| BY ANNETTE SISCO | Staff writer Happy Thursday, New Orleans food fans, and welcome to this special New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival edition of Where NOLA Eats! After a three-year break, the fest is back this Friday, and with it a beloved menu of local foods. In fact, Ian McNulty has his top food picks right here. But the fun starts early, with pre-parties and morning concerts. Liuzza's by the Track is once again in Jazz Fest mode, while Li'l Dizzy's debuts a new specialty at the Fair Grounds. In other news, Live Oak Café on Oak Street is calling it quits, and the city loses a frozen yogurt chain. In the home kitchen, try out these wonderful weeknight chicken recipes. And there's more! Let's dig in ... 1. Back in business. Losing two years of Jazz Fest was a devastating blow to many small food vendors who depend on Fair Grounds sales. But crawfish bread, merguez sausage po-boys, maque choux and much more are back this year. "Coming back feels like we're coming home," one relieved vendor said. Read the story by Ian McNulty here. 2. Choices! Choices! With more than 50 vendors providing hundreds of menu items at the festival, it's just about impossible to try everything. That is, unless you're our supremely dedicated food writer, Ian McNulty! Ian samples it all, and he's come up with some top picks that are sure to please. See what made his list here. 3. Wait! There's more. There's fun outside the Fair Grounds too, as pre-parties and morning concerts set the stage every day. Liuzza's by the Track has streamlined its menu and moved the furniture to get back into Jazz Fest mode. The Creole restaurant Li'l Dizzy's pioneers a new dish at the festival, and an Oak Street music and dining venue will close. 4. Weeknight wonder. With prices rising, chicken remains an economical staple. Judy Walker has recipes for Chicken Shawarma, Hasselback Chicken Cordon Bleu and Hawaiian Grilled Chicken that will have your crew flocking to the dinner table crowing "Chicken again!" If you subscribe to our print newspaper, thank you - and good news: You automatically get a free subscription to all our stories online, meaning there's never a paywall. But first, you have to register. It's easy! Here is the step-by-step guide. That's it for the food newsletter, but in New Orleans the food news never stops. For more, visit us at NOLA.com. Thanks for reading, and Happy Jazz Fest! -A.S. P.S. If you aren't already subscribing to this free weekly newsletter, click here to subscribe. Want to support our award-winning journalism? Check out this great deal, just $1 for six months - for local journalism that matters! Subscribe here today. | 