Where to find Réveillon dinners in Uptown neighborhoods

Five Uptown restaurants are honoring the Revéillon tradition with prix fixe menus that reflect their style and cuisine. 

The Revéillon dinners were inspired by the early Creole residents celebrating the start of Christmas with a big family meal after midnight Mass. This European tradition was used to break the daylong fast leading up to Christmas Eve. The word “revéillon” in French can mean “awakening,” but it has come to mean “Christmas Eve.” 

In contemporary New Orleans, Revéillon dinners have shifted to restaurants serving specials often inspired by the 19th century Creoles, with creative twists. These menus are offered in the weeks leading up to Christmas Eve, instead of on Christmas morning. The current and historical Revéillon meals have one thing in common: They are lengthy, multi-course meals that give us a chance to savor the food and the time with loved ones.

Find gifts, hear music and enjoy community spirit at holiday markets

Christmas shoppers have a choice of holiday markets Uptown, where they can find that perfect gift while supporting local artists and organizations. Among the top choices this weekend are Le Marché d’Hiver at Lyceé Français in Leonidas on Saturday (Dec. 10) and the Where Black NOLA Eats Holiday Marketplace at the Southern Food and Beverage Museum on Saturday and Sunday. Le Marché d’Hiver

In the French tradition of the winter market, Lycée Français de la Nouvelle-Orléans will be transformed into Le Marché d’Hiver — a festive experience for shoppers, foodies and families. Marché d’Hiver will feature local artisans showcasing art and other hand-made and thoughtfully curated items including jewelry, apparel and decor.

Nomiya ramen shop expands with move to new Magazine Street spot

Nomiya, the ramen shop serving the Japanese comfort food since 2017, has moved three blocks up Magazine Street to a spot that allows room for expansion. Sunday (Nov. 27) was Nomiya’s first day in the building formerly occupied by Del Fuego, a Mexican restaurant that had operated in the space since 2014. Del Fuego closed during the summer. Nomiya is owned by Hidetoshi “Elvis” Suzuki, former owner and chef of Kanno sushi bar, and brother and sister team Allen and Christie Nguyen.

Barrel Proof is hosting Miracle on Magazine Street

Barrel Proof is hosting its Miracle Pop-up, a Christmas cocktail bar, for the fourth year. Through Dec. 28, Barrel Proof’s proverbial halls will be decked from top to bottom in glittering wrapping, tinsel, trees and lights. Miracle is an immersive experience in which bars are transformed into holiday wonderlands to serve high-end Christmas cocktails in festive mugs. 

Miracle Pop-up is the brainchild of New York City bar owners Greg Boehm and Jeannette Kaczorowski. In 2013, their bar Mace was set to open on East Ninth Street in Manhattan, but with the holidays looming, the business wasn’t quite patron-ready.

Turkey and ham giveaway hosted by InspireNOLA on Tuesday (sponsored)

InspireNOLA Charter Schools will host its annual drive-through turkey and ham giveaway as part of its NOLALove initiative that launched in early October. Local politicians and community leaders will join InspireNOLA students and volunteers in distributing nearly 1,000 turkeys and hams, along with a perishable food package, while supplies last. The giveaway will take place at Alice M. Harte Charter School (5300 Berkley Drive, New Orleans, Louisiana 70131 ) on Tuesday, Nov. 22, beginning at 10 a.m. The event is free and open to the public. The line for the giveaway will begin at the back gate of the school on Berkley Drive and continue to Eton Street and then to McArthur Boulevard.

Casamento’s Creole Oyster Soup

Oysters are the star of local Thanksgiving tables (with recipes)

Before and since the Americans purchased New Orleans from the French, New Orleans has remained unique and distinct, nearly 220 years later, we still spurn convention. Thanksgiving is no exception. We celebrate with oysters: Oyster Soup or Stew and Oyster Dressing (you’ll find the recipes below). Not just oysters, oysters seasoned in whole or in part with our “holy trinity” — bell pepper, onion, and celery, the divine secret of New Orleans’ cuisine and even our Thanksgiving menu. We then double-down and add garlic, green onion, fresh herbs and a dash of cayenne.

Piety and Desire on Magazine is a haven for chocolate devotees

Piety and Desire Chocolate, a haven for chocolate lovers, can now be found on Magazine Street. 

Owner Christopher Nobles, a New Orleans native, discovered chocolate-making eight years ago. He opened a small retail store in 2017 on South Broad Street near Washington Avenue, in the same building where his chocolate is manufactured. 

While the Broadmoor shop closed during the pandemic, Piety and Desire Chocolate continued to sell and ship its decadent treats. The Piety and Desire chocolate factory remains on South Broad. 

Piety and Desire Chocolate is manufactured from ethically traded cocoa beans, and whole chocolate bars are labeled with the names of where their cocoa beans were grown, including Peru, St. Lucia and Vietnam. The café on Magazine Street opened in April.

InspireNOLA hosts annual turkey and ham giveaway on Tuesday (sponsored)

InspireNOLA Charter Schools will host its annual drive-through turkey and ham giveaway as part of its NOLALove initiative that launched in early October. Local politicians and community leaders will join InspireNOLA students and volunteers in distributing nearly 1,000 turkeys and hams, along with a perishable food package, while supplies last. The giveaway will take place at Alice M. Harte Charter School (5300 Berkley Drive New Orleans, Louisiana 70131 ) on Tuesday, November 22, 2022, beginning at 10 am and is free and open to the public. The event is being sponsored by New Orleans’ Councilmember Freddie King III, U.S. Representative Troy Carter, State Senator Jimmy Harris, State Senator Gary Carter, State Representative Delisha Boyd, District Attorney Jason Williams, Elroy James, Wright Gray Trial Lawyers, Infinity Title, King Ja’mere Foundation, and the Benjamin Foundation. NOLALove is InspireNOLA’s response to the violence crisis in New Orleans by physically manifesting the word ‘love’ through community outreach, engagement, and collaboration.

Bakery Bar’s new chef adds a Latin touch to the menu

The Bakery Bar in the Lower Garden District has a new chef, Lydia Solano, who was previously at the helm of Bacchanal’s kitchen. Chef Lydia will be introducing a new menu and, and the Bakery Bar will host a daily brunch. 

Growing up, Solano split her time between the United States and Costa Rica. After graduating from culinary school in Boston, she hitchhiked across the country, dropping into kitchens and learning skills on the job. “I worked everywhere from smokehouses to Japanese sushi spots,” she said. “I learned a broad aspect of cooking by stopping into different places and working where I could.”

Eight years ago, when she first visited New Orleans and began regularly spending time here, she started introducing Creole flavors into her cooking.

Return of Hubig’s Pie causes mad rush to South Carrollton

When word spread on Sunday (Nov. 6) that Hubig’s Pies was back after 10 years, the news was met with shouts of glee, followed by the sounds of locals running down sidewalks and cars racing across parish lines. The day before hitting the store shelves, Hubig’s Pies popped up in a South Carrollton Avenue parking lot. Tires across the city sped across potholes at axle-breaking speeds to reach the limited run of 7,000 pies before they were gone. Locals were racing down South Carrollton to the Hubig’s Pies pop-up at the Whitney Hancock Bank parking lot, as the Oak Street Po-Boy Festival drew crowds a block away. 

Gridlocked drivers shouted to passers-by, “Are there any pies left?”