Central Business

The Flaming Torch - Uptown - New Orleans, LA

The Flaming Torch is a casually elegant restaurant located just steps from historic Magazine Street that serves a nice selection of French inspired dishes.

My boyfriend and I made reservations at the restaurant for a early date night dinner. When we arrived at the restaurant, we were greeted by a nice gentleman who was also our server. Upon seating us, we were presented with the drink menu. While looking over the wine list, I noted that there were a few bottles that were reasonably priced. I will admit I have drank an entire bottle of wine by myself but since my boyfriend isn't one for wine (and I didn't want to get drunk at a restaurant), I opted with just a glass of Merlot. With French cuisine, you may not be looking to pair with beer, but that is an option.

Our very attentive server went over all the specials with us and hyped the French Onion Soup they are famous for so I decided to give it a try. It was divine but way too cheesy. The cheese was clumping and could have become a choking hazard if I was not careful but by eating around some of the cheese, I was able to enjoy it.

For my main course, I had the Scallops with Chimichurri Sauce and Corn Hash. The scallops were perfectly pan seared and when paired with the sauce and hash it was a heavenly dish I could eat over and over again.

My boyfriend had Filet Mignon with Mashed Potatoes and Asparagus. He ordered it medium but it was actually cooked medium well. Despite that the meat was still tender and juicy. He loved it and talked about wanting to come back.

Although not on the menu, they have dessert options. My boyfriend is obsessed with Bread Pudding so we shared one. He thoroughly enjoyed it but since it is not a dessert I love I found the sauce to be the main draw of the dessert. It was a decent bread pudding.

I may have gone at a great or bad time (depending on how you see it), because the place was empty but as a result the I found the service and atmosphere were excellent. It was a bit pricey but the food was fantastic so money ain't a thang.

The Flaming Torch

737 Octavia St New Orleans, LA 70115
(504) 895-0900
www.flamingtorchnola.com

East Baltimore Series Has Ended

With that last post my East Baltimore Series has come to an end. This has been a fun series of posts to write but it has also been very difficult and daunting. There were a lot of things that I was unable to find info on which made the time in between posts much longer. I also have come up with ideas that have nothing to do with East Baltimore but I decided to forgo writing and publishing them so the series would stay consistent. I will be on vacation for two weeks from both my paying Job and the Blogs. I should return to both at the beginning of August and I will "return to the studio" to write and publish all the backlog of posts that I have amassed while writing the East Baltimore Series.

From Douglas to Perkins

As I end my series on East Baltimore between Downtown and Hopkins, I find myself concentrating on two public housing developments that have their share of problems but are far from the City's worst. They also look the same but given their different locations, if either or both were to be redeveloped, the finished products would be decidedly different. As I end my series I take you from Douglas to Perkins.

Both Perkins Homes and Douglas Homes are among the older public housing developments in the City. They predate the notorious high rises that wreaked the most havoc in the City, they're both Apartments in three story buildings, they're surrounded by areas that either have or are going through major gentrification, and at least according to Residents in neighboring Communities, it's time for redevelopment of both.

So does this mean that crime is on the rise in Perkins and Douglas? Not necessarily, with the high rises gone, crime Citywide declined and public housing developments that didn't get knocked down and redeveloped became front and center and blamed for whatever crime and blight occurred in neighboring Communities. In short, they became scapegoats. I didn't make a very good case to champion redevelopment but I did that on purpose.

A big reason I champion redevelopment is because I believe it doesn't offer enough opportunities for those who wish to advance. I consider public housing to be perfect seniors, those who are disabled, and those in transition. When I say those in transition I mean people in College, Workforce training, or are just starting out. Basically it means you're upwardly mobile and have clean criminal records. Larger developments like Douglas and Perkins do not meet the Criteria of what I want public housing to become.

Now comes the fun part; what I want the redeveloped product for each community to be. We'll start with Douglas after all, this post is named from Douglas to Perkins. Douglas Homes like is located just south of Hopkins and north of two former high rises developments that have since been redeveloped with town homes. Given the high density of the Hopkins complex I foresee Douglas Homes being replaced with something of a density higher from the new town homes to its south. I envision a mixed income community with Apartments and Condos 4-5 stories (pictured above)with a parking garage that the buildings would be wrapped around. One smaller building will be dedicated solely to Seniors and will be public housing. A few "Family" public housing units will be sprinkled throughout the remaining buildings.

Perkins Homes is a different story. Located in southeast Baltimore surrounded by tidy row house Communities such as Fells Point, Upper Fells Point, Little Italy, and Historic Jonestown as well as being just a few very short blocks from the Harbor. High density Apartments would be very out of place here. Town Homes (pictured above)would suit the site of Perkins Homes much better. Given that parking is nearly impossible to come by in southeast Baltimore, all of the Town Homes will be equipped with garages. The Market Rate Town Homes will feature two car garages while the affordable ones will have a one car garage. Market Rate Town Homes will be four stories high while affordable ones will be "two over two stacked town homes" and will be sprinkled throughout the development.

In addition to Perkins Homes, this redevelopment plan includes City Springs Elementary and the defunct Lombard Middle. Lombard Middle currently houses at least one "Smaller Learning Community." With City Schools as a whole being under enrolled I always jump at the opportunity to reduce the amount of seats and make the existing Schools run efficiently. I would tear down School Buildings down and build a brand new School where City Springs now stands to house City Springs as well whatever Smaller Learning Community (s) are being housed at Lombard Middle. Where the Old Lombard Middle now is, I would build a public housing Senior Building to provide housing for displaced Perkins Homes Residents that's filled with amenities from independent living to nursing home and everything in between.

As I end my series on East Baltimore I focused on two public housing developments that are the same but whose redeveloped successors are completely different. It proves that it's further than just a few blocks from Douglas to Perkins.

Sukho Thai - Marigny - New Orleans, LA

I was just hanging out near the French Quarter when I spotted Sukho Thai and decided to stop in to eat. I was a bit dubious to go in as it was quite empty but I love Thai food so much I decided to take a chance.

Suhko Thai is a nice little, mellow and homey restaurant. There is a lot more they could do with the decor, but it was comfortable. They have a counter at the front of the restaurant for takeout orders. Several people came in to pick up orders so that might explain why the restaurant was so empty; most people order to go.

There was only 2-3 tables dining at the time, but with just one waitress, service was attentive (I had my water glass readily refilled). She was also personable. Like all other Thai restaurants, you order your food based on the spice scale and because of my addiction to spicy foods, I always order Thai hot. She warned us about the hotness and explained even she couldn't even handle it (I ordered it anyways), but it was nice she let us know. It was also nice to have someone who was smiling and appeared to be happy.

I was craving noodles and got my standard, Chicken Pad Thai. It was HOT but was perfect for me. I know a lot of people couldn't handle that kind of heat so do know that their scale is pretty accurate and medium (3 stars) would probably be hot for most much less Thai hot. The noodles were cooked perfectly. There was a good amount of chicken, bean sprouts, peanuts and the right level of sweetness.

We also ordered the Pineapple Shrimp Fried Rice. The rice was soft and pillowy and packed with lots of ingredients and flavor!

Everything we ordered was delicious so I am looking forward to coming back to try other items on their menu. Also, they have a location on Magazine St that may be worth a try.

Sukho Thai
1913 Royal St New Orleans, LA 70116
(504) 948-9309
www.sukhothai-nola.com

Fishermans

Fishermans, a photo by Haryadi Be on Flickr.

Edison Park Fast Lots: Not Yet

If there's one theme to this series regarding East Baltimore between Downtown and Hopkins it's this; A lot of the land and developments aren't living up to their full potential. Take Oldtown Mall, the Old Somerset Homes, the now closed Thomas G. Hayes Elementary, and Dunbar Middle among others. But there's one swath of land I haven't written about; The Edison Park Fast Lots. These surface level parking lots located next to the JFX are the antithesis of all that's urban and the epitome of suburban sprawl.

Just like LaTrobe Homes(pictured above), I have not been able to find much (or anything) in the way of history regarding the Edison Park Fast Lots but given their close proximity to the Jones Falls, I can only assume that they were flanked with Mills similar to those found in Hampden Woodberry. Regardless of the early years, this land was bought up by the Feds for the creation of the JFX and public housing high rises in hopes of "slum clearance." Whether there was ever any intent to build public housing high rises where the Edison Park Fast Lots now stand is unknown but rather than just have a huge swath of vacant land there it was decided to bring the suburbs to Downtown by creating acre after acre of surface parking lots.

The fact that this land was made into parking lots shows just low the value of the land was at the time. Luckily as Cities have become more livable again over the past 30 years, the Edison Park Fast Lots land may increase in value drastically as land for Offices, Hotel, and High Density Apartments and Condos becomes increasingly scares looking into the future. In fact, the Oldtown Master Plan, which in some ways mirrors my East Baltimore Series (it's completely different in other ways) shows the Edison Park Fast Lots redeveloped with Sky Scrapers as an extension of Downtown. I should mention that with Master Plans, Planners and Developers alike create long term visions, these lots won't be redeveloped any time soon.

Personally, I think the Edison Park Fast Lots shouldn't be developed for quite some time. There are just too many other factors that make it the wrong time. First, there's the JFX. It literally is a wall between the Edison Park Fast Lots and Downtown. Once the proposed demolition is complete and Guilford Avenue and the Fallsway have replaced the JFX from Fayette St. to Preston St. the gateway from East Baltimore to Downtown will have opened. Even then, will there be a demand for additional high density Housing, Hotels, Offices, and Retail?

Given that there is no definite date of completion (or start) for the demolition of the JFX I can't say for certain that there will or won't be demand for the high density sky scrapers planned for the Edison Park Lots. Right now I can say with certainty; Absolutely not.

The economic climate has vacancy rates in Offices very high in the Downtown/ Charles Center area. (pictured above)Yet new Office Buildings are being built in Harbor East and Harbor Point has been approved for still more Offices. There will also be more Offices built when State Center redevelops. With these projects all in the pipeline I think it will be a long time until there is a demand for Office Space that would require the development of the Edison Park Fast Lots.

It is believed however, that Hotel and Apartment/Condo space has more demand than Office Space so the buildings designated for those would probably be built first with significant lag between Offices. This is true for all mixed use projects in and around Downtown, not just the Edison Park Fast Lots.

As development continues in East Baltimore, the swath of land known as the Edison Park Fast Lots will look even more out of place. But given the state of the JFX and the ability of the economy to absorb more Office, Apartments, and Hotel space, I have to say; Not Yet.

CARE: Two Perfect Storms

I'm very aware that my series on East Baltimore between Downtown and Hopkins has contained me redeveloping everything in almost every post so I thought I'd make it clear that there are areas of homesteading in East Baltimore that I support whole heartily. The area (s) I'm referring to is known as CARE. Up until the 2010 census CARE was thought of part of as Middle East that runs below Monument St., east of Wolfe St., west of Patterson Park Avenue, and above Fayette St. This Neighborhood will prove to be the epicenter of homesteading and gentrification through two perfect storms.

Although Middle East has been in shambles since the dawn of cocaine, CARE was relatively well populated and still contained neatly packed row homes at least it appeared that way when comparing it to what lay above Monument St. In addition, McElderry Park to the east was crumbling before our very eyes.

Although the Harbor brought gentrification in the 1980s, CARE was not the least but effected. In fact some may say that more well to do Residents saw how nice the Harbor looked and how their Neighborhood failed in comparison and they upped and left. It wasn't until the 1990s and the 2000s that Neighborhoods in Southeast Baltimore began feeling the gentrification effect. Row Homes in Neighborhoods such as Fells Point, Upper Fells Point, Canton, Federal Hill, South Baltimore, and Little Italy had row homes that were once vacant lovingly restored to their former splendor. Eventually, rehabbing existing row homes became scares because hardly any were vacant. It was then that vacated industrial areas were redeveloped as mixed use Condos, Retail, and Offices in the aforementioned Neighborhoods.

As the 2000s wore on so did the expansion of the gentrification caused by the Harbor. Neighborhoods further away from the Harbor such as Locust Point, Butchers Hill, Washington Hill, Patterson Park, and Brewers Hill became to experience the same cycle of rehabbing row homes and redeveloping vacant parcels of land. As the gentrification of Brewer's Hill was nearing completion, so was the inevitability that it would cross Fayette St. into CARE. Sadly this did not happen as the economy crashed in no small part due to the housing bubble bursting. Now that it's 2013 and the Housing Market is showing signs of improvement the perfect storm is brewing over CARE.

Did I just tell the whole story about CARE and surrounding areas? No I did not so sit tight for the rest. As a result of several HOPE VI redevelopment projects of public housing high rises, it became much less taboo to entertain the idea of living near Hopkins even if that's where you work. Given that Hopkins is the City's largest employer, it stands to reason that surrounding Residential Communities be attractive and walk-able.

New town home communities (pictured above) that replaced public housing high rises was just the tip of the iceberg. In order for Hopkins to be as desirable a Residential Address as it is a Business Address somebody with deep pockets wasn't going to have to tap into Middle East in a big way. And that somebody was the Hospital itself. Its ever expanding campus decided to set its sights in to the Biotech Field by opening a Bio Sciences part just north of the Hospital in Middle East. The Biotech Park was just a little piece of the puzzle.

The majority of what was now being branded as "Baltimore's New East Side" would be Residential. It will include 1600 new and rehabbed mixed income homes, a MARC Station, a Community School, and Neighborhood Retail hopefully attracting a Full Service Grocer. With Hopkins becoming a place that people actually want to live near not just work at, not only would housing be snatched up quickly but so would existing vacant housing that's still in relatively good shape. It appears that another perfect storm is brewing over CARE.

When these two perfect storms converge on CARE the result will be great. Row after row of houses will be restored to look as fresh as the day they were built, the wide sidewalks, will make way for gardens and trees, the wide one way streets will play host to slanted sideways parking (which I believe add a touch of class), and it will be done without tearing down and rebuilding homes. New homes will be built but that will be on land that's already vacant.

With the Harbor and Hopkins being such a driving force with development in Baltimore eventually the synergy created by each was bound to overlap. The point at which they converge is CARE and wouldn't you know it, the housing stock isn't all that bad. This is truly two perfect storms.