Entertainment in Louisiana
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A
Hostel
The Hostel is a hip little space with a smooth slate bar, a modern American food menu and attractive staff serving up just a little more than a Miller. Instead, they mix some fine cocktails and keep a good stock of wine behind the bar, serving the above to a well-heeled, well-dressed crowd of tourists and locals who demand a little more out of their night than Jägermeister and beads. Not that you can’t find Jägermeister or beads here.
reviewed
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B
Ms Mae’s
Calling Ms Mae’s a dive is like calling the Pacific Ocean a body of water; it’s technically true, but kind of misses the spirit of the thing. How this 24-hour den of all that is sinful, grotty and fun has survived in its location right across from a police precinct remains a mystery. See if you can spot Ms Mae herself; she looks, well, exactly like a Louisiana lady who manages one of the toughest bars in the city. Be nice and she might do a shot with you.
reviewed
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C
House of Blues
While venue-wise it’s only a little above average, in terms of acts, HOB may be the best place in the city for rock, alt-rock and alt-country. A full calendar of headliner acts, from the hottest local talent to major touring bands, makes this space a winner just about every night of the week. On Sunday morning HOB’s gospel brunch will fortify your soul. A few doors down, a small auxiliary club, the Parish, features mostly local acts.
reviewed
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Zydeco Hall of Fame
Early days when Richard’s (now the Hall of Fame) began, it was part of a circuit of clubs that welcomed African American musicians – such as Fats Domino – to play during pre-1960s segregation. Back then, owner Richard Eddie gave a start to many a ‘French la-la’ band, as he called the emerging zydeco sound. Today owner Michael DeClouet carries on the tradition. Tight crowds and oven-hot conditions just add to the attraction at this legendary club.
reviewed
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D
One Eyed Jacks
If you are thinking ‘I could really use a night at a bar that feels like a 19th-century bordello managed by Johnny Rotten, ’ – well…you’re in luck. There’s a sense very dangerous women in corsets and men with Mohawks and an army of gypsies with bottles of absinthe could come charging out of the walls at any moment. And the acts, which consist of punk, post punk and the like, are consistently good, especially if you’re tired of brass and jazz.
reviewed
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E
Snake & Jakes
When you see the grey light of dawn creep under the door and hear the birds chirp their infuriating morning song of happiness at Snake & Jakes, pat yourself on the back: you, friend, are an honorary New Orleanian. It’s unsigned, decked out in Christmas lights and located in what looks like a tool shed. When someone says, ‘Let’s go to Snakes, ’ that’s a sure sign the night is either going to get much better, or immeasurably worse.
reviewed
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F
Dragon’s Den
When it comes to rock, ska, punk, drum-and-bass and hip-hop, the Den consistently hosts some of the best acts in New Orleans. It’s a decent, two-story venue that can get overcrowded, but when the attendance is just right it feels close enough to be intimate and big enough for you to bust some moves – which you’ll inevitably want to do, as the music here, including the rock, tends to be stuff you can get down to.
reviewed
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G
Polo Lounge
You probably didn’t come to New Orleans to fox hunt, but if the spirit to do so ever moved you, this bar, in the Windsor Court Hotel, would be a good place for psyching yourself up. The overstuffed chairs, tweedy bookshelves, nightly jazz and soft clink of hushed merry-making is meant to evoke aristocratic Olde England. In this sense the Polo Lounge goes way over the top, but hey, have a glass of sherry and enjoy it for what it is.
reviewed
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H
Pravda
If you couldn’t guess from the name, Pravda trades in on a Soviet-chic theme. But while the lighting, all dark and red and sexy, would probably make a KGB officer happy, the vintage furniture and inked-up bar staff are distinctly New Orleans. The soft atmosphere belies a fun-loving clientele sipping (or shooting) off the best vodka and absinthe menu in the city; if strong spirits are your thing, this bar is a must-try.
reviewed
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I
Country Club
There's no golf course here. Down in the Bywater, this historic mansion has been converted into a gay frat house, replete with a large swimming pool in the back yard. It's a low-key hangout by day and more of a clubby scene by night. Clothing is not altogether forbidden on the patio, where guys and dolls tend to strip down and erase those tan lines. Indoors things are a bit more refined, with frequent shows.
reviewed
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J
Fahy’s
One of the surest signs of a good bar is its popularity with chefs, who generally demand a high-quality drink after a long day in the kitchen. Fahy’s is very popular with French Quarter service staff getting off their shifts, which is as high a praise as any local bar could hope for. Dogs are welcome and generally in abundance (another sign of a friendly spot), and the pool tables clack until the wee hours.
reviewed
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K
Apple Barrel
The Barrel may be called as such because that’s what it’s roughly the size of: you can maybe fit a dozen customers in here without going elbow to elbow. It fits in musicians, too, who tend to play some very fine jazz, blues and folk. Usually it’s someone reliving Dylan’s acoustic period. Upstairs is the casual Italian eatery Adolfo’s, a good spot for a drink before dinner.
reviewed
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L
Carousel Bar
What’s the gimmick at this smart-looking bar inside the historic Monteleone hotel? It spins. There are no bobbing seats or toot-toot orchestra, but there is a canopy top hat from the 1904 World’s Fair carousel with running lights, hand-painted figures and gilded mirrors. It takes 15 minutes for the bar to complete a revolution. If it’s spinning too fast, ease up on the sauce, pal. Careful on your way out.
reviewed
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M
Mid-City Yacht Club
The Yacht Club, a quintessential post-softball-game kind of pub, is so much a part of the neighborhood one of the owners took his boat out to save flooded Katrina victims after the storm (hence the name of the bar, which isn’t anywhere near a lake or ocean). And so much a part of the neighborhood the neighborhood is literally a part of it: the bar is actually made from wood salvaged from storm debris.
reviewed
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N
Carrollton Station
An old stalwart on the Riverbend club scene, Carrollton Station has the tumbledown exterior you’d expect from a Mississippi Delta juke joint. The club’s musical offerings don’t really deliver on that promise, unfortunately. You’ll generally encounter a very young, white crowd shakin’ it to bluesy bar bands. Just a good co-ed party atmosphere.
reviewed
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O
Igor’s Checkpoint Charlie
Igor’s is so grungy it could start a band in early ’90s Seattle. It serves greasy food, good beer and a pleasant minimum of attitude (for some reason it feels like the sort of place where the bartenders should be jerks, but they’re actually pretty cool). Acts you’ve likely never heard of constantly tromp through the stage, and many of them are surprisingly very good.
reviewed
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P
Le Petit Théâtre du Vieux Carré
Going strong since 1916, Le Petit Théâtre is one of the oldest theater groups in the country. In its Jackson Sq home the troupe offers good repertory, with a proclivity for Southern dramas and special children’s programming. Shows are sometimes followed by an informal cabaret performance, with the cast, audience and a resident ghost (so we hear) mingling over drinks.
reviewed
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Q
F&M Patio Bar
On weekends, every college student in Louisiana tests the structural integrity of F&M’s leopard-print pool tables by dancing on them. For the rest of the week this is a really nice place, with good pool going (on the aforementioned tables), a nice grill slinging killer cheese fries and a semi-outdoor area that’s well-suited for a cold beer under the hot sun.
reviewed
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R
Monkey Hill Bar
Toward the quiet end of Magazine St, Monkey Hill looks and feels like a neighborhood bar, which it basically is. But it’s one of the best happy-hour (3pm to 8pm week nights) spots in this part of town and hosts some good live music on a monthly basis. If you’re getting off work and near Audubon Park, there’s no reason not to stop on in.
reviewed
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S
Le Phare Bar
If you can make yourself heard over the thumping bass, you can wax poetic about this posh, candlelit, stone-floored Scandinavia-style bar to the beautiful people inside. Don’t worry; you’re still in New Orleans: brass bands have been known to tromp through and all the chic fashionista-ism on display here hasn’t translated into anything resembling snobbery.
reviewed
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T
Rivershack Tavern
In Jefferson, upstream from Riverbend beside the levee, is an advertisement-adorned roadhouse that probably hit its prime in the 1940s. It’s packed with students, older bikers and hospital staff (hopefully not heading back to the surgery room). It has a good selection of beers on tap. If you’re hungry, the lunch specials are pretty good.
reviewed
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U
Yuki Izakaya
The sake in Yuki is a little pricey, but if you’re going to get destroyed, this is the difference between being blown up in an alcohol explosion and getting honorably executed by a samurai. As you sip your rice wine, chill out to a house-lounge DJ and achieve hipster Zen by watching the subtitled Japanese art-house flicks projected onto the walls.
reviewed
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V
Loa
Off the lobby of the fashionable International House Hotel, Loa is a great place to grab a daytime drink or nighttime gander. Everyone looks good bathed in the candlelight or city lights seen through the enormous windows. If you practice voodoo, or just like having your back covered, leave an offering at the voodoo altar on your way out.
reviewed
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W
Parasol’s
Parasol’s isn’t just on the Irish Channel, it sort of is the Irish Channel, serving as community center, nexus of gossip and, natch, watering hole (because, yes, this is first and foremost a bar). But it also serves some of the best po’boys in town, devoured amid a mad, friendly cast of characters both behind and ordering from the bar.
reviewed
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X
Double Play
While New Orleans is a pretty integrated city where gays and straights tend to mingle on a regular basis, there is a strong gay scene here, primarily centered on the French Quarter and Faubourg Marigny. As bad as behavior gets, Double Play is where every envelope in the post office gets pushed. Needs to be experienced to be believed.
reviewed