The restaurant scene in New Orleans continues to impress, and when part of your job is giving people suggestions about where to eat, it's safe to say life is going pretty darn great.

Why it matters: Narrowing down a list of favorite meals gets harder every year.

• But we're always willing to try.

In no particular order, these are 5 of our favorite meals this year.

🥘 Lola's: This paella restaurant in Mid-City hit the spot on a cold night when Carlie wanted a big bowl of carbs and several soup options.

• Our order: Seafood paella, garlic soup and house-made sangria.

🍣 Nobu: Sure, this was Chelsea's most outrageous meal of the year, but it was also just a lot of fun to go in, eyes wide open, and enjoy the ride. She went with her brother and had one of the best experiences.

• Our order: Softshell crawfish on a watermelon salad and Nobu classics like yellowtail jalapeño and black cod with miso.

🥟 Yummy House: This relaxed dim sum restaurant in a Kenner strip mall excels at stacking your table with food and leaving you to enjoy a chill meal.

• Our order: Dumplings, radish cakes and shrimp stuffed in eggplant, with several pots of hot tea.

🍕 St. Pizza: It's still fairly new, but Chelsea's already lost count of how often she's popped over to the window at this Magazine Street pizzeria to grab a slice.

• Our order: The tomato pie — a bright red slice good enough to convince you that cheese can be a distraction.

🦪 Blue Crab: Find Carlie upstairs for oyster happy hour with a martini and a view of the marina. The lakefront restaurant has a great kid's menu too.

• Our order: Raw oysters, chargrilled oysters, calamari, plus chicken tenders for the kiddo.

More favorites

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Flu season is in full swing, with Louisiana being one of the worst places in the country to be right now, based on the latest CDC data.

Why it matters: Most flu cases can be treated at home or with prescription medication, but some are more severe and can lead to hospitalization and/or death.

The big picture: The CDC says Louisiana and Washington, D.C., had the most flu activity in the U.S. as of Dec. 7.

• RSV cases are also climbing in Louisiana, according to state health data.
• Plus, walking pneumonia cases are surging in the state's children, according to The Times-Picayune.

Zoom out: Childhood flu vaccination is down so far this season in every state but Iowa, per CDC data.

• Flu shots can help prevent kids from getting sick, but they appear to be getting swept up in a broader wave of vaccine skepticism that arose during the COVID-19 pandemic.

By the numbers: In Louisiana, childhood flu vaccine coverage was down 5.2 percentage points as of Nov. 30 compared with the same time last year.

Go deeper for more trends

🚧 A CBD building partially collapsed late Saturday, the New Orleans Fire Department says, prompting evacuations and street closures. (WWL)

• Maypop, which is across the street, is closed indefinitely. (Instagram)
• The French Market also needs emergency repairs to its roof near Café du Monde. (The Times-Picayune 🔒)

🏥 A Louisiana resident was hospitalized with the bird flu, health officials confirmed Friday. The person, who is the state's first to contract H5N1 in a nationwide outbreak, had handled sick and dead birds suspected of being infected. (Louisiana Illuminator)

🏭 Entergy is looking to sell its gas utility business, and City Council could approve the move in a committee meeting this morning. Some consumer advocates say the deal could, over time, disproportionally impact low-income ratepayers. (Background via Verite)

👀 Avis Williams secretly got $335,000 when she agreed to leave her role as superintendent of NOLA Public Schools ahead of her contract's schedule. The settlement included terms that neither side would discuss the payout unless required to by law. (Fox 8)

🗑️ Sidney Torres' IV Waste won the $5.9 million emergency contract to pick up trash in the French Quarter. A judge will hear arguments today in lawsuits over the original deal with Henry Consulting. (The Times-Picayune🔒)

👋 Chelsea here. One of my greatest victories this year was reading more than I ever have as an adult.

Why it matters: I was motivated by suggestions from my book clubs.

• So, I'm asking y'all to tell me a favorite book you read this year. We may share it later this week in the newsletter.

By the numbers: I'll finish this year with more than 50 books read.

• For me, that's a lot! For others, that's child's play. To each her own!

Here were my favorites:

• "Demon Copperhead" by Barbara Kingsolver.
• "Parable of the Sower" by Octavia E. Butler.
• I also love family memoirs, so I really enjoyed "I'm Glad My Mom Died," "Crying in H Mart" and "The Mango Tree."
• And for romance readers, I suggest checking out "Eyes of Silver, Eyes of Gold," Abby Jimenez's "Part of Your World" series and "A Shore Thing," which is a truly lovely queer Victorian-era romance.

📣 Hit reply to the newsletter with your favorite reads this year!