#2473 - Galatoire's, New Orleans - 3/21/2014

The whooping we heard coming from the elegant dining room, the bartender informed us, was Tennessee Williams' granddaughter. But of course it was -- here in the restaurant that has been here since 1905, here where her grandfather preferred the seat near the main front window and which he inserted into A Streetcar Named Desire.

The bar section was nearly empty this time of night, far from the thronged lunch and dinner hours, where before they started taking reservations recently the line would stretch down Bourbon Street to Iberville. After 5pm, jackets are still absolutely required for men, as they have been since 1905, when local saloon keeper Jean Galatoire purchased a restaurant called Victors in this space, which had already hosted such establishments for half a century. Jean served French Creole cuisine that included dishes from the small village in which he had grown up, in the foothills of the Pyrenees Mountains. His family owned and operated the eponymous restaurant for five generations, before finally selling all but a few minor ownership shares in 2009.

We had a nice, sedate nightcap -- something like a sazerac, which virtually every New Orleans bar can make well -- and along with a bowl of French Onion soup. Then we made our way down Bourbon Street, the gay laughter of the playwright's granddaughter and her friends fading into unknown stories.

209 Bourbon St, New Orleans, LA 70130 - (504) 525-2021               
Est. 1905
Web site: galatoires.com - facebook
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