 | By ANNETTE SISCO | Staff writer |
Happy Jazz Fest, New Orleans food fans! This week, we have your guide to classic dishes at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, which starts Thursday. Find out which beloved vendors will be back at the Fair Grounds after missing the fest last year. Ian McNulty rounds up new additions to the festival menu, and explains what it takes to be a successful vendor at the massive, eight-day event. After 168,000 votes in our poll, New Orleans chooses its favorite crawfish. Finally, Liz Williams lays out a delicious spring dinner of shepherd's pie, roasted cauliflower and lemon blueberry cake. 1. Best of the fest. This year, more than 60 vendors provide the food at Jazz Fest. And especially if it's your first time out, veterans like Ian McNulty will tell you it helps to have a plan for what to eat. 2. Encore! Some favorite dishes that have long been part of the Jazz Fest experience were missing in the past few years. Now, they, and their vendors, are back. 3. Wait! There's more. Food at Jazz Fest doesn't change much year to year, and festgoers like it that way. But there are a few new dishes to try in 2024. Ian McNulty went behind the scenes to learn about the months of preparation required to be a successful vendor. And our readers narrowed down 32 restaurants to choose the crawfish they liked best. 4. Seasonal flavors. Spring is a time to try new recipes. Liz Williams with the Southern Food and Beverage Museum is here to inspire us with her shepherd's pie, roasted cauliflower and scrumptious lemon blueberry cake. In New Orleans, the food news never stops. Keep up with all the inside info at Where NOLA Eats. P.S.: Want to support local journalism that matters? Subscribe here. It's our best deal! | 
