Weekend Cheat Sheet: November 2015
Shop Smart: Don’t fret about last-minute holiday shopping — enjoy it instead!
Friday
Lunch at: Just because it’s cool outside, doesn’t mean it isn’t a great time to tiki! Beachbum Berry’s Latitude 29 in the French Quarter is like stepping onto the movie set for Blue Hawaii with lots of bamboo, wooden carvings and (of course) a choice rum bar. Chef Chris Shortall offers an eclectic menu all intertwined with flavors from the Caribbean. Menu highlights include the mahimahi banh mi sandwich with coconut oil-poached fish from the Gulf of Mexico; the five-spice pork rillettes with pineapple mustard; and the Loco Moco (an 8-ounce beef patty topped with a fried egg and draped in a shiitake mushroom/soy sauce glaze over coconut rice). Don’t set sail on your shopping adventures before indulging in a tiki drink or two. We highly recommend the Pontchartrain Pearl Diver — an iced buttered rum with passion fruit, lime and Jamaica rum. 321 N. Peters St., (504) 609-3811, latitude29nola.com
Shop at: Easily one of the most elegant malls in the Greater New Orleans area, The Shops at Canal Place is home to some of the most exclusive retailers in the country, from Saks Fifth Avenue and Anthropologie to White House | Black Market and Tiffany & Co. While you’re shopping, you can kick it up a notch with a little caffeine at Starbucks Coffee, or spoil yourself a little with a much needed holiday manicure at Paris Parker Aveda Salon & Spa. The best part? If you spend more than $20 in any of the shops, you can get your parking validated at the concierge desk on the first floor, which considerably lowers your fee … and why not? Haven’t you already spent enough today? 333 Canal St., (504) 522-9200, theshopsatcanalplace.com
Sip ’n’ Snack at: Slip into St. Lawrence for post-shopping elevated bar fare and a nightcap. Located on N. Peters Street only a hop from the shops, this self-described gastropub is a perfect place for a bite and a drink or two before heading home. Sip on a St. Lawrence (made with Cathead Vodka, elderflower liqueur and passion fruit purée), while munching on crispy confit wings with a Crystal Hot Sauce pepper jelly glaze or smothered and covered fries with Tasso-chicken gravy and sharp cheddar. 219 N. Peters St., (504) 525-4111, saintlawrencenola.com
Saturday
Revive at: Dedicated to coffee, food and community, Church Alley Coffee Bar on Oretha Castle Haley Boulevard in Central City offers fresh, delicious brews from roasters all over the country and a small, health-focused food menu with locally sourced ingredients. Located inside the Zeitgeist Multi-Disciplinary Arts Center, you can enjoy pour-overs crafted from Chemex or Hario V60 and espresso drinks, like a rich macchiato or a frothy cappuccino, before exploring the rest of the building. 1618 Oretha Castle Haley Blvd., (504) 638-0032, churchalleycoffeebar.com
Shop at: Held the third Saturday of every month, the OCH Art Market is family friendly, free and the perfect spot to discover unique, handmade gifts from local artists and crafts people. Located in a historic building on Oretha Castle Haley Boulevard in Central City, the market is now a recognized as a Cultural Products District. That means means there is no sales tax on original art. The OCH Art Market also offers live music, food from local vendors and delicious libations — something anyone with a heavy-duty, pre-holiday shopping schedule would appreciate. 1618 Oretha Castle Haley Blvd., (985) 250-0278, ochartmarket.com
Dine at: Located inside the new Southern Food & Beverage Museum, Purloo offers a modern dining space with an exposed ceiling and an open kitchen where guests can watch the magic happen before it arrives on their plate. Executive Chef Ryan Hughes and his sous chef Bryony Hensel have crafted lunch and dinner dishes heavily influenced by the flavors of the South. Try a low-country style she-crab soup made with Madeira wine, pecan-crusted short rib with house-made Tasso macaroni or a dreamy chocolate marquise with sea salt, pecans and candied orange peel. 1504 Oretha Castle Haley Blvd., (504) 324-6020, nolapurloo.com
Sunday
Brunch at: Delight in an enchanting brunch in one of the most lush and beautiful courtyards in the French Quarter at Cafe Amelie. Dubbed the Princess of Monaco courtyard (because that’s who originally resided in the surrounding townhouses) the space is often used for glorious weddings and other private events, but the cafe is open to the public Wednesday through Sunday. Easily one of the best meals of the day, Cafe Amelie offers a tasty weekend brunch with dishes like Amelie oysters with creamed spinach and artichokes, fried chicken and waffles with andouille gravy and a blackened catfish sandwich with Cajun mayonnaise on fresh ciabatta bread. 912 Royal St., (504) 412-8965, cafeamelie.com
Shop at: For over two centuries, the New Orleans French Market has been a hub of commerce and progress. What began as a Native American trading post, has evolved into an area of the French Quarter that offers restaurants, cafes, a daily flea market, farmers market, live music, festivals, holiday events, chef demonstrations and more! Find that perfectly unique thingamabob that Aunt Josephine has always wanted at the flea market, or pick up jars of local honey from Barataria Preserve for Cousin Drew. 1008 N. Peters St., (504) 522-2621, frenchmarket.org
Relax at: Muriel’s Jackson Square can be the kind of restaurant you visit to celebrate a wedding engagement or a graduation, or because you couldn’t resist the aroma while walking past the front door. Renovated in 2001 from what had originally been a personal residence, Muriel’s oozes Creole culture and history from the French doors and exposed-brick walls to Chef Eric Veney’s turtle soup and double cut pork chop with a Louisiana sugar cane/apple glaze. Don’t forget to tip your hat to the French Quarter restaurant’s most famous resident ghost Pierre Antoine Lepardi Jourdan — it’s still his house after all. 801 Chartres St., (504) 568-1885, muriels.com