Weekend Cheat Sheet: Mother’s Day Treats
Spend the whole weekend treating Mom to the flavors, environments and experiences she loves best.
Friday
Lunch at: Recently opened in the Warehouse District on the corner of Magazine and Julia streets, Auction House Market is an elegant food hall brought to you by the same folks who created St. Roch Market. Fall back on your favorite vendors from St. Roch like Elysian Seafood and Empanola, or get a taste of something new like sushi or poke at Aloha Lei, Indian-inspired wraps at Tava or vegan sweets and pastries from newcomer Mac & Moon. Don’t forget to belly up to the bar for a cocktail or two from The Mayhaw — though you may not want to go back to work. 801 Magazine St., auctionhousemarket.com
Laugh out loud at: Emmy Award-winning writer David Javerbaum brings new meaning to the phrase divine intervention with his play An Act of God. “After many millennia, and in just 90 minutes, God (assisted by His devoted angels), has arrived back on earth to address some of the deepest questions that have plagued mankind since Creation.” This month, experience the spiritual hilarity yourself at Le Petit Theatre starring New Orleans’ own Bryan Batt. 616 St. Peter St. (504) 522-2081, lepetittheatre.com
Sip at: A great downtown location to see and be seen, NOSH (or New Orleans Social House) is a fairly new concept combining drinks, dining and music in a format designed to encourage networking both for business and for pleasure. Grab a Lis Circle made with Bulleit Bourbon, orange bitters and rosemary syrup, and enjoy music from local DJs like Crusht Velvet, Torx and Abibas. NOSH also offers small bites like beef short rib poutine and $0.50 Gulf oysters or Peruvian ceviche and cheeseburger sliders. Don’t miss out on the Friday night Bubbles Bar, where you can sip Champagne for as little as $4 a glass. 752 Tchoupitoulas St., (504) 581-7101, noshneworleans.com
Saturday
Brunch at: Instead of taking Mom out for a meal, why not make an early morning stop at La Petite Sophie Patisserie in River Ridge and then surprise her with breakfast in bed. Offering incredible French pastries from a small shopfront on Jefferson Highway, you can pick up a box of delight filled with croissants; palmiers; “pop tartes” with seasonal fruits like peach and satsuma or blueberry; and buttery, caramel kouign-aman that will literally knock Mom’s socks off. Set a tray filled with gorgeous French pastries, a tall glass of milk and a hot cuppa joe, and she’ll be thanking you till next Mother’s Day rolls around. 9047 Jefferson Hwy., River Ridge, (225) 328-3340, lapetitesophie.com
Preen and be pampered at: Nothing says, “Thank you,” like a full day of pampering at the spa. From haircuts and makeup to mani-pedis and massage, Embodyment Salon & Spa offers it all. Skilled estheticians can offer customized facials like the salon’s own couture treatment to anti-blemish and skin-brightening therapy. Embodyment features Swedish, deep tissue and hot stone massage with or without the options of aromatherapy and reflexology. They also offer signature, reparative nail services using Naturopathica sea salt, and seaweed hand and food treatments. 3701 Magazine St., (504) 891-4440, embodymentsalon.com
Dine at: Spend a captivating evening in the French Quarter dining at Trinity Restaurant on Decatur Street. Open now for two years, Trinity took over the old Maximo’s space, and, after a $1 million renovation, the restaurant has changed dramatically with everything from an open kitchen to a stunning skylight. Chef Michael Isolani, who has worked in kitchens like Bouligny Tavern and the now-closed Stella! offers a menu that dazzles with items like Gulf shrimp tempura with citrus ponzu; Wagyu beef meatloaf with bone marrow and smoked tomato; octopus carpaccio with squid ink aioli; and whole grilled Loup de Mer (or Mediterranean sea bass) served with roasted seasonal vegetables. 1117 Decatur St., (504) 325-5789, trinityrestaurantneworleans.com
Sunday
Revive at: Who says Mom can’t have ice cream for breakfast? Take her downtown to Drip Affogato Bar on the corner of Carondelet and Girod streets. Offering coffee and ice cream, Drip specializes in affogato or what they call “coffee and ice cream’s love child.” With brews made from local roaster French Truck and ice cream from the most excellent and beloved Creole Creamery, this corner cafe is offering combinations like Tiramisu with coffee ice cream, lady fingers, mascarpone and espresso or Cookie Monster with Mexican hot chocolate ice cream, cookie crumbles, chocolate syrup and hot chocolate. 703 Carondelet St., (504) 313-1611, dripaffogatobar.com
Appreciate nature at: There’s no finer way to spend a spring day than strolling through the well-manicured beauty at Audubon Park. Created in 1871, this stunning urban oasis features allées of ancient live oaks, playgrounds, picnic shelters, a jogging path and a lagoon. On the East side of the park there’s Ochsner Island that houses a rookery, one of the prime birding spots in the Greater New Orleans Area. The island attracts tons of wading birds like egrets, ibis, herons and more. Bring a blanket and lounge under the oaks to watch the clouds float by. 6500 Magazine St., audubonnatureinstitute.org/audubon-park
Relax at: Located in a grand old Victorian mansion on Magazine Street, Cavan is “an exploration of the cuisine of the regions along the Eastern Seaboard and the Gulf of Mexico.” The kitchen is helmed by Chef Nathan Richard, an incredibly talented and super-cool guy who formerly worked at Kingfish in the French Quarter. He’s offering a menu that reflects not only the restaurant’s culinary ideals, but his own creative native dishes from Thibodaux, Louisiana. Options include boudin tater tots with High Life mustard, turtle carbonara with seafood tasso, seafood gumbo with popcorn rice, crawfish bolognese with mushroom ragu, and adobo shrimp and grits with charred peppers and queso fresco. 3701 Magazine St., (504) 509-7655, cavannola.com