Tableside service at Brennan's; photo by Nicole Pensiero

Everything seemed in place during a recent breakfast at Brennan’s, one of the iconic restaurants in New Orleans’ French Quarter.

The Bananas Foster, the old world elegance and the dedicated service struck all the right notes. Having not been back to NoLa since before Hurricane Katrina  battered the city in 2005, it seemed like little had changed. There are more restaurants now than in 2005 and other attractions, including Pat O’Brien’s, Preservation Hall and the New Orleans School of Cooking, hummed with activity.

As I learned from chatting with locals, however, Brennan’s took quite a hit from the storm, despite it largely sparing the Quarter.

The restaurant closed for nearly a year, having suffered major damage from its second-story refrigerators leaking through to the first floor. Its wine collection, valued in the hundreds of thousands of dollars, was ruined.

Today, Brennan’s looks like as pristine as ever, as does another local landmark, the Roosevelt Hotel. The 118-year-old property, formerly known as the Fairmont, closed for four years after Katrina, reopening in 2009 following a $145 million renovation.

During my fall stay, the relaunch of the Hyatt Regency marked another chapter in NoLa’s post-Katrina rebirth. The 1,193-room hotel, which housed recovery crews, city officials and medical personnel during and after the storm, is practically new again, thanks to a $275 million upgrade.

The revamping of the 32-story property is part of $8 billion in economic development in New Orleans that also includes a new trolley system, medical district, Superdome enhancements, housing and retail.

While it’s impressive to see the French Quarter looking perhaps even cleaner than before, the real proof of the recovery is in the Lower 9th Ward. The impoverished neighborhood came to symbolize all that went wrong during and after the storm, and has since attracted much attention from Oprah Winfrey, Brad Pitt and other celebrities and much investment.

A new home built by the Make It Right Foundation; photo by JoAnn Greco

I checked out the Lower 9th Ward during a city tour offered by Cajun Encounters. Although Pitt’s Make It Right Foundation and other charitable groups have rebuilt scores of houses, much work remains to be done.

The 9th Ward I saw offered a stark contrast between renovated low-income housing –– including the impressive Habitat for Humanity Musicians Village –– and abandoned, still-boarded up homes, many marked with the FEMA “X” designating whether bodies of hurricane victims were found inside.

Few businesses were open, although there is talk of a supermarket being built.

In contrast to the liveliness of the Quarter, the Lower 9th still felt like a ghost town. The population is now 5,500 –– one-third of its pre-Katrina numbers.

Still, I felt encouraged by seeing so many brightly painted, “shotgun” style homes in its Holy Cross section.

Perhaps, locals say, it’s just a matter of time before the Lower 9th Ward starts catching up to the Quarter and some others parts of the city.

To borrow from the NoLa’s unofficial slogan, I hope the good times get rolling along there soon.

Photo courtesy of www.MardiGrasIndians.com

It’s Thursday night in New Orleans, and trumpet player Kermit Ruffins is getting ready for his regular jam session with his band, the Barbecue Swingers, at Vaughan’s in the Bywater section of New Orleans.

A fan of the HBO series Treme, whose first season comes out on DVD on March 29, approaches Ruffins. Does he think his career is going to benefit from his exposure on the critically acclaimed series?

“I think it’s a good thing for all of the musicians in New Orleans,” says Ruffins, who was born and still lives in Treme.  “It lets people know that we’re still here, still kickin’ it after Katrina.”

Created by David Simon and Eric Overmyer (Homicide: Life on the Street, The Wire,) Treme is set three months after Hurricane Katrina, and follows a group of characters as they try to put their lives back together.

Ruffins is just one of the more than a dozen celebrated musicians from, or influenced by, New Orleans, who have been cast in roles both large and small on Treme.

Here’s a short list of the real Treme people and landmarks you won’t want to miss the next time you visit New Orleans –– or watch the show.

People

Photo courtesy of Treme Brass Band

Treme Brass Band –– Featured prominently in the show’s opening montage, Benny Jones Sr. and “Uncle” Lionel Batiste lead this iconic band. Active in local jazz funerals and Mardi Gras Indian parades, the TBB appears every Wednesday night at a friendly locals’ hang out, the Candle Light Lounge in Treme.

Kermit Ruffins –– Catch Kermit every Thursday at Vaughan’s in the Bywater, and most Tuesday nights at Bullets Sports Bar, the no frills Treme bar where Steve Zahn’s character, Davis McAlary, sends the well-scrubbed volunteers from Wisconsin.

Coco Robicheoux –– The voodoo-inspired blues musician who sacrificed a chicken on Davis’ WWZO radio show is a familiar figure on Frenchmen Street, especially in and around the Apple Barrel Inn.  Robicheoux and his band The Swamp Monsters appear frequently around town.

Susan Spicer –– The chef character Janette Desautel, played by Kim Dickens, is loosely based on this James Beard award-winning chef/owner of Bayona restaurant in the French Quarter. 

Troy “Trombone Shorty” Andrews –– Antoine Batiste, played by Wendell Pierce, in Episode Two meets Trombone Shorty on the way to his Bourbon Street gig.  A fixture in local clubs since he was a kid, Trombone Shorty’s latest album is Backatown, local speak for the Treme.

Mardi Gras Indians –– Epitomized by “Big Chief” Albert Lambreaux, played by Clarke Peters, this proud tribal tradition dates back more than a century, with its roots in the experience of slavery shared by Native Americans and Africans. Kept out of the “uptown” Mardi Gras celebrations by Jim Crow laws, New Orleans’ black community and feather-festooned Black Indian Tribes celebrated Mardi Gras in their own neighborhoods. Now recognized as a touchstone of the city’s music and Mardi Gras culture, Mardi Gras Indians are often a fixture at parties, weddings and major events.

Places

Photo courtesy of Clover Grill

Clover Grill –– Davis sends the Wisconsin volunteers here for breakfast. Open 24/7, the eatery’s motto is “We Love to Fry and It Shows.” The Clover is known for its juicy burgers, cooked under a trademark Hub Cap.

Snug Harbor –– Although pooh-poohed by Treme’s Davis McAlary, Snug is one of the best places in town for straight up traditional jazz. Patriarch Ellis Marsalis plays every Friday with his trio.

Spotted Cat –– A regular hangout for Treme buskers Annie and Sonny, this lively club is the spot for local traditional jazz, often without a cover.

Treme –– A neighborhood –– not just a tourist destination –– this storied area of the 6^th ward has been central to African-American and Creole culture since the 18^th century. Once part of a plantation, the oldest black neighborhood in the U.S. is home to Congo Square, located in what is now Louis Armstrong Park. It was the place where slaves gathered on Sundays for market and music.  Treme was home to Louis Prima, Dixieland pianist Henry Ragas and Alex Chilton, lead singer of the Box Tops.