Wed
Jan
27
The 41st New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival announced its day-by-day roster.
Headlining the opening Friday, April 23, are Lionel Richie, the Black Crowes and Dr. John. This year’s first Saturday, April 24, features Simon & Garfunkel in the duo’s only scheduled American concert of 2010. Pearl Jam anchors the second Saturday with its sole American festival appearance of the year.
The final Sunday winds down with old friends: the Neville Brothers, Van Morrison, B.B. King, Maze featuring Frankie Beverly, Irma Thomas and Wayne Shorter.
In other Jazz Fest news, Dominican singer Juan Luis Guerra has joined the bill for Sunday, April 25. Massively popular throughout Latin America and among the Hispanic population of the U.S., Guerra has sold millions of albums and won a bevy of Latin Grammy Awards.
(from
The Times-Picayune, New Orleans)
Thu
Jan
14
The sound of a New Orleans duo, The Generationals (Grant Widmer and Todd Joyner), “shimmers with the music of the British Invasion, Stax soul, Wall of Sound production, 1950s doo-wop and California-dreaming jangle filtered through a contemporary indie-rock lens,” according to The New York Times, which put it on their latest Nifty 50 list.
Hear them here.
Tue
Jan
12
Love cookbooks? Bet your favorites are those that not only present high-quality recipes, but also offer insights into the origins of the food they discuss. In that case, you shouldn’t miss Louisiana chef John Besh’s new tome: “My New Orleans, the Cookbook.”
A 360-page storybook filled with gorgeous photos and 200 recipes for his delectable cuisine, this is a work that goes easily from coffee table to kitchen, and then to the sitting room, where you could spend hours reading Besh’s reflections about growing up and raising his own family in south Louisiana.
Of the many “food stars” who have called the Bayou State home, none may be better equipped than Besh to give indigenous Louisiana dishes their due while also rendering them in creative new ways. An avid hunter, fisher and outdoorsman in his early life, even Besh’s first forays into cooking focused on the foods and natural resources he found all around him. Today, he, his wife and four young sons still live, work, play – and cook – in bountiful southeastern Louisiana.
Besh, who in 2006 was named Best Chef in the Southeast by the James Beard Foundation, now is owner and executive chef of six marquis restaurants in and around New Orleans:
• August – His flagship fine-dining restaurant occupies an elegant corner building in downtown New Orleans.
• Lüke – A more casual but upscale dining room, it has a big following in the heart of the business district.
• Domenica – His newest restaurant, a stylish establishment serving authentic rural Italian cuisine, is located on the ground floor of the newly renovated Roosevelt Hotel.
• The American Sector – A sleek dining room and bar within the newest wing of the National World War II Museum, it serves war-era dishes with exciting twists.
• Besh Steak – A striking and popular steakhouse located in Harrah’s New Orleans Casino, downtown.
• La Provence – Long one of the most authentic French restaurants in the area, this country-style dining room north of Lake Pontchartrain came into Besh’s hands through his friendship with the late chef-owner, Chris Kerageorgiou.
“My New Orleans, the Cookbook” is available in major bookstores and through their online sites.
STILL TO COME: Watch for postings, right here, of some of our favorite recipes from this beautiful cookbook. And stay up to date with many culinary trends in Louisiana at LouisianaTravel.com.
Mary J. Blige will star when the annual Essence Music Festival returns to New Orleans this summer. Blige will not only be the headline performer but also the official spokeswoman for the event, scheduled for the weekend of July 2.
Stay up to date on the lineup and schedule of events as they develop in coming months, at LouisianaTravel.com.
Thu
Jan
7
It all happened just downriver from New Orleans, on Jan. 8, 1815. This weekend, you can see it unfold again on the Chalmette Battlefield.
Many people believe that the Battle of New Orleans – the last great battle of the War of 1812 between the United States and Britain – was unnecessary, since the treaty ending the war was signed in late 1814. But the war was not over.
The resounding American victory at the Battle of New Orleans soon became a symbol of a new idea: American democracy triumphing over the old European ideas of aristocracy and entitlement. Gen. Andrew Jackson’s hastily assembled army had won the day against a battle-hardened and numerically superior British force. Americans took great pride in the victory and for decades celebrated Jan. 8 as a national holiday, just like the Fourth of July.
Remember the Battle of New Orleans at Chalmette Battlefield, the very place where it happened. Meet the American and British troops who fought one of the most significant battles in world history as some 100 living history experts in period dress bring the sights and sounds of Jan. 8, 1815, to life.
Tue
Jan
5
Ever hear the saying that any fish bites if you’ve got good bait? A scientist at Louisiana State University takes the idea a bit further.
John Caprio, a specialist in aquatic vertebrate taste and smell systems, has spent much of the last three decades researching technology that uses a fish’s biology to increase the odds of making a catch. Caprio discovered the specific natural stimuli that activate taste sensors, resulting in nerve reflexes that cause the fish to ingest food or an appropriate fishing lure.
” The taste of particular natural chemicals triggers a feeding response,” Caprio says. In other words, if a fish is exposed to certain taste stimuli, it cannot control its urge to bite.
LSU’s Office of Intellectual Property worked closely with Caprio in the early stages of his technology’s formation through a licensing agreement with Connecticut-based Mystic Tackleworks. That company used the technology to develop the Bio-Pulse Lure System, which recently won a Pitney Bowes Award for the most promising new technology in Connecticut.
For more information, see MysticTackleworks.com.
Thu
Dec
31
New Orleans never lacks for music, but on New Year’s Eve — well, the musical menu is off the charts.
Local lineups run the gamut from swamp-blues-rocker Tab Benoit (at the new version of the venerable Rock ‘n’ Bowl) to Ivan Neville’s Dumpstafunk at Howlin’ Wolf, to Better Than Ezra at House of Blues.
Not to mention Anders Osborne and Cyril Neville together — together! — at the French Quarter branch of Tipitina’s. Meanwhile Galactic will blow it out at the original Tip’s, Uptown.
See more details here, and be there when the music starts!
Mon
Dec
21
Apparently, the list of reasons is long. Research published in the journal Science shows Louisiana at the top among all 50 states when it comes to “life satisfaction.” A team of researchers at Hamilton College in the United States and the University of Warwick in the United Kingdom declared Louisiana the happiest state in the country.
The researchers examined a random sample of 1.3 million U.S. citizens, from every state, to measure their satisfaction with their lifestyle. The research produced a ranking of the states based on happiness levels, and Louisiana stands at No. 1.
You’ll find tons of things that make Louisiana people happy at LouisianaTravel.com. To share your own thoughts about what contributes to Louisiana’s happiness quotient, go to Facebook/LouisianaTravel and upload your own photos from good times you’ve enjoyed in the state.
Fri
Dec
18
An icon of Louisiana’s cultural heritage is offering a special opportunity to mark this holiday season. The Arna Bontemps Museum invites you to celebrate Kwanzaa on Dec. 27 and 29.
Kwanzaa is a unique African-American celebration that focuses on the traditional African values of family, community responsibility, commerce, and self-improvement. Celebrated from Dec. 26 to Jan. 1, Kwanzaa, which means “first fruits of the harvest” in the African language Kiswahili, is observed by more than 18 million people worldwide.
In Alexandria, Kwanzaa will be observed at the Arna Bontemps Museum, 1327 Third St., on Sunday, Dec. 27, from 6 to 8 p.m. Another observance will be held at St. Juliana Catholic Church Activity Center, 900 Daspit St., on Tuesday, Dec. 29, from 6 to 8 p.m. Both are free and open to the public. For more information, call 318-473-4692.
Thu
Dec
17
If New Orleans can inspire a film as enchanting as Disney’s “The Princess and The Frog,” imagine what it can do for you and your family. Here’s your chance to find out.
In celebration of the debut of Disney’s groundbreaking movie, which is set in New Orleans and presents an ethnically diverse cast of animated characters, the New Orleans Multicultural Tourism Network has announced a chance for a lucky family – of up to four people – to win a vacation in the Crescent City.
The Enchanted Vacation Grand Prize Package includes:
• Roundtrip airfare for a family of four to New Orleans;
• Limousine ride to and from the airport;
• Three-night stay in the Sheraton New Orleans Hotel’s Jefferson Presidential Suite - grand accommodations on the 49th floor!
• Complimentary breakfast and lunch for three days;
• Passes to the New Orleans Museum of Art’s Disney® Dreams Come True: Art of the Classic Fairy Tales exhibit including an exclusive “back of the house” tour
• Passes to any of the Audubon Institute attractions (including a zoo, aquarium, IMAX theater and the new insectarium).
New Orleans is, arguably, the most diverse city in the United States. Founded in 1990, the New Orleans Multicultural Tourism Network works to strengthen that diversity and encourage multicultural visitation.
The network invites families everywhere to come taste the flavors, feel the music and be part of the fun in New Orleans – one of the most enchanting cities in the world.
See complete details and find out how to enter here. You could be on your way to New Orleans soon!
