You say that quaint cottage in Maine or cabin in the Smoky mountains isn\u2019t lined up for the family this summer? Seems like what\u2019s ahead for you and yours is the summer swamp, humid heat that New Orleanians have long survived like a badge of honor. All kinds of creative tactics come to bear (or is that bare?) as locals dress and cook minimally once the temperatures start to rise.<\/p>\n
The smartest amongst the sweltering know that shade-seeking outside and refusing-to-turn-the-oven-on inside are two surefire ways to beat the heat. But a body has to eat\u2026and drink. So, consider these frosty beverages, frozen treats and chill savory bites as the first offensive against what is as sure as death and taxes \u2013 hot as blazes summertime in New Orleans.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n 4924 Prytania St., 504-894-8680; 2565 Metairie Road, 504-354-8069; 6260 Vicksburg St., 504-482-2924; Creolecreamery.com<\/a>.<\/i><\/p>\n With three locations and 18 classic flavors (think cookies & cream, Creole cream cheese, lavender honey and peanut butter fudge pie), plus an ever-changing seasonal menu of frosty ice cream, sorbet and dairy-free sorbet favorites, Creole Creamery is a favorite go-to spot for delicious dessert treats. Recent Instagram (@Creolecreamery<\/a>) posts featured the \u201cPaloma sorbet,\u201d a dairy-free\/vegan combo of pink grapefruit, lime, tequila and sea salt in celebration of Cinco de Mayo, and a Jazz Fest celebration special of \u201cBlack & Gold Crunch,\u201d double-vanilla ice cream with chicory root, crushed Oreos and chocolate chips. Yes, please! But wait, there\u2019s more. Try adding a little espresso in the mix for a true pick-me-up. The frozen cappuccino (made with Caf\u00e9 au Lait ice cream and double espresso) or the \u201cSignature Affogato Sundaes,\u201d with options like S\u2019mores (graham crackers, chocolate ice cream, espresso, marshmallow sauce and topped with chocolate chips) and the Cracker Jack (salted caramel ice cream, espresso, topped with caramel popcorn, whipped cream and peanuts) are two of our favorites.<\/p>\n 504-496-8181, Rahmhausicecream.com<\/i><\/a>, @Rahmhouse_icecream<\/a><\/p>\n Rahm Haus is the punk rock of ice cream. The way Jillian Duran sees it, mint chocolate chip is fine for some, bless their hearts. But when she founded Rahm Haus mid-pandemic, the idea was to bring ingredients together that would give customers that mosh pit flavor experience in every bite. The \u201cLook at this F\u2019n Street\u201d is a case in point. Named in homage to the Insta account of the same name, this is Duran\u2019s version of the rockiest of New Orleans roads. Think dark chocolate creole cream cheese ice cream, studded with cayenne candied pecans and charcoal coconut marshmallows, all encased in a crunchy dark chocolate shell punctuated with black cocoa pieces. \u201cThe idea was to make it look like a pile of dirt and rubble,\u201d she said with a laugh.<\/p>\n Rahm Haus, which translates to \u201ccream house\u201d in German, scoops at Courtyard Brewery, 1160 Camp St., Fridays 4-10 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday noon to 10 p.m. Restaurants in the know offer scoops as well, like Blue Giant and MoPho. Every Friday at 9 p.m., Duran releases the coming week\u2019s nine flavors on Instagram and the website. She\u2019s gotten so busy that online orders of custom ice cream cakes are no longer in the mix, but there are always options like her cloud cakes \u2013 a semi freddo cake with a ganache caramel center sprayed with a coca butter shell or the baked Alaska cake slathered with meringue or whipped cream.<\/p>\n Duran, a New York native, trained as a pastry chef before moving to New Orleans in 2015. She was working pastry at Maypop when the pandemic shut things down. After chef Michael Gulotta gave her free use of the kitchen and promised to buy her ice cream, she used her unemployment money to start Rahm Haus, eventually moving to Courtyard Brewery\u2019s larger space.<\/p>\n \u201cCookie Monster\u201d is her number one seller, a tricked-out cookies and cream with homemade chocolate chip cookies and Oreos in an all-natural blue vanilla base. Her personal favorite is \u201cBlack and Gold,\u201d a local honey and black garlic ice cream, with salted dark chocolate honeycomb pieces. \u201cI like to mix the sweet and the savory. You\u2019d be surprised at the combinations that work.<\/p>\n 800 Louisa St., 504-381-5877, @Eatalmanola<\/a>, Eatalmanola.com<\/a>.<\/i><\/p>\n Alma chef Melissa Araujo shrugs when folks complain about the New Orleans heat. \u201cWhere I was born in Honduras, in La Ceiba on the coast, it\u2019s the same,\u201d she said. There, locals deal with the 90-degree head drenched 90 percent humidity climate one important way. They drink agua frescas. Araujo, who was born in Honduras and raised in New Orleans, opened Alma in Bywater on October 2, 2020, five years after launching the concept as a food pop-up that paid homage to her grandmother\u2019s kitchen.<\/p>\n Alma\u2019s modern Honduran cuisine reveals the complexity of the chef\u2019s culinary heritage, which ranges from Spanish influences as well as dishes from the Garifuna, descendants of an Afro-indigenous population from the Caribbean Island of St Vincent who were exiled to the Honduran coast in the eighteenth century. Filipino, Mexican and Colombian influences also present.<\/p>\n From day one, agua frescas were on the menu.<\/p>\n \u201cI grew up drinking them and they are sold on the streets everywhere,\u201d she said. The ultimate hydration vehicle, agua frescas are made with fresh fruit and cold water. \u201cWe clean the fruit then blend it and add a little sugar. It really just adds fresh flavor to water and makes you drink more.\u201d Unlike smoothies, which can be thick and rich, agua frescas are light and refreshing.<\/p>\n The flavors change with the season, and might include watermelon, tamarind, horchata (a white rice-based sipper) and pineapple. And yes indeed, they pair well with spirits. Ask for a frozen pina colada, which is made from rum-infused pineapple agua fresca and coconut milk. \u201cSome customers just order them, and then get a shot of their favorite alcohol on the side. That works.\u201d<\/p>\n 4205 Burgundy St., @Chanceinhell_snoballs<\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The devilishly named Chance in Hell Snoballs is another neighborhood phenom, this one at 4205 Burgundy at France in Bywater. Kitten LaRue and Lou Henry Hoover started the front porch pandemic project when their neo-burlesque act was shuttered by COVID. It\u2019s a runaway success with flavors like dragonfruit lime, mango tamarind chili and thin mint, with or without booze. Follow them on Instagram to know when to line up.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n 4801 Tchoupitoulas St., 504-891-9788, @Snobliz<\/a>.<\/p>\n There\u2019s no sno-ball like The ORIGINAL Hansen\u2019s Sno-Bliz Uptown. It was Ernest and Mary Hansen who pioneered the treat with Ernest\u2019s patented Sno-Bliz ice machine back in 1939. Mary dreamed up endless flavors made from simple syrups, fruit, and condensed milk or whipped cream. Now in the hands of granddaughter Ashley, the stand is a hallmark of imaginative combinations and superior quality perfected by three generations. The sno-balls at Hansen\u2019s drip with handmade syrups in such flavors as ginger and cardamom or the popular \u201cBrown Pelican,\u201d a cream of root beer that will chill you to the bone. The James Beard Foundation named Hansen\u2019s an America\u2019s Classic in 2014.<\/p>\n 3300 Royal St., 504-233-9905, @Bigopops<\/a>, Bigopops.com<\/a>.<\/i><\/p>\n Wander around the Marigny\/St. Roch neighborhood and follow the popsicle doorbell signs like breadcrumbs to 1201 St. Roch, home to Jesse Reilly, creator of Big O\u2019s Original Pops. Reilly, a former advertising exec who wanted to spend more time with his kiddos, usually pedals his tasty treats around town on his tricycle outfitted with a cooler, stopping at places like Crescent Park and on Frenchmen Street. He also sells his pops, in flavors like \u201cwatermelon basil lemonade\u201d and \u201ccookies and cream,\u201d at Beanlandia, HQ for the Krewe of Red Beans at 3300 Royal Street Wednesday through Friday, 3-7p.m. and Saturday and Sunday, noon to 6 p.m. Or just ring the popsicle doorbell and see what happens.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n 2529 Dauphine St., 504-571-5179, @Breakawaysbar<\/a>, Breakawaysrb.com<\/i><\/a>.<\/p>\n At the newly opened Breakaway\u2019s R&B, located in the former Lost Love Lounge space in the Marigny, chef Paul Artigues and his wife and partner Olivia are killing it with a menu that includes Green Goddess-inspired salads, the airiest of crawfish fritters and Dagwood-sized house roasted sandwiches busting with ham, turkey and beef Daube debris, served til midnight or 1 a.m. depending on the day. But take note, there\u2019s a Giant SnoWizard Machine at the bar turning out Breakaway\u2019s, boozy frozen treats powered by their own alcohol-infused syrups and local ingredients. Try the \u201cPretty Baby,\u201d made with Nectar Cream and vodka.<\/p>\n 1113 Decatur St., 504-581-1112, @Caneandtable<\/a>, Caneandtablenola.com<\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n Brain freeze is a welcome state of mind come summer, and these frozen treats can make it happen in the best ways.<\/p>\n Stop by Cane & Table, the swell cocktail bar on Decatur, for a frozen Paloma, a frigid match made in heaven between tequila, a hint of hibiscus infused Mezcal, grapefruit and lime and a drizzle of grapefruit liqueur to sweeten the deal. An order of coctel de camorones, or shrimp cocktail with a Spanish accent, served with avocado and fried saltines, is also an excellent idea.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n 4327 Bienville St., 504-581-8900, @Trepsnola<\/a>, Trepsnola.com<\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n Trep\u2019s, the former garage turned spacious climate-controlled outdoor eatery in Mid-City, is always a good hang. Chef Jerry Mixon dishes uplifted bar food that\u2019s fun to eat, and the drinks menu zooms with engine-inspired categories like \u201cLubrications\u201d and \u201cFrozen Stabilizers.\u201d The house f\u2019roze is boosted with St. Germaine, Bacardi and passion fruit; the Paloma style margarita includes grapefruit soda; and the Pimm\u2019s Cup brings the fine Brazilian gin McQueen and the Violet Fog into the mix, along with Pimm\u2019s, cucumber and ginger.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n 930 Tchoupitoulas St., 504-588-7675,\u00a0@Cochonbutchernola<\/a>,\u00a0Cochonbutcher.com<\/a>.<\/i>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Planning a porch party? Cochon Butcher\u2019s frozen \u201cButcher Cane\u201d is made with Don Q Cristal, 151 and Oak Aged Spiced Rums, fresh passion fruit, Aperol and Angostura bitters. It\u2019s thankfully available by the gallon to go. Have one while you wait.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Cold brew is all the rage, delivering a jolt of caffeine energy along with frosty coffee flavor. It\u2019s fitting that CoolBrew, the\u00a0original\u00a0cold-brewed, fresh coffee concentrate, was created here, the epicenter of American coffee culture, in 1989 by the late pharmacist and renaissance man, Phillip McCrory. Now available in specialty and grocery stores from coast to coast, CoolBrew is still made here, at a 30,000 sq. ft. manufacturing hub in Mid-City. Yep, that\u2019s what\u2019s been chilling the crowds at Jazz Fest, cold and iced, since 1993. Coolbrew.com.<\/p>\n Available at the best coffee shops everywhere, there are variations of iced java that are worth a sip. Iced Vietnamese coffee tops that list, and are available everywhere from French Truck Coffee (@Frenchtruck<\/a>) to Bahn Mi Boys (@Bahn.mi.boys<\/a>). Mr. Bubbles Caf\u00e9 at 1441 Canal Street (@Mrbubblesnola<\/a>) does a super version of the dark roasted coffee sweetened with condensed milk, available cold or frozen. Get two.<\/p>\n Both Erin Rose (@Erinrosebar<\/a>) and Molly\u2019s at the Market (@Mollysondecatur<\/a>) dispense what may be the perfect eye-opener meets hair of the dog, frozen Irish coffee with a single or double shot. Tough call.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n 501 Tchoupitoulas St., 504-324-3073, Gospelcoffeenola.com<\/i><\/a><\/p>\n All kinds of tasty coffee drinks and boozy treats are offered at Gospel Coffee (@Gospelcoffeenola<\/a>) in the Hotel Fontenot (@Hotelfontenot<\/a>). But the vegan Matcha freeze is a notable alternative, made with the fermented rice base, oat milk, hazelnut and spices, with or without a shot of rum. The Irish Coffee Shake and the Abita Root Beer Float also caught our eye, with a refreshing take on a childhood classic. Breakfast burritos, pannini, ice cream and more round out a perfect snack stop any time of day.<\/p>\n 3984 Tchoupitoulas St., 504-266-2962; 446 Pelican Street, Algiers, 504-766-7268; Eatbarracuda.com<\/a>.<\/i>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Barracuda Taco Stand has outdoor dining and take-away options for all of your cool Taco Tuesday (and any day) needs. Taco highlights include the beer-battered Louisiana catfish taco with cool-slaw and homemade crema, two veggie options (grilled mushroom or vegan broccoli), and beef, pork or chicken all served on a fresh flour tortillas. Deck your plate out with a side of queso, guacamole, beans or rice. Top it all off with a refreshing margarita, paloma, ranch water or non-alcoholic limeade or horchata, and you\u2019re good to go. No sweat.<\/p>\n 2438 St. Claude Ave., 504-827-1519, @Morrowsnola<\/a>, Morrowsnola.com<\/a>.<\/i><\/p>\n Yes, you can get New Orleans favorites like chargrilled oysters, gumbo, jambalaya and fried chicken at Morrow\u2019s in the Marigny at St. Claude and Franklin. The food is good, as the constant line out the door attests. But for hot and steamy days, two dishes on chef Lenora Chong\u2019s menu scream for attention.<\/p>\n Although temperatures are most extreme in Korea in the winters, the summers are long, warm and muggy. What could be more refreshing than an assembled ssambap (ssam means wrap and bap means rice) or Korean lettuce wraps, made of boldly flavored seasoned meat, rice, a zesty soy-powered sauce called ssamjang, and crisp vegetables? An ideal dish to order to go at Morrow\u2019s, Chong\u2019s version is built with Korean style spicy chicken, rice, leafy lettuce and special sauce for your assembly at home.<\/p>\n Another one of chef Chong\u2019s bracing dishes is the Asian chicken salad, a light toss of grilled chicken with apples, grapes, oranges and strawberries served on a bed of mixed greens with a sesame ginger vinaigrette on the side. The dressing is so good, order an extra one to go.<\/p>\n 13235 Chef Menteur Hwy., 504-255-0500, Bamien.com<\/a>.<\/i><\/p>\n Another throwback to Jazz Fest food, Ba Mien Vietnamese Cuisine in New Orleans East is behind the bracing cold vermicelli plates sold at Fest or get them at the restaurant any old time. Chilled noodles come adorned with lemongrass chicken or pork and bun (egg roll), all topped with lettuce, fresh bean sprouts, cucumbers, min and peanuts.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n 4600 Magazine St., 504-269-3777, Laboulangerie.com<\/a>.<\/i><\/p>\n Why turn on the oven when you can bring home any one of these satisfying savory dishes. Uptown, almost every salad and sandwich created at La Boulangerie (@Laboulangerienola<\/a>) is takeaway friendly. Try the \u201cLe Parisian,\u201d a stack of Butcher ham and Comt\u00e9 cheese, spiked with cornichons on a buttered baguette. Or the cobb salad, a hearty mix of romaine, blue cheese crumbles, cherry tomato, hard-boiled egg, bacon, avocado in a creamy vinaigrette.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n 110 S. Rampart St., 504-308-0880, @Besame_nola<\/a>, Besame-nola.com<\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n Ceviche is such a perfect hot weather dish that its often served on the beach in Mexico; a quick marinade of chopped fresh caught fish, citrus, herbs and chiles created a la minute in a shack at the surf\u2019s edge.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Chef Nanyo Dominguez was born in Pueblo and raised in Mexico City. He\u2019s crazy about ceviche, which informs the menu at Besame, the Latin-centric eatery he opened in November 2021, on Rampart Street just past the French Quarter. Dominguez spent 16 years working in New York before coming to New Orleans to open Johnny Sanchez with chef Aaron Sanchez.<\/p>\n The first section of the Besame menu is devoted to ceviche, offering three takes on the citrus-cured seafood specialty, each with a different global spin on the dish, from Peruvian to Oaxacan and Caribbean. Cubes of salmon are dressed with citrus and passion fruit to cut the richness of the fish, soy sauce, bits of avocado and chili oil adding more depth of flavor and texture. Mezcal informs the Oaxacan ceviche, made with Gulf fish, roasted guajillo peppers, and diced cucumber and tomato. Cubes of sweet potato and crispy corn add texture to nibs of Gulf fish, bits of Aji Amarillo, a yellow pepper popular in Peru and Leche de Tigre made with red onion, ginger, garlic, and lots of lime.<\/p>\n 4930 Prytania St., 504-300-8135; 2854 St. Charles Ave., 504-301-9949; 1000 Norman C. Francis Pkwy, 504-321-6233; Graciousbakery.com<\/a>.<\/i><\/p>\n Chef Megan Foreman has more up her sleeve that pastry. All the Gracious Bakery (@Graciousbakerynola<\/a>) locations offer terrific savory takeaway. The tarragon chicken salad sandwich and the vegan smashed chickpea sandwich with turmeric and lemon are just two tasty options.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Although they are best known for their steak (that spinalis cut is to die for) and Italian specialties, Rizzuto\u2019s Ristorante and Chophouse (@Rizzutosristorante<\/a>), by the lake and across the river in Gretna, does a swell beet salad, a mix of golden and red roasted beets with marcona almonds and feta in a Steen\u2019s vinaigrette. Their Caesar is damn good too.<\/p>\n The same flavors come between a split baguette as a Bahn Mi sandwich, with both traditional and offbeat combos served at the original Bahn Mi Boys on Airline and the Uptown store on Magazine Street (@Bahn.mi.boys<\/a>).<\/p>\n Any salad from Meals from the Heart (@Mealsfromtheheartcafellc<\/a>) in the French Market is also a good idea but their raw avocado and beets is a vegan winner.<\/p>\n Cool composed salads and platters of dips abound at 1000 Figs (@1000figs<\/a>) in Bayou St. John. Everything looks and tastes gorgeous, but the falafel platter with kale salad, hummus, tahini \u2026 so good.<\/p>\n Then there\u2019s the Salatim cold dishes and dips from Saba (@Eatwithsaba<\/a>), with options like labneh, pickled vegetables, red grapes with pickled onions and pine nuts, and tabbouleh. Of course, order any and every flavor of hummus with that amazing house fired pita.<\/p>\n Finally get the one-two combo of grilled fish tacos at Val\u2019s (@Valsnola<\/a>) with a frozen margarita, a duo that refreshes with hardly a smidge of guilty pleasure.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n![\"Sweet](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/assets-myneworleans-com.s3-accelerate.amazonaws.com\/2022\/05\/Creole-Creamery-scaled-e1652917688470.jpg?resize=1020%2C1740&ssl=1\" "\\"Sweet")
<\/h5>\nFrost Bites<\/h5>\n
The Creole Creamery<\/h4>\n
Ice Dream<\/h5>\n
Rahm Haus<\/h4>\n
Refresh\u00a0& Hydrate<\/h5>\n
Alma<\/h4>\n
![\"Sweet](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/assets-myneworleans-com.s3-accelerate.amazonaws.com\/2022\/05\/Chance-in-hell_1-scaled-e1652917946196.jpg?resize=1020%2C1639&ssl=1\" "\\"Sweet")
<\/h4>\nChance in Hell Snoballs<\/h4>\n
Hansen\u2019s Sno-Bliz<\/h4>\n
![\"Sweet](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/assets-myneworleans-com.s3-accelerate.amazonaws.com\/2022\/05\/BigOPops2-scaled-e1652918503698.jpg?resize=1020%2C1002&ssl=1\" "\\"Sweet")
<\/p>\nBig O\u2019s Original Pops<\/h4>\n
![\"Sweet](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/assets-myneworleans-com.s3-accelerate.amazonaws.com\/2022\/05\/Breakaway_PrettyBabySnoBall-scaled-e1652918992319.jpg?resize=1011%2C1510&ssl=1\" "\\"Sweet")
<\/h5>\nPretty N\u2019 ice<\/h5>\n
Breakaway\u2019s R&B<\/h4>\n
Frozen\u00a0S<\/span>olid<\/h5>\n
Cane & Table<\/h4>\n
Trep\u2019s<\/h4>\n
Cochon Butcher<\/h4>\n
Chilled Out Caffeine Buzz<\/h5>\n
![\"Sweet](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/assets-myneworleans-com.s3-accelerate.amazonaws.com\/2022\/05\/Gospel-CoffeeVegan-Matcha-Freeze-scaled-e1652919415137.jpg?resize=1020%2C1535&ssl=1\" "\\"Sweet")
<\/h5>\nGospel Coffee<\/h5>\n
![\"Sweet](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/assets-myneworleans-com.s3-accelerate.amazonaws.com\/2022\/05\/Barracuda_fish-taco-scaled-e1652919912884.jpg?resize=1020%2C1307&ssl=1\" "\\"Sweet")
<\/h5>\nGood to Go<\/h5>\n
Barracuda Taco Stand and Margarita Garden<\/h4>\n
Lettuce Relief<\/h5>\n
Morrow\u2019s<\/h4>\n
![\"Sweet](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/assets-myneworleans-com.s3-accelerate.amazonaws.com\/2022\/05\/BaMein_Grilled-Shrimp-Vermicelli-scaled-e1652920121976.jpg?resize=1020%2C1115&ssl=1\" "\\"Sweet")
<\/h5>\nOodles of Noodles + More<\/h5>\n
Ba Mien Vietnamese Cuisine<\/h4>\n
![\"Sweet](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/assets-myneworleans-com.s3-accelerate.amazonaws.com\/2022\/05\/La-Boulangerie_Le-Parisien-scaled-e1652920322134.jpg?resize=1020%2C1260&ssl=1\" "\\"Sweet")
<\/p>\nLa Boulangerie<\/h5>\n
Ceviche\u00a0T<\/span>hree Ways<\/h5>\n
Besame<\/h4>\n
![\"Sweet](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/assets-myneworleans-com.s3-accelerate.amazonaws.com\/2022\/05\/Gracious_TaragonChicken-scaled-e1652920580454.jpg?resize=1020%2C1163&ssl=1\" "\\"Sweet")
<\/h4>\nGracious Bakery<\/h4>\n