Home FOOD & DINING Weekend Cheat Sheet: January 2015

Weekend Cheat Sheet: January 2015

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Just because the weather outside is frightful, it doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy a weekend in the Crescent City that’s indubitably delightful!

NOLMNameseSpringRollEDITFriday

Lunch at: A space that used to be a small convenience store serving Chinese takeout has been completely rebuilt and redesigned to become a Vietnamese restaurant — dubbed Namese — on the corner of Tulane and S. Carrollton avenues. Sibling team Hieu Doan and his sister Denise have come back to their roots, serving classic Vietnamese cuisine in a casual and contemporary atmosphere. Enjoy a lunch of marinated and grilled shrimp spring rolls, a fantastic filet mignon pho and some ca phe (hot Vietnamese coffee served with condensed milk). 4077 Tulane Ave., (504) 483-8899, namese.net

Sip at: When you’ve reached the building where a large mural displays an angry diver glaring at a huge squid, you know you’ve arrived at Twelve Mile Limit. Located on the corner of Baudin and S. Telemachus streets in Mid-City, Twelve Mile Limit is a dog-friendly dive bar with trivia nights, craft cocktails, delicious barbeque and sex-ed bingo. Sample a decent range of beers on tap, or sip a Great Idea, made with vodka, amaro and Huhu’s Ginger Brew, while munching on loaded tater tots. 500 S. Telemachus St., (504) 488-8114, facebook.com/twelve.mile.limit

Rock out at: Kick back at one of Mid-City’s most popular venues, the Banks Street Bar & Grill. You simply can’t beat local, live music with no cover! Drink brews with your buddies outside under the oaks or grab a seat inside to see local musicians, like South Jones, Egg Yolk Jubilee, The Pears, Kenny Triche & Family, The Bathrobe Banditos Jazz Band and more! Banks Street is also one of the few remaining bars that serves free food — check out red-beans-and rice Mondays and BLT Wednesdays. 4401 Banks St., (504) 486-0258, banksstreetbarandgrill.com

Saturday

Revive at: Start your day on the Avenue with a hot cuppa joe at Krewe du Brew, a coffeehouse whose name is a play on words of the raucous Krewe du Vieux parade that rolls through the French Quarter early in the Mardi Gras season. Local trio John Hagan, Eugene Anderson and Adrian Guy opened this comfy cafe over a year ago, serving espressos, mochas and lattes made from local roaster Try-Me Coffee Mills. They also feature both sweet and savory pastries, bagels from Laurel Street Bakery, breakfast sandwiches and paninis. It’s the perfect place to relax outside on a well-cushioned chair, while sipping a white mocha latte and watching the St. Charles Streetcar rumble by. 1610 St. Charles Ave., (504) 522-1530, krewedubrewnola.com

Explore at: Julia Street is without a doubt the anchor of the New Orleans Arts District. In the eight-block strip from Convention Center Boulevard to St. Charles Avenue, you’ll find some of the most stunning fine-art galleries our city has to offer. Take a mini-walking tour to explore the work exhibited at Jonathan Ferrara Gallery, LeMieux Galleries, Arthur Roger Gallery, Octavia Art Gallery and more. In the same central area, you can also visit the Louisiana Children’s Museum, the Contemporary Arts Center and The National WWII Museum. neworleansartdistrict.com

Dine at: For over 10 years, Lilette has been both locally and nationally recognized for its exquisite cuisine and classic New Orleans atmosphere (thanks to its pressed-tin ceilings, intricate tile floors and cast-iron columns). Acclaimed chef and owner John Harris offers a menu of decadent dishes, like Alaskan king crab claws sitting in a sumptuous pool of passion-fruit butter, Italian wedding soup with veal and pork meatballs, braised beef cheeks with hand-made gnocchi and chanterelle mushrooms, and brown butter cake with pistachio gelato and satsumas. 3637 Magazine St., (504) 895-1636, liletterestaurant.com

Sunday

Brunch at: Both the bright pink building and a crazy commercial have singled out Baie Rouge as a restaurant apart from the rest, but there’s more to get excited about. Owner Kimble Donnington-Smith and his partner, chef Michael Capiton, opened this ubercasual eatery to offer European-inspired cuisine with a Southern flair. Head to Baie Rouge on Magazine Street to enjoy a brunch laden with delicious dishes, like their ever-popular brie fries, bacon beignets, crispy duck and waffles, and a smoked salmon sandwich with Creole tomato, zesty cream cheese and capers on fresh sourdough. 4128 Magazine St., (504) 304-3667, baierougenola.com

Take in a flick at: Watch the featured flick at New Orleans’ oldest operating movie theater, Prytania Theatre. Originally built in 1914, the Prytania has a long history of pleasing movie buffs with both classic and new-release films, not to mention hosting annual events like the New Orleans Film Festival and the French Film Festival. The theater’s proud owner, 91 year-old Rene Brunet, just celebrated the theater’s centennial anniversary in December. 5339 Prytania St., (504) 891-2787, prytaniatheatreneworleans.com

Dine at: For a modern take on Southern cuisine, visit Tivoli & Lee (located within The Hotel Modern) for dinner. Situated on Lee Circle, this hip restaurant features cuisine crafted by chef Marcus Woodham who was born and raised in Bayou Goula, Louisiana. Enjoy the elegant atmosphere of this restaurant on the circle, and feast on dishes like rabbit tamale, pumpkin and crab fritters, sweet-tea glazed chicken, and venison meatballs with mushroom-scented spaetzle and butternut squash. 2 Lee Circle, (504) 962-0909, tivoliandlee.com