“Coming Home” is a blog looking at life in New Orleans as we get ready to meet again in the Superdome July 5, 6 and 7 for the Essence Music Festival. It’s hard to believe it’s less than a week away, but in a few days, we’ll be together again for what should be a great night with Smokie Norful and Vanessa Bell Armstrong, Ciara, Ludacris, presidential candidate Barack Obama, the Isley Brothers featuring Ronald Isley and the O’Jays & LeVert with Keith Sweat and Johnny Gill.
It's not an exaggeration - people in New Orleans really do discuss dinner plans at lunch here. It’s no surprise then that festivals here offer more than just hot dogs, burgers and nachos to snack on. Local restaurants and caterers have booths in the superlounges, and if you want a taste of New Orleans, be sure to hit them. In the Budweiser Superlounge, for example, Palmer’s Cuisine is serving Jamaican chicken, steamed vegetables and rice, shrimp Betty, curried chicken patties and spicy beef patties. Palmer’s used to be the city’s best Jamaican restaurant before Cecil Palmer shifted the business to catering-only. It’s still excellent, and I can vouch for everything Palmer’s is serving except for the shrimp Betty.
New Orleans is not typically a strong chicken wings town, but Lamar’s Creole Style Buffalo Wings puts a credible local spin on wings in the Chevy Superlounge. Linda Green has been busy since Katrina, serving hot lunches free to musicians at Tipitina’s in the year after it re-opened and making the local favorite ya ka mein for Jazz Fest. Here she’s making a fried shrimp basket, fried chicken strip basket, fried potato wedges and Linda’s walnut brownie (which, again, I can testify for).
One of the first families of New Orleans soul food, the Baquets, have two booths in the McDonald’s Superlounge. Wayne Baquet, Sr., who runs Lil’ Dizzy’s Café, is serving trout Baquet with macaroni and cheese, as well as Creole filé gumbo. He first offered trout Baquet at Jazz Fest this year and it’s a good light alternative to the fried food we specialize in. Wayne Jr. is serving the local classics jambalaya, red beans and rice with sausage, and bread pudding with rum sauce.
Mr. Williams Pies has the pie concession in the Coca-Cola Superlounge, with sweet potato pie, apple pie, bean pie and coconut pie. I love the sweet potato pie and plan to try the bean pie this year because I've never had it before. My sense of adventure says if I don’t know what something is, that’s what I should have. In other cities, that sort of thinking could lead to culinary disasters, but in New Orleans, it often leads to new favorites.
There’s a lot more food available than just these, with four concession stands in each superlounge (and a whole other set of food booths at the convention center). As is always the case in New Orleans, if you walk away hungry, it’s your own damned fault.
Writer Alex Rawls edits OffBeat, Louisiana's music and culture magazine.
I will be celebrating my 30th bday on July 3rd. And I have decided that I am going to celebrate all year long. And what better way to kick off a year long celebration by doing it with the Essence Festival. I am so excited not only to kick-off my year long celebration w/the Essences fest but the fact that this will be my first one. I am so looking forward to making this an annual affair. I already love all the hardwork you guys at Essence and the city of New Orleans have put into getting ready for the people; "OUR PEOPLE".
Love KatJ
P.S. Cant wait to see you there!!!!!
Posted by: KatJ | July 02, 2007 at 12:38 PM
I love the Jerk Chicken, rice and peas and callou (spelling) at Palmer's. Man, I ate two full plates while listening to Floetry/The Roots in 2005.
I laid off the carbs for 2 weeks and worked out extra hard to compensate for my over indulgence. I won't even lie 'coz I know I'm gonna eat, drink, and be merry.
Posted by: Nia E. | July 02, 2007 at 01:46 PM
I went to lil Dizzys in December when i was in town. One of my favorite places. They are some very serious food! good to see they will have a booth!
Posted by: Adrian P | July 02, 2007 at 04:10 PM
i know and love essence but louisiana is my home and i am planning on moving i refuse to live with this kind of political shame.
Posted by: easilyn | July 02, 2007 at 09:28 PM
I'm not sure if it's still open, but the Wing Stop on Orleans & Claiborne has an amazing selection of wings. There is also a location on the West Bank on Manhattan Blvd. in Harvey. Don't miss the Ghetto Punch to go with your wings.
Posted by: Nancy Clark | July 04, 2007 at 08:56 AM
The WING SHACK is open the Wing Snack is on the Westbank in Harvey. The hours vary.
Posted by: Kreole Kutie | July 05, 2007 at 11:50 AM
This was my 11th Essence Festival. As always I enjoyed the entire event; however my only disappointment was there were no BLUES. Where was Bobby "Blue" Bland and Millie Jackson or Soloman Burke? It seems as if this event was geared toward the younger crowd but you must remember the old folks.
I will return next year regardless but I would like to hear my blues. Have you ever tried to sign B.B. King?
Posted by: Al Alexander | July 13, 2007 at 08:58 PM
As always, I enjoyed the Essence Festival.I make it a part of birthday plans every year. I am interested in suggesting new acts for the lineups on the Main stage. The lineups in the superlounge were excellent this year. Yes, we were missing the blues/zydeco. I can't wait until next year.
Posted by: CATISHA | July 16, 2007 at 02:25 PM