"JAZZ IT UP"
| 22 August 2009
New Orleans, well known for its food, mardi gras, wild bars, and JAZZ!- so I leave the last post with a little sweet note from (hopefully) the next Joe “King” Oliver!
Anywhere you go in the city you will hear jazz coming out of the bars… but this was different, I had a much greater appreciation for this group of guys! It takes a lot of guts to stand out in the street and play their hearts out (for tips)- so hats off to all of you and I wish you the very best! Wrapping up the New Orleans trip was tough to do, but the BTK crew is heading to Africa in about 36 hours! Ouch, we have a ton left to get together! We will be filming in HD, so I guess it’s nice to see we are moving up in the world! Anyway, like everything, it comes together at the last minute! I personally still have to tape a segment on tomatoes sometime tomorrow…time….time…time….
I leave you with the words of New Orleans jazz legend Louis Armstrong-
"What we play is life. Musicians don't retire; they stop when there's no more music in them"
Chef Dave
TRAVEL. EAT. COOK.
DeDe- wins Best Street Food Award! (Lucky Dog)
| 22 August 2009
Lucky Dog-
New Orleans is filled with institutions- and Lucky Dog is no different! There are some 35 carts spread through the French Quarter serving up some of NOLA’s tastiest processed meat in a bun! Come on we all have to bend sometimes!
I approached the Lucky Dog cart on Bourbon St. right next to Felix’s Oyster Bar where I sort of met DeDe! She was running in and out of the frozen cocktail shop behind her “manned” cart! She was trying to watch the 1st Saints preseason game… fair enough!
Finally when I was able to capture her attention I got DeDe to make me whatever dog she like the most- I was just dying to get my hands wrapped around a famous Lucky Dog! Here is some video of DeDe whipping us up a killer Dog!
It is amazing that somehow Lucky Dog is the only licensed street vendor in the entire Quarter…hmmmm, how do you think this city operates? I suppose its all about who you know, but the public justification is that they were “grandfathered” in… emmmm hmmmm…
Exploring the New Orelans Underbelly!
| 22 August 2009
The NOLA Nightlife-
New Orleans I believe was the original “SIN CITY”! Walking deep into the underbelly of the French Quarter you never really know what’s going on with its tucked away bars, 2nd floor
“apartments”…, and vibrant neon signs!
For this adventure and needed to bring in my very good friend and 4th generation New Orleans native to show us around. My only specifics were that we did not stroll down Bourbon Street and bounce from one dodgy bar to the next! I mean come on after all it’s about the food! So I thought!
Ryan met us with another friend (Chris) at the apartment in the French Quarter- after a few good hellos and some locally brewed Abita’s (Purple Haze) we ventured into the unknown! Ryan shared with us how the city has been divided and is constantly changing since Katrina… It is really sad to hear this from a guy who’s family was so responsible for the birth of the city!
The venture started down a few side streets and then into a casual Irish pub, where we were only in the presence of 4 other people… this was a real interesting place, I mean how bizarre is it that they shared a bathroom with the bar that’s door was on the next street over, yet connected internally! So after a few pints we decided to pack it up and keep wondering around- Ryan led us to what he called the “locals neighborhood”….
We somehow landed up in some joint called the R-Bar. It seems (as we joke about it) that every time I am with Ryan he takes me to some place that has a weird chair inside! R-Bar had a 60 year old barber’s chair and a DJ spinning vinyl! On top of all that off the wall stuff they play 20-30 year old movies nonstop throughout the night as random walks of life wonder in and out…
Then dwindling around we found refuge in some no name entry way (that had plastic walk in cooler flaps pinned to the doorway) that hosted some 10 people, 2 deathly old sofas, no windows, and black lights on the way to the bathroom… it was even more bizarre then the first two places- but yet it made perfect sense at the time- don’t ask why!So, after enough Abita s we started to head back to the apartment-
....until someone had the genius idea that we make one last stop…. Why I have no idea, nobody was wanting anything but some sleep and a fat sandwich… but engulfed in great conversations we figured why not for old times! I can’t remember the name of the place, but we were the last of the Mohicans in that joint!
Just made it to grab a nightcap and see some guy drawing all over the walls- one would think it was going to be a mural, but when I walked by it was a drawing that said “Restrooms this way”… At that point it was time for us to call it a night!
Needless to say we all stopped and grabbed a Po Boy for a late night filler- then wound it down and decided libation time was over (5am)!
Ryan- thanks for sharing all the little secrets of NOLA-I can’t wait to be back and see what other weird places with random chairs you plan on taking me to!
I do know that the first seat I will sit at the next time is on Dec. 19th when my Dallas Cowboys tinker with your beloved Saints! Can’t Wait!!!
