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, USA. 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 4th generation 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 cafe, Remoulade, located on Bourbon Street. Remoulade is family friendly, and offers the same good food in more casual establishment.[3]

Tommy DiGiovanni is currently the head chef at Arnaud's. DiGiovanni was born and raised in New Orleans, where he was constantly surrounded by food. Tommy's father owned a restaurant called The Little Italian Restaurant where Tommy began working at age 12. By 18 Tommy was going to school and training in Formal Culinary. In 1988 Arnaud's hired Tommy as their Sous Chef, working under Chef Andre LeDoux. Later, Tommy decided that his time as a Sous Chef had expired and he longed to learn more, he then took a job as the head chef at Royal Orleans Hotel. But then in 1997 the position of Chef de Cuisine became available at Arnaud's which Tommy took instantly and has been working ever since creating classic creole dishes that are known around 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. With the reservation of any of the rooms comes the ability to utilize Arnaud's private dining event coordinators. They are able to customize everything from the menu, floral arrangements, linens, entertainment, and transportation so that all the customer's desires are met.[6]

Food

Oysters Bienville at Arnaud's Jazz Bistro

Arnuad's takes pride in serving real creole food. Creole is the ethnic food of New Orleans, its always full of flavor with lots of butter, pepper, salt, and herbs. The basic ingredients in creole food is the combination of onions, bell peppers, and celery which is cooked in a Roux of butter and flour, with some type of spicy kick. A specific food to only Arnaud's is their cap bread. Cap bread is a twisted and knobby chunk of French bread. Each table is given a loaf of bread which is wrapped neatly in a cloth. Customers are encouraged to break the bread together and cover their table in crumbs, this has become a tradition in the restaurant.[7]

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. Each of the menus contains different options but each one offers New Orleans Classics.[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 Count 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 now is known for its premium spirits and its fine cigars.[10]

See also

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Arnaud's Restaurant.
  1. ↑ Arnaud's Website
  2. ↑ "About « Arnaud's RestaurantArnaud's Restaurant". Arnaudsrestaurant.com. Retrieved 2014-02-12.
  3. ↑ "The Casual Side of Arnaud’s | New Orleans Restaurant in the French Quarter | Oyster Bar". Remoulade. Retrieved 2014-02-12.
  4. ↑ "Chef Tommy DiGiovanni | New Orleans |Arnaud's Restaurant". Arnaudsrestaurant.com. Retrieved 2014-02-12.
  5. ↑ "Bookmarkable URL intermediate page". Ehis.ebscohost.com. Retrieved 2014-02-12.
  6. ↑ "New Orleans Private Dining | Corporate Events |Arnaud's Restaurant". Arnaudsrestaurant.com. Retrieved 2014-02-12.
  7. ↑ Wohl, Kit (2005). Arnaud's Restaurant Cookbook. Pelican Publishing Company. ISBN 9781589803091.
  8. ↑ "Menus « Arnaud's RestaurantArnaud's Restaurant". Arnaudsrestaurant.com. Retrieved 2014-02-12.
  9. ↑ Arnaud's Mardi Gras Museum
  10. ↑ "French 75 Bar History « Arnaud's RestaurantArnaud's Restaurant". Arnaudsrestaurant.com. Retrieved 2014-02-12.
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