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Playing Host
Notes from a mostly victorious weekend entertaining particular out-of-town visitors: 1.) Six adults can squeeze comfortably along the oyster bar at Casamento's (4330 Magazine St., 895-9761). 2.) The cooks at Liuzza's by the Track (1518 N. Lopez St., 943-8667) have found a way to make pretty good soup from a B.L.T. 3.) No, aside from iceberg lettuce, there are no green vegetables at Mosca's (4137 Hwy. 90-W., Avondale, 436-9942). 4.) You can find green vegetables at Lulu's in the Garden (2203 St. Charles Ave., 566-1200), during brunch, but no one will order them when there's fried chicken with waffles. 5.) Cocktails always help. Herbsaint's (701 St. Charles Ave., 524-4114) Half Sinner Half Saint (equal parts dry and sweet Californian Vya vermouth, with a splash of Herbsaint), the Rib Room's (621 St. Louis St., 529-7045) too-smooth-for-safety golden margarita, and Bourbon House's (144 Bourbon St., 522-0111) sabayon-rich bourbon milk punch, were the weekend favorites.

Reveillon List
Restaurants offering official (sanctioned by French Quarter Festivals) holiday Reveillon menus this year include Arnaud's, Begue's, The Besh Steakhouse, Bombay Club, Bourbon House, Brennan's, Broussard's, Dickie Brennan's Steakhouse, Galatoire's, Gumbo Shop, Hunt Room Grill, La Cote Brasserie, Louis XVI, Mr. B's Bistro, Muriel's Jackson Square, The New Orleans Grill, Palace Cafe, Pat O'Brien's Courtyard Restaurant, Pelican Club, Rene Bistrot, Rib Room, Sazerac Grill, Tujague's, Upperline and Zoe Restaurant & Bar. The Reveillon season runs through the month. Call individual restaurants for reservations. Visit www.frenchquarterfestivals.com to view menus.

Middle Eastern Delights
Oasis (2701 Manhattan Blvd., Harvey, 361-1113), a Middle Eastern pastry shop adjacent to Cleopatra restaurant, is now open from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.

New Hours
Indigo (2285 Bayou Road, 261-8652) is newly open for dinner on Wednesday evenings with a three-course, prix fixe menu for $24.95. Chorizo cakes with spicy tomato remoulade, pork tenderloin with andouille-cornbread stuffing and creme brulee are among the special menu's offerings. The restaurant is otherwise open for dinner Thursday through Sunday.

Dine and Ride
Call Ralph's on the Park (900 City Park Ave., 488-1000) for information about reduced prices on carriage rides through City Park's Celebration in the Oaks, when you pair rides with dinner at Ralph's. Reservations must be made by 2 p.m. the day of. Celebration of the Oaks runs through Jan. 2, 2005.

Got a tip for Food News? Email me at sara_roahen@yahoo.com

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