quote of the week

Best spots to drink/dine Solo

Sometimes it can be quite nice.  A night to yourself, just you and your thoughts.  Below are some of our favorite places for getting some great food and drink without a date.  We picked four amazing places, all in completely different neighborhoods.  They all have bars, and you can eat at all of them, no reservation required.  Enjoy!

Quote of the Week

"The earth laughs in flowers."  

              - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Taking Requests

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i love when you talk derby to me

If you are out and about today and tomorrow for the Kentucky Derby, we've found you some amazing spots to drink your mint julep's.  Drink them slowly, drink them well, and drink them 'till your hearts swell.  

Our good friend Abigail Gullo of SoBou bar on Chartres St. was kind enough to share her tradition for Derby Day:  

"Let us stretch out the most exciting 2 minutes in sport with some goodwill to your fellow Nola Bar keeps stuck behind the stick for Jazz Fest. 

Last year, dressed in my derby finest, I made a Julep and then ran it to the French 75 Bar who in turn made another Julep for me to run to someone else. And so on until my break was over...with a frosty Julep from Chris McMillan, the Julep master.

This year I would like to get a gang together to run juleps all over town. Lets start around 3pm at SoBou, just in time to fuel up with some Happier Hour Derby Gator Dogs and then it’s off to the Races! 4pm to watch the Race and then Run Those Juleps!

Oh and please dress the part my lovely southern Ladies and Gentlemen! Seersucker and big hats abound!"

If you're at home watching the races, here is a super dope Julep recipe courtesy of Jared Schubert of the Monkey Wrench bar in Louisville, KY:

Minimalist Julep

2 oz old Grand-dad bonded

1/2 oz simple syrup

5 mint sprigs

One large piece of ice

Place all ingredients into a mixing glass, allow to sit for one minute, add a few pieces of ice and stir to just under diluted, pour into double old fashion with large piece of ice.

Photo by Hadi Ktiri

Quote of the Week

Photo by Hadi Ktiri

"there was something about that city, though it didn't let me feel guilty that I had no feeling for the things so many others needed, it let me alone.” ― Charles Bukowski

Dope restaurants for afternoon delights

Because the IRS is a sneaky bugger, our posts will be put on hold whilst we right the wrongs of the 2010 tax season.  Stay with us.  We haven't forgotten about you.  We're just short on time and money, but aren't we all? So for those times when you're short on those things, go here:

Everybody wants 

a piece of

(NUÑEZ)

R’evolution’s newest addition to the bar talks to us about cucumbers, fighting, and Clint Eastwood.





JONATHAN NUÑEZ IS QUITE THE CHARMER at his bar. I’ve seen him juggle three sets of cougars at once - this while pointing at me in an obvious 'what do you want' gesture.  He’s hilarious, sharp, and one of the nicest barkeeps in the business.  What keeps him cool? Napkin Local called him up one evening to find out what makes the man behind the beard go.

Jonathan Nuñez: What’s up brother?

Napkin Local: Hey what’s happening man?

JN: I’m sitting at the house watching an old Clint Eastwood movie.

NL: Which one?

JN: A Fistful of Dollars

NL: Is it good?  I haven’t seen it.

JN: Surprisingly yeah.  I mean the acting is horrible, but it’s good for getting in the times.  Good storyline…

NL: Word.

JN: Well let’s do this then.

NL: So a group walks in to your bar at 11pm and orders 7 Ramos Gin Fizzes.  What’s your first thought, and what is the first thing you say?

JN: First thought is “fuck my life”.  If some asshole comes in at 11 and orders 7 fucking Ramos Gin Fizzes, my first word would be, “really?” Because at my bar you have to put the brakes on.  But it would be something in that fashion.  “Seriously?  That’s really what you want?”  Otherwise, I would be so angry that I would want to cut off my own arm and beat him with it.

NL: Are there any dead politicians you would fight in an MMA match?

JN: Theodore Roosevelt.  That’s a badass dude. I would want to fight him.  I would train like in Rocky III.  That’s what it would take for Theodore Roosevelt.

NL: Do you think you’d win?

JN: No. (laughing) it would be a blood match.

NL: If you had to pick 2 well-known New Orleans bartenders to be your parents, who would you choose?

JN: Historical well known or do you mean the cats that are working right now?

NL: Current

JN: As a bartender parent I would say Murf Reeves, or maybe in a broken family kind of way, a certain older gentleman that works at the Monteleone. 

NL: I’d ask who, but you shouldn’t say.

JN: (laughs)

NL: Who would you say is your favorite bartender right now?

JN: As a customer, I would have to say Jonathan over at Bar Tonique.  He works and you can tell the dude is very passionate like an artist making a painting.  Like he doesn’t want anybody fucking with his painting.

NL: Are there any rare or interesting bottles of wine or spirits on your home bar?

JN: Well first off, nothing lasts in my home.  If it’s in my house it’s getting drank.  …a bottle that I would run into a burning building for -- Gran Marnier 100 year.  Not 150.  I would let that bitch burn.  Besides that, I would say my grandfather’s micro-bottle of mid-1920’s Bacardi Gold.

NL: Where do you derive your bartending style?

JN: I enjoy learning, so the craft thing is fun.  But I don’t see myself as a mixologist per se.  I see myself more as a studier of people within the bar, and how I notice how culture changes drinks.  I think that is why I have more of an affinity for classic cocktails.

NL: Any least favorite requests?

JN: “What do you like making? What’s good here? Or what should I drink?” I don’t fucking know. I love making Aviations, Last Words, and Boulevardiers, but I know you’re not going to like them because you have fake breasts and the IQ of a grapefruit. You will probably like something with a cucumber and St. Germain and then tell me “..not too sweet.”

NL: What would be and ideal order then?

JN: “Can I have an Aviation? Can I have an old-school pre-rye Cognac Sazerac? Can I have a proper 2:1 or even 1:1 Martini?” Or a Vesper with Ransom Old Tom gin. Boom.

NL: Do you shake or stir your Vespers?

JN: Oh, stir all day. And I like to strain it through rice. Fantastic.

NL: Speaking of rice, how many pounds of crawfish can you eat?

JN: An infinite amount because I never get full on crawfish.  To me, the amount of energy required to open the crawfish is equal to the amount of energy received from the crawfish tail.

NL: Is it the same for raw oysters?

JN: No.  I’ve never tried to Man vs.Food the raw oyster bit. And I’m not shucking the oyster. That’s like busting through concrete for half of a Lucky Charm marshmallow.

NL: So how long does it take you everyday to make sure your beard looks fantastic?

JN: (laughing) I wake up in the morning with it fantastic.

NL: It just grows like that?

JN: I don’t even shave.

NL: And when you get angry, do metal claws come out of your hands as well?

JN: I took a personality test on Facebook, the X-Men one, like who I’m going to be…  Of course I got Wolverine.

"You will probably like something with a 

cucumber and St. Germain 

and then tell me 

'..not too sweet'."


NL: If you were going out with a gay friend of yours, like let’s say Michael Glassberg, would you go to Oz or Bourbon Pub?

JN: Bourbon Pub.  Oz is has trippy lights. Things can happen. That’s weird. Yeah, Bourbon Pub.

NL: You’re at R’evolution right now right?  How’s the vibe there? 

JN: I like the quality of booze that’s behind the bar, and the wine.  I feel like my ability to serve matches the quality of the product as opposed to other places that I’ve worked where I’ve had to screw the guest, or make them think they’re getting a high-end product when they’re getting charged a whole lot of money. In other words, the people that are selecting the stuff I’m selling, well, it’s just top-notch.  And it’s such a stress relief to know that when somebody gets the bill, whether they think it or not, I don’t feel like I’m cheating them.  Every dollar they’re spending, they’re getting more than what they payed for.

NL: What are some of your favorite places to go for a pre/post-work snack?

JN: I would say pre-work is Bourbon House for those bourbon milk punches. I went in to try one just because I had never had one, and I had like 7 in the hour before work.  After work, I like going over to Chart Room, and I’ve woken up with Rally’s cheese fries on my face. I don’t eat a lot before work. I don’t like going into work full. 

NL: Wanna end this with your favorite Chris Hannah-ism?

JN: I don’t know if it’s so much a quote of his or more of a mentality.  But he will be in a group and there will be a hot chick.  He will ask like 3 people, hey, who’s that girl? And he may say nothing else about her, and he definitely won’t talk to her.  --NL

On Lust and Vice

March 5, 2014

Dearest Coffee,

     It has been many months since I have enjoyed your well-worn attitude.  Like a leather chair in an old library, you exude class and wisdom in an effortless comfort afforded only to those who take the time to enjoy it properly. 

     I am ashamed to say that for those many months I have taken comfort in another.  This maiden of the south has taken hold of me in the fiery throes of lust.  Mate' has seduced me, and I, only knowing her in the best light, have fallen victim to her spell.  

     It seems that a particular aversion to saying her name, as well as an undying devotion to the traditions of our great nation, have led me back wholeheartedly into your comforting grace.  Coffee, I once again profess my love for you.  

     Please accept this letter of apology, and know that I mean it from the bottom of my caffeine jostled heart.  I once again long for your luxurious and sultry posture.  So it is with hopeful wish that I once again raise a styrofoam vessel to your name and profess - Coffee, you have taught me life, compassion, and mystery, and I promise that from this day forth I will embody these same values in your honor.

Sincerely,

Hadi Ktiri

I realize this isn't written on a cocktail napkin.  Sue me.

Quote of the week

“Mrs. Reilly called in that accent that occurs south of New Jersey only in New Orleans, that Hoboken near the Gulf of Mexico.” 

-- John Kennedy Toole 

iPhone users, download this parade tracker!

It's often hard to figure what the parades are doing when all you have to go on is heresay. Use this parade tracker from Channel 6 and you will rightly become the Grand Marshall of "Where da parade at?"

First, open the app store and search for "parade tracker"

Click the "Free" button next to "WDSU Parade Tracker" from Channel 6 and download.

Once downloaded, open the app and make sure to click "OK" when it gives you this prompt.

Select the parade you want to track...

And Boom! It gives you the route (blue line), you're location (the blue dot), and once the parade rolls, the parade's position in real time.  

Happy Mardi Gras!!!

JON PETERSON

SEXYBACK

(FEAT. NAPKIN LOCAL, HADI KTIRI, MEAGAN BURKE)

Photo by Frank McMains

Jonathan Peterson

is not what you'd call clean-cut.  He wears his beard like he lives his life -- full, majestic, and at times, a bit prickly.  Now a 1 1/2 year veteran at Bar Tonique, Jon is a fixture in the New Orleans cocktail business.  We sat down with him last week to discuss drinks, fighting, and Nick Jarrett. 

Napkin Local: Shaken or stirred?
Jon Peterson: For me, for the most part, stirred.  The citrus gives me heartburn these days.  Maybe one or two of those (citrus drinks) a night is all I can handle, but I can drink Sazeracs all day long.  
NL: Speaking of shaken, when did you and Sonali first start that piggyback shaking move that you do some late nights at Tonique?
JP:  Oh the Sex Shake? Or as I like to call it, the Kali Quad shake.  I don't remember exactly when we started.  But nights me and Sonali worked were always fun, and sometimes they were a lot more fun than other times.  One night when everyone was having a good time and we had a nice lively sort of party going... she just told me, "I should get on your back and we should shake at the same time." And I was like yeah, of course we should.  
NL: Where were you before Tonique?
JP: I was at Sobou full time - on the opening staff there for the first four months.  And then I had some 1 or 2 day a week side gigs at Perestroika before it was Cane & Table, and the Bridge Lounge.
NL: PBR or Miller High Life?
JP: PBR.  I drank a lot of High Life when I was younger and first started drinking.  I don't have anything against it, and I'll still drink it, but my taste buds changed and PBR is my beer now.
NL: Do you prefer big or small boobs, on a man?
JP: I mean... If a man's gonna have some boobs, I would hope that they're big enough to be worth writing home about.
NL: Where is home?
JP: I was in Baton Rouge for a couple years after I moved back from Brooklyn - I was doing a little layover there - and I worked at Port Royal and our sister bar, The Cove.

"I mean if a man's gonna have some boobs, I would hope that they're big enough to be worth writing home about."

NL: Besides Ann Tuennerman, who do you think has done the most for the New Orleans cocktail industry?

JP: That's kind of a tough question.  I would be inclined to say that Neal Bodenheimer and Kirk Estopinal have done a lot just through opening, you know, now several different establishments.  I know that in my personal interactions with them they were super nice, very forthcoming and they just got a great attitude.  It's sort of the attitude that pervades the New Orleans cocktail scene.  Just that a rising tide brings all the ships up -- or whatever the fuck that saying is.  Basically... they're always willing to help and show people the ropes... they're just some good dudes.
NL: A group walks into the bar at 1:45am and orders 7 Ramos Gin Fizzes.  What is your first thought?
JP: Fuck these people.
NL: And the first words out of your mouth?
JP: At 1:45 in the morning the first words out of my mouth would probably be, whether or not they're true are, we just did last call.
NL: What are your least and most favorite request from customers?
JP: My worst request at Tonique, which is the same at every bar I've ever worked at, which is, "Do you have blue cheese-stuffed olives?"  My favorite... "Can I have a beer and a shot?" 
NL: Speaking of beer and shots, if you had to pick 2 well-known New Orleans bartenders to be your parents who would you choose?
JP: (Amidst laughing) Um, I would have to say Nick Jarrett and Kimberly Patton-Bragg.  I think that would be a very interesting house to live in...
NL:  If they gave you a punishment, what do you think it would be?
JP: I would imagine they would throw a party for all their friends and I would just have to make Ramos Gin Fizzes for like 75 people.
NL: Random question, what dead politician would you want to fight in a hockey brawl?
JP: Andrew Jackson, because that was a bad mother-fucker and that would probably be a pretty good fight.  
NL: What's your favorite Chris Hannah saying?
JP: Shit... I'm not sure I've been around him enough to have an informed opinion on his diverse vernacular.  Probably something incoherent that he might say right before falling down.    --NL