Spring Sprung Sprout

What is it about warm weather that makes us want to eat at Counter Culture? We stopped the other day and got an avocado sandwich and a baby yogurt. Tasty!

We feel green when we eat there. As long as we don't idle in the drive through. Get out and go in. Better yet, go to the 203 E. Kings Hwy location and dine on the patio. P.S. Wish they had a website or blog. We have to settle for this information about Counter Culture from the Shreveport Bossier Convention and Tourist Bureau.

Free Mustard Greens

Why is it when times get tough we want to hunker down and wallow in isolation? Play 2009 in a different way. Join the folks in your neighborhood and create abundance. One of the best places to do that is at the many community gardens in Shreveport.

In fact tomorrow morning you can get FREE mustard greens at the Highland Community Garden. Free food and new friends. The world is a bright shiny place. And dirt is sexy. Even The Shreveport Times thinks so with its new gardening section.

Shreveport's Highland Community Garden

Want to be a part of the Highland Community Garden? This Saturday, November 8 from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. Dorothy McDonald says it's a meet and greet for folks who were a part of this year's garden and for folks who want to participate next year. Dr. Grace Peterson with the LSU AgCenter will be on hand.

The garden is at the corner of Stephens and Herndon Street, just across the way from Noel Memorial United Methodist Church. For more information 222-3678. Also this Saturday is the Shreveport Fall Farmer's Market. How cool would it be if you go to the meet and greet and by this time next year you're growing enough produce to sell at the market?

How many folks will bike to both events? Maybe more now that there's this money incentive for folks commuting by bicycle.

Centenary College's Bruce Allen to Perform Live

If the idea of locally grown produce isn't enough to make you load up the station wagon and head down to the Shreveport Fall Farmers' Market Saturday morning how about some performance art (sorta...work with us we're getting our creative on...)? Who needs Martha Stewart when you've got Bruce Allen to show you how to slice and dice your jack-o-lantern? Allen chairs the art department at Centenary College.

You can make your entire Saturday about fair trade and sustainability if you shop the fall market and then swing by the The Greater Gift Market in Highland.

Katfish 4 Kids

Mufasa by Josephine Carmody. Spotted near the fountain at Columbia Cafe in Highland. Part of the Volunteers for Youth Justice Katfish 4 Kids project.

Keep Shreveport Wild!!!!!!!!!!!

Eat local! Eat local! Eat local! The Shreveport Times reports a seafood restaurant is closing in Highland.

Big D's Bar-B-Que at 101 N. Common Street in downtown is alive and well. Dine there today!

Recycling Shreveport Farmers' Market

Think the market can't get any greener? Shreveport Farmers' Market Manager Noma Fowler-Sandlin says tomorrow is "...the annual Cookbook Exchange, this year joined by a Tote Bag Exchange, too. So bring out your tired old cookbooks and tote bags and trade them for new ones you like better."

Also just in are reusable Shreveport Farmers' Market totes. The bright red bags feature the market logo in black. Only $10. The money raised will continue special events like the musicians on Tuesdays. Operating hours: 7 a.m. 'til noon on Saturdays at the Festival Plaza in downtown.

Pictured is the cool tote of Conchita McElwee. Snapped at last year's market.

It's About the Fashion

Shreveport Farmers' Market is not about the food. It's about the fashion. Get togged out and ride to the festival plaza for the happy hour market Tuesday nights.

Have you friended the market on MySpace? Then you got the bulletin and know the blackberries are HUGE and Dr. Cookie and Louisiana Dan will perform from 4 - 7 p.m. tonight.

And remember please leave your polyester at home. Unless it's retro poly. That's Destiny Toro's hiney in a cool skirt.

Subversive and Dark

Where is your secret stash of wild blackberries in SB Land? Along the jogging path on the Clyde FantParkway? Next to the railroad tracks downtown? That park in Highland? Share. We won't tell...maybe just Noma so she can jam it up.

Picture of the Day

Strawn's (18)
Originally uploaded by darebouche.

Thank you to darebouche for the use of his Strawn's (18) for our Picture of the Day.

If you've not seen Darrell Rebouche's blog you'll find it here. It's one of our daily reads around the RRBJ office. We love how he documents family life in SB Land.

For more about the empire that is Strawn's Eat Shop.

Shreveport Stomp

Watch this and you will have to eat at Herby-K's before the end of the month.

A Good Argument for Bringing Back the Red Light District

...back in the day it was a place for folks to run free and have fun. Get their entertainment on. If it worked in 1908 why not 2008? After all, thems were the good old days everybody keeps talking about.

The irony is that the Big D's Bar-b-que mentioned in the film is located near the ol' redlight district.

You'll find the eatery in beautiful downtown Shreveport at the corner of Common and Caddo. Go eat there. Not McDonald's, Taco Bell, Burger King, Olive Garden, Subway or Wendys. Go now and support a local establishment that is committed to letting your teens have a place to hang out. And if you see a Shreveport Police Officer lurking buy them a Coke and ask them to chill and let the kids be. It's all a part of growing the creative class in SB Land.

Tacomania

Tacomania is a colorful sit down Mexican Restaurant that has been serving up tasty food in Shreveport since 1998. It started out across from the Broadmoor Garage but has now taken over an old Pizza Hut building.

It's like eating your nibbles in a Crayola crayon box in there. A couple of weeks ago RRBJ got to have brunch with Dyxie and she gave us the heads up on the Sangria Fresca. It's a taste we could definitely get addicted to!


These great photos are from a talented photographer who lives in Bossier City. You can see more of Dyxie's fine work here.

Yeero!!! Yeero!!!

The island of Yeero!!! Yeero!!! looks like a white beach with blue water highlights. At least that's what RRBJ thought while standing across the street in the parking lot of Walgreens.

The interior is a dramatic contrast. The compact ten table dining room shimmers with romance. There's even a fireplace. In fact it was so nice we figured there was nothing we could afford on the menu. Wrong. It's the same delicious food as the drive-through menu only it's served up on real plates and the water comes in stemmed goblets. This local Greek restaurant deserves all six of those exclamation points.

One of Trudeau's first posts on his blog was on this restaurant at 4511 Youree Dr. Also - here's an amusing look by Daddy D (Darrell Rebouche) on what kind of reaction you can expect when you recommend on of the finest local eating establishments around.

Lila's Cakes and Chocolate

Can't remember when RRBJ first realized Lila's was open for business. Did we walk by, see the owner's picture on Trudeau's blog, or catch Mike Rosebery's black and white photo on flickr.com?

In addition to selling tasty baked goods, Lila's Cakes and Chocolate is also an eatery with a full breakfast and lunch menu. The last time we dined we had the soup and sandwich lunch special (pictured above). Food is good, service is fast and the ambiance is similar to one of those little places you stumble into on a visit to New Orleans.

The shop is named after the tiny daughter of the owners, Sopan and Lisa Tike. Sopan has over 18 years of experience as a trained pastry chef. Lisa is also the director of the Karpeles Manuscript Library Museum in Shreveport.

440 Olive Street, Shreveport. 318 676-1407. Open Monday - Saturday 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.

'Tis the Season to Give Homemade

Noma Fowler-Sandlin is the owner/jam artist of Pan's Pantry.

Her creations are made in the Historic Highland neighborhood.

She'll be vending her goods at the Highland Jazz and Blues Festival on Saturday November 17. Afraid to buy new flavors? She always offers FREE taste samples.

Jam and jazz. The livin' is good smack dab in the middle of SB Land.

Sugar Skull

RRBJ acquired this sugar skull by Conchita Iglesias-McElwee at SRAC's Day of the Dead street party. Conchita is curating a show that opens tonight at Jackrabbit Lounge, which is located in the area of Centenary's Gold Dome, George's Grill and Lil Joe (home-of-really-big-hamburgers).

To see what others think of how we celebrate dead folks check out Travel Lady Magazine. To find out more about the Jackrabbit Lounge happenings see Trudeau's blog. He's got plenty of other cool things listed for this weekend. But for a really interesting event there's rumors of ArkLaTex Wrestling holding an event at Soundstage tonight. Rock and "rassling" it can't get anymore southern than that.

Whatever you do this weekend try to eat at our local establishments at least half the time you choose to dine out... Keep Shreveport Wild!

Picture of the Day

Alix B. took this picture while traveling through Shreveport. It even ended up on her blog. She's on a 9,000 mile trip, via scooter, for Peace. Learn more at Peacescooter.com.

Thank you to fluidattitude for letting us use the photo Love Will Save Us.

In a funny little twist the art becomes art. The photo is a picture of a piece of public art by Shreveport artist Noma Fowler-Sandlin who many folks know as jam queen and owner of Pan's Pantry.

Noma sends this word out: The Shreveport Farmers' Market is closing until October 13, so be sure and come do your shopping and see me, of course, on Saturday, 25 August, from 7 to 11:30. It's at Festival Plaza in downtown Shreveport, where Commerce intersects Crockett. I'll miss it. Boo hoo. But since I'm getting ready for the Red River Revel, I'll need that day to cook jam. Love and thanks to all my customers, patrons and pals, Noma.

Buying and eating Pan's Pantry jams is just good karma and a way to Keep Shreveport Wild.

Last Month For Farmers' Market

So maybe you didn't get to go fishing on Cross Lake or make it over to Six Flags, there's still time to get down to the farmers' market at Shreveport's Festival Plaza.

Organic

RRBJ just realized linking is the lazy way to go. We can avoid wiggling the cordless mouse to cut and paste if you'll just go here and see what that world traveling Trudeau says about Shreveport's Farmers' Market.

We'll be stopping by for some more of Pan's Pantry Drunken Peach Preserves since husband has given up his generic jelly and eaten all of our fancy stuff.