In the latest number of his quarterly dining guide, local food critic Tom Fitzmorris says that you have to either be a regular or you have to become one to enjoy a meal at Antoine's. Well, read on, and you'll become as knowledgable as a regular. The secret to getting the best the kitchen at Antoine's has to offer is to have a good relationship with your waiter. He's going to know if the pompano is better than the trout on a given evening. He's the one that's going to grab the pommes de terre soufflees and get them out to you while you're deciding what else to order. Never been to Antoine's? No problem. Read on, and you'll be able to order with the most regular of the regulars.
Prior to about four years ago, the Menu was printed entirely in French. The current version of the menu has English descriptions of each dish below the French names. In spite of the fancy French names, it's important to remember that Antoine's is a Creole-French place, not a Continental-French restaurant. In other words, a dish that sounds like something you ordered in a nice restaurant in Paris last year may be prepared completely different here in New Orleans. There's an important admonition at the top of the menu:
"To cook well requires a certain amount of time. If you must wait it is only to serve you better and please you more."
This is something that most locals already know--dinner is an all-night affair at our better restaurants in New Orleans. In New York, dinner is what you do before or after the theatre. In New Orleans, dinner is what you do, period.