The once blighted stretch of Freret Street between Napoleon and Jefferson, Uptown, continues it’s recent trend of renovations and new businesses. PLUS the street is about to get re-paved, too!!! Always a treat in our city of potholes and craters.
My House NOLA, whose mission is “to celebrate our community and its culinary entrepreneurs through event planning”, is giving a nod to Freret Street with tonight (Wednesday’s) Dat Truck Fest on Freret. Separate from their two month long Tuesday night Food Truck Round-Up. Tonight is a one-off event located at the preeminent New Orleans hot dog vendor, Dat Dog.
Several of the cutting edge food trucks will be on hand including La Cocinita, Empanada Intifada, The Fat Falafel, Food Drunk and Mamita’s Hot Tamales. If you haven’t strolled the Freret corridor lately, let this be an opportunity to see what’s happening.
The two newest additions are two spots that will surely round out your evening. Mojo Coffee on the corner of Valence opened its doors on Monday, yes, two days ago. It appears they have some experienced baristas in the house and what might be the best sweets selection on the street as well.
The other addition is sure to become a real hot spot. Gasa Gasa will be hosting its Grand Opening on July 20th, but they are already offering a full bill of fabulous bookings. The first class renovation excels on several fronts. The aesthetics are a bit kitschy but really work in the clean, crisp environment. A handsome bar with limited seating.
More importantly, they gave extra thought to the acoustics in the room with lots of curves, soft surfaces, and no hard corners. It may not sound like much in writing but trust me, it sounds great in the room….a very warm and clear sound. They are sure to receive the Sweet Home New Orleans Music Venue Seal of Approval very quickly.
As aforementioned, they have excellent variety of shows such as this Friday’s official Off-Beat Magazine release party with the Brass-A-Holics, New Orleans brass band mixed with D.C. Go-Go music. Funky. Prior to tonight’s the third installment of Music Trivia Night with Coach Burns, Gasa Gasa will host the newest Mardi Gras parading Krewe….you guessed it…the Krewe of Freret. They are inviting you to come meet the current members, ask questions, and (hopefully) sign up to ride.
You may also choose a fancy farm to table cocktail at Cure. To encourage their customers to drink cocktails, Cure has reasonable cocktail prices and $7 buds. I’ll definitely choose one of their special elixirs.
For a more casual experience, across the street from Dat Dog is the Other Bar which has experience a recent face-lift as well as new management. Interestingly enough, the first thing you might notice is that their are NO tv’s. How very unique!
Take note of the many restaurants to choose from for your next visit to Freret Street. Japanese food at Origami. The lunch specials are delicious and a fantastic value. Ancora, I can’t get enough of their bruschetta made with the house-made bread from the wood burning oven. Note: you can order a loaf or two of bread for yourself with one day notice. Yum!!
Also, High Hat, Midway Pizza, Sarita’s Latin America Fusion, The Company Burger, and the best value on the street – Freret Street Po-Boy and Doughnut Shop. The Village Coffee offers fresh sandwiches and salads as well.
So whether you’re going during breakfast, lunch or dinner you have plenty of options on the up and coming Freret Street corridor. Just not too late, the clubs such as Gasa Gasa and Publiq House must close by midnight on weekdays and 2 a.m. weekends.
See you at the Food Trucks!
Every thing lovely,
Leslie
Out and About is a weekly blog by Leslie Compton of Every Thing Lovely, a special event and creative consulting team, and is sponsored by Key to NOLA Properties, a full service real estate brokerage firm specializing in furnished rental properties in New Orleans. Key to NOLA Properties and Every Thing Lovely have joined forces to provide a full array of services for travelers’ (and locals’) personal and professional needs while in the Crescent City.
