New New Orleans

Live music is out. Small plates are in.

It might seem like Mimi's, 2601 Royal St., gave up more than it received, its attorney Justin Schmidt said. But since the bar was first sued in Civil District Court in April 2013, Dykes revamped her business model, converting the upstairs space where bands and DJs played into more of a restaurant than a live music venue.

"Where before she depended on having live shows to draw people in there, she's actually getting more customers now without the live entertainment on a regular basis," Schmidt said. "To that extent, she really wasn't giving anything up. So this seemed like a no-brainer so far as a bargaining chip to get out of this whole thing."

More importantly, Dykes no longer has to operate under the strict sound restrictions the court imposed as a result of the lawsuit or fear that she could be shut down at any moment.