Supported by the Florida Marlins minor league team the Zephyrs, we raised money for Canine Companions for Independence. This was a surprise to Reconcile New Orleans, an inner-city program to steer people into the cooking and hospitality industry. Reconcile had been promised by one of the members that they were to be our beneficiary and they rolled out the greatest spread of food in club history. This misunderstanding was a colossal screwed-up mess. having Poet Laureate Marc Matthews swooped in and saved the day with an emergency fundraiser raffle for Masters tickets to generate some scratch to help save face with Reconcile.

Bourbon Street night patrol was the evening star, featuring Phil Bouie vs. the city’s famed cocktail hurricane. Smiler bleached his hair and added green lightning bolts, which did not wash out, so Smiler ends up shaving his head, which had a big lumpy scar. We loved Smiler but, boy, he sure had an ugly head.