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Antoine's in NOLA

2,217 Views | 35 Replies | Last: 6 yr ago by cheeky
MrJonMan
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A few couples are headed to NOLA in November and being as we are semi-adults now, we want to try to have some decent food while there.

Good friend who is there regularly for work suggested we do Bon Ton for lunch and Antoines for dinner.

Are these still both recommended? We wanted to try and do a dinner that was slightly upscale.

Feel free to offer recommendations. Right now it's 3 couples.
MrJonMan
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An initial list I just jotted down from reading threads on here and Trip Advisor


Coup's - have been before
Willie Maes Scotch House
Commander's
Mother's
Boucherie
Clancy's
Elizabeth's - breakfast
Ruby Slipper
Cochan Butcher
Deanie's
Arnaud's
Jacque Imos
GW Fins

And of course from my buddy

Antoine's
Bon Ton
Ag_07
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MrJonMan said:

Mother's
Ruby Slipper - Breakfast/brunch
Cochan Butcher
Jacque Imos

Can't speak for the rest on the list but these are all solid choices and among my favorites. However, I wouldn't call any of the slightly upscale.

For upscale dinner we've done NOLA (Emeril's creole restaurant) and Dickie Brennans's (steakhouse). Both are pretty damn good with nice atmosphere.
Quinn
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Go to Sylvain and eat the Pan-Fried Pork Shoulder:



One of the best things I have ever eaten.
Keeper of The Spirits
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What weekend will your be there? Boudin, Bourbon and Beer festival is the first weekend.
Gramercy Riffs
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Skip Antoines for dinner and head to GW Fins instead. Antoines is known as the birthplace of Oysters Rockefeller, so if you just want to check that off your list, order it from the bar next door (Hermes) and move on.
Tanya 93
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This place!

http://www.restaurantaugust.com
MrJonMan
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Going Sun-Wed before Thanksgiving
bularry
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Tanya 93 said:

This place!

http://www.restaurantaugust.com
definitely if you want to up the $$ ante

While Cochon Butcher isn't "upscale", I usually spend $80+ for the wife and I (including bottle of wine) and you can spend more. so not cheap a la Mother's. also not dirty and full of flies a la Mother's
Bruce Almighty
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Revolution for lunch
Commanders Palace for dinner
MrJonMan
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I'm not sure if I should be or not, but for such a historic place, surprised about the lack of Antoines based responses
Tanya 93
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bularry said:

Tanya 93 said:

This place!

http://www.restaurantaugust.com
definitely if you want to up the $$ ante

While Cochon Butcher isn't "upscale", I usually spend $80+ for the wife and I (including bottle of wine) and you can spend more. so not cheap a la Mother's. also not dirty and full of flies a la Mother's
One of my favorite places in the world.

If I want cheap in NO, Felix's.
I also really like The Gumbo Shop. But I know opinions greatly vary on that place.
Potcake
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Yea, wife and I have had lunch at the Hermes bar several times. Other lunch favorites: Napoleon House, Bourbon House, Tujague's Bar, Port of Call, Willie Mae's, Chartres House
Dinner: Bayona, Acme, NOLA, Pascal's Manale, Domenica, Court of Two Sisters
Gramercy Riffs
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MrJonMan said:

I'm not sure if I should be or not, but for such a historic place, surprised about the lack of Antoines based responses
The lack of responses is because people don't go there. It's historic for one reason, and you can save yourself the effort and order that next door. Try one of the other places listed (there are several A+ recommendations on this thread) and you'll be fine.
GAC06
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bularry said:

Tanya 93 said:

This place!

http://www.restaurantaugust.com
definitely if you want to up the $$ ante

While Cochon Butcher isn't "upscale", I usually spend $80+ for the wife and I (including bottle of wine) and you can spend more. so not cheap a la Mother's. also not dirty and full of flies a la Mother's
Are you talking about Cochon or Cochon Butcher?
MrJonMan
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I was talking about Cochon Butcher
bularry
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GAC06 said:

bularry said:

Tanya 93 said:

This place!

http://www.restaurantaugust.com
definitely if you want to up the $$ ante

While Cochon Butcher isn't "upscale", I usually spend $80+ for the wife and I (including bottle of wine) and you can spend more. so not cheap a la Mother's. also not dirty and full of flies a la Mother's
Are you talking about Cochon or Cochon Butcher?
Butcher.
GAC06
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Ah. I've never seen anyone drinking wine at Cochon Butcher but $80 including wine seemed cheap for Cochon. I love that place.
Farmer1906
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Ag_07 said:

MrJonMan said:

Mother's
Ruby Slipper - Breakfast/brunch
Cochan Butcher
Jacque Imos

Can't speak for the rest on the list but these are all solid choices and among my favorites. However, I wouldn't call any of the slightly upscale.

For upscale dinner we've done NOLA (Emeril's creole restaurant) and Dickie Brennans's (steakhouse). Both are pretty damn good with nice atmosphere.
I love Ruby Slipper.
Summer Breeze
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Went to New Orleans on a girls' trip several years ago and ate at Antoine's. It was delicious and a great experience. We loved it.
Bluecat_Aggie94
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My impression of food in New Orleans is that the French Quarter on and near Bourbon Street is a lot like the Riverwalk in San Antonio.

It's a great atmosphere, but they know they are going to draw a crowd, so they don't really have to have great food to keep business rolling.
Bruce Almighty
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Bluecat_Aggie94 said:

My impression of food in New Orleans is that the French Quarter on and near Bourbon Street is a lot like the Riverwalk in San Antonio.

It's a great atmosphere, but they know they are going to draw a crowd, so they don't really have to have great food to keep business rolling.



French Quarter has some of the most acclaimed restaurants in the world.
Bluecat_Aggie94
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Maybe so, but many of the ones that you just walk in to (I'd put Antoine's on that list) are not great.
BMX Bandit
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Bluecat_Aggie94 said:

My impression of food in New Orleans is that the French Quarter on and near Bourbon Street is a lot like the Riverwalk in San Antonio.

It's a great atmosphere, but they know they are going to draw a crowd, so they don't really have to have great food to keep business rolling.



Has to be a troll
JFrench
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Pelican club doesnt get much love. Ive eaten at most places posted here on several occasions. Ive eaten the whole menu at Pelican.

Pathetic i havent done cochon yet. Butcher is great though.
Hwy30East
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Mr. B's Bistro
FarmerJohn
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Quote:

It's historic for one reason, and you can save yourself the effort and order that next door.
You can't get Antoine's next door. You can't really get it anywhere else. My wife went in December. In a nutshell, eating at Antoine's is stepping back in time 60 years. It's like a living history of the origins of fine dining in the US. It's a fascinating experience. You have to adjust your expectations accordingly. Service will be top notch but all the food is going to have a ton of butter and be very rich. Nothing is going to be topped by an arugula chimichurri, for example. But you can talk to someone who went 20 years ago and have had a similar experience and again 20 years from now. I had a great time. I'm glad I went. I really won't rush to go back.

Note - My opinion would most likely change if I lived in New Orleans and had a relationship with the restaurant.
cheeky
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Atmosphere and food at Antoine's is fantastic. The new Brennan's also good. Commander's Palace is back to #1 for a reason, but it's a car ride. Gallatoire's, GW Fins and Court of Two Sisters also good. August I'm told is excellent but we never seem to make it over there. Countless other places for dinner it's embarrassing how many good restaurants can be had. Places like Acme and Coop's are very casual joints. Dickie Brennan's Steakhouse, to me, was extremely ordinary. As is Mother's.
bularry
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the "car ride" comment really depends on where you stay, and even then, it is a very short car ride to Commander's Palace from anywhere in the city.

and I'm always stunned when someone mentions a tourist trap like Court of Two Sisters with Commander's Palace or even GW Fins.
cheeky
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bularry said:

the "car ride" comment really depends on where you stay, and even then, it is a very short car ride to Commander's Palace from anywhere in the city.

and I'm always stunned when someone mentions a tourist trap like Court of Two Sisters with Commander's Palace or even GW Fins.
Tourist traps are Pat O's, Cafe Du Monde, Dragos and Mothers. Be stunned all you like, I doubt anyone cares. I can roll in NO with the best of them, and do so frequently.
Gramercy Riffs
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FarmerJohn said:

Quote:

It's historic for one reason, and you can save yourself the effort and order that next door.
You can't get Antoine's next door. You can't really get it anywhere else. My wife went in December. In a nutshell, eating at Antoine's is stepping back in time 60 years. It's like a living history of the origins of fine dining in the US. It's a fascinating experience. You have to adjust your expectations accordingly. Service will be top notch but all the food is going to have a ton of butter and be very rich. Nothing is going to be topped by an arugula chimichurri, for example. But you can talk to someone who went 20 years ago and have had a similar experience and again 20 years from now. I had a great time. I'm glad I went. I really won't rush to go back.

Note - My opinion would most likely change if I lived in New Orleans and had a relationship with the restaurant.

I'm aware of all that. I've been multiple times. I'm glad I went. You're correct - it's like stepping back in time.

But as for the food, it's famous for one dish in particular, and you can order it at Hermes. Nothing else (that we agree upon, by the way) changes that fact. You CAN get oysters Rockefeller next door.

Edit to clarify: that's once at Antoines, multiple times at Hermes.
FarmerJohn
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I have not been to Hermes. Basically, the question is if their Oysters Rockefeller is spinach based or celery based. I've had spinach based Oysters Rockefeller before in a number of places. I have had a celery based dish only once, and that was at Antoine's. Since it is undeniable that they invented the dish, I feel that is an important distinction. If Hermes does it, great and I think you get the gist of it.

In all, the point of an Antoine's visit is not whether or not the oysters have celery or spinach, it is that nothing has changed. I just think that can be very interesting. I draw a parallel to a Manhattan (cocktail). My brother got me a Waldorf Astoria bar book from pre-prohibition last year. I was reading through it and it turns out that originally the Manhattan was made with orange bitters rather than Angostura. In researching it a little more, during Prohibition a lot of companies that made bitters were driven out of business. Angostura got around the fact their product contains alcohol by arguing that it was medicinal and that no one would just drink it by itself to get drunk. They survived and because they were all that were left many recipes were adapted to use their bitters. Having then tried both the pre-prohibition and post-prohibition versions, I think the one with Angostura is better. But I also think there is a place for the original and that to have an accurate view of history one should know of these subtle changes that have happened over the years.
bularry
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Stagecoach said:

bularry said:

the "car ride" comment really depends on where you stay, and even then, it is a very short car ride to Commander's Palace from anywhere in the city.

and I'm always stunned when someone mentions a tourist trap like Court of Two Sisters with Commander's Palace or even GW Fins.
Tourist traps are Pat O's, Cafe Du Monde, Dragos and Mothers. Be stunned all you like, I doubt anyone cares. I can roll in NO with the best of them, and do so frequently.
you do you, we all have different tastes and likes for our dining experiences!

you walk to Court of Two Sisters and I'll walk to Commanders! Everyone is happy!


Any district donut fans on this thread?
Bruce Almighty
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Drago's is only a tourist trap if you order anything but charbroiled oysters.
schmendeler
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commander's is excellent for fine dining.

we went to august for lunch and it was also excellent. i imagine dinner is even better.
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