Monday, March 5, 2012

Biegnets, Gardens and Antoine's

The Big Easy. This is our first visit since Katrina. It's very nice to see the city vibrant and full of tourists. Our hotel, The Roosevelt, is a beauty with chandeliers, marble and murals. This morning we walked from the hotel down to Royal St. First, to look for Antoine's Restaurant and second, to have coffee and beignets at Cafe Dumonde. The Cafe had lines that stretched far beyond the door. So, hungry, we stopped across the street at The Riverside. Service was so slow there that we would have certainly made the Cafe's counter by the time we were served. Adding insult to injury, the food was terrible. I won't even begin to describe the bathroom. After breakfast we walked some more, did a little shopping in the French Riverside Market and then returned to the Roosevelt by way of Royal St. where we heard some fine jazz. In the afternoon we got the car and drove to the Garden District where Wayne bought As I Lay Dying in preparation for Oxford, MS. We also bought a walking guide and toured the district on foot. The homes here are architecturally strong and interesting. The District claims to be one of the best preserved collection of historic southern mansions in the United States. They were built mainly by wealthy Americans who did not want to live in the French Quarter with the Creoles. Commander's Palace is located there.
Tonight we dined at Antoine's, the oldest family run restaurant in the United States, established in 1840. The Creole cuisine features original dishes, ie, Oysters Rockefeller of which we had a few. I liked the overall look and feel of the place with the traditional male waiters in tails, but it was somewhat staid. For more pictures visit my flicker