Royal Treatment
Antoine's is home to more than a century of Mardi Gras traditions and
service.
WHAT: Antoine's French Creole
CUISNE: French Creole
WHEN:Lunch and dinner Monday through Saturday
WHERE:713 St. Louis St., 581-4422
CARDS: Major
Before the Louvre in Paris was designated as a museum in 1793, it served as a
private oasis for a long line of monarchs, beginning with Francis I in 1546.
Napoleon Bonaparte even briefly renamed the Louvre "Musee Bonaparte" in 1806,
helping transform the former military fortress into an elegant, decadent and
otherworldly palace before his fall from power. Today, wandering the endless,
labyrinthine halls of the Louvre can feel like entry into the world's most
exclusive club. In New Orleans, that same feeling is possible at Antoine's
restaurant.
Once a visitor crosses the threshold of Antoine's bright front
dining room and the large European-style annex dining room softly lit with
sconces and chandeliers, history and mystery await around every corner. The Rex
Room, established by the krewe in 1872, is furnished with decorative medals,
pictures of past kings, and their queens' tiaras, all enshrined behind glass.
Rows of photos of the queens of Proteus gaze upon the Proteus room, along with
such treasures as an ornate, hand-painted, octagonal folding invitation to
Proteus' 1882 ball. The Krewe of Hermes took over the President's Room upstairs
in 1998, and for Mardi Gras 2000, the Twelfth Night Revelers will have
completed renovation of their own room on the second floor. Each space
is part of a network of 15 dining rooms, accessible through twisting corridors
and stairways, including such haunts as the Mystery Room, named for its
designation as the secret place to drink alcohol during Prohibition. Such
chapters in the restaurant's storied past make it an ideal spot for coronations
and salutations.
"Every year the former kings of Carnival toast in honor of the
current king of Carnival in the Rex Room," says this year's captain of Rex,
upholding his code of anonymity prior to Mardi Gras. "We also have a luncheon
the Wednesday before Carnival where the queens are toasted by the
organization." The Carnival-related events culminate with an opulent luncheon
on Lundi Gras, when approximately 1,100 people from various krewes are served
using an elaborate seating chart that accommodates memories stretching back
decades.
"One queen from the 1930s comes back to eat twice a year," says
waiter Matthew Ousset, currently in his 20th year of service at Antoine's.
"She's always in the same spot, but she always wants everything to be exactly
the way she remembers it. If the table's at a slightly different angle, she'll
ask to have it adjusted."
Their core customers' preferences haven't changed much, and neither
has the restaurant's menu, which remains faithful to classic 19th century
French cuisine. "It's very elementary," says fifth-generation proprietor
Bernard Guste, who's helped Antoine's maintain its status as the
longest-running family-owned restaurant in the United States. "We're dedicated
to an a la carte menu, where people can build a meal to their own taste."
Antoine's cornerstone items consist of an extensive appetizer menu
stocked with oyster and snail creations, including the restaurant's signature
dish, oysters Rockefeller, created by Jules Alciatore in 1899. Entrees range
from a wide selection of seafood options utilizing fresh Louisiana fish
(particularly pompano and trout), a variety of chicken dishes, and myriad cuts
of beef, from morsel-size tenderloin tips to a hefty chateaubriand cut for two.
On a recent visit, our meal began with one of Antoine's
specialties, the souffle potatoes appetizer. The small rectangular crisps
arrive lightly fried and hollow, releasing a fragrant puff of steam with every
bite; a thick bearnaise sauce with tarragon made for a perfect dipping sauce.
The shrimp bisque was a deep red, deliciously thickened with a rich seafood
stock. Only the crabmeat au gratin -- gracefully baked in a ramekin -- was a
disappointment, with a thin, milky base that could have benefited from thicker
cream and a more generous portion of crabmeat.
The main courses were superb. Pompano Pontchartrain was an
understated delicacy, a grilled fillet topped with mounds of crabmeat. Graced
with a sheen of sauteed butter, the flaky meat of the pompano and crab blended
together for a texture that slid deliciously off the fork. The tournedos
nature, a broiled rare petit tenderloin, was equally soft and luxurious,
enhanced by two a la carte sauces: the Alciatore, a blend of browned pineapple
and bearnaise that left a delicately sweet finish akin to a sauterne wine, and
a powerful and classic marchand de vin blend of red wine, mushrooms and
onions.
Letter-perfect service is part of the Antoine's experience, as
longtime customers can attest; they occasionally use the side-entrance phone to
summon their regular waiter and bypass waiting lines outside. But the
perception that only regulars receive such attention -- and neophytes are
exclusively seated in the front room -- is a myth, says Ousset. "If there's
space, anyone can call for a reservation in the Rex Room, the Proteus Room,
anywhere they like. And all it takes is one visit for a customer to be offered
a card from their waiter offering personal service in the future."
Partaking in such luxuries doesn't come cheap. Our meal -- three
appetizers, a few drinks and two entrees, with no dessert, a la carte vegetable
sides, bottle of wine or after-dinner liqueur -- came to $126. With a rare but
much-deserved 30 percent tip for our waiter for four hours of service, the
grand total hit $160. So whether you're Mardi Gras royalty or just want to feel
that way, make sure you bring a king's ransom for your visit.
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