Home FOOD & DINING Weekend Cheat Sheet: October 2015

Weekend Cheat Sheet: October 2015

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Aside from the leaves changing color and All Hallow’s Eve festivities, fall also brings relief from the soaring temperatures of summertime — allowing New Orleanians to frolic outside once again!
NOLTheStandardeditFriday

Lunch at: Recently opened on Magazine Street just a hop and a skip from Napoleon Avenue, The Standard is a quaint cafe with a clean, simplistic interior accented by distressed wood on the tabletops and bars. Launched by Atlanta restaurateurs Alison Wild and Lana Banks, The Standard is open for brunch, lunch and dinner with a straightforward menu of well-executed dishes — like arugula and watermelon salad, goat cheese enchiladas, stuffed mirliton and buttermilk fried chicken. 4206 Magazine St., (504) 509-7306, facebook.com/TheStandardEatingHouse

Sip at: Step into the International House Hotel on Camp Street, and experience the Loa, a bar like no other in the Central Business District. Ensconce yourself amidst luxurious and colorful fabrics accented by soft candlelight, while sipping on cocktails crafted by “Spirit Handler” Alan Walter. Enjoy well-crafted drinks like an Apple-Bay with sugar cane and Prosecco; The Twice-Worn Kilt with bourbon, saffron, smoky scotch and tobacco bitters; or The Wilderness Diet, featuring gin and local honey. 221 Camp St., (504) 553-9550, ihhotel.com

Enjoy the music at: An outdoor amphitheater boasting 90,000 square feet of dancing room, Champions Square has become one of the city’s most popular entertainment venues. Situated right in front of the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, Champions Square plays host to much more than stellar tailgate parties before the big game. In October, this vast outdoor venue will play host to performers like alt-J, Korn, Suicide Silence and A$AP Mob’s “Rocky and Tyler Tour.” Champions Square offers concessions from Centerplate plus a “uniquely-themed, climate-controlled” lounge — dubbed The Opening Act — featuring additional food and beverage options with comfortable seating. Lasalle Street, (504) 587-3663, champions-square.com

Saturday

Revive at: St. Coffee is a hip, eclectic cafe on St. Claude Avenue that features friendly baristas and funky, hand-painted murals in the Bywater neighborhood. Supporting the integrated network of small businesses in the area, St. Coffee offers pastries from Shake Sugary, popsicles from Meltdown and vegetarian eats from the popular food truck Empanada Intifada. Along with blends sourced from Portland Roasting Coffee, St. Coffee also features loose-leaf teas from Adagio Teas and herbal blends from neighboring Maypop Community Herb Shop. 2709 St. Claude Ave., (504) 872-9798, stcoffee.com

Shop around at: Discover cool and unique shops all throughout the Bywater neighborhood, offering everything from arts and antiques to consignment and handmade crafts. Procure a piece of local art from Dr. Bob’s Folk Art on Chartres Street; score some serious vinyl at Euclid Records (also on Chartres Street); find the perfect vintage dress or jewelry at Bon Castor on Burgundy Street; or, if you’re lucky, the Piety Street Market (open on the second Saturday of every month) will be in full swing selling all kinds of art and collectibles created by locals. bywater.org

Dine at: Spend the afternoon sampling tasty tidbits at St. Roch Market, one of the newest additions to the 8th Ward neighborhood. After extensive renovation, this historic marketplace has become a bright spot in the neighborhood, offering inspired, new food vendors a space to shine, while also offering added employment and commerce to a once-blighted area. Enjoy coast-to-coast oysters from the Curious Oyster Co., a great cuppa joe from Coast Roast Coffee, tempura-fried shrimp tacos from the Korean/Creole fusion vendor Koreole and much more. 2381 St. Claude Ave., (504) 609-3813, strochmarket.com
Sunday

Breakfast at: Support the culinary arts in the Crescent City while breaking your fast at the Press St. Station, a project of the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts. Headed by Chef James Cullen (formerly of the Mid-City tapas bar Treo and Cafe Reconcile) and staffed by culinary students from the institute, Press St. Station offers a sleek, modern and completely casual atmosphere with plenty of outdoor seating. Unlike many restaurants, Press St. Station offers a breakfast menu that is served all day, featuring dishes like sweet potato brioche pain perdu, a ham and Gruyere omelet and the Bywater Benedict with fried Poche’s boudin and summer squash. 5 Press St., (504) 249-5622, pressstreetstation.com

Explore at: Open daily to the public, Crescent Park is a new outdoor space that runs along the Mississippi River from Elysian Fields Avenue to Mazant Street, offering exceptional views of downtown New Orleans and of the river. The park features a circuitry of paths for walking, jogging or biking; several picnic areas; an indigenous garden; a dog run; and more. Historically, the Marigny and Bywater were cut off from the riverfront due to active railroad lines and maritime commerce, but now these neighborhoods (and their visitors) can enjoy a gorgeous outdoor space accenting our beautiful city and the mighty Mississippi River. nola.gov/city/crescent-park

Relax at: With an uber-casual atmosphere and an emphasis on the inauthentic, Red’s Chinese is the perfect place to round off a weekend spent outdoors. This former grocery store has been transformed by Chef Tobias Womack and Amy Mosberger into one of the neighborhood’s most popular restaurants. Grab a table on the patio and bask in innovative, Chinese-inspired cuisine with dishes like Craw Rangoons made with local crawfish tails and cream cheese, Mama Barnes’ Yaka Mein, Red’s Donburi with smoked sausage and tasso, and Bywater eggplant with mirliton. 3048 St. Claude Ave., (504) 304-6030, redschinese.com