Antoine's

This past weekend my mom and grandmother came to visit. My sorority, Delta Gamma, had its Founder's Day luncheon. We were able to extend the invitation to important women in our lives. Although the luncheon was the motivation for their visit, it was not the only highlight of the weekend. In fact, the highlight of the weekend was probably dinner at Antoine's. Antoine's is a famous historical dining establishment in the French Quarter on Saint Louis. In fact, Antoine's is mentioned in Gumbo Tales. My grandmother, Mimi, had read the book Dinner at Antoine's, by Frances Keyes, so she thought it would be cool to eat dinner at Antoine's herself. She did that for the first time nearly 40 years ago when here and my grandfather came down to New Orleans for vacation. She absolutely loved the restaurant and was adamant that she get to return when she came down to visit me. So on Saturday night we made 8 o'clock reservations for Antoine's.

Antoine's was opened in 1840 by Antoine Alciatore. He was a young and talented French chef. He first moved to New York from France but then sought to move to New Orleans as advances in his career seemed more available here. He first opened the restaurant in the kitchen of the St. Charles Hotel, but the success of the restaurant called for bigger quarters. So in 1868 Antoine's moved to St. Louis. The same building and architectural accents that existed over 100 years ago are still there today. The fame and success of Antoine's has been consistent, if not growing since its opening.

Saturday night was my first, and certainly not last, visit to Antoine's. When our taxi arrived at the restaurant we were immediately assisted out of the car by well dressed men in suits. They checked us on the reservation list and we soon proceeded in. All of the servers were men who were also finely dressed. The decor was obviously antique. When I learned it was the same decor from 1868 I was not surprised as it had that antique charm. The table was set with a complete arrangement of dining utensils for a elegant meal. The menu was different than most. The appetizers for only meant for one person, rather than to share. Your main dish didn't come with a side. Rather, vegetables could be ordered separately and would be served with your main course. I ordered gumbo as my appetizer. It was excellent. It had a dark roux. I order their famous puffed potatoes as my vegetable and Pompano Pontchartrain as my main course. Pompano Pontchartrain is grilled Pompano in a buttery sauce topped with lump crab. The meal was excellent. Not only was the food excellent, but so was the service.

I would certainly recommend Antoine's as a suggestion for a New Orlean's dinner. However, it is very expensive. At least for me, my college budget doesn't allow hardly eating out at all, let alone expensive fining dining establishment. Once all of us graduate with incredible GPAs and land extremely high paying jobs (as we should with such an awesome education) I will expect that everyone eat there at least once. :)