business

Craig Giesecke: New year to bring more New Orleans restaurant openings, from the exciting to unexplainable

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I’ve been spending a little time lately at job interviews – not that I’m unhappy in my current position (decent hours and health insurance count for a lot. I also really like the folks I’m working with). But I figure it’s always a good idea to keep up with what’s going on in the city’s food and restaurant industry. One of the best ways is to talk to would-be owners and managers to find out who’s planning to do what. While I’m always interested in opportunity and in getting back to running my own shop one day, it’s also good mental exercise.

food and drink

Craig Giesecke: The best-laid plans… for duck, wine and a new year

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As mentioned in the last column, I opted to go with smoked duck for our Christmas dinner this time around. Honestly, a month’s worth of dealing with turkey and ham every day at work made the idea of doing either of those rather unappealing. I also deal with a fair amount of things like eye of round, so I wanted to do something that would absorb a little more flavor from the outside. There are only three of us in the house, so doing something large like a goose was never really on the radar. I thought about brining the duck – something I’d normally do with a turkey.

business

Craig Giesecke: Showtime in the magic business

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We’ve been cocooning in the house these last few evenings, feeling the wind buffet the siding after the midweek cold front came through.  Those many of us who live in old, drafty houses here in New Orleans know the place never gets completely warm. About the best you can hope to do is dress for the cold occasions, enjoy a stiff toddy and try to not move off the couch or chair too much. Very Southern Winter and, of course, Very Holiday. Those of us who live foodcentric lives (i.e. most of us) are particularly drawn to our local grocery stores this time of year, if for no other reason than just to look at the displays. As a child of the ‘50s and ‘60s, I looked forward to going downtown during the holidays to gape, Ralphie-style, at the windows of the major department stores that later moved to the ‘burbs.

business

Craig Giesecke: Entrepreneurial spirits

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I had the chance this week to go over to the upstart Atelier Vie operation in the Art Egg building under the Broad Street bridge, a jaunt that served as yet another reminder of the cadre of creative and forward-looking folks that seems to be growing rapidly around here these days. Jedd Haas and his three-man crew distill absinthe (yes – the Real Wormwood Thing), and some vodka while also working on some other creations like rice whiskey. They haven’t been in full operation for a month yet, but the build-out of the space got started in June and licensing and permitting took until late November. The space is still as much construction site as distillery, but they’re doing some amazing things. Little by little, you’ll be seeing their handiwork in local bars, and they open Saturday and Sunday mornings so you can pick up a bottle and get a first-hand look.

food and drink

Craig Giesecke: Those other kinds of garnishes

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All of us who go out to eat, be it high-brow or to a dive, are highly concerned about the atmosphere of where we go. All of us have been into place where the décor, the music and the other things Just Aren’t Right to match the food, and it seriously takes away from what might otherwise be a very enjoyable meal. On the other hand, there are also places where the atmosphere and the surroundings are just tremendous, but the food and service are absolutely dreadful. No matter how nice the place is, it’s not going to make up for putrid, cold food or a server who is more interested in a Facebook post than in what’s going on at your table. Or a place where the owner or manager is rudely haranguing a staffer.