Restaurant Antoine 713-717 Rue St. Louis in the French Quarter 504.481.4422 ***** Part III -- The Food In the latest number of his quarterly dining guide, local food critic Tom Fitzmorris says that you have to either be a regular or you have to become one to enjoy a meal at Antoine's. Well, read on, and you'll become as knowledgable as a regular. The secret to getting the best the kitchen at Antoine's has to offer is to have a good relationship with your waiter. He's going to know if the pompano is better than the trout on a given evening. He's the one that's going to grab the pommes de terre soufflees and get them out to you while you're deciding what else to order. Never been to Antoine's? No problem. Read on, and you'll be able to order with the most regular of the regulars. The Menu Prior to about four years ago, the Menu was printed entirely in French. The current version of the menu has English descriptions of each dish below the French names. In spite of the fancy French names, it's important to remember that Antoine's is a Creole-French place, not a Continental-French restaurant. In other words, a dish that sounds like something you ordered in a nice restaurant in Paris last year may be prepared completely different here in New Orleans. There's an important admonition at the top of the menu: "To cook well requires a certain amount of time. If you must wait it is only to serve you better and please you more." This is something that most locals already know--dinner is an all-night affair at our better restaurants in New Orleans. In New York, dinner is what you do before or after the theatre. In New Orleans, dinner is what you do, period. Mettre' en Appetit -- Appetizers There are 26 different appetizers on the menu. If you look at the back, however, you'll see that only nine of these are listed as "Les Specialites." This is the best piece of advice any Antoine's regular can give you--stick to the house specialties, and you'll get a consistently magnificient dinner every time. Huitres en coquille a la Rockefeller (notre creaton): Oysters Rockefeller at Antoine's is made with green onions, not the spinach you may find at other restaurants. Yes, Oysters Rockefeller was invented here. Huitres a la Foch: Oysters Foch, another Antoine's creation, are fried oysters served on toast, buttered with pate de foie gras, and a colbert sauce. If you're with some serious oyster lovers, have one person order Rockefeller, one order Foch, then deviate from the specialties and get a third person to order Huitres Bienville. Oysters Bienville are served on the half shell in a white wine sauce with onions, pimento, and green peppers. These three make a great 2-2-2 combination. Forget the crabmeat appetizers at Antoine's. They're not bad, but the oysters are just so much better. If you're not an oyster person, go with Crevettes remoulade (Shrimp topped with a tart remoulade sauce), Ecrevisse cardinal (Crawfish cardinal, another Antoine's creation), or Les escargots a la Bourguignonne (snails in a wonderful bourguignonne sauce--nice and garlicy). Potages--Soups For soups, the best bet is Gombo creole. Antoine's gumbo is a classic seafood/okra version, with one of the thickest, darkest rouxes I've ever experienced. Lots of shrimp and oysters. The Bisque d'ecrevisses cardinal (Crawfish bisque) is also a winner. Allergic to seafood? The Soupe a l'oignon gratinee (Onion soup) will get you through the appetizer/soup courses. Poissons--Fish Antoine's serves two kinds of fish: trout and pompano. Pompano is their real speciality. Skip the Pompano en papillote (fish baked in a paper bag with a white sauce that includes shrimp and crabmeat) in favor of the Pompano Pontchartrain, which is grilled and served with a butter- and-crabmeat sauce. Too much butter for you? Get the grilled pompano. The best of the trout dishes is the amandine, which is a lightly floured filet of trout, fried, and served with a slivers of almonds on top and a lemon-butter sauce. Second for trout would be the File de truite Pontchartrain, the same sauce and topping as the pompano, but on a broiled trout filet. Of the shellfish entrees, the best are the Crab mous frits, the softshell crabs. These are lightly battered, fried up crisp and served with a lemon-butter sauce. You can also get them served amandine, with the almond slivers. Softshells are a seasonal item, so be prepared to choose an alternative if your waiter tells you they're not that great that evening. Pass on things like Shrimp Creole here. Ordering fish is not an exact science. Ask your waiter which is better that evening, the trout or the pompano. Same goes for the crabs. Your waiter is not looking to push certain dishes in favor of others, so take heed when he makes a suggestion! (continued in part IV)
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