Weekend Cheat Sheet: September 2013
For the ladies who don’t want to watch the game, leave your fella on the sidelines or in front of the TV and enjoy a girls’ weekend of pure indulgence.
Friday
Lunch at: Start the weekend right with an elegant lunch at MiLa, located on the corner of Common and Baronne Streets. Chefs Slade Rushing and Allison Vines-Rushing have joined their talents to bring a love of their home states—Mississippi and Louisiana—to the menu at MiLa. Their three-course prix fixe lunch is guaranteed to please your wallet and your palate with dishes like Braised Veal Cheeks with fried green tomato and horseradish cream or a Vanilla Bean Rice Pudding with rum-soaked raisins.
Sip at: Ultra-modern with a sparkling bar and luxuriously soft couches, Victory is a downtown gastropub luring in the corporate drones at happy hour and loosening their ties. Owner and famed mixologist Daniel Victory and his business partner Andrew Emery offer cocktails like “Lavender Fields,” with vodka, white grape juice, champagne and bitters, and “Beet the Lime,” with dark rum, beet reduction, brown sugar, lime and soda.
Get funky at: Hear and see some of the finest local and national musicians and performers at House of Blues. Opened in the mid-‘90s, the popular venue has rooted itself firmly in the New Orleans community, embracing her music and her food. Get your girlfriends together and get ready to dance all night to groups like Meschiya Lake & the Little Big Horns, Joe Satriani, Hanson, Sick Puppies and more!
Saturday
Brunch at: Spend a leisurely morning dining at one of the city’s newest restaurants, Dickie Brennan’s Tableau. Located in the heart of the French Quarter on one corner of Jackson Square, Tableau is the latest addition to the recently remodeled and historic Le Petit Theatre. Let chef Ben Thibodeaux show you all a great New Orleans-style brunch has to offer with dishes like Veal Grits & Grillades served in a traditional Madeira sauce or a Carrot Cake Pain Perdu served with Creole cream cheese ice cream.
Relax at: Located inside the Windsor Court Hotel on the corner of Gravier and Tchoupitoulas Streets, The Spa at Windsor Court offers custom body and facial treatments, massage therapy and a full-service salon. Surround yourself with old-world charm seamlessly combined with modern treatments and techniques. Let the professional and courteous staff provide you with a uniquely personal and luxurious spa experience. It’s the perfect way to relax after a busy day window shopping and before a lively evening spent dancing the night away.
Sip at: Pop on down to Frenchmen Street for a night of delicious revelry at Three Muses. Ever since the harmonic trio Chef Daniel Esses, Sophie Lee and Christopher Starnes opened this Marigny destination, it’s been a hit. After all, how could you go wrong with a bar that offers cocktails like the “Tequila Tiff,” with Avion Reposado, agave nectar, fresh-squeezed grapefruit juice and soda? Or how about a bistro that offers Kurobuta Pork Belly braised in hard apple cider and served with apple chutney and scallion pancakes? What about a venue that features local performers like the Shotgun Jazz Band and the Washboard Chaz Blues Trio? Go on, let the fates take you by the hand tonight…
Sunday
Revive at: Sip illy coffee and munch on a gluten-free, Chunky Monkey Muffin loaded with banana, walnuts and dark chocolate chips at Rivista. Magazine Street’s newest bakery has everyone breathing a morning sigh of relief. Chefs Lisa and Chris Barbato are making mornings (and afternoons) a delight with perfectly brewed java and culinary wonders that would make anyone’s head spin. Plus, the husband-and-wife team are offering BYOB (booze) brunches with fresh mixers for Bloody Marys and Brandy Milk Punch, and a mouthwatering menu featuring dishes like a Chile-Brined Pork Chop atop lentil & almond couscous or Huevos Rancheros with queso fresco and crema.
Stroll through: Work off the weekend frivolity with a lengthy walk around gorgeous Audubon Park. Located across St. Charles Avenue from the universities, Audubon has been a part of the city since 1871 and follows a design created by John Charles Olmsted, a famous landscape architect from Massachusetts. Named after the well-known naturalist and artist John James Audubon, the park offers sweet, Southern serenity with lots of live oaks, exquisite fountains and flowing lagoons that attract a wealth of wading birds like egrets, herons, swans and ducks.
Bring home: If you’re feeling a bit guilty about abandoning the boys for your all-girl weekend, stop by Bayou Hot Wings and order some grub that should make up for any bruised feelings. Chefs Allen Nguyen and Kyle Makepeace decided to open their wing joint a few years back; it’s likely one of the state’s only wing joints with food prepared by top-notch chefs. Depending on how many guys will be at your house watching the game, order up to twenty deep-fried wings smothered in sauces like Teriyaki Glaze, Korean BBQ, Steen’s Cane Honey BBQ and Garlic Butter Parmesan. Bayou also offers a ton of sides, including coleslaw, “tater” salad, fried pickles and sweet potato fries.