Bar & Grill & Movie Theater

Posted by Benson

I think this is where we went, but admittedly I got very lost on the way there. 

Bar & Grill & Movie Theater - How have I not known about this phenomenon?


I recently went to Dallas for work and I went to see a friend of mine who lives in the area.  He suggested that we go to one of the most wonderful places imaginable: a movie theater that is also a bar and grill, that serves you while the movie is playing!  I was astonished.


Now, I have gathered that such places have existed for a while now, and that many of you may be thinking that I must have been oblivious for the past decade.  I would vehemently agree.  I do not understand how I did not know such places existed, but I am now mercifully in the know.

This is perfectly fine if all you're looking for is a movie on the big screen

I have seen movie theaters that serve beer, and ones that also have a substantial menu.  I have also heard of, but have not been to, theaters that allow you to enjoy the substantial menu while the movie is playing.  But the place I went to in Dallas was a true synthesis of the bar and grill and movie theater.


We were given full menus upon entering the theater, and the lay-z-boy-like seats were equipped with a call button.  When we wanted to order we pressed the call button and the waiter came right up to us in the theater, took our orders, and eventually returned with cold beer, nachos, and burgers.  They key here is that this all happened while the movie was playing, which is what I found so astounding.

But can't you have this too?

Obviously, this is an amazing innovation.  I am a huge fan of cinema, and I certainly appreciate why viewers would want to eschew such an experience.  It obviously encourages disruption of the film, however mild.  Even so, there are many movies during which I would find mild disruption to be not only acceptable, but laudable.  For example, the move we went to see that night was The Dictator with Sacha Baron Cohen.  It is an amusing movie, but definitely the kind of thing that is only ever enhanced by a trio of beers, a hot plate of nachos, and an atmosphere amenable to a tasteful amount of commentary and conversation.

This about sums up the movie.  It doesn't really go very far from this.

Ultimately, it feels more like watching a movie in your own amazingly awesome home theater than in a proper movie theater, which is the appeal.  Going to a movie with friends can often wind up being a rather staid experience in which the only appeal of going as a group (unless you also have before and/or after plans) is that the personal experience of seeing the movie becomes an experience shared with others.  Yet the depth of such a shared experience tends to be rather shallow, and primarily limited to the temporal linkage of the viewings, for even if you and I see the same film at slightly different times, we can still have a substantively similar conversation about it later.


There's little, if any, interaction in a theater (excepting of course two people on a date in which case the situation is entirely different).  You watch the movie in relative silence, not always even seated close to one another, and you leave. If the principle motivation of the outing is because you want to see the movie, that's perfectly fine.  In fact, I am a very strong proponent of silence in a movie theater.  If I am there to watch a movie, I want to watch the movie without interruptions.

Unless you're necking or ruining the movie with talking,
going to the movies might as well be like this regardless of who you're with

This is why I think that the bar & grill & movie format is such a great thing.  It is a much more social environment because it is not marred by the expectation of complete silence.  It can't possibly be, because the waiters walk right into the theater and take orders!  Sometimes you want to be able to talk during a movie.  Sometimes you you want to watch a movie on the big screen without taking it too seriously.  Sometimes you want to go see a movie, get a bite to eat, and have a few beers with your friends without being out all night.  Sometimes you want to have your cake and eat it too.  At the  bar & grill & movie theater you can do just that.  Now we just need to get one in New Orleans!

Creole Zydeco Farmers at ASTC Conference!

Posted by Benson

The Creole Zydeco Farmers is an absolutely awesome local Zydeco band.  You may remember reading about them in one of our earlier posts about the Abita Opry.


The Farmers put on an utterly unforgettable show at the Opry, and I absolutely wanted to see them perform again.  Last month the American Society of Trial Consultants held its annual conference in New Orleans, and the soon-to-be-president elect (Douglas Green) asked me to line up a musical act for one of the events.  Naturally, the Creole Zydeco Farmers were first on my list.

Not only were we able to get the Farmers to perform at our special Cajun Night and Crawfish Boil, but we were also able to record the performance thanks to our friends at Sights and Sounds!

The good news for all of you is that a video of the entire performance has been uploaded to the ASTC phanfare website.  Head on over to check out another amazing performance by the Creole Zydeco Farmers!

DGA Wine Club: The Patriots Merlot

Posted by Benson

The Patriots (2010) is a Merlot from the Maipo Valley in Chile.  The Maipo river, from which the valley takes its name, flows from its headwaters on the west slope of Maipo volcano in the Andes mountains down to the port of San Antonio on the Pacific.

The Maipo Valley is the most famous wine-producing region in Chile, best known for its well balanced red wines.  The Patriots is produced by Terra Andina Cellars from fruit grown on its estate in the upper region of the Maipo Valley.  

The vines are grown along the lower slopes of the Andes, more than 1,000 miles above sea level, and the mountains have a profound impact on the grapes grown there.  The rising sun must crest the Argentinian side of the peaks before it warms the vineyards in the afternoon, and cool mountain breezes slide down the mountains at night, locking in fresh flavors. 

The Wine


The Patriots is a vibrant purple-red wine with a floral aroma that contains strong, earthy undertones such as tobacco.  It is a smooth, drinkable 100% Merlot with a strong forward taste of black cherry that lingers on the palate.


Pairing


We found The Patriots to be a bold wine with a flavor that stands up well to heavily spiced or smoked meats.  It pairs well with dark chocolate, rich pâté, and hummus.  The UK's What Food, What Wine awarded The Patriots with the trophy for 'Best Overall Red with Bangers and Mash.'  We heartily concur.  Although we did not pair The Patriots with bangers and mash, it has a sweetness that would complement strongly spiced sausage, and the boldness to stand up to such a rich and greasy dish.

5th Annual DGA Crawfish Boil!

Posted by Benson

Whoa!  This year the crawfish boil was wild.  I had an absolutely amazing time and I'm sure everyone else did as well.

Jamie with her husband Ryan and Dan de Ray.  Davis is in the background there devouring his weight in crawfish.

The weather was perfect as usual; mild and sunny with clear blue skies and just enough breeze off of the water.  We couldn't have asked for a better day.  

Tuba Skinny was excellent as usual, although you won't see Robin in the photo 

DJ Davis rocked the house and Tuba Skinny was amazing as always.  We got some great recordings, and we are working on the CD now.  Rob says that the CD is almost finished, and we'll have copies out to all of our friends as soon as they are available.  Robin, Tuba Skinny's washboard player, was unavailable that day (much to Doug's chagrin).  But Erica brought in some new band members, including the clarinetist who added an excellent dimension to their sound.

Davis was really fun to have around, even when he wasn't performing

We got a few visitors from out of town this year, but not as many as we'd like to see next year!  The DGA Family and Friends Crawfish Boil has grown every single year, and we would like it to be even bigger next year.  

David assures us that he will not miss next year's boil

Doug's friend David Pritchard came in from San Antonio with his wife and they had an excellent time at the boil.  David usually has an excellent time wherever he goes, which is one reason why we insisted that he come.  He had demurred for the past four years, but now I think he'll be a DGA boil regular.  

Matt is having a great time with Greg Scarpelli, a top notch contractor and one of Matt's neighbors

Of course all of our local friends came and brought their families along.  The private room at Friends was on the verge of being packed, but only just.  There's still plenty of room up there for an even bigger party next year! 

Ieuan's own "magnum" look

My son Ieuan spent his time at the boil running around being cute, although I'm biased of course.  I think he was just old enough to know that he should strike a pose when he saw the camera.

Ieuan with his mommy.  Flirting with the camera takes a lot of work.

So enjoy your CDs when you get them, but remember that listening to the CD is not nearly as fun as actually being there.  Although it has to be said that Doug is re-recording his welcoming address for the CD.  It was a little rough live, but he arrived early and the Andygator was flowing freely.

Bill Rides in the Krewe of Elk!

Mardi Gras only comes but once a year and some local Orleanians plan out their whole week of Mardi Gras a year or more ahead of time. In Mardi Gras 2011 I met my girlfriend catching a parade with mutual friends.  I thought it was kind of strange how she dove for doubloons (plastic medallions thrown by the float riders) but who isn’t strange during a Mardi Gras parade?

Val Kilmer throws daubloons as King of Bacchus in '09

Around August 2011, six months before Mardi Gras, Annie, my girlfriend, asked if I would ride in a truck parade through downtown New Orleans on Mardi Gras Day.  I told her I would love to because it would be my first time riding in a parade, but I was not certain I would be in town.   


About three months went by and she was still bugging me about it. Just like any other wonderful boyfriend would, I told her “Yea my schedule is free, it will be a lot of fun!” and I paid the dues to ride even though I knew something was going to come up, and with my luck it would be the week of Mardi Gras.  We try to avoid scheduling mock trials on Mardi Gras, but you never know what the schedule will look like.  We came right up to the brink this year, but thanks for the red eye out of NOLA I was able to ride.  And what a ride it was!

The weekend before Mardi Gras we had to meet up with the krewe of the float to decorate it and go over a few rules.  It was only then that I learned we were going to be the firemen float and I was supposed to dress as a fireman.  I was told that we would all have to wear shirts with make-shift suspenders, hats, and even put soot on our faces. We were also told that we needed to be on the float by 7am! 


The day before Mardi Gras Annie’s dad and I loaded a ton of beads (actually one thousand pounds) onto the float so Annie and I had enough beads to throw to people.  Annie refuses to discard Mardi Gras beads, so she had a massive collection waiting in the attic.  On Mardi Gras day, Annie and had to wake up at 5am to get ready to ride on the float.  When we showed up and the sun had not even come out yet.  It was chilly and everyone looked pretty sluggish.  Once the sun peeked through the trees it started warming up and by that time we were on the rode freezing from the 50 mile per hour winds coming at us, but at least it started to wake everyone up a bit.

We weren't the only ones setting up in the wee hours of the morning

Our float was pretty early to the meeting point.  We had the float parked in our respectable spot and made a quick trip to the Burger King for breakfast and to use the restroom.  You don't want to have to go to the bathroom when you're stuck on a float.  Parade goers generally prefer to catch beads.  Once we returned to the float we started socializing and popping the tops off beers, now we were starting to have some fun.


After about 3 hours of hanging out, getting to know people, and joking around we were finally ushered onto the float by a police officer with a megaphone.  After 3 hours of beers, a few of us needed a little orientation.  “AND WE’RE OFF!” screamed the girl next to me, also excited that it was her first time riding in a parade, except there was no one around to catch the parade.

We were starting to think that people had forgotten that the parade was scheduled when Annie heard us griping.  She explained that the parade route did not start for another 10 blocks, and that ti would take up to 2 hours for our float to get there!  Needless to say, the line of floats was long, and I though we were close to the front!

Ten blocks later we came up to the parade route and there were about 10 rows of people; some standing, some sitting, some on ladders, some on parent’s and boyfriend’s shoulders, some on platforms; you name it!  The sea of people was crazy and all they wanted were the beads, beads, beads.  It's one thing to watch a Mardi Gras parade from the ground, but it is an entirely different experience from up on a flat.  

I had a giant pile of beads and I threw them as fast as I could with people screaming, clawing, clamoring, pleading, begging, and...well, it was Mardi Gras!  I just couldn’t throw them fast enough to satisfy this raging torrent of humanity.  I quickly came to the realization that throwing beads was more work then I previously thought.  Not only did I have to throw the beads but I had to grab them out of bags and grab more bags of beads to throw.  I became so absorbed with hurling bead after bead that I almost missed my friends who were yelling my name right in front of me!  

Luckily Annie heard them and got my attention.  I looked down and immediately started showering them with all the beads I could grab.  Knowing someone in a krewe and getting doused with pounds of beads while your shoulder to shoulder neighbors watch jealously is half to fun of going to a parade.  


Annie, ever prepared, had an app on her phone that she could use to track the parade.  Before I realized it she was telling me that we had already passed the half-way point and that I'd better start dumping beads even faster.  I looked down and was still surrounded by beads.  It was like one of those giant pasta bowls that always looks full no matter how much you stuff your face with Alfredo.  I started throwing bundles of beads without regard of who caught them or even if people fought over them.  And then we turned onto Canal street.   Canal is one of the main roads through downtown New Orleans, and it happened to be near the end of our parade route.  Just then I lifted a sack of beads and discovered a bag full of old stuffed animals and started handing them down to little kids as fast as I could.

As we made a left turn towards the end of the parade we could see other floats turning off to go home and I vigorously started shoveling full bags of beads over the side of the float, not knowing where they came from but just chucking them over the side of the float like I was bailing water, right onto people screaming to be showered by them.  As we pulled to the end there was a police command post with a cop inside shouting “Stop throwing! this is the end of the parade stop throwing!” through a PA system.  Mardi Gras is a time of carnival craziness and at times almost frightening excess.  It is a defining part of New Orleans, but one that the city tries its best to keep orderly.

There's only so much you can do to contain Mardi Gras

On the ride back to Luling everyone had their fair share of beers and whatever else they brought with them.  Immediately as we left the city we came into heavy traffic which sparked a dance party on the float!  People in the cars next to us were staring at us like we were nuts,  although some honking their horns in encouragement.  At 6:30 p.m. we finally arrived where we had started the day.  We had to empty everything out of the float and rip all the decorations off the side.  Annie still had about 12 bags of beads in spite of our best efforts to dispose of them, which was unbelievable.  After the float was broken down we finally got home around 7:30, thoroughly worn out.  


Riding in the parade was an exhilarating, if exhausting, experience; one that has given me a whole new perspective on Mardi Gras.  Having lived in New Orleans all my life I didn't think that was possible, but in a city like this, there's always something that will surprise you.

Post Mardi Gras Report

Posted by Benson

Phew!  This Mardi Gras was crazy awesome!  I wish I could have posted this sooner, but I have been a little held up.  I did have to leave for New York on business Mardi Gras day and all.

Well, Liz and I totally made it to Bacchus this year and we had ourselves an awesome time!  We had planned to meet up with Jamie and her family, but we were sadly unsuccessful.  Now, this wasn't because Liz and I didn't get to where they were, I just couldn't find them in spite of the fact that I could have hit Jamie with a beer can from where I was standing.  Cell service was also virtually non-existent.  I suppose when 2,000 people try to check Facebook at the same time the cell towers go into crisis mode.

I could have nailed her if that kid hadn't been standing up so high

Liz and I got to the parade a little late, as in we got there an hour before it started rolling and that's what it looked like.  Jamie's husband Ryan and others of her kin had been camping out since the night before to secure a good spot.  Bill told me that it was fairly mercenary too.  Apparently he was the one drunk enough to shamelessly fed off tourists and small children with barrages of obscenity.

Supposedly Jamie is off to the left somewhere

But we didn't let this little snafu disturb us...well, I got a little frustrated, but a couple of beers made everything okay.  Even from where we were, Liz and I had a great time.  Although it took a little persuading, I eventually managed to get Liz to push to the front of the crowd with me and yell for beads like a true New Orleanian.  She performed with aplomb!  I have several videos of it that I will post once I get them off of my camera.

We were watching the parade on Napoleon street, which is where all of the local families typically set up.  The whole thing is like a giant tailgate.  The nice thing is that you don't have to get into fist fights with belligerent, drunken tourists.  You can get into fist fights with your belligerent, drunken relatives instead!  The bad thing for someone like Liz is that there are guys with kids all over.  No offense to Liz, but she's not the tallest person in the world.  Kids are short too until you hoist them on your shoulders, and then they're not only twice as tall as you, but terribly cute as well.  In other words, Liz had to work hard to get her beads.

Like all of the super parades, Bacchus was quite long and very impressive to watch.  We got to see Will Ferrel, which was awesome.  We were very early on the parade route and he seemed a little timid, but I hear he really got into it when the parade hit St. Charles.  He was even throwing little cow bells!  We got to see the Louisiana Bicentennial float, and we got to hurl beads at King Kong!  For those of you not from New Orleans, Bacchus rolls with a King Kong float, which you traditionally pelt with your beads.

I'm supposed to throw these things, right?

I gotta have more cowbell, baby!

Fat Tuesday was a big day for me.  I got dressed up in my post-apocalyptic costume and hit the streets of the Vieux Carre.  The costume was a big success.  It came out far better than I had expected.  Even my son Ieuan was super excited about it!  I think he enjoyed all of the necklaces, zippers, and doodads.  Liz was slightly disturbed by how excited he was with my tooth necklace, but when all of the baby toys are charred and irradiated, what are you going to do?

The whole group looked awesome.  Everyone put a lot of effort into their Mardi Gras costumes this year.  Most of my pictures came out a little blurry...which was totally not because I was inebriated or anything.  It was obviously the light that day, or the camera settings.  However, a few good shots made it through my sweet daiquiri-addled fugue.

Wes went with a very official look, with a set of auto mechanics coveralls and a fancy baseball glove epaulette.   He looked like the self-proclaimed dictator of a Fallout village.  Here he is sharing out the emergency Miller High Life rations.  You never know when your flask will suddenly run low.

Mark decided to go primarily with old tires and chains for hit post-apocalyptic duds.  He also had himself a genuine hubcap shield, which served him well when were were pelted with beads from Bud Light balcony party.

I assured those ladies that although I was flattered, I was not going to expose myself for their beads.  They did not react well to my polite rebuff, which was probably because it was composed of three words and an expressive hand gesture.  As we discovered, declining beads in such a manner is also a great way to receive them; very speedily and carefully aimed.

As usual, Clay outdid all of us with his costume.  He made it onto the news again, which is a yearly tradition.  We also ran into another group of folks who had similarly gone all out in honor of the impending apocalypse.  They had constructed a huge Ragnarok horse which they had carried into the Quarter in sections and assembled on site.  I was complete with a moving head, special effects, and its very own porta-potty!

Unfortunately, I had to leave early since I had to catch a flight to New York that afternoon.  But I was able to see the traditional crazy Christian fundamentalist protesters in their always fantastic Mardi Gras outfits!  These fellows come down every year with such dedication.  Their costumes seem to get better every time. One of them even has a sign which identifies the types of people that are doomed to Hell.  Every year there seem to be more sinners added.  This year we learned that n addition to all of the usual denizens of the abyss, "strong women" had been added to the roll of the damned.

Surprisingly, we did find Jesus that day too, and John Coffee.  Neither of them thought that any of us were going to Hell, which was very reassuring.  Besides, they had been yelling about how we needed to trust Jesus all morning.

Jamie and Ryan competed in, finished, and altogether rocked the Mardi Gras Half Marathon on Sunday.

Posted by: Jamie


Sunday, March 4^th, Ryan and I raced in the 3^rd annual Rock and Roll Mardi Gras Half Marathon in New Orleans. 

The Mardi Gras Half Marathon was actually my first half marathon.  I’m not an avid runner, but I enjoy running and find it is a great way to clear my head and get in some exercise.  Two years ago I finished the full marathon, so I have run the full distance before but had never raced a half.  The half marathon was also the first race Ryan has ever run aside from a few 5ks in his youth.  


Although Ryan is much faster than I am, I was excited that he decided not to leave me behind in his dust and ran the whole race with me.  He is a great motivator and it was fun to have a buddy through both training and the race.

Race day weather was perfect with lows in the 40s and highs in the 50s.  At 7:00 am when we got to our corral, the temperature was 41.  That’s a little chilly for this Louisiana native, but with all the people around it felt warmer.  The good news was the winds were calm and the sun was shining.  It was a beautiful day for a race!

The start of the race went off without a hitch.  We were at the start line around approximately 7:15 am.  The first few miles were a breeze.  We decided to stay conservative in the beginning with a 9:30 min/mile pace.   Between mile 4 and 5, I looked at Ryan and I said, “I’m doing this.”  He knew what that meant, so he started pacing me faster and faster.  We did the next two miles at about an 8:30 min/mile pace.  He looked at me again, and I repeated, “I’m doing this.” I wanted to go sub 2 hours.  Now, that might not be a big deal to most people, but I’m the type of casual runner who is content to pace every run at about a 10:00 min/mile.  Ryan is way more competitive than that and has tried to expand my horizons.  It worked!

By mile 6, I hit my groove and just kept running.  I’m pretty sure a few of those miles were in the 8:00 min/mile pace which on most days is a sprint for me.  I could tell that Ryan was ecstatic that we were actually going to push and not just have a leisurely stroll around the city.  By mile 9, we were headed to the French Quarter and the crowd support was amazing.  We hit mile 10 in 1:28:47.  We knew for sure that unless something catastrophic happened, we were definitely going to make our two hour goal.  At this point, my quads were getting a little tight, (I’m sure they were wondering what the heck I was trying to do to them), but I had good energy and knew I could tough it out.

Then, my favorite part of the race.  At mile 11, I got to see my family.  My niece and nephews made us personalized signs.  So awesome!

For those wondering, I am "Nanny J" and Ryan is "Bobby."  (We really like nick names is our family).

It was such a boost to see them cheering us on.  Here we come!  And yes, Ryan was dressed for a blizzard!  Hahaha, he loves running in the heat.  To each their own!

We gave them high 5s but just kept trucking. 

I knew we couldn’t stop.  We were so close to finishing.  

The last few miles were tough because I hadn’t really trained enough at that pace and my legs were starting to pay the price, but I knew we were almost done so I was excited.  After we passed mile 12, I was ready to stretch my legs out and finish strong.  Crossing the finish line is always such an awesome high and to do it together with Ryan was simply amazing. 

Our official time was 1:55:14 with an average pace of 8:48 min/mile.  Yay!  We broke 2 hours.  We ranked 2148 out of a total 13066 half marathon finishers.

To anyone interested, I would definitely recommend this race especially if you are interested in a PR.  The course is “flat as a pancake” and the weather in Nola in March is usually perfect for running.  The crowd support is always fun and when running through New Orleans, there are always interesting things to see. 

I loved the tech shirt and the race medal we received for finishing.  

If you're looking to run the race yourself, there are a few cons you need to be aware of.  First, there were bad road surfaces.  This is just a fact of our beautiful historic city; we have roads that are not conducive for running 13.1 or 26.2 miles.  As with most races on the Rock and Roll series, there were over 22,000 entrants on Sunday.  With that many people, it is difficult to dodge all pot holes.  In addition, the camber/slant of some of the roads on the course is severe and the last 4 miles or so of the half was on a road with a somewhat sandy surface.  Unfortunately, I saw quite a few people wipe out and came very close to being taken down myself by a woman who tripped on a grate right behind me.  


The other con only concerns the full marathon course.  The last 13 miles of the course are not nearly as entertaining as the first 13 plus there is a section towards the end where the full marathoners have to run on the lakefront which can get fairly windy.  This was difficult for me when I ran the full, and I heard concerns about it from runners yesterday. 

That being said, this race is a great way to experience the city of New Orleans.  You get to see the sights and experience the spirit of the wonderful people that make up our city.  We also have some of the best restaurants in the world that will easily help you eat back all of the calories you will inevitably burn!  The race is always close to DGA’s annual crawfish boil, so it might just be the excuse you need to run the race, experience the city, and then enjoy some quality time with the DGA team!

I want to give photography credit to Lindy Bourgeois, Loyd Bourgeois, Mary Ledet, and David Stein.  Thanks!