TresSugar

Cool Idea: New Orleans Water Meter Doormat

CasaSugar — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 12:00:42 -0800

Anyone who's ever lived in New Orleans recognizes the starry, art-deco design of the city's water meter lids. Designed by Edwin Ford in the early 1920s, the crescent moon and stars became so sought after that people actually used to pilfer them, so much so that for a time the city tried to replace them with plain ones to try to stop the theft. Nevertheless, the 85-year-old design has become an iconic symbol of the city - along with the fleur-de-lys, of course. So, one clever local turned the groovy vintage meter cover into a Decorative Door Mat ($32). The high-quality, durable mat is as useful as it is nostalgic and charming, and you don't have to steal from the city to own it. Clearly, it's not for everyone, but it's a great gift for anyone who knows a thing or two about NOLA. Hint, hint.

10 Haunted Houses in New Orleans

CasaSugar — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 08:00:46 -0700

Are you ready to see more haunted houses? If my slideshow on California haunted houses wasn't spooky enough, I've just got the thing. New Orleans is perhaps America's most haunted city, so it's no surprise the place is full of ghosts and floating entities. Come take a look.

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Hazelnut's Bryan Batt Opens Up to House Beautiful

CasaSugar — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 15:00:54 -0700

If you're a design enthusiast and a New Orleans fanatic like me, you know Bryan Batt as a co-owner (with his partner Tom Cianfichi) of one of NOLA's finest décor boutiques, Hazelnut. I featured the boutique back in February of '08, and now Batt is set to ink his own home décor book. If you're just mad for Mad Men, you know him as Sterling-Cooper's in-the-closet, recently fired art director Salvatore Romano.

This month, House Beautiful is getting to know him, too. The shelter glossy has the lowdown on Batt's bedroom behavior, from his no-TV rule to his underbed storage, and of course, his bedroom décor resources.

I'm always interested to see where people get their design inspiration. So it was fun to hear about the jumping off point for his bedroom design:

The painting is the whole point of the room. It's by a friend of mine. Suzie Allain, who's a local artist and designer here in New Orleans. She showed some things at Hazelnut, my store here, and I fell in love with this series of bamboo stalks. She did this for me custom and then the room evolved around it.

See more excerpts from the issue.

Name That Dish!

YumSugar — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 16:15:33 -0700

Guess what? Emeril Lagasse - Food Network and America's original celebrity TV chef - turns the big 5-0 today. The avuncular chef, known for his Cajun and Creole cooking, can stir up a mean version of the dish below. Do you know what it's called?

House Tour: Black White Yellow's Cheerful New Orleans Apartment

CasaSugar — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 09:00:43 -0700

While reading the design blog Black White Yellow, I was really impressed by the author's cheerful and stylish home, so I asked if she'd be willing to give us a photographic tour of her home. She lives in New Orleans, where she works as an architect, so it's no surprise that she has a keen eye for design. But what's truly inspiring about her happy, chic home is that she's created it on small budget. "My goal was to create a space on a shoestring budget that screams happy," she says. "It is a work in progress, of course, but I am happy with how much I have gotten done so far." Not surprisingly, the base of her coveted crib is black and white, with a lot of playful yellow accents and patterned textiles. Ready for the tour?

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Sandra Bullock and Jesse James Buy a Historic New Orleans Victorian

CasaSugar — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 11:00:25 -0700

From Angelina and Brad Pitt to Nicolas Cage, New Orleans is becoming a popular place for celebs to settle, the latest transfers being Sandra Bullock and Jesse James. The pair quietly snatched up a historic Victorian home in New Orleans's Garden District for $2.25 million back in June. The 6,615-square-foot, five-bedroom, 4.5-bath home, known as the Koch-Mays house, was built sometime between 1860 and 1870. It retains many original Victorian design details, including ornately carved marble mantels, carved columns, large plaster medallions, shadow molding, and beautiful ornamental cast ironwork on its exterior. It's no surprise Bullock looked for historical details when doing her real estate shopping: the French Southern bistro she owns and designed in Austin, Bess Bistro, is in a historic building with tin ceilings and hand-painted floors. And although Austin won't be a far trip for the couple, they're guaranteed to find a good Creole shrimp meal in NOLA. See interior photos when you read more.

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Source: Flickr User alykat

Happy Hour: Ramos Gin Fizz

partysugar — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 12:45:26 -0700

As we head into the weekend, it's time to turn our attention to the very important topic of brunch cocktails. Though a bloody mary or mimosa is the obvious choice, I find that a Ramos gin fizz functions as an excellent morning drink.

If you're a fan of fizzes, you'll find plenty of the gin-infused variety. Yum celebrates her happy brunch hours with a family recipe.

This classic version, invented by New Orleans barkeep Harry Ramos in the late 1800s, uses orange flower water as a French twist. Though it sounds heavy, it's surprisingly refreshing and frothy. To get the recipe, read more

Mad Men Actor Bryan Batt Inks a Home Décor Book Deal

CasaSugar — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 12:00:00 -0700

Actor Bryan Batt, known for his role as in-the-closet art director Salvatore Romano on Mad Men, has signed a deal with publisher Clarkson Potter to write a home décor book. The book, slated for release in Fall 2011, will explore his favorite interiors and "through his own witty commentary and design techniques, show readers how to create their own stylish and enchanting spaces." As you may remember, Batt and his partner Tom Cianfichi own Hazelnut, one of my favorite décor boutiques in New Orleans. This is truly exiting news; I can't wait to get my hands on a copy. Want to get a peek at Batt's design skills? Check out his carriage house in NOLA's Garden District.

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Casa Verde: Paint It White

CasaSugar — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 05:30:00 -0700

If you've ever read Robert Fulghum's All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten, you know that some of life's most important lessons were learned when we were young. One of them might save the world, sort of. As a kid you learned that light-colored surfaces reflect the sun's rays, while dark surfaces absorb them and warm up. Well, have you ever considered applying this simple technology to your home? Obama's energy secretary Steven Chu is pitching painting all rooftops white to curb global warming, saying that, "it’s the equivalent of reducing the carbon emissions due to all the cars on the road for 11 years," if not more. If that's not reason enough for you to paint it white (what do the Stones know?), consider that a reflective rooftop will reduce your air-conditioning costs this Summer, which in turn will also reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Cha-ching! The folks who built New Orleans's Superdome know what I'm talking about.
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Noteworthy Nibbles - May 19-26, 2009

YumSugar — Tue, 19 May 2009 14:00:14 -0700

From the New Orleans Wine & Food Experience to St. Louis's Rib America Festival, take advantage of the three-day weekend with tons of events across the nation. Since I'm a huge fan of deep Southern cuisine, I'm dreaming of teleporting to Mudbug Madness, the Jambalaya Festival, and the Fredericksburg Crawfish Fest and Gumbo Cookoff. Crawfish season is definitely upon us!

What events will you be attending this week? Feel free to chime in below!

New York, NY: The Cuisine of Queens & Beyond - May 19
New Orleans, LA: New Orleans Wine & Food Experience - May 19-23
San Francisco, CA: SF Strawberry Week - May 19-24
New York, NY: Tel Aviv's 100th Anniversary Dinner - May 20
New York, NY: Taste of the Nation New York - May 20
San Francisco, CA: Boudin & Buena Vista Carneros Wine Dinner - May 21
Shreveport, LA: Mudbug Madness - May 21-24
Kodiak, AK: Kodiak Crab Festival - May 21-25
Fredericksburg, TX: Crawfish Festival & Gumbo Cookoff - May 22-23
Garden Grove, CA: Garden Grove Strawberry Festival - May 22-25
St. Louis, MO: Rib America Festival - May 22-25
Cleveland, OH: Marc's Great American Rib Cookoff & Music Festival - May 22-25

To see the rest, read more.

Durham, NC: Taste of Durham - May 23
Gonzales, LA: Jambalaya Festival - May 23
Simi Valley, CA: Cajun Creole Music Festival - May 23-24
Baltimore, MD: Brew at the Zoo and Wine Too! - May 23-24
Manheim, PA: Great Pennsylvania FlavorFest - May 23-24
Cincinnati, OH: Taste of Cincinnati - May 23-25
Albuquerque, NM: Albuquerque Wine Festival - May 23-25
Austin, TX: Austin Wine Festival - May 23-25
The Woodlands, TX: Wine & Food Week - May 26-31

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