Whispers – Chit-chat, scuttlebutt and scoop

Popular Budget Bytes blogger and Baton Rouge-turned-New Orleans resident Beth Moncel, who 225 first wrote about in 2009, is close to inking a deal with a major publisher to release a volume based on the tasty, inexpensive recipes that have earned her culinary blog thousands of followers. For updates on the book deal and new recipes visit budgetbytes.blogspot.com.

One of Baton Rouge’s best-kept cocktail secrets—The Cove—is getting its own spin-off, sort of. Garrett Morgan and Chris Juge, two former managers of the popular Citiplace nightspot, are moving down the road and turning the former Romano’s Macaroni Grill location next to Barnes & Noble into The Pelican House Tap Room and Whiskey Bar. The new bar and eatery, to be styled after traditional New Orleans courtyard restaurants, could open as early as October if the property is rezoned as planned. Insiders say the Pelican House will offer a selection of whiskeys and an extensive craft cocktail menu.

Chef John Folse and Galatoire’s of New Orleans chef Michael Sichel are among those cooking at this month’s London Olympics for BP-sponsored “Spirit of the Gulf” events. But is the petroleum giant’s sponsorship of the games a hollow PR gesture after the damage done by the 2010 oil spill? English activists think so. A number of BP’s London billboards and advertisements have been trashed recently—some splattered with oil, others slapped with “Go BP Free in 2012” stickers. More information on the protests can be found at risingtide.org.uk.