SEE
Old New Orleans Rum Tour
2815 Frenchmen St
504-945-9400
Tours Mon-Fri noon, 2pm & 4pm, Sat 2 & 4pm
Celebration Distillation was founded in 1995 by local artist James Michalopoulos (he painted the mural at Howlin’ Wolf) and today produces some astoundingly good small batch rum: Old New Orleans. Drive out to the distillery, plunked in an industrial corner of Gentilly, and take the hour-ish long tour ($10) – a bit of a steal, considering you get to sample all four varieties of Old New Orleans’ product, including their limited edition blue label batch.
Hellenic Cultural Center
Robert E. Lee & St Bernard
Greek Fest, one of the city’s more popular mid-sized festivals, kicks off at this large Greek Orthodox Church on the last weekend of May.
Gentilly Boulevard
While St Charles Avenue and Esplanade Avenue get a lot of press for being the most attractive streets in the city, barely any tourists (and let’s be honest, a fair amount of New Orleanians) know that Gentilly Blvd is frankly stunning. It has all the elements of a beautiful New Orleans road: shady live oak trees and attractive old houses stretching as as the eye can see.
EAT
Sammy’s Food Service & Deli
3000 Elysian Fields Ave
504-947-0675
7am-10:30am & 10:45am-5pm Mon-Sat, 7am-10:30am Sun
Sammy’s is an utterly unremarkable looking place tucked away in on an unremarkable stretch of Elysian fields, yet within, she contains some of the finest po-boys in the city. We pretty much always go with the roast beef, but owner Sammy Schloegel is a butcher, so the sausage is worth a try as well. The hell with it, every sandwich in this place is killer.
The Munch Factory
6325 Elysian Fields Ave
504-324-5372
11:30am-9pm Tue-Fri, 5-9pm Sat
Tasty Southern cooking is sold at this family friendly spot, which is owned and operated by New Orleans natives. The portions are suitably enormous, but the price tag won’t break the bank. The bayou fries, topped with melted cheese and roast beef debris, are pretty indulgent, as is the Buffalo oyster salad.
McKenzie’s Chicken in a Box
3839 Frenchmen St
504-943-8908
8:30am-6:30pm Mon-Wed, 8:30am-7pm Thu-Sat, 10:30am-3:30pm Sun
McKenzie’s is as advertised: tasty chicken, biscuits and po’boys fried to golden perfection, and sold at distinctly budget prices. When in doubt, forego the seafood in favor of the chicken (there’s a reason it’s in the title, right?).
DRINK
Daiquiris & Company
6301 Elysian Fields Ave
504-286-9514
11am-midnight, til 1am Fri & Sat
For $14, you get a half gallon of daiquiri, which is enough frozen alcohol slush to inebriate a small herd of horses.