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New Orleans Food News

14:14 September 22, 2014
By: Kim Ranjbar

Celebrating the past and the future … In honor of its 80th anniversary, Crescent City Steakhouse is marking this momentous occasion with an endowment at Loyola University New Orleans (for its business scholarship fund) and a two-day celebration at the restaurant supporting the National Kidney Foundation. Started by John Vojkovich in 1934, Crescent City Steakhouse has become a landmark establishment in Mid-City, beloved by four generations of New Orleanians. “Our loyal patrons are what has kept my family in the restaurant business for so many years,” said owner, Krasna Vojkovich. “Inmemory of my husband John, and the restaurant he opened in 1934, we¹re giving back to the community.”  On September 23rd & 24th, Crescent City Steakhouse will be offering food specials to customers like free champagne and birthday cake, plus a portion of the proceeds for those two days will be donated to the National Kidney Foundation. Make your reservation today! 822.0485 ~ 1001 N. Broad Street ~ crescentcitysteaks.com

Local seafood rocks … This month, from Friday October 10th to Sunday October 12th, the New Orleans City Park Festival Grounds will be rocking the best of our beloved Gulf for the annual Louisiana Seafood Festival. Enjoy three days of live music, chef demonstrations, an Oktoberfest-themed beer garden, a kid's tent hosted by the Louisiana Children's Museum,  local arts and crafts, and plenty of local, fresh seafood! Get your fill of mouth-watering seafood dishes from local restaurants like Antoine's Restaurant, Cafe Giovanni, Galatoire's, Red Fish Grill, Superior Seafood & Oyster Bar and Woody's Fish Tacos. While feasting on the exquisitely-prepared bounties of the Gulf, you'll enjoy performances from local musicians like Lohn Lisi & Delta Funk, Kristen Diable, Johnny Sketch & the Dirty Notes, Brass-a-holics, Honey Island Swamp Band and much, much more. louisianaseafoodfestival.com

Moving right along ... French restaurant Chateau du Lac has traveled from Kenner to Metairie and now has landed in New Orleans smack in the Warehouse District, all the while maintining it's identity as a traditional French Bistro. Opened less than a month ago on Fulton Street, Chateau du Lac Warehouse Bistro features classic French fare prepared by chef/owner Jacques Saleun like Les Escargots Bourguignons, Coq au Vin, French Onion Soup and, of course, Crème Brûlée. 301.0235 ~ 857 Fulton St. ~ chateaudulacwarehouse.com

Mid-City seafood ... In the building that formerly housed the Creole Cottage on Esplanade Avenue, owner Mark Johari Lawes has recently opened The Half Shell Oyster Bar & Grill. The restaurant specializes in oysters, you can choose from raw, fried, charbroiled, Rockefeller and the house special "Voodoo Bleu", it also offers po-boys, seafood platters, salads, burgers and more. Plus, Lawes was listenting to the needs of the neighborhood when he added a full, daily breakfast menu to The Half Shell.  298.0504 ~ 3101 Esplanade Ave. ~ halfshellneworleans.com

Pizza our heart … In a a sad turn of events, both Pizzicare and Crescent Pie & Sausage Company closed a couple of months ago. Owners Jeff Baron and Bart Bell haven't completely thrown in the towel, though. They plan to re-open the Pizzicare space, dub it the Crescent Plate that will be a lunch spot that also offers catering. Not to worry, pizza-by-the-slice, po-boys and other familiar favorites will still be on the menu at the lunch spot combining the best of Crescent Pie & Sausage and Pizzicare.   301.4823 ~ 3001 Tulane Ave. ~ pizzicare.com

Not another one! … RioMar, one of the most popular tapas restaurants in the Crescent City, shuttered it's doors much to the dismay of it's many fans. Chef and co-owner Miles Prescott and his partner Nick Bazan have other plans for the Warehouse District space, a trend that seems oh-so popular right now in New Orleans, and that is Mexican cuisine (think Mizado Cocina, Del Fuego Taqueria and the up and coming Besh restaurant Johnny Sanchez). It'll be interesting to see what Prescott does for the traditional taqueria.  525.3474 ~ 800 South Peters St. ~ riomarseafood.com

Along came a spider ... Speaking of Mexican cuisine, Araña Taqueria Y Cantina recently opened up on Magazine Street, a restaurant with a menu "inspired by the culinary traditions of the Yucatan. New Orleans-native Richard Papier has been named executive chef, bringing his extensive background (he worked for such famous folk as Susan Spicer, Emeril Lagasse and Donald Link), especially his experience cooking with Guillermo Peters who introduced Papier to the wonderful world of Mexican cuisine at the former St. Charles Avenue restaurant Coyoacan. Enjoy dishes like Tomato & Queso Fresco Ensalada, Steak & Chilaquiles, Chicken Mole and huge burritos stuffed with your choice of al pastor, chorizo, carne asada and more.  504-894-1233 ~ 3242 Magazine St. ~ facebook.com/AranaNola

Local legends make food … Bobby Hebert is a revered, local, professional athlete and sportscaster who also recently became a restaurateur with the opening of his first eatery, Bobby Hebert's Cajun Cannon Restaurant & Bar. Located on Veterans Boulevard, Bobby Hebert's is (naturally) a sports-themed restaurant with Herbert's own special memorabilia like signed jersey's from famous sports stars Cal Ripken and Micheal Jordan. Over 30 televisions, including a mammoth 90-inch screen in the central dining room and even 42-inch TVs in the bathroom, ensure that diners can keep up with the game wherever they are. Although the restaurant does serve bar food like Alligator Jalapeno Kickers or Cajun Hebert Fries doused in a crawfish cream sauce, Bobby Hebert's also offers a lot of New Orleans classics. Feast on Barbecued Shrimp, Cajun Cannon's chargrilled oysters, seafood platters, po-boys, red beans & rice, Blackened Bayou Duck and Banana's Foster Ice Cream Cake. 324.6841 ~ 4101 Veterans Blvd. ~ bobbyheberts.com

SoFAB returns … Late last month, the Southern Food & Beverage Museum reopened in its brand new digs in Central City on Oretha Castle Haley Boulevard. Louisiana Lieutenant Governor Jay Dardenne, members of the New Orleans City Council, special guest Chef Jeremiah Tower, Kid Chef Eliana and others were in attendance for the grand ribbon cutting. Not only does this new building play host to the Southern Food & Beverage Museum, within its 10,000 square feet you'll also find the Musuem of the American Cocktail, Galerie d'Absinthe, Kuyper Cake Collection, Gallery of the South and Purloo – a restaurant and bar headed up by Executive Chef Ryan Hughes. 569.0405 ~ 1504 Oretha Castle Haley Blvd. ~ southernfood.org

A virtual feast … Copeland's of New Orleans recently launched a brand new website which “expresses the Copeland’s brand, offers a content-rich contemporary design and user-friendly functionality. “ The newly designed site lets users order gift cards, place orders online (like whole cheesecakes that can be shipped anywhere in the U.S.), view current promotions, locate Copeland's near you and get directions.
“Our design process for this website was to bring our Copeland’s of New Orleans culture to life. We knew our guests needed a website that was user-friendly and easy to navigate and we wanted to give that to them for being loyal to the Copeland’s brand for over 31 years,” said Al Copeland, Jr. Chairman of the Board and CEO of Al Copeland Investments. Copeland's of New Orleans selected Bizzuka, a web design firm headquartered in Lafayette, to execute the layout and build of the site, but the design idea was done by Rauch-Designs. Both companies worked hand-in-hand with members of the Copeland’s team to create the final product. Feel free to explore Copeland's New Orleans' new online address at copelandsofneworleans.com.
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