This house is more than a home of the blues; it's a cultural museum where music, food and art collide. Immerse yourself in it by starting with a meal at HOB's resident restaurant, The Back Porch. It has its own stage (separate from the larger concert hall) that hosts live blues music every night of the week (starting between 9:30 and 10 p.m.). Daytime visitors are treated to TVs broadcasting an array of music videos from rock to R&B and country to blues.

While your ears are filled, your eyes are constantly scanning the arty surroundings. The HOB houses one of the country's largest, publicly displayed folk art collections, and its bright works cover the walls, bar and even the ceiling.

Once you've taken in the sights and sounds, you can move on to the menu. The restaurant serves Southern-inspired, down-home cooking with a side of Southern hospitality; if you're looking for the likes of pa-seared voodoo shrimp, baked macaroni and cheese in a cast iron skillet or Creole jambalaya, you've come to the right place. Both the lunch and dinner portions are considerable, so be prepared to share or load up a sack to take home.

On Sundays, make room for some soul food; the Gospel Brunch buffet serves up heaping portions of biscuits and gravy, omelets and fried chicken. The meal goes down even easier with the sound of live gospel music ringing through meal.

After cleaning your plate, catch a concert at HOB's Music Hall (save your restaurant receipt and receive priority admission to the show). Located just above the restaurant, the Hall is three levels of viewing and listening pleasure and hosts both local and high profile bands and acts. These performances, aimed to please a wide variety of music fans, have included Aretha Franklin and B.B. King, Twisted Sister and Sister Hazel and everyone in between.

Centerstage Reviewer: Albrey Nuss