New Orleans: May 2008 Archives

You might think that I'm using any excuse to showcase this photo of me and Dr. John

and you would be right!

But I do have a story to tell. When I met Dr. John last Wednesday night  outside Tipitina's in New Orleans, he asked where I was from.

"Los Angeles," I told him

"I know some people there," he said.

I offered that I knew someone he knew in Los Angeles, Stewart Levine" (a producer Dr John has worked with)

"I know two Stewart Levines in Los Angeles," Dr John said, "And one of them is an asshole. Which one do you know?"

Three years ago in the summer Katrina devastated New Orleans. The following May a group of us went to New Orleans for Jazzfest to support a city we loved by being tourists, by spending money in its restaurant and hotels, in its clubs and stores by attending Jazzfest.

At that time we toured the 9th ward where the levee broke Despite what I had seen on the news, in print and on TV, despite that it was 9 months later, the devastation was mind blowing: houses off their foundations, cars on top of houses, houses on top of cars, for blocks and blocks.

Now three years later, the levee is repaired, and the debris had pretty much all been removed. Apparently most of the removal had taken place last year. Now a few houses, new construction, or fema trailers stood alone surrounded by tall grass. No services, no schools, no hospitals nearby.
 

We drove block after block, the absence speaking volumes. We went over the bridge and saw the block Harry Connick has been supporting, his musician's street that is featured in commercials and it does look like the start of a neighborhood. But the reality is in the gap between what was and what is

.

Yes, three years later, New Orleans is coming back. But it is coming back slower, with less people, less services, a weaker economy than before.

New Orleans is also suffering because of a general slow down in the economy. Not as many people are choosing to drive because of the price of gas, not as many business people are attending conventions.

New Orleans does good business during Jazzfest -- but after -- well, things are still tough.

Day one at Jazzfest:
Thursday was a hot one, with the occasional clouds and wind giving a break. But there was a healthy crowd there for a Thursday and some fine music as well.

Although I walked around and dabbled here and there I ended up spending most of the day at the Gentilly tent. It was a sort of New Orleans greatest hits.

Sammy Ridgely and the Untouchables cooked up a set of Otis Redding and other hits you would recognize but made them his own.

Kermit Ruffins, trumpeter par excellence, is the inheritor of Louis Armstrong's mantle -- he has become one of the favorite interpreters of classic and modern New Orleans music, and he delivered a set that was a love song to New Orleans including Professor Longhair classics.

Then Randy Newman took the stage. Now Newman has got himself to a place where he can make a song out of conversation, and his piano playing is masterful -- so he played some new songs -- about how the world hates us but we're not bad as some others before us -- a song about all the old performers who are still touring ("You're dead, but you don't know it) and some classics.

Newman told the crowd that he was down in New Orleans with a bunch of Disney and Pixar execs (he said Toy story made about $7 Billion and that his song for that movie had made them about $4,378 ) recording songs for a new animated film "The Frog Princess", he played a song that he said they had recorded that afternoon with Dr. John doing the vocals.

So the good Doctor is in the house, doing some Disney work as well. Turns out the good Dr is staying at our hotel here The Monteleone.

Now as I write this Dr John has ambled into the offices WWOZ the legendary New Orleans radio station (that you can listen to online).

I hope they archive it and you can listen to it, because that's it's like eavesdropping -- they just talkin talkin talkin

"Music is the language of New Orleans," is the Mayor's slogan Dr John explained," because nobody here speaks the same way."

In my travels around the city, I've been having conversations about how it's all going post Katrina. One cabdriver, who grew up in Los Angeles, told me he moved to New Orleans post-Katrina, working construction and clean up, which he said was good pay until a lot of other people got the same idea and the work slowed down. He started driving a cab then then, and said that he has stayed in New Orleans because he not only really likes the city, but because he really likes the people. "There's a lot of goodness here." He said.

Another cab driver told me that when Katrina happened, his married daughter was in Norfolk Virginia and couldn't get to back to New Orleans. Her husband ended up getting a job, and she did too, and then they had twins. And he doesn't know if she's coming back. He said she came down at Christmas and he took around to show her how things are coming back and it made her realize she misses it here. But the schools and the hospitals are still not completely back up to speed, he said, so he's not sure whether she will move back or not.

The manager of the Camellia Grill told me that he was closed for 18 months, and that almost all his staff left the city. When the restaurant reopened he managed to get 80% of the staff back.

My waiter at the Camellia Grill (who's pictured in the blog) told me that during the 18 months that the Camellia Grill was closed he was in Miami. He said when he first got there he wasn't sure he would adjust. But he did, he said smiling. He really liked Miami. He came back to New Orleans, but he's thinking of going back to Miami. In fact so many Camellia Grill people were in Florida and so many New Orleans folk went to Florida that they are talking about opening a branch of the Camellia Grill in Tampa and one in Miami -- and our waiter would go and work there.

So every one's story in New Orleans is different. But as you drive along the streets, there's a lot of new construction, new stores, new restaurants. And a lot of the old restaurants have reopened. Some of them don't have the same staff -- things are different but it seems like NEW ORLEANS is RISING!!!

The most caloric meal that I ever had -- and that I continue to have -- is at the famous Camellia Grill. Katrina closed the Camellia Grill for 18 months -- but The Camellia Grill is back -- as good as ever. 

Now you might wonder what is so special about the Camellia Grill, and what could one possibly eat there?

I'm glad you asked.

How about a Chili Cheese Omellette -- where the eggs are whipped to airy fluffly delight in a blender normally used for milk shakes.



Would you like a closer look at the omelette?


Or would like you to hear about the pecan waffles cooked on a special grill?

Or how about the pecan pie cooked on the grill and served a la mode?



And that's just my meal.... there are some awesome bacon cheeseburgers fully dressed (i.e., with the works) and club sandwiches and many other wonders to savor.

Kind of makes you want to head to New Orleans?