A special occasion took us out to dinner at Roux, the Creole-Cajun food joint out on North Killingsworth, last night. The food and drink were great -- can't go wrong with a mint julep on a perfect spring evening -- and the ambiance was fine. They tell us they're serving up a wicked weekend brunch over there, too.

It was a swell dinner, but it wasn't cheap. Don't let the North Portland address fool you on that score. But if you rarely get out of the house for a good meal, what the hey.

It's hard to eat Louisiana fare without thinking and talking about the people whose lives were taken or smashed by the hurricanes. If you pay by check or cash, they're giving 5 percent of your tab to relief agencies in and around New Orleans.