Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Banh mi tacos and double-decker spring rolls at Pho Bistreaux

Posted by on Wed, Jun 19, 2013 at 8:27 AM

banh mi taco
  • IAN MCNULTY
  • Traditional banh mi fillings inside flour tortillas at Pho Bistreaux

As the number of Vietnamese restaurants continues to grow around New Orleans, some are mixing up the typical script for these casual noodle shops.

At one of the newest entries to the field, Pho Bistreaux, this means turning a banh mi into a taco and wrapping fried, crunchy egg rolls inside fresh spring rolls, for a combo called the NOLA roll.

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Tuesday, June 18, 2013

An "elite"? How dare you, sir?

Posted by on Tue, Jun 18, 2013 at 2:41 PM

Gov. Bobby Jindal's "bedwetting," "big-boy pants" op-ed in today's Politico had lots of advice and proscriptions for the national GOP, and certainly got Jindal renewed national attention (though it surely left some amused at Jindal's choice of incontinent metaphor). In the middle of it, Jindal took a sardonic swipe at "the smart guys in Washington," and now one of the D.C. smart guys in the press corps, Ezra Klein of The Washington Post's Wonkblog — is taking a swipe back at the governor:

That’s how the GOP becomes the stupid party: Republican Party elites like Jindal convince Republican Party activists of things that aren’t true.

(That's from a piece titled "Bobby Jindal is the Republican Party's Problem," which is, I suppose, the sort of thing you'd expect a "smart guy in Washington" to write.)

In Paw-Paw's day, "elite" used to mean "the best" (or the self-selected "best") — but today "elite" is a fighting word. Just six months ago, Jindal was sniping at the "liberal elite and their media water carriers":

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Clearly this is a grave insult, and we've got a call in to Jindal's office to see if there will be a reply to this elite glove in the face. If there's one thing politicians of all stripes can agree upon, it's that "elite" is a dirty, filthy word when you're talkin' 'bout a coupla jest-plain-fellas and good ole boys like Jindal and Klein. Certainly Klein's use of it here seems deliberately designed to provoke a reaction.

EDITED TO ADD: And now Alec MacGillis of The New Republic -- another Washington elite -- puts in his two cents on Jindal's latest Politico op-ed.

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Rep. Walt Leger to seek speakership of state House of Representatives

Posted by on Tue, Jun 18, 2013 at 1:53 PM

Sate Rep. Walt Leger
  • Sate Rep. Walt Leger
House Speaker Pro Tem Walt Leger, D-New Orleans, still has to survive two more regular sessions unscathed and secure re-election to District 91, but he tells Gambit he has his sights set on the big gavel in 2016.

"I will absolutely be a candidate for speaker," he said yesterday after an address to the Baton Rouge Press Club.

Other sources, however, indicate that Leger has also opened himself up to the possibility of running for statewide office in 2015. He's working closely with a communications team and a revamp of his campaign website is said to be in the works.

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Steve Gleason responds to the Atlanta shock jocks (who couldn't carry his jock)

Posted by on Tue, Jun 18, 2013 at 12:53 PM

FACEBOOK/TEAM GLEASON
  • FACEBOOK/TEAM GLEASON

From Team Gleason's Facebook — a letter from Steve Gleason:

Regarding the DJ skit in Atlanta yesterday. I would like to thank the public for their support. 'Defend Team Gleason' now has been officially redefined. Additionally, the DJs have provided genuine apology. Received and accepted. We have all made mistakes in this life. How we learn from our mistakes is the measure of who we are.

I think everyone can learn from this event. Its clear to me that, on a national & global scale, ALS is not understood, which is part of why its under funded and largely ignored. In the past 36 hours lots of people have been talking. Lets talk about this... There are zero treatments for ALS. If you take any action as a result of this event, I prefer it to be action to end ALS. See what we are doing to change that @ teamgleason.org. SG

Once again, the universe has reinforced the lesson that in America, you're welcome to say whatever you like, but you don't get to control the consequences.

The universe has also reduced our weekly web poll to yesterday's news, as all the options involved came true at one time or another within 12 hours:

Screen_Shot_2013-06-18_at_10.53.09_AM.png

So we've pulled that poll question and have come up with a new one:

How do you feel the city of New Orleans is doing when it comes to noise enforcement laws?

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First of two new lakefront restaurants sets sail this week

Posted by on Tue, Jun 18, 2013 at 12:17 PM

Brisbis

The drinks have been flowing for about a week now at Brisbi’s Lakefront Restaurant & Bar, and from its elevated, westerly-facing deck people have been toasting boaters as they return to port after day on Lake Pontchartrain. On Wednesday evening, the kitchen at this new waterfront restaurant will get rolling with regular service.

Brisbi’s is one of two new restaurants along Lakeshore Drive. Finishing touches are underway at the second, Blue Crab Restaurant and Oyster Bar, which is just a short walk up the canal. Blue Crab manager Kent Burgess expects his restaurant to open within the next few weeks.

Both restaurants are elevated on piers, with steps leading to the docks and plenty of windows to take in the lakefront views. At Brisbi’s, there’s a stand-up oyster bar overlooking the harbor and garage doors that can open to connect the dining room to the covered deck outside.

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Jindal on GOP: "It’s time to stop the bedwetting"

Posted by on Tue, Jun 18, 2013 at 12:00 PM

Gov. Bobby Jindal
  • Gov. Bobby Jindal

Words Gov. Bobby Jindal uses to describe fellow Republicans in today's Politico column: navel gazing, bedwetting, needs to go to counseling.

What Jindal says fellow Republicans should do: "go kick the other guys around" and "hold fast, get smarter, get disciplined, get on offense, and put on your big boy pants."

Jindal's latest tongue-lashing at his GOP peers reminds them to hold on to their conservative values instead of broadcasting their "embarassing ... public professions of feelings of inadequacy."

"Every day it seems another jilted high-placed Republican in Washington is confessing to the voters; 'It’s not you, it’s me…'," he writes. Jindal tells Republicans to focus their attention on "painting a picture for the American public, particularly for young people, of what a free and prosperous American future will look like with smart conservative policies."

He then lists 30 reasons why Americans will "revolt" against the "nanny state" — because the "left" wants the "government to explode," doesn't care about babies, thinks rich people are evil and that people of faith are stupid.

Now word on what the strategy for kicking the other guys around includes, however.

Diana Ross to perform at the Saenger Theatre in October

Posted by on Tue, Jun 18, 2013 at 11:43 AM

Diana Ross will grace the Saenger Theatre stage on Oct. 30. Tickets go on sale next Friday at 11 a.m.

Women who are "sexy 20-40" and are looking for a date to the Diana Ross concert might consider contacting this gentleman via Backpage.com. The "55 look younger, black male if it matters" was looking for a date to the Diana Ross concert this past February in Baton Rouge. He has (had?) a girlfriend, but she apparently loves the Zulu Ball more than she loves Diana Ross. That could be a dealbreaker.

Dude on Backpage.com once looked for a date to the Baton Rouge Diana Ross concert
  • Dude on Backpage.com once looked for a date to the Baton Rouge Diana Ross concert

There are some embeds of Diana Ross jams below the jump.

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Brewsday Tuesday: New breweries — and new brews

Posted by on Tue, Jun 18, 2013 at 9:00 AM

I just returned from a weekend in New York City, having attended Savor: An American Craft Beer and Food Experience, where two Louisiana breweries were showcased for their beer as well as the pride with which they represent their regions.

Arnaudville’s Bayou Teche Brewing presented a salon on Cajun culture, which tied their beer, Cajun food, and traditional music together to immerse attendees in the experience of being a part of the joyous traditions that inspired Bayou Teche’s creation. Their salon session at Savor, titled, “Cajun and Creole Artisanal Foods and Bieres in Quadraphonic Sensaround” intended to present a total sensory immersion as a parallel to how folks down here approach life. I’ll be writing about it in more detail in the near future, but suffice it to say, they knocked it out of the park. Abita Brewing was a sponsor of the event, so they were pouring their Mayhawk and their Vanilla Double Dog with other sponsors such as Ommegang, Dogfish Head, and Boulevard.

In local beer events: the WYES Private Beer Sampling and International Beer Tasting are Fri. June 21 and Sat. June 22, respectively. I’ve had a sneak peek of what’s going to be offered, and there’s some really fun stuff, especially when it comes to not-quite-officially-opened breweries like Cajun Fire, Gnarly Barley, Great Raft, The Old Rail, Mudbug and 40 Arpent. I’m excited to try the various and plentiful homebrews that will be there. There will be many, many beer options available (especially on Saturday) so be smart and strategic. Visit the WYES website for more information and to purchase tickets.

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Zeitgeist Movies to present silent classic The Wind with live original soundtrack

Posted by on Tue, Jun 18, 2013 at 7:36 AM

One of the last major silent films produced by Hollywood, The Wind was an outright flop upon its release in 1928. Audiences had just started flocking to movies that had sound. But The WInd's theme's of sex, violence, and existential dread also had something to do with the reaction from unprepared viewers, which was bad enough to inspire the last-minute addition of a happy ending. Today, The Wind has natural appeal for film-savvy audiences. Zeitgeist movies will present a one-time screening of The Wind on Sunday, June 23 at 8 p.m. accompanied by a live original score by The Invincible Czars from Austin, Texas. More info here.

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Monday, June 17, 2013

Gambit TV: CUE on WWL-TV

Posted by on Mon, Jun 17, 2013 at 3:56 PM

CUE magazine editor Missy Wilkinson sat down with Laura Buchtel of the WWL Eyewitness Morning News today to show off the big fashion spread from this week's issue — retro-themed swimsuits with 1940s and 1950s touches.

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