Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
in this block is I. J. Reilly and Sons Knick-Knacks and Curiosities, which
sells such items as jewelry made out of recycled materials. The shop's ad-
dress is 632 Elysian Fields—the same address where Stella and Stanley Kow-
alski lived in
A Streetcar Named Desire
—and it's named after Ignatius J.
Reilly, the rotund protagonist of
A Confederacy of Dunces.
•
Circle right to Esplanade Avenue in front of Hotel de la Monnaie. Walk an-
other block and veer right on Frenchmen, in front of Miss Jean's Famous
Corner Courtyard, the first of several music clubs that you'll pass over the
next three blocks. At the end of the block on the right is the Louisiana Music
Factory, a music store that occasionally hosts free concerts. To the left across
Frenchmen is Vaso, a so-called ultralounge with brass bands, DJs, and food.
•
Continue on the second block of Frenchmen past The Maison, a live-music
venue and restaurant; Bamboula's, which combines the blues with Carib-
bean cuisine; 13 Monaghan Bar & Restaurant, where the specialty menu
item is Tater Tot nachos (“Tachos”); and Blue Nile, which stages funk, blues,
soul, and brass-band shows in a building dating back to 1832. Three Muses is
a restaurant and music club where you can munch on such fare as duck-pas-
trami pizza or curried chickpea-crusted scallops while taking in the sounds
of singer and trombonist Glen David Andrews or pianist Tom McDermott.
At the corner of Frenchmen and Chartres Streets is The Praline Connection,
which before opening in 1990 ran a home-delivery service targeting working
women who were too busy to cook for their families. The soul food eatery at
542 Frenchmen specializes in Southern cuisine, from fried chicken to red
beans and rice. Of course, pralines (pronounced PRAW-leenz as opposed to
PRAY-leenz) are its specialty. Inside the restaurant is a separate shop where
you can buy pralines, seasonings, sauces, and other goodies.
•
Cross Chartres Street and continue down Frenchmen past even more clubs
and restaurants, including Café Negril, a reggae club known for its dancing
atmosphere; Dat Dog, famous for its gourmet hot dogs and sausages; Café
Rose Nicaud, a coffeehouse named for the first known coffee vendor in New
Orleans; Spotted Cat, known for its old-time swing jazz; and d.b.a., where
regular performers include some of the hottest names in New Orleans music,
among them Walter “Wolfman” Washington, Jon Cleary, the Soul Rebels,
and the Treme Brass Band. At the legendary Snug Harbor, contemporary
jazz greats Charmaine Neville, Donald Harrison, Ellis Marsalis, and the
Uptown Jazz Orchestra pack in the crowds. And at the corner of Frenchmen
and Royal, Marigny Brasserie serves up a menu of Creole cuisine along with
