Mid City has been slowly coming back to life. One of the first restaurants to open on Carrollton was Fellini's. It was a welcome sight, the first time I saw it, and I've enjoyed many meals there in the last several months. But the one we've all been waiting for was the return of Juan's Flying Burrito! A week and a half ago, someone down the street at Parkview Tavern mentioned that Juan's had reopened! I had already eaten dinner that night, but I made certain that lunch the next day would be back in the old familiar digs I used to love so much.

One of the chefs at Juan's is an old friend of mine from college. I'd talked to him a few times since Katrina, and he kept promising that when Juan's reopened, it was going to be better than ever. I found that hard to believe, as it was already the best burrito joint in town. Much to my delight, when I walked in the door, I saw what he was talking about. Local artists have always displayed their art on Juan's walls, but now, the walls themselves are a work of art! Someone took a lot of time and loving effort to paint a kitschy border around the top of the wall, complete with two large Dia de los Muertos skulls on the front wall. The seating is much better than before, with all the booths on the inside wall, but now, amongst the smaller tables, there are two large round tables with lazy susans in the middle.

But enough about the decor. Let's talk about the food! The menu is the same as before, and the prices do not seem to have risen, which has been seen all over the rest of the city. And now there is a special board on the back wall with several new things I've never seen served at Juan's before. I ordered the pulled pork tacos with spicy slaw on top, and my dining companion ordered the shrimp and bacon quesadillas. Neither of us could stop raving about how absolutely delicious our meals were the entire time we were eating! It was only after I had ordered my tacos that I noticed the smoked salmon and bacon Juaha roll on the board. I asked my server about it, and she said it was done with capers, cream cheese -- the usual stuff that goes with smoked salmon. But bacon too?!?!? I am definitely getting that next time I go! Which no doubt will be very soon...

Everyone knows New Orleans is one of the most haunted cities in America. There are several companies that give Haunted Tours around town. I've never been on one personally, but I've absorbed plenty of tales and legends by living here all my life. I have heard enough stories from enough credible witnesses to have no doubt that there's something to all this haunting business. Recently though, it seems I may have a ghost of my own...

Several months ago, I took in a friend who's been homeless since Katrina. He's also one of the people I've heard the most compelling ghost stories from. Shortly after he moved in, weird things started happening. It began with a mysterious leak -- water pouring down from the bathroom into the laundry room below. A plumber was dispatched, and after a thorough inspection he diagnosed that there was nothing wrong and there was no reason for a leak. Next, some things went missing and some things turned up where they had no reason to be. A closed, unlocked door opened and shut immediately, somehow locking itself in the process. The night before last, there was the clear sound and feel of footsteps in my hallway.

My friend believes he's got a ghost that's been following him from apartment to apartment for years; he's even seen her. But another friend had a different theory. Katrina destroyed so many homes in the city leaving thousands of residents homeless. Wouldn't there be homeless ghosts too -- looking for a new place to haunt?

My friend Phil and I have a conundrum every Friday night. Where to eat? With all the restaurants in this town, you'd think it wouldn't be such a problem. But last Friday night, we found a restaurant to add to our list of regular places -- Zeke's on Metairie Road. It looks like your typical NOLA area family seafood restaurant, which is usually a good sign -- crowded but not packed, the din of clanking dishes and chattering customers, the aroma of fried seafood, a line of kids at the Claw Machine. You can usually count on a good meal at a place like that.

Phil was torn between the hamburger steak and the country-fried pork chop. He asked our friendly server Kristen which one she recommended, and she suggested the pork chop without hesitation. He was a little skeptical until it arrived at the table, at which point he was certain he'd made the right decision. It looked every bit as delicious as he said it was, with the mashed potatoes and white gravy complementing it perfectly.

When I go to a seafood restaurant though, I want seafood! I've been conducting a little research since Katrina -- the hunt for the best fried oyster po-boy in town. For some reason, it took the near destruction of my city to get me to start liking fried oyster po-boys. Previously, I'd been a shrimp girl. I've eaten them at probably a dozen places by now, but the one I had at Zeke's wins hands down! Technically, it was a half & half (oyster & shrimp), but that's beside the point. There were so many shrimp and oysters on my po-boy that they were continuously falling off the bread. Unlike some places that underfry their oysters, Zeke's does it just right. I don't know if it's something they put in the batter, the type of mayo they use, or the lemon and hot sauce I added, but the blend of flavors was absolutely perfect. I can't wait to go back for another one, and Phil keeps fondly reminiscing about his pork chop. We'll definitely be going back there soon. Thanks Zeke's!

Nestled away in the Bayou St. John area is Pal's Lounge. It's a neighborhood bar that also appeals to the Hipster crowd. It's been one of my favorite night spots for years now. The drinks are cheap, the atmosphere's comfortable, and the bartenders are very friendly (especially Laura who makes the best fruity shots!). The crowd varies depending on the time of night and what day of the week it is, but it's always a diverse and amiable mix.

On Thursday evenings, the lovely Courtney gives manicures at Pal's. They are inexpensive, but they are consummately professional. She's got a day job doing nails at a hoity toity spa on Magazine Street. In fact, I'm planning to pay Miss Courtney a visit tonight!

As if all those things aren't reason enough to visit Pal's, they have an air hockey table in the back! Those are pretty rare to find around town, and so much fun! And for the guys, the Men's Room walls are plastered in vintage Playboy centerfolds. See the above picture. So next time you're looking for something to do, check it out. It's like I've been saying for years, you always make pals at Pal's.

Family lore states that my grandfather cried twice a year -- once when creole tomato season began, and once when it ended. Maybe it's genetic, but I feel the same way. I just got my first box of Becnel's creole tomatoes at Dorignac's this weekend. Becnel's are always the best; maybe it's got something to do with that Belle Chasse soil they're grown in. Or maybe the Becnel family just has the magic touch.

There's something about a creole that just doesn't compare to other tomatoes. I've eaten fresh roma tomatoes in Italy, and even they couldn't hold a candle to creoles. The texture is different from other varieties -- grainer, but in a good way, meatier, and more tender. They aren't necessarily even very attractive. The tops usually split, they tend to grow in strange shapes, and the color will often be mottled with green (which I suppose doesn't sound all that unusual for something born and raised in these parts).

I didn't know if Katrina would affect the crops for this year, but my tastebuds will testify that they are as delicious and mouthwatering as ever. I've been eating them alone for at least one, if not two meals a day since Sunday. And I've got a spare box of tissues waiting in the wings come season's end.

New Orleans is known for its great restaurants -- it's really hard to find a bad one. Just about every kind of cuisine can be found here due to our diverse multi-cultural population. Even since Katrina, there have been many new places opening up to make up for the ones that didn't survive. However, one thing I've always felt the city lacked was a great, authentically Mexican restaurant. There are plenty that offer up what passes for Mexican fare, though the origins may be El Salvadoran, Cuban, Tex-Mex, or Cali-Mex. Nothing compares to a shrimp flauta from Taqueria Corona, and Juan's Flying Burrito serves the most delicious pork burritos I've ever eaten. Still, these places aren't technically Mexican.

Since Katrina, there's been an influx of Mexican migrants moving to town to help rebuild. I've noticed groceries and convenience stores have been carrying soft drinks imported from Mexico, as well as a wider variety of Mexican foods and snacks. What I'm wishing for now, is that some of our latest residents will open up an authentic Mexican restaurant. I've seen a couple of parked trucks selling tamales to workers, so I'm hoping that's a sign of things to come. I would expect it to go largely unadvertised, possibly a hole in the wall in a strip mall or something -- you know, like those places that are on every corner in Texas. If anyone knows of anything, I'd love to hear about it!

So I was watching that TV Show Bones a couple of weeks ago. The episode took place in New Orleans, where the main character, a forensic anthropologist, was spending her vacation time assisting at the St. Gabriel Morgue. You know, where all the bodies found after Katrina were sent. It was topical, and appropriate subject matter for the show, so I was pretty excited about it. However, as so many films and shows about New Orleans do, it ran through the whole book of clichés, trying to drop all the catch phrases and colloquialisms that Hollywood thinks we use here. The obvious one was the plot. Voodoo. Sure, it exists here. But not every person in the medical, criminological, and legal fields are either practitioners or extremely well-versed in it. And maybe I'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure that those old money folks living on St. Charles are not Voodoo priests!

Okay, plot problems aside, if the writers were going for some sort of realism, which seemed the case when they referenced the St. Gabriel Morgue, they got that wrong too. There was a Voodoo Shop where many scenes took place, that was said to be on Pontchartrain Avenue. First, it's Pontchartrain Boulevard, and there would never have been a Voodoo Shop in that neighborhood, which before Katrina was populated primarily by older, white Catholic people. Since Katrina, Pontchartrain Boulevard is a ghost town. I realize people who aren't from here wouldn't have any idea, but it just annoys me so much!

Perhaps the worst though, was when the prosecutor, a middle aged black woman who constantly called everyone 'cher,' walked into a restaurant and ordered. She called to the waiter, "Bring me a café and a beignet, cher," as she sat down at the table where the other main characters were waiting. No one ever orders "a café," and not one restaurant serves a singular beignet. Not to mention the fact that beignets aren't even served at normal restaurants! Café du Monde, Morning Call, and perhaps the occasional knock off! And 'cher' is reserved for old men out in real Cajun Country. In New Orleans, we don't have Georgia Accents, we don't all own pirogues, we never call our city The Big Easy, and we aren't all clichés! I wish someone out there would hire a New Orleanean script consultant, hint hint.

Mojo has tea with balls. That's what their slogan says. Before Katrina, Angee and Demian ran a computer repair shop out of their house. Fortunately, their place didn't suffer any flood damage, but while they were evacuated their house was looted. They didn't receive any FEMA assistance, and their insurance couldn't cover their losses, so they decided to start fresh.

The enterprising young couple have created a new face in a familiar old space. Mojo Coffee House is on the corner of Magazine St. and Race in the location of the original Rue de la Course. The first time I visited, Angee enthusiastically introduced me to Bubble Tea. For those who don't know about Bubble Tea, it's a fruity blend mixed with milk and ice then served over pea-sized tapioca balls. Angee soaks her tapioca balls in a secret mixture which makes them extra delicious. They serve a variety of flavors, but Angee and I agree, Avocado is the best! In addition to Bubble Tea, Mojo has a wide selection of specialty coffee drinks, teas, pastries and sandwiches. They make their iced coffee the right way – by brewing it cold – so it never develops that bitter taste that some chain coffee shops provide. And also, unlike some of those chains, Mojo's prices aren't going to break the bank.

The inside is warm and cozy with 10 or so tables, a friendly staff, and a jar of dog biscuits should you happen to bring a furry friend. There are several small tables outside on the sidewalk too. If it's a nice day, or if you're a smoker (no smoking inside), you can sit outside and people watch. Everyone knows, Magazine St. is one of the best spots for people watching in the city. So go and get some balls! Tapioca balls, that is. And tell Angee and Demian I sent you.