Gone to the Dogs

Perhaps one of the best weekends in New Orleans during carnival is the week prior to the big day because our most unique parade takes place in the French Quarter. The Mystick Krewe of Barkus brings all sizes of canines to the streets and this year's theme "Game of Bones" made it more special.

For those of you not from New Orleans, Barkus is the creation of Tom Woods, the owner of Wood's Enterprises, which owns three gay bars in the quarter know as Cafe Lafitte in Exile, Good Friends and the Rawhide. Tom created the parade years ago for his own pet and to support local animal charities. He still controls the overall production and has cleverly steered the parade route to only come in contact with his own bars in the gay area of the quarter bypassing all the other bars. Local artist Matt Rinard designs the thematic posters for the parade which are available from his shop and Galatoire's Restaurant hosts the much publicized queen and king luncheon the Friday prior,

Of course it is New Orleans so you can watch the sights with your go cup and enjoy the day with your favorite four legged friends. Barkus continues to contribute thousands of dollars each year to animal rescue groups, SPCA groups and numerous other local charities.

Our favorite way to get started on this special day is to of course have the traditional brunch for the weekend and we chose Dickie Brennan's Tableau this year. The staff is wonderful and the food is typically local. Our guests from Tempe Arizona were in for a special birthday so Tableau has a very fun way of handling that with special songs from the strolling Joe Simon Jazz Trio and wonderfully embarrassing chef hats. As is always the case in NOLA, there were two other birthday ladies around us so everyone got to join in the fun. We are always southerners so encroaching into each other's space is what we do and we love it!

Tableau

http://tableaufrenchquarter.com/au

504-934-3463