Ro~ Louls Alcialort!
Proprietor of Artt5irte 1s Itestaur~rit.
Grandson ef Antoine Alciatore, founder,
Irvin S. Cobb
"Once upon a time, being seduced by certain poetic words of Thackeray, I made a
special trip to a certain cafe in Paris to eat bouilla-baisu. I found it distinctly worth
while. Later I went to Marseilles, the home of this dish, and there ate it again and found
it. better. And then I came back to America and ate it at Antoine's in New Orleans and
found it best of all.''
-/rom Irvin S . Cobb's Article, "Just to Make Your Mouth
Water."-Cosmopolitan Magazine_
2
Will Rogers
Syndicated News Service
••Antoine's is the famous eating place of New Orleans, and let me tell you
brother, when you have a famous eating place in that city, it must be some
place, because they do know how to eat, and what to eat, and hospitality, and
when you speak of Antoine's you have reached the "Z" and "&" in alphabetical
praise.
It was founded in 1840 and has never had to resort to a jazz band. Imagine
a restaurant existing and making a world wide reputation on just f .ood. My
sombrero is topped to Jules and Roy at Antoine's."
3
Rntoine's 11s to 1Rew ~rleans 'UUlbat
'!Delmonico's 'UUlas to 1Rew work
or ~be <rate Rnglais to }Paris.
The home of good cheer.
The home of fine Cooking.
The place where trouble and tribulations are left
behind.
It is the place "par excellence" for the gourmet,
because there is always something new for the refined senses.
New dishes, new seasoning, new presentation of eatables.
What you can get elsewhere you can get at Antoine's.
But, some things you can get at Antoine's you cannot get elsewhere,
because they are special concoctions of the culinary art,
prepared under the master's eye.
Dishes are created, or new ways of serving old ones are discovered
almost weekly.
Eating at Antoine's is like ,getting a new start in life.
You go in with the blues and leave with rosy impressions.
4
Surroun~ings
Those who have never partaken of a meal at Antoine's invariably
picture the place gorgeously decorated with all the bright colors of
the rainbow; with gold, silver and bronze leaf plastered in the very
recesses of the ceiling; with a select band 'Playing popular music
or excerpts of the Operatic masterpieces; with footmen in princely livery
opening the carriag'e doors, and grooms to take care of the cloaks.
None of all that.
Antoine's is today what it was at its inception-an immaculately clean place,
with tableware and linen of the severe solid home -like type, and attentive
noiseless waiters, who speak many tongues because they have learned their
avocation on both continents.
No deafening brass band between courses.
No boisterous table neighbors.
When you go to Antoine's, it is to give your palate an undisturbed
treat.
That is why the place is unique and in a class of its own.
Had Brillat-Savarin lived a century later he would undoubtedly
have referre·d to Antoine's in his "Physiologie du Gout" because it is that
particular atmosphere of the place which enhances the artistically prepared
dishes anq develops to the highest degree the gastric fluids.
Not to have eaten at Antoine's is almost saying that you have never been
in New Orleans.
5
Antoine Alciatore
Founder
1840 to 1885
Founder of the house of Antoine, who seeking his fortune in America came
to New Orleans and founded in the year 1840 the Restaurant Antoine. Beginning
in a small way, it was not long before Antoine's was a byword for all
that stands highest in the culinary line. His talents won for him an enviable
reputation and the little restaurant flourished. Antoine went back to France
his native land to die, and he left the business in the hands of his son Jules.
6
Jules Alciatore
Proprietor
1885 to 1930
Jules, a fit successor to his illustrious father, took charge of "Les affaires"
and since he too made his studies in the land of ,his father, the house of
Antoine again prospered under his guiding hand, and today it enjoys an international
reputation wherever people gather to discuss the gentle art cf eating
in its many and divers forms. Jules, before his death placed the active management
of the restaurant in the hands of his son Roy.
7
Roy L. Alciatore
Present Proprietor
1930 to --.
Roy, grandson of Antoine Alciatore, and present proprietor, was born and
reared in Ame·rica, in a modern age, but nevertheless retains these qualities
which he inherited from his grandfather and his father in the gastronomic
line, and due to the able tutelage .of his father Jules, is a fit successor to carry
on the name of Antoine to still greater heights.
8
~istinguts~~~ Wu~sts
In the Spring of 1940 Antoine's Restaurant will celebrate the completion of
one hundred years of uninterrupted service in catering to the gustatory needs of
lovers of fine cuisine. The following list of distinguished :g'Uests who have
visited Antoine's in the past century is mute evidence of the fame which the
House of Antoine enjoys throughout the world.
President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Ex-President Theodore Roosevelt, Ex-President
William H. Taft, Ex-President Calvin Coolidge, Ex-President Herbert
Hoover, Marechal Foch, General Boulanger, Admiral Richard Byrd, J. W. Weeks
Ex-Secretary of War, George H. Dern Ex-Secretary of War, L. W .. Roberts Jr.
Ex-Assistant Secretary of the Treasury, Ray Lyman Wilbur Ex-Secretary of the
Interior, Commodore Ernest Lee Jahncke Ex-Assistant Seeretary of the Navy,
General John J. Pershing, General J. Harbord, General Smedley Butler, Brigadier
General J. H. White, Brigadier General Ray H. Fleming, Major General George
Van Horn Moseley, Captain James J. Van Zandt, Major General J. L. Schley
Chief of Engineers U.S.A., Lieutenant J. M. Ocher and Lieutenant H. L. Challenger
of the U.S. Submarine S-10, Captain W. L. Ainsworth, Colonel Frank
Evans U.S.M.C., Thomas Jefferson Coolidge Ex-Undersecretary of the Treasury,
Henry A. Wallace Secretary of Agriculture, Nellie Tayloe Ross, Director of the
U.S. Mint, U.S. Attorney General Frank Murphy, Marvin H. Mdntyre Secretary
to President Roosevelt, Rear Admiral H. H. Christy, Vice Admiral R. A. R.
Plunkett-Ernle-Erle-Drax Commander of West Indies British Squadron, Rear
Admiral Ahthur J. Hepburn, Rear Admiral E. B. Fenner, Vice Admiral Edward
Pettengill, Vice Admiral Edward Campbell, Rear Admiral Hayne Ellis, Commander
Louis J. Gulliver U. S. Frigate Constitution, Captain H. C. C. Blagrove,
Captain Benjamin Dutton, Commander Charles E. Rosendahl, Captain G. S.
Burrell C. F. C., Commander Paul Auphan of the Jeanne d'Arc, Admiral Culverius,
Commander A. N. Addoms, U.S.S. Moffett, Rear Admiral G. J. Rowcliff, Commander
Alejandro Salinas San Roman Chilean Ship Rancagua, Lieutenant Commander
Neville Levy U. S. N. R., Lieut.-Commander Paul Serpette French Ship
d'Entrecasteaux, Lieutenant Commander Paul Broussaunt French Submarine
Ouessant, Lieutenant Pie.rre Le Creux French Su·bmarine Agosta, Captain
J. S. Abbott, Rear Admiral H. V. Butle.r, Captain A. B. Reed, Commander Cristobal
Gonzalez Aller y Acebal Spanish Ship Juan Sebastian de Ekano, Lieutenant
Commander H. R. Thurber, Lieutenant Commander Albert Casanova Gonzelez
Cruiser Cuba, Rear Admiral P. A. Rossiter Surgeon General U. S. N. Commandant
9
Gonet, Capt. Louis Sable, Naval Attache at Washington, French · Ambassador
George Bonnet, English Ambassador Sir Esme Howard, French Ambassador Paul
Claudel, German Ambassador Hr. Hans Luther, Royal Italian Ambassador Augusto
Rosso, French Ambassador J. Jusserand, Greek Ambassador Demetrios
Sicilianos, Royal Italian Ambassador Fulvio Suvich, Japanese Ambassador Kensuke
Harinouchi, Abdel Wlahab Pasha Egyptian Undersecretary of State, Capt.
J oao Alberto Lins de tBarros, Brazilian Cabinet Member, Preside:nt Anastasio
Somoza of Nicaragua, Harry L. Hopkins W. P. A. Chief, J. E'dgar Hoover F. B. I.
Chief, Howard 0. Hunter W. P. A. Administrator, L. W. "Chip" Robert National
Democratic Secretary, Archibald MacLe.ish Librarian of Congress, F. V. Sorrels
Chie:f of Secret Service, Colonel E. W. Starling Chief of ·wbite House Secret
Service, Donald Richber.g, ExAmbassador Hoffman Philip, Honourable Gerald
Drew, Nathan Strauss Chief Housing Adminhstrator, Dr. Leon De ·Bayle Minister
of Nicaragua, Supreme Court Justice Felix Frankfurter, Lloyd C. Griscom
Former Ambassador, Jeffe,rson Caffery Ambassador to Brazil, Harper Sibley
U. S. Ghamber of Commerce, 0. John Rogge Assistant Attorney General, Japanese
Admiral Yamamoto, Major General Charles Macon W',esson, Chief of 0l'dnance
U. ~·A. Colonel E. P. Pierson, Lieutenant Commander John J. Patterson, N. S. N.,
Commander Arnold E. True, Commander W. A. Griswold, Lieut. Commander
Touseth, Lieut. Commander P. G. Voge, Lieut. Commander Beverly Harrison,
Lieut. Commander J. C. Belock, Lieut. Commander E. A. Taylor, S. D. Embick,
Lieut. General Commanding III Army, Mrajor General James B. Allison, U. S. A.
DIGNITARIES
tSenator John H. Bankhead, Senator William Gibbs McAdoo, Senator Gerald
P. Nye, Senator Henrick Shipstead, Senator Bennett Champ Clark, Senator John
H. Overton, Senator Allen J. Ellender, Senator "Theodore Bilbo, Senator Robed
Mouton, Senator Harry D. Wilson, Senator J. K. Griffitih, Senator A. Leonard
Allen, Senator Rene de Rouen, Governor David Scholtz of Florida, Governor A.
B. Chandler ·of Kentucky, Governor J. V. Allred of Texas, Governor Huey Pierce
Long, Governor Earl K. Long of Louisiana, Gove-rnor Hugh L. W·hite of Mississippi,
Governor A. W. Norblad of Oregon, Governor Elect Arthur H. James of
Pennsylvania, Representative Richard M. Kle:berg, Representative Paul H.
Maloney, Congressman Frank Reid, Congressman Wri-ght Patman, Mayor James
J. Walker of N. Y., Mayor Fiorella La Guardia of N. Y., Mayor William Hale
Thompson of Ghicago, Mayor Edward J. Kelly of Chicago, Mayor Bernard Dickman
of St. Louis, Mayor Ang'El-lo J. Rossi of San Francisco, Mayor Bry·ce B. Smith
of Kansas City, Mayor Thomas L. Holling of Buffalo, Mayor R.obert S. Maestri
of New Orleans, Mayor Martin Behrman of New Orleans, Archbishop Joseph
10
Francis Rummel, Patrick Cardinal Hayes, Monsignor Peter M. H. Wynhoven, Leon
C. Phillips, Governor of Oklahoma, Senator D. Worth Clark, Governor-Elect
Sam H. Jones of Louisi·ana, Senator Daniel A. Reed, Congre:Ssman Harold E.
Stassen.
NOTABLES
Rene Soulange Teissier Consul General of France, Fernand Gobert Belgian
Consul, Bernard Gilliat Smith British Consul Gen·eral, Consul General Bravo of
Nicaragua, Robe·rt M. Cohan British Consul, H. Stanford London British Consul,
Julio Holguin Consul of Colombia, Dr. Waclaw Garonski Consul of Poland,
Kenzo Ito, Consul of Japan, Dr. Francisco Banda Consul {)f Ecuador, F. Gordon
Rule British Consul, Dr. Oharles J. Hollub Consul of Czecho-Slovakia, Count
Jean de La Gre·ze French Consul, Rene Delage French Consul, Dr. Vitale Gallina
Italian Consul, Dr. Ludovico Censi, Italian Gonsul, E·dmundo Aragon Mexican
Consul, J.ayme de Brito Brazilian Consul, Ernest Wendler German Consul, Baron
Von Speigel German Consul.
NOBILITY
The Grand Duke Alexis, brother of the Czar of Russia, Prince and Princess
Achille Murat, Count and Countess Charles de Peslouan, Count Marcel le Besac,
Count Mercier de Caladon, Marquis de Crequi Montfort ·de Courtivron, Prince
Francois de Bergeyck of Belgium, Count and Countess de Castellani, Count Jean
Michel Cressaty, Baron and Baroness Rodolphe de Schaunsee, Prince Louis
Ferdinand Hohenzollern, Count Tullio Carminati di Brambilla, Baron Andre Van
Havre of Belgium, Sir Herhert and Lady Marler of Canada, The Marquis of
Donegall, Lord Godfrey Walter Phillimore, Lord Henry Mackinnon Raikes, Lord
and Lady Swinfen, Admiral Sir Reginald Hall, Lady Dent of London, Lady Sonja
Cyers of Ireland; Count Aldo Castellani, Charles Guy Fluke Greville Earl of
Warwick, Marquis and Marchioness Gian Gerolamo C.hiavari, Lord Marley, Count
Albrecht Van Bismark, Princess Von Bismark, Countess Zappola, Japenese Baron
and Baroness Sumitomo, Baron Von Mumm, Baron Richard Von Schrenk, Count
Charles de Gramont, Lady Nelson of London, Baron W. A. Humboldt, Count
Teofilo Rossi di Montelei:a, Sir Anthony Lindsay Hog,g, Sir William a.nd Lady
Max Muller, Count and Countess David A. Constantini, Grand Duke Dimitri, Sir
and Lady Be·njamin Drag>e, Count and Countess Robert Jean de Vogue, Le Due de
Levis Mirepois, Thelma Furness, Lady Hadfield, Grand Duchess Marie of Russia,
Prince and Princess Zalstem Zalessky, Sir Joseph Robinson of South Africa.
11
AVIATION
Transatlantic Fliers Dieudonnes Costes and Le Brix, Transatlantic Fliers
Wiley P.ost and Harold Gatty, Speedflier James "Jimmy" Doolittle, Speedflier
Roscoe Turner, Captain and Ace Eddie Rickenbacker, Transatlantic Flier "Dick"
Merrill, Francesco de Pinedo, Captain Alex P.apina, Clyde Pangborn, Lowell
Yerex, James G. Haizlip, Admiral Richard Byrd, Michel de Troyat, H. S. "Hank"
Jones, Carlton Putnam, C. R. Smith, Colonel Edgar Gorrell.
CE'LEBRITIES
Sir Thomas Lipton, Mr. and Mrs. W. K. Vanderbilt, Mrs. Franklin D. Roosevelt,
Emily Roosevelt, Mrs. Warren G. Harding, Mrs. Woodrow Wilson, Alfred
M. Landon, Theodore Roosevelt Jr., Archie Rooservelt, Mr. and Mrs. EHiott Roosevelt,
Herbert Hoover II, Curtis B. Dall, John J. Raskob, Charle,s M. Schwab, Mrs.
Gloria Morgan Vanderbilt, Roy Chapman Andrews, Carter Glass Jr., Mr. and
Mrs. ,Pierre Cleme·nceau, Judge E'dward Fabre Surveyor of the Canadian Supreme
Court, Raymond Orteig donor of the Lindburgh prize, John Ringling, John
Ringling North, Judge Pierre Crahites, John Vt'. (Bet a Million) Gates, Joel
Chandler Hal'ris, Otto Kahn, Franklin L. - Hutton, John Drew, Walter Hale,
Louise Closser Hale, Jules 'Bache, Helen Kellar, Elizabeth Arden, Dexter Fellows,
Harvey S. Firestone Jr., Libe·rty Knickerbocker, Isabel Sloane, Mrs. Martin Johnson,
Frank (Bring 'em Back Alive) Buck, Lessing Rosenwald, Mrs. Harrison
Williams, Florence B. Gould, A. P . Giannini, Charles R. Gay, James B. Conant
,P.resident of Harvard, Adolph Ochs, Harold F. McCormick, Paul Dumont N. B. C.,
Mr. and Mrs. Lenox R. Lohr President N. B. C., Major Bowes, Dr. Roger Bigelow
Merriman of Harvard, Dr. Christian Gauss of Princeton, Dr. Harold Dodds President
of Princeton, Dean C. E. Clark of Yale, Dr. Edward James M·cCormick
B. P. 0. E., Mr. and Mrs. Ely Culbertson, Geraldine Rockefeller M:cAlpin
Webester, Clyde R. Place Arch·itect of Rockefe.Uer Center, W. P. Filmer builder
of San Francisco bridge, Major Max Oser, A. Atwater Kent, W. Seward Webb,
Frances Drexel Munn, Mary Munn, C. A. Munn, Leo McDonald, Mrs. Huey P.
Long, Nathan Pereles President of the Harvard Clubs, Dr. Rufus C. Harris
President of Tulane, Dr. Roscoe Pound of Harvard, Justice Henry T. Lummus,
Dr. Rene Cruchet of Paris and Bordeaux France, Dr. Hans Groedel of Berlin,
Andre Lafar·gue Chevalie.r of the Legion of Honor, Andre Chevrillon President
of l'Academie Francaise, Fortunat Strowski, Raymond Laurent Mayor of Paris,
France, Firmin Roz l'In:stitut Francaise, Gabriel Louis Jarray Preside.nt of the
French La Salle Delegation, Dr. Fernand Bruneryre, Paris Municipal Council,
Jules Destombes Academie de Sciences, Algedius Fauteux President of the Mon-
12
treal Historical Society, Gabriel Lugot Chef of the Waldorf Astoria, Charles
Baron F'rench Chamber of Deputies, Charles Holt of Time, Otto Hagel of Life,
George 1Buford Lorimer .Saturday Evening Post, Mr. D. J. Von Balluseck Amsterdam
Holland, Jean Jeraudoux French Minister of Affairs, Louis Mouquin, Miss
Marion Huntington, Colonel Albanus Phillips, Frederick Stinc1hfield Presid·ent
American Bar Association, Mary Gable Dennis, Gloria Baker, Mr. Charles Bedaux,
Ro·ger R. Grillon, Mrs. Dodge Sloan, Miss Anna Mae Tracy, Kelvin Cox Vanderlip,
M. Diamant Be·rger, William Makepeace Thackery, Andre Geraux "Pertinax",
Steve Hannagan, Hugh Bailie President United Press, Mr. a.nd Mrs. Julian
Street, ,Mr. and Mrs. Andre L. Simon, President Wine and Food Society, Lafcadio
Hearn, J. George Frederick President Gourmet Society, Paul Henkel Sodety of
Restaurateurs, J o·hn B. Kennedy N. B. C., Booth Tarkington, Joseph Zie.gler
Leiter, Sigmund Spaeth, Mrs. Alice Roosevelt Longworth, Dean E. J. Kyle, A.
and M. Colle,ge, Mr. :B. H. Winchell, Donald E. Baruch, P.erry Moore, Colonel
Robert Guggenheim, Allan Hoover, Joseph Simard of Canada, Thomas A. Beck,
Richard C. DuPont, Professor Adolph Meyer of John Hopkins, Rebecca P.
Guggenheim.
SPORTS
James "Gentleman Jim" Corbett, John L. Sullivan, Jack Dempsey, George
Carpentier, Primo Carnera, Max Baer, ''Buddy" Baer, George M. Lott Jr., Martin
Plaa, Vincent R;ichards, Don Budge, Ellsworth Vines, Bill Tilden, Henri Cochet,
Ty Cobb, Chuck Klein, Lefty Gomez, Bob Feller, Roy Weatherby, Christy Mathe.wson,
·Babe Ruth, Roger Peckinpaugh, Larry Gilbert, Osc.ar Vitt, Bill Terry, Jimmy
Foxx, Alva Bmdley, Gerry Nugent, William Harridge, Mel Ott, Johnny Gice, Danny
Shute, Johnny Revolta, Paul Runyan, Bennie Hogan, Henry Picard, Zell Eaton,
Lloyd Mangrum, Dick Metz, Ed Dudley, Freddie Haas Jr., Fred Corcoran, Frank
Walsh, Gus Novotny, John Dawson, Gene Sarazan, ,Rube Albaugh, Horton Smith,
Law.son Little, Jimmy Thompson, Harry Cooper, Bobby Jones, Sam D. P·erry,
Knute Rockne, Andy Kerr, Amos Alonzo Stag1g, Fritz Crysler, Red Dawson, Bernie
Bierman, Earl "Red" Stick, Bryon "Whizzer" White, Art Rooney, Kenesaw M.
Landis, Glen "Slats" Hardin, Ted Cox, Pat O'Shaugnessy, Eddie Reed, Jim Crowley,
Homer Norton, Walter Hagen, AI Barbee, Charles A. Hare.
OPERA AND MUSIC
Adelina Patti, Geraldine Farrar, Jenny Lind, Sarah Bernhardt, Enrico
Caruso, Emma Calve, Ricardo Martin, John McCormack, Mary Lewis, John
Charles T>homas, Mary McCormick, Marion Talley, Hizi Koyke, Richard Crooks,
Enid Szantho, Sidney Rayner, Lawrence Tibbett, Giovanni Martinelli, Enzio
13
Pinza, Nino Martini, E.lizabeth Rethberg, Herbert Janssen, Bruna Castagna,
Grace Moore, Maria Gambarelli, Natalie Bodanva, Joseph Bentonelli, Nelson
Eddy, Lily Pons, Richard Bonnelli, Gladys Swarthout, Anna Pavlowa, The Gre·at
Nijinsky, Leopold Stokowski, Eugene Ormandy, Fritz Kreisler, Gregor Piatigorsky,
Valdimir Golschmann, Ja.scha Heifetz, Arthur Zack, Gennaro Papi, Pasquale
Amatr, Louis Rasselmans, Edward Johnson General Manager Metropolitan Opera
Association, Edward Ziegler Assistant General Manager, Earle R. Lewis Assistant
General Manager, Chorus Master Fausto Cleva, Leo Silvera, Ida Krehm, Joseph
Knitzer, Jeanette MacDonald, Helen Jep:son, Ernest McChesney, George Barriere,
Nijinsky, Jeanne Foedor, Allan Jones.
STAGE
Alfred Lunt, Lynn Fontanne, Helen Hayes, Margaret Anglin, Lou Telle.gen,
Lillian Russell, Della Fox, Joe Jefferson, Fritzi Scheff, De Wolfe Hopper, Maude
Adams, Julian Eltinge, Edwin Booth, Lawrence Barrett, Constant Coquelin, Evan
Burrows Fontaine, Izetta Jewel, Cornelia Otis Skinner, Otis Skinne·r, Catherine
Cornell, Tallulah Bankhead, Guy Bates Post, Katherine Standing, Guy Robertson,
Richard Mansfield, Ethel Barrymore, Basil Rathbone, Frank Crumit, Julia Sanderson,
Florenz Zie~eld, Majorie Rambeau, W.alter Hampden, Gus Van, Georgie
Hale, Leo Feist, Mack Gordon, Harry Revel, Nikita Balieff, Lou Irwin, Herman
the Gre·at, Howard Thurston, Marcella Powers, Eric Linden, Bernice Claire,
Francis Lederer, Margols Gilmore, Hugh Sothern, Edward Everett Horton.
CINEMA
Mary Pickford, Mar.guerite Clark, Eugene O'Brian, Charles Spencer Chaplin,
Douglas Fairbanks, Lew Cody, Richard Barthlemess, Willliam S. Hart, Betty
Compton, Theda Bara, Rod Laroque, E.sther Ralston, Ricardo Cortez, Ann Harding,
Roscoe "Fatty" Arbuckle, .Jrene Rich, Cathryn Carver, Adolf Menjou, Grant
With·ers, Geor.ge O'Brien, Warner Baxter, Anita Stewart, Tom Garaghty, Jack
Mulhall, T'ully Marshall, Jack La Rue, Jack ·w·arner, Nick Stuart, Sue Carol, John
Bunny, Marie Dressler, Jimmy Dunn, Gail Patrick, Andy De·vine, Charley Ohas·e,
Margaret Grahame, Hugh Sothern, Buddy Rogers, Errol Flynn, Jeanette MacDonald,
Ge·ne Raymond, George Brent, Frank McHugh, Phillips Holmes, Evelyn
Keys, Alan Mowbray, Eugene Palette, Dolores Costello Barrymore, George Bancroft,
John Mack BTown, Roscoe Karns, Margaret Livingston, Allen J ·enkins,
Steffi Duna, John Carroll, Roscoe Ates, Colleen Moore, Virginia Bruse, Tullio
Carminati, Johnny Weismuller, Leo Carrillo, Jack Benny, Judy Garland, Paule.tte
Goddard, Joel McCr·ea, Frances Dee, Margaret Tallichet, Bill Gargan, Buddy
Ebsen, Randolph Scott, Richard Arlen, Patsy Kelly, Geraldine Dvorak, Grady
14
Sutton, Buster Keaton, Mary Healy, Dorothy Lamour, Dorothy Dehn, Joe E.
Brown, Anna Neagle, AI Jolson, Eddie Cantor, George Jesse!, Harry Richman,
Leah Ray, Helen Morgan. Ethrelda Leopold, David Niven, Joseph Calleia, Jea n
Bello, Bob Burns, Wallace Beery, Jackie Coogan, Erik Rhodes, William Boyd,
Polly Moran, J ea:1 Murat of France.
ORCHESTRA LEADERS AND SINGERS
Fred Waring, Ted Lewis, .Joe Venuti, Glen Miller, Frankie Masters, Phil
Harris, George Olsen, Abe Lyman, Ran Wilde, Art Kassel, Shep Fields, Tom
Gerun, AI Donahue, Jack Fulton, Ben Bernie, Jimmy Grier, Lani Mcintyre, Red
Ni·chols, Clyde Lucas, Rudy Valee, RogH Wolfe Kahn, John E. Hamp, Ted
Weems, Guy Lombardo, Charles Barnet, Paul Whiteman, Smith Ballew, Benny
Meroff, Irving Aaronson, Henry Busse, Vincent Lopez, Lou Forbes, Jesse Stafford,
Buddy Rogers, Ethel Shutta, Harriet de Goff, Lynn Chalmers, Morton
Downey, Donna Dae, Ruth Etting, Miriam Grahame, Julie. Gibson, Momikai Hair,
Lilia Kipicona, Camille de Montis, The Boswell Sisters, Nick Lucas, Vivian
Janis, Joan Edwards, Aloha Kaimi, Mary Lee Kelly, Leo Feist, Fred Crosby,
Joseph Sudy, Buddy Clark, Wayne King, Arthur Ravel.
DANCE TEAMS
Ohaney and Fox, Jack and Edna Torrence, Crawford and Caskey, The Randalls,
Peppino and Rhoda, Richard Stuart and Flora Lee, Mary Jane Moore and
Billy Revel, Miles and Kover, Peppino and Mascotte.
AUTHORS, COLUMNISTS, ARTISTS
0. 0. Mcintyre, Will Roger,s, Irvin S. Cobb, Louis Sobol, Ward Morehouse,
Heywood Broun, George Matthew Adams, Lucius Beebe, Bruno Lessing, Francis
Wallace, G. Selmer Fougner, Roundy Coughlin, Charles E. Crawford, Dorothy
Dix, Bob Davis, Julian Street, Phil Dunning, H. L. Mencken, Will Irwin, E1sie
Robinson, Abe Martin, Mrs. Laetitia Irwin, Zona Gale, She.na Kay Smith, Channing
1Pollack, Bruce Gould, Beatrice Blackmer Gould, Beverly Smith, Wallace
Irwin, Monty Woolley, Garet Garret, Natalie Vivian Scott, Gra·ce Thompson
Se.ton, "Andrea," Upton Close, Collinson Owen, Jo,hn A. Kennedy, T. M. Storke,
Eleanor Niercien, Donald Lawder, ·w·. Ward Smith, Cora, Rose and Bob Brown,
Mrs. William Brown Meloney, Elda Garbe, Ellis Hollums, Madame Marcel Tinayre,
Andre Demaison, General Perrier, Madame Saint Rene Taillandier, Roark Bradford,
Kathleen McLaughlin, Frederick L. Collins, Doris Fleeson, Robert Ormond
15
Case, G. J. Korc·hendorfer, Elizabeth Woody, Frank Finklehoffe, John Monks Jr.,
James Norman Hall, Charles MacArthur, Louis Zara, Walter Davenport, Lilian
Hellman, Mildred SeydeU, Hector Fuller, Allan Villiers, Alan Gould, Carton
Beals, 'Eleanor Patterson, J. Gortatowsky, Richard Harding Davis, William B.
Powell, Ralph Ketcham, Prunella Wood, Edward Astley, Alice Porter, Lloyd C.
Douglas, Courtney Riley Cooper, Leonard Q. Ross, George Sokolsky, Dorothy
Dawe, Hasil Woon, G. Edward Davidson, John Henry Titus, Edith Johnson, DeLoss
"\\.,alker, Elliott White Springs, Sherwood Anderson, T.homas Wolfe, Pat O'Donnell,
Hugh Baillie, Kent Cooper, Adolph Ochs, Joseph Pulitzer, Dr. Paul de
Kruif, Paul Reynaud, Rene Belbenoit, John Erskine, S1heila Hibben, Katherine
Darst, J. B. Priestley, Abel Green, Uncle Vic, Duncan Hine·s, Mike "The Snow- ·
digger," J. K. of the Milwaukee Journal, Vera Brittain, J. Donnell Tilghman,
Sillman Evans, Clem Hearsey, Archibald MacLeish, Stark Young, Will Durant,
Steven Hannagan, Lloyd Gregory, Bill Cunningham, Frank Boeg'le, Paul Hollister,
Henry Beckett, Marc T. Greene, J. Georg·e Frederick, Ellwood Douglass, Dorothy
Ducas, Adele Brown, Thomas Sugrue, Gwen Dew, Gwen Bristow, Bruce Manning,
Fra.nces Bryson, Mrs. Louis Oppenheimer, Octavus Roy Cohen, Hyman Kaplan,
Franklin Lewis, Edw. F. Hebert, Herman B. Deutsch, William Wiegand, Meigs 0.
Frost, K. T. Knoblock, Franz Blom, Ken Gormin, Stanley Clisby Arthur, 0. M.
Samuels, Lyle Saxon, Hendrick Van Loon, Rockwell Kent, Ifor Thomas, Dariq
Rappaport, Xavier Gonzales, Daniell Bishop, Carl Anderson, M. R. Cooper, 0. W.
Chessman, Ivan Dmitri, Cecil ·Beaton, Sydney .Smith, Clifford McBride, Enrique
Alfarez, McLelland Barclay, J. W. Ireland, Fitzpatrick, Ham Fisher, Moro Gonzalez,
Ann Silverman, Sally Silverman, Harry Ludwig Rosso!, Rube Goldberg,
John Held Jr., Otto Hagel, Cornelia Otis Skinner, R. H. W'aldo, Virginia Gale,
Wayman Adams, Ed Reed, Carl Anderson, J. B. McEvoy, Drew Pearson and
Robert Allen, Ernest Young, Gunther Less ing, Quentin Reynolds, James J. Reynolds,
Frederick Babcock, Frederica Fox, Frances Parkinson Keyes, Alexander
Woolcott, Andre Ply of Pari-s, Sinclair Lewis, K. D. B. Watson, S. L. A. Marshall,
AI Pollard.
CINEMA DIRECTORS AND EXECUTIVES
rCecil B. DeMille, W. S. Van Dyke, Tod Browning, John Ford, Robert Florey,
Boris Petroff, Chester Miller, Edward Cline, 'William "Bill" Pine, Arthur Lubin,
Ralph Nelson, James A. McDonough, Jack McGowan, Lloyd Bacon, Herbert Wilcox,
· David Niven, Edwin Justin Mayer, Albert A. Kaufman, Edward Small,
George Cukor, Morris Ryskind, Ivan Kahn, Mort H. Singer, Henry King, Howard
Hawks, Victor Fleming, Jack Warner, James A. Fitzpatrick, Idwal Jones, Roland
Reed, Hobe Erwin, John Darrow, Harry Rapf, Colonel E. A. Sc·hiller, Jack Chertok,
Dick Mayberry, John Ridgeley, Albert Morkin, Donald Brigg1s, MacHoff-
16
an Jr., Alan Davis, John Gallaudet, John Payne, Regis Toomey, Ben Piazza,
rving Mills, Jimmy Starr, Julie Carter Starr, Lionel Keene, Henry Lichtig,
Robert Z. Leonard, Adolph Zukor, N. M. Schenck, Gunther Lessing, Joseph
Maniewicz, Leon Schlesinger.
VISITORS FROM FAR AWAY LANDS
Jams'hed Dwishaw Petit from Bombay, India, Abdel Wahab Pasha from
gyp.t, Mr. Josolaphas Introgra from Constantinople, Turkey, Mr. E. A. Hirsch
~nd Mr. Garland J. Hir.sch from Manilla, Philip·pine· Islands, Mr. and Mrs. Harry
Fras·er from Jo.hannisburg, South Africa, A. W. Longfield from Melbourne, Australia,
Mr. R. J. McNicol from Shanghai, China, Mr. Born Kavasp from Bombay,
India, Mr. Thorold Gunnerson from Melbourne, Australia, Commandant J. J. A.
Keuchenius Curacao Dutch W~est Indies, Aina Bjorklund from Stockholm, Sweden.
Raliallah Yousse·f Mullohedak from Teheran Iran Persia, Vichi Anderiman from
Ankara Turkey, C. R. Mossy from Port of Spain Trinidad, Nercia Salis from
Bucharest Roumania, J. Vicoloyevik from Belgrade Serbia, Lyman and Sybil
Ferris from Ketchikan Alaska, Joseph Simard from Montreal Canada.
In compiling this list we have endeavored to include· all of our distinguished
visitors. If we have forgotten anyone we are sorry for the unintentional omis.sion.
17
President Franklin D. Roosevelt
"To Antoine's-It's g•ood to be back again."
Ex-President Calvin Coolidge
"Deep appreciation for Antoine's."
Alfred M. Landon
"To Roy Alciatore-With sincere delight at your real hosptiality and the
opportunity of visiting you again."
Elliott Roosevelt
"May I express my deep appreciation for a very rare experience, which will
be long remembered. Never has it been my experience· to enjoy such fine fa.re."
Herbert Hoover II
••when you want real food go to Antoine's-When you want real life go to
New Orlean.s."
0. 0. Mcintyre
In New York Day by Day
"1, too, have enjoyed myself at the famous Antoine's and hope to again."
18
Julian Street
Gourmet and Author of "Abroad at Home," "Wines," ''Where Paris Dines," Etc.
"I ·am old enough to remember some of the historic restaurants of the
world-The Cafe Anglais, Voisin, and Paillard (which are no more) in Paris, and
the Tour d'Argent in the days of the famous Frederic. I remember the Carlton
in London when Escoffier was Chef, and Lhardi's in Madrid. In New York I
knew Delmonico's, Sherry's, Rector's and J. ·B. Martin's in their prime. Great
places all of· them. Antoine's resembles none of these in .style and setting, for
like every great restaurant, it has a style of its own. Its age, its picturesqueness,
Hs high culinary traditions, and its record of practically a century under
the management of successive generations of the same family, make it entirely
unique. It is more than a first-rate restaurant in New Orleans. It is an
American institution, an establis·hme·nt of which the whole country may be
proud."
Herman B. Deutsch
Author-"The Incredible Yanqui," "The Wedge," Etc.
"To Roy Alciatore whom I acknowledge as a master and supreme artist in
his line."
Count Marcel Le Besac
"Now I am convinced. At Antoine's one eats and drinks just like in
France."
Irvin Cobb
Author.
"What Jules can do to oysters and fish and various other things that make
up a meal, is what the cooks must do to them in heaven."
George E. Sokolsky
London Times
"The very best dinner I have eaten east of Shanghai, and then equal to the
Lun•g Foo Soo, which tG epicures is heaven."
H. L. Mencken
"Mr. Alciatore: Like every other visitor who has been in your restaurant
I remember it with pleasure."
Prince Louis Ferdinand Hohenzollern
"I have found a truly •great restaurant in North America."
Meigs 0. Frost
Author- "A Marine Tells It 'To Me," Etc.
"To Jules Alciatore of Antoine's cooking is an art. As a poet blends words
to produce a sonnet; he blends ingredients to pro·duce a sauce."
19
W. A. Ireland
Columbus, Ohio, Evening Dispatch
"If I had been Lafitte the pirate I would have seized the culinary treasurers
of Antoine's and not wasted my time at sea."
Abe Martin
Columnist
"This place beats Brown county all ho,Jler."
Natalie Vivian Scott
Modern Priscilla
"No voice, no lute, no pipe there, and no orchestra. But-what is so little
emphasized in modern restaurants-food in its most glorified form; quiet in
which to enjoy it, and leisure."
Hugh Braillie
President United Press
"Eureka. This is the food and wine mood I have been attempting to recapture
ever since 1921, when I last had such an experience at the Cafe
Cathedral in Rouen. Congratulations, Roy."
K. T. Knoblock
Author- "There's Been Murder Done," Etc.
"There has been no decline in Antoine's standards. All over the world
Antoine's is known, and from all over the world gourmets and great men come
to New Orleans to dine at Antoine's."
John RingHng
"Superior Cuisine in unique surroundings. Best wishes to Jules, Roy and
Escoffier ."
20
The Marquis of Donegall
Special Correspondent London Daily Mail
"Chez Antoine j'ai mange' miex qu'a Paris- et helas fort mieux qu'on ne
puis mana.ger a Londres. And that's That!"
Clem Hearsey
N. Y. Morning Telegraph
"Mention Antoine's on the boulevards of Paris, the Strand of London, the
Great White Way of New York, or in any American city where the bon vivant is
to be found, and lips will smack in pleasant remembrances."
Ethel Barrymore
"Since my first visit to Antoine's, when I was 14 years old, it has been the
only restaurant in the world for me."
Harry Fraser
J ohannisberg, South Africa.
To Roy Alciatore.-I have travele·d the world for a good meal and at last I
have, found it here at Antoine's.
Nellie Tayloe Ross
Director of U. S. Mint.
With so muc.h appreciation of the delectable dinner at Antoine's.
Collinson Owen
British Author.
I discovered here in New ·Orleans the best dinner I have. had in Americ·a, with
first cla.ss French cooking. It was by Jules Alciatore at Antoine's.
Mayor Fiorella LaG01ardia
The cooks at Antoine's cook like other cooks think they are cooking.
Katharine Cornell
A thousand thanks for a delicious meal and a delightful eve.
21
Helen Morgan
To Roy Alciatore.- I have dined in many famous plac·es, some deserving of
their reputation and some not. Antoine.'s has a great reputation and my experience
here proves that Antoine's mor·e than deserves its reputation.
Hendrick Van Loon
W'ith many thanks for the best dinner eaten si::1ce Voisin (God save his memory)
closed his lamented doors.
John A. Kennedy
Hearst Newspapers.
Were I a musician, should wish to compose an opera in your honor; were I
a poet, I should seek to 1sing of your glorie·S in verse; but bein1g neither, I can only
tell you in my own modest way horw much I appreciated the food at Antoine's.
Lawrence Tibbett
To Antoine's.- Remembering the keenest of gastronomic pleasure.
Eleanor Miercien
Saturday E,ven:ing Post.
My compliments to the best "petit diner" I ·have ever eaten.
Channing Pollock
To Roy Alciatore who ·has kept the din out of dinner and the tradition of eating,
as something more· than a iJUrely animal function.
Frankie M13.sters
My ambition is that some day my music will be· as marvelous and as pleasing
as your wonderful food.
Eddie Cantor
For years I raved about Kosher restaurants, but from now on II am taking the
stump for Antoine's. Did I eat!
Professor Felix Frankfurter.
As President Eliot of Harvard has said: He who knows not the value of good
food is to that extent uncivilized-Dr. Elliot must also have assisted and been
·edified by Antoine's.
Ward Morehouse
Seeming1ly the folk from Hollywood and the port of N. Y. who get as far sout·h
as the Gulf rush to Antoine's Restaurant in St. Louis Street and don't come out
again until they're ready to leave for the North.
22
Jamshed Dinshaw Petit
Bombay, British India.
I hav·e never known better food and hospitality than at Antoine's.
Bob Davis
New York Sun.
Mon Jules- !, the imperial ambassador from t .he immeasurable pit, pronounce
your Cafe Brulot Diabolique. the quintessence of Hell's best, brewed in the pit
where all incomparable sinners take their vows and declare· that death hath no
sting and the grave no victory.
John J. Raskob
To Antoine whose only remaining task is to develop one's appetite to a point
where one can properly ap·preciate and fully enjoy the results of the hi.gh plane
to which he has develo.ped the culinary art. In this year of our Lord 1934 and
of Antine's 94.
Joe E. Brown
I have had dinner at Antoine's and did I enjoy it. You said a MOUTHFUL.
Cornelia Otis Skinner
To Roy Alciatore with much appreciation for the best meal I have ever had.
Baron and Baroness Rodolphe de Schauensee
The best meals we have had in America we have had at Antoine.'s.
Abdel Wahab Pasha
Egyptian Under.secretary of State.
Everything is deliightful in the original restaurant of Antoine.'s. It has been
a great pleasure to lunch here.
Buddy Ebsen
Hollywood
To Roy Alciatore.- Just to let you know that a body hasn't lived till they've
blistered their tongue on an oyster Rockefeller at Antoine's. Yours from now on.
Frederick L. Collins
Harper's Bazaar-Dining de Luxe.
Every country has its restaurant Royal, its restaurant par excellence. I have
eaten excellent meals at Biffi's in the Gallery at Milan; at Helders and the
S·avoy in Bruss·els; at Tournie's in Madrid; at the Paris in Havana; at Antoine's
in New Orleans, Etc., Etc.
Lucius Beebe
What Frau Sacher's was to Vienna and the· Cafe Martin was to Manhattan,
Antoine's is still to New Orleans.
23
House Be,autiful Magazine
Staff Correspondent
At Antoin·e's are dozen of dishes which have lured people from all countries to
come reverently to eat and ·eat again.
Anna Steese Richardson
Collier's Magazine.
To Roy Alciatore who carries on the fine traditions of Antoine's, with charm
and distinction.
Andre L. Simon
President Wine and Food Society.
In 1940 Antoine's will ·celebrate its Centenary and it is hoped that a g.oodly
number of the Wine and Food Society's members from all parts of the world
will :meet at New Orleans and at Antoine's for this a u spicious oc·casion.
Mary Reid
Holland's Magazine
The menu at Antoine's reads. like a roster of great men. Poulet Rochambeau,
Salade Mirabeau, Filet ·de Boeuf Robespierre, Oeufs Goolidge, Etc.
J. George Frederick
President The Gourmet Society.
Many members of the Gourmet society have dined at Antoine's and they know
how very well you are carrying forward the tradition of your forebears. We are
with you and we greet you as a leading American Gourmet conducting a priceless
Gourmet Shrine.
G. Selmer Fougner
The New York Sun.
I hear nothing but compliments from my many friends who have eaten at
Antoine's.
H. S. K. Yamaguchi
Yokahama, Japan.
Thanks for the· pamphlet from Antoine's. During my trip to the U. S. I
visited this fine re.staurant. Why don't you try to bring hinn to Japan.
Elizabeth Woody
McCall's Magazine.
I shall long remember my pleasant visit to Antoine's.
Duncan Hines
Adventures in Good Eating'.
Antoine.'s is one of the most distinctive and distinguished restaurants in
America, by all mean s visit and eat in this famous restaurant. It is old style
and utterly delightful.
24
Betty Ann
The Milwaukee Journal.
If you •are. planning a trip to New Orleans your visit will not be complete
unless you visit Antoine's and sample some. of its world famous creations.
A Staff Correspondent
Te Detroit News.
New Orleans the Mecca of the Bon Vivant and the home of Antoine's.
TIME
The Weekly News Magazine- May 10, 1937.
The President Roosevelt and his son were whisked away to Antoine's, famed
old restaurant in the Vieux Garre, to eat Proprietor Roy Alciatore.'s specialties:
oysters Rockefeller and Pompano en Papillotte.
I. W. Kanarek
Memp·his, Tenn.
"I had dinner in your restaurant the· other evening, and received one of your
booklets. I found therein quotations from a lot of ·celebrities, pra.isin'g your
meals and service. found nothing had been said by non-celebrities.
''And .so in behalf of that vast unspoken multitude, want to say that the
food that you serve in your joint- is damn good stuff!"
25
""'])t~ You 'J\now 'G~ls :About 'G~ ~
)\~.staurant :Antoln~?
That thi.s year Antoine's Restaurant is celebrating its 100th year of uninterrupted
service to the gourmets of the world under three successive ge.nerations
of the Alciatore family, Founder Antoine Alciatore, Son Jules Alciatore and
Grandson Roy Alciatore and present proprietor.
That Antoine's gallery of ·cele.brities contains over two thousand autographs
and pictures of the distinguis,hed visitors who have dined at Antoine's.
That besid·es the main dining· room, Antone's has 15 other dining"~ rooms avail.
able for banquets and private parties of two to two hundred guests.
That the old fashioned Welsbach gas mantle·s provide the only source of heat
in the main dining room, even in the coldest of winters.
That the huge ;plate •glass mirrors in the main dining room were formerly in
the Grand Ball Room of the famous old St. Louis Hotel, and were imported
from France ..
That until a few y.ears ago, sand covered the floor in the main dining room
and that ·sawdust still covers the floor in Antoine's famous Mystery Room.
That the 1840 Room is a reproduction of an original early Antoine'.s private
dining room 'and contains oil paintings of Antoine and Mrs. Antoine Aldatore,
old menus dating back to the early 80's and old theatr.e programs containing
Antoine's adve.rtisements as far back as 1852, be·sides the odg'linal pair of baby
shoes worn by the. founder of Antoine's.
That the Ghe.f, waiters and other employees have been with Antoine's for
many years, many of them having begun their career there and ended it there
•after a lifetime of faithful s.ervice·.
That bus boys must serve an apprenticeship of 10 years before they are
·eligible to become waiters, that the present headwaiter has been with Antoine's
for 40. years, and that his predecessor served the house for 50 years.
That the same menu has heen in use at Antoine's for the p·ast 501 years, ·being
used summer and winter, for luncheon and for dinner, day in and day out,
year in and year out. It is the only menu used at Antoine's and is printe·d
entirely in Fr.ench.
That the cu,stomers' orders are taken without the aid of p·aper and pencil, and
entirely by memory, and it is seldom that errors or omissions o·ccur.
That when .serving our famous Gafe Brulot Diabolique and Crepes Suzette the
lights are dimmed so that our guests :rhay feast their eyes on the beautiful blue
flame of the burning ibrandy.
That the oysters a La Rockef,eller at Antoine',s were so named because of the
extreme richness of the sauce, because at the time the elder Rockefeller was
then the richest man in the world.
That Pompano en Papillotte was especially created in honor of a distinguished
French Baloonist who was ente·rtained at Antoine's, the paper b3.Jg being fashioned
to resemble the inflated ga,s bag of a baloon. Its main purpose however
is to retain the seductive flavours of the fish while it is cooking.
That over 1,040,000 orders of Oysters a La Rockefeller have been served at
Antoine'·s since 1<899 when this dish wa.s invented by Jules Alciatore, and since
26
l
there are 6 oysters to an order the total number of actual oysters i·s 6,240,000.
That ·most of the cooking is done. with coal on a French Range, which range
was purchased a few years ago to replace its predecessor which had been in
continuous use in the Antoine.'s kitchen for over 40 years.
'That the original Marble Mortar, hollowed out from a gi,gantic piece of stone
i,s still in use at Antoine's since the founding of the restaurant, 'and that over
a dozen pestles made of lignum Vitae the hardest known wood have been completely
worn down in all of these years, in this same mortar.
T'hat the Dungeon, a private dining room at Antoine's was •so named because
it was actually used as such during the Spanish occupation of New Orleans.
That the private library a:t Antoine',s contains over 400 cook books, books on
wine, and other related subjects, some of which are over 200 years old and one
-old tome dating :back to the year 1659.
That Antoine's boasts of having one of the finest ce·llars in the country containing
rare wines from many different countries and nationalitie·s, the stock
carried at all times numbering well over 5000 bottles, the oldest dating back to
1884. The oldest bl'landy dating' back to 1811.
That the success of Antoine's is due to the fact that greater stress is placed
on the food and cuisine than on the decorations, and that the·re are no disturbing
influen,ces such as music and dancin1g to interfere with the enjoyment of
dining and wining.
That Antoine's believes that foods and wines ·are· inse.para.ble and for this r.eason
will not serve wines and liquors to peop.Ie who do not care to eat. For thi,s
reason Antoine's do·es not have a bar or Cocktail Lounge .. It is the people who
drink without eating rw:ho become paralyzed by alcohol.
That a re·staur·ant is made, not born, and while it takes a hundred years to
acquire a reputation, it only takes six months to lose it.
That if you are in a -hurry, it is us.eless to waste your time in a first class
restaurant. Time is a necessary element in the proper prepar·ation of food, and
if you cannot spare the time, you are better off at the corner drug store, where
they will dish you out an already prepared sandwich in short order, and it will
probably taste be·tter than a complicated culinary concoction thrown together
in less than the require·d time. Hurry enters not into the mind of the
gastrop.hile.
That :good food is a re.staurant's only worthwhile ad, and all the gold leaf,
dim lights and soft music in the. world cannot .compete with a refined p·alate.
That cheap prices and good cuisine do not go tog•e.ther. Cheap prices mean
·cheap materials. A .humble ·hen has never yet been known to lay an eg.g that
hatched out into a pheasant, and neither will a sand!Wich e.ver tak.e the place of
a skillfully prepared dish.
!When Antoine's was established in 1840 there were no ·electric lights, no automo:
biles, no moving pictures, no radio, no airplanes, no telep.hones and no
elevators.
'That if you visited Antoine's in the early days, you probably dressed by the
light of an oil lamp, you sent a messenger by foot to make a reservation for
you, you prohably arrived in a carriage, you probably asked the· w1aiter with a
long mustache what dish was special for the day as ther.e were no printed
menus then.
BY
ROY L. ALCIATORE.
Having been asked to write a. dissertation on the gustatory likes and dislikes
of the great and near gr·eat who have been guests at Antoine's restaurant, I
shall be·g-in by saying that of all the famous New Orle.ans dishes Huitres en
coquille a La Rockefeller is beyond question the "plat" which has met with universal
acclaim from visiting celebrities. More has been said and written about
this one dish than abou.t all the others combined. It was Buddy Ebsen, the
cinema star who said: "A body hasn't lived until they've .blistered their tongue
on an Oyster Rockefeller at Antoine's." Leah Ray remark.ed: "When a girl eats
Oysters Rockefeller for breakfast you know they must be good." Phil Harris
who had never before been able• to make up his mind to eat an oyster, tasted
tr..em a La Rockefeller and called for a ,second dish of these succulent bivalves.
Pompano en Papillotte rates second plac·e in the esteem of visiting moguls.
lules Alciatore was the first to introduce into New Orleans cooking in paper
L 1gs. A famous halloonist w.ho had done fancy stunts on errant air waves at
th ~ French army maneuY.ers wa,s to be ente.rtained at Antoine's and Jules was
toh1 to pre·pare a dish which would resemble the gas envelope of a balloon.
Pompano in the paper bag has been famous from that day onward. When this
dish was S·erved to President Franklin D. Roosevelt champagne was substituted
for the white wine ordinarily used in the 'sauce and the President was loud in
his praise of this famous New Orleans deJi.cacy. Pompano en p.apillotte has
brought forth enthusiastic comments from :Irvin S. Cobb, our genial Movie· Director
Cecil B. DeMille, Alfred M. M. Landon, Herbert Hoover and countless others.
Next in popularity are the famous "Pommes Soufflee,s" or blown up potato.e&.
The story of the accidental discovery of the method of cooking these patatoe!!
has been told many times, ne•vertheless if we were to .place end to end t~1e
question asked by ninety·nine percent of the visitors "What makes the·se potatoes
puff up?" this question mark would •g'irdle the globe, :many times. The late
caricaturist Sidney. Smith re,galed himself by stuffing these potatoes with Pompano
en Papillotte sauce and often suggested that we. create 'a stuffed potato of
this type. Among the devotees of Po.mmes soufflees I should s·ay that Bobby
Jone.s, Harry L. Hopkins, Sir T.ho.mas Lipton and Cornelia Otis Skinner are the
most enthusiastic.
The late Florenz Ziegfeld's favorite dish were fro·g's legs saute demi-Bordelais.
e and although he had never tasted these before visiting New Orleans he
afte.rwards had hundreds of frogs •shipped annually to his estate at Lake Edward
in Canada. When Primo Carnera the ex-fighter visited Antoine's it was found
necessary to place. brick.s u1der the table legs to accommodate his great bulk.
He had a light lunch consi&ting- of a huge platter of .Spa1ghetti Milinaise, two
whole roasted chickens and the whole wa,s·hed down with a bottle of Chianti.
Prince Louis Ferdinand Hohenzollern, grandson of Kaiser Wilhelm introduced
28
us to his favorite beverage a mixture of Champagne with a small quantity of
Red Bordeaux wine added.
Baron and Baroness Sumitomo of Japan were thrilled over th.e delici0us buster
crabs served broile·d with Maitre d'Hotel butter. The •multi-millionaire Josep.h
Ziegler Leiter was a great amateur of Fre·sh Caviar and he carried his own
.supply with him w.herever he traveled lest he be unable to obtain it when the
urge manifested itself. It would be fitting to remark 'here that inasmuch as
this Fresh Caviar imported in refrigerated container.s from Russia costs wholesale
$10 a pound ·Or more depending on the brand and grade, it is indeed a
luxury "Fit for a King~ ' the Malossol Caviar mildly salted .and shipped in cans
is not as expensive, and is the kind that is usually employed when Caviar is
called for.
When E -President "\\<""'illiam Howard Taft visited New Orleans in 1909 he was
taken to Antoine's and 'was given a taste of the delicious Louisaina river
'shrimp. He called for more shrimp and more shrimp practically making a meal
of these and pronounced them most delectable·. Upon tasting the Cafe Brulot
Diabolique, Bob Davis, roving· correspondent of the N. Y. Sun exclaimed : "I the
imperial ambassador from the immeasurable pit, pronounce your Cafe Brulot
Dia.bolique· the quintessance of Hell's best, brewed in the pit wher·e all incomparable
sinners take. their vows and declare that death hath no sting and the
grave no victory." The. late John Ringling of circus fame on tasting the Cafe
Brulot commented: "What could be more sublime than to taste the delights of
heaven while beholding the terrors of Hell?"
Although fried catfish is not on the Antoine menu, we were forced to produce
some from the market to satisfy the craving of Ros•coe Turner, the ·Speed flyer.
The late Sarah Bernhardt was very fond of Escargots or French ~nails and
Enrico Caruso repeatedly called .for a Matelotte d'Anguille or ·eel stew. The
Grand Duke Alexis, brother of the Czar of Russia regaled himself with Tortue
Molle a La Rup.inicoscoff, a soft shelled turtle stew prepared from a secret
recipe given to Jul.es Alciatore by a famou s Muscovite chef.
Speaking of Ambassadors bring.s to mind an incident which transpired many
years a:g·o which is worthy of mention because we conside.r it to be the greatest
moment of dark despair in the history of Antoine's. It seems that a great
Ambassador was to be feted, dined and wined Chez Antoine and preparations
and arrangements were made in .advance. to insure absolute perfection of details.
Special dishes the ingredients of which had to :be imported were prepared with
great care and patience and on the night of the banquet all was in readiness for
the feast. The piece de re·sistance wa,s brought in, presented to the Ambassador,
who with calm and studied nonchalance declared : "If you don't mind I would
like to have some sliced .ham and cheese." After all Ambassadors do get fed
up on rich dishes, but why oh why did it have to happen to us?
A special oyster dish wa.s created for Marechal Foch when he breakfasted at
Antoine's in 19~1. These Oysters a La Foch also happen to be a favorite dish
29
of our own charming Dorothy Dix. The visit of Marechal Foch occurred during
the days of prohibition but as a gesture of true Southern hospitality some ·White
wine was procured and offered to the Marechal, who declined it with these
words: "I appreciate your kindness and thoug.htfulness but since I a.m in America
enjoying the hospitality of America I cannot conscientiously break the laws of
America."
Harry Richman is fond of Shrimp Richman a spicy di·s·h cre·ated in his honor.
The late 0. 0. Mcintyre .praised in his ·column the lettuce Chapon salad which
he enjoy.ed at Antoine's. He. was a lover of fine foods and had a special weakness
for salads. Ex-President Theodore "Teddy" Roosevelt was very fond of
·game and when he sank his famous tee·th into the fat breast of the papabote or
Loui·siana Upland plover which was prepared for him, it was evident that he
appreciated the rare flavor of this now practically extinct bird.
Visitors from Nol'Way and Sweden 1go for Smorgasbord and Hors d'Oeuvres,
the French like bizarre dishes, the Italians love pastes and lots of Olive oil, the
Eng-lis.h lean toward roast beef, the Germans like· simple food.s well prepared,
and the· Americans are willing to try anything once.
Our strangest request was for a dish of fish eyes which wer.e served and
relished by a distingui.shed man of letter·s who of necessity must remain
incognito.
Antoine's is our one restaurant that ranks
with the great ones of Europe - and our
oldest. For two years short of a century it
has been run by the Alciatore family and
held to its standards. More famous people
have dined there than at any other place in
America. It is not only a center of Creole
cooking but has also originated several
dishes, such as Oysters Rockefeller, that no
one has succeeded in copying. If you are
looking for the best restaurant in America,
this is it.
By J. DONNELL TILGHMAN
Stage Magazine, July 1938.
30
Madame Antoine Alciatore
1824 - 1914
31
Camille A verna
Head Chef
32
Proprietor Roy Alciatore Sampling l,OOO,OOOth order of Oysters Rockefeller
Head Waiter "Cassou" in Attendance.
M
M
34
Sugg~stions
While it would take a V-Olume to mention the
hundreds of specialties offered to the epicure at Antoine's,
it is worth while singling out a few which
have often been imitated but never duplicated.
Huitres en Coquille a La Rockefeller
Oysters baked in their shells with such rich ingredients that
the name of the Multi-Millionaire was borrowed to indicate their
value. This dish made its debut to the world from the kitchens
of Antoine.
Bisque d'Ecrevisses a La Cardinal
A soup made of crayfish boiled in white wine and subsequently pounded
into a pulp with an addition of cream, aromatic herbs and vegetables.
Pompano en Papillotte 1 Succulent Pompano with a delicious sauc~ cooked in a paper bag
in order to retain the flavor.
Pommes Soufflees
Puffed potatoes which are the one new thing under the sun.
Poulet Chanteclair
Chicken marinated in red wine and cooked in such a manner as
to impart a most distinctive flavor.
Crepes Suzette
The famous French pancakes burned with brandy and liqueurs,
served a La Antoine.
Cafe Brulot Diabolique
Black coffee burned with cognac and flavoured with :: spices.
Antoine's exclusive creations. i,
35
Another of
Announc~m~nt
In the Spring of the Year 1940 ANTOINE'S will celebrate the comp.letion of
100 years of uninterrupted service to the Gourmets of the world, under three
successive generations of the Alciatore family, father; son and grand::wn . It is
our pleasure to extend to you an invitation to visit Antoine's during thi e our
Centennial Celebration.
1J3eltet'e 11 t ®r 1Rot
Since Antoine·fs restaurant was founded in 1840 the a ndque chahdeliers
equipped with o1d ... fashioned ga.s mantleg have beer! used to heat the main dining
room in even the co·ldest winters. No other heaters have bee n l:lSfild,
