Musical Theater. It is the absolute best. They take a story and tell it through song, and it goes from good to great. I think it is because songs tap into a deep emotional side of us. Add in some drama and dance and you are good to go.
Last night, I went to see Theatre Baton Rouge’s production of Disney’s Newsies. I had never seen Newsies before, neither on stage or the film. I know – I’m behind the times. It was excellent, like every musical I’ve seen at TBR is. There is something extra special about community theatre. Seeing all that amazing talent and knowing that these are the kids, doctors, teachers, etc. who reside and work right here in Baton Rouge.
The singing, dancing, acting, and production were all great. It is an inspirational tale of the Newsboys strike of 1899. If you haven’t seen it yet, they added two dates next week that still have tickets. I guess I need to get around to watching the movie now.
District Donuts/Sliders/Brews is a New Orleans restaurant, but we have a location here in Baton Rouge. It is a fun little place to visit. They make all of their delicious food from scratch.
They offer different donut options each week, along with a couple staples. The donuts are large and cake-style donuts. The cinnamon sugar donut pictured below is always available. It reminds me of a churro. On my most recent visit, I got this smores donut. It was topped with a giant homemade marshmallow and was also stuffed with marshmallow filling. Yum!
On my most recent trip, I sampled a few of the tasty sliders. I had one each of the cheeseburger slider, pork belly slider, and roast beef slider. Each one is topped with some unique and tasty toppings. I could barely finish them, though, after finishing off that donut as an appetizer! As for the brews, I am not a coffee drinker, so I cannot comment on them. I’m sure they are delicious for coffee lovers. I did notice that they make their own sodas though, which is pretty interesting. I’ll have to try root beer or creme soda next time I visit. If you’re in New Orleans, I recommend stopping by one of their locations. The flagship is on Magazine Street. These pictures are from the Baton Rouge location. There is now a location in Las Vegas also!
Snowballs. The quintessential New Orleans summertime treat. If you are from somewhere else in the country and think that a snow cone or shave ice is the same thing as a snowball, you are sadly mistaken. Snowball ice is fine, fluffy, delicious and uniquely New Orleans. My absolute favorite snowball flavor is nectar or nectar cream. I don’t know what is in it, but it is delicious. My second go-to is an ice cream or ice cream cream flavored snowball. The cream flavors are the best because they are extra creamy!
I’ve always wanted to work my way through every snowball flavor on the list at my local snowball stand, but I don’t go often enough and can’t resist falling back on my favorite flavors. Maybe one day I will get around to it. Last month, I did decide, however, to try a few different specialty snowballs to see what the fuss was about. You can get snowballs with toppings or stuffed with ice cream or cheesecake. The closest stand to my house in Baton Rouge is Snoman Snowballs. It is the blue building pictured above with my favorite flavors. I recently tried one of their unique flavors, Snoman’s cream, and added sprinkles on top! The flavor was sweet, similar to wedding cake. The sprinkles were a fun touch. Next time, I may try gummy bears.
Another snowball stand that I frequent is Cool Tiger Ice Snowballs in Baton Rouge. They are open year-round as long as the weather is above 70 degrees. They have a drive thru line, although it can get long at popular times. If you follow them on Facebook, you will see some of the specials and unique things they offer. I’ve had a snowball in a pineapple, which is a decadent treat. I also recently had a pineapple upside down cake snowball, which was drizzled with a homemade sauce and fresh pineapple. I also tried my first cheesecake stuffed snowball from Cool Tiger Ice. They use a special homemade cheesecake, and it was very good. When looking for a cheap and tasty treat to cool off during the hot Louisiana days, however, nothing beats a plain old nectar snowball. If you are visiting south Louisiana, you have got to try one!
The Camellia Grill is an iconic diner located in uptown New Orleans. It has been opened since 1946. It was closed for a few years after Katrina, but is now back in action. Classic and tasty diner food is served, while patrons are seated around the counter. The food is prepared right there behind the counter. Seating is limited, so sometimes a line can form, although we walked right up on our recent visit.
It is a great place for an affordable meal. I attended college just down the street. It is unpretentious and full of friendly employees. From morning until night, one can order pancakes, omelettes, burgers, sandwiches, dessert, and more. My daughter gave the delicious pancakes and the red beans and rice a big thumbs up! If you find yourself in uptown New Orleans looking for a tasty and affordable meal, I recommend a visit to the Camellia Grill!
Looking on the Bright Side 