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February 2012
Only just this week do I feel I’m beginning to tackle 2012. I did quite a bit of business all through the end of 2011 and January; plus, there was Saints football, a day in New Orleans for the LSU debacle, and a trip to visit my Mom out in Phoenix last week. So, with a rather slow month, I am back at the business of home renovations, where we have to paint our kitchen cabinets before anything else can happen. This month does have a side order of Mardi Gras, though, of which we just might indulge. And perhaps a little Valentine’s special evening out with my sweetheart!
I play The Londoner two times this month – I really like this gig and hope it continues. Good vibe at this place, and the food is getting nicely reviewed. I make my debut appearance at the newer Southpaws on Hwy. 42. I might be at Satterfields on False River Feb. 18, if it is spring-like…hehe. Those dockside gigs begin this month and last through September. Other shows include On the Half Shell, Onezia, The Rusty Nail in NO, and my favorite Sunday brunch at Beausoleil! Just check my Dates page on www.kirkholder.com for all gig info.
Have you seen the Jazz Fest lineup at www.nojazzfest.com? Some pretty big names! Buy your ticket by Feb. 28 to save money.
Phoenix with Selena, visiting Mom and Dusty, was truly fun and relaxing. It was my goal to hit a lot of foodie joints I researched or that we had seen on Food Network or Travel Channel. It was Mom’s birthday, so after we landed we headed to a cupcake bakery, seen on Cupcake Wars – Sugar Daddy Cupcakes. Even got 4 free cupcakes after mentioning our travels and the TV show! Bonus…. We got to Mom’s around dinner, and I had already arranged our plans for the meal: a return to Haus Murphy’s – www.hausmurphys.com - which we had found on Diners, Drive-In’s, and Dives (though it fits into none of those categories). It is a German restaurant, with traditional dishes and a great German beer menu. It is such a fun place to go! That was the latest we ate dinner all week – we turned into Maw maw and Paw paw on this trip.
Tuesday was pretty much set in my mind for a visit to Four Peaks Brewery in Tempe, but we first stopped for lunch at Pane Bianco, a sister sandwich restaurant to Pizzeria Bianco (famous nationally for pizza) – www.pizzeriabianco.com. We had some sandwiches on house made bread and focaccia…
 
In Tempe, we did some shopping for the kids and cigars for me, then we hit the brewery for an afternoon snack of spanakopita and a beer sampler. Earlier in the day we had decided to do a kind of anti pasto dinner, at Mom’s, with wine, cheese, olives, meats, dips, etc., so we found a Whole Foods, shopped for that, and went on home.
 
Wednesday, we got on the road early for a day trip to Red Rock Country in Sedona. I have been through twice and it is amazingly beautiful – it was Selena’s first time and she loved it. We had a great lunch at Open Range, prompted by good reviews from Frommer’s and a 20% off coupon that only cost me 10 minutes of listening to a time share come-on…hehe. Pulled pork sliders, chili, and a huge bacon cheeseburger, with mountainous views from our table. A fine western lunch, pardners!
  
I had a margarita in mind as we headed back into Phoenix, and I had found Aunt Chilada’s in my research – supposedly Arizona’s oldest restaurant and known for margaritas. We sat on the patio as the sun went down and tried our first fish tacos. Turns out our waitress is moving to Baton Rouge!
 
With one full day left on our visit, I wanted to try to finally get into Pizzeria Bianco. I had tried on two previous trips, in the evenings, only to be lost or turned away at the door. It is hard to get in at night if you don’t arrive early. We got in easy at lunch, had beautiful house made bread, wine, and a pair of pizzas, with Mom joining us.
  
Right by the pizzeria, we found The Rose and Crown Pub and had one pint of Four Peaks Kiltlifter, then went on back home. We spent the afternoon relaxing on Mom’s patio, smoking cigars, having more Kiltlifter, and enjoying the weather. Dinner that evening with Dusty and Mom was at Claim Jumper, which is a decent, chain-type restaurant.
So, it was time to head home on Friday - no hurry, with a noon flight. We found Jose Roux in Sky Harbor Airport for lunch, while we waited to board. The bartender arrived, he and I both did a double-take, and I whispered to Selena that he looked familiar. It turned out to be Doug Konow, who was the manager/bartender at The Alligator Bayou Bar for most of the period I played Sunday nights there with Todd Westbrook! So continues Selena’s theory that everywhere we go, I see someone I know or who knows me. It’s quite funny and has happened occasionally.
The trip was good for us and we hope next time we’ll make it to the Canyon, with the kids. Thanks for spending some time with my personal news here. I don’t have a lot of gigs this month, but I hope to see you out. Enjoy your Super Bowl parties, Valentine’s treats, and Mardi Gras parades!
Throw me somethin’, Mister!!!
K
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