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I celebrated one day late after the Ironman which meant I was out on a Monday night. We heard that Antoine's new bar was open and decided to check it out. The space is pretty cool with lots of Hermes memorabilia, a cool floor, and some wicked candle like light bulbs that move. (I sell electrical supplies and have never seen these before)
We were the only two in the bar at around 5:30. Two other guys came in but it was still eerily empty and quiet. The bartender, Don was a very nice young guy who explained that they had a bad ass sound system but that no one knew how to turn it on. Mr. Blount came in and fixed that.

We learned that you can order anything on the regular menu in the bar which I think is a great idea. After much deliberation, we decide to have dinner in the restaurant despite being in jeans. We were one of 2 tables in the large middle dining room. We had a lovely meal.

I'm really excited about the bar.....the soft opening was before Mardi Gras but the grand opening is supposed to be just before FQF.

Those lights sounds really neat and perfect for an old timey chandelier I have at my house. If you find out where you can get them PLEASE post it here!

The bar sounds cool and I like that it has a separate entrance. But something in my Southern Belle little girl memories just can't stomach the thought of people dining in Antoine's in jeans. I know it's irrational and not with the times but I'm sure my aunt is rolling over in her grave.

LauraMc wrote:The bar sounds cool and I like that it has a separate entrance. But something in my Southern Belle little girl memories just can't stomach the thought of people dining in Antoine's in jeans. I know it's irrational and not with the times but I'm sure my aunt is rolling over in her grave.

Laura, I agree with you regarding the jeans. (moreso at Galatoire's than Antoine's because I eat there more often) I seriously resisted for a while but the bartender actually went to ask someone and assured us it was okay. Then once we were seated Rick Blount came over and said "I'm glad you decided to dine here." I told him my reasons for resisting and he said that as much as he loves the old traditions, sometimes it just doesn't work. -meaning it's not good business sense. I suspect that if they had a full reservation book, I might have been less welcome but who knows.

In my defense, I did have on a very dressy top and a sparkly belt.

I did say my thinking was irrational these days. You have to make a buck however you can now. And society has gotten so lax with clothing etiquette that I swear some people don't even own a suit anymore.