Arnaud’s

Back in 1918 ‘Count’ Arnaud Cazenave, a French immigrant with some extravagant tastes, took roughly a city block’s worth of buildings and turned them into a restaurant that’s been serving fine upscale Creole cuisine ever since. The main dining room is much admired for its stately old-world elegance (which, in New Orleans, means hex-tile floors and cast-iron posts supporting the ceiling). Keep your eye peeled for the specialties, which appear in red type on the menu – shrimp Arnaud (shrimp in a rémoulade sauce), oysters Bienville (an original dish, with mushrooms and a white-wine sauce), speckled trout meunière (saved by a rich, gravy-like sauce) and steak stuffed with oysters. Bring it on. Show up early for a mint julep at the excellent bar, and men, bring that jacket.