Pontchartrain Pete

Basically a big ditto to Nola's post on the Greek Fest. It was a good move to go on Friday in the evening. There was a nice breeze coming off the lake; it was very pleasant after sunset. The mini-food market inside was nifty. Nola bought some olives, CS a bottle of wine, and I opted for some pistachios and a couple of shots of Ouzo. OPA! indeed.

I dove in right away with the food, joining CS in an initial dose of calamari. Add some lemonade, and another shot of Ouzo, and then I went for the souvlaki, which is a shish kebab of grilled marinated pork tenderloin, which they sold in a combo with some Greek sausage, also on a stick. The souvlaki was definitely the tastier of the two, and I should have gotten the hint that some of the people were requesting two souvlaki's instead of one souvlaki and one sausage in their order.

Nola's awesome purchase of many pastries rocked; the almond covered crescents and baklava hit the spot for dessert.

Getting there early was the key. Around 7or 8 the lines at the food booths were staggeringly long. There were also some booths with jewelry and art for sale. If you wanted, you could even climb Mt. Olympus (or Mt. Olympus, Jr.). We passed.

I just came off of a tour of Northshore Sno-Ball (or Snowball) stands. We found one on Hwy. 59 in Abita Springs, which Pete-in-Exile passes daily on his way to work. Passes, but never stops. Too bad, because I've been missing out on wonderful slice of New Orleans that's been plopped dead center onto the Northshore. It's called Bot & Nola's Sno Balls & Other Cool Stuff.



The lady who owns the place is also an Abita Springs city council member and Mayor Pro Tem of Abita Springs. She's got a bunch of New Orleans memorabilia and old-fashioned hard-to-find kids items, like candy cigarettes, big wax lips and violet gum (the "Other Cool Stuff'). She's also the Northshore's source for New Orleans Nectar Soda and Angelo Brocato's Italian ice cream and bakery products. Yes, there's lemon ice on the Northshore.

But the standout item is a re-creation of Ignatius J. Reilly's favorite drink, Dr. Nut. Working with New Orleans food guru and Dr. Nut aficionado Tom Fitzmorris, she's developed a sno-ball syrup which captures the almondy essence of this extinct New Orleans soft drink.

Bot & Nola's is on Hwy. 59 just south of Abita Springs. There's a playground for the kids and umbrella-shaded picnic tables to enjoy your delicious treats. Summer's almost here, people.

The Fore!Kids Foundation is sponsoring a public art project in coordination with the Arts Council of New Orleans. Fiberglass fleur de lis were given to 40 artists to decorate, and they are displayed at various locations around the city until October, when they will be auctioned off and the proceeds distributed to various charities the foundation supports. Nola and I performed a number of drive-by picture shootings this weekend, getting pics of all the fleurs we could find. Here's a page of pics, with more to come as we get the shots.

Last night, we had dinner at Irene's Cuisine. The original plan was dinner at Mr. B's Bistro, which is one of my favorite places in the city. Mr. B's just recently reopened. Although IT did not flood the French Quarter, many buildings suffered rain damage. Mr. B's suffered doubly. Rain poured in the building, which is bad enough. What's worse, it's also one of the few buildings around here with a basement, where the restrooms and offices were located. The water gathered in the basement and had no place to go.

I kind of had my heart and stomach set on going to Mr. B's. I checked the menu on the internet. I had it all planned out. Gumbo Ya-Ya. Hickory grilled fish. Or barbecued shrimp. Bread pudding for desert.

But, change of plans. Mom called. "It's too far to walk to Mr. B's. We're going to Stella!." I'm thinking, Stella!—what Stella!? I wanna go to Mr. B's. Whaaaahaaahaaah. I check the internet. I find Tom's review. He likes it. He thinks someone should pop out of the kitchen and scream STELLA!!! every now and then. I find the menu.

It looks adventurous. It looks expensive. It looks like:

Sake and Miso Glazed Japanese Mero Seabass with Udon Noodles, Roasted Local Green Garlic, Buna Shimeji Mushrooms and Lobster, Crab and Shark's Fin Broth

Avocado Shake with Espresso Granita and Jalapeño

Editors note: I'm going against a promise I made myself that I would not blog about ordinary details of everyday life. But after doing laundry this morning, I decided an ode the Wise Man of the Laundromat would be in order. Please excuse the drudgery.

Pete-in-Exile is forced to frequent a little laundromat in Abita Springs. I don’t mind this, as I can do 3 or 4 loads at one time, cutting laundry time by a good 1/2 or more. It’s not a bad little place. The machines work; it’s 75 cents a load, the building is pretty clean and it’s next to the town library and a stone’s throw from a pizza place, a coffee shop, 2 groceries, and the Abita Brew Pub.

Brad Pitt does, and he's only had a home here for a few months. As reported on Nola.com (not to be confused with our honorable host Nolanotes.com), Brad Pitt "pines for his old New Orleans Home."

The thing he misses the most, he said, is bicycling through the streets of New Orleans at night.

"Living in the French Quarter is a thrill for us," he said. "We have some semblance of real family life. People have been very, very gracious with us. If we're on the front deck, people go by and say, 'Hi.' Then they go on their way, very friendly."

That celebrities are treated somewhat nonchalantly in New Orleans is nothing new. Musicians Lenny Kravitz and Peter Buck keep French Quarter digs, as does director Francis Ford Coppola. Coppola's nephew, Nicolas Cage, is now his uncle's neighbor, having bought the Lalaurie house on Royal and Governor Nichols.

Other celebrities who call or have called New Orleans home include Trent Reznor and Bob Dylan. Harry Anderson recently abdicated on his role as French Quarter impresario, giving up on the city after the re-election of Mayor Nagin last year.

Pitt's comments echoed an interview with Reznor I remember reading a while back (1999? 2000?) whose favorite New Orleans activities were rollerblading in Audobon Park and jet skiing on Lake Pontchartrain. And not being bothered by people.

Last Friday saw another one of Pete's excursions from the Northshore to the Big Easy. The occasion was meeting my sister and the plumber who is supposed to work on her condo out by the lake.

Now, Thursday's weather forecasts were all doom and gloom for Friday. Flash floods! Twisters! Hail the size of canned hams! In fact, sleep was difficult from about 2-4 in the morning, lightning and thunder at the rate of about 1 per second kept even me awake. I got up around 7:30, not knowing how long the normally 1 hour or so drive to the city would take, given the possibility of street flooding and accidents on the roads.

I just heard on the radio that Jazzfest was putting up higher than expected attendance figures. Also, the French Quarter Fest (here, here and here) had over 400,000 people attending! With over 200,000 on Sunday alone! I mean, we knew it was crowded on Sunday, but Jeez!

Did you know that Louisiana is home to its own subspecies of American Black Bear, the Louisiana Black Bear?

I ran across this headline on the Dead Pelican: "Mama bear, cubs pay surprise visit to Cottonport," which linked to this article in the Alexandria Town Talk.

Apparently, Ursus americanus luteolus is making a comeback. Efforts by the Black Bear Conservation Committee (BBCC) seem to be paying off, as events like the Cottonport bear visit seem to be happening with greater frequency. The BBCC keeps track of these reports here.