Napoleon's Antoine's Lunch Special review, with pics 9-14-13

So, the girls wanted a nice weekend out. Since it was the eldest's birthday we decided to take them to a pair of very old NOLA institutions. This was my first time at Antoine's a restaurant that I have been meaning to get to for years and years.

It isn't really talked about on here, but from Facebook responses I can see that it has fans in the uptown and Old Metairie crowds.

We ordered from the specials menu, which is not a Restaurant Week exclusive, had I known that I may have went elsewhere.

I fretted bringing kids, because I never saw any reviews mentioning kids.



I decided to make a reservation and ask for one of the smaller rooms. I lucked out and got the private 1840 room.

I felt like I was eating in a museum.







(the Duck Press used in the No Reservations episode)

I can see it can be dreary to some, but I preferred it to the main dining rooms (not my pics)







There are 15 dining rooms and a 30,000 bottle wine "cellar". There is also a closed off former speakeasy.


Rex room

Proteus room


Okay on with the review...


specials menu


The waiter was a very nice fellow by the name of Eddie who gave me his card at the end of the meal. He has been there since 1979. Apparently it's not easy to get a job waiting tables there.
He recommended Shirley temples and Chicken tenders with Brabant potatoes for the kids.

They enjoyed them, though their meals with drink and dessert were a little more than our meals.


Antoine's Kid's meal



Birthday girl enjoying her colors and shirley temple. I thought it was nice that they were given colors and kids options. I had no idea of this going in.


The table was very big for a group of four, it was like "Batman"(1989) where you had to get up to pass the bread.

Like the movie, she had the Vichyssoise.


and I had the Oysters 1-1-1. The Thermidor was okay, the Rockefeller a little better but the Bienville was the best of the three. But three oysters is a snack, not an entree, lol.

I liked the flavor of our entrees, but they weren't as pretty as one would expect in a fine dining scenario. (around this time a tour went through and a guy was wearing shorts and a t-shirt and the littlest says "Look he isn't dressed right, look" I felt bad, but really who goes to a nice place in Shorts and nikes?)

Anyway, our entrees


Pork Provence
Pork tenderloin with an andouille crabmeat stuffing served over Yukon mashed potatoes with a champagne sauce


Veal Burgundy
Panned veal with a burgundy Espagnole sauce served over Florentine rice

I thought both tasted very good, but the missus thought the kids chicken fingers were better.

I had the bread pudding



and she the cheesecake



Really at $20.13 it was a good deal for three courses.
But even with 25 cent martinis the bill came to $92.

Which wasn't bad at all for the service and the ambiance. I get many wouldn't like the place. It is weird having tours go through while you were eating. And people taking pictures in the room while you were eating. I made sure not to take pictures in rooms people were eating in.

They had some cool stuff though




T-P from the day prohibition ended



FDR, Carter, Clinton and W sat in the room I dined in. That was cool.

(FDR ate there a few times as he had a few pics on the wall o fame. which was mostly up to the 60's, not many new pics)


Glassware from the Napoleon Empire.


All in all I thought it was worth it. It was far from the best meal I have had in the city and far from the worst.
It helps trying to break the kids away from Applebee's and Olive Garden (even if they are better on the wallet)

Though, there are changes that could be made to make it more appealing.

I want to return for dinner to get a better idea of the food.