I recently had a discussion about Bart's Restaurant and Bruning's as well. I understand that Bruning's was destroyed in a storm and Bart's is now a Joe's Crab Shack. I'm 43 and remember going to these places with my grandmother. There was a lot of big hair and loud conversations. My grandmother would have a highball, and we'd talk about St. Dominic's, Aunt Grace or how Mau Mau and her dog Pudgy were doing. Are there any places left in New Orleans with the same kind of atmosphere?

Gregory Miller
Dubai, UAE

Photo by Cheryl Gerber

Deanie's in Bucktown is an old-line neighborhood restaurant that holds memories for many who grew from child to adult at its tables.

Dear Gregory,

Bruning's, in business since the 1840s, was severely damaged by Hurricane Georges in 1998 and put out of commission entirely by Hurricane Katrina. Bart's became Joe's Crab Shack, but it, too, is gone with the wind.

Today the restaurants of our great city are more important than ever as we find comfort in the old places that sustained us. There are places such as you remember, restaurants like Franky and Johnny's (321 Arabella St.), Deannie's (1713 Lake Ave. in Bucktown), Liuzza's (3636 Bienville St.), and The Galley Restaurant (2535 Metairie Road), Mandina's (3800 Canal St.) and many more. When you come home, you can visit these restaurants, think of Grandma and be grateful that New Orleans will always have restaurants we remember forever.

Hey Blake,

Can you please tell me where I can buy Leon Kelner's CDs? I have a friend who loves his music.

A reader

Dear Reader,

Your friend is not alone. Leon Kelner was a very talented pianist and a very popular orchestra leader at the Blue Room in the Roosevelt/Fairmont Hotel from 1945 to 1971.

There is a Web site -- www.jukeboxmemories.org/8-TRACK.htm -- that seems to have just what you want. It advertises itself as Louisiana's "number one source of used and collectible vinyl records." Its list of artists is very extensive and includes works by Leon Kelner. The company can even transfer the records to cassette or CD.

Also visit www.musicstack.com. It has 23 Leon Kelner works, including CDs. And, of course, there's always eBay.

Perhaps you and your friend remember when WWL-Radio avoided playing rock 'n' roll because of all the controversy. Instead, the station became famous for playing big band dance music throughout the 1950s and early '60s. Leon Kelner and his Orchestra played their wonderful music, and WWL broadcast it live from the Blue Room. Playing popular tunes of the day, the band could be heard over WWL all over America and sometimes even around the world. Fans from as far away as Finland expressed their appreciation.

Hey Blake,

Is there a way I can purchase or print out a copy of your article about Leon Godchaux? Can you suggest a source where I can find research on the history of the Godchaux businesses and family?

Diane Trachtenberg

Dear Diane,

You certainly don't need to buy one of Old Blake's columns. They're all available in the archives at Gambit Weekly. The column you're looking for can be found at www.bestofneworleans.com/dispatch/2004-04-06/blake.html.

As for the research, I send all my friends to the main branch of the New Orleans Public Library at 219 Loyola Ave. On the third floor is the Louisiana Collection and smart, friendly librarians to help you.

Hey Blake,

Gambit's Web site seems to have only the last three of your articles in its archives. Should I be looking elsewhere to catch up on some of the older articles?

Eliott

Dear Eliott,

If you go to Gambit's Web site at www.bestofneworleans.com, you will find at the top a list of the contents of the current Gambit Weekly and other useful information about Gambit Communications. In the top list to the far right, you can find the archives. In this section, you can access every issue of Gambit Weekly since 2001. One sad gap you will find is between Aug. 23, 2005 and Nov. 1, 2005. Gambit was out of commission during this tumultuous period, but began publishing again as soon as possible with the offices in a temporary location on Veterans Memorial Boulevard in Metairie. The paper now is back in its pre-storm Mid-City location.