Drag Queen brunch is happening at Pythian Market this weekend. (Photo: Pythian Market)
Wednesday, December 12/Pearl Wine Company (3700 Orleans Avenue): Wine everywhere! Wine everywhere! We know that wine is the booty of the holidays, and we all know who is the queen of booty in New Orleans. Why are we putting these two ideas together? Well, because Big Freedia is back to pour her namesake Ca D’Freedia rosé and all we have to say is GIRL DOWN! According to Pearl, this is not your grocery store wine. This is gorgeous Italian DOCG sparkling Pinot Noir. Come taste and have the Queen Diva sign your bottle! The tasting goes from 5:00 PM until 7:00 PM, and you can find out full details here.
Friday, December 14/Arrow Cafe (628 North Rampart): The holidays are here, and arrow is putting on one of their famous local art show. This month they’ll have the artists on hand to sell you things in a market style fashion, and they’ll be hanging things on their own little gallery wall for the rest of the month! Sigourney will be on hand doing some chainstitch patchwork that you can check out, so go to get your hearts filled (with coffee) and your stocking stuffed with gifts that are both neat and weird. You know, New Orleans style. It all starts at 7:00 PM and goes until 10:00 PM. For more information on the market, you can check out their event here.
Saturday, December 15/Fly Circus Space (4820 Calliope): Sure, you’ve seen The Nutcracker, but have you ever seen The Nutcracker in air? Well, get ready for your Christmas dreams to come true because the students and teachers of Fly Circus Space have whipped up a magical, circus interpretation of The Nutcracker Cabaret! Mysterious sorcerers, sugar rum cherry fairies, snow queens and more will fly through the air to delight your senses. The shows are Saturday, December 15 at 8:00 PM and Sunday, December 16 at 7:00 PM. Tickets are $12 and may be purchased here, or at the door. All proceeds go to help keep Fly Circus open for learning and training circus in New Orleans alive!
La Cocinita Breakfast Tacos at Pythian Market. (Photo by: Pythian Market)
Sunday, December 16/Domino Sound Record Shack (2557 Bayou Road): You know how you can’t always choose who you celebrate the holidays with? Well, DJ Soul Sister is inviting you to spend the holidays with her and some fantastic music. Everyone is invited to DJ Soul Sister’s annual holiday record digging party at Domino Sound Record Shack. Dig with Soul Sister while she spins selections entirely from the Domino Sound store stock! She’ll also help you with recommendations for your music and gift purchases. The spinning begins at 3:00 PM and goes until 5:00 PM. For full information, you can check out the event page here.
Sunday, December 16/Pythian Market (234 Loyola Avenue): It’s really not a New Orleans brunch without a drag show, and Pythian Market is gearing up for the holidays with a very festive Drag Brunch on Sunday, December 16thfrom Noon until 2:00PM. The family-friendly brunch will feature live holiday-themed performances by queens Taze-Ya Ballz, Gia GiaVanni & Lana O’Day, along with cocktail specials from Bar 1908 and brunch items from the market’s 13 vendors including Cochon du Lait Benedict from Fete Au Fete; Shakshuka served with sous-vide eggs at Little Fig; Meribo Pizza’s Brunch Pizza with white sauce, bacon, caramelized onions, cheesy eggs, apple jelly, truffle oil, and parmesan; Breakfast Tacos – flour tortillas with melted cheese, scrambled eggs, and choice of meat/veggies from La Cocinita; and a Traditional Jamaican Breakfast – Akee and Salt Fish with yellow yam, banana, and dumplings at 14 Parishes. So go get your belly’s full with food and fun. For more information on the drag brunch, you can check out their event here.
Monday, December 17/Celebration of the Oaks (City Park): We know that the lights are aglow for us humans the full season in City Park, but what if you want to spend some holiday time with your four-legged pup? Enter Mutt Monday. You can bring your dog to Celebration in the Oaks and celebrate the season with your best friend and the Louisiana SPCA. Leashed friendly dogs are welcome to attend Celebration in the Oaks with their favorite human this year, and it all starts at 6:00 PM and goes until 10:00 PM. For full details, you can check out their event here.
Tuesday, December 25/Compère Lapin (535 Tchoupitoulas Street): We know this is a bit of advance notice, but once the holidays hit we don’t want you hungry and wishing you would have known about Chef Nina Compton’s pre-fix dinner. Compton is putting on a family-style dinner at her critically acclaimed restaurant, Compère Lapin, located inside of the Old 77 Hotel & Chandlery Hotel. The festive dinner will be offered from 1:00PM until 7:00PM on Christmas Day, Tuesday, December 25, 2018. Priced at $85 per person (excluding beverages, tax and gratuity), the Christmas menu follows:
CHESTNUT SOUP
Roasted Root Vegetables
WARM WINTER SQUASH
Mustard Greens
OYSTER DRESSING
ROASTED PORK BELLY
rice and peas
BUTTERNUT SQUASH RISOTTO
brown butter and sage
ST. LUCIAN BLACK CAKE
Milk Punch Ice-Cream
“PONE”
Molasses Caramel, Cardamom Ice cream
Earthtalk: “Cool Roofs” for New Orleans
It’s hot outside, but it could be cooler! In this article, Brooke Theis explores Cool Roofs, an effective solution to the urban heat island effect that makes the New Orleans heat so unbearable. The author also explores inequalities in how people experience the environment from identity perspectives like race and class.
Big Chem-EZ: How can small Louisiana communities access clean drinking water after a hurricane?
When I went to visit the Pointe-au-Chien tribe after Hurricane Ida with my Service Learning class, I heard that one of the biggest challenges in the aftermath of the hurricane was finding enough drinking water, so in this article, I explore water purification methods: 1) when they are necessary, 2) how they work, and 3) if they really make your water safe to drink.
