Last time we checked in with Curren$y, the NOLA-based rapper and munchies connoisseur, the dude was out of breath. That’s to be expected when you play with fire at the Hot Ones roundtable, where the wings get progressively spicier as the questions get progressively hotter. Few can handle that kind of heat (*cough* Khaled *cough*), but leave it to Spitta to shatter our expectations.

“It took maybe an hour for me to come back to my senses and talk in complete sentences,” says Spitta, who recently dropped Canal Street Confidential. “Y’all told me Gunplay was one of the few who completed it, so I was pretty proud of myself to be included in the ranks of such a tough gentleman.”

As fearless as Curren$y is when it comes to taking ridiculous hot-wings challenges, we’ve always admired him just as much for his food intel. The sort of insider’s knowledge he possesses is especially useful in a city like New Orleans, where tourists are often sucked in by the daiquiri-soaked vortex of Bourbon Street. By all accounts, Spitta has his finger on the pulse. Take, for instance, the crazy concoction of ice tea, rosé, and champagne that Jim Jones prefers when he’s in town. “That’s my homeboy’s product,” laughs Spitta. “I don’t know the name of it but they sell it by the gallon. People love it.”

If you’re going to do NOLA properly, what better way to see it than through the eyes of one of the city’s most celebrated, food-savvy emcees? Here, Curren$y lays out his Wednesday night routine—”I’m a creature of habit”—from pre-game oysters, to Parking Lot Pimp etiquette.

Your oysters should be charbroiled.



Curren$y says: “You’ll want to go eat before you go to the club, of course, since you’ll be drinking. Head to Drago’s (2 Poydras St, 504-584-3911) in downtown for a dozen charbroiled oysters. If you’re with the homies, two dozen of those with a bowl of gumbo will do the trick. Drago’s is right off of Canal Street, down at the end near the casino. If there’s anything of worth in New Orleans, the best of it is off Canal. Charbroiled oysters is the move because they make them so fast; it’s a hit dish. I’m not talking about the raw oysters that the homies be eating on Dick Tracy. These are actually prepared. It’s legit man. Red Fish Grill (115 Bourbon St, 504-598-1200) has good barbecue oysters, too.” (Photo: Flickr/LeighKlotz)

There’s only one burger fit for a Rolls-Royce.



Curren$y says: “If you don’t go to Drago’s, you’re still riding up Canal Street, so I’d suggest turning on Saint Charles and heading to Luke (333 St Charles Ave, 504-378-2840). Luke is a pretty ritzy joint with a real nice burger. When I go over there, I’m subjected to a lot of weird looks from businessman and business ladies who don’t understand why I’m sliding through in some basketball shorts and flip flops. They’re always trying to figure me out—like, how do you pull up in a Rolls-Royce to do that? But I don’t care. The food is good, so it’s worth it.” (Photo: Yelp/Alexis N.)

A classic sandwich calls for classic fixins.



Curren$y says: “For po’boys, I go to Castnets (10826 Hayne Blvd, 504-244-8446) and Cajun (1479 N Claiborne Ave, 504-948-6000). I’ve been eating that shit my whole life. If I want the surf and turf, I go to the cheesesteak place, but if I want a po’boy, it’s going to be fried shrimp, oyster, or catfish. Only seafood. Whenever Beyoncé is here she has her driver bring her to Gene’s (1040 Elysian Fields Ave, 504-943-3861), but they don’t have seafood po’boys.” (Photo: Facebook/Castnet)

Parking Lot Pimps order pizza.



Curren$y says: “On Wednesdays, I’ll go out to the House of Blues (225 Decatur St, 504-310-4999), which is split into three or four concerts halls. At the smaller one, we host something called the Jet Lounge. It’s a different crowd that comes through—you got gangstas, geniuses, artists, mechanics, and chicks. Once you get in there and make your way to the bar, we have a couple of cool ladies who’ll hook you up. There’s bottle service, of course.

When I’m there, my drink of choice is champagne and Grand Marnier. You know what’s crazy—Jim Jones is the one who put me on to that. I was in a club in Miami, and Jim stopped me with my drink in hand and was like, ‘Yo, you should put this in there,’ and he poured some Grand Marnier into my bottle, and it changed the evening.

I’ll stay at HOB until 2am. I’m not one of those guys who shuts the club down. Then we kick it outside for the classic Parking Lot Pimp. So you gotta hang out, show the ladies what you drove, where you come from. When you’re outside the House of Blues, there’s a pizza place on the corner that everyone goes to [called Industry Bar & Kitchen (240 Decatur St, 504-581-6977)]. They serve wings and salads too, but I always go there and order a whole pizza that’s fresh out of the oven. I’m like the bozo who walks up and ruins everyone’s night. Fuck everybody *laughs*—I get the whole pizza and give it to my homeboys. I get cheese, pepperoni, or whatever is coming out of the oven. I don’t discriminate.” (Photo: zomato.com/erika golder)

Call it a night at Café Du Monde.



Curren$y says: “Café Du Monde (800 Decatur St, 504-525-4544) is 24-hours, so you can get beignets and fucking cocoa all night. I go there a lot actually. It’s only $3! I don’t go during out-of-town time. Just post-clubbing on a Wednesday. At 3:30am, it’s just you and the lady that made your doughnuts. Then I go home to sleep. You don’t want a full steak and potatoes at 4am, ya know?” (Photo: Flickr/vxla)