NOLA Food/Art Mashup

The image above is "Flaming Watermelon Ship" by Floyd Shaman. The Ogden Museum kicked off it's new season with the opening of several shows, one being Self-Taught, Outsider and Visionary Art from the Collection of Alexa Kleinbard and Jim Roche. Of which the ship is a part. Also on tap was Mississippi Photographs, 1860s-Present featuring friend and Monkey contributor Seth Boonchai. And I ended up having a camera conversation on the rooftop with Birney Imes and his daughter – he has his Whispering Pines photographs up now also at the Ogden.

That was the catalyst for the trip, but of course we had to eat. So, we start off with an incredible lunch at the Green Goddess where we discover Timanoix, a washed-rind cheese made at the Abbey of Timadeuc in the Brittany region of France. And let's face it, monks know how to do these things. We were tipped off that St. James Cheese Company supplied it locally. Unfortunately, they're closed on Sundays in August, but they ship. Or, forget running liquor across state lines, I'll bring a cooler and run cheese.

We then took a short break from eating and went to Euclid Records. I found a few things to pick up, including Cameo's Word Up!. Interestingly, in the credits, Jean Paul Gaultier did their wacky outfits and Paula Scher designed the album.

 Dinner was had at a Mano, and I can now say I've had some good Italian food. We had a large table of 8 and they offered us the Chef's tasting menu served family style. It won by unanimous decision, and a good decision it was. It is more food than you can ever hope to eat, but we gave it our all. I have to confess that I was pretty much all washed up by the time the Secondi came out. Have a Chinotto cocktail while you're there.

Thinking we may never be hungry again, but of course being wrong, the next day we had lunch at Middendorf's. I've heard about it for years, and now understand the pull of the "thin" fried fish. Cheers to a light dinner and the week ahead.