Tag Archives: Mid-City

Everything to Everyone: 12 Mile Limit

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I’m not going to mince words here, 12 Mile Limit is probably the best bar in New Orleans. Especially on a Saturday night when they’re non-smoking (and they mean it). Now, Cupcake will most certainly disagree with me, but a bar can’t be all things to all people.

Don’t get me wrong, there’s plenty that isn’t ideal with 12 Mile Limit: it’s on the wrong side of Banks St., the buzzer entry door seems to be more of a necessity than a gimmick to lend a speakeasy feel to the joint, the building is in need of some serious repair work, and the bathrooms are reminiscent of some of the French Quarter’s finest. But in some kind of perverse way, all this leads to the charm a little bit more. I mean, there is some great amusement to be found in patrons who are trying to enter, but can’t quite figure out the buzzer system. It happens more than you’d think . . .

Fine, so what’s so great about 12 Mile? Basically everything else, and that starts with T. Cole Newton, formerly of Coquette, who owns and runs 12 Mile Limit. Cole has brought his love and knowledge of mixing fine cocktails to 12 Mile, but seemed to arrive without the off-putting pretension that sadly marks many a fine cocktail program. Want a Last Word, Aviation, Corpse Reviver or any other drink you’ll find from a Dale DeGroff or David Wondrich book? Coming right up. Vodka soda more your style? Don’t worry, you’ll still get served here (which is more than you can say at some “mixology” focused places). Want some draft beers in a Liuzza’s style chilled chalice? Hells yeah. Or if you need to up your hipster street cred, cans of PBR are there for the buying. The best part of the bar program here, the rock bottom prices. No $20 drinks here.

I’m pretty much sold just on all that, but 12 Mile has set itself up to get you and your friends settled in for the evening. Patrons aren’t shy about tearing into the huge supply of board games, including many classics from your childhood. You’ll have just as many people wrapped up in conversation as you will clustered around the high top tables lost in intense games of scrabble, scattergories and any number of other games. Conversation or board games not your thing? There’s a pool table in the back and a few TVs up front, including a big screen that has streaming Netflix.

While I always get a kick out of picking the bartenders’ brains about the various drinks and booze on display, there is only so much of that Cupcake and my friends can tolerate. Unashamedly, we’ll turn to the board games for entertainment. Most recently, I dragged Cupcake against her will, but in fairness I had to watch the Oscars. We ordered up a few drinks, headed to the back of the room and whipped out a board game. A couple well crafted drinks and a few rounds of the game, and without even realizing it Cupcake was having a great time. Even the fact that I pulled a Drew Brees-like come-from-behind miracle win in the waning minutes (think Saints v. Texans, 2011), couldn’t get her down. So maybe, just maybe, 12 Mile Limit can be everything to everyone. Probably not, but they’ll sure as hell try.

All these great things, and we’ve not even touched on the BBQ, cupcakes or special events. Look for our thoughts on those in the future.

12 Mile Limit
500 South Telemachus (a block Uptown from Finn’s)

Pizzicare: New York in the City

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As you walk in, you’re sure to be struck by the subway tiles, the seemingly miles of pies and slices that are all visible behind the clean glass, all while a flurry of activity zips off near the pizza oven. You get the slight tug that you’ve just walked off of a wide New York City avenue, but the cleanliness and beats from the brass band at the neighboring wine bar will remind you this is no NYC joint. Pizzicare (peet-zee-cah-ray) is the most recent venture of Jeff Baron and Bart Bell, both of Crescent Pie and Sausage Company and Huevos (now relegated to pop-up status), Pizzicare has a special focus on putting out high quality pizza pies and slices at a reasonable price. So far, they’ve delivered in a big way.

Endless choices for your slice (photo courtesy of Pizzicare)

Pizzicare’s quest for high quality ingredients takes it to a pretty familiar spot, as it sources a good bit of its meatiest toppings from Crescent Pie and Sausage. The remaining meats you’ll find on your slice are from Boar’s Head. Pizzicare even has a daily veggie pie that is topped with whatever the community gardening program, NOLA Green Roots, pulls from its gardens that day. You certainly can’t get any fresher than that! The result is a pizza that is very tasty, but doesn’t weigh you down for the rest of the night.

Pizzicare’s design lends it to a quick and efficient takeout and delivery business. For those looking for a quick lunch, Pizzicare is a great choice. Swing in, pick a slice or two to heat up and you’re on your way. Can’t pull yourself from the office or couch? They’ll deliver for you. Of course, this doesn’t mean that dine in isn’t a viable option. Pizzicare’s high takeout and delivery business means you’re likely to have the restaurant to yourself, which makes it an easy place to bring the kids. For the adults looking to dine-in, if you like a beer or some wine with your pizza you’ll need to BYOB for the time being. One thing that some people may find a turn off for dining in is the music from the neighboring Therapy Wine Bar can invade the space a bit at times, but so far the music has always been great!

While the traditional mark of New York style pizza is cheese, or if you’re feeling adventurous, some pepperoni, Pizzicare’s topping heavy specialty pizzas have proved too much of a pull for us to bow to some NYC “tradition.” Of course, given the generous helping of toppings on a thin crust slice, eating your pizza may take a bit more work than you’re used to. In the end, I promise you it is well worth it. Another mark Pizzicare hits perfectly are the ‘breadsticks.’ Pizzicare’s garlic knots and pepperoni sticks are a rather addicting way to get your temporary carb, meat and sauce fix while waiting on your pie to come fresh out of the oven. More than once we’ve found ourselves trying to soak up every last bit of the garlic and parmesan sprinkle topping with the sticks, or if we’ve exhausted that supply, the crispy pizza crust. Even with all that gushing about the food, one of the nicest surprises out of Pizzicare is the bill. Most every offering on the menu is priced a bit cheaper than whatever may be considered comparable at the other pizza places around town. High quality and great taste at a cheaper price? Sounds like a winner to me.

Half fried chicken and broccoli rabe, half Crescent Sausage pie (photo courtesy Pizzicare)

It will be really nice to watch Pizzicare grow, because much of that will signal the rebirth of the Tulane corridor. More selfishly, Pizzicare’s success will mean more offerings and convenience. As the business gets settled, the menu will expand (as it did yesterday with the addition of sandwiches) and the delivery zone will increase as will the number of drivers. Personally, I’m most looking forward to them opening on Sundays so I can flip on the Saints game and have some excellent pizza to soak up my Saturday night without leaving my house.

In all Pizzicare is a welcome addition to the neighborhood and is sure to make its mark on the city’s booming pizza scene in no time.

Pizzicare
3001 Tulane Ave
504-301-4823
Monday through Saturday, 11:00 am to 8:00 pm
Delivery, takeout, dine-in
BYOB, takes all forms of payment

Mid-City Irish Pub Crawl: Finn McCool’s

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Mid-City is a great neighborhood for bars. In a little over a square mile, you’re looking at Twelve Mile Limit, Mid-City Yatch Club, Finn McCool’s, Mick’s, and the Bulldog, just to name some of the more popular bars. Of course, it wasn’t until I flipped through Kari Dequine’s piece for the Times-Pic that I realized there were so many Irish Pubs. Five Irish pubs, all in close walking distance (mostly). To tackle all these places in a single day sounded like a fine plan, but was it actually doable? To find out, we headed out with the mysterious Mid-City Sippers, a close-knit drinking club that doesn’t actually restrict its drinking to Mid-City.

The Sippers kicked their day off at Mid-City’s best known Irish Pub, Finn McCool’s. If you’re looking to catch (or possibly play) some soccer or enjoy a pint of Guinness, Finn’s is sure to be on the top of your list. Mondays also find Finn’s packed to the gills with trivia nerds for the weekly Pub Quiz night. Finally, Finn’s has recently rounded its offerings out with the addition of BooKoo BBQ in the back kitchen. BooKoo runs out the wide range of decent pub food, but this post is about drinking, so we’ll have to cover it later. Just one word of advice, BooKoo is cash only.

For a random Saturday day, Finn’s was pretty packed thanks to a Liverpool game. Even though Liverpool was up 3-nil at the 84 minute mark, red jersey clad patrons were glued to the flat screen TVs as if the Saints were driving, down 6 with less than 2 minutes to go. In addition to the Sippers, the crowd was diverse: A cougar on the prowl in her workout gear eyed potential targets from her perch at the bar, a group of people all looking fresh out college pushed together a number of tables effectively taking over a huge section of the back of the bar, all while a handful of regulars were practicing for the Tuesday night dart league.

Finn’s itself is a dark bar, which sort of neutralizes the joy of day drinking. Not only is there limited natural light in Finn’s, but the decor is dark and the lights are generally kept low (or at least it seems that way). But this darkness nicely compliments the Guinness, which flows at all hours of the day. Best of all, Finn’s does Guinness right. A time-consuming double pour ensures that your Guinness is as close to perfect as you can get. Just don’t expect to get it any time soon, as the process takes a while. Under official Guinness rules, the perfect pint should take just under two minutes to pour, Finn’s takes just a bit longer than that. Not to say that Finn’s is only Guinness, a full complement of Irish beers are available as are your typical beers and a full bar. Being a legitimate Irish bar, Finn’s definitely hasn’t gotten on board the non-smoking scene that is gaining steam in other corners of the city.

For the start of our pub crawl, Guinness was the order of the day. As pint after pint of creamy deliciousness was passed down the bar, I realized we were in deep and the day was just beginning. To learn a little bit more about the power of Finn’s and reflect on how far we’ve come over the past 6 years, check out the video below:

The Curious Case of Juicy Lucy’s

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Juicy Lucy’s on Carrollton is the most recent addition to the exploding hamburger scene in New Orleans. As the name implies, their focus is on Juicy Lucys, which are burgers stuffed with cheese and other things (cheddar cheese and bacon, pepper jack cheese and jalapenos, etc., etc.). While the Juicy Lucys are the main event, the menu also has non-stuffed burgers, a few cheese boards (plates), and some satay/meat-on-a-stick dishes and a few sides.

As far as burgers go, Juicy Lucys may present a bit of a problem for some of you, particularly for purists (some have called the stuffed burgers, “meatloaf”). In order to get the center of your burger hot and melty, you’re getting a pretty well done burger. While this is unfortunate, it also is a rather common occurrence for burgers around town. What makes this a bigger issue for me is that I didn’t really see where stuffing the burger versus simply topping the burger made a damn bit of difference. I mean anything that is tasty on the inside will be tasty on top and vice versa. The one difference made possible by using the stuffing method is it allows Juicy Lucy’s to take the cheese from melted to molten.

If you can get past the purity arguments for the stuffed burgers, you’ll find that you’re in for a pretty tasty meal. This is particularly the case when you pair it with the kick-ass onion rings, which have been Juicy Lucy’s most talked about item. While the fries or sweet potato fries were tempting, I love onion rings and they do them really well here.

We sat at the bar and service was great. Attentive, friendly and informative, the bartender helped us through the menu, had suggestions and provided an honest opinion when asked.

With a casual, but nice, decor and the burger-laden menu, Juicy Lucy’s is a nice little neighborhood burger joint. Right? Not from what we’ve been told. Look closely at the logo, see what Jessica Rabbit is clutching in her hand? Yup, a glass of wine. We’ve been told that Juicy Lucy’s wants to be a wine and cheese bar that happens to serve burgers. Currently they have about 35 different red wines and about 40 or so different whites. Over the coming months, if things go as planned we’ll be looking at 150 different reds and 100 or so white wines. Which sounds great. I mean, we like wine and we like cheese and we like being able to walk home, so what’s the problem?

I think the problem is, I’m confused. Everything about Juicy Lucy’s screams “quick burger stop.” Nothing, save the wine rack/room I didn’t notice when I walked in, says wine bar. Maybe the execution of this transformation from burger joint to wine and cheese bar will be seamless. Maybe I’m not thinking out the box enough to see the vision clearly. Maybe my standard coupling of beer and burgers isn’t sophisticated enough to “get it.” Or maybe a little bit of all that, and then some.

For now, I’ll take Juicy Lucy’s for what it is, a decent place to grab a burger (and some onion rings) and call it a day.

Around Town: Bayou Boogaloo

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Your Jazz Fest sunburn is gone, you’ve knocked off those five (or ten) pounds from the great food and you’ve probably finally gotten all the track sand out of your shoes. Unfortunately, as likely as it is that your body has recovered, it is also as likely that your wallet has yet to recover. Fortunately, there is a free festival in town this weekend! The 6th Annual Mid-City Bayou Boogaloo is happening Friday, Saturday and Sunday, rain or shine. It’s a free festival along the banks of Bayou St. John featuring more than 30 bands on 3 stages and plenty of local art and food. Oh, and did I mention it’s free?

Sure, this isn’t quite Jazz Fest food area 1 or 2, but the food lineup is pretty killer. You can hit the to-kill-for Boucherie’s 12 hour roast beef po-boy, follow it up with Bad Bart’s Black Jambalaya from the Crescent Pie and Sausage Company and close out with a Meltdown popsicle frozen treat. Cupcake and I are more than a little bummed to see that the folks from Vaucresson’s will not be at the bayou, but I’m sure some of the other treats will make up for it.

You can check out the music line up here and read more about The Mid-City Bayou Boogaloo, including their charitable and sustainability initiatives here. Hope to see you there!

Huevos Now Offers Pre-Orders

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Huevos has some great coffee and even better breakfast, but it can be a leisurely affair at times. If you’re trying to grab a bite to eat on your way to work or school, waiting a few extra minutes for breakfast could mean the difference between being on-time and being late. With Huevos’ new overnight ordering service, you can plan your morning down to the minute, get your Huevos and still make it to your desk before the boss makes his rounds.

Huevos’ overnight order service currently features a limited menu of four items (menu here). To order, pick your breakfast and email your order, name, number and pick up time to order@huevos.com before 9:00 p.m. the night before. Show up the next day at the appointed time and you should be on your way in no time at all, with a piping hot Huevos breakfast. While we’re excited about this new development, I’m hoping Huevos extends it to the weekend. A Huevos breakfast on the weekend without the line would be amazing.

NOLA Brewing Easter Keg Hunt

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There is little we like around here more than having a good time, unless it is having a good time and helping a worthy cause. We’re going to be having a good time anyway so why not be productive with it? The latest installment of fun philanthropy is the Easter Keg Hunt, scheduled for this Sunday, starting at 1 p.m.

So how does it all work? Simply enter a team of 2 to 6 players and follow cryptic clues to a stellar after party bash. From their website:

You may walk/run/bike/skateboard to seek out clue locations–NO VEHICLES ALLOWED. The hunt will lead you to the after party destination where there will be free NOLA Brewing beer as your reward, and prizes and Easter fun. The Colin Lake Trio will perform from 4 to 7 p.m.

Entry fees are $10 a person and proceeds go to help the Gulf Restoration Network, which is working hard to reverse the damage done by BP and their buddies. Oh, and that $10 gets you all you can drink NOLA beer when you finish the scavenger hunt. Of course to be eligible for the free beer you actually have to complete the hunt (no free beer for the slackers!).

Round up some friends, get a great name and some outrageous costumes and be prepared to scavenge your way across Mid-City. Check the list of rules and stipulations here and sign up here.

Fiesta Latina

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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 →

Around Town: Bayou Boogaloo

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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 →

Quick Hit–Eco Cafe

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In an area teeming with breakfast places, Eco Cafe (3903 Canal Street) has its work cut out for it. Found just steps from the Ruby Slipper and blocks from Huevos, this Mid-City newcomer has stiff competition.

The name Eco Cafe really didn’t rank it high in my book of places to try. Given my affinity for cured meats, a restaurant with a name that calls forth images of vegan foods, soy milk products and so forth, with nary a piece of meat in the building, it’s no surprise why. Eco Cafe has none of these shortcomings. In fact, aside from a random Coke sponsored recycling program, I don’t really know what is Eco about Eco Cafe. Apparently you can’t judge a restaurant by its name anymore than you can judge a book by its cover.

In a newly renovated home on the corner of N. Scott and Canal, the Eco Cafe boasts a tiny, but still diverse menu. Not diverse in the true sense of the word, but diverse enough that everyone in the party should be able to find something to chow on. We went following a nice night out drinking and just before a Jazz Fest stuffing, so greasy was the call for some and small portions for others. I went with the B.E.L.T. (Bacon, Egg, Lettuce, Tomato) sandwich, a well executed breakfast sandwich that was fantastic in both its simplicity and its execution. A friend in from out-of-town opted for a bowl of oatmeal, which she enjoyed for what it was. Cupcake went with a croissant with egg, cheese and sausage. A bit heavy for Cupcake for breakfast, but had we not had a day of eating ahead of us, I assume it would have been a bit more appropriate.

All-in-all, the small menu is not overly complicated and the food was all good. With large portions and low prices, Eco Cafe is certainly friendly for that morning after a big bar tab. If you can drag yourself out of bed further than the couch. While service was a bit sporadic, it is clearly just a matter of working out the kinks. Oh, and Eco Cafe isn’t just a breakfast place, they do lunches as well.

End of the day, give this place a whirl, but don’t be expecting to save the world in doing so.