Arnaud's

Coordinates: 29°57′21″N 90°04′08″W / 29.955721°N 90.068757°W / 29.955721; -90.068757

Arnaud's, exterior view, 2009

Arnaud's [1] is a well-known restaurant in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. Arnaud's is the largest restaurant in New Orleans, and also has the largest kitchen of any other restaurant in the city. Arnaud's is among many restaurants that are located in the heart of the French Quarter, but it is only one of the few restaurants that fall under the category of serving classic Creole Cuisine. These restaurants include Galatoire's, Antoine's, Broussard's, and Arnaud's.

History

Arnaud's was founded in 1918, by a French wine salesman, Arnaud Cazenave. In 1978, sixty years after the restaurant opened, it was bought by Archie and Jane Casbarian. The Casbarian family worked towards getting the restaurant back to its original roots, the way founder Arnaud Cazenave intended. In effort to revert to the way the restaurant started, the building was renovated and the menu was altered. These changes brought the restaurant positive recognition and widespread approval.[2]

Present

Arnaud's is currently run by the 4th generation of the Casbarian family, Katy and Archie Casbarian and their mother Jane. The family is committed to preserving the original roots of the restaurant that were put in place by founder, Arnaud Cazenave. Arnaud's signature dishes are also served at a more family-friendly cafe, Remoulade, located on Bourbon Street.[3]

The present head chef at Arnaud's is Tommy DiGiovanni, who was born and raised in New Orleans.[4]

After Katrina

Arnaud's restaurant was one of the first restaurants to reopen after Hurricane Katrina, which ripped through New Orleans in late August 2005. The restaurant opened its doors again only 3 shorts months after the storm in November. "Many of our long-time employees have returned and we'll all be celebrating ... the full menu will be available, Arnaud's is an experience and we wanted to be true to our quality standards." said owner Archie Casbarian.[5]

Private dining

Arnaud's has 14 different private dining rooms, Mezzanine, Creole Cottage, Bourbon Suites, Edison Park, 1920, Iberville, Bienville, Toulouse, Dauphine, Lafitte, Bacchus, Gold, Irma, and Count's. Each of these room is furnished with different antiques, chandeliers, and drapes. The rooms are able to hold up to 220 people, and can be reserved for any occasion.[6]

Food

Oysters Bienville at Arnaud's Jazz Bistro

Arnuad's is one of the few restaurants left in New Orleans to serve classic Creole food. Creole is an ethnic food of New Orleans, derived from French cuisine with lots of butter, pepper, salt, and herbs. The base ingredients in Creole and Cajun foods are the "Holy Trinity", a mirepoix of onions, bell peppers, and celery, which is cooked in a roux of butter and flour.[7] It is traditionally not as spicy as the Cajun version.

Menus

Arnaud's has 6 different menus, A La Carte Dinner Menu, Sunday Brunch and Jazz Menu, French 75 Menu, Table d'Hote Menu, Dessert Menu, and Speakeasy.[8]

Museum

The Germaine Cazenave Wells Mardi Gras Museum opened in 1983 and contains Mardi Gras artifacts all accumulated by Germaine Wells, the daughter of the original Arnaud, and the person for whom the museum is named.[9]

French 75 Bar

The French 75 Bar that lies next to the main dining room of Arnaud's was strictly a gentlemen-only area when the Cazenave family owned the restaurant. In 2003, the bar after being renovated reverted to its original name, French 75 Bar.[10]

See also.

References

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