New Orleans New Restaurants This Fall

New Orleans has many new restaurants on the scene this fall. They are all in different stages and in different areas throughout town.

The first up that has opened its doors is Mister OSO which opened September 26th. This new project was created by the founders of Billy Blatty (Barcadia) and Denver (The Culinary Creative Group). It is housed in what used to be an arcade tavern. They serve smoked meat tacos, ceviches and Latin American. This will not be the first of Mister Oso, as there is already a very successful one in Denver.

Las Cruces Tex-Mex just opened its doors in Metairie. The founders of Central City BBQ are the team that is opening this new place. It will be a friendly family outdoor space that serves tacos and margaritas.

Gaia is a new-age steakhouse that is something different to the market. The food will be cooked on a charcoal grill and they will also serve seafood and charcuterie and raw shellfish. They will even serve a high-end steak coated in gold. It will be housed in the former Melting Pot.

Ba Chi Kitchen & Bar

This is a restaurant that is coming back to a new location in Fat City where Korea House used to be. The original was closed in July so many residents are familiar with the cuisine and they will also have a lounge and a bar.

Felipe’s Taqueria in Jefferson Parish serves tacos, burritos, nachos and plates over the counter. They also have a full bar with tons of cocktails to choose from. There is indoor and outdoor seating along with a greenspace patio.

There are plenty more that will open their doors in late winter or early new year. There are a ton of new dining places popping up all around New Orleans, some existing changing up and some new to the Big Easy.

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Live Music at the Dew Drop Inn

This fall is going to be great for the fifty-year-old Dew Drop Inn in Central City. For the first time in more than half a century, they will be hosting live music. The Dew Drop Inn is a staple in New Orleans and is said to be “the swankiest spot in the South. It has been New Orleans’ leading Black music venue for three mid-century decades.

The musicians who have played there date from the 1940s to 1970. Deacon John Moore is still on the scene and is helping with the renovation of the historic property. He is excited and hopes that they can book Irma Thomas who actually got her start at the club. The club has opened its doors and had many famous musicians play including Allen Toussaint, Earl King, James Booker, Charles Neville, Earl Palmer, Ray Charles, James Brown and Little Richard.

Curtis Doucette Jr, the lead developer is excited about the renovation. “I have to say, this is the very first time that I’ve fallen in love with a building. Before I fell in with the building itself, I fell in love with the history that was made in this building,” says Doucette.

The famous club started out as a barbershop at 2836 LaSalle St. in the 1930’s. In fact, there were several structures that housed a barbershop, restaurant, bar, hotel and entertainment venue. When it reopens, it will have all of these except the barbershop, explains Gabrielle Begue, a historic . tax credit consultant.

So the hodgepodge that Gabrielle described, in various states of collapse, is what we’ve been propping back up and making better than ever. It’s been a real kind of labor of love to breathe new life back into these historic buildings,” describes Kristian Sonnier of Ryan Gootee General Contractors.

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Port of South Louisiana To Purchase Avondale Old Shipyard

The Avondale Global Gateway will be purchased by the Port of South Louisiana for a different price. The 254-acre site will be purchased for $330 million which is less than the original offer price of $445 million. The Port of South Louisiana and the current owner of the shipyard, T. Parker agreed to the new price. The new price comes as a reaction to the Governors and other officials saying it will be hard to “justify such a hefty price tag;”

The port will pay $280 million in cash and the rest will be on a $50 million mortgage. “A project this magnitude was always going to take time. We have done our due diligence, looked at this project from every angle and have worked to ensure the State of Louisiana gets the best deal possible,”says Paul Matthews with Port of South Louisiana.

The current owners of the Avondale shipyard have struggled to keep tenants. They purchased the shipyard in 2018 for $60 million hoping to build it into a hub of trade and light industry.  In order to do this, the company sunk another $90 million into renovations, upgrades and environmental remediation.

Currently the shipyard has been valued at a price between $239 million and just under $328 million. On top of that they will need to put up around $60 million in capital expenditures for the first several years.

“We have turned a derelict site into a profitable center of commerce, created hundreds of jobs, and secured tenants in our core industries of renewable energy, construction materials, and sustainable food products,” explains Anderson.

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HUD Explains How Builders Are Focusing on the Resilience of Homes

HUD, which stands for the US Department of Housing and Urban Development, has published several guides to direct home builders on how to add resilience to the homes they build. The guides are called Designing for Natural Hazards: A Resilience Guide for Builders & Developers.

This is a big issue for the United States, as it is reported that the country spends billions each year on helping communities after natural disasters. Having builders use the tools and tricks in the guide will help reduce the cost of helping those who have been impacted by wildfires, hurricanes, floods, tornadoes, blizzards and other natural disasters.

There are five different volumes for builders which include:
Designing for Natural Hazards Series Volume 1: Wind
Designing for Natural Hazards Series Volume 2: Water
Designing for Natural Hazards Series Volume 3: Fire
Designing for Natural Hazards Series Volume 4: Earth
Designing for Natural Hazards Series Volume 5: Auxiliary

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A New Pizza Joint in Algiers

Tavolino, which closed its doors in Algiers, will become a new pizzeria. The new pizzeria is called Nighthawk Napoletana and soon will be ready to have its first customers this September.

Nighthawk Napoletana will be run by the co-owner of Ancora, Adrian Chelette. He has partnered with Brett Jones and Bryson Aust co-owners of Barracuda Taco Stand. It will serve  Neapolitan-style pizza, distinguished by a blistered, puffy, well-risen crust cooked in a wood-fired oven, and a stretchy, pull-apart texture.

“We’re going to give this building a lot of love, and hopefully fill it with the neighbors and give people another reason to get on the ferry and come over to Algiers,” said Chelette.

All three partners feel that the West Bank needs a good pizza joint. In fact, it is in Aust and Chelette’s own backyard so to speak as they live close by. The draw is that the restaurant will be family-friendly, approachable and affordable.

“They’re coming in with tons of enthusiasm and energy and passion for pizza,” Wine & Dine Co-founder Suzanne Accorsi said.

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