Crawfish Boil Hotels 2015

          Just a reminder, the crawfish boil is being held at Winos and Tacos, 321 North Columbia Street in Covington, Louisiana on March 14, 2015. Covington is DGA headquarters. Winos and Tacos is about a ten minute drive from the office.  So we won’t have to travel far, but most everyone else will. With that in mind, we figured it would be a good idea to make some hotel recommendations for our out of town guests.

          Covington is on the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain. So we’ll divide the recommendations depending if you want to stay on the north shore or the south shore. For any one unfamiliar with the Greater New Orleans area, getting between the two is easy thanks to the Causeway that spans across the lake.

First, we’ll cover some accommodations in the Covington area. Covington has the standard range of visitors’ hotels, but we thought it would be better to recommend some places for guests who prefer a quiet location, close to the boil.  

In Covington, one of the best B&Bs is Annadele's.  Annadele's is a lovely plantation home near Old Covington.  The grounds are charming and the rooms nice. Doug’s eldest daughter had her wedding at Annadele's.  The restaurant is also usually pretty good, and would be a nice place for breakfast if you stayed there.

Maison Reve Farm is another lovely B&B about twenty minutes north of Covington in Folsom.  It is quiet, tasteful, and out of the way while still being close to the boil and New Orleans.

Meanwhile on the south shore, New Orleans boasts a bevy of great places to stay. We recommend that visitors make their accommodations in the city as much of the trip to Covington is on the Causeway. And if you’re going to stay in New Orleans, you may as well stay in the French Quarter (especially if you’ve never been to New Orleans before). Staying in the Quarter is a unique experience and puts you right into the action.  Most of the city's tourist attractions are easily accessible and there’s always something going on nearby.

Cafe du Monde in the Quater: beignets are good any time of day. 

The Royal Sonesta Hotel is a good place to stay in the quarter.  It is right on Bourbon Street which is a plus in many ways, although you will find it to be bustling, especially in early March.

Jamie likes the W New Orleans - French Quarter hotel.  She and her husband have stayed there before and recommend it highly.  Its restaurant, Bacco, is good, and the hotel is in a quieter part of the Quarter down on Chartres Street, but still only a couple of blocks from Bourbon.

The Omni on St. Louis is also good place to stay, and a bit more luxurious.  You'll find rooms with a lovely view of the St. Louis Cathedral.

The JW Marriott is on Canal Street, and is very close to the Quarter.  Here you can be within easy walking distance of the Quarter without being surrounded by it.

For the wedding of Doug’s younger daughter the guests stayed at the Courtyard Marriott, down by the river walk.  It is not in the quarter, but still close to the action. 

King Cake Season!

            It’s king cake season! For the uninitiated the king cake is a pastry of extraordinary simplicity and deliciousness. King cake season only lasts a short time, but is impossible to celebrate Mardi Gras without at least one.  

Cake to celebrate these guys? Sure, why not? 

            Before we dive into the cake, let’s briefly explore its history. King cake season lasts from January 6 until Mardi Gras, which this year is February 17. Why January 6? January 6 is the Feast of the Epiphany, celebrating the visit of the Three Magi (or Kings) to the infant baby Jesus. The first king cakes emerged in France during the Medieval period as a way to celebrate this important moment in the Christian calendar. It soon became an important feature of Carnival (otherwise known as Mardi Gras). Carnival caught on in New Orleans thanks to the French who founded the city. Explorer Pierre Le Moyne d’Iberville, landed on the coast about sixty miles south of present day New Orleans on March 2, 1699—the day before Mardi Gras. The French colony and the holiday stuck. The king cake, however, did not take hold until the early 1870s. French immigrants brought their king cake recipes with them and in classic New Orleans fashion, a new tradition merged with the old to create something wonderful. It took until about 1950 for the king cake to become a popular staple of New Orleans cuisine. In the past decade or so, king cakes have really entered into their own. Popular interest in all things New Orleans grew after Hurricane Katrina and next day shipping have allowed king cakes to be shipped across the country-spreading their influence and deliciousness.

Is that the baby Jesus there?

             Now let’s talk about the cake itself. The king cake began as a dry French bread dough topped with sugar with a bean inside. Over the past several hundred years the king cake has evolved into a sweet cake covered with sugar and icing. The dough is now braided, stuffed with cinnamon, cream cheese, or other fillings. The process of filling king cakes began in the early 1980s. The cakes are circular and hollow in shape. The colors atop a king cake are the same as the ones of Mardi Gras—purple for justice, green for faith, and gold for power.  King cakes also feature a small plastic baby hidden somewhere in or underneath the cake. Tradition holds that the person who finds the baby is responsible for buying the next cake. Some claim that the baby represents the baby Jesus. A 1990 interview with the owner of McKenzie’s, however, sheds serious doubt on this claim. Donald Entringer Sr. claimed to the Times-Picayune that McKenzie’s was the first to put the baby into a king cake. Entringer claimed that “I've heard people say it's supposed to represent the Christ Child, but that's not true. Why we picked this, I don't know. It was cute. It was just a trinket that happened to be a baby.” Whatever the truth may be, watch out for the baby when you bite into your first slice of king cake.

The former King Cake Capital of NOLA 

             Unsurprisingly here at DGA, everyone has their own preferences for the best kind of king cake and where you should get it. Bill is a big fan of the king cakes from Butter Krisp Diner in Covington. His favorites are the strawberry cream cheese filled and any homemade king cake. Jamie and Benson both have a lasting affection for the king cakes once made by McKenzie’s. The Tastee Donut chain in and around New Orleans, however, purchased McKenzie’s old recipe and sells them at their stores. Jamie doesn’t like a whole lot of frosting. McKenzie’s consists of a simple brioche without cinnamon or filling. There’s only colored sugar topping the cake. McKenzie’s king cakes are stripped down to their roots, letting the dough and sugar shine. Matt prefers the Mandeville Bake Shop due its easy convience near his house, though the best one he’s ever had came from Randazzo’s. And finally Doug’s favorite king cake is whichever one appears at his house. 

Get Ready for the 2015 DGA Family and Friends Crawfish Boil!

The 8th annual DGA Family and Friends Crawfish Boil is right around the corner!

Saturday, March 14th

We had our boil at Winos and Tacos in Covington, Louisiana last year, and hands down it was our best crawfish boil ever.  We are headed back to Winos and Tacos for another awesome crawfish boil jam packed with some of the best food, music, and fun you will have all year!

The DGA crawfish boil has really taken off.  Every year the boil has been bigger, more exciting, and more fun than the year before.  The 2014 boil is going to be hard to top, but we are pulling out all of the stops to make our 8th crawfish boil the best one yet!  Formal invitations are going into the mail, so keep your eyes peeled and don't forget to wear your wristband.

If you are planning to come in from out of town, please let us know ahead of time and we will make sure to get you taken care of.  We can help you choose the right hotel, pick the best restaurants, and find the best places to visit before and after the boil to get the most out of your trip to the Big Easy.

We have invited Benny Turner and the Real Blues with Sam Joyner back to the crawfish boil.  Benny and his band played such a fantastic set last year that I knew right then we would have them back again.  I am eagerly anticipating the show, and we are having them play a longer set this year.

Davis Rogan remains a beloved fixture of the DAG crawfish boil and will be back this year.  We have all been really enjoying his new CD and I am very excited to hear it played live.

The third band in our 2015 lineup will be revealed shortly, so stay tuned for updates!

Saints Off Season Questions

          The Saints finished the 2014 season with a comeback victory over the Tampa Buccaneers 23-20.  They scored 16 points in the 4^th quarter against a hodgepodge of Buccaneer reserve players. The win dropped Tampa to 2-14 and guaranteed them the first pick in the 2015 draft. The Saints finished the season 7-9, a half game back of Carolina in the NFC South. Now that this disappointing season is over, it’s time to turn to the biggest issues facing the Saints this offseason.

1. Getting under the salary cap.

According to Spotrac, currently the Saints have $161 million in contracts on the books for 2015. They must cut approximately $22 million off that figure to get under the projected salary cap by the time the league year begins in March. The Saints biggest cap hits include:

Player	Cap Hit
Drew Brees	$26,400,000
Junior Galette	$15,450,000
Jimmy Graham	$11,000,000
Jahri Evans	$11,000,000
Jarius Byrd	$10, 300,000

Other players with significant cap figures include WR Marques Colston (9.7 million), G Ben Grubbs (9.6 million), LB Curtis Lofton (9 million) and DT Broderick Buckley (6.1 million). In order to get under the cap the Saints will renegotiate the contracts of players like Galette, turning some of their salary into signing bonuses so that they can spread the cap hit over multiple years. Releasing players like Colston, Lofton, and Buckley will free up about half that figure.

          But converting player salaries into signing bonuses is a double edged sword. It frees up money for the upcoming season, but strains the cap in future years. For example, taking Galette’s $12.5 million roster bonus and converting it into a signing bonus will lower his cap number this season. But it instead spreads the money onto the cap for the remainder of his contract. In order to pay for this year’s team, the Saints will be burdening themselves in future ones.

Will Rob Ryan be back? 

2. Rob Ryan and the Coaching Staff

          The Saints have already fired members of their coaching staff: tight end coach Terry Malone, wide receivers coach Henry Ellard, and assistant defensive backs coach Andre Curtis. Malone joined the coaching staff in 2006 and Ellard and Curtis were hired in 2012. But the biggest question remains the fate of defensive coordinator Rob Ryan.  As we’ve discussed previously, Ryan is the fourth defensive coordinator of the Sean Payton era. He oversaw a surprisingly competent defense in 2013 and a wildly disappointing one in 2014. If the Saints want to retain Ryan, they can claim that key injuries to players like Jarius Byrd and Rafael Bush undermined the defense. Sean Payton and Mickey Loomis also know that defense, unlike offense, varies wildly from year to year. So why change coordinators when the defense is likely to be better next year? (Especially since there’s no way they could be worse in 2015) The biggest argument against retaining Ryan is the defense’s overall regression. It is difficult to point to a part of the defense or even a single player that improved from 2013 to 2014.  For example, according to Football Outsiders, in 2013, the Saints pass rush sacked opposing quarterbacks on 8.6% of passing attempts, good for fourth in the NFL. In 2014, they produced 34 sacks for an adjusted sack rate of just 6.0%, ranking just 26^th.  So do the Saints give Ryan the opportunity in 2015 to turn things around or do they go shopping for a new defensive coordinator?

           

What does the Saints brain-trust have in mind this offseason? 

3. Free Agency and the Draft

          The Saints have a number of roster upgrades that they need to address through free agency and the draft. Due to their 7-9 record, the Saints will pick 13^th. This season they have their full complement of draft picks, although GM Mickey Loomis is unafraid to trade away picks to move up in the draft. These kinds of trades, historical analysis has shown, tend to do more harm than good, but that’s a subject for another post. Currently the Saints offseason needs include a second starting cornerback across from Keenan Lewis. Opposing offenses frequently exploited Patrick Robinson, Corey White, and the other defensive backs opposite of Lewis. A middle linebacker capable of covering running backs out of the backfield should help the Saints improve their last in the league ranking against passing catching running backs. Offensive line help will help offset declines from aging players like Ben Grubs, Jahri Evans, and Zack Strief. While Jimmy Graham and Brandin Cooks should be healthy next season, a possession receiver, ala Lance Moore, would provide Drew Brees another option in the passing game.

           The Saints have a tough salary cap situation, major questions on their defense, and significant holes to fill in their roster. Next season’s success or failure will ride on the decisions that the Saints management make over the next few months. 

Interstellar

            Christopher Nolan’s Interstellar is the movie equivalent of a chef armed with truffles, foie gras, and Waygu beef grinding it up into meatloaf. The film’s cast is impeccable, the practical effects stunning, and its underlying ideas about space and exploration universal. Yet the outcome is more pedestrian than revelatory. The film unravels because of an overcomplicated plot and underwhelming theme.

            Nolan, as he often does, has assembled a stellar cast. Matthew McConaughey continues his string of strong performances by playing against his hyper-masculine type. In Interstellar, he stars as Cooper, an astronaut-turned-farmer-turned-astronaut. Mackenzie Foy plays Murph, Cooper daughter, and their chemistry drives the emotional beats of the film. Nolan populates the film with actors far too qualified for their roles. Michael Caine’s NASA scientist instigates Cooper’s journey to the stars. Anne Hathaway’s Amelia, another scientist leads the NASA crew on the spaceship Endurance. Bill Irwin voices TARS, a multi-limbed robot, who helps and humors the crew during their journey to a black hole in orbit near Saturn. TARS’s relationship with Cooper is the most grounded and realistic in the entire movie. The rest of the cast includes Jessica Chastain, John Lithgow, Casey Affleck, William Devane, Ellen Burstyn, Wes Bentley, David Gyasi, Topher Grace (looking like he’s just happy to be there) and a surprise unbilled A-list actor.

            The visual effects of Interstellar are remarkable. Nolan mostly eschewed CGI in favor for practical models for his depiction of space travel. His attention to detail pays off in a number of visually striking scenes. Saturn’s rings glitter and as the Endurance approaches its date with an artificially created wormhole. The camera remains fixed as the Endurance glides through space, spinning on its axis. Never has space looked so majestic.  Nolan’s view of space is the opposite of Alfonso Cuarón in Gravity. Where Cuarón stressed the claustrophobic and deadly nature of outer space, Nolan revels in its splendor and beauty. In Gravity, death and emptiness lurked around every corner. Protective spacecraft could easily become a deadly projectile. In Interstellar space is the next stage for mankind’s achievement—challenging, but awe inspiring.

TARS, the best character in the movie. 

            Interstellar’s themes and plot unravel everything good about the film. It is clear that Nolan is an advocate for mankind’s continued exploration of space. Our future lies out there, the film constantly reminds us. To call his method of delivering this message heavy handed would be an understatement. In a terribly written scene, Cooper laments to his father-in-law (Lithgow) about mankind’s failure to continue its space endeavors. He laments, “We used to look up at the sky and wonder at our place in the stars, now we just look down and worry about our place in the dirt.” On a future version of Earth where ecological disaster has ruined the planet’s food supply, maybe that sentiment is understandable? Later when the film shifts to space the heavy handedness continues. With the Endurance only capable of visiting one of two planets capable of sustaining life, Hathaway’s Amelia opts for the one where her lover is. In defending her position, Amelia argues that “Love is the one thing that transcends time and space.” The power of love and importance of discovery are hardly unique or new themes.

            Further the overstuffed plot dooms these themes further. At two hours and forty nine minutes, the film radically shifts in plot making it seem like three or four movies crammed into one. Interstellar begins as a movie about an ecologically ravaged Earth, struggling for survival. With a radically reduced population mankind has become a people of Dust Bowl era farmers. With Cooper’s discovery of NASA, the film becomes about mankind’s potential salvation through a wormhole. A mission of survival soon yields to easily excised conspiracy thriller. Meanwhile back on Earth, Murph (Chastain), now fully grown, struggles to save humanity from her end. This divided focus drains the plot of momentum as it toggles back and forth between the ever changing Endurance mission and Murph’s efforts to solve the problem of extricating Earth’s population to safety. In the last act, Cooper joins the two plots together by journeying into the black and proving that love does in fact transcend time and space. Love transcends time and space? Fantastic. Glad a film studio spent 165 million dollars on that one.

            Due to his success with the Dark Knight trilogy and other films like Memento, Inception, and The Prestige Nolan had a rare opportunity in Hollywood, to make whatever movie he wanted. He put this freedom to work with dazzling visual effects and reminded us of the wonder and majesty of space.  He surrounded himself with a marvelous and overqualified cast. Instead of putting them to their best use, Nolan squandered them on a heavy handed, simplistic, and ultimately empty film. 

The Saints Woes Continue

            On Sunday, the Saints lost 41-10 to the Carolina Panthers. The Saints turned the ball over twice in the first quarter, leading to 10 Carolina points. The game also further highlighted the epic struggles of the Saints defense this season. They allowed 271 rushing yards. Carolina rushers ran the ball for forty times for an average of 6.8 yards per rush. Injured Panthers quarterback Cam Newton went 21-33 for 226 yards with 3 touchdown passes. He also contributed 83 yards on the ground in 12 carries and a rushing TD. The game was an embarrassing performance for a team that entered the season with Super Bowl aspirations.

The Aints are Back 

             We’ve previously chronicled the Saints offseason plan and their struggles earlier this season. As the season has progressed, the Saints defensive woes have increased. Indeed this season, they seem to have found different ways to lose. They lost close games to Atlanta, Detroit, San Francisco, and Cleveland with a combined point differential of -9. They’ve lost blow-outs to the Cowboys, Bengals and now Carolina with a combined point differential of -69. And they’ve also had some competitive wins over the Packers and Steelers. The continuing poor play of the defense has placed added stress on the offense. It seems every game the Saints need at least 30 points to have a chance of winning. As we’ve discussed earlier this year, the lack of a consistent deep threat has hindered the offense. Without the potential for big plays, the Saints lack the ability to rack up leads, create extra possessions, and put pressure on opponents.

Sean Payton yelling at defensive coordinator Rob Ryan, an all too familiar sight. 

              Apart from a few years of scattered success, the Saints have largely struggled on defense in the Sean Payton era. The coordinators under Payton and general manager Mickey Loomis have shared similar defensive philosophies—favoring blitz heavy schemes, designed to pressure opposing quarterbacks into committing turnovers. This defensive philosophy pairs well with the aggressive and pass heavy offenses favored by Payton and executed by quarterback Drew Brees.  The chart below highlights the Saints struggles on defense. (DVOA is explained here. In terms of defense, negative DVOAs are best.)

Year	Coordinator	DVOA (rank)	Pass DVOA (rank)	Run DVOA (rank)
2006	Gary Gibbs	4.2% (22)	6.1% (20)	2.0% (21)
2007	Gary Gibbs	12.1% (30)	27.9% (32)	-8.6% (11)
2008	Gary Gibbs	7.8% (26)	15.1% (23)	-0.4% (22)
2009	Gregg Williams	-0.4% (17)	-4.8% (9)	4.8% (29)
2010	Gregg Williams	-4.3% (10)	0.7% (10)	-9.5% (10)
2011	Gregg Williams	10.2% (28)	16.7% (26)	-0.2% (21)
2012	Steve Spagnuolo	14.8% (32)	20.8% (28)	7.1% (30)
2013	Rob Ryan	-5.8% (10)	-9.2% (6)	-1.5% (20)
2014	Rob Ryan	12.9% (31)	21.1% (27)	3.1% (29)

Since his hire in 2006, Payton has cycled through four defensive coordinators. His first, Garry Gibbs had coached the linebackers for the Dallas Cowboys while Payton worked as the offensive coordinator.  Gibbs had previously served as defensive coordinator at the University of Oklahoma under famed coach Barry Switzer. The job with the Saints represented his first time coordinating an NFL defense. After 2008, Payton shifted gears, hiring Gregg “If you cut off the head, the snake will die” Williams. Williams had extensive experience as a defensive coordinator and head coach. Throughout his career, he was known as an aggressive defensive coach, relying heavily on blitzes to generate pressure. Famed defensive coach Buddy Ryan (and father of current DC Rob Ryan) was one of his mentors. After the Bounty Gate scandal, Payton hired former Rams head coach and Giants defensive coordinator, Steve Spagnuolo. Like his predecessor, Spagnuolo was best known for his aggressive and blitz heavy packages. He earned his head coaching gig in St. Louis by designing a scheme that helped the Giants pressure Tom Brady and beat the undefeated Patriots in Super Bowl XLII. Payton fired Spagnuolo after one disastrous season at helm and replaced him with another veteran coordinator, Rob Ryan. Ryan, the son of one time Gregg Williams mentor Buddy Ryan, also favors a blitz heavy defense. Buoyed by a strong pass defense in 2013, the Saints posted their best DVOA of the Payton era. This year, the defense has again fallen apart. 

In examining the Panthers-Saints game, announcers and reporters will focus on particular plays and players to highlight the struggles of the Saints defense. Players come and go. In light of the Saints persistent defensive shortcomings, it’s time to take a closer look at Payton and Loomis, the men responsible for hiring the defensive coaches and drafting the defensive players. We’ll look at these issues more in depth in future posts. 

New Davis Rogan CD

          New Orleans musician and DGA favorite Davis Rogan has released a new CD titled, Davis Ex Machina. And if you take a close look at the credits you’ll find a familiar name: Doug Green. Doug served as an executive producer on the album. First a trial consultant, now a music producer, nobody knows what might be next.

Hey! I know that guy! 

           Doug earned himself an executive producer credit by donating to the project through kickstarter—the online fundraising site. Doug was one of one hundred and forty nine backers who supported Davis’s project. Combined they raised $20,225 to fund the album. Backers for the project came from across the United States and even the world. Residents of San Francisco, Chicago, Oxford, Mississippi, and Pittsburgh gave to the project. Internationally Davis received financial support from Sweden, Belgium, France, and Australia. His appeal is truly international in scope. Perhaps Davis’s appeal stems from his biography on the website, where he described himself as having “The wit, irony, and self-deprecation echo Randy Newman, but the wry observations about life, humanity, and New Orleans are uniquely his.”

The New Album 

Rogan himself describes Davis Ex Machina this way: “The songs, about a dozen of them, are also very clever… I will let my work to date, the three albums as the band All That and two as DAVIS, be a guidepost for what the new recording will sound like. If you like what I’ve done so far, you’re gonna love the new one.” The CD includes fourteen tracks. For the album, Davis rounded up his usual band of suspects. Bass player Jimbo Walsh has played with Davis since 2001. Charlie Kohlmeyer plays the drums, a job he has held since 2007. Mark Levron and Travis Blotsky the trumpeter and saxophonist, have been with the band for five and three years. They all work professionally as musicians.

Esplanade Studios in Treme 

The album was recorded at Esplanade Studios in New Orleans. The studio opened in 2013 in the Treme, the famed New Orleans neighborhood, and namesake of the HBO series. The studio is located in a 1920s church that encompasses 14,000 square feet. The church was heavily damaged in Hurricane Katrina and remained vacant since 2005. Inside the church is a large pipe organ, donated by robber baron and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie. The storm damaged the organ and efforts are underway to restore it to working condition. Misha Kachkachishvili, the owner of the studio, engineered, mixed, and mastered the album.  Apart from Davis, the studio also has an impressive list of clients including: Eric Clapton, Willie Nelson, Rebirth Brass Band, Harry Connick Jr., and Dr. John.

Also as a special bonus, Davis will be performing an original song titled, “Jury Consultant Blues.” He will premiere the song at the Crawfish Boil in March. This year’s boil will be held on March 14^th, at Winos and Tacos in Covington, Louisiana. If you would like to purchase the CD, it is available for sale at the Louisiana Music Factory online.