http://www.exberliner.com/reviews/new-orleans-haus-bona-fide-cajun-finally

We still need a sign on the building, a full menu, and a proper list of cocktails, but we’ll be there soon. Today we just picked up our first batch of Andouille especially made for us. Time to get cookin’!

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Although it’s next to the park and a mere 6 minutes walk from the Schlesisches Tor U-Bahn station, it seemed a little off the beaten path when I first looked at it. There didn’t appear to be many people in the street, and despite being close to the park, it is surrounded by high walls with entrances every several hundred feet. But this is January–when the weather is the worst, and there has been snow and ice several inches thick since I came back on New Year’s eve. Summertime in the park looks like the beaches of Rio during Carnival, and you’re lucky if you can find a patch of grass to lay down a towel and play a game of cards.

Additionally we hope that New Orleans Haus will become a destination for anyone looking to have a nice lunch or night out. If they want to continue celebrating Berlin-style, there are many famous clubs several blocks away. For those traveling by car, there is plenty of street parking available.

Inside, the space is fantastic. There is a long bar and big kitchen–fully equipped–and even an extra room where special events can be held. It’s approximately 160 sq. meters (or 1700 sq feet), and there are French doors which open up along the street. Outside there is a large area (with southern exposure) for guests to sit in the summer. There are places for around 70 guests inside, and outside for as many as 50.

I will officially get the keys on February 15, but I may be able to start working on the redecorating as soon as February 1. Check out the photo album below, and let me know what you think. I’ll post more details about our opening once we get closer to the date!

New Orleans Haus Location

Follow me, isn’t that what you call it?

For those unfamiliar with New Orleans music, this is a traditional Mardi Gras Indian song/chant which is always played non-stop during Carnival season.  It reminded me of the last Mardi Gras I spent in  New Orleans which was 2006–the year after Katrina– and I stayed in the same house as the Wild Magnolias because their homes had been destroyed and they didn’t have a place to stay in the city.  I had taken photos because there were feathers all over the house, and they had the huge costumes set up on the dining room table–and of course I can’t find them anywhere!

It turned out that it was a whole CD of New Orleans music, and it really made my entire day. I can’t think of another time that I’ve heard that song outside of New Orleans, and Starbucks would be the last place I would ever expect to hear it. Next time I go, I should figure out how the music is chosen in that location.  I might just be a corporate feed, but if someone in the store selected it, I might have a new fan for New Orleans Haus.