Earlier this month, I was invited to a wine dinner at Besh Steak featuring the wines of the Trinchero Family Estates. My friend Chef Todd Pulsinelli took over the kitchen at the restaurant a few months ago, and used this opportunity to show off what he can do in the kitchen. Dinner was fantastic- see pictures from the evening here.

Better news, this was the first of a series of dinners. For now, they're planned for the third Thursday of every month; the next one is slated for June 20 and will feature the wines of White Oak Winery. Reservations are being taken now.

Besh Steak
504-533-6000

Library Journal selected Louisiana Kitchen & Culture as one of the best magazine launches of 2012. We competed in a field of 227 other new magazines and are extremely proud of our accomplishment. 

Library Journal had this to say;

It’s the most wonderful time of the year!  No Andy Williams, not Christmas, the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, the unchallenged greatest music and culture event on the planet.  I hope you remembered your sunscreen yesterday and were not fooled by the perfect temperature and cloudy skies.

My hot picks, dedicated to Callie –

Ease into today with a bite to eat and a seat in Economy Hall for the 101 year old Lionel Ferbos.  Then there is the only in N. O. band Bonerama and the Panorama Jazz Band.  Throw in some Rebirth Brass Band, Jon Cleary, and the Original Tuxedo Jazz Band’s tribute Bob French, whom we lost this year.  If you are the sort to plant yourself in one spot, I present, for your enjoyment either Fais Do Do (Lost Bayou Ramblers, Dwayne Dopsie, and Andrew Bird) or Acura (Voice of the Wetlands All-Stars, Allen Toussaint, and The Bard of Oyster Bay, Billy Joel).  Today’s “Who dat?” pick is Magary Lord of Bahia.

It’s the most wonderful time of the year!  No Andy Williams, not Christmas, Day 1 of the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, the unchallenged greatest music and culture event on the planet.

My hot picks, dedicated to Callie –

Lafayette, La. – Lafayette has been named one of the Top 10 Foodie Cities by Livability.com, a national website that ranks quality of life and travel amenities of America’s small and mid-sized cities.

I, along with Judy Walker of the Times-Picayune and Brett Gauthier, Brennan's executive pastry chef, will be judging the inaugural Edible Book Day on April 5 at the New Orleans Museum of Art. The competition is open to amateur cooks and professional chefs, with awards handed out in each category. Other competitions around the country have yielded some pretty spectacular entries, and I'm sure this one will as well. (Pictured here: a Harry Potter cake from an edible book festival at North Virginia Community College (Photo by NVCC Libraries))

The event is included in the regular museum admission fee; stop by and say hello while you're there. 

Dat Dog’s doing something right.  When I first heard about this place, no one was less excited about making a special trip to pay $5 for a hot dog than I was.  However, after spending a Saints game hanging out at the bar at their expanded Freret location - with great food, service, and local beer, I can tell you this place is truly a “wiener”.

The exciting news is that Dat Dog opened their second location this past Friday, March 15 at 3336 Magazine Street in NOLA.  The new location has an outdoor beer garden and seated patio, and will offer the same artisan hot dogs and Laissez les Bons Temps Rouler attitude as the original Freret Street hotspot.

The 5^th Annual Hogs for the Cause Fundraiser and Cookoff takes place March 22 & 23, 2013 in New Orleans when City Park becomes City “Pork”.  The park’s new Festival Grounds become home Friday night to a Tailgate Experience as well as a Gala Dinner.  On Saturday, it becomes a cookoff and music festival!

Hogs For the Cause is a non-profit organization that hosts an annual music and food festival to raise money for pediatric brain cancer care.  This year over 80 teams will compete to be crowned the Louisiana pork champion.  Attendees are invited to vote and help choose the winners by donating to their favorite team by sampling their food.   While teams battle it out on the grill, music will be playing throughout the day and into the night.  This year there will also be a Friday night gala dinner.

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