Oysters Rockefeller with a side of sequins
If you’ve ever dreamed of walking into Liberace’s closet just before or after eating premier Creole food, New Orleans has just the place for you.
Arnaud’s is a classic restaurant, the largest in New Orleans, with 14 dining rooms. It opened in 1918 under Count Arnaud Cazenave, and his cuisine and traditions have been carried on by generations of the Casbarian family. The menu created by the count was voluminous, with 51 seafood entrees, 9 oyster appetizers alone, and 40 vegetable sides, among them potatoes prepared 16 ways. During Prohibition, Arnaud’s signature item was their “coffee,” served before, during, and after dinner. The count passed the running of his restaurant on to his daughter Germaine Cazenave Wells. She was known locally as just Germaine, in the same tradition as Madonna, Cher, and Beyoncé. Germaine was famously passionate about alcohol, men, and parties, and she adored the spotlight. She equated the restaurant business with theater. “It’s a play in two acts,” she once said, “lunch and dinner.” She ruled over 22 Carnival balls and instituted her own Easter parade to show off her latest hats, with her friends, also in glitzy hats, following in horse-drawn carriages. The parade continues to this day.
Info
Address 813 Rue Bienville, New Orleans, LA 70112, +1 504.523.5433, www.arnaudsrestaurant.com/about/mardi-gras-museum | Hours Mon–Sat, 6pm–10:30pm, Sun 10am–2:30pm| Tip You can drop $20 per person to visit Mardi Gras World (1380 Port of New Orleans Pl) and it is worth it. But individual krewes also have warehouses where artisans can be found at various and unpredictable times working on floats for the coming season. While you may find a padlocked door, if you happen by a warehouse on Claiborne Ave, Bordeaux St, or elsewhere that’s open, generally the artists are very welcoming.
When Archie Casbarian took over Arnaud’s in 1978, he had the foresight to save many of Germaine’s sequined hats and hand-beaded gowns. They are now displayed on the second floor of the restaurant. The small upstairs museum has more than two dozen lavish Mardi Gras costumes, including thirteen of Germaine’s as well as four king’s costumes worn by Count Arnaud. The collection also includes more than 70 vintage photographs, Carnival masks, and faux jewels, plus intricate krewe invitations and party favors. Viewing the cherished collection is free to the public during restaurant hours.
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