Hansen's Sno Bliz

[Big Country]

I lived in New Orleans for 2 years, that was 5 years ago. I have been back several times since, but not when hansen's was open. there isn't a hot day go by when I don't think about having one. It was a Sunday late afternoon staple for me. What I wouldn't do for a necture or peach snoblitz with canned milk on top. I might have to come down there is summer just to have a snoblitz and a softshell from Brigtsen's.

[joiei]

I lived in New Orleans for 2 years, that was 5 years ago.  I have been back several times since, but not when hansen's was open.  there isn't a hot day go by when I don't think about having one.  It was a Sunday late afternoon staple for me.  What I wouldn't do for a necture or peach snoblitz with canned milk on top.  I might have to come down there is summer just to have a snoblitz and a softshell from Brigtsen's.

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I am with you Big Country. Yesterday afternoon when I was out running errands I was thinking about how nice it would be to be able to go get a snowball. Maybe you could start up a little snowball stand on the plaza?

[Mayhaw Man]

Sometimes, well, you just gotta wonder...

"This place has always been sort of sacred to me," Hansen said. "Why would you rob a sno-ball stand? It's like taking candy from a baby."

I'm glad that she's ok. I can't believe that I didn't hear about it this weekend. Knocking off a bank is one thing, but Hansen's, that's just a bit beyond anything that I can understand or forgive.

[MikeHartnett]

Agreed. Its not like they could have even gotten that much money from Hansen's...

More the principle. What kind of scum does that?

[KatieLoeb]

That really sucks. On the upside, they should be happy no one was hurt. If someone is enough of a scumbag to rob the place, violence isn't a far leap. I hope they had most of the money in an inaccessable safe or something, and the robber only got away with what was in the register.

[TAPrice]

I hope they had most of the money in an inaccessable safe or something, and the robber only got away with what was in the register.

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I believe most of the money is kept in cigar boxes labeled $5, $10 and $20.

Schoeder, at the New Orleans blog People Get Ready, had the excellent suggestion of paying Ashley a little extra next time to make up for what she lost.

[TAPrice]

Hansen's now has a website. But it's way more than your average restaurant website. They're building a big online collection of photos and documents. Check it out:

Hansen's Sno-Bliz

[MikeHartnett]

This just reminds me that I need to get back to Hansen's before the summer's over...

[docsconz]

Favorite flavors? I hope to get there either tomorrow or Friday.

[MikeHartnett]

I like the tart lemonade.

[HungryC]

Favorite flavors? I hope to get there either tomorrow or Friday.

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Cream of nectar

Cream of chocolate mixed with coconut

Sno-bliz (a pink, tart, hard-to-describe flavor)

Any of Ashley's "special" flavors (ask if she's cooked up anything new)

[philadining]

I really liked the tart lemonade, but it does tend to overwhelm everything else, if you're doing multiple flavors.

As we sat outside, we got chatting with a woman who had been coming there for decades, and she scolded us for not ordering condensed milk as an extra topping, and then I remembered Daniel raving about that option on his recent visit. I'd imagine that would be better with certain flavors over others. I was tempted to go back and get another with the condensed milk, but the line was pretty long at that moment.

The options are a little dizzying, and it was a little unclear to me what was allowed/recommended in terms of doing multiple flavors, but in the end it's not rocket science, pick a flavor or two, pick a size. It's just flavored ice, you can always get another one...

Edited August 8, 2008 by philadining (log)

[docsconz]

This is the kind of place that would be a real treat to have in one's backyard, so that one can eventually try every flavor and flavor combination and truly discover favorites as they are so good. We stopped by yesterday and had to make some difficult decisions. I went for a cup of cream of coffee and cream of chocolate, while my son went for the brightly colored pineapple/strawberry combo. We also got to taste the tart lemonade.

What can I say, but that they were all good. Tasting the lemonade at the end was wonderful, though I think a whole cup of it would have left my mouth puckered for some time. I too missed the condensed milk, which in retrospect, would have been particularly good on the coffee/chocolate Sno-Bliz.

The bottom line is that this place is a treasure and absolutely perfect for a city like New Orleans.

[The Drinkist]

Favorite flavors? I hope to get there either tomorrow or Friday.

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One from each end of the spectrum:

Tart Lemonade

Cream of Ice Cream

[Mayhaw Man]

Hansen's gets a website.

While, for most businesses, this might not seem like such a big deal, Hansen's is happily stuck in a loop that might as well be in 1948. It's just one more thing that makes it a unique and tasty part of our city. There are some really interesting/funny photographs on there and also some, that if you happen to have been eating the things for a long time (in my case, since I was 3 or 4, which would be more than 10 years ago and less than a hundred ), it's a nice snapshot in time.

Plus, it's a public posting of Ashley's hours and that's a handy thing.

Snobliz.com

Edited August 11, 2008 by Mayhaw Man (log)

[TAPrice]

For the record, I want it to be known that I'm the fan mentioned in the article who suggested the webcam to monitor the line. You could attach it to that bookstore across the street. It works for New York's Shake Shack, doesn't it?

[Mayhaw Man]

For the record, I want it to be known that I'm the fan mentioned in the article who suggested the webcam to monitor the line. You could attach it to that bookstore across the street. It works for New York's Shake Shack, doesn't it?

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I always knew that you were a genius, Todd.

Also, Nick Spitzer of American Routes radio, a nationally broadcast, New Orleans based, radio program recently featured an updated broadcast that he had done a few years back. Just scroll down to the Aug 6 link and click on Hansen's to listen. It's a nice piece.

[TAPrice]

I always knew that you were a genius, Todd.

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No, not a genius, but I'm smart enough enough to know which ideas are worth stealing.

[TAPrice]

I've got a story in today's Times-Picayune about Hansen's and the newly overhauled ice shaving machine:

For 70 years, the whirring machine at Hansen's Sno-Bliz has turned ice into snow.

...

Over the years, the machine broke down. Stripped nuts rattled loose. A bearing failed on a day when the line stretched out the door. One year, the motor died on the first Friday of Jazz Fest.

"It always seems like a major disaster, because I'm not a machinist," said Ashley Hansen, 35, who took ever the stand in 2006 after her grandparents died. "But my good friends have assured me that it's a machine and machines are meant to be fixed."

Last year, a few days before Halloween weekend when Hansen's Sno-Bliz was set to close for the season, the machine broke again. The lever that steadies the block of ice as it hits the blades snapped. Ashley cobbled together a repair and made sure no one's end-of-season Sno-Bliz craving went unsatisfied.

"I've been fixing it with my grandfather for years," Ashley said. "My grandfather was really into patching: patch, patch, patch, patch. But I could only do that for so long."

Screws were rusted. Only one metal leg was still attached to the base and the wooden base was rotten.

The machine needed an overhaul, and Ashley needed help.

Full story here: Longtime Tcoupitoulas Stand as Good as New

As a bonus, James Carville walked in when the photographer was there. We got a shot of him sampling the new satsuma flavored snowball.

[saturnbar]

Great article Todd. I really liked the ending. BTW, you should get the Picayune to fix your about the author link. ch

[Holly Moore]

Who would guess that one could plan a trip to New Orleans just to sample Snowballs. Thanks Todd for another excuse for an eating trip. Great write-up. So much of New Orleans food is all about tradition.

Edited to ask does James Carville slurp a snowball human-like or does his tongue dart out whenever a snowball comes within range?

Edited May 8, 2009 by Holly Moore (log)

[Holly Moore]

Is Hansen's seasonal? If so will they be open in October? Thanks.

[HungryC]

Coincidentally, I was at Hansen's just yesterday. Ashley said that she would close at after Labor Day this year. My chocolate mint sno-bliz was excellent--see it here.

[Holly Moore]

Thanks, though not the answer I was seeking.

Are any of the Snowball places open through October?

[HungryC]

Some stands do stay open year-round. I'd imagine that Plum Street Snowballs will still be open in October. It's at the corner of Plum & Burdette Sts, just four blocks off of Carrollton Ave (accessible via streetcar). Beware the leaky pails.

Edited August 20, 2009 by HungryC (log)