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October 2026

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RESTAURANT GUIDE

Fall Restaurant PLUS R PLUS FFEES STIVAL TIVAL PR PREEV VIIEEWS WS & & MO MO REE!! Guide // October 2026

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O vE

SHOWS

Featuring

O vE

+ VENUES

IRMA THOMAS &

PRE SERVATION HALL JAZZ BAND TWO MATINEE S

Erica Fall s Celebrate s Marvin Gaye

RIVER ECKERT GENERATIONS OF GRO OVE

LPO +

THE RUMBLE PL AYS P-FUNK + D J S OUL SISTER

CYRIL NEVILLE

TANK & THE BANGAS

D OE S THE DEAD

ALL HAIL BIG CHIEF

THE INAUGURAL

MONK B OUDREAUX

NOL AxNOL A JAM- OL A

lo cal & national industry Leaders in conversation

F R E E S H OWS EV E RY g e n r e EV E RY N I G H T

september 24-o ctober 4, 2026 Follow T he Vibe

visit nolaxnola.com Fall Restaurant Guide // October 2026

s U n Joi at

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INSIDE

OCTOBER 2026

FALL RESTAURANT GUIDE BEVYS + BITES 09 25 YEARS OF RESTAURANT AUGUST 10 HUNGER GAMES 12 FALL RESTAURANT GUIDE 26 LENA RICHARD 28 THE TABLE WAS ALWAYS QUEER 30 CARNIVAL CRUISINE 32 FOOD NEWS 64 COCKTAIL OF THE MONTH 65 BAR GUIDE

FEATURES 34 THE JOURNEY OF GRIS-GRIS 36 NOLA FUNK FEST 42 WHERE TO COUNTRY DANCE 50 NEW ORLEANS SISTER CITIES 54 NEW ORLEANS CEMETERIES 58 BEST PLACES TO STAY 60 JOAN PRADOS PROFILE 62 MAKE GOOD 72 GLOBAL WILDLIFE

ENTERTAINMENT 38 CONCERT CALENDAR

46 FALL FESTIVAL GUIDE 56 OLD LOUISIANA ON TV 70 MOVIE REVIEWS

LAGNIAPPE 66 TALES FROM THE QUARTER 68 PO-BOY VIEWS 74 WHERE Y'BEEN

58 42 6

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Photos from top: courtesy of Randy Schmidt, Kira Omakase, Spears Group, Omni Royal, Chloe Watters, Emily Hingle

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Fall Restaurant Guide // October 2026

INSIDE

— Desserts / Tea / Coffee / Wine / Brunch —

9 Publisher/Editor-in-Chief: Josh Danzig Creative Director: Christopher Grim Executive Editor: Burke Bischoff Assistant Editor: Donald Rickert Movie Editors: David Vicari, Fritz Esker

We accept Party Reservation & Catering

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from the PUBLISHER

ungry, New Orleans? You’re reading one of our favorite issues of the year—the Fall Restaurant Guide. Whether you’re searching for the city’s newest hot spot, an old-school neighborhood favorite, or simply wondering where to eat tonight, we hope this issue gives you plenty of reasons to get out and explore. Celebrating 25 years, Restaurant August is one of the city’s top spots for fine dining. Led by James Beard Award winner John Besh and his partner Octavio Mantilla, Restaurant August was the starting point of the BRG Hospitality Group. Kim Ranjbar interviews these two industry icons who share their story. If you’re looking for something to do this weekend, fall festivals have arrived. Enjoy our preview of some of the biggest festivals in the region that highlight everything from beer to the blues. Not seeing a festival that you love? More festival info, plus all the Halloween happenings, will be found in our upcoming special Halloween issue that’s out October 10th. Finally, visit the newly relaunched WhereYat.com for web-exclusive content and more. We’re very proud of our new site. –- Josh Danzig, Publisher

Cover: Romney Caruso Director of Sales: Jim Sylve Photographers and Designers: Burke Bischoff, Gustavo Escanelle, Emily Hingle, Kim Ranjbar, Christopher Grim, Randy Schmidt Interns: Brogan Burns, Geordon Collins, Kallie Bourgeois, Margeaux Pierson, Ness Newsom, Vivian Bravo, Henry Foster, Rachel Passer, Ella Akins

Subscribe: Receive 1 year (14 issues) for $40. Subscribe today at WhereYat.com. Logo ©2026 All rights reserved Bruce Betzer, Legal Counsel: (504) 304-9952 Where Y’at Magazine 5500 Prytania St., #133 New Orleans, LA 70115 (504) 891-0144 info@whereyat.com WhereYat.com

Photos: courtesy of Romney Caruso

LETTER

Contributing Writers: Kallie Bourgeois, Violet Bucaro, Rebecca Fox, Arielle Gonzales, Emily Hingle, Tina Howell, Phil LaMancusa, Debbie Lindsey, Tim McNally, Kim Ranjbar, Sabrina Stone, Kimmie Tubré, Celeste Turner, Aaliya Weheliye

Silver Jubilee: Restaurant August

Celebrates 25 Years

// KIM RANJBAR

Chef John Besh and business partner Octavio Mantilla reflect on the inception of their flagship restaurant and the future of BRG Hospitality.

Photos: courtesy of Romney Caruso

here are events in our lives that often seem predestined, such as: romance blooming between two people escaping a rainstorm under the same awning, bumping into a high school friend at the airport who just happens to be looking to hire someone with your skills, or becoming business partners with an old co-worker met during a brief interim between jobs. “I was waiting for my next job to begin when I crossed paths with Octavio,” Chef John Besh recalled. “I absolutely loved working with him.” While working for Chef Horst Pfeifer at his riverfront restaurant Bella Luna in the late ‘90s—now an event venue called Marché—Octavio Mantilla met Besh and they hit it off. “John was coming back from his internship in Germany and France, and he came and worked with us for a few months. We became friends,” Mantilla explained. Life went on and the two went their separate ways. Besh began cooking at the Windsor Court, and Mantilla was tapped to manage Food & Beverage for Harrah’s Entertainment when fate took a hand once again. After several years spent traveling from Las Vegas to Atlantic City, opening restaurants in Harrah’s casinos, Mantilla was looking to stay closer to home. “[My boss] said, ‘I have something perfect for you. I have this young chef named John Besh and we’re going to open a steakhouse,’ and I said, ‘Perfect. I know John very well,’” Mantilla laughed.

In 2001, a few years prior to opening the steakhouse, Besh was selected by local civic leader and businessman August “Duke” Robin to head the kitchen at his eponymous Warehouse District restaurant. Located on the corner of Tchoupitoulas and Gravier streets, the building that houses Restaurant August started life as a warehouse built in the mid-1800s, storing goods such as tobacco from St. James Parish coming downriver and coffee shipped in from the Caribbean and South America. Over the years, the historic building also played host to a garment factory and tailoring shop, as well as the Reily Electric Co.—an electrical, automation, and control products distributor— and only one branch of the extended Reily family empire also responsible for Luzianne Coffee Co. “[August 'Duke' Robin] was so generous, just one of the most amazing people, who gave me this amazing opportunity, [but] he realized not long after getting into the business that he didn’t want to be in the restaurant business,” Besh laughed. According to NOLA.com, Duke absolutely loved the building but had never really intended to get into the restaurant business. In 2005, Besh and Mantilla partnered to purchase Restaurant August from Duke, marking the beginning of BRG Hospitality Group and their successful, longstanding business relationship. “[Duke] really gave me my start. I couldn’t have been more fortunate. And then to have a partner

like Octavio. He was the maître d’, I was the cook, and the rest is history. It was magical in those days,” Besh reminisced. “He and I complimented each other—me in the front of the house and him in the kitchen,” Mantilla said. “We made a perfect pair.” Though Hurricane Katrina barrelled through the city not long after purchasing their flagship restaurant—one that quickly went from offering elaborate tasting menus to serving “red beans and rice, and fried rabbit”—it seemed as if it was only a hiccup in the duo’s burgeoning hospitality company. In 2006, Besh won the James Beard award for Best Chef South/Southeast. Just a year later, they opened Luke, a Franco-German-inspired brasserie on St. Charles Avenue in the Central Business District. “There’s a story about why we do what we do, and why we created the restaurants,” Besh explained. “The first date I went on with my wife was at Kolb’s Restaurant, a couple blocks down from Luke, and I loved that German/Creole, tavernish-style of dining. [Also] Jennifer and I lived in Germany, and, in the summer, we would drive through the Alps and go to Italy, and we would say, ‘On Sundays, we’re Italian,’” Besh laughed. “That’s why we created Domenica.” Recently BRG Hospitality launched several new destinations in what seemed like rapid succession. In fall of last year, Delacroix opened on the riverfront, offering a menu that hearkens back

to a time when Besh spent a lot of time out on the water. “I used to spend time out on shrimp boats or going out with friends and cooking on the back of the boat dishes [such as] turtle sauce piquante with a fried piece of catfish on top. There’s nothing pretty about it, but it’s one of the best bites I’ve ever had in my life,” Besh said. In February of this year, the group also opened Feliciana and Paradise, a French bistro and cocktail bar on the former site of the historic Star Theater across the lake in Covington. A sort of homage to area writer Walter Percy, Feliciana and Paradise refer to fictional locations in his novels. “I’ve been a big fan of Walter Percy all of my adult life. I cooked for him when I was at La Provence, [and] I also got to know Mary 'Bunt' Percy, his wife, who was one of my best clients,” Besh said. Through trials and tribulations, hurricanes, oil spills, and a pandemic, Restaurant August has remained steadfast, a bulwark of the BRG Hospitality Group and one of the darlings of fine dining options available in New Orleans. The kitchen at Restaurant August is currently helmed by Executive Chef Corey Thomas, who is lending his own culinary genius to a dizzying 10-course tasting menu. “The menu changes every week; it is always progressive. [The restaurant has] gone through many years of change, and it’s doing amazing now. I usually tell people my favorite restaurant is the one that’s not giving me a hard time this week,” Mantilla laughed. “But to be honest, August does have a tiny bit more significance. It was the first we’ve owned.” “I’m extremely humbled that we’re still here,” Besh said. “Not just surviving but thriving and moving forward and continuing to make a difference.”

Fall Restaurant Guide // October 2026

Galatoire's

Emeril's

The Hunger Games: A

difficult reservation is usually a means the restaurant cannot simply squeeze in compliment, not a criticism. Sometimes, another turn of the tables. national acclaim creates a rush Mosquito Supper Club offers another version overnight. Sometimes, there are simply of scarcity, with communal meals that make dinner more interested diners than chairs. Other times, feel part restaurant, part gathering. The intimacy is New Orleans turns the pursuit of lunch into a central to the experience, but it also means there tradition all its own. are only so many places at the table. So what makes a table one of the city’s most Then there are reservations that have less to do searched in 2026? Is it the restaurant that wins a with technology than tradition. major award, the dining room with only a handful Galatoire’s Friday lunch has long been treated of seats, the holiday experience that requires as both a meal and a competitive New Orleans months of planning, or the brand-new place ritual. The restaurant now accepts reservations everyone wants to visit before the rest of the for its downstairs dining rooms, but the Fridays country notices? In New Orleans, the answer may before Christmas and Mardi Gras remain coveted be all four. enough to inspire charitable table auctions. The clearest example of awardIn December 2025, bidders raised driven demand is Emeril’s. The a record $187,500 for local flagship restaurant earned nonprofits while competing two Michelin stars in for tables at the legendary the inaugural Michelin Friday-before-Christmas Guide to the American lunch. That is not simply South, with E.J. dinner. It is dining as a Lagasse becoming spectator sport. the youngest chef Local artist Julianne ever to lead a two-star Lagniappe first worked kitchen. The honor as a Galatoire’s linedid more than add sitter while attending another plaque to the the University of New wall. It placed a familiar Orleans after Hurricane New Orleans name into a Katrina. A neighbor near new level of international her college apartment asked conversation. her to hold a place for Friday Emeril's Other tables are difficult lunch, so Lagniappe arrived on because scarcity is built into the Bourbon Street around 9 a.m. Shortly experience. Saint-Germain serves an evolving afterward, the maître d’ emerged to record the 10-course tasting menu, and the meal lasts diners’ names and party sizes. approximately two and a half hours. A small room, The regular line-sitters quickly welcomed her limited service nights, and a lengthy tasting format into their unofficial club. They kept folding lawn

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// REBECCA FOX

chairs nearby, always seemed to find an extra “hunger games.” Ellen Miller made a tradition of seat for a newcomer, and passed the wait with a setting an alarm exactly 30 days before Mardi Gras round of daiquiris while Bourbon Street woke up Day to reserve a 2 p.m. table for four at Justine around them. From their chairs, on Royal Street, where her group could eat while they watched visiting youth still watching the street scene outside. When groups in matching Justine closed in 2025, they chose The T-shirts dodge the Italian Barrel instead. morning cleanup Miller assumed its reservations crews and stare would also open 30 days ahead, wide-eyed at the only to discover the restaurant still-dark neon had already been accepting signs. bookings for 60 days. She still Lagniappe secured the group’s traditional 2 also remembers p.m. table, and The Italian Barrel a neighboring became their new Mardi Gras adult shop destination. Miller says her alarm playing an oddly is already set for the right date in practical role in December. the system. Because The smartest strategy depends Galatoire's Galatoire’s did not on the kind of table. For awardaccept traditional winning restaurants, book as soon as reservations for the Fridaythe reservation window opens and consider lunch ritual, callers looking for help lunch, weeknights, or earlier seatings. For tiny could be directed next door, where someone kept tasting rooms, join cancellation lists and follow contact information for regular line-sitters and, the restaurant directly. For holiday events, mark according to Lagniappe, even stored some of their the previous year’s announcement date and begin folding chairs. checking before the season starts. For New Orleans Because UNO held classes only Monday institutions, remember that picking up the phone through Thursday at the time, Friday mornings can still work better than refreshing an app. became an ideal side job. Lagniappe generally The city’s hardest table may not serve earned $10 to $20 per diner, which could amount everyone’s favorite meal. Scarcity can be created to anywhere from $40 to $200 for a few hours of by acclaim, size, scheduling, tradition, or simple waiting. curiosity; however, the chase reveals something “One time, I bumped into my third-grade New Orleanians already know: A meal can begin teacher and my elementary school principal while long before the first course arrives. Sometimes it they were paying one of my colleagues,” Lagniappe begins with an alarm, a waitlist, a well-connected said. “That’s how you know this is a true story.” friend, or a willingness to fight for the reservation Mardi Gras lunch creates another kind of before the odds are ever in your favor.

Photos from top: courtesy of Galatoire’s Restaurant, Randy Schmidt

NOLA's Most Searched Tables of 2026

A WEEK-LONG CELEBRATION OF JEFFERSON PARISH CUISINE & CULTURE SEPTEMBER 20-26

Scan the QR code to check out deals and participating restaurants! 504.731.7083 | TOLL FREE 1.877.572.7474 | VISITJEFFERSONPARISH.COM

RESTAURANT GUIDE Fall 2026

ARABI Kitchen Table Café is a casual café known for its fresh and locally sourced ingredients. With seasonal and limited time offers, the restaurant’s menu changes with the seasons, always serving their freshest and finest dishes. Their coconut shrimp bisque is a fan favorite, lathered in pompano almondine and onion butter rice. Diners also love Kitchen Table Café’s tamales. 7005 St. Claude Ave., (504) 301-2285, facebook.com/kitchentablearabi

CBD/WAREHOUSE Anita’s Grill has been around for more than 100 years. The restaurant has faced many challenges in its history, shutting down after Katrina and during the pandemic, but now continues to rise to be one of New Orleans’ must-visits. Stop by and be sure to sample one of their famous staples, such as the shrimp & grits and fried catfish. 833 Howard Ave., (504) 354-8979, anitasgrillnola.com

Commons Club is a contemporary restaurant, inside Virgin Hotels New Orleans, where bold interiors and vibrant artwork create a stylish setting for diners. The kitchen puts a fresh spin on Southern cuisine with dishes that highlight Gulf seafood and seasonal ingredients, while the bar serves inventive cocktails. A delicious option includes roasted chicken with crispy confit potatoes. 550 Baronne St., (833) 791-7700, virginhotels.com

Delacroix, right by Spanish Plaza, serves refined Louisiana cuisine in an elegant dining room overlooking the Mississippi River. Warm wood finishes and expansive windows across the establishment give the space a timeless feel. Be sure to try their duck gumbo before enjoying their classic New Orleans daube of beef & cavatelli or their massive seafood plateau. 1 Poydras St. Spc. 1005, (504) 655-9002, delacroixrestaurant.com

Blue Bayou Restaurant and Oyster Bar brings Louisiana flavors to Canal Street with fresh seafood and Southern classics. Start with Blue Bayou’s famous chargrilled oysters or Mardi Gras pasta before ordering a Category 5 Hurricane or Canal Street Old Fashion. Their bayou-inspired interior, complete with Spanish moss and a 30-foot faux oak tree, adds to the experience. 717 Canal St., (504) 291-3788, bluebayourestaurantnola.com

Desi Vega’s Steakhouse is a one-of-akind steakhouse known for their elegant atmosphere and top-tier service. The restaurant offers a 100% USDA Prime steakhouse experience in New Orleans. The establishment has also been awarded the Wine Spectator Award of Excellence in 2022, 2023, and 2024. Make a reservation today and be sure to order their cowboy steak. 628 St. Charles Ave., (504) 523-7600, desivegasteaks.com

Briquette is a unique establishment with its signature open kitchen and 18-foot seafood display. Their fish are cooked with fine flavored oils over their red-hot briquettes. The open bar and community tables make this elevated experience feel like a casual get-together. The extensive menu features coastal dishes such as snapper Pontchartrain and Louisiana redfish on the half shell. 701 S. Peters St., (504) 547‑6330, briquette-nola.com

Domenica, translating to “Sunday” in Italian, prioritizes delivering leisurely and abundant meals, all carefully prepared with local ingredients. The restaurant has created modern classics, pairing deeplyrooted Italian tradition with a New Orleans palate. Their pasta and Napolitano-style pizzas are hand-made daily and are recommended with their delicious wine or crafty cocktails. Order the radiatori or the 16 oz. prime ribeye. 123 Baronne St., (504) 648-6020, domenicarestaurant.com

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All photos: courtesy of Randy Schmidt, or otherwise provided

New Orleans

All photos: courtesy of Randy Schmidt

Galliano is a rustic establishment where Chef Ricky Cheramie creates traditional homestyle Cajun dishes with his own contemporary twists. With a goal to take taste buds straight to the bayou, Galliano stacks flavors with local seafood and dishes such as their braised short ribs. The restaurant promises a true southern Louisiana dining experience with their Cajun cuisine and homey-feeling interior. 200 Julia St., (504) 218-5753, gallianorestaurant.com

Meril is a contemporary American restaurant located in the heart of the Warehouse District. With influences from around the world, Meril’s menu mixes traditional American cuisine with different countries’ flavor profiles, creating various unique, carefully curated dishes. The spirited dining experience offers memorable dishes for any meal, including their Gulf shrimp and pork dumplings and fried parmesan chicken salad. 424 Girod St., (504) 526-3745, bemeril.com

Legacy Kitchen’s Craft Tavern offers an industrial tavern atmosphere with a great craft beer selection and delicious food. The menu is a balanced blend of small and large plates, along with classic American tavern fare and Southern-style comfort food. The tavern has a wide variety of memorable dishes such as their crawfish bread and chicken clemenceau. 700 Tchoupitoulas St. #3612, (504) 613-2350, legacykitchen.com

Mother’s Restaurant brings authentic Southern comfort to their loyal customers. Known for their po-boys, breakfast dishes, and baked ham, the restaurant is a great attraction for both locals and visitors. Their traditional flavors and dishes are why people love Mother’s. It is where you go for a true Louisianian meal such as delicious crawfish étouffée and some great tasting cheesy grits. 401 Poydras St., (504) 523-9656, mothersrestaurant.net

Legacy Kitchen's Tacklebox is similar to Craft Tavern but with more of a focus on seafood dishes including the redfish St. Charles. Their locally sourced seafood are top-notch with their fried tacklebox platter featuring their unique crawfish hushpuppies and several other seafood items. The interior makes it a lively spot with a classic Gulf Coast feel. 817 Common St., (504) 827-1651, legacykitchen.com

Restaurant August is a Creole restaurant offering dishes inspired by French-Creole cuisine with the chef’s own creative twist. Their 19th century interior turns the elevated meal into a unique dining experience with antique mirrors and mahogany paneling. They even offer a Chef’s Tasting Menu and a Four-Course Menu, offering delicious dishes such as flounder Pontchartrain. 301 Tchoupitoulas St., (504) 299-9777, restaurantaugust.com

Luke is a Crescent City treasure located in the center of the CBD. With a vibrant interior, the restaurant is a Creole-inspired brasserie with a welcoming and energetic atmosphere. The menu includes primarily locally sourced ingredients and seasonal farmers’ market offerings. Fan favorites include their raw oysters and the shrimp en cocotte served with roasted jalapeño cheese grits. 333 St. Charles Ave., 504 378-2840, lukeneworleans.com

Restaurant Rebirth offers Cajun and Creole cuisine straight from the farm to the table, even squeezing their own sugar cane. Their nationally complimented chef creates true food for the soul with local ingredients. Their diverse dinner menu offers favorites such as blackened scallops and double-cut Cheshire pork chop, along with a custom vegetarian option with seasonal vegetables. 857 Fulton St., (504) 522-6863, restaurantrebirth.com

Lyons Corner is here to satisfy diners with renowned brunch menu items such as the Lyons Benedict, served on a freshly baked toasted croissant with Chisesi ham, poached egg, and Crystal hollandaise. The restaurant offers a casual dining experience welcoming locals and visitors alike. Stop by to try the Crescent City croissant with pork belly. 537 Gravier St., (504) 576-9721, lyonscornernola.com

Willa Jean is a restaurant beloved for their freshly baked goods and comforting Southern fare. A breakfast and brunch spot, Willa Jean offers mouthwatering pastries and entrees such as the hangover bowl and the WJ breakfast, featuring eggs, biscuits, cheesy grits, bacon, and sausage. The interior is crowded with windows and beautiful art, contributing to the ambience of the restaurant. 611 O’Keefe Ave., (504) 509-7334, willajean.com

Fall Restaurant Guide // October 2026

FRENCH QUARTER 3rd Block Depot prioritizes options for everyone from drinks to seasonal specials. The restaurant puts their own spin on Cajun/Creole cuisine. They offer Louisiana classics with a twist, such as the Gulf shrimp ceviche and Cajun gumbo. The restaurant maintains southern Louisianian tastes with local ingredients, often sourced from the city’s farmer’s markets. Order the braised short rib. 310 Chartres St., (504) 552-4095, 3rdblockdepot.com

New Orleans Creole Cookery is a famous Creole restaurant, honoring every Louisiana cooking tradition in the book. Their Taste of New Orleans sample plate is a popular choice for first-timers, featuring shrimp Creole, red beans and rice, crawfish étouffée, and jambalaya. Diners enjoy their fountain and courtyard for outdoor dining, as well as their pecan crusted redfish. 510 Toulouse St., (504) 524-9632, neworleanscreolecookery.com

New Orleans Vampire Café is an eerie restaurant inspired by local folklore and urban legends. They offer blood bag cocktails and vampire-themed wines. The atmosphere is similar to that of Dracula’s isolated castle with a dark color palette and spooky atmosphere. Their Dracula and vampire burgers, as well as their shrimp & grits, have been fan favorites over the years. 801 Royal St., (504) 581-0801, nolavampirecafe.com

Crescent City Brewhouse is the Quarter’s only microbrewery and is a favorite for locals and visitors. With live jazz from local musicians, this establishment is welcoming to all diners. A 17-barrel brewery, the restaurant incorporates traditional values and modern technology to offer the best local craft beers along with delicious dishes such as the Decatur burger. 527 Decatur St., (504) 522‑0571, crescentcitybrewhouse.com

Orleans Grapevine Wine Bar and Bistro is located in an over 200-year old building, the home of the first Creole restaurant in the city. The interior has kept its historical character, giving diners a blast into the past. Some of the menu highlights include the lamb chops, swordfish, and surf and turf filet, along with their extensive wine list. 720 Orleans Ave., (504) 523-1930, orleansgrapevine.com

Desire Oyster Bar is located on the worldfamous Bourbon Street, ready to serve anyone who takes a seat. With an elevated diner-style interior and open oyster bar, the restaurant sets itself apart from other restaurants located on Bourbon Street. Their authentic seafood and other dishes, such as the fried oysters herbsaint and the Bienville wedge salad, are always great. 300 Bourbon St., (504) 553-2281, sonesta.com

The Rib Room is a steakhouse in the Omni Royal Hotel with classic fare in a space that’s good for people watching. The elegant yet welcoming atmosphere sets the tone for this elevated dining experience. They also offer jazz brunches every Sunday with live musicians each week. Enjoy their prime rib or try their pickled fried green tomato po-boy. 621 St. Louis St., (504) 529-7045, ribroomneworleans.com

House of Blues New Orleans is a restaurant, bar, and concert venue, inviting guests to listen to various artists while enjoying a hearty meal. Diners praise their generous portions and their Voodoo Garden open courtyard. Popular menu items include the baby back ribs and fried green tomatoes. Stop by on Sundays for their gospel brunch. 225 Decatur St., (504) 310-4999, neworleans.houseofblues.com

Vampire Apothecary is a fine restaurant that offers craft cocktails and tarot readings. The dim lighting and mystical elements, coupled with custom fang fittings and tarot card readers, make for a highly memorable night in the Quarter. Diners praise the lobster and crab-stuffed portobello, the roasted pork tenderloin, and the Frangria served in blood bags. 725 St. Peter St., (504) 766-8179, vampireapothecary.com

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All photos: courtesy of Randy Schmidt

Willie Mae’s NOLA is a full-service restaurant that was initially a bar opened in 1957 in the Tremé neighborhood. Recently voted America’s Best Fried Chicken, Willie Mae’s NOLA offers a wide range of American and Creole dishes, each one tastier than the next. If you can’t decide on something, order the Taste of New Orleans for chicken, catfish, and shrimp. 898 Baronne St., (504) 354-8194, williemaesnola.com

Fall Restaurant Guide // October 2026

GARDEN DISTRICT Please U Restaurant is a casual spot for Louisiana “hot plates” and all-day breakfast including the two egg breakfast and the pancake breakfast. The atmosphere is fun and quirky with a diner-like interior and a staff excited to serve their customers. Their muffulettas, which come with a housemade olive salad, have become a hit in recent years. 1751 St. Charles Ave., (504) 525-9131, pleaseunola.com

GENTILLY Thai’d Up is an Isaan Thai restaurant delivering exceptional dining experiences with skilled staff and a delicious, unique cuisine. Their dining room makes for a cozy atmosphere and homey meal. The restaurant offers great portions from fresh ingredients, creating highly praised meals such as their delicious drunken noodles and the special spicy basil with chicken. 1839 Gentilly Blvd., (504) 644-5790, thaidup.co

JEFFERSON Rivershack Tavern is one of the best restaurants in town, offering delicious meals and live music. This roadside bar is known for its interior and the famous “bar legs” barstools. Here, diners can enjoy classic Creole cuisine such as the seafood platter, creative takes such as the buffalo mushroom po-boy, and lots of different beers to choose from. 3449 River Rd., (504) 834-4938, rivershacktavern.com

LAKEVIEW

Lakeview Harbor is home to the original Lakeview hamburger and memorable Maine lobster. Their friendly service and generous portions make for a great casual meal with the family or friends. The interior offers a classic, laid-back neighborhood bar atmosphere. While their entire menu is amazing, a standout favorite for many customers is their Texas BBQ burger. 8550 Pontchartrain Blvd., (504) 486‑4887, lakeviewharbor.us

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All photos: courtesy of Randy Schmidt

JB’s Fuel Dock is a pizza joint with unique rotating specials and delicious entree options. Their dockside property allows for a memorable view overlooking Lake Pontchartrain. A landmark for both boaters and locals, the dock has also served as a convenience store, fueling station, and boat yard. Their menu offers a wide range of food including JB’s classic burger. 128 S. Roadway St., (504) 510-2260, jbsfueldock.com

Sala NOLA is a fantastic restaurant located in New Orleans’ historic West End neighborhood. With a belief that a restaurant is about more than the food, this restaurant makes a meal a memory with family and friends. Entrees offer a mix between local and coastal Italian flavors, with menu items such as the chicken panné linguine. 124 Lake Marina Dr., (504) 513-2670, salanola.com

The Blue Crab Restaurant & Bar is an oyster bar and restaurant looking over Lake Pontchartrain. Locally owned and operated, the establishment serves only the finest and freshest seafood with specialty meals such as the whole stuffed flounder and Basin BBQ shrimp & grits. The interior is casual with nautical art and massive windows to overlook the lake. 7900 Lakeshore Dr., (504) 284-2898, thebluecrabnola.com

CATERING OFFERED FOR ALL OCCASIONS

MARIGNY/BYWATER Bamboula’s is famous for its live music all day, every day. The heartbeat of Frenchmen Street, Bamboula’s has lots of room and seating with intriguing architectural details. Reviews highlight their jambalaya and their Gulf oysters on the menu, which is full of delicious New Orleans classics. Their jazz and blues music is the perfect match for a Creole meal. 516 Frenchmen St., (504) 451-7306, bamboulasmusic.com

METAIRIE

All photos: courtesy of Randy Schmidt

Chef Ron’s Gumbo Stop serves awardwinning gumbo with only the freshest ingredients. The home of the original stuffed gumbo, this establishment offers all kinds of New Orleans classics. Try the chicken Jefferson topped with crawfish and shrimp cream sauce. The interior has a funky, fun vibe with art covering the walls and with diner seating. 2309 N. Causeway Blvd., (504) 835-2022, gumbostop.com

Moe’s Original BBQ is a Metairie favorite for some authentic Alabama barbeque. The restaurant prepares everything inhouse daily with fresh ingredients. Along with their barbeque, Moe’s offers a range of seafood, Southern sweets, and flavorful desserts such as their banana pudding or the Mississippi mud pie. Their family platter is a must for big groups. 1101 N. Causeway Blvd., (504) 407-3533, moesoriginalbbq.com

1101 N. Causeway Blvd., Metairie Fall Restaurant Guide // October 2026

Short Stop Poboys has been an essential choice for po-boys for more than half a century. The inside has an old-school grocery store feel and an open kitchen for customers to watch their sandwiches be made. Short Stop offers various types of po-boys, such as shrimp po-boys, along with traditional side dishes including gumbo and jambalaya. 119 Transcontinental Dr., (504) 885-4572, shortstoppoboysno.com

MID-CITY Crescent City Steaks is a family-owned steakhouse serving the finest USDA Prime beef. The restaurant invented their own “New Orleans-style” steaks by sizzling them in butter. Always crowded with people, make a reservation and order their delicious porterhouse steak. End the meal with the Z pie, an ice cream pie with caramel and chocolate sauce. 1001 N. Broad St, (504) 821‑3271, crescentcitysteaks.com

Mandina’s Restaurant offers seafood and Creole-Italian cuisine in an establishment that was originally a grocery store in 1898. The atmosphere is lively with a crowded, old school bar. The staff is friendly and knowledgeable, ready to recommend their favorites. Visit on Thursday and enjoy their bruccialone special, which is rolled and stuffed veal with shell macaroni. 3800 Canal St., (504) 482-9179, mandinasrestaurant.com

Spudly’s Super Spuds is a casual familyrun restaurant known for its meals served in baked potatoes. They offer an extensive range of baked potatoes, from their pizza spud with pepperoni to their Wisconsin spud, made with cheddar, mozzarella, Swiss, sour cream, bacon bits, and chives. No matter what potato you order, you’ll be having a good meal. 2609 Harvard Ave., (504) 455-3250, spudlys.com

Mikimoto Restaurant offers freshly made authentic Japanese food with a New Orleans twist. Their Crescent City roll is especially popular, and their fresh sashimi platter is also worth a try. The restaurant has an open sushi bar with ambient lighting, along with a drive-thru, one of the only Japanese restaurants with one in the city. 3301 S. Carrollton Ave., (504) 488-1881, mikimotosushi.com

The Galley Seafood is one of the best spots in Greater New Orleans for seafood. From crawfish and oysters to crabs, they have your seafood needs covered. In addition, the restaurant offers frog legs, fried green tomatoes, white beans and rice, and plenty more from their extensive menu. Be sure to try their crawfish Monica with fried catfish. 2535 Metairie Rd., (504) 832-0955

Mona’s Cafe has offered authentic Middle Eastern cuisine for decades with high quality, fresh ingredients. The restaurant started in 1987 as a small bakery, then quickly expanded into the local favorite that it is today. Their fresh pita bread and homemade baklava are popular menu items, along with the hummus with lamb and Mona’s mezze. 3901 Banks St., (504) 482-7743, facebook.com/monasnola

Vacca Steakhouse is perfect for a special date night over in Metairie. You can’t go wrong with any of their prime cuts including center cut filet, New York strip, cowboy ribeye, and more. In addition to steak, the restaurant offers special dishes including Chilean sea bass, veal chop, and whiskey glazed salmon. They also offer seasonal food specials. 3524 Severn Ave., (504) 318-3808, vaccasteakhouse.com

Neyow’s Creole Café serves authentic Creole cuisine from their seasoned crab claws to their seafood platter. Their po-boys, including the seafood combo and the Philly cheesesteak, are very popular. The restaurant has an energetic atmosphere with personable staff and jazz-themed decor, topped with upbeat music. If you’re out on a date, consider ordering Neyow’s extravaganza dinner for two. 3332 Bienville St., (504) 827‑5474, neyows.com

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All photos: courtesy of Randy Schmidt

Prince Tea House offers the finest tea in Greater New Orleans, imported straight from France. Along with their tea collection, the tea house, which fuses Asian and European influences, provides afternoon tea snacks and desserts, in addition to freshly made waffles. The interior is peaceful and elegant, and their wide range of desserts from macaroons to cheesecake are unforgettable. 3012 N. Arnoult Rd. Ste. B, (504) 330-0360, princetealhousenola.com

Parkway Bakery and Tavern opened in 1911 and quickly became an icon within the city. Their bar is active and crowded, while the restaurant serves delicious po-boys and more. The restaurant serves over 1,000 diners a day on average, so be in that number and order the surf & turf po-boy with the Big Easy Old Fashioned. 538 Hagan Ave., (504) 482-3047, parkwaypoorboys.com

F A R M – T O – T A B L E C A J U N C R E O L E C U I S I N E

Daily Happy Hour 4:30 PM- 6 PM

Featuring

$15 Apps Beer and Wine Specials!

MULTIPLE LOCATIONS Bearcat Cafe is a sit down café with fresh breakfast and lunch options. The menu has two interesting sections: Good Cat, for lighter fare options, and Bad Cat, for those looking for a heartier meal. They offer vegetarian, vegan, paleo, and gluten free options along with other menu items, including pancakes, brisket, eggs, and more. Multiple Locations, bearcatcafe.com

Daisy Dukes Restaurant is a restaurant whose goal is to fully encapsulate NOLA’s soul while offering classic Southern comfort food. What started as a small lunch spot quickly grew in size, adding multiple locations. Try their half shrimp poboy with a cup of gumbo or their shrimp & grits. They even offer merchandise and their Bloody Mary mix in-store and online. Multiple Locations, daisydukesrestaurant.com

857 Fulton Street 504- 522-6863 •

• Follow Us!

All photos: courtesy of Randy Schmidt

Deanie’s Seafood Restaurant originated in Bucktown and has been serving great seafood for over 60 years. With all of their food made from scratch, Deanie’s serves what reviewers note as consistently excellent food. The atmosphere is casual with a neighborhood feel. Their menu items include BBQ shrimp and a seafood gumbo with fresh shrimp, crab, and okra. Multiple Locations, deanies.com

Drago’s Seafood Restaurant started in 1933 and is famous for originating NOLA’s popular chargrilled oysters. The restaurant provides a familial feel, being owned by Tommy Cvitanovich and Klara Cvitanovich greeting guests everyday at Drago’s Metairie location. Aside from the oysters, diners’ can also enjoy other menu highlights including the crab Mediterranean salad and redfish almandine. Multiple Locations, dragosrestaurant.com

jun. a C . sic Daily Happy Hour 4:30 pm–6 pm Clas . e Featuring tiv a e r C $1 Raw Oysters . t S ulia J $2 Baked Oysters 0 0 2 3 5 7 5 18. 540.2 All Appetizers for $15 w us Follo

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Fall Restaurant Guide // October 2026

MONDAY SPECIAL: PEPPER JELLY GLAZED HAM PO’ BOY

Jamaican Jerk House is homegrown and is a standout for their authentic Jamaican food. Diners praise their oxtails and beef ribs, noted as juicy and tender with outstanding flavor. Their meals offer generous portions, with combo plates such as their oxtail and jerk plate. The interior provides a bright and welcoming space for a friendly atmosphere in NOLA and Metairie. Multiple Locations, jamaicanjerkhouse.com

Loretta’s Authentic Pralines is a popular business offering lots of sweet treats in the French Market and in their brickand-mortar. Their praline beignets have become a local favorite along with the burger beignets and crabmeat beignets. Their traditional pralines have also been celebrated for their true Creole flavor, which captures classic, sweet New Orleans tradition. Multiple Locations, lorettaspralines.com

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Pizza Domenica is the perfect spot for a dinner with family and friends with a light-hearted and lively atmosphere. Their specialty gourmet pizzas—such as their mortadella with ricotta, hot honey, pistachios, basil, and red onions—are not their only beloved menu items. Diners also love their spaghetti carbonara, their wood roasted wings, and many other entree and appetizer dishes. Multiple Locations, pizzadomenica.com

Venezia Restaurant first opened at their original location in 1957, there to make diners feel at home with their familyfriendly atmosphere and homey interior. Customers are met with all smiles by the staff, ready to help with menu selections. The restaurant is known for its varied pizzas, six oz. filet, and house specialty pasta dishes including the marsala and parmigiana. Multiple Locations, venezianeworleans.com

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All photos: courtesy of Randy Schmidt

Tacos & Beer is a lively, casual restaurant with an open bar and authentic Mexican food. Their frozen margaritas are always a fantastic choice, along with their birria tacos and spicy Mexican burger. The restaurant is perfect for Taco Tuesday crowds and for hanging out with close friends. Their bright and colorful decor adds to the lively atmosphere for diners. Multiple Locations, facebook.com/ tacosneworleans

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Voodoo Chicken & Daiquiris combines crispy fried chicken with New Orleans favorites and refreshing frozen drinks. Dig into fried chicken, a shrimp po-boy, or red beans & rice before cooling down with one of the restaurant’s fresh fruit daiquiris. With four French Quarter and Downtown locations, Voodoo is also an easy stop for a quick meal or late-night bite. Multiple Locations, voodoochickenanddaiquirisnola.com

TREMÉ Li’l Dizzy’s Cafe is a Creole-soul restaurant offering food made from the heart. Customers praise their soul food and Creole cuisine, highlighting dishes such as their seafood gumbo and soft shell crab. Reviewers frequently call their catfish Jourdain a must-order. The interior offers a friendly, family-oriented atmosphere where staff and diners often greet new arrivals in unison. 1500 Esplanade Ave., (504) 766-8687, lildizzyscafe.net

UPTOWN El Pavo Real has been serving savory and traditional Mexican dishes for over 10 years now and is a go-to for great Mexican food in NOLA. Serving lunch and dinner Tuesday to Saturday and an early morning brunch on Sunday, the restaurant offers all of the classics, such as their chipotle coconut shrimp, el pastor tacos, and platanos with mole. 4401 S. Broad Ave., (504) 266-2022, elpavorealnola.com

Lebanon’s Cafe is famous for its authentic Lebanese food and cozy neighborhood atmosphere. They offer casual indoor seating alongside outdoor sidewalk tables. Lebanon’s Cafe earns praise for its large portions and various menu items. The menu includes sauteed veggies, vegetarian stuffed grape leaves, and the combination kabob featuring chicken kabob, beef shish kabob, and lula kebob. 1500 S. Carrollton Ave., (504) 862-6200, lebanonscafe.com

Shaya honors traditional cooking and modern Levantine cuisine with food and hospitality that transports diners to the Mediterranean. The restaurant bakes their famous pita in their wood-fired oven for diners. Their contemporary menu offers various types of hummus, such as the fried chicken hummus, along with other delicious meals such as Bakkafrost salmon and a falafel sandwich. 4213 Magazine St., (504) 891-4213, shayarestaurant.com

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All photos: courtesy of Randy Schmidt, or otherwise provided

CHEERS TO 10 YEARS!

FALL FINDS ITS

Flavor

The season's most memorable moments begin at Omni Royal Orleans. Savor prime steaks, fresh Gulf seafood and timeless New Orleans tradition at Rib Room, an iconic French Quarter dining destination. Then head skyward to La Riviera, where rooftop views of the French Quarter, a refreshing breeze and handcrafted cocktails create the perfect setting for lunch, afternoon escapes and golden hour gatherings. Two distinct experiences, one unforgettable taste of New Orleans.

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Fall Restaurant Guide // October 2026

OPEN FOR DINE-IN AND TAKE OUT!

Tal’s Hummus has been a Magazine Street favorite for many years, serving Israeli food with a mix of classic and modern flavors. From their hummus made from scratch to delicious proteins including crispy chicken schnitzel, lamb kebabs, and ribeye steak, everything centers on freshness. The menu also features plenty of vegan and vegetarian options, plus a full bar. 4734 Magazine St., (504) 267-7357, talshummus.com

The Vintage is a space for more than simply sharing a meal. The establishment offers an intimate atmosphere for people to come and relax and have a good time. Their award winning coffee can be paired with their hot, house made beignets. Their menu offers various more items such as the zoodle bowl with seared tuna. 3121 Magazine St., (504) 608-1008, thevintagenola.com

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Charlie’s Restaurant offers a familiar, local atmosphere with a cozy dining room crowded with all kinds of ambiance. Diners frequently praise their large portions and good prices along with their range of menu items, all made from scratch. The classic gumbo and onion rings receive much love from customers, as well as their crazy crab pasta. 6129 E. St. Bernard Hwy., Violet, (504) 682-9057

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Mosca’s Restaurant has been serving only the best Creole-Italian classics with the same family-style methods for 80 years. Mosca’s is no basic Italian restaurant. The menu offers truly delicious Italian dishes such as chicken a la grande, spaghetti bordelaise, chicken cacciatore, and the shrimp Mosca and oysters Mosca, featuring a special Mosca’s seasoning and breadcrumbs. 4137 US-90, Westwego, (504) 436-8950, moscasrestaurant.com

All photos: courtesy of Randy Schmidt

Let Short Stop Handle Your Catering With Our Gumbos by the Gallon & Po-boy Finger Sandwich Trays

Legacy Kitchen’s Steak + Chop blends an upscale restaurant with a casual and vibrant atmosphere. The interior features modern decor for a fine-cut steakhouse feel over in Gretna. Diners love their prime pork chop and baked potato along with their other dishes, such as the grilled Gulf shrimp tacos featuring avocado, mango, slaw, and cilantro sour cream. 91 Westbank Expy., Gretna, (504) 6086082, legacykitchen.com

Fall Restaurant Guide // October 2026

Lena Richard: The Chef America

Lena Richard was one of the most influential chefs of all time, and one of the reasons Creole cuisine became a national sensation.

ichard showed the country the beauty of the Black kitchen, but her ethnicity was also the reason her legacy was erased. Her story is that of a trailblazer and is a crucial piece of New Orleans history. Lena Richard was born in 1892 in New Roads, LA. She and her mom worked for socialite Alice Vairin, helping the Vairin family around the home. Richard did catering jobs for the family as a teen, which developed her passion for cooking. Alice Vairin saw potential in Richard and sent her to take culinary lessons in New Orleans and later at Fannie Farmer’s School of Cookery in Boston. Richard attended this school in 1918 when it was extremely rare for a Black chef to attend a prestigious cooking

institution. Richard would later dedicate her cookbook to Alice Vairin. Richard had already beaten odds and prejudices stacked against her as a Black chef in America and continued to defy expectations. After returning from Boston, Richard worked to build her cooking repertoire in New Orleans. She catered weddings, parties, and debutante balls, as well as cooked for the Orleans Club, an elite women’s social organization. By 1937, she had gained valuable experience all over the city and had created a reputation for herself. In 1937, Richard opened a cooking school in New Orleans with her daughter Marie. She didn’t just teach cooking, either. She directly gave back to her community. She gave Black New Orleanians the tools to not only be chefs but to own their own restaurants and businesses. She taught resilience and resistance by giving her students the resources for self-advocacy, encouraging working-class chefs to demand livable wages and safe working conditions. While Richard was teaching students about how to make turtle soup, oysters, and fruitcake, she was also teaching them how to value themselves. By 1939, Richard published her first cookbook. Lena Richard’s Cook Book featured over 350 recipes of classic Creole cuisine. That summer, she went

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// AALIYA WEHELIYE

to New York to promote her book, selling over 700 copies on that trip alone. New York Herald Tribune food writer Clementine Paddleford wrote about Richard in a piece titled “Cook From New Orleans Shows Northerners ‘Tricks of Trade.’” This coverage caught the attention of the right people, earning her a James Beard endorsement. LeBaron “Lee” Barker, an editor at Houghton Mifflin, visited New Orleans in December of that year and was won over by Richard’s culinary talents and agreed to publish her book. Lena Richard’s original cookbook featured a portrait of her on the cover with the title Lena Richard’s Cook Book, which promised not only to put her on the map but was an important step for Black chefs in America. When the 1940 edition of her book was published, Richard’s name was completely stripped from the copy. The new book was titled New Orleans Cook Book, with both her name and picture being removed from the nationally distributed work. This was a harsh reminder that her ethnicity would continue to hold her back from her well-deserved recognition in the culinary space. An added foreword by a white author solidified this message of exclusion. The changes made took away any warmth or personality the original book had and gave Richard little credit where it was due. In 1949, Lena Richard opened Gumbo House, one of the few Black-owned fine dining restaurants in New Orleans at the time. In the years leading up to this, she had been hired as the head chef for restaurants in New York and Virginia and had even expanded her cooking business through a frozen-food line, shipping okra and stews as far as New York and Panama. Richard was serving over 50 gallons of gumbo a week and defying restaurant segregation practices while she was at it. Gumbo House served patrons of every color. Richard wasn’t

only a chef—she was an activist. In October of that year, WDSU aired Lena Richard’s New Orleans Cook Book, her very own cooking show. This made Richard the first Black host of a cooking show, airing more than a decade before Julia Child’s The French Chef. The show aired twice weekly and inspired housewives all over the city to learn the art of Creole cooking. After her shows, the crew would fight over leftovers, with no one leaving the set with an empty stomach. While the show was a notable step forward for Black chefs at the time, many couldn’t afford a television set, giving the show a mostly white middle-class and upper-class audience. In the height of her career, Richard owned multiple restaurants in New Orleans and had created a cooking empire rivaled by few. She suddenly passed away due to a heart attack on November 27, 1950, at the age of 58. She had been cooking at Gumbo House the day before, showing her commitment to her craft and her community up until her last breath. Within weeks, WDSU replaced her with another Black chef, Ruth Prevost, on her cooking show. Prevost performed under the name Mandy Lee and took on the exaggerated character of a Black woman. There is no living footage of Lena Richard’s original cooking show. Lena Richard’s legacy should be revered. Yet, it was erased. Richard worked tirelessly for better lives not only for herself and her daughter but for Black Americans across the country. She used every tool in her kitchen to fight against segregation, prejudice, and injustice. Richard’s love for Creole food brought it to a national stage, and she uplifted others while doing so. While she passed on too early, her memory is that of care, commitment, and hard work. Known fondly as “Mama Lena” by patrons of Gumbo House, we should continue to honor her life and achievements and learn from her story every day.

Photos All photos: fromcourtesy top: courtesy of Wikimedia of LSU Athletic Commons Department, Wikimedia Commons, NOBA, La Cocinita, Parker Walters

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Fall Restaurant Guide // October 2026

: r e e Qu

The Table was Always S

tepping toward the bricked walking area that leads you to the large double doors of this beautiful place known as the Country Club, you hear the laughter and the pool splashes as you talk to the person at the door. Once you’re seated, the drag queen and her lovely friends are there for the Country Club’s famous drag brunch and celebrating a fellow drag queen friend’s birthday, working the room mic in one hand, asking for names, and asking how everyone is doing like she knows everybody in the room. The table hasn’t ordered entrees yet, just appetizers to buy you time, which is a sea of small plates that smell divine. You grab a French 75, having gin instead of cognac. Down the table, you watch as fresh cocktails make their way to the table, and someone even ordered a spicy margarita. You eat slowly, plates emptying one by one as brunch goes on in the background. By the time the checks are split, the pool is calling you in for a dip.

// ARIELLE GONZALES

Outside, the pool’s already got the crowd, half strangers, half faces you recognize from the bar side and friends doing their thing. You grab a lounge chair with your book in hand to catch some sun with your cocktail next to you, since you are in no rush to get into the pool. When you finally decide to get in, you feel the water’s warm enough. It barely surprises you as an impulsive decision, which is the kind of ease and space needed in the Big Easy. That kind of ease didn’t arrive by accident. It’s created—inherited. That kind of inheritance runs through Bourbon Street, though it doesn’t look like the Bourbon Street we know today. Things have totally expanded since 1933 with a bar that would become Cafe Lafitte in Exile. Its name stems from a permanent scarring memory of the harassment that pushed the original bar down the block to the corner of Bourbon and Dumaine. It’s still LGBTQ+ friendly. It’s still there, decades after most of what has surrounded it had been replaced so many times. Across the street, the Clover Grill has kept its show on the road since 1939, a 24-hour diner that became the thing you hide into between bar trips. Then, in 1949, a stranger tradition took hold a few blocks over, which happened to be a group gathering for the gays at Brennan’s on Monday for Mardi Gras lunch. A local named Bob Demmons was crowning one of his guests “ Queen of the Luncheon” with a tiara he’d produced from seemingly nowhere. The luncheon outgrew the famously known restaurant decades ago and has been held at Arnaud’s ever since but still going

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strong as one of New Orleans’ oldest LGBTQ+ traditions. That, however, did not come without a price. A club for female impersonators called the Powder Puff was opened in 1933 in a back room of Decatur Street, was raided three years later, and relocated to West End, intending to be raided by the police from Orleans Parish and then walking to the other side of the street into Jefferson Parish. It was renamed Club My-O-My and operated under one form or another until it burned down in 1972. Women’s bars had their fair share of problems, as well, but it was not because there were fewer of them but because they were observed more and remembered less. There were at least a dozen lesbian bars active in New Orleans in the 1970s and 1980s. Among them was Alice Brady’s Masquerade, founded in 1952 and the house rules of which included no touching and dancing due to raids being inevitable. One bar was raided 78 times during one year. No lesbian bars survive in physical reality today. The only existing one is GrrlSpot, which is just an occasional party held in borrowed rooms. Now, it’s easiest to see the continuity in the Bywater, along with the Country Club and its pool. Who Dat Coffee Café, a short walk away, operates on the same unhurried queer logic of community first, regulars second, tourists third. Neither

restaurant is trying to be like Bourbon Street. They are doing what the Fat Monday crowd did in 1949, and what the girls at Masquerade did in 1952, only with better lighting and a longer lease. What connects a 1949 lunch at Brennan’s to a 2026 drag brunch at the Country Club isn’t nostalgia. Such is the special math of making a living in a town like this. New Orleans is Catholic at its core and built on ritual, feast days, and penance, as well as on the idea that community is something you do together, out loud, and with your body at a table. It is also a Creole city, a place where centuries of people have created culture out of scarcity and prohibition, making what they were not meant to have into something unmistakably their own. Here, queerness didn’t have to create its own grammar. It was the city’s, that same instinct to gather, to feed one another, to make a feast out of whatever the world left on the table, and it turned it toward chosen family—not blood. We take the journey back to the Country Club, where the evening is over, the pool empties, and the courtyard goes quiet until the next seating. From the street, it looks like just a nice place to eat. It always has. That was the whole point from the start. It is a welcoming place to just have joy and be yourself.

Photos from top: courtesy of Henry Foster & Rachel Passer, Arnaud's, Craig Nero, Lauren Walker

NOLA's History of LGBTQ Businesses

Find new recipes

in the New Orleans Public Library's cookbook collection.

nolalibrary.co/cookbook-catalog

Catching the Next Wave:

// REBECCA FOX // REBECCA FOX

The Future of Carnival’s “Cruisine” Recently, there was a video posted from Carnival Cruise Line’s “The Next Course” event set to the classic tune ”If They Could See Me Now.” It couldn’t have been a more fitting soundtrack.

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osted at the Roosevelt New Orleans, the immersive two-day preview of “The Next Course” showcased Carnival’s future with remarkable attention to detail. Coordinated luggage, ship-inspired décor, faux balconies, and restaurant tableaus made guests feel as though they had already boarded. If this is Carnival’s land experience, one can only imagine what awaits when these new ships debut beginning in 2027. Carnival’s culinary operation is staggering. Its 28,000-member food and beverage team serves 12.5 million Guy’s Burgers and 110 million servings of soft-serve ice cream annually. During two days with food writers, cruise influencers, and Carnival executives, one could see where those numbers are headed. Carnival isn’t just elevating cruise cuisine—it’s redefining “cruisine.”

During an intimate fireside chat, Lagasse shared his goal of bringing the first Michelinstarred restaurant to a cruise ship. He also revealed the origin of his iconic “bam.” While filming The Essence of Emeril, an exhausted crew kept falling into food comas after eating between takes. To wake them up, he slammed his

Bam: Emeril’s Next Course

Photos from top: courtesy of Tom Tran, Rebecca Fox

Leading the charge is Chief Culinary Officer Emeril Lagasse. Watching him prepare his famous barbecue shrimp with rosemary biscuits proved that his commitment to bold flavors and fresh ingredients translates beautifully, even on a massive scale.

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hand down and shouted, “Bam.” Producers loved it, and television history was made. That same energy now fuels Carnival’s culinary vision.

A Taste of What’s Coming The event opened with a reception at Meril featuring previews from Carnival’s upcoming hybrid restaurant concepts. Highlights included smoked salmon and caviar deviled eggs, broiled oysters, goat cheese with lemon vinaigrette, crispy crab Rangoon, chicken egg rolls, Mediterranean mini burgers, Greek shrimp saganaki, and Meril’s outstanding tuna bundles wrapped in crispy wontons with jalapeño, tobiko, and truffle ponzu. The seated tasting featured Emeril’s salad, jumbo lump blue crab cake, penne alla vodka, and chicken cordon bleu before arriving at the weekend’s standout dishes. The Mongolian beef short rib from Uku Lei Lei was fall-apart tender with ponzu, garlic, and just enough chili to balance every bite. Then came the banana cream pie. Carnival’s culinary team spent countless hours

adapting Emeril’s original recipe for shipboard production without compromising quality. Every ingredient and process was refined so guests could enjoy the same dessert at sea. The goal isn’t faster food—it’s giving guests greater dining flexibility while maintaining exceptional quality.

Four New Dining Concepts Carnival developed four new restaurants based on guest feedback, careful research, and data from past trips. Emeril’s Coastal Seafood blends Lagasse’s New England roots with four decades of New Orleans influence in an elevated specialty dining experience. Uku Lei Lei combines Hawaiian inspiration with bold Asian flavors, while Fetaccine pairs Italian favorites with Greek specialties—the name is a play on feta cheese crossed with fettuccini. Le Bistro Musicale, debuting aboard Carnival Festivale, offers a Parisian-inspired brunch and dinner à la carte experience with live music. Perhaps the biggest surprise is the value. Guests receive one complimentary visit to both Uku Lei Lei and Fetaccine during each cruise, with additional visits costing only an $8 cover charge. Alongside remaining favorites such as Guy’s Burgers, Guy’s Pig & Anchor Smokehouse, Shaq’s Big Chicken, BlueIguana Cantina, pizza, and the Main Dining Room, Carnival is also expanding healthier menu options.

Bagels at Sea & Dining on Your Time Breakfast gets a major upgrade with Bagels at Sea. After sampling three gorgeous signature creations, I honestly couldn’t pick a favorite. Whether you want seafood, classic breakfast flavors, something savory, or something sweet, there’s a bagel for everyone. Carnival is also introducing Fruity & Frosted Breakfast Bars, plus dedicated ice cream and milkshake stations. Dining is becoming more flexible. Through the Carnival Hub app, “Your Time Dining” allows guests to check in whenever they’re ready and have a quick meal to still catch entertainment, while still accommodating leisurely multi-course meals.

Smarter Sips Carnival is also reimagining its beverage program. With guests consuming nearly 1.5 million gallons of coffee annually, new coffee bars will transform into cocktail lounges each evening,

serving espresso by day and espresso martinis by night. There’s also a way to mobile order your coffee for more convenience. The popular Alchemy Bar is expanding, while the Mix lets guests build their own cocktails. You can create, for example, both a classic Mai Tai and a zero-proof Festivale of Life mocktail, reflecting Carnival’s commitment to alcohol-free options. The new “Cheers! Zero Proof” package embraces the growing mocktail movement with sophisticated drinks crafted from fresh ingredients. Guests purchasing beverage packages also receive a $25 specialty dining credit, making experiences such as Emeril’s Coastal Seafood an even better value. Carnival isn’t simply adding restaurants or bars. It’s creating a more flexible, elevated, and memorable dining experience from morning coffee to latenight desserts. If “The Next Course” was the appetizer, Carnival’s next generation of ships promises to be an unforgettable feast. Guests can book upcoming sailings at Carnival.com or through the Carnival Hub app as Carnival Festivale launches in 2027 and Carnival Tropicale sets sail in 2028.

New Location coming this Fall!

All photos: courtesy of Rebecca Fox

4520 Freret St.

1839 Gentilly Blvd.

504-644-5790

@thaidupnola Fall Restaurant Guide // October 2026

Food News // KIM RANJBAR

Kira Omakase

That’s so fire . . . Catty corner from Westbank, Middle Eastern staple Crescent Market lies Charcoal & Flame, a brand new eatery sporting charcoal-grilled halal meat—conveniently from Crescent Market—cooked to order, from lamb and filet to chicken and kofta (ground beef ), and served in pita-wrapped sandwiches or huge platters loaded with rice (or crispy fries), hummus, and fresh chopped tomato and onion salad. Charcoal &

Flame is a concept entirely new to Louisiana, so go on and get some while the getting is good. Open daily from noon to midnight everyday. 500 Lapalco Blvd., Gretna, (504) 354-1967, @charcoal_.flames Keep your cool . . . We’re not talking about the beloved duck lady. We’re talking about Ruthie’s Frozen Custard, an ice cream shop that recently opened just off Freret Street. Local owner Adam Gerber decided to pursue a dream, hanging up his music production hat for the cool, creamy pursuit of frozen custard. Named for Gerber’s grandmother and great aunt, Ruthie’s keeps it simple with only a few main flavors: vanilla, chocolate, vegan flavor, and the flavor of the day, but there are a huge list mix-ins, toppings, and sauces that allow complete personalization for the custard of your dreams. From cheesecake chunks and shortbread cookies to banana syrup, lemon curd, and pie crust ripple, the sky is the limit. Ruthie’s also offers their own combos on “spinners” (AKA Blizzards), sundaes, milkshakes, and banana splits. Vegan options are also available. 2506 Jena St., (504) 208-5009, ruthiesfrozencustard.com Breaktime . . . Recently opened by Chef Haley Vaughan and her business partner Sage Ellis, Respite is the latest addition to the Bayou Road food scene. Located on Bell Street, right next to Leo’s Bread, the casual late afternoon and late night eatery features wine, cocktails, an oyster bar, and dishes such as steak tartare, summer panzanella, and eggplant Milanese—or dishes ideally served with a side of Leo’s bread and butter.

WhereYat.com // @WhereYatNOLA // #WhereYatNOLA

The seasonal dishes are always changing and always sustainably sourced, a no brainer for these young veterans of the restaurant industry. 2438 Bell St. Ste. B, respiteneworleans.com Food of the gods . . . Named after an Italian island in the Gulf of Naples, Procida Restaurant is a new Marigny neighborhood restaurant launched by Chef Valeriano “Vale” Chiella. Hailing from Southern Italy, Chiella moved to New Orleans in 2014 and has been working in local restaurants ever since. Chiella has worked in BRG restaurants across the city, from a line cook at Shaya to executive chef at Domenica, and last year launched his own popup Fico Cucina at Peychaud’s Bar. At last, he’s got his very own digs on the corner of Burgundy and Touro serving Italian-inspired, handmade pasta dishes from spaghetti with lemon and parmesan and lobster tagliatale to grilled whole branzino, pistachio and herb-crusted pork chops, and eggplant caponata. Chef Vale has been making magic wherever he goes, and Procida Restaurant is the perfect opportunity to show off his creative, culinary prowess. 2000 Burgundy St., (504) 273-1100, @procidarestaurant The sweet stuff . . . Founders Omar Falaneh, Yahya Ghouleh, and Barra Abousalem launched the first Eiffel Waffle in the summer of 2021 in Downers Grove, Illinois. Since then, the Palestinian-owned dessert shop has grown by leaps and bounds with franchise locations all over the Chicago metro area. Recently, Respite their expansion has gone beyond Illinois’ borders into Indiana, Michigan,

Texas, and most recently Louisiana. Now open in Metairie near the corner of David Drive and Veterans Memorial Boulevard, Eiffel Waffle features ice cream-filled bubble waffles with an assortment of flavors, inspired shakes, smoothies, specialty coffee drinks, and more. 7304 Veterans Memorial Blvd., Metairie, (504) 354-8362, eiffelwaffle.com Leaving it all up to you . . . One of our country’s most beloved Japanese chefs, Yoshi Okai, has brought his omakase to New Orleans with the launch of Kira Omakase—a 12 seat counter located inside Kira, the relatively new Japaneseinspired Mediterranean restaurant in the Warehouse District. Born in Kyoto, Chef Okai trained in acclaimed kitchens to quickly become a household name known for advancing Japanese food in America, namely at Otoko in Austin, TX. Okai is a Food & Wine Best New Chef, blending his Japanese heritage with his signature punk rock flair for an energetic, dynamic omakase experience. This 20-course experience is underscored by Okai’s decades of sushi innovation, mastery of technique, and tight-knit relationships with the best fisheries and purveyors from around the world. 301 Tchoupitoulas St., (504) 335-1740, kiranola.com Ooh la la . . . A new Black woman-owned restaurant with a French/Creole inspired menu, called Kandy’s, recently opened under the radar on Rampart Street. Imagined by classically-trained chef Kandice Nicole, the eponymous-named restaurant, housed in the space formerly occupied by Blue Plate Sandwich Co., has upped its swank level exponentially. Enjoy a lunch of crab cakes or a prime rib sandwich au jus or head in for dinner to feast on a double Wagyu cheeseburger, herbmarinated lamb chops, or garlic-crusted drum with a side of sweet glazed carrots. 514 S. Rampart St., (504) 881-0851, kandysnola.com

Photos from top: courtesy of Sam Hanna, Sam Henneberry, Haley Rowe

Due for a part two . . . Century-old Bayou St. John market and butcher shop Terranova has reopened as Dué Market, a bodega-like neighborhood shop selling Italian deli sandwiches, coffee, gelato, and specialty, imported grocery items. The Esplanade Avenue shop was opened recently by nearby residents Cecile and Barre Tanguis, serving tasty, Italian-style lunch options from chopped and caprese salad to mini mortadella and stracciatella “paninetto” served on Dong Phuong brioche. Full-sized sandwiches Ruthie’s are also Frozen available from a classic Custard hero with an array of Italian cured meats and cheeses to spicy tuna on Spanish pan de cristal bread. The gelato and sorbetto is supplied by Gelato Go, and fresh pastries and cookies are supplied by Bittersweet Confections. Dué Market (pronounced DOO-EH) is Italian for “two,” marking a second chapter of the beloved neighborhood business. 3306 Esplanade Ave., (504) 910-2979, duemarket.com

Fall Restaurant Guide // October 2026

French Quarter Ghost Tour

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New Orleans Voodoo Tour

Pouches of Protection: The Story of

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WhereYat.com // @WhereYatNOLA // #WhereYatNOLA

From West Africa to New Orleans, gris-gris reflects a journey of spiritual traditions and resilience.

ucked into small cloth pouches, grisgris carried more than herbs, roots, and prayers. It carried the faith, memory, and hope of enslaved Africans across the Atlantic. Rooted in African spiritual practices, these sacred charms were used by New Orleans’ earliest Black communities for protection before becoming closely associated with the city itself. The history of gris-gris in Louisiana begins in the early 1700s when West Africans were brought to French colonial Louisiana through the transatlantic slave trade. After New Orleans was founded in 1718, enslaved Africans, many from the Senegambia region of West Africa, were forced to build the growing city while carrying forward their spiritual beliefs, healing traditions, and cultural practices that became woven into New Orleans’ Afro-Creole heritage. “More than a charm, gris-gris tells a story of survival,” said Michael P. Mae, a visitor services associate at the Historic New Orleans Collection who has a master’s degree in Historic Preservation Studies/Architectural History from Tulane University. He explained that gris-gris took root in colonial Louisiana and evolved through the blending of West African spiritual traditions with Catholicism, Indigenous healing practices, and Caribbean influences to form Louisiana Voodoo. By the 19th century, Mae said, gris-gris remained part of New Orleans’ diverse spiritual traditions, shaped by influential figures such as Marie Laveau, gathering places including Congo Square, and cultural hubs such as the city’s French Market.

Professor Laura R. Adderley, associate professor in the Department of History at Tulane University, agreed, noting that throughout the 1800s, New Orleans remained home to a large population of enslaved Africans, free people of color, and immigrants from the Caribbean, especially following the Haitian Revolution. “Africans came over time,” said Adderley. ”The use of these wrapped charms existed, moving from hand to hand. It is here in New Orleans that the Africanorigin charms became known and developed within and adjacent to Voodoo.” To better understand gris-gris’ role within Louisiana Voodoo, Khalifaziz A. Birden, a doctoral candidate in anthropology at Tulane University, said it has historically served as both a protective and harmful spiritual tool, reflecting the belief that Voodoo is neither inherently good nor evil. The 1773 case involving three enslaved men accused of using gris-gris against an overseer illustrates its varied uses. Though best known as a protective amulet in Louisiana Voodoo, gris-gris also has roots in the folk traditions of Hoodoo and Conjure, underscoring its complex cultural and spiritual history. Today, gris-gris lives on through Voodoo practitioners, rootworkers, and spiritual healers who create charm bags filled with herbs, roots, and symbolic objects believed to bring protection, healing, guidance, love, luck, and success. “Grisgris means a personal charm,” said New Orleans Voodoo Priestess Mambo Brandi, who has owned Voodoo Authentica of New Orleans Cultural Center and Collection since 1996. “It is a way for people to connect with their own power.”

All photos: courtesy of Henry Foster & Rachel Passer

TRUE CRIME TOUR

Live in september at the French French Market Market

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live music

Wednesday 6:45am @ Oscar Dunn Park

thursday & Friday @ 12pm

sunday @ 2pm

saturday @ 12pm

All photos: courtesy of Henry Foster & Rachel Passer

To create a gris-gris bag, Mambo Brandi begins with a square piece of fabric that will hold the charm’s contents. For a love bag, she explains, herbs, roots, rose petals, and other carefully-chosen symbolic items are selected to align with this intended purpose of the gris-gris. “I would use red fabric for a love bag and put love in every step of the process,” Mambo Brandi said. “Your energy and your focus is love. When you have your ingredients, then we add a strand of hair or nail clipping so it is custom-made for you.”

After the practitioner closes the bag and secures it with string or yarn, gris-gris is blessed at the designated altar inside Voodoo Authentica. At this point, Mambo Brandi suggests that gris-gris should stay with the individual, either by carrying it in their pocket or in their purse. “Gris-gris is a tool to use,” Mambo Brandi added. “One should hold it,

focus on it, and keep putting good energy into it.” Challenging misconceptions portrayed in popular media, Mambo Brandi explains that Voodoo is a spiritual tradition grounded in healing, connection, and community rather than the negativity or harm commonly associated with it. At Voodoo Authentica, she shared that gris-gris bags can hold personal meaning and serve as sources of empowerment, whether they are prepared in advance or created individually in the presence of the person receiving them. Houngan Jesse of Voodoo Authentica, an initiated Voodoo priest and Cajun from Houma, said the term “gris-gris” is often misunderstood. “When people say the word ‘gris-gris’ in Cajun French, they usually mean to cast a spell,” Jesse said. “In New Orleans Voodoo, you’re typically talking about a physical thing—a gris-gris bag.” Voodoo Queen Bloody Mary, author and owner of a tour company, museum, and Voodoo shop, is also among the practitioners who continue the tradition of creating gris-gris bags in New Orleans. She makes each bag with symbolic ingredients chosen for their intended purpose, incorporating elements from the animal, vegetable, and mineral kingdoms. “Protection was the first purpose of gris-gris,” she said. “The enslaved people who were brought here carried gris-gris with them. It was their spirit helper.” Throughout its history, New Orleans has embraced Voodoo and its traditions as cultural markers of the city’s distinct identity, with grisgris becoming a tangible symbol of that heritage. Birden noted, “Gris-gris is something that an American can only get from New Orleans, and so it informs how people outside New Orleans see the city and how we begin to see ourselves.”

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NOLA

Funk Fest:

// REBECCA FOX

A Festival With Funk and a Future

hat future is the Louisiana Music & Heritage Experience, a planned 120,000-square-foot museum in New Orleans’ River District dedicated to telling the state’s music story. Louisiana Music & Heritage Experience founder and board chair Chris Beary, who heads NOLA Funk Fest, calls the event a chance to “walk the talk,” not simply praising local musicians but paying them fairly, educating audiences, and giving younger artists room to grow. The mission began in an unlikely place—on a Mardi Gras float. Beary captains the Funky Tucks group in the Krewe of Tucks parade. Its Funky Uncle float was built like a rolling music club, complete with a stage and studio-quality sound. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the group used it to bring free music to community events, but COVID silenced stages across New Orleans. They pivoted, and Fridays from the Funky Uncle streamed weekly concerts from the float. Over two years, the group

produced 106 shows, raised $1 million, and awarded 942 grants to musicians and gig workers. The experience forced Beary and his team to confront an uncomfortable contradiction. New Orleans proudly markets its music to the world, yet many of the people responsible for that sound struggle to earn a sustainable living. “We say that we honor and cherish and appreciate our music culture,” Beary said. Yet, he believes the city’s actions do not always match those words. The proposed museum is designed to help change that relationship. Along with preserving stories and sounds, Beary envisions the Louisiana Music & Heritage Experience becoming a major buyer of live music and producer of events. By setting stronger standards for pay, working conditions, and professional opportunities, the institution could influence the broader market. Plans call for more than a museum filled with memorabilia. Independent economic reviews project 712,000 annual visitors, 234 new full-time jobs, and $150 million in annual economic impact. The organization has received approval for $28.5 million in state capital outlay and says it has raised $27.3 million toward a $63 million private philanthropy goal. That museum is still in the making, but NOLA Funk Fest is a proof of concept. Each year, the festival combines major concerts with museum-style exhibits, cultural programming, symposiums, and music education. Previous themes explored Fats Domino and Dave Bartholomew, Louisiana blues, and Black Masking Indian culture. This year’s focus turns to Cajun and Creole music.

WhereYat.com // @WhereYatNOLA // #WhereYatNOLA

The new Cajun and Creole Cultural Village will examine how those cultures became established in Louisiana and how their music connects with food, crafts, and community traditions. Beary considers it one of the festival’s essential experiences and says substantial time, money, and research have gone into creating it. Of course, education goes down easier with a funky soundtrack. The 2026 lineup includes Galactic, George Porter Jr. & Runnin’ Pardners, Dumpstaphunk, Cimafunk, Anders Osborne, and dozens of Louisiana musicians. Special performances include a George Porter Jr. Supa Set and a tribute to Allen Toussaint featuring family members, friends, and artists influenced by his work. Beary’s personal recommendation is Funktication, a brand-new band led by veteran musicians Craig Klein and Robert Mercurio. The group brings together high school and college students for more than a single performance. They are learning how to form a band, rehearse, prepare material, create a stage show, submit technical information, and work together through the pressure of a first gig. Festivalgoers will not simply be watching emerging artists. They will be witnessing music education in action. That approach extends to the Passing the Torch Stage, where students from Loyola University New Orleans and the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts perform while learning the behind-the-scenes work required to advance a professional show. The investment in programming and artist development is paying off. Beary says attendance grew from approximately 3,200 people during

the inaugural festival to 10,000 last year, with organizers expecting around 15,000 in 2026. Sponsors help make that growth possible while allowing the festival to pay artists fairly without placing the full cost of its programming on ticket buyers. For attendees, that means one weekend can hold multiple kinds of discovery. Come for a favorite headliner, then wander into a cultural presentation. Catch a tribute to a Louisiana legend, then watch younger artists become the next generation. Dance the day away, but listen closely enough to understand where the sound came from. Those who want to support the larger mission can attend NOLA Funk Fest, sponsor a band, or donate directly to the Louisiana Music & Heritage Experience. The organization is also preparing a formal capital campaign to support the museum’s bricks and mortar. New Orleans music has never belonged behind glass. It lives in clubs, parades, rehearsals, family traditions, and spontaneous collaborations. A museum devoted to that history must preserve the past without freezing it—and NOLA Funk Fest offers a preview of how that can work. So, yes, go for the funk. Go for Galactic, George Porter Jr., the Toussaint tribute, and every irresistible groove along the river. But remember that the weekend’s most important performance may be happening beyond the main stage. The best way to preserve Louisiana music may be to turn it up so more people can hear it.

All photos: courtesy of Camilla Calnan

New Orleans has never needed an excuse to dance, but NOLA Funk Fest is offering something bigger than a three-day party. When the festival takes over the riverfront October 16-18, every bass line, tribute set, and second line step will also help build a future for Louisiana music.

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10/8

Trevor Turla, 11 pm

10/9

Owen Finley Electric String Band Club, 11 pm

10/10

Jackson’s Flying Circus, 11 pm

10/15

Soul Rebels, 11 pm

10/16

Kat Deal, 11 pm

10/17

Tyler Kinchen & The Right Pieces, 11 pm

10/23

Anna Q & The Unmentionables, 11 pm

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Pocket Chocolate, 11 pm

10/29

Soul Rebels, 11 pm

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Colin Davis & The Night People, 11 pm

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Fall Restaurant Guide // October 2026

LIVE MUSICCALENDAR MUSIC CALENDAR

Bamboula’s Jacky Blair and the Hot Biscuits, Jelly Roll Stompers Bayou Bar Firm Roots Bourbon O Bar Nina Hungerland Cajun Boil House Les Getrex D.B.A. The Next Level Band Dos Jefes Joe Krown Fritzel’s Jazz Club Bourbon Street Stars, All Star Band with Kevin Ray Clark Howlin Wolf Nasser Al-Rayess Lobby Lounge Raphael Bas Mahogany Jazz Hall Tom Fischer, Paul Longstreth Maple Leaf Bar Joe Ashlar, Stanton Moore, Ari Teitel New Marigny Theatre Mozart Symphony No. 31 “Paris” Paulie’s PUPS Jam Saenger Theatre Jersey Boys Siberia Dirty Sound Magnet and Gran Moreno Spotted Cat Chris Christy Band, Shotgun Jazz Band Tropical Isle Dave Ferrato, Dave James, Mike Lemmler, Mike Barras Twilight at Longue Vue Bruno Elisabetsky Venue Vapaille Arkose

TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22 21st Amendment Dave Hammer AllWays Lounge Are We Living in The Twilight Zone? Bacchanal Wine Tangiers Combo Bamboula’s Caitie B and the Hand-Me-Downs, FK-Rrera Bayou Bar The Season Cajun Boil House Les Getrex Dos Jefes Javier Guiterrez Fritzel’s Colin Myers Orchestra, All Star Band with Jamil Sharif Gasa Gasa Steel Beans Howlin Wolf Comedy Beast Mahogany Jazz Hall Joe Lastie’s New Orleans Sound, Gregg Stafford Maple Leaf Bar Very Good Tuesday Saenger Theatre Jersey Boys Siberia Dopethrone, Fister, Mars Spotted Cat Chris Christy Band, Smoking Time Jazz Club

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 24 21st Amendment Big Joe Kennedy AllWays Lounge Yank-A-D!ck: Tribute to Weird Al Bacchanal Wine Raphael Bas Bamboula’s Caitie B and the Hand-Me-Downs, Cristina Kaminis Bayou Bar Cryptic, Peter Harris, Jamison Ross Blue Nile DJ T-Roy Bourbon O Bar Big Mike from the R&B Kings Carousel Bar Leslie Martin D.B.A. Vegas Cola Band Dos Jefes Anna Laura Quinn Fillmore Zack Fox Fritzel’s Jazz Club Doyle Cooper Band, All Star Band with Dwayne Burns Le Bon Temps Roule Soul Rebels Mahogany Jazz Hall Jamil Shariff New Orleans Extravaganza, Catahoulas Maple Leaf Bar Kyle Kripps Midtown Hotel An Odyssey into the Deep New Orleans Jazz & Blues Market Bobby Rush New Orleans Jazz Museum John Coltrane Day Peacock Room Da Lovebirds Pirogue’s Whiskey Bayou VetJams Saenger Theatre Jersey Boys Sports Drink Ryan Rogers Spotted Cat Miss Sophie Lee, Chris Christy Band

WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23 21st Amendment Dr. Sick AllWays Lounge Are We Living in The Twilight Zone? Bacchanal Wine Jesse Morrow

Cyril Neville at Joy Theater Spend a night with one of the pioneers of funk music in New Orleans, Cyril Neville. Known for his time with The Meters, the “Uptown Ruler” has also won multiple Grammys. Friday, September 25, 8 p.m., $33.80 to $109.71, thejoytheater.com

WhereYat.com // @WhereYatNOLA // #WhereYatNOLA

TajMo at Mahalia Jackson Theater Blues greats Taj Mahal and Keb’ Mo’ make a return to New Orleans for the first time since 2017 as part of their “Room on the Porch” Tour. Friday, September 25, 8 p.m., $19.75 to $219.60, us.atgtickets.com Tipitina’s The Rumble Plays P-Funk Vaughan’s Lounge Corey Henry & the Tremé Funktet FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 25 21st Amendment Dr. Sick & the Late Greats, John Lisi & Delta Funk AllWays Lounge A Classic New Orleans Burlesque Show with a Twist Bacchanal Wine David Sigler, Willie Green Bamboula’s Bettis and the Third Degree Brass Band, Felipe Antonio Quarteto Bayou Bar Oh Yeah! Blue Nile DJ WestBankRed Bourbon O Bar April Spain Brothers Three Lounge Valerie Sassyfras Buffa’s Tuba Skinny Cafe Istanbul Hot Fix Sideshow Carrollton Station The Desert Nudes, Gal Holiday & the Honky Tonk Revue Chickie Wah Wah Ed Volker’s Zeko Perdido Columns Jason Marsalis Trio Constantinople Stage T Marie & Bayou Juju D.B.A. Michael Watson & the Alchemy Dew Drop Inn Brass Night Fillmore Trap Karaoke Fritzel’s Jazz Club All Star Band with Kevin Ray Clark, Lange/Woodis Band Gasa Gasa Ja Fearce + Azure Skyz Hotel Henrietta André Bohren Howlin Wolf Bert Cornielius Joy Theater Cyril Neville Le Bon Temps Roule The Team Players Lobby Lounge Raphael Bas Mahalia Jackson Theater TajMo Mahogany Jazz Hall Khris Royal Trio, Leroy Jones Trio Maple Leaf Bar Naughty Professor Midtown Hotel An Odyssey into the Deep New Orleans Jazz & Blues Market Big Sam’s Funky Nation Okay Bar The Rolofs, Big Leather Origen Bistro Manny Arteaga & Tony Seville Poor Boys Othalan, Teratome, Blood & Earl Rabbit Hole Lost Bayou Ramblers Saenger Theatre Jersey Boys Saint The Lord Chilla Santos Bar Spickle, Hostile Apostle Spotted Cat Cottonmouth Kings, Paradise Jazz Band The Maison The Sponges Live Tipitina’s Honey Island Swamp Band

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 26 21st Amendment John Lisi & Delta Funk 30/90 Organami AllWays Lounge VIVA Bacchanal Wine Miles Berry, Bayou Manouche Bamboula’s Aaron Levinson and Friends, James McClaskey Rhythm Band Blue Nile Afrobeat NOLA, The Caesar Brothers’ FunkBox Brothers Three Lounge Valerie Sassyfras Bywater Bakery Charlie & the Tropicales Club Switch Bounce Shakedown D.B.A. Tuba Skinny Dos Jefes Sunpie & the Louisiana Sunspots Fillmore The Pink Floyd Laser Spectacular, Trap Karaoke Fritzel’s Jazz Club Bourbon Matinee Jazz Band with Chuck Brackman, All Star Band with Jamil Sharif Gasa Gasa DJ Nigel Hall, DJ Alex Wasily Howlin Wolf DH Up Next & Friends, Steve Ray Ladson Le Bon Temps Roule Organami Mahogany Jazz Hall Gerald French Trio Midtown Hotel An Odyssey into the Deep Old Point Bar Danny Ray & the Electric Barrelhouse Paulie’s Ted Hefko Poor Boys Set De Flo Rock ‘n’ Bowl The Boogie Men Saenger Theatre Jersey Boys Saint The Jake Ryan Spotted Cat Popcorn, Shake ‘Em Up Jazz Band SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 27 21st Amendment Big Mike & the R&B Kings, Lobelia Jazz Band Atchafalaya George Kilby Jr. Bacchanal Wine Noah Young, Pete Olynciw Trio Bamboula’s Jay Dufour Band, Kat Kiley Experience Banks Street Bar Conor Donohue Blue Nile Juice Bourbon O Bar Vince Henningfield Bywater Bakery John Boutté Cafe Istanbul The Gavin Eckler Trio Chickie Wah Wah Six Foot Blonde Columns Hotel Excelsior Trio, Charlie Halloran, Seva Venet, Julius McKee D.B.A. Paradise Jazz Band, The Jump Hounds Dos Jefes Raphael Bas Fritzel’s Jazz Club Doyle Cooper Band, All Star Band with Mike Fulton Gasa Gasa DJ Nigel Hall, DJ Alex Wasily Holy Diver Badzy + GG Gremlin Hotel Henrietta Seth Finch

Photos from top: courtesy of ATG Entertainment, Gustavo Escanelle

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 21 21st Amendment James Beaumont & Coyote Duo AllWays Lounge Are We Living in The Twilight Zone?, Naked Karaoke Apple Barrel Mark Appleford Bacchanal Wine Byron Asher Duo Bamboula’s Jon Roniger, New Orleans Rugcutters Bourbon O Bar Ross Hoppe Cafe Istanbul Gio’s Giazz Giam Cajun Boil House Les Getrex D.B.A. Secret Six Jazz Band Dos Jefes John Fohl Fillmore Chief Keef Fritzel’s Jazz Club Matinee All Stars Band, Richard Scott and Friends House of Blues Geordie Greep Mahogany Jazz Hall Victor Campbell and Son del Sur Santos Bar Black Mass Karaoke Siberia Jim E. Brown with Andy Burns Spotted Cat Aurora Nealand & the Inquiry Quartet, Jenavieve Cooke & the Winding Boys

LIVE MUSICCALENDAR

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 28 21st Amendment Dave Hammer, James Beaumont & Coyote Duo AllWays Lounge AllMost Naked Karaoke & Competition, Dinah Deville Bacchanal Wine Byron Asher Duo, Tangiers Combo Bamboula’s Caitie B and the Hand-Me-Downs, FKRrera Group Banks Street Bar Megafauna, Midriff Bayou Bar Double Bird, Peter Harris Quartet Bourbon O Bar Ross Hoppe Cafe Istanbul John Boutté, Rob Wagner Cajun Boil House Les Getrex D.B.A. Secret Six Jazz Band Dos Jefes John Fohl Elysian Bar Joshua Starkman Variety Show Fritzel’s Jazz Club Colin Myers Orchestra, All Star Band with Jamil Sharif Holy Diver Guiding Light Howlin Wolf Comedy Beast Mahogany Jazz Hall Leroy Jones and the Home Team, Paul Longstreth Trio New Orleans Jazz Museum Corey Henry & the Tremé Funktet Santos Bar Black Mass Karaoke Saturn Bar BC Coogan Spotted Cat Aurora Nealand & the Inquiry Quartet, Jenavieve Cooke & the Winding Boys Tipitina’s Monsieur Periné TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 29 21st Amendment Dave Hammer 30/90 Justin Donovan, The Litt Band Bacchanal Tangiers Combo Bamboula’s F K-rrera Group, Giselle Anguizola, Caitie B. & the Hand Me Downs Bayou Bar Double Bird BJ’s Lounge Bruisey’s Bottoms Up Open Mic Bourbon O Bar Shawan Rice Buffa’s Alex McMurray Café Istanbul Rob Wagner Café Negril The-Super-Most-Fantastic-Blues-NSuch-Jam Cajun Boil House Les Getrex Church at Hotel Peter & Paul Jenna McSwain Crescent City Brewhouse Ricky Knight Jazz Trio Dos Jefes Tom Hook Elysian Bar Soft Opening Fritzel’s Jazz Club Richard “Piano” Scott, Colin Myers Orchestra Mahogany Jazz Hall Big Joe Kennedy, Paul Longstreth, Leroy Jones Maison Bourbon Jazz Club Danny Rubio & the Catahoula Music Company New Orleans Jazz Museum Corey Henry & the Tremé Funktet

Polo Club John Royen Preservation Hall Preservation All-Stars Rabbit Hole Rebirth Brass Band, Mardi Gras Indians Salon Salon Miss Myra Trio Spotted Cat Chris Christy Band, Sweetie Pies of New Orleans Steamboat Natchez Steamboat Stompers, Dukes of Dixieland The Maison Jacky Blaire & the Hot Biscuits, Paradise Jazz Band Tipitina’s Monsieur Periné Tropical Isle Dave Ferrato WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 30 21st Amendment Dr. Sick AllWays Lounge Lefty Lucy’s Burlesque Bingo Atchafalaya Desert Nudes Bacchanal Wine Jesse Morrow Trio Bamboula’s Jacky Blair & the Hot Biscuits, Roll Stompers Bayou Bar Firm Roots BK House & Gardens Ingrid Lucia Blue Nile Wil Blades, Ari Teitel & Jamison Ross Bourbon O Bar Matt Lemmler Cajun Boil House Les Getrex Columns Hotel Organism, Amari Ansari, David Torkanowsky (B3), Simon Lott D.B.A. The Next Level Band Deutsches Haus John Rankin, Brian Seeger, Don Vappie Elysian Bar Cally Cole & Friends Fritzel’s Jazz Club Bourbon Street Stars, All Star Band with Kevin Ray Clark

Chickie Wah Wah Herlin Riley Church at Hotel Peter & Paul The Jenna McSwain D.B.A. Vegas Cola Band Deutsches Haus Schlaraffia Dew Drop Inn GumboFunk Gasa Gasa Pete MuranoBand, Noah Young, Cam Watson Hotel Henrietta Kyle Roussel Howlin Wolf Fowk Band, Nikaness & Friends Le Bon Temps Roule Tiago Guy Marigny Opera House The Joshua Constantine Quartet Okay Bar New Fools, Oh Dang Peacock Room Da Lovebirds Saturn Bar Louis Michot Spotted Cat Chris Christy Band The Jazz Playhouse Brass-A-Holics Vaughan’s Lounge Corey Henry & the Tremé Funktet FRIDAY, OCTOBER 2 AllWays Lounge Henrietta’s Baudy Brothel Sing A-Long, Vamp Lounge Bacchanal Wine Willie Green Banks Street Bar Rose Vaughn Bayou Bar Peter Harris Quartet Blue Crab The T Marie & Bayou Juju Blue Nile DJ FTK, Kermit Ruffins & the Barbecue Swingers Buffa’s Bar Ancestral Tongue Cafe Istanbul Naydja CoJoe Chickie Wah Wah Erica Falls SuperJam Civic Theatre Of Monsters and Men

Of Monsters and Men at Civic Theatre Icelandic indie rock band Of Monsters and Men, known for their debut single “Little Talks” from their hit album My Head Is an Animal, will be stopping by for their “The Mouse Parade” Tour. Friday, October 2, 8 p.m., $55.90 to $59.63, civicnola.com

Gardens Twilight Indigo Strings Howlin Wolf Nasser Al-Rayess Lobby Lounge Raphael Bas Mahogany Jazz Hall Tom Fischer Paulie’s PUPS Jam Siberia Lawrence Rothman Spotted Cat Music Club Chris Christy Band, Shotgun Jazz Band The Jazz Playhouse Funkin’ It Up with Big Sam Tropical Isle Bourbon Dave Ferrato, Dave James, Mike Lemmler, Mike Barras THURSDAY, OCTOBER 1 Baldwin & Co. Tomi Adeyemi Bayou Bar Peter Harris Quartet Carousel Bar Leslie Martin

WhereYat.com // @WhereYatNOLA // #WhereYatNOLA

Club Switch She Would D.B.A. Michael Watson & the Alchemy Gasa Gasa The English Channels Hotel Henrietta Shea Siraj House of Blues Bayside Howlin Wolf Johnny Indovina, The Bottoms, Mike Goodwin Le Bon Temps Roule Tri-Fi Funky Soul Organ Group Lobby Lounge Raphael Bas Mahalia Jackson Theater Terry Fator's Pure Imagination Mahogany Jazz Hall Delfeayo Marsalis Quintet NOLA Brewing Alvin Youngblood Hart Okay Bar Guts Club, Burial Gift

Orpheum Theater George Porter Jr. Trio Rock ‘n’ Bowl No Idea Santos Bar Resurrection, Come to Ruin Saturn Bar La Tran-K Siberia The Black Queen Snug Harbor Titanic Trio Spotted Cat Music Club New Orleans Cottonmouth Kings, Paradise Jazz Band The Midtown Hotel An Odyssey Into the Deep The Rabbit Hole DJ RQ Away Showcase SATURDAY, OCTOBER 3 Atchafalaya The RiverBenders Banks Street Bar Gold Connections & Friends Blue Nile Big Sam & Friends, The Next Level Band Bywater Bakery Orlando Gilbert & the Youngbloods Cafe Istanbul Naydja CoJoe & the Lagniappe Section Band, Nicholas Payton Carrollton Station Alexis & the Sanity Chickie Wah Wah Dana & Alden Gasa Gasa Carol C & Gitkin, Theft, Donny’s Demeanor, Third Band Holy Diver The Noctambulant, Formulus Howlin Wolf Corey O’ Brien Jefferson Perf Arts Center The Black Jacket Symphony NOLA Brewing The Riverbenders The Crypt The Tomb of Nick Cage, Polkadot Cadaver The Jazz Playhouse The Nayo Jones Experience The Midtown Hotel An Odyssey into the Deep The Saint DJ Son & Friends Tipitina’s Maggie Koerner SUNDAY, OCTOBER 4 AllWays Lounge Repo! the Genetic Opera Shadowcast Atchafalaya Alvin Youngblood Hart Cafe Istanbul James Singleton & Friends Civic Theatre Thaiboy Digital Howlin Wolf Mark Caesar, Hot 8 Brass Band NOLA Brewing Big in the 90’s Snug Harbor Nickel a Dance: Tribute to Ronell Johnson Spotted Cat Pat Casey & the New Sound MONDAY, OCTOBER 5 AllWays Lounge Naked Karaoke, Repo! the Genetic Opera Shadowcast Apple Barrel Mark Appleford Spotted Cat Aurora Nealand & the Inquiry Quartet, Jenavieve Cooke & the Winding Boys The Midtown Hotel An Odyssey into the Deep TUESDAY, OCTOBER 6 AllWays Lounge Avant Harde: Outré Cabaret & Burlesque Chickie Wah Wah Chris Smither House of Blues LP Joy Theater Mike Campbell & the Dirty Knobs Republic NOLA Akeem Ali Spotted Cat Chris Christy Band, Smoking Time Jazz Club The Crypt Kryptik Ultra Sunn, Soft Vein WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7 Chickie Wah Wah S.G. Goodman House of Blues Noga Erez Lobby Lounge Raphael Bas Saenger Theatre Kimberly Akimbo Siberia Teddy and the Rough Riders Spotted Cat Chris Christy Band, Shotgun Jazz Band Tropical Isle Bourbon Dave Ferrato, Dave James, Mike Lemmler, Mike Barras

Photo: courtesy of LiveNation

Howlin Wolf Mark Caesar, Hot 8 Brass Band Mahogany Jazz Hall Mahogany Hall Swingsters, Roderick Paulin, Smoking Time Jazz Club Maple Leaf Bar Joe Krown Trio +1 Paradigm Gardens Third Annual Yacht Rock and Dinner in the Gardens Poor Boys Gnarled Rivertown Theaters Finding Neverland Saenger Theatre Jersey Boys Saturn Bar Burnt Sugar Siberia Swords2 Spotted Cat Pat Casey & the New Sound, Tremé Brass Band The Broadside Mike Dillon & New Orleans Percussion Consortium

LIVE MUSICCALENDAR Parcels at Saenger Theatre Known for songs “Tieduprightnow,” “Overnight,” and more, Australian electropop band Parcels will be bringing their unique sounds to the Saenger Theatre’s stage as part of their “Loved” Tour 2026.

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 9 AllWays Lounge A Classic New Orleans Burlesque Show with a Twist Blue Nile Kermit Ruffins & the Barbecue Swingers Chickie Wah Wah Layla Musselwhite Hall C NOLA Card Show House of Blues 2000’s Rave Le Bon Temps Roule Owen Finley Electric String Band Lobby Lounge Raphael Bas No Dice Malevitus, Blood Lovey Saenger Theatre Kimberly Akimbo Spotted Cat New Orleans Cottonmouth Kings, Paradise Jazz Band The Midtown Hotel An Odyssey into the Deep

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 10 AllWays Lounge Crossroads Cabaret Champions Square The Hayley Williams Show Gasa Gasa Laundry Day Howlin Wolf Sarper Guven Le Bon Temps Roule Jackson’s Flying Circus Magnolia Ballrooms MJ the Evolution: Live Tribute Show New Orleans Jazz & Blues Market Norman Brown Opera Guild Home Sarah Jane McMahon, Kameron Lopreore Rock ‘n’ Bowl Troy Laz Saenger Theatre Parcels Sheraton Beatles Concert in the Dark w/ Will Taylor Siberia Toth, Anna Moss, William Alexander The Broadside Where Y’acht The Midtown Hotel An Odyssey into the Deep SUNDAY, OCTOBER 11 AllWays Lounge Repo! the Genetic Opera Shadowcast Howlin Wolf Mark Caesar, Hot 8 Brass Band New Orleans Jazz & Blues Market The Walrus, The Electric Yat Quartet Saenger Theatre Kimberly Akimbo Spotted Cat Pat Casey & the New Sound Tipitina’s The California Honeydrops MONDAY, OCTOBER 12 AllWays Lounge AllMost Naked Karaoke & Competition Chickie Wah Wah Ward Davis Saenger Theatre Tom Jones Spotted Cat Aurora Nealand & T

Photo: courtesy of Drew Wheeler

Saturday, October 10, 8 p.m., $35.99 to $121.39, us.atgtickets.com

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8 Carousel Bar Leslie Martin Fillmore Amyl and the Sniffers Lafitte Greenway Station The Curse of the Mummy Le Bon Temps Roule Trevor Turla New Orleans Jazz & Blues Market New Orleans Bounce Awards 2026 Opera Guild Home Sarah Jane McMahon, Kameron Lopreore Orpheum Theater Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra Peacock Room Da Lovebirds Saenger Theatre Kimberly Akimbo Santos Bar Unsane Spotted Cat Chris Christy Band Vaughan’s Lounge Corey Henry & the Tremé Funktet

Fall Restaurant Guide // October 2026

Where to Country Dance? Country Dancing is the Hot Trend in New Orleans

// VIOLET BUCARO

ountry dancing is a trending activity at several venues and among locals around the Crescent City. Whether you identify as a “cowboy” or not, these venues are welcoming to people of all ages, highlighting the spirited, the young, and the LGBTQ+ communities. Country dancing is a new cultural phenomenon in New Orleans as venues introduce weekly events. Stylish cowboy boots, flowy dresses, and brimmed hats have been hitting the town. The Western look is making a comeback, and people are jumping on the wagon. One could even say country nights are the new alternative scene. Here are some of the places to go that may or may not be known to everyone, popping off in Greater New Orleans from Metairie to the Marigny and all the way to Bourbon Street in the Quarter. Giddy up for the ride.

Where to Find Country Nights in NOLA St. Roch Tavern 1200 St. Roch Ave. facebook.com/StRochTavern St. Roch Tavern is in the heart of the Bywater. It hosts free country dancing every Monday at 9 p.m. Music groups that’ve played include Bane & the Gators, Slow Motion Cowboys, Rose Vaughn, and many other local bands. Duos and partners swing shoulder-to-shoulder to live band’s washboards, banjos, guitars, and raspy, authentic vocals from beloved folk musicians. The young folk have learned Cajun dance there, and it has been known to be “the spot” in town. Bourbon Street Honky Tonk 727 Bourbon St. frenchquarter.com/nola/bourbon-street-honky-tonk

Bourbon Street Honky Tonk is a bar known for drawing in visitors with a lasso, figuratively. It’s a pirate’s den meets a cowboy dance joint. Locals and tourists alike enjoy New Orleans-style jazz and blues musicians, including the famous international blues king Big Al Carson. Other local talents include Marc Stone and Mark Pentone. The AllWays Lounge & Cabaret 2240 St. Claude Ave., New Orleans theallwayslounge.net The AllWays Lounge’s motto is, “Calling on all the country queers.” Just $5 can get you into the iconic burlesque and drag lounge when they present Queer Line Dancing Nights from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. every second and fourth Wednesdays of the month. For nearly 20 years, the AllWays Lounge has hosted seasoned and novice performers in the city. Other events include Sapphic Speakeasy, Bayou Blues Burlesque, and showgirl Lefty Lucy’s bingo nights. Check out their calendar for more information on shows at theallwayslounge.net/calendar. Whiskey Cowboy Saloon 1300 N. Causeway Blvd., Metairie whiskeycowboysaloon.com For all the cowboys who love yodeling, Whiskey Cowboy Saloon is the perfect place for you. In addition to live music, it offers karaoke—choose your favorite rock and oldies country tunes and get singing. The bar is known for its long happy hour from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. every weekday.

WhereYat.com // @WhereYatNOLA // #WhereYatNOLA

Where to Find Country Dance Classes Okay Bar 17 00 Port St. instagram.com/okaybarnola Line dancing lessons happen every Tuesday at the Okay Bar. They aren’t just “okay.” They have a unique charm and homey ambiance. It is open to everyone at all levels. This neighborhood watering hole is perfect for beginners breaking in their boots. Saddle Bar 715 Bienville St. saddlebarneworleans.com Saddle Bar, off of Bourbon Street, says it’s loud, rowdy, and Southern. From the saddle seats at the bar to the antler chandeliers on the ceiling, you’ll feel like you’re in a Western movie. It offers line dancing, two-stepping, and a cowboy mechanical ride. They offer free dance lessons on TwoStep Tuesdays and Outlaw Country Nights with strictly outlaw anthems—no pop, no apologies. It will also be starting Boots Early, Beats Late events, which start with traditional country hits and end with Southern EDM remixes.

Boot Scootin Rodeo 522 Bourbon St. bootscootinnola.com Open seven days a week, people sit up on Boot Scootin Rodeo’s bar on real Western saddle seats and ride the bull. This is a classic country bar, featuring red, white, and blue cocktails and live guitar shows. New Stomp Shack parties teach line dancing for all levels, with beginner and intermediate classes available. Check Instagram for dates at instagram.com/stompshack. Dance Quarter 1719 Toledano St. dancequarter.com/studio Dance Quarter offers secluded dance lessons for all ages. Swing dancing is a specific style of country dancing found at this studio. From group to private, you can learn to dance at your own speed. It has four dance rooms and over 10 different styles of lessons—not all of which are country. NOLA Line Dance Festival 739 Canal St. sosu-wlady-d.square.site Need a four-day workshop event? For 16 years, New Orleans has had its own annual NOLA Line Dance Festival at the Astor Crowne Plaza. This year’s event ran from June 25 to 28, and next year’s event is scheduled for June 9 to 13, 2027. The festival teaches workshops such as line dancing, partner dancing, and trail ride styles. There are multiple themed parties, a wellness expo, a vendor market, and food.

Photos: courtesy of Chloe Watters, C.E. Joiner

New hot trend? Folky cowboy dancing is in.

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WOULD LIKE TO THANK OUR SPONSORS FOR KEEPING THE MUSIC PLAYING. OUR SPONSORS FUND MORE THAN HALF OF FUNK FEST.

OCTOBER 16–18

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Finger Lickin' Fun:

The National Fried Chicken Festival Turns 10 // TINA HOWELL

ounded in 2016, this unique event evolved from the simple idea of bringing people together through the love of food, music, and culture. This year, the Fried Chicken Festival will celebrate its 10th anniversary with a three-day celebration beginning Friday, October 2, and running through Sunday, October 4, 2026, at the New Orleans Lakefront. Each year, this fun-filled outdoor event brings thousands of people together from across the nation to celebrate one of America’s favorite foods—fried chicken. The Fried Chicken Festival, which was originally held at Woldenberg Riverfront Park, moved to its scenic new location along the lakefront in 2022. The additional space provided an opportunity for the festival to expand and add more restaurants, vendors, music stages, and familyfocused activities for its guests to enjoy.

While it may seem surprising that an entire festival could be dedicated to one of the world’s favorite comfort foods, fried chicken’s popularity only continues to grow every year, fueled in part by the global expansion of the fried chicken fastfood industry. Nearly every region has its own unique take on the dish: Korean fried chicken, Japanese karaage, Nashville hot chicken, and classic Southern fried chicken. The widespread appeal is so strong that, in the United States, July 6 is officially recognized as National Fried Chicken Day, giving foodies another reason to celebrate this crispy, flavorful favorite. Since 2016, the Fried Chicken Festival has welcomed over 500,000 guests, served over 2.4 million pounds of chicken, and provided an economic impact of over $10 million to the area. In 2024, the Fried Chicken Festival was named the 6th Best Specialty Food Festival in America in USA Today’s 10 Best Reader’s Choice Award. To celebrate its 10th anniversary, this year’s Fried Chicken Festival promises to be bigger and better than ever, featuring the best of the best, with over 40 participating restaurants and celebrity chefs showcasing their unique takes on fried chicken for a chance to win this year’s title of “Best Fried Chicken.” Past winners have included Red Bird Fried Chicken, Bao Mi, Bonafried,

Southern’s, Josephine’s Kitchen, The NOLA Chuck Wagon, Chicken’s Kitchen, and Gus’s World-Famous Fried Chicken. In addition to indulging in all the fried chicken they can eat, guests will also be able to enjoy three different stages of live entertainment, a car show, a kids’ zone, a merchant marketplace featuring products from local crafters and retailers, VIP lounges, and much more. Some of the items that will be available for purchase from local artists and entrepreneurs include artwork, bath and beauty products, jewelry, candles, ceramics, home goods, clothing, and children’s items. For those who are looking to enjoy some nonpoultry culinary delights, there will also be vegan, vegetarian, pescatarian, and gluten-free menu options available for purchase, as well. This year’s festival will have several unique VIP experiences available for purchase for festivalgoers, including four VIP lounges with complimentary beverages, chicken dinners, premium viewing areas, and seating, as well as the Stella Artois Beer Garden, which offers lush lounge space and unlimited pours. There will also be multiple stages with all-day live entertainment from both local and national artists, as well as the Heinz “Food is Culture” Stage, which will feature cooking demonstrations, panel discussions, and more with national celebrity chefs and culinary industry leaders. Due to the success of last year’s inaugural 5K run/walk, the race is back this year on Saturday, October 3, 2026, with a 5K for runners and walkers, as well as a kids’ 1-mile fun run for children under the age of 12. The first-place finishers in each category will receive a $250 cash prize. All

registered participants will receive a Fried Chicken Festival T-shirt and finishers’ medal. For those who are visiting New Orleans from out of town and plan on attending the Fried Chicken Festival, the festival has special rates available for overnight stays through the New Orleans Marriott and Sheraton New Orleans Hotels. When guests book through this special promotion, they can save 15% on the best available rates and will also receive two single-day general admission tickets for the festival. This exclusive discounted deal is available for stays booked from Tuesday, September 29 through Tuesday, October 6, 2026. Guests can book online at marriott.com/offers/ national-fried-chicken-festival-off-226184 using the promo code LPR. The music lineup for the 10th Annual Fried Chicken Festival will include Nelly, 2 Chainz, Dillon Francis, Ying Yang Twins, A-Trak, Keri Hilson, Webbie, Big Freedia with the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra, and more. Past festivals have featured some incredible performances by Blanco Brown, Better Than Ezra, Cupid, Choppa, Rockin’ Dopsie, Shamarr Allen, Amanda Shaw, Kermit Ruffins, Mannie Fresh, and many other talented top artists and bands from around the area. The National Fried Chicken Festival is presented by Raising Cane’s and produced by Festivals for Good, a Louisiana-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to spreading the economic impact of live events. General admission single-day, weekend passes, beer garden, and VIP tickets are available and on sale now. For more details and to purchase tickets, please visit friedchickenfest.com.

All photos: Courtesy of Spears Group

In a city that will find a reason to celebrate just about anything, the National Fried Chicken Festival in New Orleans is an annual event that is not to be missed.

Louisiana’s

O C U N A T T L RY E D Plaquemines Parish

FALL EVENTS SEPTEMBER Sept. 19 Market in the Park, Jesuit Bend Park Sept. 24-26 The Pole Bowl, Cypress Cove Marina, Venice OCTOBER Oct. 9-11 O.L.P.H. Fair, Belle Chasse Oct. 10 Venice Marina Jambalaya Cook-Off, Venice Marina Oct. 17 Adriatic Breeze, Croatian House, Belle Chasse Oct. 18 South Plaquemines YMCA Tailgate Cook-Off, Empire Safe Harbor Oct. 23-24 Fishing for the Girls Rodeo, Myrtle Grove Marina Oct. 24 Jesuit Bend Haunted Trail, Jesuit Bend Park

NOVEMBER Nov. 7 O.L.P.H. Holiday Market, Belle Chasse Nov. 21 Wings Over the Delta – Plaquemines Parish Birding Festival, Woodlands Conservancy, Belle Chasse Nov. 27 Croatian American Society Christmas Market, Croatian House, Belle Chasse Nov. 28 Plaquemines Christmas Festival & Parade, F. Edward Hebert Blvd. DECEMBER Dec. 4-6 Plaquemines Parish Fair & Orange Festival, Historic Fort Jackson

For a complete of events visit PlaqueminesParishTourism.com Visit PlaqueminesParishTourism.com

to start your adventure today!

SCAN for more information on PLAQUEMINES PARISH

Fall Restaurant Guide // October 2026

Fall Festival Guide

WhereYat.com // @WhereYatNOLA // #WhereYatNOLA

Photos from top: courtesy of Spears Group, Eric Waters, International Arts Festival, Abita Fall Festival, Mempho Music Festival

2026

Gulf Brew Sept. 19 | Acadiana Center for the Arts, Lafayette downtownlafayette. org/events-landing/ gulf-brew A nearly 20-year tradition, Gulf Brew is Louisiana’s oldest craft beer festival and will be held in downtown Lafayette. Attendees will be able to explore different brews and enjoy food offerings and live music. There will be over 200 craft beer selections to try out, and the event will run from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Westbank Heritage Fest Sept. 19 & 20 | Alario Center, Westwego westbankfest.com The Westbank Heritage Fest will return this year with plenty of food, music, and entertainment to enjoy. This free to attend event will feature live music by R&B singer/songwriter Joe, King George, the Renaissance Orchestra, and much more. Delicious food will be provided by Akasia’s Café, Crescent City Burgers, Food Symphony Restaurant, Mimi’s Sweets & Treats, and more.

Photos from top: courtesy of Gulf Brew Festival, Spears Group, Heidi Hickman

International Arts Festival Sept. 24-27 | Public Market at South Shore Harbor internationalartsfest.com Rooted in the African diaspora, the International Arts Festival in New Orleans is a global cultural experience that brings music, culture, business, and community to the city. This festival aims to create, utilize, and maintain cultural bridges to allow others to understand culture and history. International musicians and local artists such as Donald Harrison and Irvin Mayfield will be performing.

NOLAxNOLA Sept. 24 - Oct. 4 | Multiple Locations neworleans.com/nolaxnola Spanding across two weekends at dozens of music venues across the Big Easy, NOLAxNOLA celebrates live music, culture, and entertainment, featuring a diverse lineup of local and national artists and performers. During the event’s sixth annual celebration, music enthusiasts will be immersed in transformative performances in nearly every genre and NOLA neighborhood during this 11-day event.

BlackAmericana Fest Sept. 25 & 26 | The Broadside blackamericanafest.com BlackAmericana Fest is a two-day long celebration of the musical heritage, legacy, and contributions of Black artists in the New Orleans and the Mississippi River Delta region who have produced music in the Americana and folk genres. This year’s lineup consists of talents Tray Wellington, Seratones, Joy Clark, the Kentucky Gentlemen, and many more artists.

Bogalusa Blues & Heritage Festival Sept. 25 & 26 | Cassidy Park, Bogalusa bogalusablues. com/info Known as one of the best festivals in the Gulf Coast region, the Bogalusa Blues and Heritage Festival will showcase Mr. Sipp, Dwayne Dopsie & the Zydeco Hellraisers, and many more. The festival will also feature a 5K run, a kid zone, food, and more. Passes for both RV camping and tent city camping are available.

DomCon

National Fried Chicken Festival Oct. 2-4 | New Orleans Lakefront friedchickenfestival.com Since 2016, the National Friend Chicken Festival has cooked up and served nearly 2.5 million pounds of fried chicken each year. This festival not only has great eats but also a 5K run/walk and great live music. This year will feature Nelly, 2 Chainz, Ying Yang Twins, Big Freedia with the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra, and more.

Gem and Mineral Show Oct. 2-4 | Alario Center, Westwego gmsofla.org The 54th Annual Gem and Mineral Show will display precious gemstones, minerals, fossils, beads, and jewelry on the Westbank. There will be live demonstrations of jewelry making and cabochon cutting, geode cracking, gem mining, and more. This show is presented by the Gem and Mineral Society of Louisiana, which educates Louisianians on the beauty of Earth sciences.

Sept. 30 - Oct. 4 | Astor Crowne Plaza Hotel domcon.com DomCon is the premiere professional and lifestyle BDSM convention that welcomes the curious with a variety of alluring classes. DomCon offers educational classes, workshops, social events, spicy parties, and a showcase of the latest kinky products and couture. This festival, which also showcases in Los Angeles, aims to bring a better understanding of BDSM in the adult alternative lifestyle.

Gretna Festin’

Tangipahoa Parish Fair

Blues, Brews, + BBQ

Sept. 30 - Oct. 4 | 12614 Arena Dr., Amite City tangifair.org Don’t miss this year’s Tangipahoa Parish Fair, which holds the distinction of being Louisiana’s oldest fair. Around since 1888, this fair is rooted in tradition and will offer plenty to enjoy. There will be live entertainment, pageants, amusement rides, a livestock show, a youth rodeo, the “Shake, Rattle, and Roll” event, and so much more.

Oct. 3 | Docville Farm, Violet facebook.com/bluesbrewsla Great blues music, refreshing brews, and delicious BBQ will be served in Violet for St. Bernard’s annual Blues, Brews, + BBQ festival. This free, family friendly event allows the community to support St. Bernard’s programs such as the Food Pantry, the Backpack Program, and the Hygiene Program. Live music will be provided by Tullie Band, Audrey LeCrone, T-Marie, and more.

Abita Fall Fest Oct. 2 | Abita Springs Trailhead abitafallfest.com The Abita Fall Festival is a special celebration that is rooted in live music, great food, Abita Brewing Company beer, and local art. The evening will feature a full night of music by Todd Lemoine, Beach Bums, Paul Faith, and more. Gates open at 4 p.m., and the festival will run until 11 p.m.

Oct. 3, 10, 17, & 24 | Gretna Riverfront gretnafest.com While Gretna Fest will not be taking place this year, you can still head to Historic Old Gretna for some festin’ fun. Gretna Festin’ is a concert series that will take place almost every Saturday in October and will feature well-known acts including Third Eye Blind and Gretchen Wilson. Each concert will take place at 5 p.m.

Fiesta Filipina Oct. 3 | Los Isleños Museum Complex, St. Bernard visitstbernard.com/fiesta-filipina The Fiesta Filipina festival is a free annual event that will have food, music, dance, and cultural exhibits honoring Filipino culture and traditions at St. Bernard’s Los Isleños Museum Complex on Bayou Road. This celebration is in honor of Filipino American History Month, recognizing the history, culture, and achievements of Filipino Americans in the United States.

Festivals Acadiens et Créoles Oct. 8-11 | Girard Park, Lafayette festivalsacadiens.com Since 2007, Festivals Acadiens et Créoles has focused on accurately reflecting Cajun and Creole heritage through thoughtful preservation and daring innovation. This festival features over 25 food vendors, all serving the best and authentic Louisiana food. The three-day festival will showcase a lineup of fantastic musicians including Jourdan Thibodeaux, Jimmy Breaux, Blake Miller, and many more.

Carla Pesono’s Taste of Italy Oct. 8 | Fulton Street by Caesars New Orleans eventbrite.com Presented by the Italian Barrel, Carla Pesono’s Taste of Italy will serve as an authentic Italian experience in the heart of downtown New Orleans. This event will even attempt to break the world record for world’s largest antipasti board. This event will bring together more than a dozen incredible local Italian restaurants for an all-inclusive celebration.

Oktoberfest New Orleans Oct. 9, 10, 16, 17, 23, & 24 | Deutsches Haus deutscheshaus.org/oktoberfest Oktoberfest New Orleans at the Deutsches Haus spans across three weekends featuring German food, drinks, and culture for all to experience. From large Bavarian-style pretzels to many different German beers, Oktoberfest brings family, friends, and strangers together during this annual celebration. There’s also a 5K race from the Fair Grounds, a beer stein holding contest, souvenirs, and live music.

Crescent City Blues & BBQ Festival Oct. 9-11 | Lafayette Square Park jazzandheritage.org/events/2026-crescent-city-bluesbbq-festival Established in 2006, the Crescent City Blues and BBQ Festival continues the city’s role in presenting blues and delicious food to the rest of the world. Performers such as Booker T. Jones and Samantha Fish will showcase their talents during this threeday event, and there will be delicious BBQ food vendors and local, unique visual art on display.

Festival of the Lake Oct. 9-11 | Our Lake of the Lake Church, Mandeville festivalofthelake.com Since 1982, the Festival of the Lake in Mandeville has drawn in crowds from southern Louisiana to enjoy a weekend of live music, food, and fun with free admission. There will be many things to do for folks of all ages. The 2026 musical lineup will feature Four Unplugged, Christian Serpas and Ghost Town, Marc Broussard, and Flow Tribe.

Fall Restaurant Guide // October 2026

DEUTSCHES HAUS

Oktoberfest

NOLA'S FAMILY FRIENDLY GERMAN FEST

9 & 10, 16 & 17,_23 & 24 Fridays • 4 11_ pm SaturdayS • 1 11 pm

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Oct. 9-11 | Pontchartrain Park gentillyfestival.com Gentilly Festival is an annual festival that celebrates all things “Gentilly.” There will be lots of live music on multiple stages, food from local restaurants and caterers, and arts and crafts from local vendors. This festival aims to provide a safe, festive environment to build closer relationships with police and fire departments, elected officials, and the community.

Mempho Music Festival Oct. 9-11 | Radians Amphitheater, Memphis Botanic Garden memphofest.com The Mempho Music Festival is an annual threeday music event that is held at the Radians Amphitheater in Memphis, TN. Currently in its ninth year, this festival blends rock, electronic, and soul across multiple stages. This year’s lineup includes Spook, Gary Clark Jr., and more. There will also be local food trucks, interactive activities, and a silent disco.

The Gumbo Festival Oct. 9-11 | Our Lady of Prompt Succor, Westwego thegumbofestival.com Louisiana loves its gumbo, and one of the best places to try some is at the Gumbo Festival in Westwego. In addition to great tasting food, this three-day festival will feature plenty of live entertainment by acts such as NOLA Rouge, Nashville South, the Revamped Band, and more. There will also be a gumbo competition and carnival rides.

Venice Marina’s Jambalaya Cook-Off Oct. 10 | Venice Marina facebook.com If you want to taste some Louisiana tradition, head

down to the Venice Marina for their first annual Jambalaya Cook-Off. Serving as a fundraiser for the community of Venice, LA, the cook-off will feature teams competing for bragging rights and fun awards. In addition to great tasting food, the event will also have live music, cold drinks, and more.

Old Arabi Sugar Fest Oct. 10 | Aycock Barn, Arabi oldarabi.org/sugarfest Take a trip out to Arabi for this year’s Old Arabi Sugar Fest. This free admission festival has been going on since 2009 and will offer plenty of music, food, and beverages to enjoy. In addition, there will be plenty of arts and crafts available. This event is fun for the whole family and should not be missed.

World Championship Gumbo Cookoff Oct. 10 & 11 | Bouligny Plaza, New Iberia iberiachamber.org/gumbocookoff The World Championship Gumbo Cookoff, a twoday event that takes place in New Iberia, is also known as the “Superbowl of Gumbo.” Dozens of cooking teams will compete to take home trophies for each category and earn ultimate bragging rights. This event has been put on for over 30 years by the Greater Iberia Chamber of Commerce.

Northshore Beer Festival Oct. 11 | Mandeville Trailhead northshorebeerfestival.com Driven by purpose and pouring with love, the Northshore Beer Festival celebrates the best of Louisiana craft beer while uniting the community to support a local cause. This event supports the Miracle League Northshore, which helps provide inclusive sports opportunities for children of all abilities. Many local breweries including Abita, Port Orleans, Urban South, and Gnarley Barley will be featured.

All photos: courtesy of Mempho Music Fest

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Fall Restaurant Guide // October 2026

Meet Some of NOLA's Sister Cities // EMILY HINGLE

As an internationally-popular city, New Orleans has attached itself to cities in North America, South America, Europe, and Asia as sister cities.

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Innsbruck, Austria

During the 50th anniversary celebration, Innsbruck Deputy Mayor Georg Willi stated, “The founding of the UN Summer School in 1976 was a significant step for the partnership between Innsbruck and New Orleans. With the symposium during the anniversary week, I am particularly pleased that numerous experts—including some from Louisiana—will be exchanging ideas on the intersections of culture, economics, sustainability, and education. As part of the city partnership with New Orleans, it is very important to us to contribute to the success of the Summer School and to give the students an insight into various municipal topics.”

Isola del Liri, Italy

Innsbruck, Austria Louisiana State University of New Orleans students have been traveling to Innsbruck, Austria, to attend summertime classes for 50 years. Since 1976, the now LSUNO and the University of Innsbruck International Summer School have shared students over the course of several weeks for the renowned cultural learning program. The cities became official sister cities in 1995.

Isola del Liri is an ancient island town in Italy’s Liri River, which features waterfalls that attracted factories for the use of hydropower. Paper factories, in particular, thrived for a century until the 1980s when rampant closures caused economic hardship in Isola del Liri. Local businessman Luciano Duro had been a lifelong fan of music when the mass closures began. He fondly remembered working in a shop that sold LPs in 1982, writing, “Selling records was a fantastic experience, a part of my passion for music, as were Radio Isola 1 and Radio Cassandra. They’d call me from Bologna when the containers arrived from the US, and I’d leave immediately. In a warehouse almost as big as Piazza Boncompagni, piles of records were piled up in bulk. I’d select them meticulously. There was great music: rock, blues, jazz, classical. The prices were much lower than national distribution, so young customers could buy cheaply. They came from every corner of the province. They knew I wasn’t just a salesman. They

Photos from left: courtesy of Sophia Martin, Wikimedia Commons

Sister, : r e t s i S

hile the amount of these bonds has increased in recent years, some of our sister cities have enjoyed longstanding relationships due to their love and appreciation of New Orleans culture.

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Matsue, Japan A Greek-born writer/teacher is the link between New Orleans and Matsue, Japan. Lafcadio Hearn—called Koizumi Yakumo in Japan—was born on the Ionian island of Lefkada. Hearn experienced a tumultuous life, going from Greece to Ireland to Cincinnati, Ohio. In 1877 at the age of 27, Hearn wrote to his friend, “It is time for a fellow to get out of Cincinnati when they begin to call it the Paris of America.” Hearn proceeded to then move to New Orleans, writing for local papers including the Daily City Item and the Times Democrat, and his eclectic and worldly flair in his writing and illustrations was captured in works such as Creole Sketches and Chita: A Memory of Last Island. Hearn is seen as one of the prolific writers for national publications that characterized New Orleans culture as unique and created intrigue for it as a place for tourism. Though he enjoyed the culture of the city, he described it as “a dead bride crowned with orange flowers.” Hearn was dispatched as a newspaper correspondent to Japan in 1890, and the role quickly ended; however, Hearn decided to stay there for 15 months as a teacher at Shimane Prefectural Common Middle School and Normal School in Matsue. He married and had children there, becoming a Japanese citizen in 1896, and remained there for the rest of his life. Moving between teaching positions and writing for publications, Hearn’s final job was lecturing at Waseda University. He passed away in 1904 at the age of 54.

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Matsue, Japan

In 1994, Matsue and New Orleans came together over their love of Lafcadio Hearn and how he described them in his writings to become sister cities. Matsue holds an annual New Orleans Festival, and the Japan Society of New Orleans organized the inaugural Lafcaido Fest in 2026.

Ascona, Switzerland Hannes Anrig created Festa New Orleans, which was first held in 1975 in Lugano, Switzerland. After Anrig’s tenure as director in 1984, the fest was moved to neighboring Ascona the next year. In 2004, it was rebranded to JazzAscona. A sister city

agreement was made in 2022 between Mayor LaToya Cantrell and Mayor Luca Pissoglio, with Cantrell stating, “New Orleans and Ascona share the distinction of being among their respective continents’ oldest city. New Orleans also shares with our sister city a deep appreciation and respect for jazz, as evidenced by our annual jazz festivals. I appreciate and welcome this cultural exchange of music, art, and ideas, while simultaneously sharing the richness and diversity of New Orleans.” Many New Orleans musicians, tourism professionals, and city employees make the trek to the picturesque region of southern Switzerland to take part in the immersive 10-day festival that features dozens of concerts and workshops for free. Saying that you’re from New Orleans when you visit one of our sister cities may help you make new acquaintances and friends faster than usual.

Ascona, Switzerland

All photos: courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

recognized in me an authority on the music field and a fundamental honesty. I put out a lot of music for a few years. Then, I stopped.” Duro felt the need to dispense music in a grander way. Seeing a need for economic stimulation, he got into organizing concerts with Italian and foreign artists, eventually making the very first Liri Blues Festival in 1988. The festival grew rapidly with the booking of well-known blues and bluesy rock acts. Mayor Marc Morial welcomed Isola del Liri’s city leaders on January 7, 1997, to sign a sister city agreement, and several New Orleans artists have performed at Liri Blues Festival since conception. Unfortunately, the festival became stalled in the 2020s seemingly due to political and administrative issues.

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New Orleans’ Cities of the Dead: // KIMMIE TUBRÉ

The Fascinating History Behind the World’s Most Famous Cemeteries

hile most cities reserve their stories for museums and history books, the Crescent City’s tales are imprinted into marble and tucked behind iron gates. Here, the cemeteries aren’t just places of mourning. In fact, they’re more like neighborhoods of memory. It’s no wonder they’re affectionately known as the “cities of the dead.” With towering above-ground mausoleums, winding pathways, angel statues, and generations of family history preserved within their walls, New Orleans’ cemeteries have become some of the most photographed and recognizable burial grounds in the world. They inspire ghost tours, novels, films, and endless curiosity. Beneath the mystery, however, lies a fascinating history that is uniquely New Orleans.

More Than a Tourist Attraction Contrary to popular belief, New Orleans didn’t begin burying its dead above ground simply because the city sits below sea level. While flooding and a high water table certainly influenced burial practices over time, the tradition is deeply rooted in the city’s French and Spanish heritage. European settlers brought with them the custom of above-ground family tombs, a style commonly found throughout Mediterranean countries. New Orleans embraced those traditions, adapting them to the warm Gulf Coast climate and creating the distinctive cemeteries visitors know today. These family tombs were thoughtfully designed. A loved one would be placed inside a vault and sealed. After nature had taken its course, the remains could be respectfully moved to a lower chamber, known as the caveau, allowing future generations to share the same family resting place. During devastating yellow fever epidemics in the 19th century, this efficient system became especially important as families often experienced multiple losses within a short period. Walk through one of these historic cemeteries today, and it’s easy to see why they resemble miniature cities. Narrow “streets” separate rows of ornate mausoleums built in Greek Revival, Gothic, Italianate, and Classical styles. Every tomb tells the story of the families who helped shape New Orleans.

The City’s Most Famous Cemeteries No cemetery captures the imagination quite like St. Louis Cemetery No. 1, the oldest active cemetery in New Orleans. Established in 1789 just outside the French Quarter, it has become one of the city’s most iconic landmarks.

The cemetery is the final resting place of legendary Voodoo queen Marie Laveau, whose influence continues to fascinate visitors from around the world. It is also home to civil rights pioneer Homer Plessy, whose historic court case would eventually help pave the way for the Civil Rights Movement decades later. Perhaps the cemetery’s most unexpected landmark is the striking white pyramid tomb owned by actor Nicolas Cage. Standing among centuries-old mausoleums and engraved with the Latin phrase Omnia Ab Uno (AKA, “Everything From One”), the monument has become one of the cemetery’s most talkedabout attractions. Another beloved landmark is Lafayette Cemetery No. 1, established in 1833 in the heart of the Garden District. Designed in a neat grid pattern beneath towering oak trees, the cemetery has appeared in countless films, television shows, and vampire novels thanks to its haunting beauty and classic New Orleans atmosphere. Although it remains closed while undergoing extensive restoration, visitors can still admire many of its historic tombs from the entrance gates during neighborhood walking tours. Then there’s Metairie Cemetery, a place that often surprises first-time visitors. Opened in 1872 on the site of a former elite horse-racing track, Metairie Cemetery is renowned for its grand Victorian monuments, peaceful lagoons, and elaborate sculptures. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, it serves as the final resting place of jazz legend Louis Prima, prominent military leaders, governors, and many influential New Orleanians.

Preserving the Cities of the Dead As breathtaking as these cemeteries are, preserving them isn’t easy. Behind every weathered piece of marble or crumbling brick tomb is a family who’s responsible for maintaining them. Many visitors assume cemetery operators maintain every tomb, but that’s rarely the case. While there are organizations that oversee the grounds, individual

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family tombs belong to the families who purchased them generations ago. For decades, families faithfully cared for their tombs, especially on certain days such as All Saints’ Day. In fact, today’s familiar white tombs weren’t always white. Earlier generations often painted them in soft blues, yellows, pinks, and other vibrant mineral-based colors that reflected the joyful spirit of New Orleans. As generations passed, however, many families moved away, records disappeared, and countless tombs became abandoned. Modern preservation requires patience and expertise. Even repairing a family tomb often requires tracing descendants, securing ownership

documentation, obtaining permits, and hiring one of only a handful of specialized restoration contractors in the region.

More Than Ghost Stories Today, sources such as ghost tours introduce many visitors to New Orleans’ cemeteries. Yet, locals know they’re about far more than haunted legends. These burial grounds tell so many amazing stories including stories of the immigrants who built the city or the musicians who created jazz. They tell stories of New Orleans legends, business owners, artists, clergy, civic leaders, and everyday families whose names may never appear in history books but whose lives shaped New Orleans just the same. These “cities of the dead” are open-air museums and sacred spaces where history lives on. In a city famous for celebrating life with second lines, jazz funerals, and traditions unlike anywhere else in the world, it’s only fitting that even its cemeteries have stories worth telling.

Photo: courtesy of Charles Leche

In New Orleans, even our cemeteries have personality.

Fall Restaurant Guide // October 2026

Pre-Stream TV:

Old Television Content from Louisiana While vintage t-shirts, retro games, and ‘90s dance nights boom in popularity with young adults and give those who were around for it a dose of nostalgia, clips from local television programming of the 1970s through the early 2000s are filling viewers with wistfulness.

eigh Aucoin found a treasure trove of videos in an unlikely place. “A neighbor of mine was a wedding videographer and an early adopter of VHS technology for his work,” he recounted. “He passed away a few years ago. When his home was cleared out for sale, hundreds of his home VHS recordings ended up in large trash bags on the curb. Finding these tapes was truly a dream come true because homerecorded tapes are difficult to find for sale.” This was the start of Aucoin’s collection called Tape Garbage. Aucoin knew that the tape footage would not last forever in this format. “The biggest reason I continue is to save the tapes’ contents from disappearing before the magnetic tape deteriorates or the cassettes end up in landfills,” he said. “It’s very possible that any one of these tapes contains the only existing record of a specific event.” Among the cheery national brand commercials, you’ll find a Popeyes ad featuring Fats Domino, Jim Varney’s character Ernest touting Louisiana Gas’ charity program, and Crazy Marty’s Waterbeds Sale-A-Bration. Aucoin methodically digitized footage from hundreds of these tapes, and others that friends have given to him, specifically looking for New Orleans-area and Louisiana-area programs. “I estimate there are around 80 hours of local television shows, home movies, and weddings. About six hours of local ads can be added to this total.” “Generally, I look for anything that’s gone unseen for years and remains unavailable on the internet. Consumer-grade video technology in the ‘80s opened the gates for anyone with a vision and a few hundred bucks to make something. An example is an early tape I found from Slidell called Kids’ Magic Show featuring a kind-looking man performing basic magic tricks that kids could easily replicate. Finding something like this feels like unearthing treasure,” Aucoin concluded. In Lafayette, Producer Bob is “preserving pieces of Acadiana’s history that otherwise might disappear forever” by spending eight to 10 hours a day finding and digitizing footage for Acadian Rewind. “ Growing up in a small town with only three television channels, I became fascinated with the media that shaped everyday life,” he said. Producer Bob started Acadian Rewind from a collection of VHS tapes he found on Facebook Marketplace. “The seller explained that his son had special needs and that the family had spent

decades recording his favorite television programs,” he explained. “The collection consisted of roughly 350 to 400 VHS tapes, each meticulously labeled with show titles and tape numbers. I eventually named the archive ‘The Trahan Collection,’ and without it, Acadian Rewind would not exist.” It wasn’t the TV shows that Producer Bob fixated on, it was the local commercials, station IDs, news segments, and snapshots of everyday life in Acadiana. “In preservation circles, parts of the collection became known because they contained examples of ‘lost media.’ Today, Acadian Rewind contains more than a thousand digitized commercials and countless hours of local television history.” A video called “Hugh D. Styles Practice Tape” culminated in a beautiful experience. Producer Bob recalled, “At first glance, it looked unremarkable— just another home-recorded cassette among hundreds of others. It was a home video from the early 1990s featuring Hugh D. Styles, an elderly Lafayette man who had just purchased a camcorder and was teaching himself how to use it. Sitting in his office, surrounded by books and family memories, he joked with the camera, reflected on his life, and talked about his family. He even mentioned wanting to record messages that people could watch after he was gone and spoke about making tapes for different people so that, in his own words, they could someday learn what had been on his mind. After sharing a short clip online, viewers immediately connected with Mr. Styles’ warmth and personality. Curious whether his family knew these recordings still existed, I began searching and eventually reached his granddaughter in Baton Rouge. What she told me changed the entire meaning of the discovery. Her mother, Mr. Styles’ daughter, had entered hospice care that very day. She played the videos for her mother, who had become largely unresponsive, and hearing her father’s voice brought a reaction. The family had no idea those recordings still existed, and by an extraordinary coincidence, they received them at exactly the right moment. A few days later, Mr. Styles’ daughter passed away. What began as an ordinary thrift store find became something much larger—a decades-old message from a father that found its way back to his family when they needed it most. Stories like that are a reminder that these tapes preserve much

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more than television. They preserve people." Beyond this heartwarming story, Producer Bob has found that the videos unintentionally create connections in the comments. “People use the page to reconnect with old friends, remember businesses that disappeared decades ago, and share stories about loved ones who have passed away. In many ways, the page has become a digital gathering place for Acadiana. What started as a nostalgia project has become something much bigger.” It is important to note that any VHS tapes you cherish should be digitized now as the tape in them is nearing or past its lifespan. Producer Bob stated, “Some have spent decades in attics, garages, and storage units, where heat, humidity, and mold accelerate their deterioration. Acadian Rewind has become a race against time to preserve those memories before they are lost forever.”

Photo: courtesy of Producer Bob

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Where to Stay in New Orleans for Every Type of Traveler // KALLIE BOURGEOIS

he Big Easy is home to a wide array of blended cultural heritages that showcase the diversity of a lively city. From the highly immersive historical experience known as the National World War II Museum to the boisterous Bourbon Street, New Orleans is the type of city to attract and accommodate all tourists despite differing interests. If you want the city’s full experience catered toward your interests when traveling, you need to know where to stay when visiting. From foodies to music fanatics, here’s a list of 10 hotels for every type of traveler looking for their next adventure. 1. Virgin Hotels New Orleans — For the Bachelor and Bachelorette Trip 550 Baronne St., (504) 603-8000 virginhotels.com

coastal italian near the lakefront in historic west end

Those looking for a multi-day getaway to celebrate the to-be-weds, Virgin Hotels New Orleans is the perfect fit for bachelor and bachelorette parties. This hotel is filled with fresh flavors, vibrant colors, killer city views, and unique personalities that will surely provide comfort to the “last hoorah” before couples embark on their next chapter in life. This hotel is located on 550 Baronne St., which is just a 10 to 15 minute walk to Bourbon Street or the Arts District.

3. Hotel De La Poste — For the Family Vacation 316 Chartres St., (504) 581-1200 hoteldelapostenola.com Hotel De La Poste offers a quiet stay in the French Quarter that is a great choice for families. Parents appreciate this hotel’s convenient walking distance to attractions, spacious rooms, and petfriendly policies. Located on 316 Chartres St., this hotel is just a few blocks from the St. Louis Cathedral, Jackson Square, and other iconic spots in the city.

Those looking to get the American experience at a top-rated attraction in New Orleans should

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Immersive travelers are those who seek to understand a destination through engaging with local communities, traditions, and ways of life. Those looking to participate in New Orleans’ rich culture and want an authentic experience should stay at the International House Hotel. The building was originally built in 1906 as the Canal Louisiana Bank & Trust. Today, the hotel, located on 221 Camp St., immerses its guests in the city’s local culture, blending Beaux-Arts architecture with a design celebrating European, Caribbean, and African influences.

4. The Higgins Hotel & Conference Center — For the Historians 1000 Magazine St., (504) 528-1941 higginshotelnola.com

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Virgin Hotels

All photos: provided by respective establishments

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check out the Higgins Hotel & Conference Center. Conveniently located directly across the street from the National World War II Museum on 1000 Magazine St., this hotel creates an environment for guests to pay homage to tradition, festivity, and merriment. The hotel itself reflects the contributions of Andrew Higgins, an extraordinary entrepreneur who designed and built over 20,000 boats in New Orleans that were used in major amphibious assaults during the war.

Quarter continuing to appeal to taste buds. Hotel Monteleone, located on 214 Royal St., offers foodies direct access to legendary and historic dining in the Big Easy. Criollo Restaurant, the hotel’s acclaimed fine-dining establishment, specializes in Louisiana cuisine and Gulf Coast ingredients. The menu includes staples such as turtle soup, chargrilled oysters, and their beloved house-made beignets.

5. The Roosevelt New Orleans — For the Christmas Vacation 130 Roosevelt Way, (504) 648-1200 hilton.com The Roosevelt New Orleans is the perfect destination for the Christmas season because of its legendary “Waldorf Wonderland.” During the holidays, the grand foyer is decked out with tens of thousands of twinkling lights, towering birch trees, and thousands of hand-blown glass ornaments and garlands. The Roosevelt New Orleans also features the historic Sazerac Bar, which serves up specialty holiday cocktails such as peppermint and Christmas cookie drinks. Make sure to take some perfect, unforgettable holiday photos during your stay.

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6. Hotel Royal New Orleans — For The Vampire Diaries and The Originals Lovers 1006 Royal St., (504) 342-4440 hotelroyalnola.com

All photos: provided by respective establishments

We all know someone who is obsessed with both the popular Gothic ambiance of CW’s TV-show The Vampire Diaries and it’s spin off The Originals. Right? Well, those looking to immerse themselves in a supernatural world and stay at the stomping grounds of vampires, werewolves, and witches should stay at the Hotel Royal New Orleans. Located on 1600 Royal St., this hotel, with its old-world charm, renowned antique shopping, and fine dining, is known as one of The Originals’ filming locations. 7. Garden District Hotel — For the Pool Lovers 1525 Prytania St., (504) 383-9500 gdhnola.com

9. Royal Sonesta — For the Party Animal 300 Bourbon St., (504) 586-0300 sonesta.com The Royal Sonesta is described as the perfect home-base for those who love to stay out late in the streets of New Orleans. At this hotel, you are put directly in the heart of the French Quarter, with its private balconies prime for people-watching and on-site nightlife.

Garden District Hotel

Want to feel the sun this summer while sipping a signature frozen drink by a pool? This must-visit destination is home to the city’s very first swim-up bar. Located on 1525 Prytania St., the Garden District Hotel is a pool lover’s dream as it offers a massive heated saltwater pool set in a tropical courtyard that feels like a private resort oasis in the middle of New Orleans. 8. Hotel Monteleone — For the Flavor Chaser 214 Royal St., (504) 523-3341 hotelmonteleone.com New Orleans is known for exceptional Creole cuisine, with restaurants in the French

10. Omni Royal Orleans — For the Music Fanatic 621 St. Louis St., (504) 529-5333 omnihotels.com Finally, the Omni Royal Orleans Hotel is the perfect place for music fans. This hotel’s 68-seat Three Maries Jazz Club and central French Quarter location allows guests to experience late-night jazz and luxury dining. The Rib Room, famous for its prime beef, is an essential dining experience at this hotel. This hotel also has a convenient proximity to the historic Preservation Hall.

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Through the eyes of Joan Prados, who keeps the Degas family story alive at New Orleans’ historic Degas House.

At the historic Degas House on Esplanade Avenue, visitors not only step into the world of the famed French Impressionist painter Edgar Degas, they can also meet one of his descendants. 60

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grandniece of Degas, Joan Prados, continues to share her family’s rich history and heritage through guided tours at the Degas House almost every day. For the past 23 years, Prados has welcomed visitors into the historic home, creating a living connection between the DegasMusson family legacy and the cultural history of New Orleans. “I knew I was related to Degas, but I couldn’t tell you how I was related,” said Prados, a native of New Orleans and a descendant of the Musson family. Born in Paris in 1834, Degas traveled to New Orleans in 1872, staying with his maternal relatives, the Musson family, at what is now the Degas House. During this period, he produced 18 major works, several drawings, and five letters. “Degas was here for only four and a half months, from November 1872 to March of 1873,” Prados noted. “He was fascinated by the city, but he couldn’t work outside because his eyes were really bad. He would complain about the light and the glare.” While confined indoors, Degas turned his attention to intimate portraits of family members, especially his cousin and sister-in-law Estelle Musson, who was blind. “Estelle was married to René, Degas’ brother,” Prados said. “I think Estelle was a good role model for Degas. He was amazed at how well she coped with her blindness since he was having problems with his own eyesight.” However, even during his time in New Orleans, Degas completed few works. Prados noted that many of the paintings from this period remained unfinished, with one major exception being A Cotton Office in New Orleans. “His paintings are not really finished because he was working on them simultaneously,” Prados emphasized. As Prados explained, the Degas House was once her family home. She recounted that the Degas name was eventually replaced by Musson after Estelle’s husband, René, abandoned the family for a neighbor, leaving behind five children and one from Estelle’s previous marriage. Prados recalled, “My mother said her name would have been Degas, but my grandfather ran off with another woman.” Following the separation, Estelle resumed using her maiden name, while her father, Michel Musson, adopted the grandchildren. Generations of the Musson family lived together in the Garden District home until Prados was 8 years old. “We had Degas sculptures and pictures around the house, but it wasn’t really important to me when I was growing up, even though I knew that it was part of our inheritance,” Prados said. After attending private schools and Fortier High School, Prados enrolled in college to study commercial art. “My mother thought I was going to be the artist of the family,” Prados said. “When I was young, I had art classes and can remember doing a picture of a ballet dancer. My mother told my art teacher that I was related to Degas.” Despite her early interest in art, Prados ultimately chose a different path. In 1965, she earned a

degree in elementary education. Prados began her teaching career at McGehee School, where she taught second grade for six years before spending two years teaching in Germany. After returning to New Orleans in 1974, she briefly worked as a city tour guide while continuing her career in elementary education with the Jefferson Parish public school system. From 1977 until her retirement in 2003, she remained a dedicated educator, concluding a 37-year teaching career. Still, her interest in her family’s history and its connection to the Degas House did not fully resonate with her until 1993 when David Villarrubia purchased and began restoring the historic home. “Now, the Degas House feels like home to me,” Prados said. “I share stories that I know about my family and my background.” Following the renovations, the Degas House opened as a historic house museum and bed-andbreakfast in 1996. Today, the Degas House offers guest rooms featuring reproductions of Degas’ New Orleans paintings. This landmark home also hosts weddings and special events, including the 2022 visit of French President Emmanuel Macron to New Orleans. Recognized by its red marker, the Degas House is one of the 236 worldwide Maisons des Illustres and one of only two in the United States. “When the French President was here, we had a great crowd,” David Villarubia, owner and founder of Degas House, said. “He stated that the Degas House is open to all visitors under the French flag.” Villarubia added that the Degas House hosts events year round in its grand parlors and picturesque courtyard, though Prados’ history tours remain its biggest draw. “Everyone wants to see Joanie,” Villarrubia said. “People are spellbound by her.” In addition to leading tours of the Degas House at 10:30 a.m. and 1:45 p.m., Prados spends her free time reading, walking, and playing mahjong. “I ran about six miles a day until I was 70,” Prados remarked. “Now, I walk at least 15,000 steps a day.” Prados said the tours generally last about two hours and include her personal insight into the Degas-Musson family history. Over the years, local schools have also arranged guided tours at the historic home, which she often led alongside her sister Marie Estelle Moyer. “I feel very close to Degas House,” Prados reflected. “I enjoy giving information to people who come here. It is important to keep it going. It is a part of my life.”

All photos: Courtesy of Blythe Peters

t 82 years old, the great-

BUNNY MATTHEWS His Life, Art, and Obsessions

BUY DA BOOK!

ON VIEW THROUGH MAY 9, 2027

hnoc.org · FREE ADMISSION

Fall Restaurant Guide // October 2026

For Change: Make Good, a Company that Stands by Its Name

LOOK

Same

AUTHENTIC FLAVOR

B E A R C AT CAFE

BEARCAT UPTOWN 2521 JENA STREET BEARCAT DOWNTOWN (CBD) 845 CARONDELET STREET BEARCAT BAKED 726 JULIA STREET BEARCATCAFE.COM

3901 Banks St.• 504-482-7743 New Orleans, LA • 70119

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New Orleans’ most colorful, hopeful, and wide-reaching company is one you might not have heard of yet. Make Good has a website (3d-mobility.org) that

hey operate out of a lab on LSU New Orleans’ campus but their designers, developers, makers, and customers live all over the globe. A 501(c)(3) nonprofit, Make Good was founded only five years ago by creator and Louisiana-native Noam Platt, and it has been the answer to an enormous question. If you or your loved one is in need of a mobility device but the average cost for one is $1,000 to $10,000, not fully covered by insurance, not readily available, and something that might be outgrown and need to be replaced, what do you do? Platt put the question out to the internet and, after a wave of cynicism, he found a few designers who decided to put their heads together and tackle the conundrum. Slowly and thoughtfully, the Make Good design team, with community input, created 3D printer blueprints to build these devices that were easy to follow; designed for low cost, everyday consumer printers; assembled as simply as LEGOs; and completely free to anyone who needs them. Their mission became “to make life-changing assistive technology accessible to everyone, regardless of income, insurance, or geography.” Because there is no intellectual copyright and no prohibitively expensive commercial materials or tools needed to make these devices, each 3D printed wheelchair can be made for under $200; that’s 2-20% of the market value. Numbers like that are game changers, not just to families but to entire communities. For those who need it, a wheelchair is not a luxury item—it is a daily necessity.

is dedicated to cutting through the red tape and matching families directly with makers. Families can request their child’s favorite colors and tailor the chairs to their needs for free, makers can access all the instructions, and anyone generous enough to donate can sponsor a build kit to cover the cost of materials, which are safe, durable, and tested. The site also shows video examples of builds and explains how it all works together, as well as telling the success stories of happy families who often see their makers as heroes and world-changers. One very public example of a family touched by this project is well known to most New Orleanians. In 2022, Kermit Ruffins, a beloved New Orleans’ culture bearer, suffered an unthinkable tragedy. His girlfriend, Harmonese Pleasant, was shot in a random act of gun violence and forced into an emergency delivery of their gorgeous little girl, Blossom. Baby Blossom was born with a spinal cord injury that meant she might never be able to walk unaided. Four years later, Blossom is now an invaluable part of the Make Good community. She tests chairs, and she’s fast, agile, and an absolute pro. While Make Good’s most popular device is its TMTs (toddler mobility trainers), often needed for cerebral palsy, spina bifida, balance disorders, down syndrome, generalized muscle weakness, and postsurgery recovery, which can be printed in every color and variation and are unique to every maker, there are many other assistance devices they’ve designed. The community is constantly creating new solutions for all sorts of assistance.

All photos: Courtesy of Make Good

New

// SABRINA STONE

Dining with a

View

THEBLUECRABNOLA.COM 7900 LAKESHORE DR. NEW ORLEANS 504-284-2898

THEBLUECRABNOLA.COM

All photos: Courtesy of Make Good

7 9 0 0 L a k e s h o r e D r. • N e w O r l e a n s , L A 7 0 1 2 4 • 5 0 4 - 2 8 4 - 2 8 9 8

On their main site (MakeGood.design), you can find the instructions for printing multi utility holders that can hold pens, toothbrushes, or even guitar picks, signature guides, writing handles, seat belt straps, cup holders, cochlear implant covers, slot readers, phone cuffs, pen balls, card holders, and shoe lace simplifiers. There’s an iPhone holder blueprint that they even presented to Apple, as it allows anyone with any sort of grip issues to hold their phone and it costs shockingly little to make. Apple had no answer as to why they didn’t offer a product like that to the general public, as it could help millions of people interact with their product more comfortably and effectively. While the original idea of Make Good was to connect makers directly with users, hospitals have also been grateful for access to the affordable and colorful devices. They are using the chairs for patient transport and recovery but also to give children more access to playing outside. The reason that these prints can be done at home on a basic 3D printer and don’t require commercial grade technology is that even the largest designs are made up of small prints that are put together with really innovative

joinery. The builds are so purposefully simple that kids as young as 8 years old have been able to put them together from parts. Senior staffers can snap together a print in 10 minutes. This makes them portable, shippable, and accessible in so many ways. Make Good is even updating their classic design and working on a new chair called “TMT Active,” which is a little lighter and more maneuverable for kids to play sports in. Wheels have been designed with a push rim for those with the upper arm strength to push themselves, and there is a handle option of varying heights for parental assistance. Each of Make Good’s updates is based on user feedback and maker ingenuity. Many of the makers themselves come from the disability community. These designs have helped them and now they’re finding ways to help the world. As this company grows, even the youngest of users might grow to be designers and carry on the tradition.

Fall Restaurant Guide // October 2026

Cocktail of the Month:

Hot,Humid Relief // TIM McNALLY

“How do you put up with it?” seems to be a question on every curious mind from those who do not live in New Orleans.

Here is the very definition of a perfect, fresh fruit, summer drink—easy to make and share. Though bellinis are usually made with white peach fruit or essence, this recipe can be done without that sometimes hard to find ingredient.

Recipe

Cherry Bounce A South Louisiana favorite pre-dating Prohibition. Cherries grow pretty easily throughout the Gulf South—lots of cherry trees in back yards all over New Orleans. Some species actually thrive in the heat. The fruit produced is deep in color with a heavy cherry taste. Strong skins help the plant through heavy sundrenched days. Usually there are two harvests: one occurring early in the year and the other during July and August. The Cherry Bounce was likely a favorite drink of your grandmother and George Washington. The alcohol is not overwhelming and the sugar content is relatively high. The drink is easy to make in the kitchen and does not require long periods to set up.

Recipe 12-16 oz. fresh cherries, either tart or sweet depending on your preference. ¾ - 1 cup granulated sugar, again, your preference on sweetness level. 2 oz. spirits, either bourbon, vodka, or brandy. Construct the drink in a clean and dry Mason jar. Pour the liquid, which includes the sugar, over the cherries being certain to fully submerge all the cherries. Seal the jar completely, shake it vigorously, being certain that all the sugar is dissolved in the liquid and that the liquid is fully covering the fruit. As noted, you are pretty much creating this cocktail to your own liking. Some folks add spices such as cinnamon, paprika, even Louisiana Hot Sauce. Let the drink sit quietly for a while. Come back and taste every week or two. You will know when the drink is ready for your enjoyment.

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12 oz. of fresh peaches. Cut into slices. Frozen peaches can be used but do require defrosting. Drain excess fruit juice. 2 tsp. honey, or 1 tsp. vanilla extract ¼ tsp. orange zest (optional) 1 bottle 750 ml. Prosecco (chilled) Mint sprigs Place peaches in the refrigerator for at least one hour. Add other ingredients together and blend all in a blender until smooth. Taste. Add more honey if desired. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Take the purée and place about two tablespoons on the bottom of a flute glass. Pour Prosecco over the purée. Garnish serving with mint.

Strawberry Daiquiri One of the true favorites in the cocktail world. It always seems like the right thing to do, walking around the Quarter with a strawberry daiquiri. The key to really enjoying one is to fix it correctly—that so seldom happens and now. The time to do it is when fresh strawberries are in abundance. We are not recommending using the frozen fruit that so many recipes call for. Fresh is the best way to go.

Recipe 6 oz. or more of fresh strawberries. Remove the caps. ½ cup granulated sugar, or sweeten to your taste—keeping in mind that the strawberries are full of natural sweetness ½ cup fresh-squeezed lemon juice ¼ cup fresh-squeezed lime juice 1 cup light rum 6 cups of ice, depending on how slushy you want the outcome Place all ingredients, except ice and rum, into a blender, blend well, add rum and ice, and blend again. If you wish, add more ice and more sugar. Pour the daiquiri into a serving glass or a go-cup. Enjoy.

Photos from top: Courtesy of Iryna Piskova, Greaud Pfieffer, Maria Dempsey, Büşra İnce

he question refers to our living conditions in usual summertime levels of humidity mixed with high temperatures with an almost daily rain shower tossed in for variety’s sake, defying precise time prediction or forecasting locations. We find ourselves turning the key question around, seeking to gain higher ground from those who live where cold weather and the constant presence of frozen precipitation is the order of the day most winter days. And yet, the real answer to the key question about our environment in this place is the ubiquitous presence of air conditioning blowing cool air over hot bodies in every room. We are fully air conditioned to the cool range and not willing to part with even a minute of the comforts it delivers. At the point where discomfort from the climate continues on a personal basis, our minds wander to the important question of, “What else can we do?” To properly respond, we need to consider adult beverages. Which brings us to the answer, “I have a lot to choose from, so which one do I choose?” There are many layers to the next step. How much preparation trouble do you want to go through? How much time do you have? Are you doing this for self-gratification or to show off your skills and creativity? Do you possess all of the ingredients? Besides cooling off, what other goals do you hope to achieve? The first thing to be considered are the ingredients. This time of year, fresh fruits are readily available at comparatively low costs. Fresh fruits do quite a bit to enhance the aromas and flavors of the final product. So what is the down side of using fresh seasonal fruit in a cocktail? There really is no downside, so proceed with abandon. One note of warning: Do not for a moment buy into the hype that cocktails made with fresh fruit are healthier for you. Sadly, there is no such thing as a healthy cocktail. Some may be not so bad for you but that does not qualify as healthy. The goal of making a drink taste better with the addition of fresh ingredients is an important quest. Go for it.

Peach Bellini

BARGUIDE Drink Specials

Food

Live Music

Dancing

Billards

BAMBOULA'S 516 Frenchmen St. (504) 451-7306

Providing live music every day, Bamboula's is the perfect place on Frenchmen Street. Try their Oyster Shooter with one raw oyster, vodka, and spicy Bloody Mary Mix.

BOOT SCOOTIN’ RODEO 522 Bourbon St. (504) 552-2510

Boot Scootin' is a lively country bar offering line dancing, a mechanical bull, and games. Enjoy a full bar with beers and specialty drinks for a fun-filled Southern night.

BOURBON STREET HONKY TONK Bourbon Street Honky Tonk blends blues and country vibes. It offers signature cocktails including the Hand Grenade and 727 Bourbon St. Pirate’s Passion, plus some of the best live performances in (504) 523-1960 the Quarter.

HEX and the CITY : ENTS PRES N U CH HES L WITC

3RD BER 2 OCTO 0TH BER 3 OCTO 2PM 11AMBOOK

ESY

ON R

EN WOM S FOR OICE O CH TEN.” W T IT K Y Y ONL D SEX “THE H AN NDA WITC -MIRA . ST ILLE IENV .COM 777 B NOLA TION U L O REV

CRESCENT CITY BREWHOUSE For nightly live music and quality craft beer, be sure to visit 527 Decatur St. Crescent City Brewhouse. The microbrewery also offers tasty Louisiana favorites such as oysters and fried alligator. (504) 522-0571 JB'S FUEL DOCK 128 S. Roadway St. (504) 510-2260

JB's Fuel Dock overlooks Lake Pontchartrain and is a former fuel dock turned waterfront bar, offering cocktails, beers, seltzers, and wines. It’s an inviting spot to enjoy stunning lakeside views.

LE BON TEMPS ROULE 4801 Magazine St. (504) 897-3448

Le Bon Temps Roule has been a staple since 1979. This 24-hour bar features live music, signature cocktails, and more. It’s perfect for late-night drinks or a game of pool.

LOTS A LUCK TAVERN 203 Homedale St. (504) 483-0978

Lots a Luck Tavern is a hidden dive bar gem near City Park featuring a backyard courtyard and games. With affordable drinks and a lively crowd, it’s a must-visit.

MARTINE'S LOUNGE 2347 Metairie Rd., Metairie (504) 831-8637

Martine's Lounge is a true Old Metairie gem, boasting a laid-back charm that welcomes both regulars and newcomers alike with low prices, a new pool table, and friendly vibes.

MÉLANGE ON FRENCHMEN 516 Frenchmen St. (504) 451-7306

Mélange sets itself apart by being a cool bar that is completely alcohol free. The spot above Bamboula’s offers NA alternatives, THC beverages, and more.

MISFIT TOYS 410 Bourbon St.

Offering great live music and plenty to drink, Misfit Toys is a truly rockin’ place in the French Quarter. Try one of their “rocktails” including the Velvet 75.

PAL'S LOUNGE 949 N. Rendon St. (504) 488-7257

Pal's Lounge is open daily and offers a relaxed NOLAstyle atmosphere with heavy pours, classic games, and occasional food trucks—perfect for a nightcap or pregame drink.

PARASOL'S BAR & RESTAURANT Parasol's is famous for its po-boys and is a beloved neighborhood dive bar offering diverse beers and cocktails. 2533 Constance St. Try their Frozen Irish Coffee and homemade onion rings. (504) 354-9079 RICK'S CABARET 315 Bourbon St. (504) 524-4222

Rick's Cabaret offers a full wine and beer selection, plus VIP cocktails including Mile High Gin and Unrigged Tequila, making it the ideal place for bachelor or bachelorette celebrations.

RIVERSHACK TAVERN 3449 River Rd. (504) 834-4938

Rivershack Tavern is a mix of a neighborhood tavern, live music club, sports bar, and a restaurant. It offers great burgers and po-boys, a vast beer selection, a wine list, and more.

SADDLE BAR 715 Bienville St. (504) 313-1113

Saddle Bar is a country-themed bar in the Quarter featuring two floors of cocktails and throwback shots, perfect for riding the mechanical rooster or showing off your line-dancing skills.

SAZERAC HOUSE 101 Magazine St. (504) 910-0100

Sazerac House is a historic museum that offers insight into the traditions and culture of the Sazerac cocktail. After wandering through their distillery, make sure to grab a classic Sazerac.

THE BOONDOCK SAINT 731 St. Peter St. (504) 525-4950

The Boondock Saint is a cozy Irish-style pub that offers a wide selection of draft beers and an old-school jukebox, making it perfect for a relaxed and authentic NOLA experience.

THE CHANNEL 2604 Magazine St. (504) 381-4680

This Irish Channel gem serves perfectly poured Guinness and excellent bar food. A favorite hangout for locals, don’t miss The Channel’s lively St. Patrick’s Day block party celebration.

THE JAZZ PLAYHOUSE 300 Bourbon St. (504) 553-2299

The Jazz Playhouse is one of the city’s top jazz clubs. This hotspot in the Royal Sonesta offers jazz-inspired cocktails, flavorful entrées, and a rotating lineup of world-class artists.

THE METROPOLITAN 310 Andrew Higgins Blvd. (504) 568-1702

The Metropolitan is a two-story club with multiple full bars, VIP bottle service, and trendy DJ sets. They offer a calendar of events, so visit their website to see upcoming performances.

THE VINTAGE 3121 Magazine St. (504) 324-7144

TROPICAL ISLE Multiple Locations (504) 523-1927

The Vintage, located on Magazine Street, serves coffee, beignets, wines, and bubbles, as well as coffee cocktails, local beers, and pre-Prohibition classics—perfect for daytime treats or evening indulgences. Three Maries Jazz Club, located in the Omni Royal, is perfect for people looking for late-night tunes. The club offers snacks and decedent cocktails such as the Caviar and Champagne. Tropical Isle is famous for its iconic Hand Grenade and lively French Quarter bar atmosphere. They serve frozen and classic cocktails, making it the perfect starting point for exploring New Orleans.

WRONG IRON 3532 Toulouse St. (504) 302-1503

Wrong Iron on the Greenway is perfect for gameday viewing and friendly hangouts. They offer tons of draft beer, delicious sandwiches, and frozen cocktails including the Bushwacker.

THREE MARIES JAZZ CLUB 621 St. Louis St. (504) 529-7045

TUESDAY NIGHT STEAK & BURGER SPECIAL

MARGARITA & TACO NIGHT EVERY THURSDAY GAMEDAY BEER & WINGS SPECIALS

LIVE MUSIC

FRIDAY 7-10PM SATURDAY 8-11PM KITCHEN OPEN DAILY 11am – 10pm

BAR OPEN DAILY 11am – ’Til

3449 River Rd. at Shrewsbury in Jefferson

834-4938

Established in 1990 Fall Restaurant Guide // October 2026

TALES FROM THE FRENCH QUARTER

Look in Your Mirror to See a Solution—It’s You

hen a person says, “I can’t make a difference,” because something seems already in the bag, decided, fated, or it’s a done deal, they are ceding their strength—relinquishing their power. One person can make a difference, if only to influence and entice others to join the effort. Individuals have made humongous impacts, while many of us need the backing and support of others. Either way, alone or collectively, we can accomplish so much. Sometimes, I am motivated by those who lack motivation. I want to prove their apathy wrong. Naysayers make me wanna scream, “We can do it or at least try.” Win, lose, or draw, there is empowerment in the effort. Making a difference or just trying to is a powerful feeling. Right now, I want to vaccinate everyone with the spirit of action. Taking action can be in the form of letter writing, protesting, and campaigning for a candidate or a cause. “Get Out The Vote” is the gold star of causes. It is crucial for democracy. It’s no secret that I’m leaning so far away from the current resident of the White House and all his peeps that I can taste the ground at my feet. I believe that voting is “democracy in action,” and that means I want participation of folks of all political persuasions. I am a liberal Democrat. Yet, all voters and candidates with a moral compass and compassion

// DEBBIE LINDSAY

can create good legislators in office possessing the ability to reach across the aisle—same for Democrats, too. We must be able to listen and negotiate. Then perhaps, through intelligent negotiation, more bills and amendments might be passed for the good of all. We need more John McCains today as so many of our Republicans have developed osteoporosis of the spine. Their moral compasses are broken, thus empowering the Dark Side. However, I’m digressing from my pitch, plea, and rant for embracing the power we all have to make a difference. I totally believe that we don’t have to limit ourselves merely to the district, city, and/or state we vote in. Of course, I am not eligible to vote in, for example, Alabama, but I know enough folks who live there and meet many tourists/visitors who are Alabamians—thus my reason to help get out the vote for Doug Jones for Alabama’s next governor. Our world is much smaller these days with fewer degrees of separation. Social media allows us to reach out across state lines. And in a city like New Orleans, I meet visitors from everywhere. I can wear my button supporting a candidate in Alabama and use it to create dialogue. Perhaps my enthusiasm for their candidate will be contagious. There are many ways to support a candidate, an issue, or a piece of legislation. In a matter of minutes, you can Google a legislator, access their office email or phone number and leave a brief

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“thank you” for a vote or stance they took. You can also disagree and request them to rethink a position, or hit ‘em in their wallets as you threaten not to support their state with your tourist dollars due to, for example, a discriminatory bill they support. There is an excellent organization that targets residents of various states, and their upcoming elections—go.votefwd.org. For the most part, it’s a non-partisan letter writing crusade to get more citizens to register to vote or motivate the inactive voter. Look it up, and see if this form of volunteer outreach works for you. Data showed that, in 2023, 17.6 million letters resulted in approximately 126,000 votes in 21 states (Time Magazine). Remember: Most elections are won on the thinnest of margins. There are additional ideas to consider. Use your preferred social media platform to share info about a candidate. Vet all information before posting it, as there is a wealth of AI generated BS out there. Consider texting folks a brief reminder to vote and also any protest/rally updates. Keep it short and don’t bombard them with too many texts or emails. Create dialogue, wear a campaign button, because you can be a one-person campaign for your candidate of choice by standing with their campaign placard at an intersection and use a yard/porch sign at other times. I’m going to place Post-it Notes with my favorite candidate’s name or a “please vote” note/message randomly in

restrooms, store aisles, etc. Never graffiti and never litter. Political campaigning and voting are not the only areas in which one person or one action can make a difference. Plant a tree. A young tree will immediately increase quality of life by sequestering atmospheric carbon, filtering air pollution particulates, and mitigating flooding. A mature tree absorbs 48 pounds of carbon dioxide yearly, releases oxygen, continues to abate street flooding, and reduces the temperature of that area by five to 10 degrees—sometimes more. Biodiversity thrives within trees. If you can only plant one tree, you will make a difference. One person can improve the quality of life for many cats and prevent hundreds of unwanted kittens through TNR programs that humanely trap, neuter or spay, and release feral cats. Nita with Trap Dat Cat caught 22 cats in one day for spay/ neuter, thus preventing the otherwise unhealthy over-breeding that would result in hundreds of homeless kittens. It is humane and compassionate. My husband and I have provided food and water for one clowder (group) of TNR felines. Their lives are safer and healthier after being “fixed,” and this population of street cats has held steady at the original number. Also, they help with pest control. Never underestimate the power you have to effect positive change. Determination is a super power—just use it.

39TH ANNUAL

NEW ORLEANS

October 17, 2026

WALK

BIKE RUN

7 am - 12 noon LSU New Orleans Lakefront Campus INTRAMURAL FIELD

UNCF.org/NewOrleansWalk

Fall Restaurant Guide // October 2026

PO-BOY VIEWS

Delicious Food from Briquette, Full Bar, Amazing Wines, and Your Exclusive Dining Experience!

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// PHIL LaMANCUSA

Monday Magnate Or Flagrant Vagrant

had been out of work for a few weeks now. Everybody knew why I had to resign my post. The usual excuses can be made: work load, hours, and/or money. None of that really applied so much as my happiness with my life in opposition to my life as an employee. I was not unhappy. I just was not happy. It was work that I was overqualified to perform. It was professional frustration. It was culinary restlessness. I was at the point where I was willing to leave without idea one as to what I was going to do next. I left. I am above the age when most men retire, except that I’m passionate about my work. I love what I do. I am also insecure. Should I go back to being a culinary grist for the mill? I have/had been that for half a century, but for who, and who, would want me? Am I over the hill? Have advances in my field passed me by while I insisted on “being happy” where I worked? Happy and foolish? Foolish and not attentive? By not being serious enough, grasshopper? I started as a youngster and into my early adulthood, taking odd jobs and leaving after learning enough to where the job I had was not seemingly as adventurous as that nebulous one over the rainbow. I rushed into adulthood like a kid running into a carnival fun house. I have traveled. I have lived. I have cooked, loved, have tasted, and been tested. I was a somebody, and I’ve been a nobody—all without trying. It was an escapade, a life of serendipitous incidents. I’ve been a failure, a phoenix, a pawn, a poet, a king, and, most importantly, a culinary slut. I’ve had my fun. Now look at me—unemployed. I’m unemployed and uncertain. I write letters to places that I want to work with no responses. One chef I wrote four times with not the courtesy of a rejection—just silence. Lesson learned. Then, one day, one answered. It started with “Dear, we were delighted to find the letter you wrote, ” and ended with, “We would love the chance to meet with you,” and gave me times and days to respond. And respond I did. The meeting, scheduled and met, lasted over an hour and was like a conversation with friends. It’s a small cooking school bursting at the seams with ambition, drive, passion, bright eyed enthusiasm, and with a trunk load of experience and history behind them. The director gave me a tour of three floors of class and event space, as well as a peek into “the Lab” where recipes are tested—very impressive. The small space that I had seen before, a gift shop, a room with dining tables, and a stage for an instructor was the tip of the iceberg. Big spaces with big ambitions—just up my alley. I sent them

a thank you note the next day as I waited for the next step. Now this school, like other businesses in New Orleans, has a slow and a busy season. The busy season can be terrifyingly full and tiring, while the slow season is like someone shutting a light switch off—excruciatingly sluggish. We agreed that I would not start full time until September and that I would, until then, slide in softly like syrup into the stream. That was fine by me as I had been working for seven months like my pants were on fire and my ass was catching as well—as non-stop four years before. So the next step came with me attending a hands-on class with Chef Austin, which was a grand experience. Three hours of making gumbo— including roux—barbecued shrimp with cheese grits, and bananas Foster on crêpe with vanilla ice cream. Next would be me as an assistant instructor in the near future. Everyone that I met in the organization was welcoming, hospitable, and utterly dear. I thought, “You know, I believe that I’m gonna love this place. I think that I could be happy here.” In between, I had a staycation of sorts: shopping, haircuts, a manicure, movies, little chores around the house, making homemade pizza, bread, biscuits, lazy breakfasts, sleeping late, reading the newspaper daily, feeding outdoor cats, thrifting, and connecting with my house, home, and loved ones. I was getting a good night’s sleep and waking refreshed ready for another day’s adventures. Dipping into the savings that I accrued by making money that I didn’t have time to spend. I was swimming at NORD and doing water aerobics. Life. Back at the school, I was offered an assignment to work up curriculum, study material, and syllabus for a class on Creole Sicilian, as well as writing the recipes and testing them in the test kitchen. Cool. It’s something I could do, have done before, and was happy to do again. Exercising my brain instead of what brawn I have left, I made out a list of over a dozen dishes to work with, and we narrowed them down to six, plus their accoutrements. Ten recipes, each tailored to two students, and class time of three hours including time to sit and enjoy the fruits of their labor. Wish me luck. I went in recently to familiarize myself with equipment and supplies. Also, a “shopping list” was made out so that I would have what I need to test. With luck, by the time you read this, you’ll be able to take a class of Creole Sicilian food at the New Orleans School of Cooking taught by Chef Philipe LaMancusa. Ciao.

“I have squandered my resistance for a pocket full of mumbles. / Such are promises, / All lies and jest.” —Simon & Garfunkel, “The Boxer”

Charlie’s

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FAMILY OWNED & OPERATED Fall Restaurant Guide // October 2026

FILM REVIEWS

// FRITZ ESKER + DAVID VICARI

Practical Magic 2

he original Practical Magic was a critical and commercial failure when it was released all the way back in 1998, so what is with this belated sequel? Did the first film develop such a rabid cult following throughout the years to justify a continuation? Whatever the case, we now have Practical Magic 2, which is just as mediocre as the original. In case you forgot the whole idea behind the first film, let’s review. The Massachusetts-based Owens sisters Sally (Sandra Bullock) and Gillian (Nicole Kidman) come from a long line of witches, and that lineage includes a curse in which any man who becomes smitten with an Owens woman will soon die. So these women try not to fall in love. At the end of the original, the curse is apparently broken, but now in this sequel, it’s established that the curse never went away. Sally’s eldest daughter Kylie (Joey King) falls in love, but her prince charming Gideon (Xolo Maridueña) immediately gets hit by a car and thrown into a coma. After learning of the curse from her mother, Kylie travels to England to find answers. Sally and Gillian soon follow.

// DAVID VICARI

Practical Magic 2 is directed by Susanne Bier (Things We Lost in the Fire, Bird Box), and, while based on The Book of Magic novel by Alice Hoffman, it has the same major issue as 1998’s Practical Magic, which is an inconsistent tone. Sometimes the movie tries to be a whimsical comedy, but then it also really wants to be a dark supernatural thriller with oodles of digital effects. This is a mess of a movie, but the star power of Bullock and Kidman make it somewhat watchable. The two of them have good on-screen chemistry, and some of their witty banter will make you laugh.

The Weight

irector Padraic McKinley’s adventure/ thriller The Weight is not getting much in terms of a marketing campaign because it doesn’t have a highconcept hook, but it’s a solid effort aimed at grown-up audiences. Ethan Hawke plays Sam Murphy, a widower dad during the Great Depression. After being evicted from his apartment, a desperate Sam ends up being unfairly arrested and placed on a chain gang. His young daughter will soon be declared a ward of the state. The chain gang’s boss (Russell Crowe) offers Sam a proposition: Help transport gold bars from a mine across treacherous wooded/mountainous terrain to a pickup point where it will be handed over to government agents. The authorities fear that the mines will be raided by bandits since they know the gold will be gone soon. If that promise sounds sketchy, it is; however, the mere chance of getting his sentence reduced in time to reclaim his daughter causes Sam to accept. He travels with three other inmates: the loud-mouthed Rankin (Austin Amelio), the socialist

// FRITZ ESKER

Singh (Avi Nash), and the farm boy Olson (Lucas Lynggaard Tonnesen). They’re accompanied by two guards (Sam Hazeldine and George Burgess) and eventually a runaway Native American servant (Julia Jones). There are elements of Sorcerer, The Treasure of the Sierra Madre, and Deliverance in the film, but it all comes together well. Sam is a sympathetic protagonist with intelligence and practical skill who never seems super human. For example, The Weight accurately depicts what often happens to a human hand if it punches someone in the face a couple of times. Most movies do not. A solution for how to get the heavy bags of gold bars across a weak, rickety bridge is also tense but believable.

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Photos from left: Courtesy of Warner Brothers Studios, Fields Entertainment

NEW ORLEANS

Fall Restaurant Guide // October 2026

HOME OF THE

5 3 Wild Years: // EMILY HINGLE

A New Dawn at Global Wildlife Center

Global Wildlife Center in Folsom, LA, has been a staple experience for children on the north and south shores of Lake Pontchartrain for 35 years.

d fe uf t S

sh dfi Re

TASTE OF LOUISIANA. SOUND OF NEW ORLEANS. FRESH SEAFOOD LIVE JAZZ OYSTERS 72

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Photos: Courtesy of Pola Marketing

Ca ju n

717 Canal St New Orleans

he up-close exotic animal encounters have imbued visitors with fond memories of feeding a variety of animals such as deer, watusis, and llamas while also ingraining them with a deeper appreciation for fauna and the natural world. Passing this important anniversary, Global Wildlife Center has entered a new age of providing the utmost care for the increasing numbers of animals living on the grounds and their human caretakers. The pivot from open-air exotic animal zoo to impressive animal conservation facility with closeup encounters stems from the return of Christina Cooper in 2022 and the dedication of owner Maci Matherne, daughter of the late founder Ken

Global Wildlife Center’s facilities and amenities for people and animals have been modernized with the help of donors who raised enough funds through memberships, animal adoptions, and tree adoptions. Heated barns and shelters were erected for very cold days, and a special apparatus called a chute was purchased to contain the giraffes for veterinary services. Other features that weren’t available in the beginning include personal animal encounters with capybaras, kangaroos, and giant tortoises, as well as private Pinzgauer vehicle tours that can get people closer to the animals than ever before. One gets a sense of the lengths the center has gone through with the preserve animals and the over 900 acres of land the herds freely roam. Père David’s deer, which are technically extinct in the wild, cool off in watering holes they dig with their horns. The second-oldest giraffe in North America, named Kameel, is the matriarch of her tower, and her youngest progeny Noah was born in April 2026. Cooper excitedly stated, “From the beginning, we have maintained around 30 species of animals at our preserve. I’m excited to say that we brought in a species in 2023 that I have wanted for a very long time, the capybara, and have plans to introduce two new species at the Visitor Center in the coming months. We are also in the long-term planning stages for new species in the next several years, ones that we will be very excited to announce and bring to Global Wildlife when the time is right.” As Global Wildlife Center continues to evolve, Cooper, Matherne, and the devoted staff have plans to engage, entertain, and educate new generations while benefitting wildlife conservation programs around the globe. “I would like to see our Education and Outreach Department expand with a larger team and more opportunities for outreach into the community, as well as the development of our Ambassador Animal Program. I would love to see us add to our successes already achieved in the medical training behaviors for our giraffes and continue to train for full utilization of our new chute system with our veterinary and animal care teams. I’d like to continue to invest in building our passionate team, exciting new memorable experiences, and facility infrastructure so that we can continue to foster global appreciation of wildlife through immersive learning for our next 35 years,” Cooper concluded.

Photos: Courtesy of Pola Marketing

Matherne. Cooper’s adoration of these beautiful creatures and her noble mission to conserve them has propelled her through nearly every role there starting in 1996 when she was just out of college. She left the center in 2010 to work in the field of animal conservation and rehabilitation internationally but then found her way back to Global Wildlife Center. “I had the honor of participating in two research projects in South Africa, and they have been critically important in preparing me for the role of executive director at Global Wildlife,” Cooper said. “One was at Phinda Private Game Preserve studying black and white rhino, elephant, cheetah, and lion populations and the other at Moholoholo Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre rehabilitating and caring for orphaned and injured South African wildlife. In addition to solidifying my passion for wildlife conservation, it also gave me valued experience in animal care and an appreciation for the great obstacles faced protecting wildlife in their home range. That’s why I am so proud to have instituted Global Wildlife’s Quarters for Conservation Program, where guests to Global Wildlife can make a meaningful connection with our animals and support their native counterparts in the wild.” The Giraffe Conservation Foundation, Sahara Conservation Fund, and the International Crane Foundation are some of the nonprofit organizations that have received funds from the Quarters for Conservation Program. Under Cooper’s leadership, Global Wildlife Center has experienced change for the better not just for the increasing number of animals but also gainfully employing the people who care for them. Global Wildlife Center means to be the “best place to work” in Louisiana. The staff has grown in size, including a full-time veterinarian, and they are granted benefits they did not have before. “We are continually striving to make Global Wildlife Center the best place to work in Louisiana, and there is always work to be done,” Cooper said. “It is so important to me to have an organizational culture of respect, inclusivity, and support for our team on all levels at Global Wildlife. Our people are our greatest asset, and we want them to be happy and thrive here. To that end, we are always working to create a warm and welcoming environment for our Global family and increase compensation, professional development opportunities, and benefits as we grow.”

Fall Restaurant Guide // October 2026

WHERE Y’BEEN

// GUSTAVO ESCANELLE

Midsummer Mardi Gras

Cleaning Services for: • Residential

Southern Decadence

‘‘Good Food at Good Prices” – SINCE 1946 -

1751 St. Charles Avenue [504] 525-9131 PleaseuNOLA.com

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Bilingual, free estimates!

DON’T MISS THE

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All photos courtesy of Gustavo Escanelle

• Post-construction

Fall Restaurant Guide // October 2026

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 2, 2026 ABITA SPRINGS TRAILHEAD • GATES OPEN AT 4:00 PM

DUMPSTAPHUNK BONERAMA • FLOW TRIBE HONEY ISLAND SWAMP BAND • ELECTRIC RAMBLE

October 2026: Fall Restaurant Guide