Even in New Orleans, things change. These days all of the old line "French" (because they really aren't French) restaurants in the Quarter have smaller, more casual operations near the motherhouse. For Antoine's, there's the Hermes Bar. (And a small coffee/sandwich/dessert location on Royal Street, as well.) It's next to the main entrance to Antoine's, and uses their kitchen, so it's easy to peek into the main dining room and the airier one that faces the street. By the way, the bar is pronounced HER-meez, as though it was Hermie's. New Orleans handles French pronunciation the way St. Louis does.
Unsurprisingly, it's not just a bar for drinking. There's a cocktail list, absolutely mandatory in any respectable New Orleans bar these days, the Crescent City being the host of the Tale of the Cocktail festival and of course, claiming to have originated the cocktail. There's a wine list. A very respectable light menu, sandwiches, soups, a little salad, and, yes, oysters Rockefeller from the kitchen that invented them. But – and this is significant – you can also order anything else from the main menu at Antoine's. Does that sound familiar, St. Louisans? You can do the same thing at Anthony's Bar downtown and the menu from Tony's.
It's not a cafe – the tables are all high, and well-spaced, leaving room for folks to mill around and talk, glass in hand. It's definitely a place for adults; on a weekend full of exuberant college football fans, a Saturday evening around 8 found it only half-full. Around 9.30, a band wandered in and began to play. Very inviting for supper after a day of travel.
Oysters Rockefeller for my guest. Large and moist, a swirl of the brown-green puree that's the source of so much guesswork atop them. I've never been fond of this rendition of the dish, laced with one of the licorice-flavored alcohols, my own shortcoming, but this was competently done, if heavier on the topping than one might have desired. Crab ravigote showed a generous serving of lump crab in a tangy, creamy dressing, rich and luxurious.
A poor-boy sandwich made from one of the signature appetizers, oysters Foch, doesn't deserve the adjective "poor". The city's traditional baguette is filled with fried oysters, pate, shredded lettuce and sauce Colbert, a dark, hollandaise-based sauce. Very satisfying, another rich dish that didn't seem stultifying, just as the crab didn't. Finallly, it would be a crime to go to Antoine's and not have the pommes souffles, deep-fried planks of potato that puff up like bolsters. Those served in the bar don't have the fancy basket that the ones in the dining rooms do, but no matter, they're ethereally delicious. Someday, though, I'm going to ask for a side order of bearnaise sauce for dipping.
Hermes Bar at Antoine's Restaurant
713 St. Louis St., New Orleans
504-581-4422
Lunch & Dinner daily