Even though it’s been operating since last Sunday, this morning was the official christening of the Carrollton section of the St. Charles Streetcar line.  A few hundred locals came to celebrate, including Mayor Ray Nagin, Congressman Steve Scalise, City Council President Jackie Clarkson, Councilwoman Shelly Midura, State Representative Neil Abramson, Dr. Ed Blakely, and various other RTA officials.  The Storyville Stompers served as the live entertainment before and after all of the speeches and political photo-ops.  Mayor Nagin even decreed that June 28 would forever be St. Charles and Carrollton Avenue Streetcar day.

After everyone was recognized and thanked for making the Streetcar roll again, all of the public well-wishers were given a free ride via the Streetcar down to Palmer Park for the Art Market, sponsored by the Arts Council of New Orleans.  The enthusiasm of the people from the neighborhood was incredible.

Today was another great example of how New Orleans celebrates anything and everything.  I can only think of a few other cities, such as San Francisco, that would celebrate public transportation quite like this.  Just another great example of how New Orleans will turn something we take for granted and make it into a special event.  Two weeks ago it was tomatoes.  Today it’s public transit.

The Gulf Coast is home to over a dozen historic forts and battlefields, of which at least five are in the New Orleans area. Saturday was the grand reopening of Fort Pike which was heavily damaged by the storm surge of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Unlike Fort Morgan and Fort Gaines, Confederate troops at Fort Pike were never involved in a battle against invading Federals. In 1862 the fort was taken virtually without firing a shot because almost all of the stationed troops were fighting Yankees in Vicksburg, MS. From that point Federal troops retained control of the fort throughout the Civil War. Fort Macomb, just down the road from Fort Pike, had a similar turn of events. Today Fort Macomb is an overrun heap of weeds and decaying mortar and bricks.

To kick off the reopening of Fort Pike Confederate reinactors set up camp and performed weapons demonstrations along with classes on camp life and cooking. The living history exhibits were graciously provided by the Slidell Battery and Washington Artillery of New Orleans.

Fort Pike is smaller than most forts along the Gulf Coast and it doesn’t feature a museum, but it does offer a great insight into an interesting chapter of New Orleans history. The restoration and promotion of this historic site is important for the state of Louisiana and the entire Gulf Coast. Let’s hope Fort Macomb is next on the list.

Perhaps the most well known historic site in the New Orleans area is the Chalmette Battlefield located in St. Bernard Parish. The battle took place on January 8, 1815, with over 2,000 British losses while the Americans only lost about 100 troops. At the time New Orleans was the third largest port in the US so a British victory would had been a major victory. An interesting footnote to the battle was that a peace treaty (Treaty of Ghent) had already been signed signifying the end of the war, but the news had not made it South yet. In fact the Gulf Coast British invasion continued even after New Orleans with the Battle of Fort Bowyer at the mouth of Mobile Bay.

Due to flooding in 2005 the museum has been reduced to a video and a few posters in a trailer. According to the National Park Ranger, the battlefield and cemetery held over 7 feet of water for at least three days following Hurricane Katrina. The Malus-Beauregard house (pictured below) is still damaged and not open to the public.

The cemetery is fantastic with giant oak trees, a cistern, and various markers and monuments for over 15,000 troops ranging from the War of 1812 to the Vietnam War.

This past weekend the French Quarter hosted the Creole Tomato Festival, Seafood Festival, and Cajun-Zydeco Festival. All three were virtually next to each other with all of the activity focusing around the Old US Mint and the French Market. Aside from some spotty showers the crowd was great and really got into the spirit of the event. It appeared a Zydeco dancing club came out because there was a large contingency of good dancers who all seemed to know choreographed steps and moves. Everyone was also eating a lot and buying tomatoes by the bag. Chef Paul Prudhomme even make an appearance and entertained the crowd with a cooking demonstration. New Orleans has about a dozen small scale festivals each year and these three, when combined into one event, was really worth going to. It was also free which is hard to beat. Below are some pictures taken on Friday and Saturday.

Old US Mint, French Market, and Zydeco:

Seafood:

Tomatoes:

In the past two weeks New Orleans has added two new attractions- The Southern Food and Beverage Museum and Ron Forman’s pet project, the Audubon Insectarium.

The Ogden Museum of Southern Art is running a summer special that gets you into both the Ogden and SoFAB for only $10. I took advantage of the deal with the intention of hitting the rotating exhibit at the Ogden and spending a good portion of time at the new food museum. Step one worked out fine but I was pretty disappointed in SoFAB (for the record I didn’t make up that ridiculous acronym- the museum is trying to make it their clever marketing tool). Essentially the “Southern” museum is currently an esoteric exhibit featuring New Orleans and Gulf Coast food, followed up with a strange room dedicated to Chef’s and dinging trends in the White House. Is DC even part of the South? I guess since it mainly focuses on Thomas Jefferson, a native Virginian, the section fits the bill.

Subjects like local chicory coffee, French bread, sno-balls, gulf seafood, and special food events like St. Joseph’s Day gatherings are all covered throughout the museum. The more common southern staples like fried chicken, sweet tea, cornbread, bar-b-que, boiled peanuts, pie, and okra are suspiciously absent. I don’t have a problem with the accuracy of the exhibit but I do think the name of the museum is misleading. Louisiana, Gulf Coast, or even New Orleans should be in the title instead of “Southern.”

With the exception of coffee, the ‘Beverage’ portion of the museum is not yet open to the public. They do seem to be working on it and a sign is posted promising that it should be open later this summer.

The museum includes a modest gift shop that fronts onto the Riverwalk shopping mall. The shop does not sell any food but they do have a large line of SoFAB t-shirts and cookbooks.

I really want this museum to survive and greatly improve. My suggestion is that they at least sell pralines in the gift shop and incorporate a more interactive approach in the exhibits. For starters they could have several TV’s playing clips from the local food and restaurant documentaries made by WYES in the 1980’s. They run constantly on PBS and offer great insight into local cooking, regional ingredients, and the culture of eating out on the Gulf Coast. I think they would really improve the experience of the museum.

Since I made the move to New Orleans in July 2005 I have been on a quest to find good local Bar-B-Que. That and sweet tea that didn’t involve me having to add a chemical substitute sweetener. After searching for three years, I found both last Saturday at The Joint on Poland Ave. in the Bywater. They offer a full menu including pulled pork, brisket, chicken, ribs, and great side items. Their sauce is not mustard based but is heavily vinegar based with a light amount of spice. Other than The Joint, I would only recommend Walker’s (NO East) and Ugly Dog on Tchoupitoulas for Bar-B-Que in Orleans Parish. Below are pictures of the chicken, pulled pork sandwich, bbq beans, potato salad, and macaroni and cheese.

After Saturday’s triumph I decided to press my luck and sample the local flavor at the first ever Oak Street BBQ Block Party which benefited the local NOPD. The event featured Walter ‘Wolfman’ Washington, Johnny Sketch, and various food and art vendors. Events like these are created by local Main Street organizations set up through the Louisiana State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO). The recently created Oak Street Main Street organization got off to a great start with the successful Po-Boy Preservation Festival last November. The BBQ Block Party was a low key follow up that was geared more towards the neighborhood rather than a citywide event. Below are pictures from various restaurants and vendors covering everything from ribs to chicken to pork chops. Oak Street is slowly reemerging as a relevant player in the rebirth of Carrollton- and just in time with the Carrollton streetcar line due to reopen next week.

Click HERE for the article on wwltv.com

Click HERE for the video from the WWL morning show.

Like a constant that never fades or changes, the Le Carpentier Mansion, better known as the Beauregard-Keyes House, is a romantic and unique building like no other in the French Quarter.

Since its construction in 1826, the building has survived ravenous fires and seen a war come to its doorstep. The building even housed three of New Orleans’ first historic preservation organizations, formed to protect important local landmarks.

Before construction began, the land across from the Ursuline Convent stayed vacant from 1727 until 1824. At the time, it was part of a walled tract of land belonging to the Ursuline nuns.

The city was expanding and the master plan called for the expansion of Chartres Street through their property. The land was surveyed and sold as individual tracts to the highest bidder.

Joseph Le Carpentier and his wife Modeste Blache purchased the land with the intention of building a house larger than their current space on Bourbon Street. Joseph had seen significant financial success partly due to business ventures with Baratarians Jean Lafitte and Rene Beluche. Now with land and money, he commissioned well know architect Francois Correjolles to construct his Greek Revival family house.

Correjolles was one of the most famous local architects in the 19th century and was one of the first native-born Americans to achieve success as an architect in New Orleans. By way of Baltimore followed by Cuba, he moved to New Orleans in 1809.

Besides being a prominent architect, he also was a war veteran after fighting with Andrew Jackson in the Battle of New Orleans in 1815. After the war, he concentrated on his career, which consistently reflected the American influence on local Creole architecture.

The Beauregard-Keyes house is a perfect example of mixing traditional local styles and techniques with modern American ideals. Essentially the house is a raised Greek Revival townhouse built upon an English basement.

The entrance is set within a broad raised gallery with stairs leading up from the street at either end. Flanking and above the front entrance and set above all interior hallway doors are intricate transoms. Unlike standard single pane transoms that open for circulation, these feature unique glass and muntin designs function for beauty and to increase light from room to room.

Casement, or double, doors open to a wide center hall, which is a space associated with the American building tradition. It was also associated with large rural houses built throughout the Southern United States. The hall ends with a space perpendicular to it with smaller rooms at either end.

That central space, now the dining room, was originally an open gallery with Cabinets in the Creole tradition.

Drawings survive showing an earlier plan for this house with no center hall and a more narrow elevation. These drawings seem to be grappling with the problem of how to graft a center hall, a fifth bay and a front gallery onto what might be otherwise be an enlarged Creole cottage plan. These early drawings prove the struggle between building types.

In 1833 the house was sold to John A. Merle, the Consul of Switzerland. An avid gardener, he was responsible for adding the garden in the corner lot, which included planned hedges and walkways. This has been well documented and is still respectively in tact today.

The building changed hands again in 1841 when Josephine Laveau Trudeau, widow of the Creole merchant Manuel Andry, purchased the building. It was during her ownership that the house was lent to Confederate General Pierre G. T. Beauregard and his wife Caroline Deslonde for a honeymoon house.

This would not be the only time Beauregard would stay at 1113 Chartres Street. After the Civil War, he returned to his native Louisiana and lived in the house for eighteen months.

The story of the Beauregard-Keyes house took an unexpected turn in 1900 when Italian wine dealers occupied it. The mafia was a prominent fixture at the time, and in 1909 members of the Giancona family were gunned down on site while sitting on the front gallery.

Months later, the suspects were invited into the house for dinner only to be ambushed in retaliation. By 1925 the house was in such poor shape the owners applied to have the house demolished with the intention to build a macaroni factory on site.

It was hearing this disturbing news that compelled local activists to create the Beauregard Association and La Renaissance du Vieux Carre in order to save the house and promote preservation and restoration of the French Quarter.

Appropriately, 20 years later, the Louisiana Landmarks Society was founded in the same house.

A formal restoration began in 1944 when Frances P. Keyes purchased the house. Keyes, a novelist, went so far as so restore the house, gardens and create the Keyes Foundation, which still entrusts the house and tends to its preservation. Keyes wrote many of her best-selling books on site, among them were Dinner at Antoine’s and Blue Camellia.

Today, the Beauregard-Keyes House is a functioning house museum and is open to the public for guided tours. The tour includes all of the restored interior spaces, the side and rear courtyards, the rear service buildings and the viewing of many of Beauregard’s heirlooms. The house also features the most complete antique doll collection in New Orleans.

As Always, thanks to Bradley Handwerger for taking pictures, posting the articles, and keeping me on task.

The Old Crow Medicine Show rolled into the French Quarter last Thursday and played two great sets at the House of Blues for what looked like a packed house. Seeing as how the average age of the crowd was probably 23 I would say a new generation has certainly taken to bluegrass and Americana music in New Orleans.

OCMS played everything I expected to hear, including Wagon Wheel, Tell It To Me, and Tear It Down. After hiking over the James River last year on the Appalachian Trail I was hoping to hear James River Blues but it didn’t make the setlist. They did play Caroline and any other song they could remember that mentioned Louisiana or New Orleans, including the country classic Louisiana Saturday Night. They made it continually clear that they were happy to be in “New Orleeens” and appreciated the French Quarter. Rumor had it they were spotted earlier in the day taking band photos around Jackson Square.

It was nice to see New Orleans supporting music other than local styles. I was a little nervous about what size crowd would show because I had heard that the show was not a sellout. I have seen Yonder Mountain String Band and Gillian Welch in New Orleans and both shows were horribly attended. I felt embarrassed because both of these bands sellout giant auditoriums and venues everywhere else. It was a relief to see a solid crowd come out this time- most even sang along.

Stuart McNair Band

Speaking of bluegrass, I think it’s about time I added the links and pictures for my older brother, Stuart McNair. Stuart has been playing music most of his life and has been a part of all types of bands, playing his way across the United States. He is currently based out of Birmingham and leads a bluegrass/Americana/Zydeco band. Below are pictures and a video from a Birmingham show performed a few weeks ago. The Stuart McNair Band plays all over the Southeast including festivals.

In addition to playing and writing music, Stuart is also a an avid steward of the earth, an Appalachian backpacker, a vegan, and probably the smartest person I know. I don’t think the man ever made below an ‘A’ from the time he could talk though his final classes at The University of Alabama.

Click the links to stay informed and be his friend if you have a facebook or myspace account. Also check out his page on iLike for tons of free music. New Orleanians might want to especially take a listen to Make Levees Not War and Season of the Hurricane. As you might have noticed in the background of the pictures, Stuart typically hangs a ‘Rebirth Louisiana’ flag at his shows as a reminder to people that the Gulf Coast still needs some attention. His last show in New Orleans was in the Spring of 2006 and received some fanfare on WTUL and WWOZ. When he makes it back this way I highly recommend checking it out. Bring your dancing shoes.

I know, I know- anytime you use the word “best” when referring to a restaurant in New Orleans everyone from Nutria trappers to King Rex himself come out of the woodwork to tell you you’re wrong. If a place in town has a better variety of fish on the menu, I haven’t found it yet. GW Fins offers a daily updated menu that covers about 15 types of fresh fish, including New Bedford Sea Scallops that are flown in every day. They also offer a very comprehensive wine selection and can match any wine to your fish o choice.  It’s essentially the premise of a large menu steakhouse but with fish. Below are pictures of the Louisiana Triggerfish served over Yukon gold potatoes with a side of jumbo lump crabmeat, capers, and asparagus. The second dish is a blackened Louisiana Swordfish served over mashed potatoes with a side of fried oysters and sauteed spinach.

The gumbo had a thick dark roux with a good seafood and okra flavor. The shrimp were fresh and the flavors worked well due to fresh jumbo lump crabmeat added just before it was served. This technique is a smart move because it keeps the crabmeat flavor strong in the gumbo and doesn’t boil away the flavor while simmering. This is a page out of the Brennan’s playbook.

The dessert was a nice touch but nothing to get excited about. The fruit tasted fresh but the cheesecake could had been from anywhere.

Overall a great meal and the best fish I’ve had in years.

This weekend was the 35th annual New Orleans Greek Festival on Bayou St. John. This was my third year to visit the fest and I feel like it only gets bigger and better every year. I also did the 5K race (26:20) Friday night which included a well organized run, a good t-shirt, and a ticket for the festival which was valid for the entire weekend. Opa indeed my Grecian friends.

Elizabeth’s is everything a neighborhood restaurant should be. The prices are reasonable and you don’t have to sit next to Midwesterners on vacation. Elizabeth’s also features a great selection of daily specials. Below are pictures of the fried froglegs, crabcakes, crawfish etouffee, and vegetable plate with red beans and rice. I was thrilled to see froglegs as a daily special because I remembered enjoying them as a kid but hadn’t seen them on a menu in about ten years. I wasn’t disappointed. If you have never had froglegs they taste like a combination of fish and chicken but lean towards the consistency of chicken. Snake is very similar but leans towards the consistency of fish.

The crabcakes, red beans and rice, and crawfish etouffee were great but standard for local restaurants. I thought the vegetables were fine but they covered up too much of the natural flavors with sugar and butter.

I rank Elizabeth’s as one of the top restaurants in the Bywater and would go back if I was hungry and in the neighborhood

Cochon advertises as a Southern and Cajun restaurant. This is the case if by Southerners they mean fancy pants carpetbaggers who watch too much Top Chef. The reality is Cochon is more of a fusion restaurant that mixes old Southern and Creole concepts with a modern and trendy twist. Don’t expect country fried steak and pork chops but do expect a meal that is original and like no other in New Orleans. I also recommend reservations.

Not being a pork lover I went the alternate route and tried just about everything else on the menu. Below are pictures of the frogleg special, softshell crab special, black eyed pea soup, crawfish pie, grits, shrimp and eggplant casserole, and crawfish pie casserole. I also tried a mojito and a mint julep. A feast.

If you only have time for one dish, go for the shrimp and eggplant casserole. It’s not too heavy and large enough to share. In fact all of the side’s are large enough for two.

If you love the Southern standards but want a little something different with comfort food ingredients then Cochon is your place.

Casamento’s. The name is synonymous with oysters. Not just any oysters, but the best fried and raw oysters this side of the Mississippi. The batter is made from cornflour so the oysters come out crunchy but the natural flavor is not lost or covered up in the process. I also recommend the gumbo and oyster stew. Don’t expect a French bread po-boy because the only bread served is large buttered Texas toast (pan bread) for oyster and shrimp loafs. They also scored major points for serving sweet tea, which sets them apart from almost every other restaurant in New Orleans.

No reservations or credit cards accepted and you should expect to wait at least twenty minutes if you come around noon. The upside to waiting is you can enjoy freshly shucked oysters while standing in line. Saturday was their last day open for the season but their doors will reopen in September.

The perfect crawfish boil is something of a science and a topic of debate. Standard boils include fresh live crawfish, cajun spices and salt, corn, potatoes, garlic cloves, lemons, onions, and sometimes sausage. The crawfish boil I went to on Sunday made me forget everything I knew about boiling and the usual contents. This boil included everything I already listed, including sausage, but also included fresh uncut portobello mushrooms, brussel sprouts, cut oranges, and cut celery. My knee jerk reaction was that the brussel sprouts had to be a joke or were thrown in by accident. They boiled perfectly and absorbed the spices making them the best sprouts I have ever eaten. Same goes for the mushrooms. It appears that crawfish boils aren’t just for crawfish anymore.