Tito’s Ceviche and Pisco Brings Bright Colors, Fresh Flavors to St. Charles Avenue

A bright spot in New Orleans dining has expanded with a second location in the LGD, bringing ceviche, tiraditos, and a wide range of pisco to a stretch of St. Charles Avenue in need of a culinary refresh. Tito’s Ceviche and Pisco, originally opened on Magazine Street in 2017, now has a restaurant at 1433 St. Charles Avenue. Juan and Tatiana Lock run the restaurants, with Juan heading up the kitchen (chef Nanyo Dominguez Cervantes, who opened Besame last year, was the original head chef on Magazine Street).

The new Tito’s opened in the former St. Charles Tavern location, the 100-year-old greasy spoon that sadly closed during the pandemic. It’s an exciting revamp, however, for the corner space, which is now outfitted with a bright mural showing images from New Orleans and the Locks’ native Peru. For now, Tito’s on St. Charles is open for dinner every day but Sunday, but will add lunch and brunch down the line.

Fall festival season continues with Fried Chicken Festival

At least 30 vendors including Heard Dat Kitchen, Alma Cafe, and Em Trai Sandwich Co. will gather on Lakeshore Drive for the fifth annual Fried Chicken Festival this weekend, one of New Orleans’s top festivals of the fall season. The fest kicks off at 11 a.m. on Saturday, October 1 and Sunday, October 2 with live music lined up all day long across two stages. Tickets are $15 for per day or $20 for the full weekend.

Ole’ Orleans Wines reopens tasting room on Saturday, October 1

Ole’ Orleans Wines, Louisiana’s only Black-owned winery founded by Kim Lewis in 2018, reopens a tasting room this Saturday, October 1 for the first time since the pandemic initially shut it down. 45-minute tasting tours kick off this weekend at the new tasting room location at 579 Brooklyn Avenue on Saturday followed by a meet and greet with Lewis on Sunday, October 2, from noon to 3 p.m.

Crescent City Blues and BBQ Festival returns for the first time since 2019

The 15th edition of the delightful Crescent City Blues and BBQ Festival returns to Lafayette Square Park (602 St. Charles Avenue) in mid-October, complete with two stages, a huge number of barbecue vendors, and a local arts market. The free festival, last held in 2019, kicks off at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, October 14; and at noon Saturday, October 15, and Sunday, October 16.