Do You Know What It Means To Miss New Orleans?

I do, and I couldn't be more excited to be back. I'm in town for the 7th annual Ponderosa Stomp. I arrived Saturday morning, and so far the trip has been a blur of incredible music and insane meals (more on that in a minute).

Neither a torrential downpour or a misspelled sign (see above) kept'em away from the P-Stomp showcase at the Jazzfest fairgrounds on Saturday. Thousands turned out to see unsung legends Lil Buck Sinegal, Dennis Binder, Tammy Lynn, Roy Head, Archie Bell and others.

Unforgettable moment: Roy Head warming-up backstage just before going on. A cross between Elvis and Bruce Lee. The above camera-phone shot doesn't begin to convey this man's whipsmart energy. The audience totally ate it up. A woman threw her panties onstage!

Speaking of unforgettable, here's a quick checklist of dishes I've eaten in the past 48 hours: crawfish beignets, duck po-boy, cochon de lait (roast pork) po-boy, pizza with andouille sausage and jalapenos, eggs florentine with fried oysters, praline bacon, soft shell crab po-boy, and turtle soup. I feel kind of gross now that I think about it.