NOLA Eats is the ramblings, rants and raves of Leslie J. Almeida, New Orleans native and all-around Persnickety Snickerson. Here lies her opinions and commentary on the New Orleans-area food and dining scene. Leslie coordinates and hosts the monthly NOLA Eats dinners and events, melding food with socializing, two of her favorite things.
Past events have been held at:
- La Côte Brasserie
- MiLa
- Little Tokyo Small Plates and Noodle Bar
- Ernie K-Doe’s Mother-In-Law Lounge
- Elizabeth’s
- Yuki Izakaya
- Mikimoto
- Bennachin
- Nardo’s Trattoria
- Cafe East
- Lola’s
- Lebanon’s Cafe
- Bayona
- Nirvana
- Cochon
- Byblos
- Dooky Chase
- Lüke
- Hookah Cafe
- La Peniche
- Mango House
- Basil Leaf
- Cafe Degas
In addition to gatherings at restaurants, we also have an annual crawfish boil, potluck and king cake tasting party. If it’s edible, we’ll probably throw a party and eat it.
If you represent a restaurant, bar or other eatery and would like to send press releases or discuss hosting a NOLA Eats event, please send an email to Leslie@nola-eats.com. I may also be interested in partnering and cross-promoting projects. I’m all about team work.
About Leslie J. Almeida, NOLA Eats Founder
I grew up in the restaurant and service industry and started busing tables at a family-owned steak house when I was just thirteen. Over the years, I dabbled in waiting tables, flipping pancakes, catering, front-of-the-house supervision and finally settled into private party planning and event sales for an Uptown restaurant owned by a famous chef. Having tired of the corporate life, I ventured into the spa and beauty industry, honing my guest service skills and meeting even more talented professionals. While I still work part-time for The Man, I am currently focusing on developing a business plan for my own venture in tourism. I like to keep busy, if you haven’t noticed.
But I digress.
Through those years, I enjoyed learning everything I could about the tastes, textures and beauty of food and beverage. I have no formal education from a culinary institution, just a sharp eye for detail and a keen sense of taste. I’m not a professional photographer, but I love capturing the beauty of our local foods in pictures. I am not a food critic, a journalist or a professional writer. I simply enjoy sharing my experiences in dining with those who also take pleasure in my affinities. That’s why NOLA-Eats.com is more of a discussion forum with an emphasis on socializing, rather than a collection of culinary critiques.
Is that enough sharing? No? Alright, then.
Leslie J. Almeida
I am the mother of two entertaining kids and am married to my totally metal soul mate. I get to tell a hundred tourists a week how to eat and party like a local and I love it. I was born and raised here, yet I am not a Yat. I do not have a Maw Maw or Paw Paw and I don’t know a single person that says “zink” or “earl” or “the Quarters”. My favorite dishes unique to/perfected in New Orleans are seafood gumbo, trout almondine/meuniere, barbecue shrimp, bananas Foster and crawfish, naturally.
I am a cinema geek and a lover of grisly horror films. I try to keep up with today’s progressive music offerings, but I often rely on my cooler friends for assistance. I adore fashion and cannot own enough accessories, most made by friends more talented than me. I have begun devoting more time to reading, something I neglected for far too long. I’ve got a few tattoos, have had more hair color changes than Nic Cage has hairs, period, and enjoy off-colored jokes and sarcasm at their finest. Obviously. I cherish my friends and revel in meeting new ones. Send me an e-mail, leave me a comment and let’s meet for coffee.
P.S.
Nic, if you read this, it’s all good. Just remember…my hair is a bird.
