On 2018-03-09 11:13, The Below Decks wrote:
We go to New Orleans at least 2 and sometimes 3 times a year. You'll find no shortage of incredible, historic bars to go and mindful bartenders to meet. Your list is a good start Here's a few others:
The Alibi, 811 Iberville Street, New Orleans, LA (504) 522-9187, listed in Food Republic as one of the favorite “dive bars” around the country: “they serve dive bar obligatory fried food, bad beer, plenty of cheap shots, and because you are in New Orleans, you can stay until sunrise.” Remember, this is a dive bar. Seek creative and well made cocktails elsewhere.
Arnaud’s French 75, 813 Bienville St, New Orleans, LA 70112, (866) 230-8893. Named for a Prohibition-era gin-and-champagne (and simple syrup & lemon juice) cocktail, listed by GQ & Esquire as one of the finest cocktail bars in the country. Tiled floors, bistro chairs and polished wood (originally a "gentleman's only" area) serving drinks from a custom-made bar built in the late 1800s. Chris Hannah, possibly best bartender in French Quarter (if not the country), can make any classic cocktail and make it well.
Bar Tonique, 820 N Rampart St., New Orleans, LA 70116, (504) 324-6045. On Rampart Street--outskirts of French Quarter, just far enough away from Bourbon Street to guarantee a locals-only vibe, well-suited to exposed brick and flickering candlelight interior. Can get very crowded. Any drink on menu, great bartenders offer exemplary versions of several of the most beloved original cocktails in New Orleans.
Barrel Proof, 1201 Magazine St., New Orleans, LA 70130. (Lower Garden District) Now open 4:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m. Opened May 2014 by the team who opened Sylvain, and run by Liam Deegan from Sylvain. 2nd oldest (continuously operating) bar in the city (behind Lafitte's); building built in 1838; it's been a bar for over a century. Decorated with animal heads on the walls, animal hides on the floor, spacious warehouse-prohibition-saloon, whiskey-related materials collected around the South. Simple (mostly whiskey) cocktails, whiskey from a list that includes bottles from America, Ireland, Scotland and Japan, in a menu of so many pages that it weighs about five pounds. (Look for Bartender Thomas Thompson, formerly of Sylvain.) Slow smoked Texas Style BBQ food available.
Bayou Bar (inside the Ponchartrain Hotel), 2031 Saint Charles Ave, New Orleans, LA 70130. Where the New Orleans Saints football franchise was christened in 1969. Offers a casual tavern-style ambiance warmed by exposed wood. Once a drinking den for both Sinatra and Capote, features an extensive whiskey and beer list. Hang out at the rollicking Steinway piano, the intimate tables or the shotgun bar.
Brennan's Rooster Bar, 417 Royal Street, New Orleans, LA 70130, (504) 525-9711 . Behind the bar is legendary Bartender (and good pal) Lu Brow!
Carousel Bar, Hotel Monteleone, 214 Royal Street, New Orleans, LA, (504) 523-3341. Inside the Monteleone Hotel, largest in the French Quarter. Worth taking a look inside the lobby, and then go into the Carousel Bar which has a 25-seat bar that revolves around room. Look for Bartender Marvin Allen (“Magic In a Shaker: A Year of Spirited Libations”). More tables and a full bar in the newly renovated room attached to the bar, with nightly live entertainment. They invented the Vieux Carre cocktail here in 1938 [whiskey, Cognac, sweet vermouth, Bénédictine, Peychaud's Bitters, Angostura Bitters].
Cellar Door, 916 Lafayette Street, New Orleans, LA. Upper Central Business District. Gastrolounge. Swanky craft cocktails, amazing artwork, exposed brick, high ceilings and a stunning bar in an historic 3-story 1850’s bordello, the “Swoop-Duggins House.” Chef Jamielyn Arcega runs a menu of “international contemporary cuisine.”)
Compere Lapin, 535 Tchoupitoulas Street, New Orleans, LA 70130 (Warehouse District). Bar Manager, the extraordinarily exquisite Abigail Gullo, is a delight! Three wells, 8 beer taps—Abita root beer and a carbonated coconut water will be on tap too— an impressive spirits selection. Over a dozen seats at the bar and more at high tops, and the full restaurant menu.
Court of Two Sisters, 613 Royal Street, New Orleans, LA 70130-2181, (504) 522-7261. Tourists go for jazz brunch in the incredible courtyard. Great setting, not known for great food, still go visit the bar (no reservations required!), and from there you’re only a few steps from the beautiful courtyard (until told to scram!).
The Cure Bar, 4905 Freret Street, New Orleans. (504) 302-2357. James Beard/Tales of the Cocktail award winner. In a converted fire station in the Uptown area, outside of French Quarter (take a cab!), great bartenders, dispensing proper cocktails and requiring proper attire (no baseball hats, no shorts after 8 p.m.). (Other house rules? Ladies and gentlemen must "behave accordingly.")
d.b.a., 618 Frenchman Street, New Orleans, LA. 70116, (504).942.3731. Great neighborhood bar, on Frenchmen Street. Nightly live entertainment. Listed in Food Republic as one of the favorite “dive bars” in the country: “Far enough from the noise of Bourbon Street that it is cool, d.b.a. features a vibrant live music scene, along with amazing whiskey and beer selections.”
Hot Tin Rooftop Bar (inside the Pontchartrain Hotel), 2031 Saint Charles Ave, New Orleans, LA 70130. Incredible 270-degree view of the Mississippi River and downtown New Orleans. Inspired by a vintage 1940’s artist loft and Tennessee Williams, who supposedly lived in the hotel while writing A Street Car Named Desire. Tons of old photos, postcards, games and books you can actually sort through, and in some cases, take home. The drinks program, overseen by bar manager Benton Bourgeois, features seasonal sippers including a signature daiquiri and house-favorite The Skyliner, a refreshing summer swizzle with a touch of Campari and bitters to keep things interesting.
Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop, 941 Bourbon Street, New Orleans, LA, (504) 593-9761. Built in 1772, legend that it was once owned by the pirate Jean Lafitte. Oldest bar in the U.S. Dark and lit only by candles. Get their Hurricane. Not a place for well-made or creative cocktails.
May Bailey’s Place, inside the Dauphine Hotel, 413 Dauphine Street, New Orleans, LA 70112. Once one of the better known bordellos as part of the red-light district, known as Storyville, from 1897-1917 in New Orleans. The modest cottage, built in 1821, is decorated in a Victorian style with portraits of madams by New Orleans’ famous Storyville photographer E.J. Bellocq. Famed copy of operating license issued to May Baily displayed at the bar. Get their Hurricane (NOT Pat O'Brian's). I think it’s one of the best in New Orleans!
The Napoleon House, 500 Chartres Street, New Orleans, LA 70130-2110. 200-year-old landmark bar and restaurant, legend is that the place was offered to Napoleon in 1821 when he was in exile: but he never made it. The name stuck anyway! Looks like it’s been there forever. Great corner meeting spot. Get the Pimm's Cup!
Pat O'Brien's, 718 Saint Peter Street, New Orleans, LA, (504) 525-4823. This place has been here since 1933. Five different bars, including the Piano Lounge with dueling piano players. Walk around, there’ll be crowds, and there’s a very large patio with fire-lit fountains. I recommend NOT drinking the “Pat O’Brien’s Hurricane” (premade, overly sweet bottled mix!), although it’s served in a purchasable, large hurricane glass.
Revel, 133 N. Carrollton Ave., New Oerleans, LA 504-309-6122. New bar owned and run by the legendary, revered Bartender and Cocktail Historian Chris McMillian, a leader of the national cocktail revival who never forgot about the importance of service and a founder of the Museum of the American Cocktail. McMillian, know for his mastery and knowledge of classic, pre-Prohibition cocktails, will make mint juleps which -- if he has time and is asked -- may arrive with a recitation of 19-century ode to the glories of the drink. Rather than strictly menu, McMillian prefers to find out what guests enjoy and make them a drink, either a classic or one of his creations, to fit their tastes.
Roosevelt Hotel Sazerac Bar, 123 Baronne Street New Orleans, LA 70112, (504) 648-1200. The hotel -- originally The Grunewald -- opened in 1893, renamed Roosevelt Hotel in 1923 in honor of Theodore Roosevelt, renamed Fairmont Roosevelt, later Fairmont New Orleans in 1965, closed due to Hurricane Katrina from 2005 to 2009, renamed The Roosevelt Hotel and reopened in 2009 with 504 rooms as part of the Waldorf-Astoria chain. Walk inside and around the historic lobby of this classic, elegant hotel, then go to the bar & get a Ramos Gin Fizz or a Sazerac (or both!), both classic cocktails invented by bartenders in New Orleans, and became synonymous with New Orleans and this bar.
Sylvain, 635 Chartres, New Orleans, LA, 504-265-8123. One of our favorites. Drink menu designed by a bar manager from Bar Tonique. Best seat is at copper-plated bar, with front-row view of the bartenders at work. Great back patio too. (Ask for the Sylvain Sidecar – Four Roses Single Barrel Bourbon, Cointreau Noir, Fresh Lemon Juice, Fee Bros. Old Fashioned Bitters, shaken & served up in sugar rimmed cocktail glass.)
Tujaque's, 823 Decatur Street, New Orleans, LA, (504) 525-8676. Founded in 1856. Bar helmed by New Orleans Legendary Bartender Paul Gustings, LA. Esquire magazine once called him “the crustiest bartender in America.” They invented the Grasshopper cocktail here (equal parts green crème de menthe, white crème de cacao, and cream—shaken with ice and strained into a chilled cocktail glass). New Orleans food historian Poppy Tooker has found newspaper articles referencing the drink dating to 1919!
12-Mile Limit, 500 South Telemachus, New Orleans, LA 70119, (504) 488-8114. A neighborhood dive that also just happens to have a stellar cocktail program courtesy of Anderson Stockdale, a Cane & Table vet, amongst other places. A bit far from the Quarter (it’s a “Mid-City” neighborhood) (And I loved the barbeque po’ boy!)
[ Edited by: The Below Decks 2018-03-09 11:14 ]
Wow, thanks for all the time you put into this post! Living in Austin, we used to go to NOLA once or twice a year as it's only an 8 hour drive but it's been a while since we've gone. On our last visit or two, a couple of our usual eateries weren't quite as spectacular as we had remembered them from previous times. Would be eager to see your food list as well. Maybe it'll give us the much needed jolt to plan another trip.
