Travel

Taking off tonight to go visit my parents for a bit, then to set sail on the Atlantic Ocean Comedy & Music Festival. I shall return.

August 29

Others have said everything that could be said, and better than I can. I was very lucky in Katrina and so many others weren't, so I don't feel comfortable adding my two cents. But I'll be here as long as there is a New Orleans, and I hope that there will be a New Orleans as long as others feel the same way.

Am I becoming a festival snob?

This past Saturday was the rescheduled New Orleans Daiquiri Festival. I did not attend; or more precisely, I walked up to the entrance, scoped it out, and decided not to attend. First, walking in I overheard several groups leaving and griping about the slim pickings inside. Second, it was in a small courtyard on Elysian Fields and, judging just from the view from the ticket booth, it was hard to see what there was on offer. Third, eight bucks to get in plus six-dollar food and drink tickets. It didn't seem worth taking the risk, so I passed. It might have been the right call because the post-event pictures don't reveal too much (We've Got Soul makes fantastic food, but they show up elsewhere around town). So I ask again, does this experience make me a festival snob? Should I suck it up and support a fledgling local event in the hopes that it will flourish into something more in coming years?

The Domenica Project: Part 2

Very long delay between entries on this; so long, in fact, that the brisket pizza is no longer on the menu.

1) Duck pizza with porcini, mascarpone, sweet potato & scallions. Holy crap this is good.
2) White pizza with ricotta, mozzarella, oregano, garlic & basil. Very light, and just as good cold.
3) Quattro formaggi: ricotta, parmigiano, mozzarella, fontina, and tomato. It's a very good cheese pizza, but still just a cheese pizza. I'd have it again, especially to see if it's better if it's cooked just a hair longer than it was this time.
4) Bolzano pizza with roast pork shoulder, fennel, bacon & sweet onions. I was not a fan of this one; it didn't seem to cohere into a whole. Oddly enough, it tasted better cold the next day.
5) Wild mushroom pizza with tomato, fontina, sweet onions, bacon & yard egg: too many ingredients, I think. Interesting flavors and textures, but it was overloaded and almost soggy. Probably better without the tomato.
6) Brisket with shaved potato, mascarpone, and scallions. I was not expecting so much potato; just an entire layer of potato slices, which really dominates the pizza. The brisket doesn't have much of a chance to do anything.

Trivia review: Publiq House

I think I have mentioned before both my fondness for bar trivia (which has a surprisingly extensive wikipedia entry). Recently, I've played a few times at the Publiq House on Freret, and although I've tried to like it I won't be going any more. I'll admit that the questions are generally well-written, but as a trivia experience it is lacking. The game never starts on time and seems calculated to take much longer than it needs to; there is the same video introduction every week and artificially extended breaks between all five rounds. The prizes are de minimis; last time we played we got second place, which entitled our team of five to a $10 bar tab credit. And on top of that, the beer is overpriced. Four bucks for an eight-ounce mason jar? No sir. I understand that a bar hosts a trivia night to drum up business, but this just feels like getting soaked. I'll be looking for a new game.

Saints

I have a confession to make: I went to the Saints/Raiders preseason game last Friday. For context, here is the explanation I offered to friends shortly after I made the Saints to lose to the 49ers in the playoffs season before last:

Hello, Who Dat Nation. I am sending this email to atone for my unfortunate contribution to the end of our football season.

By way of background, I attended two regular-season Saints games in 2010. I witnessed the meltdown versus the Cleveland Browns, and I was there for the loss to Tampa Bay in the last game of the season. We limped into the playoffs with a wild-card road game against the 7-and-9 Seahawks in Seattle. At the time, my brother was living and working in Seattle. I saw that as an opportunity to kill two birds with one stone, so to speak: I could visit my bro and at the same time see our Saints beat the 7-and-9 Seahawks on the way to a Two Dat Superbowl. I booked the flight.

We all know how that turned out.

In the aftermath, it was pointed out that the Saints lost every game I physically attended that year, including a playoff game against the 7-and-9 Seahawks that still stings to this day. (Thanks, Marshawn Lynch.) Therefore, I pledged to attend no more Saints games, lest my own personal aura of failure doom the team once again.

Forward to the 2011 season. I attend one pre-season game (loss to the Titans) and exactly zero regular season games. We go 13 and 3, which earns us the 3 seed. After an authoritative wild card victory over the Lions, the Saints hit the road with momentum against the 49ers in San Francisco. By a peculiar twist of fate, my brother has moved to San Francisco. I thought to myself, "Self, even though the 49ers are a much tougher opponent than the 7-and-9 Seahawks, wegotthis, right? There's no such thing as a jinx. What could go wrong if I fly to San Francisco, hang out with my brother, get tickets on Stubhub, and watch our unstoppable offense take the next step towards another Superbowl?" I booked the flight.

We all know how that turned out.

Sure, we can play Monday-morning quarterback. Yes, there were five turnovers and a dozen other mistakes that would have changed the outcome. One more third down, one more penalty called on a bogus helmet-to-helmet hit, a little more time off the clock, and we'd be on our way to a home-field NFC Championship. (Thanks, Aaron Rodgers.) But that balance between win and loss was so delicate, even the slightest difference could have tipped the scales in our favor. Therefore, I have no choice but to conclude that it's my fault. Maybe I was the butterfly that clapped and made Darren Sproles fumble punt returns. Perhaps we'll never know if I really am an albatross around the Saints' neck. But I do know one thing: there is no way in hell I am going to test the theory a third time. Not only because I'm afraid that the pattern would hold, but because it really, really sucks watching the Saints lose a playoff game surrounded by a bunch of jackass 49ers fans.

Good day, and here's to a successful 2012 season, sans Joe.

The 2012 season was not successful. We were hamstrung right out of the gate by the "bounty" "scandal", and limped through a lackluster 7-9 season littered with painful losses.

Fast forward to last Friday, when at the last minute a friend offers me two tickets to the Raiders preseason game. My special lady friend has not been to a Saints game and I figure the preseason doesn't count, so we went. And the Saints won. But seeing as I told myself it was only the preseason beforehand, I have to stick with that rationalization; therefore, I do not consider the curse to be lifted and I am standing by my vow for regular season and, knock on wood, postseason games. Now, let's go roast some falcon.

Catching up: Reserve Bank Museum

Just a couple of months ago, the Museum of Trade, Finance, and the Fed opened at the local federal reserve bank branch. Once I had free time during the operating hours (Monday through Friday, 9:00 to 4:00) I checked it out. A couple of observations: 1) the security is extreme because the Museum is in the lobby of the federal reserve bank; 2) the lobby is not very big; and 3) the Museum probably does not warrant the name "Museum." It is very youth-oriented, with five small displays about the history of trade and money and examples of old coinage, paper money, and bank notes. It is informative if you don't know much about the history of the national banking system (I learned a few things), but only at a thirty-thousand-feet level. That being said, it could be good for a particularly nerdy group of kids: they might enjoy the hidden messages in the informative displays that can only be seen with red-tinted glasses, and the interactive exhibit in which you can design a dollar bill and put your face on it. So, takeaway: not really a museum and in a weird place, but free and a little bit interesting for the youngsters.

Catching up: Red Dress Run 2013

Two weekends ago was the Red Dress Run. Technically, it's an annual charity run somewhere downtown or through the Quarter, with drinking. Because of past organizational troubles, and because I don't run for fun, I just put on a red dress and go down to the Quarter and imbibe thusly (thanks to Tom for the photo):

It's a hoot, especially for the tourists who have no idea why there are thousands of boozed-up folks in red dresses gallivanting around town. The run this past Saturday was a great success, although it may be a while before I can try another purple voodoo daiquiri from Lafitte's. The machine must have been overtaxed because it was dispensing cool purple liquid rather than delicious frozen goodness. Did not like. But other than that, a very enjoyable day!

July 2013

Sorry about that reader, I let the blog get away from me. July was a full month, with great meals at Bayona, Gautreau's, and Peche; The Running of the Bulls; and generalized fun and frivolity. I did not get much of a chance to reminisce about last year's bus trip, in part because I am planning future trips. I have some spare time coming up, so travel suggestions will be greatly appreciated (and covered here). Until next post!