The Loop French Market Cafe where Korbets was years ago is where a famous New Orleans chef has relocated and buys his bread from one of the large New Orleans bakeries that serves Commander’s Palace, Napoleans, NOLA’s, Antoines, Broussards, etc..

The French Market has opened next to Little Flower at the Loop and is supposed to have New orleans gumbo, po boys and cafe du monde fare. Also dont forget GREEK FEST is this weekend on Ann Street. Plus the Junior League Christmas Jubilee has the Iron Chef American at their event this weekend. PLUS PLUS dont miss Kevin Lee’s article on THE EXCELSIOR 125TH ANNIVERSARY NOV. 18TH AT THE MOBILE CARNIVAL MUSEUM.

http://www.al.com/food/mobileregister/index.ssf?/base/living/122285259955140.xml&coll=3

Press Register Food Editor knows hamburgers from looking at him and his annual hamburger list is like Moses handing down the best half pound hamburger from juicy Alabama. The list includes Dick Russells, Heroes, Callahans, Oysterella !? and Bens.

A big 20 band 3 stage music festival this weekend at Oysterella’s continues the trend of the Blue Gill Sunday concerts, John Words Jazz, Alabama 5 Rivers state lands tourism attractions as a gateway to the delta, plus great dining at Felix, Eds, R&R, Oyster House makes this strip of land bridge built by the Corp of Engineers as the first Mobile Baldwin bridge connector in the 1950’s… the weekend destination for locals that dont want the drive and traffic at Gulf Shores and dont mind laid back delta sun, marsh, beer, shrimp, small boats and family times.

The Mobile Chamber developed Dauphin Island as a well planned community on par with the vision that built Fairhope. During the 1970’s the Isle Dauphine Club and Golf Course was an architectural beauty and economic success that was the focus of the island community. It inspired growth that made the island prosperous for everyone. When that generation of citizens passed away the next generation of leaders led to a strange group of infighters that set the town against the property owners against the park and beach board. Thier failure has left the club in disgrace, the community and economy in ruin, and the natural environment an embarrassment of failure. Few coastal communities look like Dauphin Island in disrepair. The club, on the list of historic places in America, is a leaking eyesore of failure. And with this disgrace has come the collapse of the entire community existence. This was not an easy task. The leaders have now for 30 years (since the new bridge in 1979) destroyed and kept in ruin the entire community. The pinnacle of stupidity was when the Dauphin Island Property Owners Association turned down David Bronner and the RSA investment fund, the same fund that built the RSA Tower, built Magnolia Grove and the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail, the Alabama Cruise Terminal and the Carnival Cruise industry, protected the Grand Hotel and has invested in Mobile like no investor in the 300 year history of our county. It is a small story that Dauphin Island was ruined by a small handful of petty indecision makers. But it is a large story that such a crime began and continues for over 3 decades.

A brief stint at D’Olive Bay wood fired grill and now the talk of the Eastern Shore will soon open his own restaurant at 181 and Lawson.

Governor James’ son Pat 72 acre residential spot now has a planned marketing partnership with Bill Dance as a lunch pad store for outfitting bass fishing in the Mobile Delta as part of an attempt to sell 300 weekender cabins for over $300,000 each with a dry boat storage. Today Gustav continued what has been a month of complaints about red clay run off into the once clear Bay Minette Creek, now brown, and growing less grasses for bass vegetation and habitat. The Fuller Estate property was the last they piece sold first to Corte then to James on their once 1,000 acres on Hwy 225 near Blakeley State Park that today is Spanish Fort Estates. James brother is running for Governor and also developed the Foley Beach Express toll bridge. Barber dairy magnate owns the Wolf Bay Bridge site east of the Foley Beach Express and The Warf. The Barber property has 1,000 acres and a large sportfishing yacht marina to be connected to Orange Beach by a similar bridge that lands at Doc’s Oyster Bar.

Saturday is the big celebrity opening including alligator on the restaurant menu!

Like a Cuban night in Havana, the moon danced with the New York City jazz sounds of Roy Meriwether Trio Grammy nominee returning to Mobile after 20 years. The steamy causeway and moon rose over the bay as the neon flashed and the young danced with love and the filet steaks and cigar smoke curled the air. Coastal Alabama a time in the treasured past.

Michaels Midtown was famous for his dark gourmet chicken and sausage ettouffe and spinach and YOU WANT SALT! Soup Nazi attitude. We are glad he Michael Ivey is back soon at 101 N Conception called Michaels Downtown!

Dauphin Island’s recent purchase of 2 businesses on Aloe Bay is the beginning of what the own hopes will be a waterfront community commercial district. One the Patronas Seafood house the plan says Mayor Collier is to have a working waterfront for residents and tourists to enjoy. Similar successes are in Destin, at Orange beach The Warf, and planned in Gulf Shores for snapper boats, Mobile as a waterfront park overlooking the ships, Bayou la Batre as a fishing Village, like Apalachacola Florida. Spanish Fort the Causeway has one in the works also.

Taxidermy of 100 or more black bear bob cat alligator marlin and fresh water tanks and salt water and a restaurant greet folks 6,000 and 8,000 per two recent days as trainers from Bass Pro corporate get the store or museum or show place ready for the VIP opening. A real asset to the Eastern Shore and Alabama, the nearest are in Destin and Birmingham and New Orleans. The next store opens in Richmond near Williamsburg. This is a must see stop for those even unfamiliar with outdoor recreation fishing hunting. Yes there are camoflague Bibles for sale!

We stopped at Geno’s by Zekes in Orange Beach and had fresh ling for the same price as their dolphin. It was delicious! Compare that to (please do not) the blackened salmon (caught locally I am sure) and the crab (all bread) cakes (said to be rumoured to be yummy) we had at dysfunctional dauphin island—it was not edible and reminded us (just keeping it real) like dog food. The name of the restaurant does not matter—8 of 10 dauphin island meals ordered this summer were embarrassingly poor. Dysfunctional is not the business owners—they do the best they can—it is the history of the island that struggles to meet basic standards of civilization: the water tastes funny–the water is brown–the club is a disgrace–this is the same club owners that turned down RSA David Bronner–which if you know the history of the island was the focal point of the development as planned by the Chamber. The town is politically dysfunctional if it can run off the best investment partner—if the town and property owners– continue to fail they should give up trying-for the good of themselves.

Famous for being next to the Mobile Saenger and the Brewery, the owner has had difficult times with illness that causes the landmark to go on leave of absence for how long no one knows the future.