Rejiggering Blue Dog Café, George Rodrigue, Approachable Annie Café & Bar

Blue Dog's Burger Special on Burger Night

"...Reading between the lines, Blue Dog is placing bets on a younger hipper crowd..." (Virginia Billeaud Anderson highlights changes at Blue Dog Café where specialty cocktails, imported beer and live music will appeal to a younger hipper crowd. George Rodrigue's art remains. Similar changes made Annie Café and Bar in Houston more "approachable.")

Sharon Kopriva: No Small Thing - Hilliard University Museum - Damn, I Missed the Dinner

     Sharon Kopriva, Breaking Bonds, 2019, 5 Panel Piece, 

          graphite and collage on paper, 80 x 113 inches

"...My Mom’s back was hurting from having to stand in the gallery, and she was becoming impatient for her martini, so I decided to decline Sharon Kopriva’s invitation to a dinner..."

Sharon Kopriva, Hilliard University Art Museum, To Hell with Time and Space

Sharon Kopriva, The Cardinal, 1994, Papier Mache and
Mixed Media, 50 x 48 x 48 inches

"...I’ll bet you an expensive bottle of booze, Sharon did exactly that when she floated through walls.."

Avesta Persian Grill's Pomegranate and Walnut Stew, Cyrus the Great, and Tajikistan

Avesta Persian Grill's wall mural with images of relief
carvings from the citadel of Persepolis

"Assyria, Greece, Mesopotamia, Babylonia, Central Asia, parts of India, Cyrus hoped, would roll over, or spread their legs in exchange for favorable terms as tribute-paying satrapies and vassals." (Virginia Billeaud Anderson - BoudinandBourbon.com visits Avesta Persian Grill to taste the pomegranate and walnut stew called Fesenjān, a dish that dates back two and a half thousand years and was prepared in the Persian Empire's royal kitchens at Persepolis.)

Spending Time on the Patio at Hugos Restaurant, James Beard and Giotto

Chuleta de Puerco, double-cut pork chop with
winter squash-chapulin butter crust and roasted vegetables

"...wanted good marijuana from Oaxaca. Back then we called that coveted weed Oaxacan Gold. Now I’m an old broad who gets giddy over Oaxacan mole sauce.." (BoudinandBourbon.com writes about having food and booze on the patio at Hugos Restaurant, with some culinary history.) 

I Love Console Tables, Marie of France, King of Poland, Jayne Wrightsman and Italy

Chatsworth: The Attic Sale October 2010, Italian carved giltwood
console table, made in Rome, mid 18th century, Sotheby’s Auction

"Why, you might ask, do I give a damn about a frou-frou gilded, curly-leg, marble-top table, the sole purpose of which, is to be displayed against the walls of grand rooms..." (Fun historical background to a console table sold by Christies's Auction. It had been owned by Stanislaw, King of Poland, father of Queen Marie, who was Louis XV's wife.) 

Interviewed Mark Morales of Shutter Source Houston about Custom Made Shutters

Custom made bedroom shutters manufactured and 

installed by Mark Morales - Shutter Source Houston

"...Caesar would have looked through shutters to scrutinize torch lights below, while augurs read a sheep's liver for indications of trouble..." (BoudinandBourbon.com - Virginia Billeaud Anderson interviews Mark Morales about his custom made shutters. Article includes fun history of shutters used by ancient Persians, Greeks and Romans.)

Long Live Irma Thomas

Irma Thomas 2019 The Advocate.com
Photo by Sophia Germer

"...There can’t be a more poignant statement of loss than Irma's 'Wish Someone Would Care'... (Virginia Billeaud Anderson - BoudinandBourbon.com pays tribute to Soul Queen of New Orleans Irma Thomas with a few words about her life and music.)

Dr. John’s Second Line Jazz Funeral - New Orleans - A Closer Look

"Dr. John’s second line funeral ... with horse-drawn hearse to carry the coffin, jazz musicians, enormous New Orleans crowd.." (Image: by Brett Duke NOLA.com/The Times Picayune (Virginia Billeaud Anderson - BoudinandBourbon.com writes a few words of tribute to Dr. John.)

Slobbering Cow: Questions for Amita Bhatt - Interview

Amita Bhatt, “No Straight Answers,” 48 x
48 inches, Oil on Canvas, 2015

"...you take partial inspiration from the Greek maenads, drunk frenzied bitches who’ll tear you to shreds..."

My Visit to Rays Real Pit Bar-B-Q Shack in Houston - A Closer Look

Rays Real Pit Bar B-Q Sample Mix of Brisket, Ribs, Sausage

"The first thing I did was walk to the back of the building, to try to snoop around. I wanted to see the pit.." (Virginia Billeaud Anderson - BoudinandBourbon.com visits Rays Real Pit Bar-B-Q Shack in Houston, owned by Herb Taylor, Ray Busch and Maxine Davis. Learn about the food, River Falls, Rays House Rub and some Bar-B-Q History.)

Notes on Irises, Van Gogh, Walter Annenberg, Louisiana Politics - Essay

Pam Zuschlag, "Irises," Photograph taken la Louvre
Garden, Bonnieux, Provence, facebook 5-13-19

"...In 1987 Annenberg had a hankering to own van Gogh’s Irises (1889)..." (Virginia Billeaud Anderson - BoudinandBourbon.com tells readers about Van Gogh's irises, Walter Annenberg's  painting of irises, and how the iris became the official Louisiana state wildflower.)

A Few Thoughts about van Gogh - Vincent van Gogh: His Life in Art - Museum of Fine Arts, Houston - Essay

Vincent van Gogh, Roses and Peonies June 1886, Oil on
canvas, 23 ½ × 28 ½ inches (59.8 x 72.5 cm), Kröller-Müller
Museum, Otterlo, The Netherlands.

"How sad to think he never knew he blasted through the art market stratosphere, never knew Christie’s auction attendees yelled like drunk hockey fans..."

Shrimp and Grits at Beaux Coo Daiquiris and Cajun Eats - One Year Anniversary

Beaux Coo's Sangria Daiquiri

"My Shrimp and Grits story reaches back to 1974, when as a college student in south Louisiana..."

Breathtaking Jewels, Elizabeth Taylor, Wallace Simpson, Christie’s Auction - A Closer Look

Sapphire and Diamond Ring, The octagonal step-cut sapphire is
 50.55 carats, surrounded with baguette-cut diamonds.

"...the sight of Wallis' 206-carat sapphire pendant would have sent me straight to the bar..." (Boudinandbourbon.com shows readers a few of the jewels Christie's will auction in New York, with mention of special jewels owned by Wallace Simpson and Elizabeth Taylor.)

Hôtel Lauzun, Hôtel Lambert on Île Saint-Louis - Charles Baudelaire, Alexis de Redè - A Closer Look

Hôtel Lambert when Guy and Marie-Hélène de
Rothschild Resided from Alidad Instagram

"Who wouldn’t want to know about the characters who commissioned and designed the structures, or inhabited them, who ate, drank, did drugs, wrote..." (BoudinandBourbon.com discusses two Île Saint-Louis townhouses, Hôtel Lambert and Hôtel de Lauzun, their history, architects, interiors, owners, artistic and literary occupants.)

St. Patrick’s Day Devilry - A Closer Look at “da Channel” Irish Channel New Orleans

Halfway to St. Patricks Day March

"In honor of the Saint, I’m hell-bent on Jameson Irish whiskey.  That’s the drink for me..."

Krewe of Rex - Hail Rex - St. Charles Avenue New Orleans Mardi Gras - Essay

Photograph Rex Ball Sheraton Hotel, year unknown,
photo by Mike Posey. Image from Krewe of Rex website.

"It wouldn’t do for King Rex to toast at some inelegant venue..."

Epicure Café's European Pastries - Habsburg Vienna - Persian Empire - Essay

                           Epicure Café’s Tiramisu Cake

"I’ve been going to Epicure Café ever since it opened in 1990, occasionally for lunch, but much more frequently for wine..."

(Virginia Billeaud Anderson - BoudinandBourbon.com tells readers about Epicure Cafe's  European style pastries. She discusses their Sacher Torte which originated in Vienna during the Habsburg Empire, Persian Empire culinary antecedents, and other fun history.)

Sotheby’s On-line Sale Offers Lower Priced Old Masters

"Messy restoration aside, it’s gorgeous..."

La Grange Bar - Fresh Pineapple, Memories of Whorehouses - Essay

La Grange Bar Watermelon Fresca

"...Zindler helped to put the Chicken Ranch whorehouse on the outskirts of La Grange Texas out of business."

Billeauds No. 3 - Grilled Bar-B-Q Meats and the New Orleans Saints

"...Beef Brisket, good booze and record-holding quarterback Drew Brees..."

My Tour of Menil Drawing Institute - An Unguarded Picasso - Where is Edouard Kopp - Essay

Image: Pablo Picasso, Spanish, 1881 – 1973, Portrait of André Salmon,
1907, Charcoal on paper, 24 ¾ × 18 ¾ in. (62.9 × 47.6 cm),
Work on paper (Drawing), V 9100. (Courtesy of the Menil Collection)

"It was a surprise to come upon a gazillion-dollar Picasso drawing propped up on..."

Fine Jewels Offered by Houston Jewelers - Beautiful and Different

Diamond and Sapphire Ring. Nazar's and Co. 
Jewelry. www.nazarsandco.com

Fine Jewels Offered by Houston Jewelers - Beautiful and Different

My infatuation with fine jewels is somewhat similar to my deep interest in French châteaux or Italian Palazzi. The fact that I’m unable to buy them in no way diminishes my desire to closely inspect, and in most cases, try to learn about their design and materials. In my opinion it's incredibly exciting to come across exquisitely crafted, achingly beautiful jewels. Hitching my love of jewelry design to the Santa season, I decided it would be fun to create a post showing readers memorable jewels being sold by establishments located in Houston. The ones I chose are gorgeous, I believe, yet different. 

Diamond and Cultured Pearl Necklace. Tenenbaum 
Jewelry. www.tenenbaumjewelers.com

Victor Velyan 18K yellow Gold and white Gold ring
 with black opal and Diamonds. Lewis Jewelers. www.lewisusa.com

Etho Maria Sharp collection 18K yellow Gold
 and Green Sapphire Drop Earrings. Saks Fifth Avenue
Houston, The Galleria. www.saksfifthavenue.com

Sutra 18K White Gold bracelet with pave set
round brilliant diamonds. Zadok Jewelers. www.zadok.com

TIFFANY AND COMPANY SCHLUMBERGER® Fish Clip
Brooch with rubies, emeralds and sapphires set in
18K gold. Tiffany, The Galleria. www.tiffany.com

(Selected Articles on BOUDINANDBOURBON.COM)

Consciousness Screwing with Us: Rice University’s 2023 Archives of the Impossible Conference

https://www.boudinandbourbon.com/2023/05/consciousness-screwing-with-us-rice.html

Garland Fielder Weighs In on Architectural Design and the Creative Process

https://www.boudinandbourbon.com/2022/08/garland-fielder-weighs-in-on.html

A Talk with Angie Dumas About Her Blog "Da'Stylish Foodie" - Interview

https://www.boudinandbourbon.com/2022/02/a-talk-with-angie-dumas-about-her-blog.html

Eating Garlic Beef at Mai's Vietnamese Restaurant - Mai's Immigrant Story

https://www.boudinandbourbon.com/2022/01/eating-garlic-beef-at-mais-vietnamese.html

Discovering S.P.Q.R. and Miraculous Oil at the Church of Santa Maria in Trastevere

https://www.boudinandbourbon.com/2022/01/discovering-spqr-and-miraculous-oil-at.html

Visiting Azienda Agricola Casamonti in the Chianti Classico - Wine and Cinta Senese Pigs

https://www.boudinandbourbon.com/2022/01/visiting-azienda-agricola-casamonti-in.html

My Visit to Houston Farmers Market

https://www.boudinandbourbon.com/2021/09/my-visit-to-houston-farmers-market-on.html

Visiting ShyKatz Cafe on Galveston Island, Historical Architecture

https://www.boudinandbourbon.com/2021/07/shykatz-cafe-on-galveston-island.html

Eating Oysters at Topwater Grill in San Leon at Galveston Bay

https://www.boudinandbourbon.com/2021/04/topwater-grill-at-galveston-bay-in-san.html

A Tribute to Legendary Wildcatter Jim Bob Moffett

https//wwwboudinandbourbon.com/2021/03/a-tribute-to-jim-bob-moffett-edgy.html

A Talk with Food Guru George Graham about Acadianatable.com - Graham’s New Cookbook “Fresh From Louisiana: The Soul of Cajun and Creole Home Cooking” - Interview

https://www.boudinandbourbon.com/2020/12/a-talk-with-food-guru-george-graham.html

Ryan Baptiste - The Light Beyond The Blight - Redbud Gallery - Echoes of New Orleans

https://www.boudinandbourbon.com/2020/06/ryan-baptiste-light-beyond-blight.html

Billeaud's Too, Calvin Trillin, and Jacking with Cajun Boudin
https://www.boudinandbourbon.com/2020/04/billeauds-too-calvin-trillin-and.html

Martha Stewart Visits Lucullus Antiques - Patrick Dunne - New Orleans

https://www.boudinandbourbon.com/2019/11/martha-stewart-visits-lucullus-antiques.html

Jimmy Domengeaux Chats about His Louisiana Wetlands Photography Exhibition – Interview

https://www.boudinandbourbon.com/2019/10/jimmy-domengeaux-chats-about-his.html

Avesta Persian Grill's Pomegranate Walnut Stew, Cyrus the Great, Tajikistan

https://www.boudinandbourbon.com/2019/08/blog-post_14.html

A Closer Look - Beef Empanadas with Olives - Seco’s Latin Cuisine - Essay

https://www.boudinandbourbon.com/2018/07/beef-empanadas-with-olives-secos-latin.html

Giacomo Restaurant's Foradori, Rotaliano, Trentino 2015" - Red wine produced by Elisabetta Foradori in Trentino Italy - A Closer Look

https://www.boudinandbourbon.com/2018/06/giacomo-restaurants-teroldego-foradori.html

A Few Words About "Tudors to Windsors: British Royal Portraits from Holbein to Warhol" from the Natural Portrait Gallery, London" at MFAH

Hans Holbein the Younger, Portrait of Henry VIII,
1540, oil on wood, Palazzo Barberini, Rome

"..One easily imagines Henry glittering in the torch light at Whitehall Palace..." (I was invited to preview the exhibition “Tudors to Windsors: British Royal Portraits from Holbein to Warhol,” from the National Portrait Gallery, London, at Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. Here is fun background to some of the show's portraits.)

Meeting Carolyne - Carolyne Roehm 's New Book Carolyne Roehm Design and Style - A Constant Thread

Carolyne Roehm Design and Style: A Constant Thread

"...posh hotels and restaurants in the area inflated costs. Geezers recall when that part of downtown was an armpit..." (This post tells blog readers about meeting Carolyne Roehm, about her newest book Carolyne Roehm Design and Style: A Constant Thread, and about how she inspired me.)

Interviewing Sergio Vazquez about Wine Selection at Sorrento Restaurant - Brunello di Montalcino

Sangiovese grapes in Montalcino region are used for Brunello di Montalcino

"...it's quite common for customers to want to see vintage years, and he is happy to accommodate them" (Sergio Vazquez Sorrento Restaurant) Virginia Billeaud Anderson - BoudinandBourbon.com interviews Sergio Vazquez about wine selection at Sorrento Restaurant after choosing the Brunello di Montalcino.)

My Visit to Irene’s New Location - New Orleans French Quarter

Bar at Irene's - 529 Bienville - New Orleans

"...The moment I saw the “new” Irene’s brick walkway, the instant I stepped inside and saw the wooden wine barrels, I knew it was dumb to worry... (Virginia Billeaud Anderson - BoudinandBourbon.com writes about Irene's move to its new location at 529 Bienville in New Orleans. Includes fun history of southern Sicily.)

Fernando Casas - Interior with Disappearing Mirror - After Velázquez - A Closer Look - Essay

Fernando Casas, Interior with Disappearing Mirror - After Velázquez 

Fernando Casas said "At the moment I am working on a painting I wanted to paint for over 40 years..."  (Virginia Billeaud Anderson writes an essay about Fernando Casas' painting Interior with Disappearing Mirror - After Velázquez, which Casas considers a cornerstone of his career.)

A Closer Look - Christy Karll’s Painting “Swerve” - Interview

Christy Karll, Swerve, 2018, Oil on archive paper,
17 x 16 1/4 inches (framed), from Barbara Davis gallery

“...You bitch,” I replied.  Surrounded by inspiring architecture.  I on the other hand was in Houston..."

Beef Empanadas with Olives - Seco’s Latin Cuisine - A Closer Look - Essay

Seco’s Latin Cuisine - Parrilla Seco with Margarita and Malbec

"...green olives that juice-up Seco’s beef empanadas yanked my mind back to the time I was lost in an olive grove in Spain.."

Giacomo Restaurant’s Teroldego, Foradori, Rotaliano, Trentino 2015 - A Closer Look - Essay

Teroldego, Foradori, Rotaliano, Trentino, 2015

Jose, the waiter at Giacomo, listened politely while I reminisced about “the old days.”

Michelangelo and Pope Paul III Background Story - Michelangelo and the Vatican Museo e Real Bosco di Capodimonte, Naples - Essay

Tiziano Vecello, called Titian, Portrait of Pope Paul III, 
1543, oil on canvas, Museo e Real Bosco di Capodimonte,
Naples. Courtesy of MFA,H.

"...his unwavering belief that Michelangelo was as much saint as genius, 'infused with divine grace,' can be tiresome..."

T-Coon’s Restaurant - Savage Breakfast - A Closer Look

T-Coon's Restaurant (Southern Breakfast) Eggs, Sausage, Biscuit and Grits

"..the reason lawyers and farmers and kids and tourists crowd into T-Coon’s Restaurant..." (Just a reminder that T-Coon's Restaurant in Lafayette Louisiana in packing them in for Southern-style breakfast - eggs, sausage, bacon, grits and a biscuit.)

Thoughts about Crawfish and Slot Machines - Louisiana Food, Politics, Gambling - Essay

Crawfish Etouffée - Billeaud's No. 3

"...my instinct tells me that only a dumb-ass would boil a sack of crawfish inside..." (Virginia Billeaud Anderson discusses Crawfish Etouffee, Louisiana politics & gambling. Mentions Don's Seafood, Ella Brennan, Paul Prudhomme, Floyd Landry, Marcelle Bienvenu and Edwin Edwards.)

My Visit to Lynda Frese’s Studio to Learn About La Femme Chauve-Souris (Batwoman)

Lynda Frese, La Femme Chauve-Souris (Batwoman), 2013, 11x14” pigment prints,
found postcards, egg tempera, metal foil on gesso board

"...Only good bourbon in a bar after could have made my visit to Lynda Frese’s studio more fun, but perhaps it was too early in the day for two old broads to be “drankin” at T-Boy’s Lounge..." (Visited Lynda Frese's studio to learn about the fascinating myth-based and metaphysical associations in the artist's collage painting La Femme Chauve-Souris - Batwoman, 2013, reaching back to the Neolithic and Bronze Age.)

Oscar de la Renta’s Blue Velvet Gown - The Glamour and Romance of Oscar de la Renta - Museum of Fine Arts Houston - Essay

Oscar de la Renta, Custom Evening Ensemble,2001, silk taffeta
and silk satin,courtesy of Oscar de la Renta Archive (worn by Mica
Ertegun to an event celebrating her 40th wedding anniversary 
to Ahmet Ertegun, 2001). © Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco

"...Unseemly pantie lines visible through ill-fitting garments are all it takes for me to call up Diana Vreeland’s pronouncement that fashion must be intoxicating release from the world’s banality..."(Virginia Billeaud Anderson attended the media preview of The Glamour and Romance of Oscar de la Renta at Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, and met André Leon Talley who guest-curated the exhibition along with co-curator Cindi Strauss. She asked Alex Bolen, CEO of Oscar de la Renta, a few questions.)

My Louisiana Brothers’ Cajun Food, T-Coons Restaurant, Billeauds Meat and Grocery, Billeaud's Too, Billeauds No. 3 - David Billeaud, Billy Billeaud

"...substantial media coverage through the years, but a high point was when Calvin Trillin mentioned Billy's Boudin Links in "The New Yorker" mag..."

Know Yourself: What I Learned about Becky Soria's Artistic Inspiration - Essay

Becky Soria, "The Body Electric," 2017, Acrylic and Charcoal on Canvas, 60 x 20”

...that winding road that goes up to the Delphian Sanctuary of Apollo. Pausanias warned us the road was “precipitous.” (Virginia Billeaud Anderson - BoudinandBourbon.com tells readers what she learned about Becky Soria's artistic inspiration when she visited Soria's studio.)

A Closer Look at Beignets - Hot Beignets at T-Coon’s Restaurant

T-Coon's Restaurant New Orleans French Market style Beignets

"favorite theories about the origin of the New Orleans Beignet is that the Ursuline Nuns brought it from France..."

Bas Poulos: More Talk - A Talk with the Artist - Essay

Bas Poulos, "Klana," 1984, Acrylic on
Canvas, 78" x 56.5”

"...Unaware of the importance of Texas art, the Greeks staged a transportation strike..." (Virginia Billeaud Anderson writes about artist Bas Poulos, his life and his art career, with focus on two paintings exhibited in Focus on the 70s and 80s: Houston Foundations II at Deborah Colton Gallery.)

Earl Staley “Two Lovers Surprised By Death” - A Closer Look - Essay

Earl Staley, Two Lovers Surprised by Death, 1978,
Acrylic on canvas, 37 x 48 inches

"Being in my twenties and fond of Jack Daniels and weed might account for my not remembering much about 1978.  I do remember however that despite legal challenges..."

Ten Gas Station Foods Worth the Detour - MSN.COM Food and Wine Rates Billeaud’s Meat and Grocery Top Ten

Billeaud's Meat and Grocery’s Meatball Stew
over Rice "Plate Lunch" - Photo by Editha Schoeffler

"Billeaud’s Meat and Grocery is often regarded as the home of the best boudin and crispy pork cracklings in Cajun country..." MSN.COM Food and Wine

Edgar Degas "Etude pour La Fille de Jephte” - A Closer Look - Essay

Edgar Degas, Etude pour “La Fille de Jephte," c. 1859. Graphite, traces ink
wash on paper, 8 7/8 x 11 7/16 in. (19.3 x 25.2 cm). From the collection
 of Janie C. Lee. Image taken from the “Houston Press” website.

"...a lovely sketch by Degas. I decided it would be fun to provide a tiny bit of art historical background..." (Virginia Billeaud Anderson - BoudinandBourbon.com provides fun art historical background to Edgar Degas' 1859 sketch of a nude male, Etude pour “La Fille de Jephte.")

Wing It: Roberta Harris - Essay

Roberta Harris, “Flight Time,” 2017, Oil, Acrylic and
Mixed Media on canvas, 72” x 60”

    
"When Roberta Harris exhibits her art, I often think about the younger artists who will view it, most of whom were unborn or tiny snots at the time she..."