York ballpark
5 Way off the freeway
9 Soprano range’s upper note, often
14 Dad
19 Establish a standard, figuratively
21 Register, as Brits spell it
22 Remedies
23 First part of a riddle
25 Hog havens
26 Singer Grande, informally
27 85-Down, formally
28 Hamm and Wasikowska
SAVING STITCHING
By Frank A. Longo
30 Sunrise direction, in Mexico
31 Riddle, part 2
37 Needlefish
38 Month, in Mexico
39 Knot on a tree trunk 40 Yoked beasts 41 Working hard
43 And others, to Pliny
47 Injury-sorting processes
50 Riddle, part 3
55 One washing gravel to find gold
56 “For” vote
57 In those days
58 Had food
59 Low in pitch
61 More ickily sticky
64 Shopping binge, e.g.
66 Bundled, as hay
69 Riddle, part 4
72 Stork, crane or ibis
73 Singer Bryan
74 Not doubting at all
75 Actor Epps of “House”
77 Morning lawn moisture
78 Blood fluids
79 Strawful, say
82 Come forth
86 Riddle, part 5
92 Paintings by Pierre-Auguste
93 Put on a musical staff
42 Bicycle for two
Kid’s amuser 45 Ending for lemon or lime 46 Part of NFL 47 Heat-related prefix 48 Perfumer Lauder
