New Orleans and Jazz Fest 2015

       The first weekend of The New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Fest 2015 was not pretty, but it was great fun. My fave band Wilco, Jimmy Cliff, The Who, Jon Cleary and other world class musicians played on numerous stages to bring the groove to an enthusiastic crowd. Fantastic food was available at all times for small money (more about that later). A really good vibe prevailed with lots of smiles, even the rain. Yes, as always, Jazz Fest offered some great gifts.

 

John Legend at Jazz Fest

Maybe the greatest gift of these is a stay in the city of New Orleans. It is a beautiful, decadent and slightly decayed city. Tennessee Williams famously said: "America has only three cities: New York, San Francisco, and NEW ORLEANS. Everywhere else is Cleveland." After this trip, I’m thinking maybe he had a point. NOLA has lots of friendly people, a very unique cultural heritage, and musical talent that can go toe to toe with any city, anywhere on Earth.

Then there's that food --- the melding of Southern, Cajun, and Creole traditions that creates a truly heavenly cuisine. Good food is so easy to come by in New Orleans that it’s almost impossible not to indulge. Gluttony then becomes compounded by the incredibly high caloric ingredients in many of those delicious snax --- that chicken and sausage gumbo, that crawfish strudel (my vote for “Best of Fest”), that sticky caramel cake with sour cream ice cream. The late, great New Orleans chef Austin Leslie once told my ex, “Well, honey, we ain’t supposed to live forever!”

One thing I learned this trip is how much I missed New Orleans cooking. You really can’t get it in the Boston area (at least not since the Cajun Yankee closed in the mid-80s). If you could, the fish would undoubtedly be frozen and the shrimp headless. No, no. Best not to mess with a good thing. Get yourself down to the Big Easy and take these reviews and suggestions fresh from my trip:

1.) JAZZ FEST FOOD: It is remarkably good, fairly inexpensive, and well-worth deep exploration. For many years Crawfish Monica --- a crawfish and fusilli pasta in a crawfish cream sauce --- was queen. The Twins brought up a massive quantity of the stuff for their 40^th birthday some years ago and everyone raved. But there are new contenders. Now I nominate the Crawfish Strudel as top dish, although Softshell Crab Po’ Boy and Crawfish Sacks (crawfish in a creamy mixture in a thin dough “sack”) are strong persuaders. All of my “krewe” deeply loves and pays daily homage to the combo plate of Seafood Au Gratin, Artichoke and Spinach casserole and Sweet Potato Pone. I believe this last dish was $14, a high price due to its three food components. And for dessert, I like the Aztec Chocolate Gelato with a single espresso poured over it (a nice “pick-me-up” while everyone else is drinking beer). For potables, I go for the herbal iced tea or bottled water, or maybe the strawberry lemonade for a bit of sweetness. I don't believe any other music festival can compare its food to New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Fest. 

2. FELIX’S. In the French Quarter Felix’s Restaurant and Oyster Bar on Iberville (and Acme Oyster under the same ownership) offers heavenly bivalves. For 70 years this hallowed eatery a mere block off Bourbon Street has been Oyster Heaven. They shuck ‘em right there at the bar, so you can belly up and graze on raw oysters to your tummy’s contentment. However, I strongly suggest that you try the roasted oysters, which are gently roasted in the broiler with a bit of butter, parsley and garlic. The fried oysters are also amazing, if more commonly available in other places. You can also enjoy very tasty gumbo, crawfish, and NOLA seafood faves with reasonable prices and informal surroundings. It’s a must.

Oven roasted oysters at Felix. Delish!

3. SAVEUR. Over on Magazine Street, chef Dominique Machquet has been furthering his skills and reputation for the last five years at his restaurant Saveur. He garnered praise from local and national press in the late 90s, including Esquire and Bon Appetit, which named his pre-Katrina project Dominique’s one of the top 7 restaurants in the country in ’98. Chef Dominique also had the distinction of serving Nelson Mandela his first meal outside of prison.

Anyway, Saveur is a mainstay of New Orleans fine dining in a fairly casual (and fairly noisy) atmosphere. However, I must report that I was somewhat disappointed. Service was spotty and slow. And even though the fish crudo small plates were tasty and creative, my main dish, a soft shell crab special, looked better than it tasted. There was nothing special or especially flavorful in the preparation, and it arrived tepid.

Soft Shell Crab at Saveur

4. PECHE. My favorite meal in New Orleans this year was at Peche, a New Orleans seafood restaurant located at the corner of Magazine and Julia Streets in the Warehouse District. The mission of the eatery -- to create fresh NOLA seafood dishes with “live fire” --- succeeds admirably, and has recently coveted two James Beard awards. The space is clean and modern, with a lovely bar.

Start out with some of the raw fish apps, like gulf shrimp or smoked tuna dip. My main course was the baked drum in a meyer lemon broth with young green peas (which tasted like edamame). It was superb. Don’t miss the vegetable sides, like the oh-so-tasty cauliflower gratin. Desserts are also wonderful. Do yourself a favor, make a res and head down to Peche for a wonderful meal.

Baked Drum Fish in Lemon Broth and Fresh Peas. The Winner!

Cauliflower gratin and beets in background

5. IGNATIUS EATERY. Restaurants like Ignatius Eatery prove that in many cases, simple succeeds admirably. Located at 3121 Magazine Street, this plain but comfortable eatery takes its name from the fictional character Ignatius Reilly, from the wonderful book Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole. Around the restaurant are quotations from the book, and there is a small but serviceable bar in the rear.

One in a series of quotes from Confederacy of Dunces

Drinks are certainly reasonable (the NOLA tradition, Pimm’s Cup, for $6), and the classic creole entrees, like Red Beans and Rice with Smoked Sausage, are delicious and inexpensive. We also enjoyed chicken and sausage gumbo, fried green tomatoes, shrimp remoulade, and shrimp with stone ground grits. For dessert, my friends were fighting over the last spoonfuls of Bananas Foster with ice cream. All of the dishes were excellent and easy on the wallet. Service was friendly and quick. This is a real find!

6. Restaurant R'evolution. Chefs John Folse and Rick Tramonto have teamed up to open a beautiful and high class destination restaurant attached to the Royal Sonesta Hotel at Iberville and Bourbon Streets in the Quarter. The food is generally excellent. One should not miss the beer battered crab beignets ($14) or the Creole Snapping Turtle Soup with Deviled Eggs. And my Crawfish-stuffed Redfish Napoleon was imaginative and superb, if a tad expensive ($35). My neighbor ordered the paneed veal chop with warm crab salad; it was enormous (and at $49, could feed two people easily). I ate dinner at a counter facing the kitchen, which was interesting and educational. However, as a single diner I felt somewhat under-served, which is to say sometimes ignored.

Crawfish-stuffed Redfish Napoleon

A Few Words About Preservation Hall:

Everyone knows (or should know, at least) about New Orleans Preservation Hall, founded in 1961 as a touring band, venue and center to honor the jazz heritage of the city. In 2012 The Preservation Hall Foundation was created as a non-profit here, and Preservation Hall has extended its mission to do outreach, education and extend its touring schedule. Its work is all about bringing the traditions of the jazz culture to people near and far. Preservation Hall deserves everyone’s respect and support. It is sacred ground in the Jazz World.

While in NOLA this time, some friends and I were invited to Preservation Hall for a cultivation event, and learned something about its rich history and exciting new programs. We also enjoyed some amazing trad jazz from its band.

Getting ready to "second line" the band at Preservation Hall

Please see: http://www.preshallfoundation.org/who-we-are-2/ for more information, and please consider a contribution to this worthy cause.