Believe it or not, we are slowly but surely easing into fall. Now that the temperature is starting to drop (well, at least we are past the 100-degree days and into the “normal” 90-degree days) the events calendar is filling up. There is a lot happening in New Orleans this month; here are a few events you might want to consider!
September 14- Tujague’s hosts “Sazerac in Seersucker” Bourbon Dinner
429 Decatur St.
Tujague’s, the second-oldest restaurant in New Orleans, is excited to host “Sazerac in Seersucker,” an intimate dinner celebrating bourbon, the American whiskey. Indulge in a specially crafted five-course menu from Chef Gus Martin that seamlessly blends Creole classics while donning your best Seersucker ensemble. Priced at $135 per person (plus tax and gratuity), each course is thoughtfully paired with an exquisite bourbon cocktail. The menu for the evening follows:
First Course
Bacon Wrapped Gulf Shrimp
tomato confit, pickled okra, and sugar cane bourbon glaze
Pairing: Sazerac Rye “Savignac”
Second Course
Prosciutto Gorgonzola Tarte
apple roasted pepper chutney
Pairing: Blanton’s Boulevardier
Third Course
Duck Spring Roll
bacon bourbon gastrique
Pairing: W.L. Weller Special Reserve Trilby
Fourth Course
Pan Roasted Pompano
potatoes croquette, jumbo lump crabmeat, bourbon corn sauce
Pairing: Eagle Rare “Sour Eagle”
Fifth Course
Le Bête Noir
flourless chocolate cake, sweet double cream, and orange bourbon glaze
Pairing: Buffalo Trace L’Autre Bête
September 15, 11 am to 3 pm- King Brasserie & Bar Garden Party
521 Tchoupitoulas St.
WHAT: King, Kimpton Hotel Fontenot’s newly opened brasserie and bar, is hosting a Garden Party at the restaurant on Friday, September 15, 2023. Guests will enjoy a three-course taste of the French Riviera prepared by Executive Chef Samuel Peery paired with complimentary Moet and Chandon offerings. DJ Spinelli will provide tunes for the duration of the event, 11 a.m to 3 p.m., and Moet will bring a hedge wall and the Moet cart for fun photo ops.
The special prix fixe lunch menu will start out with Pastry Chef Lanna Talley’s Quiche with Summer Truffles with delicious golden chanterelles. The second course will bring late summer vegetable succotash, tarragon and sweet corn butter into a dish of Marcona Almond Crusted Sea Scallops. Finishing the meal is the Santa Rosa Plum Pavlova with orange crumble and the flavors of smoked black peppercorn and sage. Each dish has their own unique beverage paired to enhance the flavors and experience.
The Friday Garden Party will further introduce diners in the city to King’s menu rooted in the beloved brasseries of the French Riviera region while also weaving in the flavors and traditions of New Orleans and the freshest Gulf seafood. A few of the King menu favorites include the Crawfish Beignets with crab fat aioli, the Grilled Octopus with a vadouvan and sweet potato curry and lardons of Benton’s bacon to give it a smoky finish, the Gulf Fish, the Wild Boar Provençale, and the King Carbonara with a sauce made from sea urchin, reduced cream and parmesan. But there’s much more to explore. And don’t forget the King Bread Service with baguette, focaccia, brioche, caviar tapenade, olive oil and whipped butter.
Details on the Garden Party’s three courses are included below. The prix fixe meal is $45 per person. Reservations are recommended and can be made online at kingbrasserieandbar.com.
First Course
Chef Lanna’s Quiche with Summer Truffles
Golden chanterelles, baby gem lettuce, mimolette cheese
Chandon garden spritz
Second Course
Marcona Almond Crusted Sea Scallops
Late summer vegetable succotash, tarragon, sweet corn butter
Moet Blanc de Blanc
Third Course
Santa Rosa Plum Pavlova
Orange crumble, smoked black peppercorn, sage
Hennessy French 75
September 15 and 16, 9:00 am to 4:00 p.m.- NOLA Coffee Fest
Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, 900 Convention Center Blvd.
City tourism leaders are celebrating the addition of a new trade and consumer show for the coffee industry to begin in 2023. The NOLA Coffee Festival is a two-day event occurring September 15-16, 2023 that will attract several thousand small business owners, professional baristas and coffee enthusiasts to the city.
Festival Co-founder Kevin Richards asserts that while coffee has been a staple in the city’s cultural landscape for over a hundred years and has wonderfully complemented the Crescent City’s unmatched cuisine, it is now time to celebrate New Orleans’ contributions to the wider coffee industry here in the South and beyond. “Few appreciate the incredible impact that New Orleans has had on the growth of coffee around the country over several generations. From the coffee brands that call New Orleans home to the coffee innovators who are based here, we felt it was important to establish this Festival and reinforce the voice of New Orleans in the growing coffee conversation,” says Richards.
Today, New Orleans is the number one coffee port in the country. Around 241,000 tons of green coffee (or approximately 28 percent of all the coffee that enters the United States) arrives annually into the Port of New Orleans. Beans are shipped here in large containers from thirty-one coffee-producing countries. In turn, this coffee is shipped out to large U.S. bulk roasters and to smaller specialty roasters around the world.
The festival will include exhibitions and classes from coffee industry experts.
More information and tickets available here.
September 22- LOVE in the Garden at the NOMA Sculpture Garden
1 Collins Diboll Cir.
The New Orleans Museum of Art (NOMA) will host its popular fundraising event, LOVE in the Garden, Presented by Hancock Whitney, on Friday, September 22, 2023.
Held in NOMA’s Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden, LOVE in the Garden celebrates the culture and spirit of New Orleans through food, drink, and music—all in support of the museum’s mission to inspire lifelong learning through the arts.
Named one of the best sculpture parks in the country by USA Today’s 10Best, NOMA’s Besthoff Sculpture Garden is home to nearly 100 sculptures by some of the most renowned artists from the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries—all installed in a landscape unique to South Louisiana. In addition to offering attendees the opportunity to explore the Besthoff Sculpture Garden under the stars, LOVE in the Garden will feature festive live music from NOCCA Trio and Raw Deal.
The eighth annual LOVE in the Garden Cocktail Challenge presented by Sazerac spotlights five of the city’s most creative bartending talents, who will each present a unique drink inspired by a different type of love. This year’s challengers are Zen Castro (Latitude29, Espiritu, and Turning Tables), Lara Desmond (DBA NOLA and USBG), Mark Griffin (Pigeon and Whale), Chris Hannah (The Bar at the Jewel of the South), and Sam Kiley (Dovetail and turning Tables).
Featured cuisine is provided by over two dozen top New Orleans restaurants, chefs, and caterers, including Acme Oyster House, Angelo Brocato’s Italian Ice Cream and and Pastry, Aunt Sally’s Pralines, Barracuda, Blue Oak BBQ, Café Degas, Café NOMA, Crescent City Brewhouse, Crescent City Steakhouse, Elizabeth’s Restaurant, G’s Pizza, Gracious Bakery and Café, Highly Seasoned Catering, Ice Cream 504, Jewel of the South, Lula Restaurant Distillery, Martin Wine Cellar, Nothing Bundt Cakes – Metairie, P.F. Chang’s, Picnic Provisions & Whiskey, Silk Road, Southern Candymakers, Swiss Confectionery, The Station Coffee Shop & Bakery, The Vintage, and Velvet Cactus.
This year’s LOVE in the Garden event committee is led by event chairs Carroll Gelderman and Carter Perrilliat with NOMA Volunteer Committee chair Elizabeth Grimes.
The patron party begins at 7 p.m., and the garden party is from 8 to 11 p.m. Attire for the event is garden party casual. Tickets are available at noma.org/love.
September 27- Former Momofuku Chef Tae Strain Pop Up at Mister Mao
Ggoma Supper Club Four-Course Dinner
4501 Tchoupitoulas St.
Mister Mao, known for its creative “inauthentic” global cuisine and wildly popular guest chef pop-up series – one of the Crescent City’s must-dos for experiencing the unique gastronomy of talented chefs from across the U.S. – is thrilled to welcome Tae Strain, Chef/Owner of Ggoma Supper Club in Baltimore. The former Executive Chef of Momofuku is known for his monthly dinner parties which take place in various locations throughout the city and are guided by the seasons, and inspired by travels, mentors, and memories.
For one night only, Chef Strain will indulge diners in a four-course gastronomic culinary journey showcasing seasonal and ingredient-forward New American dishes. Priced at $68 per person (excluding tax and gratuity), the sample menu follows:
First Course
stone fruit and Sungold tomatoes
cured cucumber, peanuts, sambal
Second Course
red snapper
sweet corn, Lions Mane mushroom, kani-miso butter
Third Course
dry spiced Cornish hen
curry rice, grilled nardello peppers, charred jalapeno yogurt
Fourth Course
green apple-yuzu granita
malted marshmallow mousse, lime curd, coconut
*Menu subject to change
The Ggoma Supper Club pop-up will take place on Wednesday, September 27th, at 6 PM and 8 PM. Reservations can be made on Resy
or by calling (504) 345-2056. www.mistermaonola.com
September 29- The Roosevelt New Orleans Hosts 74th Anniversary “Stormin’ of the Sazerac”
130 Roosevelt Way
The Roosevelt New Orleans, A Waldorf Astoria Hotel is pleased to announce the date for the 74th Anniversary of the “Stormin’ of the Sazerac.” This year’s event will be held on Friday, September 29, 2023, and tickets are now available online. The event celebrates the always bold and barrier-breaking women of New Orleans — who stormed the famous Sazerac Bar decades ago — with an annual luncheon, fashion show and recreation of the “Stormin’ of the Sazerac.”
In honor of this iconic anniversary, The Roosevelt New Orleans is raising a glass to the courageous group of ladies who first stormed the hotel’s Sazerac Bar in 1949 demanding equality, and a stiff drink, at a time when women were only allowed to be served at the bar on Mardi Gras Day. In 2023, the hotel invites all women to join the one-of-a-kind celebration featuring libations, fine cuisine and entertainment in the lap of Roosevelt luxury. “Southern Charm” star and former WGNO newscaster and TV personality Tamica Lee will emcee this year’s festivities, which will take place in the famous Blue Room and world-renowned Sazerac Bar.
The celebration kicks off in the Blue Room at 1 p.m. with a three-course lunch, fashion show, live entertainment and recognition of the 2023 Reigning Spirit of the Sazerac. Following the luncheon, attendees will gather at 3 p.m. in The Roosevelt’s lobby to once again “storm” the Sazerac Bar with a spirited second line. To properly honor the original “Stormin,” guests are encouraged to wear late 1940s and 1950s attire including hats, veils, peep-toe shoes and gloves.
The 2023 fashion show will pay tribute to the starlets and fashion mavens of yesteryear. Models will showcase looks inspired by some of The Roosevelt’s most glamorous guests and performers in dresses provided by French Quarter retailer Italy Direct.
This year, Lauren LeBlanc Haydel, owner of beloved New Orleans retailer Fleurty Girl, will reign as the Spirit of the Sazerac, an honor recognizing a deserving New Orleans woman who challenges the status quo and works to influence positive change in her community. The Reigning Spirit of the Sazerac is an exemplary woman whose bravery and determination reflect what we celebrate about those great New Orleans ladies who stormed the Sazerac Bar decades ago.
In 2009 with just $2,000, Haydel launched Fleurty Girl as an online store, and six months later, opened a shop on historic Oak Street. Today, Fleurty Girl has eight locations. Having previously served as the face of GoNOLA’s newscast, Haydel is a true ambassador of New Orleans culture, and The Roosevelt New Orleans is proud to welcome her into this one-of-a-kind sisterhood.
The Roosevelt New Orleans — a legendary New Orleans landmark, rich with history — invites all New Orleans ladies to come toast and celebrate years of ‘herstory’ at this historic event. Stormin’ of the Sazerac luncheon tickets are $109 each, excluding tax and gratuity. To make a reservation, click here or call 504-335-3129.
