French 75 Bar — Restaurant in New Orleans

My wife an I went to New Orleans for an anniversary trip. When I made reservations I did not realize that Arnaud's had more than just one dinning room. We arrived early and found ourselves in the Jazz Bistro. We were directed to the bar while they got out table ready. The bartender was friendly and explained that the difference between the "main" dining room and the Jazz Bistro was that there was jazz band playing in the Bistro, while the service and menu was the same. All of the servers were dressed either in a tuxedo or a type of "smock" for lack of better term. The entire staff was very friendly and helpful. When we were seated there was a three piece jazz band who would walk table to table. When we ordered I asked the server if he could recommend a wine to go with my steak. He had to go ask someone about a good pairing, because the steak I ordered has a lot of pepper. The wine he suggested was spot on and tasted great with my steak. We started with the Shrimp Arnaud, which was a little spicy for my wife, but we both enjoyed it. My wife ordered the Crabmeat Karen, which is crab with mushrooms served inside of a puff pastry. When the food arrived the pastry was formed in the shape of a crab which my wife thought was "cute". I ordered the Filet Minion Au Poivre. Now, I have had some great steaks in the past, and I have had some really bad steaks, and when I say that this steak from Arnaud's was the best steak I have ever eaten, I mean it without exaggeration. To finish the meal my wife and I shared a piece of Bread Pudding Fitzmorris, which was outstanding. Overall, the entire experience was fantastic. The atmosphere was great, the service was great, and the food was outstanding. Arnaud's Jazz Bistro really encompass all that is great about New Orleans food and music under one roof. I cannot say enough good things about this restaurant. A must for anyone visiting...

Sunday Jazz brunch, a Louisiana tradition that Arnaud's showcases well but was mediocre in the end. I had brought a date with me on this early Sunday morning after luckily finding a spot to park on a crowded Bourbon street. This is not for the faint of heart, if you can get a ride please do so, as parking is expensive and you must have a fresh rabbit's foot to park for free in these tight streets. The experience itself was amazing, a live jazz group sauntered between tables playing improvised music and taking requests from customers while great smelling food traveled between tables. Our server was one of the nicest people you could meet, and because of this I had the confidence to ask what he would recommend and in the end ordered the specialties of the restaurant. Needless to say I should have stuck to my guns. While my date seemed to have a wonderful meal, almost every meal I had was doused with a "touch" of brandy or bourbon, from appetizer to dessert. Maybe I had not known what I was getting myself into, but I had a morning coffee made table side with hints of orange flavors and...bourbon. I can attest that it smells heavenly, but I felt like an alcoholic at 1:00 in the afternoon. If you do attend their Jazz brunch, expect an accommodating staff and a friendly musical atmosphere, but try to walk around the city before going home.

Pros: Great service, wonderful atmosphere created for the jazz brunch Cons: Alcohol infused food and drink that tastes like...alcohol, an overwhelming brunch meal Neutral: Parking is hard, but its...

I had gone to every fine dining restaurant in New Orleans and this place is the only one I would recommend to avoid. This is a restaurant that you seem was at its prime 35 years ago. You think they still have the same dishes from when they originally opened. There's absolutely zero culinary creativity within that restaurant. The fact that they can even consider themselves fine dining is a joke. The only reason, and I have to emphasize this, that they are anything of a restaurant is due to their unbelievable service and the wait staff there. The headwaiter obviously knows exactly what to do in any situation when it comes to fine dining but when it comes to that kitchen it is absolutely pathetic. I would recommend you to go to any other place in New Orleans besides this place and I recommend that the waitstaff go to any other fine dining restaurant and enhance it rather than waste their experience and skills there. I would give 5 stars to the wait staff alone. The rest is outdated, poorly prepared, lack luster...