When it comes to Christmas gift giving, a cookbook is often an easy call. The subjects are palatable, and usually noncontroversial. Getting a cookbook, or even giving one, at least conjures the fantasy of having enough time to actually use it. But how to pick one from the blizzard of releases that fill the stores? My own answer, evolved over time, is to start by looking in my own kitchen cabinet.

One reason I love pursuing New Orleans food is that you never can tell where you’ll find the next experience to turn your head, upend your expectations and get you talking about it to your friends. Well friends, I’m here to tell you about the latest such place for me. PeeWee CrabCakes on the Go makes crabcakes to go. There’s truth in advertising for you.

Beer is flowing from the taps, bratwurst is cooking in the kitchen and Deutsches Haus is back in a permanent home again, this time on Bayou St. John.

The questions started rolling in a few weeks ago, all seeking the same annual advice. Hey, you’re a food writer, what restaurant should I pick for Thanksgiving dinner? My response: it should be a restaurant you know well and, ideally, where they know you too.

Some essential ingredients for a road trip: good tunes, to peel back the miles; a phone charger, of course; and, if this road trip is in south Louisiana, a good old fashioned ice chest, for souvenirs of the edible variety. A drive around these parts will not bring you sweeping views of mountains and valleys. But it will bring you close to wonders of the Louisiana food world, namely boudin, the rice and pork sausage link that can be a snack on the way or the whole purpose of the trip.

I know you heard it. It was the simultaneous sound of air conditioners being snapped off for the first time in months, and the sigh of relief that involuntarily follows. It’s a sound New Orleans waits for all through the long, hot, spirit-testing summer here. It’s a harbinger of the fall, and other sounds help tell the tale, including some that speak directly to New Orleans appetites.

I’ll never forget my first Halloween in New Orleans, because it was filled with shame.

We all know that the way a Saints game ends can affect the tone of New Orleans life. Turns out the start of the game can have an impact too, and we’re seeing play out on the plate.

With fall in the air, the New Orleans tourism season is revving up after its long summer lull. It’s the happy time for the hospitality sector here. It's also a good time to acknowledge that while the tourists bring their wallets, they also carry double-edged swords. Simply put: the more New Orleans restaurants rely on them, the less these restaurants need New Orleans people.

We all know that the way a Saints game ends can affect the tone of New Orleans life. Turns out the start of the game can have an impact too, and we’re seeing play out on the plate.