dinner tonight.

We had dinner tonight at Luke. We wanted to go earlier this week when the weather was calling for good soup, but our plans changed. So we went tonight, and the weather was still good for soup. Luke is probably the only French-style brasserie that serves matzoh ball soup. And is it good! The next time I'm sick, I'm going to ask for it by the gallon. It's so comforting, and it has so much flavor. We each had a cup, then Jean Paul had their Cuban sandwich (pictured above), and I had the crabmeat ravioli. They also have fantastic bread, served nice and warm.
As we walked back to the car after dinner, Jean Paul happened to look up at One Shell Square. Now I realize we were not in downtown Manhattan. But when you stand at the bottom of a 52-story building and look straight up, you can't help but be reminded of how amazing it is that man can build something so grand. The moon compelled me to take a picture.

sweet treats.

I got the baby in the king cake we had at our office today. Actually, I got the tiny porcelain statue in the queen's cake we had at our office today, but that's a whole other story. I also got an email from Renee saying that they had a king cake from Sucré at their office today, and it was one of the best she's had. So of course that means that I am bringing a Sucré king cake to my office tomorrow. I had to take a picture of it – it's beautiful! It's sparkling with edible glitter. I also picked up a package of dark chocolate caramel cookies. They always have them, and they are delicious. If you visit New Orleans, you should definitely plan a visit to Sucré. If you live in New Orleans and you haven't been to Sucré yet, what are you waiting for? It is such a fun place! It warrants its own post later. I'll have to take some pics of the interior. For now, be sure to visit the links to their website. Their photos are a lot better than mine!

a great place to "spin" an evening.

Saturday night we had dinner with friends in the French Quarter, then walked around the corner to the Carousel Bar at the Monteleone Hotel. The scene here is fabulous. The bar itself is round, and it looks and spins like a real carousel. The pic above was taken with my iPhone, but this one will give you a better idea of what the bar looks like. Whenever we've been there, our group has been too large to sit at the bar and still be able to visit, but it's always a great experience sitting at a table near the bar, sipping classic cocktails, catching up with friends new and old.

art. art. and more art.

I went to NOMA on Sunday to see three great exhibits:

• The Baroque World of Fernando Botero - I was not at all familiar with this Latin American artist. I didn't fall in love with his work, but it's always good to meet new artists.
  
• New Orleans: A Sense of Place
• Gentleman Callers: Paul Cadmus and George Dureau from the Collection of Kenneth Holditch - Masters of figure drawing, exquisite line quality.

NOMA is currently free to Louisiana residents. Beat the heat - spend an afternoon at the museum!



(clockwise from top left)
The Orchestra by Fernando Botero
a piece from the exhibit "New Orleans: A Sense of Place"
Two Men Wrestling by George Dureau (image via prices4antiques.com)
Male Nude TS5 by Paul Cadmus (image via art-interview.com)