 | By ANNETTE SISCO | Staff writer |
Hello again, New Orleans food fans! This week, Ian McNulty takes us on a seaplane journey over the marsh to visit a pioneer in Louisiana’s changing oyster industry. Big food events are just around the corner, but dining out now will make a big difference at your favorite restaurants. Changes in the Mid-City food scene mean a donut shop will close its doors, while a coffee shop makes its return. Ralph Brennan Bakery now has a line of nine bread and pastry items packaged and distributed for the retail grocery shelf. It's time to vote for your favorite fried chicken in our latest reader poll. Finally, Liz Williams wants you to eat your veggies, and her hearty Lebanese salad recipe makes them hard to resist. 1. Oyster flight? The transport was a seaplane, and the destination was Grand Isle, where Little Moon Oyster Ranch is one of a rising number of small producers using modern “off-bottom” cultivation techniques for oysters. Ian McNulty has the story. 2. Your fork matters. In early September the hospitality business in New Orleans is slow as slow can be. Here’s something simple we can do to help, as often as we can muster, and that’s to be the cavalry. Go out and support right now. 3. Wait! There's more. In Mid-City, a beloved donut shop closes, and a coffee shop returns. Ralph Brennan Bakery, which supplies the company's restaurants, is rolling out a line of bread and pastry items for retail sale. And we're kicking off another entirely unscientific reader food poll: Vote here for your favorite fried chicken. 4. Veggie tales Pasta primavera and Lebanese salad are good ways to incorporate plenty of healthful, delicious vegetables into your meals. Here are Liz Williams' recipes. 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! | 
