Going out to eat with friends, catching up over a nice meal, these outings bring pleasure. Lately though they've been sparking outright jubilation. I call it the vaccination celebration.

For a year, New Orleans restaurant people have seen their industry all but closed and gradually re-opened. They’ve worked through restrictions that rise and fall like a tide they can’t predict. They’ve had their spirits crushed and revived, fears confirmed and faith renewed.

Entering year two of the pandemic, many of the things we love about New Orleans life are again being postponed, pushed back or thrown into doubt.

After a curtailed Carnival and the homebound holidays, New Orleans is now seeing another of its seasons laid low by the pandemic: festival season.

As the pandemic continues, it’s hard to feel certain of anything one day to the next. But then a whole season comes along as a comfortingly consistent anchor. It’s crawfish season, and the tough little mudbug is keeping one touchstone of local culture at least somewhat intact.

The stage was quiet at Tipitina‘s, but around one corner of the famous Uptown music hall there were the steam whistle sounds of an espresso machine and the familiar banter of a barista and regulars — evidence of everyday routines rebooted for the times.

Everyone has their favorite part of Mardi Gras. My favorite part is you. It’s the way New Orleans people put so much of themselves into the celebration, making Mardi Gras a communal experience we create, instead of just another event we attend.

On one chilly January night there was still a warm glow around Rosedale, and it wasn’t all coming from inside this snug neighborhood restaurant. Rosedale's leafy back patio pulsed with portable heaters. Some were planted in big flowerpots next to each couple’s table, like ice buckets with the opposite effect.

Lately, my drink of choice has not been about on what's in the cup so much as where I get it.

I’ve been visiting bars around New Orleans, which would not normally qualify as noteworthy but these days we’re taking nothing for granted.

This Saints season brought more uncertainty than most, starting with whether we would even get one during the coronavirus crisis. But when it actually began I knew one thing for sure: The day after each game, I would eat red beans and rice while reading the sports page.