I went out of town for a few days to the lovely Mississippi delta with a friend, which meant no bike riding for a couple of days. I had such a lovely time out in the middle of nowhere, though. The highlight was definitely the B.B. King Museum and Delta Interpretive Center; I haven’t learned that much from a museum in a long, long time. I took the train back to New Orleans, thoroughly enjoying the view. Though I was only gone for two days, it felt like longer since I’d been on my bike, so I was happy to hop on and tool down to the CBD for a little comedy with friends. I love riding after a couple days off–you get that rushing reminder that it’s just plain fun to ride a bike. It’s always good to be home. I rode back Uptown on St. Charles and passed this sign at Louisiana. It has been there since I moved to New Orleans, and they recently started construction at the site for a new bank branch. Or so I thought, since that’s what we’ve been promised for years. Today is the first day I’ve noticed this other side: Fortissimo The Food Emporium. Is this a new sign? Will there be an emporium of food rather than an emporium of capital? Please? I would love to ride my bike past more grocery stores in this town. Time will tell. I’ll let you know, since I’m pretty sure I’ll be riding by this spot for a long time.
What I Saw Riding My Bike Around Today 
For a long time, that location housed a video store, and then, when it went out of business, Fortissimo moved in for a bit. Supposedly, it was pretty good, but it didn’t last long and went out of business, leaving that building that had been there empty for quite a while – I think it was empty even before the storm.
Sorry – it’s just gonna be a bank there.
Damn, liprap. I *knew* it.
I’m so happy you posted what was left of Fortissimo. I lived about 2 blocks away from it, and it was my favorite spot for Sunday brunch (free mimosas!)–they also had fine wines, a deli, an amazing cheese selection and a killer dining room! Kind of like Martins wine cellar on Baronne Street–both devastated by the storm and never returned. Thank you for sharing, hope this puts a little context on your find!
I used to work as a waitress at Fortissimo from 2003-2005. Erica is absolutely right. Great wines, nice deli, and the sunday brunch was very popular. It was a great place to work. Serving and meeting the locals as well as the tourists was a definite job perk. The owner was not the best person to work for, but as long as he wasn’t there, it was wonderful. Unfortunately, after Katrina hit, it was looted and the owner decided not to open back up.
It’s a great location and it’s a shame that a bank is going there.
I bet I know which Shelly that is! I worked there for over a year as a chef..lots of catering and lots of lunchtimes…I was there for brunch on Sundays, too! Last I saw it, it’d been looted and beat up pretty good during the storm and the owner…well, lets just say he went another path. Did one hell of a business during the Mardi Gras parades!