Home FOOD & DINING Weekend Cheat Sheet: March 2014

Weekend Cheat Sheet: March 2014

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Get out and about! New Orleans’ spring weather was made for basking, and we’ve planned the perfect weekend under the sun.

mojitoFriday

Lunch at: Located across from Lafayette Square on St. Charles Avenue, Between the Bread offers delicious (and affordable) salads and sandwiches in a clean, “cafe-esque” atmosphere. Denizens from the surrounding office buildings frequent this little eatery, so be prepared to get in line for their open-faced smoked salmon sandwich with herbed cream cheese and capers, or a “Meat & Blue” salad with medium-rare roast beef, blue cheese and a hard-boiled egg. Between the Bread also offers coffee for that afternoon fix and a large selection of sandwich breads for blanket sun-worshipers who want to take their lunch in the park. betweenthebreadnola.com

Loosen your tie at: Did someone mention Lafayette Park? Escape from your cubicle — it’s quittin‘ time! Get ready to rock at the Young Leadership Council’s Wednesdays at the Square. This 12-week concert series always features local artists, like the Bucktown All-Stars, Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue, Big Sam’s Funky Nation, Billy Iuso & the Restless Natives, Walter “Wolfman” Washington and Galactic. Every one of these mid-week music festivals also includes local food and cocktails vendors, plus a mini-art mart! wednesdayatthesquare.com

Sip at: Lounge on plush couches, or grab a stool at the bar in the chic and sexy atmosphere that is the Whiskey Blue. This is a spot where you can relish the cocktail at your lips and the intimate company that you keep (or covet). Music floats in a space that is loud enough for revelry, but not too loud for stimulating conversation. The bartenders offer top shelf (and sometimes rare) spirits, including their own batch cocktails, made for sipping from your own personal chilled bottle. Editor’s note: Novelties are all well and fine, but it would be a travesty to miss Whiskey Blue’s simple-yet-perfect Mojitos. gerberbars.com/whiskey-blue-new-orleans

Saturday

Break your fast at: Chef Guillermo Peters has created an eclectic niche for his interest in various cuisines at the Canal Street Bistro — located on the corner of North Scott Street in Mid-City. The restaurant offers a breakfast menu that features a dish for every diner with everything from Chicken & Waffles to Huevos Rancheros and a German Baked Pancake with fruit and honey. Peters also features several vegetarian options for breakfast (as well as lunch and dinner), and offers several gluten-free goodies (like waffles and pancakes), plus “scratch baked” pastries made every morning. canalstreetbistro.com

Shop at: On the last Saturday of every month, the Arts Council of New Orleans hosts an open-air Arts Market on the corner of South Carrollton Avenue and Claiborne Avenue at Palmer Park. The day-long market features affordable, hand-crafted works from artists all over the Greater New Orleans Area — as well as the state of Louisiana and the Gulf Coast — in mediums that range from ceramics and paintings to handmade soaps and clothing. Jump in your car (and bring all your friends), or hop on the St. Charles Streetcar to the “end of the line,” on March 29. artscouncilofneworleans.org

Dine at: A cute cottage with a purple sign near the corner of Jeannette Street and Carrollton Avenue houses Chef Nathanial Zimet’s vision: a white-linen tablecloth experience without the hefty price tag. Boucherie offers a homey environment with a cozy dining room, an open and friendly wait staff, and dishes that exhibit a master’s touch with house-smoked, cured and aged meats, as well as fresh, local and often inexpensive ingredients. Tuck your napkin in your shirt, and feel free to lick your fingers after a dish of Steamed Mussels with Collard Greens and Crispy Grit Crackers, Smoked Wagyu Beef Brisket with Garlicky Parmesan Fries, or Roasted Mahi-Mahi with a Charred Radicchio Grapefruit Vinaigrette and Cauliflower Puree. Be sure to save room for dessert, because you probably won’t be able to choose between Zimet’s Krispy Kreme Bread Pudding or a thick slice of Thai Chili Chess Pie … you’ll likely end up ordering both. boucherie-nola.com

Sunday

Revive at: For more than a century, Morning Call Coffee Stand has been serving café au lait and beignets to tourists and locals alike, and they started it all with a stand in the historic French Quarter. This coffee stand — founded in 1870 by Joseph Jursich and recognized as “one of the world’s greatest coffee houses” — now has two locations: one in Metairie on Severn Avenue (open since the mid-’70s) and another more recently opened stand that sits smack-dab inside New Orleans City Park. Feel oh-so Southern as you sit under the live oaks, while enjoying hand-rolled beignets made fresh to-order and doused in powdered sugar — all washed down with French-drip brewed café au lait made with rich, chicory coffee. morningcallcoffeestand.com

Wander though wonder at: No need to strain yourself on a sleepy Sunday, but it wouldn’t hurt to take a leisurely stroll through one of the New Orleans Museum of Art’s finest (and fairly permanent) exhibitions, The Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden. Cultural and entrepreneurial leaders in the Crescent City community, Sydney and Walda Besthoff, established a private foundation for contemporary sculpture to stimulate local interest in the arts. During the years, the Besthoff’s foundation had collected more than 100 exemplary works, like Ossip Zadkine’s “La Poetesse,” Pierre Auguste Renoir’s “Venus Victorious” and Isamu Noguchi’s “Rain Mountain.” noma.org

Relax at: Bring the whole family, and get a taste of Theo’s — Mid-City’s favorite spot for thin-crust pizza and v
oted as one of New Orleans’ best pizzeria’s by both local and national publications. Located on Canal Street near the Carrollton Avenue intersection, Theo’s is a comfortable and very casual way to end the weekend: relaxing with an icy Abita Root Beer and crispy pizza pie. Try one of the many house specials — like the Westbank Special, featuring crumbled bacon, jalapenos and pineapple, or a Spicy Mexican Chicken, made with Anaheim peppers and chili powder — or simply create your own perfect pie from a wide selection of toppings, cheeses and sauces. theospizza.com