The Mosswood Meltdown was formerly called Burgerama, until Burger Records had a Me Too moment. Nonetheless, it’s back with the same diverse, punk rock, queer lineup and host John Waters. We usually couldn’t really afford it, but this year was B-52s, Redd Kross, The Mummies and Big Freedia. I was disappointed that they posted the lineup but they didn’t post the schedule until a week before, so my flight was booked. I would have taken Monday off. The park itself is in an iffy neighborhood but we got a nice hotel called Kissell’s Uptown Oakland about a mile away.
I liked their flag, making everyone feel welcome.
The beds were SO comfortable, I could have lounged around in them all day.
Saturday Lauren arranged a swamp tour. I love the swamps; it’s one of my happy places I go to in my mind when I’m experiencing pain or anxiety. We chose this tour because it was super Cajun and they give the best tours. It was a beautiful day.
I had watched a documentary on a cursed swamp about a month before the trip. A voodoo priestess named Julia Brown was upset that the new German settlers were cutting down the Cypress trees, causing the land to erode, making everyone’s property smaller. She is said to have sung songs on her porch, specifically one that said when she died she was taking the whole town with her. During her funeral, a massive hurricane hit and destroyed the town, killing everyone except for three people who made it onto the train trestle. Some people say the swamp is still cursed. They didn’t find all of the bodies, so there are also stories about hauntings.
This is a longer video if you are interested.
I didn’t even realize we were in the cursed Manchec Swamp until I saw this cemetery. This is rumored to be the people who were at Julia Brown’s funeral, so their bodies were found.
This is said to be the grave of Julia Brown, but people say it is just for tourists, and she was buried somewhere in an unmarked grave.
Some people are surprised when I tell them how beautiful swamps are.
They had a baby alligator and some turtles for us to check out. The tape around the gator’s mouth comes on and off easily and doesn’t hurt him. Turtles are Bob’s spirit animal.
I got kind of obsessed with this gator, and I was leaning out of the boat taking pictures. It was making Bob nervous, and he kept telling me to stop. Finally the tour guide snapped at me to get back in the boat. That made me lean back in really fast. I didn’t know there was a crab trap hanging next to me where I was sitting in the corner of the boat. When I jumped back, I hit the trap and it swung around and hit me in the back. I thought the alligator had jumped on me!
More gators
Ed took a video of people feeding marshmallows to the alligators.
Russell called us from Bayona on Friday and invited us to lunch. We rushed over and made ourselves comfortable in the elegant dining room. Chef Susan Spicer’s cooking is influenced by international flavors from Spain, Italy, France, the Mediterranean, and India. I’m trying to remember what everyone ate. Grilled beef tenderloin, either chicken or duck, and I had a quail salad.
Doreen Ketchens plays clarinet in front of Rouse’s in the afternoons. We were hoping to catch her during this visit. I had forgotten Russell used to play the clarinet himself, so it was perfect. I checked the time, and she was playing right at that moment, so we walked a few blocks down to Royal. When we first walked up, Russell commented, “I’ve never heard a tuba solo before.”
I realized I hadn’t either, and pointed out that he was Doreen’s husband.
Doreen Ketchens has been called Lady Louie, Miss Satchmo and The Female Louis Armstrong. She combines classical and jazz to make her own sound.
I love these people. Mike and Lauren, Ed and Anne, and cousin Maureen.
We were pleased to discover that not only had Dat Dog reserved a part of the balcony for us, but an entire upstairs room with a dedicated bartender and a server who would come up and take orders!
I was especially pleased to see Anne, my best friend since just after high school, because we are always there for each other when a family member dies. We help with the funeral and offer support. Also, my favorite cousin Maureen. My other cousins, Patti and Paul were there, but I had asked that their guests not come to the vow renewal part of the celebration since I didn’t know if I would just cry the whole time or what would happen. I needed my closest friends, and they were there, my bridesmaid Lyssa, and Mike and Lauren Guerena, who make everything fun. It was a fun environment in general. Of course, Russell and Monette were with me all day.
Of course, I wasn’t in a state to be photographing food. There were so many trippy hotdogs. Cod, vegan bangers, alligator, Guinness, etc. Ed and I split a really good chili dog. Bob and I split this one, but it was spicy:
Of course, everyone said that Greg would never want to get in the way of a party, and it was even suggested that he chose that morning so he could attend in spirit. I only had to hide around the corner and cry once.
My Canadian cousins, Paul and Lyssa and her husband
Instead of a traditional veil, I had my friend Monique, who makes tiki headdresses, make me a special white headdress. One of the feathers got lost in transit, but it gave it a bit more of a flair to not be perfectly even. As is her wont, Lyssa was right there in the bathroom with me pinning and clipping on the headdress. I told her I was going to rent her out as a maid of honor and she was like noooooooo, I’ve done my last wedding! (Photo by Mike)
Maybe it was the shock, but I was able to let go and have a beautiful and fun ceremony. Maybe it’s because I love Bob so much, and he had really thought about his vows.
As happy as we all are, I’m holding onto Anne for support.
I had made second line umbrellas, although we had the ceremony too early for the brass bands. But they were nice for decor.
We ordered cupcakes from Bywater Bakery, which were amaaazing! I bought 3 dozen, thinking it would be enough to give the restaurant staff, but we really went to town. The Berry Chantilly were the best!
Berry Chantilly
White almond cake, filled with mascarpone chantilly icing, layered with seasonal berries
Lemon Chantilly
Yellow butter cake soaked in lemon simple syrup, filled with whipped lemon chantilly cream and topped with fresh fruit
Coconut Cream
White almond cake soaked in coconut milk, covered in coconut cream.
Chocolate Doberge
Yellow butter cake filled with a chocolate custard, thinly iced in buttercream and finished with poured chocolate ganache.
After the ceremony, (which only cost $250!!! Plus we tipped $50. Would 10/10 recommend a hot dog wedding), we wandered Frenchman Street, shopping outdoor markets, looking at art and listening to bands on the street and in the bars. Don’t forget to tip the musicians! We met up with my cousins’ friends, and I even drank an ice-cold Abita Amber. Great fun!
Galatoire’s is one of my favorite restaurants in New Orleans. It’s very fancy, so it wasn’t the kind of place I would cry in. In spite of barely drinking for years, as soon as I sat down, I ordered a Milk Punch.
Since it was so crowded, without even looking at the menu, I also ordered the Grand Goute for us to share. It is a trio of cold appetizers that usually comes with shrimp, but there was some problem bringing the shrimp in off the boats while we were there, so they substituted a fried oyster brochette, crawfish remoulade and crawfish with a mustardy sauce. When Russell gestured to the plate and said, “This was a good idea,” I felt strangely validated. He and Greg had taught me almost everything I know about fine dining, and Russell is a world-class orderer who always gets the exact right amount of food for the table, never too much, never too little.
But this was a weird meal, and Russell started ordering bottles of wine. I can’t even imagine how much they must have cost. As I always have to, I explained again that I don’t like wine. When pressed, I will admit that I only like champagne. I didn’t mean for him to order a bottle of champagne.
Monette must not have been very hungry because she just ordered turtle soup…a local specialty.
Bob and Russell both ordered fish – drum?
I was pleased that we were outside California so I could order my favorite splurge…seared foie gras. And for anyone who has a problem, I’ll say this, “I’d rather be a foie gras goose than a Foster Farms chicken any day.” I also ordered Eggs Sardou, because you just have to. It is an egg with hollandaise over an artichoke heart and spinach.
When we left, I couldn’t finish the champagne in my glass, and neither could Bob. He wasn’t a jerk about it, but Russell totally lost his mind. But we are on medications we aren’t supposed to drink with and had already pushed it. In retrospect, I should have finished the champagne. For Russell. While we were there, a second line band came in. I stood up and started twirling my napkin. There was such a sense of bonhomie, I realized that’s what I needed. Music and people. I said, “Let’s do the wedding.”
My eldest brother Greg and I always had a special relationship; maybe because He was the oldest and I was the youngest. He taught me a lot about the world, proper manners in different Asian restaurants, how to not “bruise” champagne and a lot of Toastmaster stuff. he was smart and funny and generous if a little intense at times. He stuck by me when no one else did.
He had been suffering from Hydrocephalus for a long time before getting diagnosed, then spent the last 5 years of his life in nursing homes. I had medical POA and sat up with him in the hospital during surgeries, celebrated even minor holidays with him and was basically his emotional support animal. The week before this trip to New Orleans he was in the hospital on a breathing machine with pneumonia and the doctors didn’t expect him to make it. They took him off the ventilator and he was fine. I saw him Saturday in the hospital and he was looking good and talking and everything.
I visited him Monday before leaving Tuesday for New Orleans. I was shocked at how quickly he had deteriorated but we had a wedding renewal planned and I could see him when I came back and show him the pictures.
Thursday morning, the day of the ceremony scheduled for 5, my other brother Russell showed up unannounced at my hotel, which was very out of character for him. He and Bob went off to have a private conversation, which was also weird. All Russell had to say was “The nursing home called…” and he choked up and I started crying. I moved from the bar to a couch so people wouldn’t see me crying, then up to my room.
What were we going to do? We had invited 16 people to travel down to New Orleans with us, but I was broken. Finally, I said, “Well, we have to eat…there’s a place across the street…”
Russell said, “If we’re going to eat, we are going to Galatoire’s” so I washed my face and we walked the block over…
Frank and Barbara Chifici founded Deanie’s Seafood Market and Restaurant, which is now run by their kids. The family included farmers, cooks, and purveyors. They have three different locations, but our hotel was right across the street from the French Quarter location. We tried to go there on the first night, but there was a 40-minute wait. You would think that they were Irish, not Sicilian, because you are greeted with a bowl of potatoes. I was excited for their stuffed crab, one of my favorite ad hoc sandwich fillings.
Our timing was good because it was Happy Hour and apps were half off. Luckily my cousin Maureen joined us, because there was A LOT of food. Deep-fried artichokes were addictive.
We started by ordering crab dip, though in this photo you can see we left it standing since I knew it would stay hot the longest.
Also, bacon-wrapped shrimp, though it was a bit salty for me.
I went back another night for a solo steak dinner when Bob didn’t want to go out. It may be strange to order steak at a seafood restaurant, but I had eaten SO MUCH seafood by that time.
Wednesday morning we ordered room service, which was OK, but just OK in a food city like New Orleans. We met up with Anne, who has been my best friend since our teen years, and her husband Ed, who I’ve known almost as long. We decided to check out the Aquarium of the Americas, now called the Audubon Aquarium.
They used to have a lot of different sharks, but Katrina wiped out a lot of them. They still have the amazing albino alligator and lots of other good stuff.
They still have the big aviary but no bald eagle anymore.
Jellyfish!
And a big aquarium with a walk-thru tunnel. You can also pay extra to snorkel in it.
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/gjOTTnabi-4
We walked along the Mississippi and listened to the crazy calliope music from the paddleboat. It runs on steam so it’s hard to control the tuning and it drives locals along the water crazy.
We walked along Decatur to eat at Coop’s. Here are some sights along the way. But I forgot they close on Wednesday so we ate at a bland cafe in the French Market.
Tuesday night Bob and I headed out to Iberville to hit Acme, and immediately everything reminds me of Pirates of the Caribbean.
Acme and Felix’s face each other and are both Oyster joints with creole food. There is a Pat vs. Mike’s level rivalry. I used to like Felix’s because they had an amazing stuffed crab po’boy. When we were looking for a place to get married, we made a reservation to see the upstairs balcony. When the woman found out why we were there she was furious with us, like we were taking up her time, and I mean, we had made a reservation. So, we sat down to eat instead, and I found out they didn’t have the po’boy anymore, so I ordered plain ole stuffed crab. Well, that lady wouldn’t let me have any bread with my meal because she knew I wanted a sandwich! And no way was I going to get what I wanted on her watch. Now, that’s in the past, but this time around we stopped in for a snack and I ordered a shrimp cocktail. It arrived HOT. HOT and SALTY. And with raggedy edges. So, no more Felix’s for us. It’s Acme all the way, except for their fish which is swai instead of catfish.
You can run into a second line just about anywhere in the French Quarter, and it doesn’t have to be a wedding or a funeral. We passed this one on the way to dinner at Acme, only a block away. We had a seat at the darkened bar since there is always a long line for tables.
Which is fine, because then you can watch them shuck oysters and enjoy a little patter.
I ordered Boo Fries, fries with a little debris – the drippings from roast beef. I don’t know if they invented them, as I have seen them other places but I like the name Boo Fries, so that is what I always call them.
We also split a fantastic shrimp po’boy
and some char-grilled oysters, topped with Parmesan cheese, grilled, and set on fire – maybe with Herbsaint? A perfect welcome to The Big Easy.
It has been 20 years since we got married in New Orleans. We are back for a vow renewal. Galatoires has purchased the balcony where we got married and wanted over 4k for an event. So, we are holding the ceremony at Dat Dog which has a gorgeous balcony and is letting us do it for the price of hot dogs! (Photo from their website)
We arrived Tuesday night and checked into Hyatt Centric, It’s the same place we stayed at during our wedding when it was called Chateau Sonesta, The whole place has had a fancy makeover, and our room is big and clean.
Service is awesome. I asked for a quiet room. They asked me if I wanted to be facing Bourbon Street or the pool. I said I didn’t want to be facin NUTHIN. And they delivered. We were facing a private lobby that only two rooms use. The quietest hotel room of my life.
The hotel used to be the D.H. Holmes Department store, where Ignatius J. Reilly’s mother is shopping while the protagonist of the story waits out front, and ends up causing a ruckus as The Confederacy of Dunces opens:
Outside the D. H. Holmes department store on Canal Street in New Orleans, Ignatius J. Reilly stands amid the crowds beneath the clocktower, eating chips and surveying the outfits of the people around him. He sees that many of the people wear expensive or fashionable clothes and takes this as a sign of their moral and spiritual bankruptcy. He himself is dressed comfortably—in a flannel jacket, baggy pants, and large hunting cap with ear flaps—and regards this as the ideal outfit for a sensible and intellectual person.
The lobby and bar were nice.
The carpets were oysters. The bellperson said very few people notice that. There is a Redfish attached to the hotel, but you couldn’t call down and order and come pick it up. You had to go down to the restaurant to order and wait for your food, which was annoying when you are all cozy in bed so we didn;t eat there.
There were also very trippy pictures across from the elevators.
My only problem with Acme in New Orleans is that they stopped serving catfish and started serving swai instead, as have many spots around New Orleans (In LA they often use it for fish and chips). You will notice on some menus around town they just say “fried fish” now, because it’s swai. Sorry to do this to you when you are looking for an appetizing food blog, but I have a thing about swai.
I have posted a separate article about Acme but I wanted to talk about this fish. Here is some info from Healthline.
Swai [that are raised on freshwater farms in Viet Nam] don’t have particularly healthy diets. They’re typically fed rice bran, soy, canola and fish by-products. The soy and canola products are commonly genetically modified, which is a controversial practice.
The effect of swai fish farms on the ecosystem is a major concern. The Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch program lists swai as a fish that should be avoided, as some swai fish farms generate waste products that are illegally dumped into rivers. The improper disposal of wastewater is especially concerning because swai fish farms use a lot of chemical agents, including disinfectants, anti-parasitic drugs and antibiotics. [Some] research has shown mercury levels in swai that are above the World Health Organization’s recommended limit in 50% of the samples tested.
When swai and other fish are grown on crowded fish farms, the risk of infectious diseases in the fish increases. In one study, 70–80% of swai samples exported to Poland, Germany and Ukraine were contaminated with Vibrio bacteria, a microbe commonly involved in shellfish food poisoning in people. Some of the same antibiotics [given to the fish] are also used to treat human infections. If they’re overused and the bacteria become resistant to them, it could leave people without effective treatments for certain diseases. Seriously, find out exactly what fish you are eating.
There is a really cool underground museum in Copenhagen called Cisternerneme. This year’s exhibition is especially designed for the damp, stone cave atmosphere. South Korean artist Kimsooja uses diffraction grating on clear panels and lighting to surround the viewer with prismatic images that reflect on the surface of the water, creating a 3-dimensional world. Photos don’t do it justice. It’s very much an immersive experience.
We were looking for lunch before hitting the underground museum and let the taxi driver suggest one of two touristy spots next to each other. It reminded me of a place for Oktoberfest, and indeed, they are called “gardens.” It’s all about red checkered tablecloths, picnic tables and flags.
“M.G. Petersen’s old family garden was started in 1858. The first licensee was the castle watchman at Frederiksberg Palace, Mads G. Petersen, who as a supplement to the pension received royal permission “to treat visitors to the palace gardens with boiling water, milk and cream, and in connection with this to serve coffee and sell bread portions.” Later, beer was allowed to be sold, but the military authorities point out “that beer may only be sold in bottles and not in bastions”.
Stegt flæsk (Danish: [ˈstekt ˈflesk]) is pork belly, the “national dish of Denmark,” although a cabbie told us they just took a random vote; there is no tradition behind it. We ordered it anyways, along with an open-faced shrimp sandwich. The sandwich wasn’t as impressive as at G.L. Torv, but it was good nonetheless.
“Stegt means ‘fried’ and flæsk means ‘strips of pork belly’. It is lightly salted but not smoked. Stegt flæsk is translated as “bacon with parsley sauce” The main difference between bacon and flæsk is that flæsk is never sold smoked, and often not salted either. By contrast, anything marketed as ‘bacon’ in Denmark invariably will be both smoked and salted.”
We were served an enormous platter piled high with a chicharrónes-style pork belly and potatoes. The pork belly was delicious, but a little fried pork goes a long way, and I think this dish should be split between four people, not two.
”With live music many weekdays and all weekends, dance floor for the dance-loving and playground for the youngest, M.G. Petersen’s Family Garden is a place for the whole family and ideal for fun and parties of all kinds; Birthday, christening, confirmation, summer party, company picnic – Easter, Pentecost, St. His and much more.”
“For 5 generations, the Petersen family ran Haven, and it is worth noting that in all the years it was the girls in the family who had the license. In 1977, the Gardens were sold to the Sørensen family, who were licensees for 27 years. In 2005, the garden passed to Dan Holst, after which Joachim Hansen bought the garden in 2007.”
The burger bar of the city “Sporvejen” is a cute little diner opened in 1975. Two old city trams were disassembled and used to fashion the charming interior. But it was a gorgeous night when I visited, so the inside was empty and the patio was crammed. There were a lot of college-aged groups having a fun time. It was a great, comfy place with friendly service that made me feel at home in an unfamiliar city.
There is a certain element to “American”-style places that means “gigantic.” Kind of like we see Texas. I ordered a Diet Coke and my server asked what size. I said, “The biggest size.” Because in Europe you get tiny cups and keep having to ask for refills. He kept asking me, “Are you sure you want the BIG one?” After convincing him that was what I wanted, I saw the reason for the questions. A group next to me asked if they could take a picture. Don’t order beer in a boot unless you know what you’re doing.
Besides enormous sodas they serve draft beer, café latte and a cocoa-type rum drink called a Lumumba. There was a wide variety of burgers. Some were obvious, like “guacamole burger” and some less so, like Karryburger. My server explained them all and I settled on a curry burger. I wanted to try something different and he assured me it wasn’t too strong. He was right and it was one of the best damn burgers I’ve ever had, thick and juicy, and impossible to finish. The fries were thick steak fries and served hot.
We were very close to a place I had picked out for smorresbrod. I usually make a map of all the recommended restaurants and interesting places, then kind of wander without a strict schedule. If we get peckish I look at my map and there is usually a place nearby. Today it was the Cafe GL. Torv. The building, which houses the cafe, was built on top of an old moat – with beer bottling and food servicr since 1671.
It was some of the best food I have ever eaten. I expected it to just be herring, herring, herring, but there was a dazzling array of open-faced sandwiches. I don’t drink much these days, but I noticed a drink being served at another table with a very long story, and I am a sucker for a good story.
So, a barrel of this aquavit was forgotten on its trip to India, and returned to Denmark. It turned out that the longer maturing time and the rolling seas of the trip had made a smoother, more rounded spirit. Today they distill the aquavit with special herbs and spices like caraway and star anise, then pour it into sherry casks and send it on a long ocean journey across the equator and back.
So how was it? Well, to me, all this stuff tastes like rubbing alcohol. So, it was a smoother, more rounded rubbing alcohol with notes of caraway and star anise.
It was a smorresbrod restaurant, and they recommended two per person, which was way too much. The Green “pliace was possibly the best sandwich, Pliace is a fish, but this was battered and fried Jerusalem artichoke, like a vegan fish and chips. It was amaaazing!
We also ordered a roasted beef, which was cooked to just the right level of pinkness and topped with vegetables, fried onions and edible flowers. Delicious!
Pork roast with mushrooms
And basically a Danish avocado toast with super ripe avocado, smoked and fried onions, aioli and egg.
The most traditional of the sandwiches was shrimp and dill. We were stuffed! I wanted to return later in the trip but didn’t get a chance.
The Mosswood Meltdown was formerly called Burgerama, until Burger Records had a Me Too moment. Nonetheless, it’s back with the same diverse, punk rock, queer lineup and host John Waters. We usually couldn’t really afford it, but this year was B-52s, Redd Kross, The Mummies and Big Freedia. I was disappointed that they posted the lineup but they didn’t post the schedule until a week before, so my flight was booked. I would have taken Monday off. The park itself is in an iffy neighborhood but we got a nice hotel called Kissell’s Uptown Oakland about a mile away.
