Nothing but net

The New Orleans Hornets play dozens of home games this spring, but three weekend match-ups promise to spice up your Crescent City weekend.

Friday, Jan. 30: Golden State Warriors

Check out former LSU Tiger and Warrior rookie Anthony Randolph.

Sunday, March 29: San Antonio Spurs

A chance to check out some of the game’s greatest players from three countries: USA’s Tim Duncan, France’s Tony Parker (who knows—his wife Eva Longoria could always show up), and Argentina’s Manu Ginobili.

Sunday, April 12: Dallas Mavericks

Like Houston, as close to a rivalry game as you can get. Plus you might spot affable Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, who was recently indicted on insider trading charges.

Ticket prices range from about $10 for nose-bleed seats to several hundred dollars for anything near the court. For more visit nba.com/hornets.

What’s the perfect New Orleans weekend?

The Rock-n-Bowl. Camellia Grill. A muffaletta from Central Grocery.

The filmy feel of a French Quarter bar and an Angelo Brocato’s cannoli.

Barbecue shrimp at Pascal’s Manale for lunch, followed by a Taqueria Corona tongue taco for dinner.

Baton Rougeans have strong opinions about the right Crescent City To Do List, and we escape to our sister city time and again to test ours out. The good news is there are few wrong answers in a place that pins its identity on ensuring decadence.

Now there’s yet another reason to head down to New Orleans: the Hornets, the city’s NBA team that consistently competes with the NBA’s highest fliers.

Here’s everything you need to build yourself a weekend to remember with 225’s up-to-the-minute guide on where to chow, party and rest up.

Where to eat

While there were a few Katrina casualties, most restaurants returned, and excellent new ones opened too: including the hip MiLa, the solid Daisy Bistro and a Sucre—a boutique devoted to intricately crafted desserts. Here are three go-to spots to keep in your arsenal.

Gourmet: Lilette

High ceilings, rich red walls and classic black-and-white tile are the backdrop to this stunner, where consistent French bistro fare and a varied, appealing wine list make for a memorable foodie evening. Chef John Harris’ menu includes velvety veal cheeks with baby greens, sweet and sticky beef short ribs, and Kurobuta pork belly, but it’s really hard not to choose the marvelous steak-frites, where grilled, juicy hanger steak is paired with crisp fries and marrowed bordelaise.

3637 Magazine Street, (504) 895-1636, liletterestaurant.com

Local Flavor: East New Orleans

Far from Bourbon Street fanny packs, this French Quarter outpost is dominated by Vieux Carré residents who wait impatiently amid pastel colors and lively tunes for a table to free up—especially for brunch. The layered bleu cheese and fig torte is a study in melt-in-your-mouth contrasts, not to be outdone by the fried green tomato breakfast and specials like fried oysters and poached eggs perched on a slab of French bread with hollandaise. The mimosas are fresh and sunny, like the vibe. BYOB welcome.

900 Dumaine Street, (504) 522-7222, eatnola.com

Budget: Praline Connection

This Creole haunt, situated amid some of the city’s hottest music clubs, serves the absolute best fare for heading off next-day headaches. The famed Praline Connection platter ($25 serves four) includes soft-shell crawfish, catfish, spicy chicken wings, chicken livers with hot pepper jelly, okra and dill pickles—all of them deep-fried.

542 Frenchmen Street, (504) 943-3934, pralineconnection.com

Where to stay

Hotels in New Orleans range from well-known chains to bed-and-breakfasts, but the most fun are the ones that never let you forget the scene unfolding outside.

Sublime: The Soniat House

For blow-the-bank account special occasions, the Soniat’s serenity and consistently good service are hard to beat. The hotel’s 33 rooms are tastefully carved out of three French Quarter Creole townhouses combined more than two decades ago. Savor café au lait and biscuits with the Soniat’s signature strawberry jam in the courtyard, after rising like Rhett and Scarlett from beautifully dressed four-poster beds. A real New Orleans experience.

1133 Chartres Street, (800) 544-0808, soniathouse.com

Local Character: The International House

Few places transmit a message of sensuality like the International House, whose recent overhaul brought in a new look that is at once high-fashion and ancient. Los Angeles-based designer L.M. Pagano, who has worked for Nicolas Cage and Johnny Depp, created a look that draws on New Orleans’ raw romanticism and its multi-cultural roots. The hotel celebrates “rituals” as varied as Louis Armstrong’s birthday and the weather changing and offers specials like the Voodoo Chic “Sanctuary of Love” Package. Stuff like that is very normal here.

221 Camp Street, (504) 553-9550, ihhotel.com

Budget: The Frenchmen

Just east of the French Quarter in lively Fauberg Marigny is the Frenchmen Hotel, a small, charming, affordable option with non-peak regular room rates starting as cheap as $59. The hotel provides a continental breakfast of pastries from a local bakery, there’s a streetcar line a block away and a cocktail pool is nestled in the quaint courtyard, providing a great diversion between outings in this bustling part of town.

417 Frenchmen Street, (800) 831-1781, frenchmenhotel.com

Where to drink

Between Sazeracs, Hurricanes, Bloody Marys and Pimm’s Cups—and the annual five-day Tales of the Cocktail convention where you can learn how to make them all—New Orleans knows its way around a glass.

Chic: The Loa Bar

They want you to feel like you’ve left the suburbs and passed out in the arms of sin in this opulent bar, where rich colors, candlelight and a doozy of a cocktail menu are all deliberately sensual. Sip on a Jasmine White Tea martini whilst checking out the dripping-in-hip crowd. Loa means “divine spirits” in Voodoo.

221 Camp Street, (504) 553-9550, ihhotel.com

Local Flavor: The Napoleon House

Famous for the refreshing Pimm’s Cup, an easy café menu and its aged-to-beauty interior walls, the Napoleon House may attract plenty of tourists, but it’s a classic that’s worth a stop. The fare includes budget-friendly, Italian-Creole-inspired sandwiches, like a multi-meat po-boy with onions, green peppers and house dressing, and the inimitable muffaletta. A perfect lunch while French Quartering.

500 Chartres Street, (504) 524-9752, napoleonhouse.com

Grungy: Le Bons Temps Roule

Far from tourists and specialty drinks, this hangout means good deals, pool and live local music with no cover. Watch young bands cut their teeth while you take advantage of beer and oyster specials. The door always seems to be open at this faded blue jean bar. The Bons Temps has been around since 1979.

4801 Magazine Street, (504) 895-8117