Newsletter 43 - November 2 to 8

NOLAlicious #43, November 2 to 8, 2010

While many of you enjoyed Voodoo this past Saturday, or getting ready for Halloween, I spent the day biking around the Marigny, the Quarter and Uptown, wandering through the streets on a beautiful fall day, letting my sweet tooth guide the way. I headed straight to Meltdown Popsicles, then debated stopping at Creole Creamery or Sucre, thought about Little Vic's, toyed with the idea of biking to Brocato's, but lucked into finding Hansen's on the last day of the sno-ball season. I considered trying something from their amazing Halloween menu, but decided a cream of nectar and cream of almond combination would be the best way to end the season, a "classic" according to the man in front of me.

Small parts of my perfect NOLA day.

In last week's newsletter, we asked you to email us your perfect New Orleans day, and we said we'd feature the top entries. We'll start by sharing Morgan Packard's:

"My perfect New Orleans day would begin waking up to the sounds of my Irish Channel neighborhood greeting the sun (from dogs to children to calls from one friend to the other across short fences to the scrape of trash cans along the sidewalk). A leisurely bath, with bubbles, while listening to Heavy D on WWOZ. Then, finding the perfect parking space with no meter, my fiancé and I would grab beignets and café au lait to-go from Café du Monde (Where else?). The afternoon would be spent strolling the streets of the French Quarter - visiting galleries, ducking into antiques, sneezing over dusty records a with at least one break for mimosas at The Court of Two Sisters. That would be followed by a relaxing meal with people-watching included, maybe at Irene's. Then the music (there has to be music), which means moving the car to below Frenchmen and wandering that magical street until the siren call of one club or another draw us in to get lost in the sounds (and a few drinks). We would emerge as the street quiets, but just before dawn, and drive home laughing and comparing notes on the music, what we saw and the people we met. Then it would be time to crawl into bed just as our neighborhood wakes and greets the new day."

Thank you, Morgan!

What's your perfect New Orleans day? We're always looking to learn more about NOLA: email editor@nolalicious.com with your PERFECT New Orleans day, and we'll feature a couple more top entries in upcoming issues of NOLAlicious. Thank you for sharing!

Yours,

NOLAlicious Picks

EAT   New Orleans is all about the throwback charm, from horse-drawn carriages clattering through the Quarter, to the early 20th century tunes echoing from jazz clubs, to the gorgeous architecture of the shotguns in the Marigny. But we've yet to find anywhere that kicks it old school quite like Angelo Brocato's, an Italian ice cream parlor in Mid-City whose founder and namesake learned the art of crafting fine desserts in his native Italy before crossing the pond to open his own shop in New Orleans back in 1905. To this day, stepping into the darling little storefront is like falling into the pages of a history book - except way tastier. Angelo's own descendants serve up monstrous, puffy pastries, authentic Italian lemon ice and spumoni, and velvety gelato in to-die-for flavors like gooey, glorious praline. Ride the streetcar up to their Carrollton location for the ultimate old-fashioned outing. 214 N. Carrollton. Tuesday - Thursday 10:00am-10:00pm, Friday and Saturday 10:00am-10:30 pm, Sunday 10:00am-9:00pm, closed Mondays. 504-486-1465.

GO  We know there are some of you out there that cannot be bother until you've had your morning cup of coffee. Man do we have the place for you to be! It's the 2nd Annual New Orleans Coffee Festival! As part of the Freret Street Market, this interesting fest is just right for those caffeine connoisseurs out there. Over 100 vendors will be on hand for those who love to celebrate, learn about and most importantly, drink coffee! Saturday, November 6th. 12:00pm-5:00pm. Freret Market.

SEE  We are sure that many of you enjoyed the awesome art and artists that were part of Prospect 1 New Orleans. Well, this Saturday Prospect 1.5 New Orleans kicks off a whole new round of new art installations, music food and fun. Head down to the Julia Street Galleries for the kickoff party at the Le Mieux Gallery. If you can't make this one, don't fret: there will be plenty more show to see over the next few months. 6:00pm-9:00pm. 332 Julia Street.

GO  Word nerds rejoice! The New Orleans Book Fair fast approaches, starting with a kickoff party at Sound Cafe on Friday night. A veritable bookworm-palooza, the evening will feature live readings by Sarah K. Inman from her novel The Least Resistance, set in post-Katrina Uptown, and Jordan Flaherty, author of the radical activism tell-all Floodlines: Community and Resistance from Katrina to the Jena 6. And as if that weren't delightful enough, the always-scrumptious Cake Cafe and Bakery will provide refreshments. Be there and be square! Friday, November 5th. 6:00pm. FREE. 2700 Chartres Street.

LAGNIAPPE  Katrina & Beyond - Much has been said, written, sung, painted, and performed to express the impact Hurricane Katrina has had on New Orleans, but no project has been quite as comprehensive and, most of all, interactive, as the Living with Hurricanes: Katrina and Beyond exhibit at the Presbyterian on Jackson Square. The 6,700 square-foot multimedia spectacular opened last week through the Louisiana State Museum, aspiring to be "the world's definitive hurricane exhibition." The exhibit fuses the personal, the political, the scientific and the artistic in a series of immersive environments and installations in an attempt to give the visitor an in-depth understanding of Katrina on both a local and national level. The interactive component is extended into cyberspace as the Museum invites those with stories, videos and photos relating to Katrina to share them on their Facebook page. Hit "like" and peep the wall for posts from locals and updates on all of LSM's exhibits. 751 Chartres Street. Open Tue-Sun 10:00am-4:00pm.

JOBS

What we're loving...

Here's how you can support NOLAlicious:

• Spread the word and forward the newsletter to five friends.
• Buy the 2011 NOLAlicious Calendar.
• Buy (and wear!) a NOLAlicious t-shirt.
• Make your next New Orleans-related book or music purchase through the NOLAlicious Amazon store.
• Send us a tip about what we would love in New Orleans.
• Sponsor an upcoming issue of NOLAlicious.