Driving back from Florida, Ms Hollie was emotionally affected when we got our first sight of ruined houses with still visible floodlines visible from the Interstate in New Orleans East.
A number of things have been reopened or torn down while we were gone. One of the most anticipated reopeners is Brocatto's, Italian ice cream and pasteries in business for over a century. (When on evacuation in Austin, I made up alternative lyrics to "Back Home in Indiana" that included the line "When I dream about Liuzza's and Brocatto's, I long for my old New Orleans Home".)
Having just missed the reopening of Brocattos at the end of September, I went there Friday. They were doing a good business, though fortunately for me not with the long lines around the block I heard of when they first reopened. The design changes of the shop IMO are an improvement from what it was-- looks good while retaining the traditional look, and more practical layout. They're still the only reopened business on the block (some 5+ feet of long standing water), but gutting and rebuilding continues around them. Brocatto's ice cream is delcious. It's not quite like any Italian gelato I've had elsewhere-- I'm only familiar with northern Italy first hand, but in Boca we visited an excellent gelateria run by a family that had moved there from Sicily just a few years earlier, and their product was more like northern Italian gelato than it was like Brocatto's. I wonder if Brocatto's reflects Sicilian tradition of a century ago that has since changed, or has just developed into its own style of hybrid in the century of business in New Orleans-- I'm pretty sure at least their "praline" gelato is a local development.
On the other hand: Just over a year ago I expected Fair Grinds Coffee House to be the first business back from Claiborne to reopen but it's still under construction. (The first I actually saw reopened was the head-shop by the Canal cemeteries. I bought a bottle of juice and some Dr. Bronner's soap just to reward them for the gumption of reopening early.) Fair Grinds was a gathering point and offering free coffee in the patio for early returnees, but I still havn't had a chance to do business there again.
Planned Krewe du Vieux theme: "Habitat for Insanity".
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