New Orleans Magazine’s readers have chosen who they think is best in a multitude of categories. A detachable, postage-paid ballot was included in the magazine’s October issue. Readers were also able to vote online at the magazine’s website MyNewOrleans.com. In some categories there were significant clusters of votes so that runners-up were announced as well […]
Seated in front of a white Apple laptop in a Lakeview coffee shop, former professional boxer Mike “The Rock” Ricca, 36, peruses a draft of his first written “fight plan.” An ex-cruiserweight (10 wins-1 loss-1 tie), Ricca has just banged out a brief motivational manifesto for New Orleans youth, at the request of this column. […]
Sugar, Spicer and everything nice Foodies are probably familiar with chef Susan Spicer, a James Beard Award-winner, a guest on Bravo’s “Top Chef” in 2009 and even an inspiration for a character on HBO’s “Treme.” She opened Bayona in 1990 in a 200-year-old Creole cottage in the French Quarter before opening Herbsaint (which she later […]
LifeCare at Lambeth HouseLambeth House is a community for retirees that emphasizes quality of life for varying clientele. It is the area’s only continuing care retirement community with LifeCare, designed to give independent living residents and their families peace of mind as it provides for assisted living and nursing care, if needed. Established in 1998, […]
When reflecting on the year 2010 and remembering what to be thankful for, many New Orleanians will give thanks for family, friends, good health, financial stability – but it wouldn’t be surprising if one of the top (if not the top) thing for which to give thanks is the fulfillment at long last of the […]
The spiciest season The holiday season means tables laden with an abundance of visual gustatory pleasures, bringing delight for all invited to gather. Yet, long before we approach the photo-moment, the home is filled with the aromas of meats, fowl, fish, vegetables, breads and desserts, each cooking or baking on their way to a treasured […]
There was a time when working guys would take their daily lunch break from unloading sacks of coffee beans at the dock, head to the nearest corner grocery and either order a poor boy or grab a prepared Mrs. Drake’s sandwich from the shelf. A bag of either Dickey’s potato chips or Chee-Weez would provide […]
Darkness was not going to win!” “Chuck” Kelley insists. The President of the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, Dr. Charles “Chuck” S. Kelley Jr., still takes pride in the fact that, shortly after Hurricane Katrina devastated the city and caused more than $75 million damage to his Gentilly campus, the school’s building contractor managed to […]
Acontemporary local variation of the expression “don’t throw out the baby with the bath water” might be “don’t throw out the train cars with the railroad board.” Revelations of misspending and abuse of authority at the New Orleans Public Belt railway system have led to a shakeup of the operations. Now a new board is […]
• According to a recent study by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, seven out of 10 women facing breast cancer aren’t made aware of all of their reconstructive options. Furthermore, according to a study released at the 2010 American Society of Breast Surgeons annual meeting, four out of five women don’t get breast reconstruction, […]
Hurricanes, a national recession, the oil disaster in the Gulf – the Port of New Orleans has been through a lot during the last few years. But lately this cornerstone of the local economy has had more good news to report. General cargo was up nine percent for the first half of 2010, while the […]
Long gone are the days of 1960s psychedelic rock and the British invasion – or so we thought. New Orleanian AM recently released his debut album Future Sons & Daughters, the Abbey Road Studios-mastered vinyl edition of which was made available Oct. 19, which hearkens The Byrds as well as modern icons Beck and Wilco. […]
The hard times and resurrection ministry of Elder Utah Smith is a tale of epic strivings. In times such as these, when organized religion takes a heavy battering from internal scandals and prolific atheists, Smith’s life opens a window on how the Church of God In Christ nurtured music as wedded to “The Word.” The […]
The promise of technology is often touted as part of the formula to improve public education in New Orleans. But this doesn’t necessarily mean more computer labs and laptops. Recently, officials at McDonogh 35, a public high school in the 7th Ward, invited parents and others to see how a new technology system has been […]
Sylvain (625 Chartres St.), continues the recent trend toward restaurant-bars or “gastropubs.” The brainchild of Sean McCusker, a food and travel writer, Sylvain occupies a beautifully renovated space originally built in 1796 that’s just a few yards from Jackson Square. The menu is largely comfort food done professionally, with items such as a chicken liver […]
The Harahan and River Ridge communities offer the typical comforts of suburbia: green space, quiet neighborhoods and lots that can accommodate homes larger than a double-shotgun. They also offer other perks, like independently owned and operated restaurants. Diners have several good spots serving local seafood and casual upscale dining from which to choose. In addition, […]
Earlier this fall I attended a food writers’ conference in Santa Fe, and some of the old timers were recalling a conference I chaired in New Orleans in 1987. The subject comes up every year. We showed them how to deep fry a turkey and the results were everything from snickering to downright criticism that […]
The scramble for answers to the spewing deep-water oil well in the Gulf this year made clear that both the energy industry and the government were short on experience for handling just such a disaster. But as the situation enters a new phase, one local nonprofit is confident it has the know-how and track record […]
Monty Williams is like a basketball Buddha. It is the New Orleans Hornets open-practice-to-the-public-day and I feel like I’m watching a pick-up game at an inner-city basketball court – players are aggressive, playing with abandon. Williams, the Hornets’ new coach, is the exact opposite as he sits calmly (hence the nod to Buddha) on the sidelines […]
My daughter Gladiola claims she got detention for asking a question in class. Come to find out, the question was “What shade toenail polish R U wearing 2nite?” And she asked it to her friend Mawlene – by texting. Old people like myself remember when we had to lean over and pass actual notes, but […]
New Orleans Magazine’s readers have chosen who they think is best in a multitude of categories. A detachable, postage-paid ballot was included in the magazine’s October issue. Readers were also able to vote online at the magazine’s website MyNewOrleans.com. In some categories there were significant clusters of votes so that runners-up were announced as well as first place. In a few categories where the votes were too widely dispersed rather than clustered the category was dropped. For full coverage of the magazine’s Tops of the Town winner see the January 2011 issue.
New Orleanian of the Year
1: Drew Brees
2: Mitch Landrieu
3: Sean Peyton
4: Ed McIntyre
New Orleanian I Admire Most (male)
1: Drew Brees
2: Sean Payton
3: Jim Letten
New Orleanian I Admire Most (female)
1: Sandra Bullock
Most Attractive New Orleanian (male)
1: Drew Brees
Most Attractive New Orleanian (female)
1: Sandra Bullock
Favorite Politician
1: Mitch Landrieu
2: Bobby Jindal
3: David Vitter
Favorite New Orleans Musician (living in the city)
1: Aaron Neville
2: Fats Domino
3: Dr. John
Favorite New Orleans Musician (living outside the city)
1: Harry Connick Jr.
Favorite Local New Orleans Actor
1: Ricky Graham
2: Becky Allen
Favorite Saints Player
1: Drew Brees
2: Jeremy Shockey
Favorite Hornets Player
1: Chris Paul
Favorite Local TV News Anchor
1: Angela Hill
Favorite TV Sports Reporter
1: Jim Henderson
Favorite TV Meteorologist
1: Bob Breck
2: Margaret Orr
3: Carl Arredondo/Dawn Brown
Favorite Local Radio Personality
1: Garland Robinette
2: Spud McConnell
Favorite Local Writer
1: Chris Rose
Favorite Grocery Store/Deli
1: Rouse’s
2: Dorignac’s
3: Central Grocery/Whole Foods
4: Langenstein’s
5: Winn-Dixie
Favorite Gym
1: Elmwood
2: EJGH Wellness
Favorite Day Spa
1: The Ritz
2: Belladonna
Favorite Boutique
1: Belladonna
Favorite Antiques Store
1: MS Rau/Renaissance Interiors
Favorite Place to Buy Unique Furniture
1: New Directions
Favorite Florist
1: Federico’s
2: Villere’s
Favorite Law/Garden Supply
1: Perrino’s
2: Home Depot
3: Charvet
Favorite Movie Theater
1: Prytania
2: Canal Place
3: Elmwood
Favorite Place to Hear Live Music
1: Tipitina’s
2: House of Blues
3: Maple Leaf
Favorite Happy Hour
1: Superior Grill
Favorite Jazz Club
1: Snug Harbor
Favorite Museum
1: New Orleans Museum of Art/National World War II Museum (tie)
Favorite Historical Landmark
1: St. Louis Cathedral
2: Jackson Square
Favorite Remodeled/Renovated Building
1: Roosevelt
Favorite Place to Spot Celebrities
1: French Quarter
Favorite Place to Take Out-of-Towners
1: French Quarter
Favorite Place to Play Hooky
1: French Quarter
2: Audubon
Favorite Golf Course
1: Audubon
2: City Park
Favorite Biking/Walking/Running Route
1: Audubon Park
2: Lakeshore Drive
3: City Park
Favorite Weekend Getaway
1: Destin, FL
2: Gulf Shores, AL
Favorite Street for a Sunday Drive
1: St. Charles Avenue
2: Magazine St./Lakeshore Dr.
Favorite Up-and-Coming Neighborhood
1: Lakeview
Favorite Neighborhood to Raise a Family
1: Metairie
Favorite Place to Buy a Wedding Dress
1: Town and Country
2: Yvonne LaFleur/House of Broel
Favorite Place to Place Your Bets
1: New Orleans Fair Grounds
2: Harrah’s
3: Off-track betting
Favorite Hotel
1: Roosevelt
2: Windsor Court
3: Ritz-Carlton/Hotel Monteleone (tie)
Favorite Decision New Orleans Made This Year
1: Mitch Landrieu as mayor
2: Champion Square
Least Favorite Decision New Orleans Made This Year
1:Traffic cameras
Favorite Local Event Open to Public
1: French Quarter Fest
2: Jazz Fest
3: Mardi Gras
Favorite Work Accomplished by a Charity, Organization or Group
1: Habitat for Humanity/American Heart Association (tie)
