Oak St Brewery, 8201 Oak St.
Kevin Greenaae’s love of beer and brewing is obvious. When I met him at his new brewery, Oak St Brewery, 8201 Oak St., he regaled me with the story about how he found himself in New Orleans brewing beer in the middle of a pandemic.
Greenaae hails from the Midwest and spent the past 28 years working in the maritime industry. He and his wife, Dana Fos, were living and working in Seattle when Fos, a New Orleans native, told Greenaae she was ready to move back home to New Orleans.
Greenaae, who has been brewing beer for 30 years, thought that now was as good a time as any to retire and focus on his passion for brewing.
14 Parishes Jamaican Restaurant, 8227 Oak St.
14 Parishes Jamaican Restaurant is settling nicely into its latest location at 8227 Oak St.
Chef Charles Blake and Lauren Johnson Blake, a husband-and-wife team, have been serving up traditional Jamaican food out of the Pythian Market on Loyola Avenue since May 2018. While that location caters mostly to a lunch crowd, the Oak Street location is hoping to find its way into New Orleanians’ dinner plans.
Charles, who hails from Spanish Town, Jamaica, has a passion for food and has been cooking his entire life. He and Lauren, a New Orleans native, met in Atlanta, where she also fell in love with his cooking.
The Here Today popup is in the former Thalia location.
Here Today, a weekend popup in the Lower Garden District had its soft opening March 5. The endeavor is run by Michael Stoltzfus of Coquette, and includes popular ice cream popup Lucy Boone Ice Cream, and newcomer Patron Saint Wine.
Stoltzfus is spearheading the project that will be serving a menu that includes a fried chicken sandwich ($6), pickled vegetables ($8) and other rotating items. Chef Ana Castro, who heads the kitchen at Here Today, will be cultivating a menu that is sure to interest meat and veggie lovers, alike.
Stoltzfus had the idea for the pop-up when he saw the space at the former Thalia location, 1245 Constance St., sitting empty.
Creamy and Delicious! It’s Mardi Gras, time for red beans and rice
Photo by Marielle Songy
Red beans and rice have long been lauded as a New Orleans food staple. Maybe it’s for its simplicity first and foremost, you have to soak some beans (or don’t, if that’s your thing), then you add your own special magic, and pair it with rice.
While red beans and rice is one of those dishes that’s quintessential New Orleans, it seems like no two recipes are quite exactly the same. Sure, the basics are there, but it’s what you put into it whether it’s the holy trinity, sausage, or another tasty addition all together, that makes that pot of red beans and rice yours.
El Cucuy, 3507 Tchoupitoulas St
Austin Lane wants you to come over and enjoy some delicious food at his house. No …seriously. Lane’s restaurant, El Cucuy on Tchoupitoulas Street in the Irish Channel, is serving up Mexican food in a house that he once called home, until he decided to convert it into a funky taco restaurant and bar.
Lane had lived in the home for two years when he decided to do the big conversion. The result reflects Lane’s background in restaurants and real estate; El Cucuy is the perfect blend of both.
The inside of the restaurant boasts a beautiful bar, but the star of the show is the patio alongside the building. Umbrellas shield the sun from picnic tables that sit among unique artwork in a cozy atmosphere. It invites any diner to sip the day away on Mexican cocktails or cerveza, well into the evening.