Big Easy Picks by Pete

02/07/2025

It's Super Bowl week in the Big Easy! If you are in town, contact me for a ride!

10/06/2024

Happy Sunday everyone!

07/25/2024

Here's my coffee shop of the day spotlight! Best coffee hidden gem in the warehouse district!

Ironworks Coffee And Crepes -
315 Girod Street, Suite 100, New Orleans


Ironworks Coffee & Crepes is an industrial-style, art-focused coffee shop specializing in European crêpes, both savory and sweet. This creperie serves a wide variety of freshly baked pastries and exquisite coffee products that you are sure to enjoy. Stop by today to see what it's all about. Fun fact: The Expendables was filmed here!

07/12/2024

Still not a monk y'all.

07/04/2024

Happy 4th of July! Here is my coffee shop of the day. The vintage on magazine Street!

The Vintage Restaurant - 3121 Magazine Street New Orleans, LA

Coffee, Beignets, Wines, Bubbles, and Bites

We are serious about coffee but way more serious about service. A hot beignet is a pillow of goodness, and who doesn’t love their pillow (and who doesn’t love our beignets)? We love a great glass of champagne… or two… or a bottle… but the friends we share it with will always outlast the bubbles. We savor on wine and sour on whining. A bite is really all you need unless you have another three or four, but that’s called dinner.

07/01/2024

Coming this week, Uber karaoke! You heard it here first.

06/21/2024

If you are looking for a great breakfast spot while you are in town, I have just what you are seeking!

Here are my “Pete’s Picks” for my favorite places to enjoy some awesome New Orleans breakfast while visiting the Big Easy!



Surry’s Juice Bar - 1418 Magazine St, New Orleans

Don’t let the name fool you! Surrey's is an eclectic and funky Cafe and Juice Bar located in the Lower Garden District on historic Magazine Street in New Orleans. Our sweet and savory menu specializes in local food items with a hint of Latin flavor. Surrey's is the oldest organic juice bar in New Orleans, opened in 2001.
Surrey’s is open Thursday thru Monday from 8 am to 3 pm, serving breakfast and lunch all day.
Seating is on a first come, first serve basis, as we do not accept reservations.


Betsy’s Pancake House - 2542 Canal St, New Orleans

Hungry for some real breakfast? Follow the locals to Betsy's, a tried and true pancake joint that opens at 5:30am on weekdays to accommodate early risers with steaming cups of coffee and home-style dishes. The blueberry and buckwheat cakes come highly recommended, and there's a good lunch menu as well. Closed on Saturdays.

Offering a hearty breakfast special of two eggs any style, bacon, grits, and a choice of toast or pancakes, for only $3. Other breakfast options include waffles, ham steak and corned beef hash. The daily lunch specials always include a salad, entree, iced tea and dessert. Breakfast and lunch daily.


Panola St. Café - 7801 Panola St, New Orleans

Since opening in 1998, Riccobono’s Panola Street Cafe has become a New Orleans fixture, known for some of the best breakfast in the city. Found right at the heart of Uptown on the corner of Panola St. and Burdette in the University area, people flock to the neighborhood spot by streetcar, on foot, by bike, and car. Serving classics like Eggs Benedict, Crab cakes Benedict, and a host of specialty omelets from open to close, along with hot plate lunch specials every weekday, Panola St. Cafe has just the right fuel for your day.



Toast - 1035 Decatur St. New Orleans


Toast was opened in 2014 by Cara and Evan Benson. They also own Tartine (www.tartineneworleans.com) on Perrier Street. They met at The French Culinary Institute and live in Algiers Point with their two sons. All breads, biscuits, jams, custards, and curds are made in house daily.

06/18/2024

For those of you visiting our great city, take a look at this. This is New Orleans through the eyes of Steve Gleason. And the eyes of most of us as well.
Welcome.

A short film by Dear World, Team Gleason and Evacuteer.org to mark the 10th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. This love letter is a part of an effort to ligh...

06/15/2024

Good morning New Orleans

06/14/2024

If you are looking for some great live music while you are in town, I have just what you are seeking

Here are my “Pete’s Picks” for my favorite places to enjoy some live local music while visiting the Big Easy!


The Davenport Lounge - 921 Canal St, The Ritz-Carlton,
New Orleans

Davenport Lounge is a lounge at The Ritz-Carlton, New Orleans, where you can enjoy light fare and cocktails to the sounds of resident musician Jeremy Davenport and his band. The lounge also offers Afternoon Tea on Saturdays and is open until late at night.



Davenport Lounge is a lounge at The Ritz-Carlton, New Orleans, where you can enjoy light fare and cocktails to the sounds of resident musician Jeremy Davenport and his band. The lounge also offers Afternoon Tea on Saturdays and is open until late at night.

Fritzel’s European Jazz Bar – 733 Bourbon St, New
Orleans

Situated in a historic 1831 building in the heart of the French Quarter. Since its founding in 1969, it has become a mecca for jazz lovers and musicians alike. Home of traditional New Orleans jazz

Bourbon Street H***y Tonk - 727 Bourbon Street, New
Orleans

Tropical Isle is a bar chain on Bourbon Street that offers the famous Hand Gr***de drink and live music. Bourbon Street H***y Tonk is one of the five locations, featuring a large balcony and a country-themed atmosphere.

Frechmen St. – (From Decatur to Royal St.)

This 2 block stretch of New Orleans in the Marigny is your destination for true live traditional jazz music! This is where the locals go to listen to live “trad Jazz”. With bars such as The Maison, Bamboula’s, Blue Nile, Favela Chic, Café Nagril, 30/90, D.B.A, The Spotted Cat Music Club and the Marigny Brasserie.

Frenchmen St. is also the home of a Briex Carre’ Brewing Company, 2 tattoo shops and a nightly art market located across from D.B.A and adjacent to the Spotted Cat Music Club. There are also some great places to have a nice dinner or just simply grab a quick bite to eat.

Snug Harbor is one of my favorites along with Aldolpho’s (reservations recommended) , Frenchmen all day, and Marigny Brasserie.

06/14/2024

Good Morning and happy Friday! Here is a quick list of my picks for the weekend of June 14th – 16th.
There is a vast array of bars and clubs throughout the city, here are my “Pete’s Picks” favorites that I along with other locals enjoy visiting.


Bombay Club - 830 Conti St, Prince Conti Hotel, New
Orleans

Slip away from the hustle and bustle of the Vieux Carré with one of over unique cocktails at The Bombay Club. Set back from the entrance of the Prince Conti Hotel, our specialty cocktail bar is the perfect hideaway to relax and enjoy handcrafted drinks made by the brightest torchbearers of New Orleans’ cocktail tradition. Savor small bites, live music, and drinks as intoxicating as the Crescent City herself.

Enjoy craft cocktails, scotches, bourbons, and ci**rs at The Bombay Club, a landmark venue in the French Quarter. Listen to local live music and savor bistro fare at this historic spot on Rue Conti.



Laffite’s Blacksmith Shop - 941 Bourbon St, New
Orleans

Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop is a historic structure at the corner of Bourbon Street and St. Philip Street in the French Quarter of New Orleans, Louisiana. Most likely built as a house in the 1770s during the Spanish colonial period, it is one of the oldest surviving structures in New Orleans. According to legend, the privateer Jean Lafitte, aka John Lafitte, owned a business here in the early 19th century.


Carousel Bar - 214 Royal St, Hotel Monteleone, New
Orleans

The Carousel Bar opened inside the historic Hotel Monteleone in 1949, becoming New Orleans' first and only rotating bar. Its carousel theme and unique design is a treat you won't find anywhere else, offering guests a pleasant, subtle rotation around a world-class cocktail bar every 15 minutes.



Finn McCool’s Irish Pub - 3701 Banks St, New Orleans

Finn McCool's is a sports pub that features a variety of leagues and tournaments from around the world. Enjoy Irish whiskey, beer, and cocktail specials at this cozy and lively venue.

Indulge in some of the finest Irish Whiskeys available at Finn McCool’s Irish Pub. Finn McCool’s has over 50 Irish whiskeys, so whether you prefer it with ice, straight up, or maybe in an Irish coffee, we’re sure you’ll find one perfect for any occasion.


Mid City Rock N Bowl – 3016 S. Carrollton Ave. New
Orleans

Premier live music and special events venue in both New Orleans and Lafayette, Louisiana. Locations feature music, bowling, private events, delicious eats, games and more.

Dine & Rock. RocknBowl dress code is casual. Relaxed, but tasteful. Jeans and T-shirts are acceptable but should be in clean and neat condition, without holes, stains, etc. No tank tops on men or slides. Revealing clothing is prohibited

06/08/2024

Good Morning New Orleans!

06/08/2024

Pete’s Picks - My Top Coffee Shops for June 7th – 9th



Café Envie - 1241 Decatur St, New Orleans

Located within steps of the historical French Market, Envie Espresso Bar & Café has been a popular destination for both locals and tourists for almost a decade!



Petite Clouet Café – 3100 Royal St, Bywater, New Orleans

Enjoy coffee, pastries and lots of cozy ambiance at Petite Clouet.

Petite Clouet Cafe serves coffee, espresso, pastries, sandwiches, salads and desserts on the sycamore lined corner of Royal & Clouet Streets in New Orleans' Bywater neighborhood. Come hang out with us!



Morning Call – 5101 Canal Blvd, New Orleans

By the early 1800’s, coffee was one of the city’s leading imports and, by 1850, over 500 coffee houses were open in the city. Fast forward to today, and one coffee house stands head and shoulders above the others…Morning Call Coffee Stand was established in 1870, and has maintained the tradition of a French-drip coffee that others often imitate…and envy. Add to that our fresh, made-daily beignets, and you have the true taste of New Orleans right in front of you. So join us at our new location at Canal Street and City Park Avenue. Come inside or sit under our covered veranda, feel the breeze and enjoy the streetcar as it goes by. Who we were, is who we are. We’re Morning Call.



Le Croissant d’Or - 617 Ursulines Ave, New Orleans

Le Croissant d'Or is a French bakery, pastry, and sandwich shop located in the heart of the French Quarter. This boutique bakery is known for its savory and sweet items, each homemade and handcrafted with locally produced, fresh ingredients. Le Croissant d'Or has been serving made to order sandwiches, soup de jour, quiches and specialty sweets for over thirty years and is regarded as an original French café in New Orleans.



Coast Roast Coffee & Tea -
2381 St. Claude Ave., New Orleans,
801 Magazine St., New Orleans, LA

We serve Coast Roast Coffee which prides itself on getting coffee back to its simplest and freshest form. Your coffee is roasted on antique coffee roasters with traditional roasting techniques, quickly delivered to our shops, and brewed up fresh.
We serve the best specialty curated coffee. Trust in our 12 years of coffee blending, and roasting experience. Every cup is delicious, special, and consistent.
We serve fewer flavors than our competitors. All of our syrups are made in house with real, natural ingredients. The drinks we serve have been highly thought out from the coffee farm, through blending and roasting, all the way to your drink. Fewer drinks means we spend more thought on each ingredient for every drink.
In addition to our consistent daily coffee blends, we’ll introduce you to some single origin coffees. We have relationships with coffee growers and importers all around the world. We’ll sort through the noise and bring to your attention to special coffees you can't find anywhere else.
We’re a coffee shop first and foremost. We’re not a café. Anything additional we sell is put on the shelf with the intention to add value to your day. We also have fun featuring local producers selling classic New Orleans products.

Café Beignet - 334 Royal St Ste B, New Orleans

Café Beignet was established by a small group of close friends in 1990 at 334 Royal Street. These friends had a dream of intertwining the New Orleans and French café traditions through their business. A family-oriented restaurant, we take pride in our beignets, coffee, and food, striving to bring the best to our customers.
The official doughnut of Louisiana, our beignets are always served fresh, hot, and cooked to order. They have a crispy outside and a soft, sweet center. Served in an order of three, beignets are topped with powdered sugar and are best paired with a cup of café au lait (coffee with milk).

06/07/2024

This is a public service announcement...... These are not real monks! Do not give these people money. It is a trap! You're welcome 😉

06/05/2024

Pete’s Picks - My top 5 Restaurants for June 3rd – 9th


Coop’s Place – (21 and over) 1109 Decatur St, New Orleans

A Decatur Street staple since 1983, Coop's Place is the place to go for a true taste of New Orleans at down home prices.


Lil’ Dizzy’s Café - 1500 Esplanade Ave, New Orleans

At Lil’ Dizzy’s, producing great fried chicken is a matter of historical pride. Founder Wayne Baquet, Sr learned the restaurant trade from his father Eddie Baquet, Sr. namesake of the legendary 7th Ward restaurant Eddie’s. Wayne, Sr retired in November 2020. Lil’ Dizzy’s Cafe is the only Baquet-owned restaurant still going, and it is now owned and operated by Wayne, Jr and his wife Arkesha. They are making the Creole-Soul tradition proud.


Mandina’s – 3800 Canal St, New Orleans

Opened as a grocery store in 1898, Mandina's morphed into a full-service restaurant in 1932 and is still family operated. The prices are low, and the environment casual and unpretentious. The menu consists of the same New Orleans specialties, like oyster and artichoke bisque, red beans and rice, fried seafood and po'boy, that have been served there for more than 90 years. The trout amandine and the turtle soup are favorites. This quaint dining room serves scrumptious Italian and Creole fare, such as veal Parmesan, turtle soup and shrimp etouffee. The atmosphere is laid-back and the decor on the rustic side in a good way.


Parkway Bakery and Tavern - 538 Hagan Ave, New Orleans

Parkway Bakery and Tavern has been serving up the legendary poor boy sandwich and other local favorites for over 100 years. Since 1911, we've been a family run business with a reputation for high quality, delicious food, and real New Orleans hospitality. With plenty of seating and parking, plus a full bar, photo booth, and more, there's something for everyone at Parkway. Whether you're a local or a visitor, Parkway has a seat waiting for you.

Herbsaint - 701 Saint Charles Ave, New Orleans

Herbsaint works closely with local farmers and fishermen, offering contemporary, seasonal French-Southern cuisine with elements of rustic Italian cooking. An eclectic wine list and a knowledgeable staff make for perfect pairings. The restaurant earned Chef Link a James Beard Award for Best Chef South in 2007.