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Some holiday happenings coming up at The Chloe:
Link Restaurant’s Group's Gianna Restaurant will offer the traditional Italian-American Christmas Eve dinner, known as the “Feast of the Seven Fishes,” for two nights only in December: Wed Dec. 11 and Wed Dec. 18. Feast of the Seven Fishes is available as a four-course communal, family-style meal with wine pairings.
The menu begins with a first course of clam toast with marinated cherry tomatoes and sourdough as well as tuna carpaccio with Meyer lemon, capers and shallot. The second course is cioppino with swordfish, mussels, shrimp and puccia bread. The third course includes a whole roasted Gulf fish with spaghetti, anchovy, and breadcrumb with grilled broccolini and Parmesan. The dessert by Link Restaurant Group Executive Chef Maggie Scales is tiramisu with chestnut and amarena cherries. Each course is paired with featured table wines to complement the menu. Feast of the Seven Fishes stems from the Catholic tradition of abstinence, whereby Catholics would refrain from eating meat the night before Christmas Day. In exchange, they would honor the occasion without breaking tradition by feasting on fish instead. A limited number of tickets will be available for $130 per person, plus tax and gratuity. For more information, please visit https://giannarestaurant.com. Toups Family Meal (TFM), Chef Isaac and Amanda Toups’ 501c3 non-profit dedicated to eradicating food insecurity in New Orleans, is proudly hosting its second annual Christmas Dinner Drive on Saturday, December 21st. Delivering free Christmas Dinner meal boxes to 2,000 New Orleanians, Isaac, Amanda and their team of volunteers are working hard to ensure a warm and joyful holiday season for those who need it most.
That Saturday, from 2 PM - 5 PM, volunteer delivery drivers will drive across New Orleans to deliver box meals containing all the fixings for a festive Christmas feast: A whole chicken, along with classic sides like collard greens, sweet potatoes, cornbread, and pie for dessert. While this is the second drive for the non-profit, it will be the first time that the meals are delivered directly to those in need. Isaac and Amanda are seeking funds to continue their wonderful efforts and supply even more families with meals. To support this heartfelt initiative, donate by clicking here. To register as a volunteer driver, click here. Follow Toups Family Meal on social media @toupsfamilymeal WHEN/WHERE: The Toups Family Meal Christmas Dinner Drive will begin at the TFM distribution facility, located at 845 North Carrollton Avenue in New Orleans. The drivers will depart on Saturday, December 21st at 2 PM and distribute throughout the city until 5 PM. What's on at NOMA in the upcoming weeks:
Wednesday, December 11, 12:30 pm: Gallery Talk with Curator Brian Piper Timed with the annual PhotoNOLA festival, Freeman Family Curator of Photographs, Prints, and Drawings Brian Piper leads a discussion about the exhibition Show & Tell: A Brief History of Photography and Text. Drawn from NOMA’s permanent collection, the exhibition explores the intersection between photography and written language, from photography’s invention to the present day. Free with museum admission. Louisiana residents receive free admission on Wednesdays courtesy of The Helis Foundation’s Art for All initiative. https://noma.org/event/gallery-121124/ Wednesday, December 11, 6:30 pm: Ideas in Glass with Artists Gene Koss and Deborah Czeresko In celebration of the exhibition Sand, Ash, Heat: Glass at the New Orleans Museum of Art, the museum is hosting studio glass artists Gene Koss and Deborah Czeresko in conversation with exhibition curator Mel Buchanan in NOMA’s Lapis Center for the Arts. Gene Koss founded the glass art program at Tulane University nearly fifty years ago and served as its head until his 2024 retirement. A graduate of Tulane’s glass program under Koss, Czeresko brought her artistic voice in glass to a wider audience as the winner of the inaugural season of Netflix’s Blown Away in 2019. Free with museum admission. Louisiana residents receive free admission on Wednesdays courtesy of The Helis Foundation’s Art for All initiative. https://noma.org/event/glass-panel-koss-and-czeresko/ Wednesday, December 18, 12:30 pm: Gallery Talk on Conservation Ingrid Seyb, NOMA’s Conservator of Objects, leads a conversation about works in the exhibition Sand, Ash, Heat: Glass at the New Orleans Museum of Art, which presents nearly 300 objects representing over 4,000 years of world history through the medium of glass. Free with museum admission. Louisiana residents receive free admission on Wednesdays courtesy of The Helis Foundation’s Art for All initiative. https://noma.org/event/gallery-talk-121824/ Wednesday, December 18, 6 pm: Elders Sacred Talk Series Each program in the Elders Sacred Talk Series, produced in partnership with the Congo Square Preservation Society, spotlights prolific elder New Orleanians, celebrating the lives they lead while providing the opportunity for visitors to learn firsthand about the impact they’ve had on our city. The series is part of NOMA’s Art Thrives initiative, which presents creative aging programs to support visitors ages 55 and up, including art-making workshops and platforms for older adults to share their experiences with audiences of all ages. Free with museum admission. Louisiana residents receive free admission on Wednesdays courtesy of The Helis Foundation’s Art for All initiative. https://noma.org/event/elders-sacred-talk-series-121824/  Gnome alone: Elf, The Broadway Musical
Review by Dorian Hatchett New Orleans loves Christmas. Any holiday that comes with an excuse to add glitter to anything really speaks to us. We are the rhinestone-bedecked drag queen of American cities, and so it is no surprise that a musical whose primary message is that the christmas spirit can be found in the shimmering refraction of tinsel and lights would be well received. Elf: The Broadway Musical at the Sanger is a saccharine, sparkling package wrapped in the exact right amount of ribbons and bows for our addiction to anything extra. I enlisted the aid of my eleven year old to add a youth perspective, and while he insisted that he would “literally die” if I tried to quantify the show’s relative level of “rizz” in a published review, all potential parental embarrassment was immediately forgotten as we approached the theatre entrance. Giant snow machines making soap bubble flakes transformed the marquis into a magical wonderland and turned every person in line into a kid anticipating an epic winter adventure. It doesn’t snow in New Orleans (3 times in my entire life, to be precise, and never enough to stick) but the Saenger Theatre would not be deterred, and even an avowed Christmas-hater like myself was melted a little bit by the kids and adults twirling around in the fluffy white flurries pouring onto the brick pavers. Director Sam Scalamoni brings us a feel-good story based on the 2003 Movie that’s appropriate for kids and adults alike. The cast is a mix of seasoned actors and relative newcomers who play their parts with sincerity and delight. Special mention must be made of New Orleans’ own Tyler Price Robinson (Store manager, Mr. Greenway) who absolutely lights up the stage with his presence, chewing up scenery along the way. Broadway traveling shows are known for bringing a high level of technical production value and Elf is no different. Layers of curtains and backdrops move the action like the page turns of the story book that Santa is reading, and the musical numbers are tight and polished. In particular both the kid and I agreed that the Nobody Cares about Santa scene was our favorite, with choreography and lighting equal or better to any scene we’ve seen on Broadway. A grip of department store Santas and bell ringers eat late night dinner at a Chinatown restaurant and bemoan the lack of Christmas spirit in the city that never sleeps, while cabaret lighting and classic chair dance moves create a vibe that feels very reminiscent of Cell Block Tango. Physical comedy, a few belting voices singing ballads, and costumes as bright and colorful as a dish of ribbon candy really complete the chemis-tree equation for a holiday show that sleighs. Elf: The Broadway Musical runs at The Saenger Theatre through December 8th.  The Peacock Room is thrilled to host a special event on Thursday, December 5, celebrating the end of Prohibition and the arrival of the Roaring Twenties. Headlining the evening will be the soulful R&B duo Da Lovebirds, along with an extraordinary guest performer — Anaïs St. John.
Da Lovebirds, the husband-and-wife duo of Robin Barnes and Pat Casey, bring a sultry, intimate vibe that will marry well with the music of the Roaring 20s, as will Anaïs' jazz-infused stylings. It’s a celebration perfectly suited for the Peacock Room. The cocktail bar will also serve dishes from Half Dozen Oysters on Ice to the Peacock Smash Burger. Cocktails include the Jade Dragon and Another Place and Time with a slightly smoky scotch with nutty notes and rounded out with the sweetness of sherry. Peacock Room also offers unique holiday cocktails through New Year’s Eve. These include the Helekalikimaka, made with rum, apricot, yuzu curacao, spiced oolong orgeat, and lime. The Glitter End served in an ornament, features Bacardi Ocho, Tattersall Apple Pommeau, spiced cranberry, lemon, and glitter, of course, Deck the Halls, made with vodka, amaretto, creme de cacao, cream, and sprinkles. Reservations are recommended and can be made online at peacockroomnola.com. WHEN: Thursday, December 5, 2024 | 8 - 10 p.m. WHERE: Peacock Room | Kimpton Hotel Fontenot  Four Seasons Hotel New Orleans has announced the debut of its inaugural Spirited Tea at the Chandelier Bar. Combining festive flavors with a lively atmosphere, this unique tea-inspired cocktail and dining experience offers a fresh twist on the traditional afternoon tea.
With Chandelier Bar as the shimmering backdrop, the Spirited Tea provides guests with an unforgettable afternoon of sipping and socializing. Chandelier Bar’s resident DJ will provide the soundtrack, creating an upbeat vibe while guests enjoy a modern, tea-inspired menu of sweet and savory bites, including a Mini Crab Roll, Baba au Rhum with Black Tea Syrup, Gougère with Raclette Fondue, Spicy Tuna Puri, Potato Pave with Beef Tartare, and Baklava Stuffed Dates. Included in the experience, guests will also choose one cocktail from a curated list of tea-infused cocktails, including:
 Patrick Barlow, writer of the Broadway and West End hit The 39 Steps, has retold Charles Dickens’ holiday classic, A Christmas Carol. This thrilling adaptation uses only five actors to bring some of Dickens' most beloved characters to life. From Scrooge and Tiny Tim to Bob Cratchit and Mr. Fezziwig, Barlow's A Christmas Carol uses nothing more than some simple props, fresh physicality, and the power of imagination to convey this timeless story of redemption. Witness Ebenezer Scrooge's transformation from a stingy miser to a man who generously celebrates the spirit of the season all year long, in this highly theatrical adaptation.
A Christmas Carol can be seen in a limited run from December 4th to 15th at the Loyola Marquette Theater. Evening performances are at 7:30 pm with Sunday matinees at 2:30 pm. Tickets are on sale now - click here  Glad all over: Gladiator II
Review by Jeff DeRouen The first Gladiator is not even close to my favorite Ridley Scott movie (that honor belongs to Thelma & Louise), but the Best Picture Oscar-winning sword and sandal epic is universally adored, and I certainly acknowledge that it’s a whole lot of fun to watch. And it’s that fun that Scott and company are after with Gladiator II, no doubt giving Paramount a blueprint for what future sequels (or series, or cartoons, or aerial drone shows they can “evolve” the property into) will look like. I’d give you a full rundown of the plot, but it basically follows the original in that we have the rightful heir to the throne fighting their way to freedom in the coliseum while being nursed by Connie Nielsen. The “fighting their way to freedom” part provides the spectacle that a seasoned pro like Ridley Scott can do in his sleep. Aside from an overreliance on CGI creatures (this movie could have been called, Gladiator II: F**k Animals), the battle sequences are big, loud, vicious, and very, very bloody – exactly what we want to see on the big screen. Even the over the top and ridiculous “battle at sea in the coliseum with SHARKS” sequence is pretty darn thrilling, because Ridley Scott knows how to do his job. The movie, though, plays it too safe in trying to be a direct sequel and makes the obvious choice of following the “son of Gladiator” and not giving the movie to Macrinos, played by Denzel Washington. Macrinos is calculating, manipulative, power-hungry, FUNNY, and absolutely the best thing in this movie. Denzel is having so much fun and is so masterful here, I wanted to follow HIM as our protagonist; “spawn of Crowe’s” storyline just isn’t as interesting and feels wholly underwritten. The movie belongs to Washington anyway, so why not have given him the whole thing from the beginning? If fun is what you’re after, then Gladiator II is a solid pick. Yeah, it ultimately suffers from being an unnecessary follow-up, but you get a fine cinematic meal from one of our great storytellers who always delivers a great night at the movies. Gris-Gris and Saint John restaurants are excited to announce their annual Mangé Loa Holiday Menus – available December 1–24 at both restaurants (dinner service only). Mangé Loa – meaning ‘the feeding of the Gods’ – is a Haitian Voodoo ceremony and large annual feasting of the gods (‘loa’) featuring a variety of animal offerings, drinks, desserts and more. This holiday menu aims to encompass the many different cultures that shape our local cuisine as we welcome friends and family for the holidays.
Saint John Price: $75++ (Optional wine pairings + $35) Reservations: Book online via Resy or call the restaurant at (504) 381-0385. Menu:
Price: : $75++ (Optional wine pairings + $35) Reservations: Book online via Resy or call the restaurant at (504) 272-0241. Menu:
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