Les Bons Temps

  A Portmanteau recently stationed itself in the Crescent City for a hurricane-force tour of all of New Orleans' glory.  Should you be a NOLA virgin- as we were- we recommend finding a seasoned guide who doubly acts as your cheerleader as you make your way through all of the food, spirits, and saints.  How else would one go about knowing that the Maple Leaf hosts both wicked live music and a sizzling crayfish bake that infuses a wild energy into the young locals?

The trip was planned largely around dining and imbibing.  We set out for Po' Boys at Domilise's, oysters (dubbed the "BP Special") at Felix's, $0.25 martinis during Commander's Palace lunch, alligator and crayfish cheesecake at Jacques Imo's. Eat the seafood.  They wouldn't feed it to you if it would kill you, with the bonus of locavore eating bragging rights.  We took in Hurricanes, Pimm's Cups, Mint Juleps, Grasshoppers, Bitters, and Chicory Cafe au Lait. Someone started in on some Angostura bitters and soda at one point to keep on keepin' on.

The Big Easy makes it easy to dance and laugh and enjoy the humid days and rainy nights, chatting with locals and getting familiar with the city's layout.  If you want to know what love is, you'll get shown.  Not enough can be said of the music.  We were wooed by their merry horns and dripping sexy blues.  As a grand reward for our efforts, the city brought to life Gulf Aid.  Housed in Mardi Gras World, this benefit concert set out to build awareness for the catastrophic environmental disaster brought on by the recent oil spill.  Several local restaurants, along with sponsors WWOZ Radio (http://www.wwoz.org/) and Budweiser, were also there in full force.  Gator burgers are delicious.

We were treated to Allen Toussaint, Voice of The Wetlands Allstars- : the swamp-rock bluesman Tab Benoit, legendary keyboardist Dr. John, the Mardi Gras Indian chief Monk Boudreaux, the rock songwriter Anders Osborne, the Cajun fiddler Waylon Thibodeaux, the harmonica and accordion player Johnny Sansone and the percussionist Cyril Neville of the Neville Brothers, Kermit Ruffins, Rebirth Brass Band, Preservation Hall Jazz Band, Terence Blanchard joined by surprise guest Cassandra Wilson, Soul Rebels and more.  We developed quite the aural fixation.

We enjoyed our trip and look forward to goin' back real soon now, ya hear.