Lining up at Wal-Mart is for the rest of us! Angelina Jolie took son Maddox to New Orleans' Little Toy Shop in the French Quarter. The store, which specializes in "tiny collectible figurines and die-cast miniatures, toys and puzzles," closed over the weekend especially so that the Jolie-Pitts could do a little shopping.

While rainstorms caused minor delays last night up and down the East Coast, travel was relatively light this weekend due in part to an eight percent drop in volume overall from last year. But we understand why the Jolie-Pitt fortress may have preferred to stick close to home (or rather, the home away from home purchased when Pitt was filming "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button").

Related Stories:
· Angelina Jolie Weekends in India [Jaunted]
· Super World Travelers Adding To Their Entourage [Jaunted]
· Celeb Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: JustJared] ]]> egw 2008-12-01T09:15:22-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/11/23/175331/62

If you made it to the New Orelans Po-Boy Preservation Festival this weekend, you already know about popular upscale restaurants like Drago's and Grand Isle. But what you didn't get to sample was one of the hottest sandwiches in town: The $7 pulled pork po-boy from Que Crawl food truck.

The purple Que Crawl truck has been anchored outside Tipitina nightclub for the better part of the last two years, and by now most locals know that it serves up some of the city's best (and most affordable) BBQ, along with classic Cajun and Southern sides like cheese grits sticks and crawfish boudin balls, making for some serious alcohol-soaking late-night eats.

And next week, Que Crawl makes a rare move for a food truck: It's going permanent, opening an honest-to-goodness restaurant called Boucherie. The restaurant will be open just for lunch starting next Tuesday, and starts dinner service the following week.

Related Stories:
· Que Crawl [Official Site]
· New Orelans Po-Boy Preservation Festival [Jaunted]
· New Orleans Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Que Crawl]]]> BS 2008-11-24T13:45:19-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/11/21/15338/725

Whether your weakness is for po-boys or something less likely to be celebrated with a citywide party, the Big Easy has what you've been craving at hot spots like these:

Cafe Rani: Work it or get some work done at this healthy cafe installed in an old Salvation Army building. 2917 Magazine St.

Little Tokyo: You won't have to resort to ruses to get your hands on some delicious tempura at this Asian restaurant near City Park. 310 N Carrollton Ave.

Bulldog: Apparently, talk is precious at this Uptown sports bar. 5135 Canal Blvd.

Related Stories:
· Po-Boy Party Hits New Orleans [Jaunted]
· 120-Hour Cocktail Party Coming To New Orleans [Jaunted]
· New Orleans Travel Map [Jaunted]

[Photo: gigielmes]]]> egw 2008-11-21T16:05:16-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/11/19/184949/78

Lots of cities like to celebrate their sandwiches: Philly's got cheesesteaks and of course Sandwich, England, has the original. But no town could really celebrate a sandwich quite the way New Orelans does.

The sandwich in question is, of course, the po-boy, and the celebration is the New Orleans Po-Boy Preservation Festival, which takes over five city blocks this Sunday.

Whether you think po-boys should be traditional (fried oysters), avant garde (seafood stuffed mushrooms) or just plain out there (alligator sausage), the po-boy preservation festival likely has some variety of fried-fish-on-a-roll you should be able to get on board with. There are also all kinds of live bands, art events and presentations about the history of the food. And to top it all off, the Golden Loaf award will bestowed on the one po-boy that's fit to rule them all.

Related Stories:
· New Orleans Po-Boy Preservation Festival [Official Site]
· Mahoney's Po-Boy Shop [Jaunted]
· New Orleans travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: New Orleans Po-Boy Preservation Festival]]]> BS 2008-11-20T13:30:16-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/11/12/8222/2479

Britney Spears, son Jayden James and sister Jamie Lynn Spears visited Kliebert's Turtle & Alligator Tours yesterday. Hey, Jayden James has already had one brush with danger this week, how about another?

The singer, who also brought her mom, her assistants and older son Sean Preston with her, was on duty this weekend when Jayden was hospitalized for an allergic reaction to some shellfish he ate at a family barbecue. (It was the first time Spears was allowed to take her children out of California per her custody agreement with Kevin Federline. Rough break!)

The kid's fine, clearly, but why tempt fate again by showing him the "literally thousands of alligators" at Kliebert's in Hammond, just south of Britney's hometown of Kentwood? We're just no fun and we don't like giant-jawed animals. But Jamie Lynn would probably prefer to be around gators than the paparazzi, who has been ribbing her over a perceived baby bump which suggests daughter Maddie may be a big sister.

Related Stories:
· The Truth About Jayden's Health Scare [OK! Magazine]
· K-Fed Won't Use Jayden's Allergy Against Britney [iVillage Daily Blabber]
· Celeb Travel coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: Britneypictures.org] ]]> egw 2008-11-12T09:15:11-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/10/29/183650/95

What’s a foodie to do when times get tough? Jaunted has you covered with our list of high-class restaurants with recession-era pricing.

Of all the development problems in post-Katrina New Orleans, local foodies complain loudest about one thing: The proliferation of high-end “New Orleans cuisine” in the touristy districts, and the dearth of traditional, no-frills po' boy shops.

So NOLA residents were justifiably thrilled when Mahoney's Po-Boy Shop opened on Magazine Street. (And now that the rest of us are hard-hit in the pocket, tourists may start venturing there, too.)

You won’t find a shred of fusion-y, New Orleans-meets-New York food at Mahoney's, just traditional giant sandwiches like fried catfish, shrimp and Cochon De’lait (Cajun pig roast). Small po' boys start at $6.75, and if you know anything about eating down south, we probably don’t have to tell you they ain’t that small.

Related Stories:
· Mahoney’s Po-Boy Shop [Official Site]
· Recession Restaurants Map [Jaunted]

[Photo: wikimedia]]]> BS 2008-10-30T12:00:04-05:00 http://www.jaunted.com/story/2008/10/24/10145/467

New Orleans has always had plenty of quality restaurant's serving the region's signature fare, with gumbo, po' boys and fried fish platters on every street corner in the French Quarter.

But newer eateries in New Orleans have taken to putting a haute spin on those classics. The latest is Rambla, a tapas-style restaurant that opened in the trendy International House Hotel this month.

Rambla serves traditional Spanish tapas like croquetas and patatas bravas, but spices it up with small-plate twists on local favorites, creating inventive dishes such as pecan-andouille filled calamari, Serrano-wrapped market fish and frogs legs with melon slaw and tarragon butter (pictured).

Related Stories:
· Rambla [Official Site]
· New Orleans Travel coverage [Jaunted]]]> BS 2008-10-24T13:00:44-05:00 Search Jaunted string http://www.jaunted.com/search/