New Orleans’s First Pickleball Venue Will Include Restaurant and Bar

Interesting news in today’s Times-Picayune/New Orleans Advocate: A forthcoming pickleball facility, the first dedicated to the popular sport in New Orleans, will include a restaurant and bar in addition to indoor and outdoor courts. Construction is underway for the Exchange Pickleball and Bar, the newspaper reports, taking over a vacant 20,000 square-foot warehouse across in the LGD, at 2120 Rousseau Street, across the street from the Tchoupitoulas Street Walmart.

It’s from a group of at least six investors including Renee Melchiode, who calls it an “economic driver” for the area (given its proximity to the Convention Center, it will likely be a popular destination for corporate events and conference offsites). While the newspaper reports that Melchiode and her partners will bring in a restaurant group to operate the food and beverage venue, a note on the website directs people to a calendar that will eventually list the venue’s “food truck lineup, live music, and more.” The Exchange Picklebar and Bar is expected to open in mid-2023.

Pythian Market vendors await lease negotiations following eviction

The nine to ten food and drink vendors occupying the recently-evicted food hall Pythian Market continue to face uncertainty past the next few weeks, after stalled lease negotiations with the building’s landlord. While a settlement between the landlord and the food hall’s operator has allowed the vendors to continue operating there through the month of December, according to NOLA.com, the building’s landlord has not begun lease negotiations with vendors in order to keep the food hall operating past then. An executive for ERG Enterprises, which evicted Pythian Market due to $2.5 million on back rent, says it is still “working through the transition.”

A longtime music venue celebrates return

Beloved Mid City music venue Chickie Wah Wah celebrated its reopening this week after an uncertain few years that included the death of original owner Dale Triguero in 2021 and a short-lived stint under a new proprietor. Now the quirky neighborhood dive is operating under new owners, a group of local music industry backers including folks responsible for the return of the Civic Theater. Since closing early this summer, the group has done a number of improvements to the club, including upgrading the sound and light systems. See Chickie Wah Wah’s upcoming calendar here.

Plans revealed for Andrea’s next chapter

Chef Andrea Apuzzo sold his standby Italian restaurant, Andrea’s, to new owners this summer after 37 years as a staple of family-friendly fine-dining for Metairie. Now NOLA.com has details on the forthcoming restaurant to replace it. Called Marullo’s Italian Cuisine, it will have a multifaceted approach, adding a more modern, upscale dining room; a casual, daytime dining room; an entertainment lounge, private dining, and ballroom spaces; and a dessert parlor. It’s expected to open in June at 3100 19th Street.