BY ANNETTE SISCO | STAFF WRITER Hello, New Orleans food fans, and welcome to the Where NOLA Eats newsletter! This week we check in on our restaurant community as it regroups after Hurricane Ida. Seafood destination Middendorf's has a lot to teach us about living with wind and water. And sadly, we look back on three lives lost in the local food industry. Read on... 1. Picking up the pieces. Staff is short and menus are shorter as New Orleans restaurants get back on their feet post-Ida. Ian McNulty visits with Toups Meatery, Dickie Brennan & Co. and others. 2. Water world? Faced with fiercer storms and rising waters, beloved seafood restaurant Middendorf's in Manchac has raised its huge dining hall higher off the ground and expanded its system of flood walls, pumps and generators. Ian McNulty paid a visit to see how the home of thin-sliced, fried catfish fared in Aug. 29's Cat 4 hurricane. 3. Wait! There's more. "Had to feed my people," explains the owner of a Gretna restaurant that served free meals all week. New Orleans bars hang tough. And we remember three food scene figures who passed away this week: King Cake Hub's Will Samuels, Liuzza's Frank Bordelon II, and longtime Antoine's executive chef Michael Regua. 4. Feed thy neighbor. Sharing meals is a Louisiana value. Our food writer Teresa B. Day has big-batch recipes for easy dinners that everyone will love: pulled pork sliders and good ol' red beans and rice. 5. Mama mia! Who knew there were so many Italian places in town! Where's the best, though? Chime in on our Where NOLA Eats Facebook page. That's it for the food newsletter, but in New Orleans the food news never stops. For more, visit us at NOLA.com. Have a great weekend, and thanks for reading! --AS If you love Louisiana and are looking for a way to help the recovery, we've compiled this list of nonprofits on the ground. Are you a NOLA.com subscriber? If you are, thanks so much. But if you’re not, we’ve got a great offer for you. Check it out! | 
