Last night, I attended LOVE in the Garden in the New Orleans Museum of Art’s Besthoff Sculpture Garden. It was a great event with an awesome venue. The food, drinks, entertainment and crowd combined to make a fun night. The Firefly vodka bar helped a lot as well (they may as well have given me a bottle).

The LOVE Sculpture

Organized by local socialite Annie Flettrich (in what she billed as her “retirement event), the event came off without a hitch. Two other friends of mine, Katie Hardin and Jennifer Jeansonne, also helped organize the event. All did a great job!

Local restaurants including Acme Oyster House, Squeal, Zoe W Hotel, Mondo (with my favorite dish of the night — a chicken pate with pickled watermelon rind), Cafe Noma and Le Meritage. While the food was great, we all know why people go to these events: the open bar. For me, the Firefly bar was genius! I think I had at least a bottle, but surprisingly, no hangover.

The Besthoff Sculpture Garden is one of the city’s true gems (as is the entire City Park/NOMA combo). The sculpture/gondola/green space works extremely well as an event venue. I would highly recommend visiting even if an event is not going on, however.

A contemporary sculpture in the Besthoff Sculpture Garden at NOMA

The Mixed Nuts provided the night’s entertainment. And they really know how to get white people movin’ and groovin’. All of the cover songs were spot on and the band has some nice vocalists and a great horns section.

I have to admit, this was my second favorite event of the year behind the American Cancer Society Hope Gala, but I’m biased because I help organize that one. I’ll definitely be back next year and in the years to come.