Tonight, it would be Cochon, a short cab ride or a 15 minute walk from my base in the French Quarter on Royal.  Dining solo, I was escorted to a seat at the kitchen bar overlooking the line and the wood burning oven – pure theatre and ample entertainment for the evening as it turned out.

The restaurant features clean lines with wood paneling and subtle lighting offset by an exposed brick wall on the opposite side.  After surveying the crowd, I noticed none other than Peter Buck and some comrades at a nearby table; R.E.M. were supposedly holed up in New Orleans recording their follow up to Accelerate this spring.  A Kentucky Bourbon and soda seemed to be in order and was shortly dispatched to my place setting.

While chatting with the couple to my left I noticed the wood fired oven being stoked and filled with steel platters of oysters; a local specialty, roasted oysters on the half shell are not to be missed.  Later in the week I experienced roasted/broiled oyster nirvana out in Metairie but that will have to wait for a follow up post..

I kicked off this meal with the highly regarded fried Rabbit Livers served on crisp toast with a tingling pepper jelly on the side.  No more than about 5 perfect parcels of joy, these babies delivered on the promise and were as light and fluffy as a She & Him track.

I snacked on a corn biscuit in between courses and continued to marvel at the execution and orderliness of the line in front of me.  The expediter called for countless orders and his crew delivered with precision and passion.

Countless orders of fresh fried pork cracklings made their way to newly arrived tables; bringing smiles to all around.   This IS a feel good place; might have been the bourbon but for a short hour or so it seemed like the early days of the BP disaster were still far offshore.

The night’s special entree arrived in front of me; it seemed like a foregone conclusion that I would have at least one pork product this evening and I opted for the bone in LARGE rib chop with equal parts tenderloin and strip-loin; pretty much a massive Pork Porterhouse.   This chop was sourced from an heirloom ‘free range’ pig of outstanding provenance and delivered a knock out punch in flavor and all around goodness.

Regrettably, I opted out for dessert but vowed to try the Lemon Buttermilk Pie on my next visit.

Five Stars — Not to be missed if you are in New Orleans.  Menu here..

You call yourself a music lover, music consumer or better yet, a true aficionado? Are you in London or planning a trip there sometime soon? Jaded Londoners need not continue reading but those who have not been to Abbey Road and the famous “zebra crossing” should add it to their itinerary.

You see, the famed Abbey Road studios are reportedly up for sale by it’s cash-strapped and over-leveraged owner, EMI records. This old Georgian house in north London ranks up there with Graceland, The Whisky A Go Go, Motown’s old HQ and Memphis’ Sun Studios as ‘hallowed ground’.

The Beatles recorded 95% of their recorded output here, including the classic Abbey Road album which features the band casually crossing the road in front of the studio during a mid afternoon tea break.

Legend has it that the album was set to be titled Everest but the lads couldn’t be bothered to travel to the Himalayas for a photo shoot. The iconic album cover was the first not to feature the name of the album or the name of the band. In hindsight, those 7 or 8 photos taken that day seem quaint given today’s PR machine world of choreographed photo opps and behind the scenes DVD extras.

Let’s not forget that Pink Floyd laid down Dark Side of the Moon here also, which begs the question, why is this place not already a protected heritage site in the UK?

Walking across that street is a surreal experience and is something that every music lover should do. Steps away is Abbey Road Studios and the graffiti festooned walls surrounding the garden out front.

Make your plans now.  Take the tube to St. John’s Wood and walk north about 10 minutes, you’ll be glad you did.

And remember, the love you take is equal to the love you make.

Following a tip from a buddy, I headed to Mamoun’s for one of their legendary Falafel sandwiches.  

It had been a busy and warm morning, I had just finished the East Village Rock & Punk walking tour, an entertaining and illuminating 2 hr. jaunt through the Lower East Side, finally ending at the fabled former site of CBGB’s.  But I digress..

Mamoun’s Falafel

119 MacDougal St
New York, NY 10012
212-674-8685
Open 365 Days A Year
Open 11am – 5am Everyday

Christmas is my favorite time of the year and I can’t think of a better place to spend the holidays than in Petoskey with family and friends.  Come hell or high water I always make it to Petoskey for Christmas; in fact, I’ve only missed one Christmas in northern Michigan and that was 1992 during my year in Los Angeles.

Petoskey has a quintessential “All American Town” feel to it and the town works hard to maintain a high quality environment for its citizens and tourists that flock up north for summer water sports, the fall color season and winter skiing, snowboarding and snowmobiling.

Petoskey’s gaslight district comprises a 4 block area of downtown and is a shopper’s delight with non-chain shops and cafes offering unique products and delicious seasonal cuisine.  Some of the my favorite establishments include Chandler’s, McLean & Eakin Bookstore, American Spoon Foods and their Gelato Cafe, Symon’s General Store, the Circus Shop, Dave’s Boot Shop and Murdick’s Fudge.

Petoskey is situated on Little Traverse  Bay, the second largest bay on Lake Michigan and is in the northern northwest tip of the lower peninsula of Michigan.  Petoskey and the surrounding area are notable for being the setting of several of the Nick Adams stories by Ernest Hemingway, who spent his childhood summers on nearby Walloon Lake.