A Private Affair

Mile High Pie Club at Jack Rose in the Ponchartrain Hotel

@ Private Affair BY JYL BENSON

Whether you seek time out in a festive holiday atmosphere or a means of entertaining guests without bringing Turkey Talk, fa-la-la, or fireworks to your own home, many New Orleans restaurants and event venues have private spaces for all your entertaining needs – from casual to over-the-top.

The Samedi Room above Gris Gris Brennan's Paul Morphy Room

Boussard's foliage-draped courtyard

The Rampart Room at Chefs Amarys Koenig-Herndon and Jordan Herndon’s Palm&Pine feels like a sexy secret. Decked out in shades of scarlet and rose with gilded mirrors and plush chairs that invite lingering, the private room can accommodate seated gatherings of up to 21 and up to 40 for a reception.

“The Rampart Room has its own entrance and is its own space both in ambience and privacy,” Koenig-Herndon said. “I love how flexible the space is and we customize the experience to fit whatever the event is. It can be posh for a rehearsal dinner, a sultry burlesque dining room for a bachelorette or bachelor party, or an energetic mingling space for a birthday or Saints viewing party.”

Of particular interest is Palm&Pine’s relationship with burlesque performer Bella Blue, who gives frequent late-night performances at the restaurant and is available for private events. Palm&Pine’s inventive, seasonally driven menu is heavily reliant on locally and regionally sourced produce, seafood, meats, and poultry, and the craft cocktail program is top-notch. Palm&Pine (The Rampart Room), 308 N Rampart St., 504-814-6200, palmandpinenola.com

An expansive, foliage-draped courtyard at Broussard’s fulfills the moonlight and magnolias vision so many conjure when they think of New Orleans. The restaurant can accommodate seated dinners for up to 225 and receptions from 50-650 when combined with the adjacent courtyards of the Hermann-Grima Museum. Broussard’s, 819 Conti St., 504-581-3866, broussards.com

With 17 private dining rooms, each uniquely appointed in different styles that bespeak New Orleans’ singular sense of place, stately and historic Arnaud’s can accommodate private parties for romantic dining a deux or grand soirees for 1,000. Founded in 1918, Arnaud’s founder purchased adjacent buildings as they became available for sale to expand the restaurant’s capacity.

The Edison Park Room, with seating for up to 50 overlooks a verdant pocket park in a vibrant setting punctuated by chandeliers and luxuriously swaged window treatments. The grand Count’s Ballroom is lavishly adorned with Art Deco art, dramatic lighting, and mirrored windows. The space is large enough to accommodate 200 for a seated dinner with room for dancing. “With three balconies overlooking Bourbon Street and Bienville Street, an in-house Mardi Gras Museum, the French 75 Bar, and renowned Creole cuisine, we create an unforgettable experience,” said spokesperson Kaitlin Rodgers. Arnaud’s, 813 Bienville St., 504-523-5433, arnaudsrestaurant.com

Galatoire’s, the storied French Quarter restaurant with a nearly 120-year history of compelling otherwise responsible adults to indulge in naughty behavior, can be all yours for a private event. Two sister restaurants, Galatoire’s and Galatoire’s “33” Bar & Steak, are connected and all rooms are accessible through either restaurant, bringing the total available spaces to 10, including bars, a balcony overlooking Bourbon Street, and a myriad of dining rooms that can be joined and customized with other spaces to accommodate up to 306 guests for a seated affair. The private dining rooms located at Galatoire’s “33” Bar & Steak may use the menu from either restaurant. Galatoire’s is closed on Mondays but is available as a buyout option for private dining. Lundi Gras with a private balcony overlooking the action, anyone?

A few blocks away on Royal Street Galerie de Galatoire is outfitted in a formal European style with French and Italian influences. Located on the second floor of 211 Royal Street, the private space features 5,500 square feet and a capacity of 450 guests. Galatoire’s extensive French-Creole menu and courtly staff service this space. Galatoire’s, 209 Bourbon St., 504-525-2021, galatoires.com; Galatoire’s “33” Bar & Steak, 215 Bourbon St., 504-335-3932, galatoires33barandsteak.com; Galerie de Galatoire, 211 Royal St., 504-525-2021, galeriedegalatoire.com

Brennan's iconic pink building on Royal Street has eight glamorous dining rooms, some with adjoining courtyards, and each steeped in New Orleans architecture opulence. Private spaces will accommodate up to 120 seated or 160 for a reception. "This couldn't be done anywhere else in the world but the French Quarter,” said interior designer Keith Langham. “We're honoring the history, the richness, the drama, and the sassiness of New Orleans.”

Notably, the Queen's Room is a tribute to feminine reign. Shades of aquamarine, lavender, pink, and ivory play against golden touches to create a feeling of luxury. The chairs, replicas of the design from Queen Elizabeth's coronation, are deep aqua velvet embroidered with gold crowns. Five-hued French style curtains in silk taffeta drape against a backdrop of wallpaper patterned in fleur de lis.

The Hotel Peter and Paul

Framed pictures of former carnival queens and a cache of bejeweled Mardi Gras memorabilia are on loan from the Rex organization. A glorious nineteenth century crystal and ivory chandelier of local origin illuminates the stately room, which seats up to 32 and will accommodate 40 for a reception.

Also of note is the Paul Morphy Room, which was once part of the 1800s home of the chess prodigy. A cozy parlor on the second floor celebrates the enigmatic man considered one of the world's greatest players. The décor evokes the mood of a sophisticated English study, with a red velvet sofa, cocktail table and, of course, a chessboard awaiting a match. Richly lacquered walls have panels of Scottish tartan. Above the fireplace's mantle is a portrait of the master himself. The space will accommodate 12 for a seated dinner, 20 for a reception.

Chef Ryan Hacker's menu of interpretations of classic New Orleans cuisine and private menus are available for breakfast, lunch, and dinner and for both seated and reception-style events. Brennan’s, 417 Royal St., 504-525-9711, brennansneworleans.com

Also on Royal Street, the literary-themed Hotel Monteleone features two private dining spaces. The Tennessee Williams Room offers single table seating for up to 16 or two tables of 10 for larger parties. The William Faulkner Room can seat 12 at one table. Both rooms feature coffered ceilings, and both are set with plush, dining armchairs. The decor in each space reflects the character of the author for whom it was named. Both spaces are serviced by Criollo, the hotel’s flagship Caribbean-Creole restaurant, and both have access to the celebrated Carousel Lounge. Criollo in the Hotel Monteleone (Tennessee Williams Room and William Faulkner Room), 214 Royal St., 504-681-4444, criollonola.com

The Ramos Room at Kingfish Kitchen and Cocktails has exposed brick and tin walls that offer a throwback to the days of Huey P. Long, the former governor of Louisiana, who was nicknamed “The Kingfish.” Two sets of French doors opening to Chartres Street bathe the room in natural light and afford guests a private entrance. The menu spins on classic Louisiana dishes and there is a library of specialty cocktails. The space can accommodate a maximum of 40 guests for a seated dinner. Kingfish Kitchen and Cocktails (The Ramos Room), 337 Chartres St., 504-598-5005, kingfishneworleans.com

Located in the historic French Market, Marché encompasses both indoor and outdoor spaces offering uninterrupted views of both the French Quarter and Mississippi River. For seated dinners, the Ballroom at Marché can hold a maximum of 120 guests, and the Terrace Room can hold a maximum of 50. Before opening Marché, the building was carefully renovated with hand-applied old-world Venetian plaster and the unused balconies were restored to open-air functionality. Marché, 914 N Peters St., 504-586-1155, marcheneworleans.com

Chef Eric and Robyn Cook designed the private space at their French Quarter restaurant, St. John, to feel like a home with plush sofas and chairs, grouped dining tables, a bar, a large flat screen television (should a Saints game be in order) and access to the balcony overlooking Decatur Street. The space is serviced by the restaurant downstairs with a menu rooted in 18th century Creole cuisine with complex dishes one might have found on a family dinner table. Cook turned to his extensive collection of vintage cookbooks and family traditions in crafting a Creole menu reflective of the cultural influences that came together over centuries to underpin New Orleans’ celebrated cuisine. St. John, 1117 Decatur St., 504-581-8120, saintjohnnola.com

Though the Provence-inspired Elysian Bar is a tiny, if glorious, space with very limited seating, it services all the gathering places in the former Rectory at The Hotel Peter and Paul: two elegant parlors (cozily warmed by fireplaces in winter), a glass atrium brimming with lush foliage, and a lavish outdoor courtyard ringed by the former church’s bell towers. The bar takes its name not just from the boulevard cleaving the Marigny neighborhood

Calcasieu

Cafe NOMA

and the Marigny Triangle: in classical mythology, the Elysian Fields were paradise—the blissful destination of the righteous after death. It is a fitting moniker for a bar housed in a former Catholic Church. All spaces serviced by The Elysian Bar, including the bar itself, are available for private events. The Elysian Bar in Hotel Peter and Paul, 2317 Burgundy St., 504-356-6769, theelysianbar.com

Located within the New Orleans Museum of Art, the newly renovated Café NOMA provides a stylish space that blurs the lines between an upscale sunlit café and an art gallery. Features include a dramatic 72-piece installation of colorful and distinctly shaped vessels for food and drink from NOMA’s decorative arts collection. The café space can expand for private events to include the enclosed patio, with a stunning sloping glass ceiling and walls of windows, overlooking historic City Park and a portion of the Besthoff Sculpture Garden. The expanses of glass also give a clear view of the Lapis Center for the Arts Room and its monumental bas-relief mural by the late New Orleans artist Enrique Alférez that has been rescued from the now-demolished Times-Picayune building and installed in the NOMA auditorium. Commissioned fifty years ago to embellish the lobby of the newspaper’s headquarters, the plaster panels, entitled Symbols of Communication, feature letterforms and symbols from throughout human history, creating a rhythmic surface pattern of delicate highlights and shadows. The Lapis Room will accommodate 140 for a seated event, 200 for a reception. The glass wall between the Coleman Courtyard and the Lapis Room opens to join the two spaces, offering seating for 220. Chef Chris Montero’s menu services the spaces for private events. Café NOMA in The New Orleans Museum of Art, (Lapis Center for the Arts Room and the Coleman Courtyard), 1 Collins Diboll Cir., 504-381-5107, cafenoma.com

Overlooking City Park with some of the oldest and most dramatic live oak trees in the country, Ralph's on the Park affords beautiful views. This meticulously renovated historic building is matched by a menu that features innovative takes on beloved classics. Four second floor private dining spaces can be rented individually or together to accommodate parties from 25-150. Rental of the entire second floor provides full use of the building’s wrap-around balcony overlooking the park. Ralph’s on the Park, 900 City Park Ave., 504-488-1000, ralphsonthepark.com The Palace Café has several private dining and gathering spaces, most notably The Black Duck Bar, the official home of the New Orleans Rum Society (aka NORS), an organization dedicated to the appreciation of fine rums. The society hosts regular spirit events and tastings catered towards the rum enthusiast and admission is open to all. Sugarcane has been an integral part of the south Louisiana economy and culture for more than 200 years, when the Jesuit priests first brought sugarcane to Louisiana in 1751. The site of the first successful cane production was in downtown New Orleans, on Baronne Street, adjacent to the bar. This festive space will accommodate up to 50. The Palace Café will create a customized menu to accommodate a private event. Palace Café (The Black Duck Bar), 605 Canal St., 504523-1661, palacecafe.com

A few blocks away the Wine Room at Briquette is a free-standing private facility with its own street entrance, kitchen, and bar. The space can accommodate seated dinners up to 40 or 60 for a reception. The beautiful décor incorporates ambient lighting, exposed brick, and tables of repurposed wood. Briquette is a winner of The Wine Spectator Certificate of Excellence for 2022.

Galerie de Galatoire Photo by Greer Gattuso

Briquette (The Wine Room) 701 S Peters St., 504-3027496, briquette-nola.com

Channel your inner Austin Powers and wow your guests at The Shag Room, tucked inside Commons Club at The Virgin Hotel. The intimate yet playful space will accommodate up to 50 and features colorful furniture for ample seating with luxurious fabrics, groovy decoupage wallpaper, and works from local artists. Or keep it classy with The Dreamboat Lounge adjacent to the hotel’s Pool Club on the 13th floor. The intimate indoor air-conditioned space blurs the lines between indoors and out with lush greenery, lanterns, and latticework. Food and beverage service for both spaces are provided by Commons Club headed up by Executive Chef Alex Harrell, who puts his creative contemporary spin on Southern seasonal cuisine with Mediterranean influences. Virgin Hotel (The Shag Room and Dreamboat), 550 Baronne St., 504-603-8000, virginhotels.com/neworleans

Pass a good time at Calcasieu, Chefs Donald Link and Stephen Stryjewski’s private dining space above Cochon restaurant in the Warehouse District. With three dining rooms the space can host up to 200 for both seated

dinners and receptions. The menu focuses on locally sourced ingredients to deliver authentic flavors from Cajun country and across the South as well as charcuterie from Butcher and housebaked bread from La Boulangerie, their uptown bakery. Calcasieu, 930 Tchoupitoulas St., suite a, 504-588-2188, calcasieuevents.com

Warm, intimate, and clubby, the private dining room at Herbsaint, Chef Donald Link’s flagship restaurant on St Charles Avenue, reflects his passionate style of cooking that has consistently made it one of New Orleans' top restaurants. The space is available for private events for up to 45 people for a seated dinner and up to 65 people for reception-style events. Herbsaint, 701 St Charles Ave., New Orleans, 504-524-4114, herbsaint.com

The Wine Room at Commander's Palace

Everything about Jack Rose feels vaguely otherworldly, like Andy Warhol might walk in at any time. There is the Mad Hatter-like, color saturated, Instagram-driven décor. The Champagne “bongs” allow users to down their glass of Champagne or sparkling wine in next to no time, effectively launching you off on that rocket to Russia that much faster. Enjoy it all in private at the Mile High Pie Club tucked within (full capacity 36). Larger private dining events can be hosted at The Parlor (seated 110, reception 220). Tucked away behind the iconic Pontchartrain Hotel, an unassuming garage door gives way to a dazzling, glamorous interior making it a stunner for larger events. Food and beverage service for all spaces is provided by Jack Rose. Jack Rose in the Pontchartrain Hotel (The Mile High Pie Club and The Parlor), 2031 St. Charles Ave., 504-323-1500, jackroserestaurant.com

Spanning two floors, The Samedi Room above Chef Eric Cook’s flagship Gris Gris has an open kitchen and a dining room for 12 on one level. A stately staircase leads to a hang out space with plush furniture and a large screen television and a balcony to the rear overlooking Felicity Street and the Mississippi River (making it a cool spot to catch NYE and July 4th fireworks displays). Another large balcony with outdoor seating overlooks a chic block of Magazine Street. The space is serviced by the contemporary pan Southern menu and killer craft cocktail program at Gris Gris.

“We designed this to feel warm, intimate and inviting, reflecting the welcoming culture that New Orleans always offers its guests,” Cook said. “Dining in this private space is like dining in a New Orleans home. “You are drawn in with rustic, New Orleans charm and any party or event feels easy and fun.” Gris Gris (The Samedi Room) 1800 Magazine St., 504-272-0241, grisgrisnola.com

The Wine Room is the newest of the five private dining spaces at Commander’s Palace. The dining space will accommodate up to 14 guests, but management strongly advises keeping the guest list to no more than six. For this very exclusive experience Executive Chef Meg Bickford and “Wine Guy” Dan Davis will work together to create an unforgettable experience. The stunning custom wine table is set in the middle of a collection of over 20,000 bottles. Guests dine among the stars of the world of fine wines. Wine packages start at $125-$150 per person and rise to over $500 per person. Dining packages are $125 per person for the Standard Menu, $250 per person for the Platinum Menu. Commander’s Palace (The Wine Room), 1403 Washington Ave., 504-899-8221, commanderspalace.com

The Rampart Room at Palm&Pine