Despite a love for all things Mexican/Tex-Mex/etc. and a continual presence near the intersection of Carrollton and Canal, I had never made my way into Fiesta Latina (133 N. Carrollton Ave., 504-484-0999). Taking up residence in a house that has long since been converted for restaurant use, Fiesta Latina features a small dining room with a full bar and the kitchen up a half flight of stairs. Continue reading
Yep. It’s finally time for Cupcake to share a favorite cupcake recipe! But I can’t take the credit for this recipe. I found it on the Martha Stewart website a few years ago, and even good old Martha can’t take credit for this recipe. She credits this recipe to Sprinkles Cupcakes, the Beverly Hills cupcakery that seems to have started the whole cupcake trend. Candace Nelson at Sprinkles doesn’t seem to mind sharing though, and I certainly don’t mind borrowing! These Strawberry Cupcakes pack a double punch of strawberry flavor in both the cake and the icing. Keep reading for the full recipe and pictures. Continue reading
There’s a free festival in town this weekend! The 5th Annual Mid-City Bayou Boogaloo is happening tonight, tomorrow and Sunday, rain or shine. It’s a free festival along the banks of Bayou St. John featuring 30 bands on 3 stages and plenty of local art and food. Oh, and did I mention it’s free? Click for more. Continue reading
As a family we’ve been lucky enough to have a ton of celebrating to do. A birthday, graduation and promotions were the call of the day(s). So in typical fashion, we hit up some great places around town. With stops at MiLa, Herbsaint and Commander’s Palace we’ve had some great stuff in a really short period of time. Here’s our best of the best from this weekend:
Herbsaint: Triggerfish on the menu. A fantastic piece of fish that is hard to find out on the town. One drawback to the evening was being stuck in the back room. Apparently the acoustics in that room are beyond horrible. It was so loud you couldn’t hear the person next to you. I’d advise fighting to eat up front if possible.
MiLa: I debated between the seared tuna and the lamb. I let my sister talk me out of the lamb (so she could get it) and went with the tuna. While I enjoyed the tuna, the lamb was on a whole different level. I highly recommend that you check it out. Full disclosure: Went for a lunch Tuesday, it took almost two hours. Just not acceptable for a work day lunch
Commander’s Palace: For brunch, a great little dish called “three pigs,” an awesome piece of work worthy of the Commander’s name and a celebratory brunch. Commander’s downside: I was too damn full to eat another thing for the rest of the day. A nap was the order of the day following brunch, and my sleep schedule was screwed for the next two days.
With all of the graduations lately, any of you celebrate somewhere great?
This post might be more appropriately named “what’s NOT cooking” today. I don’t know about you, but I’m a little hesitant to plan a meal featuring seafood right now. I feel guilty even writing that, because I think I’m supposed to stay positive about the severity of spill and our seafood supply. But, just this past weekend I saw reports of oily shrimp coming in from fishermen. So it’s hard to know whether our seafood is safe right now or not. The answer after the break.
Were you worried we’d be out of food and drink talk now that Jazz Fest is over? Well, the New Orleans Wine and Food Experience (NOWFE, for short) gives us all a good excuse to keep the festive vibe going (oh, who are we kidding…we don’t really need an excuse!). Anyway, NOWFE is a nationally recognized, 5 day food and wine “extravaganza” that helps to kick off the summer season in New Orleans. Highlighting New Orleans cuisine and wines from all over the world, NOWFE is a must-attend event for many industry leaders, celebrity chefs, and local foodies too. This year it will run from Wednesday, May 26 through Saturday, May 29. Continue reading
Wandering around the French Quarter I made a pleasant little discovery, a Kupcake Factory (517 St. Louis, 504-464-8884) moved in on St. Louis, between Johnny’s Po-Boys and Napoleon House.
While I’m not a huge fan of people misspelling words on purpose to be klever, I do like cupcakes (and Cupcake), so I gave the Kupcake Factory a pass on the name and wandered on in. The little shop offered about a dozen different types of cupcakes, ranging from white cakes (caramel apple, birthday cake and wedding cake) to the chocolate side (red velvet and chocolate deluxe) and some happy mediums (the swirl).
The Kupcake Factory is also prepared to offer up some gelato as a respite from those hot sweaty days in the Quarter, but right now they only had three or four flavors going.
I settled on the caramel apple cupcake and wasn’t disappointed. Caramel dripped atop a thick and creamy cream cheese frosting, all sitting on a cupcake with gooey apple bits baked in.
The Kupcake Factory appears to be rapidly expanding its storefront operations with other locations in Kenner (819 W. Esplanade), Uptown (6223 S. Claiborne) and Metairie (800 Metairie Rd. Suite Q). So just about anywhere you are in the great New Orleans area, a delicious cupcake is just a short detour away.
The Rum House (3128 Magazine St.) moved in place of an old Semolina’s spin off on Magazine. Right in the heart of the Uptown Bourbon street, nestled in with the small stretch of bars that many twenty- and thrity-somethings call home for the weekend. The Rum House presents itself as a “Caribbean taqueria” and delivers on this promise. Continue reading
Yup, it’s that time again. Time to bust out the seersucker, get some eating and drinking on and benefit the O. No, not Oprah, the Ogden Museum. Continue reading
I’m on a grilling kick right now…probably because grilling = less kitchen cleaning! That, and the fact that all that eating for Jazz Fest has necessitated a lighter touch, consumption wise. $1.25 and I had the opportunity to get some really fresh grouper over the weekend so I pretty much threw this together after work tonight. What you’ll need: Grouper (or any similar fish), limes, chives, cilantro, white wine, salt and pepper. Having fresh herbs handy in the back yard made this even easier. Continue reading
