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At Pasta on the Fly, build your own meal with fresh pasta and toppings

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By Marielle Songy, Uptown Messenger

New Orleans native Ryan O’Connor owns Pasta on the Fly, a new Maple Street restaurant that allows diners to build their perfect pasta bowl. O’Connor was working at the Ritz-Carlton on Canal Street when Hurricane Katrina hit in 2005. He relocated to California, where he worked as general manager of the Michelin-starred Rustic Canyon restaurant in Santa Monica.   

At Rustic Canyon, O’Connor learned from master pasta maker Evan Funke. “He has the softest touch when it comes to pasta; he rolls out everything by hand,” he said. “That was a turning point for me.

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Wonderland & Sea on Tchoupitoulas offers ‘elevated fast-casual’ meals

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By Marielle Songy, Uptown Messenger

Wonderland & Sea, a restaurant that aims to be sustainable, use local products, and provide employees with a living wage, recently opened on Tchoupitoulas Street across from F&M Patio Bar. 

Wonderland & Sea is owned by Taylor Floy Hoffman, Jonathan Rhodes and chef Joel Brown. Hoffman, a New Orleans native, has previous experience in social and racial justice and museum work. Now an attorney, Rhodes has an extensive restaurant resume that includes two Chicago restaurants, NoMI and Aubriot, recognized by the James Beard Foundation. Brown is from Oregon and, upon moving to New Orleans, has worked at Three Muses, Bacchanal and Café Hope, a training program for underprivileged youth in Marrero. At Café Hope, Brown began experimenting with the restaurant’s garden, learning how to use its plentiful produce. 

“In my experience with the garden there, I got used to going out and picking what I needed for the day,” he said.

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Poydras Home’s Green House Project aims to destigmatize aging

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By Jeanne D’Arcy, Uptown Messenger

Poydras Home on Magazine Street is set to open the first phase of their Green House Project facility that will change the way care is provided to their elderly residents. The concept, according to The Green House Project, is “humanizing care for all people through the creation of radically non-institutional eldercare environments …” So the living spaces are designed to look more like a home and less like an institution. 

The use of the word “green” in this context does not refer to sustainability, nor to the LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification process. 

“Poydras Home will soon become the first certified Green House Project within the state of Louisiana,” Poydras Home CEO Erin Kolb said. “The Green House Project began as a national movement in dignified and destigmatized aging more than 17 years ago. This model of care is centered around increased resident choice within a small home environment.” 

When speaking to the large group of stakeholders who came to tour the new facilities, Kolb called it a “cultural transformation.” She went on to discuss the rigorous training of staff to implement this new approach to caring for the elderly. 

Green House living introduces the concept of the “Universal Worker” to Poydras Home, where a small team of Care Partners supports all the residents within their home. This strategy results in fewer employees, which also limits infection transmission.

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Support GiveNOLA Day by donating to local organizations across the city (sponsored)

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As proud New Orleanians, we are thrilled to share with you all about GiveNOLA Day. This annual event is a day dedicated to giving back to the community and supporting local non-profit organizations that work tirelessly to make our city a better place. Today, GiveNOLA Day will be in full swing, and we encourage everyone to donate what they can to support these organizations. From education to healthcare, to the arts and culture, there are so many fantastic non-profits that rely on donations to keep their doors open and to continue their important work. This year, GiveNOLA Day is especially important as our city continues to recover from the challenges of the past year.

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Rich’s Wash Dat: Cleaner car means a clearer mind (sponsored)

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When your car is cleaner, your mind is clearer. Having a cleaner car reduces stress, and Rich’s Wash Dat is here to help by offering unlimited plans at everyone’s budget. Convenient locations in the Earhart, Gentilly, Algiers, and Kenner areas offer top quality washes with premium add-ons to ensure the longevity of your car/truck lasts. Take care of your car and your stress level, with free vacuums and air fresheners (when available), all while supporting a locally owned and operated family business. New Orleans locals can spend an unexpectedly large amount of time in their cars, and our personal spaces can frequently amass junk, especially during festival season. It’s a common result of owning a car, from boxes in the trunk, food wrappers on the floor, Mardi Gras throws, to endless water bottles, it happens to all of us.

Here’s why Unique Nola Ghost Tours are a great way to see New Orleans (sponsored)

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New Orleans is a fantastic city full of great history and culture, and very walkable, with few hills. A guided walking tour of the city, particularly a ghost tour of New Orleans, is a great way to make sure you don’t miss out on anything! Unique NOLA Tours provides an immersive experience that allows guests to get up close and personal with New Orleans’ history. The Unique NOLA Tours Difference
Monique Hamilton and Christopher Falvey set out to create a business that gives New Orleans locals as well as tourists an experience that they won’t forget. Unique NOLA Tours was founded to fill the need for smaller, more intimate, and accurate ghost tours in New Orleans.

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Turkey and the Wolf team launches ’80s themed dinner spot on Magazine

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Mason Hereford, the creative force behind breakfast hub Molly’s Rise and Shine and sandwich mecca Turkey and the Wolf, is launching his first restaurant with a dinner menu. Hungry Eyes, an ’80s-themed dinner restaurant, opens Monday (April 10) in the Magazine Street spot that used to be home to Red Gravy. That restaurant closed last April. 

Hereford is opening Hungry Eyes with his wife and business partner, Lauren Agudo, and Turkey and the Wolf chef Phillip Cenac. No stranger to accolades, Hereford has found success with Molly’s Rise and Shine and Turkey and the Wolf. Both restaurants regularly top local and national “best of” restaurant lists.

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Team behind Costera opens Osteria Lupo on Magazine

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Since 2019, Costera has been serving coastal Spanish-inspired cuisine on Prytania Street. The latest endeavor from owners Reno De Ranieri and Chef Brian Burns, Osteria Lupo, will bring the flavors of northern Italy to the Magazine Street. The restaurant opens Wednesday (April 5). Burns is a Chicago native who attended culinary school at the École Supérieure de Cuisine Française, now known as Ferrandi Paris. He and De Ranieri joined forces while working for the Link Restaurant Group.

Domilise’s po-boy shop scores a role in ‘Daisy Jones & The Six’

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Keen-eyed New Orleanians watching Amazon Prime’s new miniseries “Daisy Jones & The Six” are noticing many of the scenes are shot – if not set — in New Orleans. The city stands in for New York, Pittsburgh, Chicago and Albuquerque, among others. Episode 9 of the 1970s rock ‘n’ roll fable features Uptown’s Domilise’s Po-boy & Bar as a Chicago sandwich shop. The idea to film in New Orleans came from local film location manager Batou Chandler. Chandler told Uptown Messenger she wanted to support local small businesses and a favorite film location, City Park, all in need of a financial boost during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Bertie’s Intergalactic Diner takes up residency at Carrollton Station

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A new out-of-this-world food spot is popping up at Carrollton Station. Bertie’s Intergalactic Diner serves an array of comfort-food favorites and new inventions by owner and chef Trey Rintala. Rintala is from Slidell and was previously the sous chef at the now-shuttered French bistro Meauxbar. While he enjoyed his six years there, he admits that fine dining isn’t quite his style. “I appreciate my time there and utilize the techniques I learned working in a French kitchen,” Rintala said.