Royal House
Anecdotes & Analysis
The French Quarter Festival a couple of weeks ago was huge, and has a tail: for weeks afterwards, local diners make it into the Vieux Carre in larger numbers than usual. The nice weather is another attraction. Here's a restaurant you might not think to dine in, but it really is worth a try.
Backstory
For a century, this was Tortorici's, a well-known but not very good Italian restaurant in a highly visible location. Hurricane Katrina put an end to it, and it sat empty until 2008. A restaurant group specializing in casual French Quarter cafes performed a renovation, added an oyster bar, and opened as the Royal House.
Dining Room
The restaurant consists of a long room along St. Louis Street. The best place to eat is in the oyster bar, just inside the door at the corner. The tables offer a good look at the passing Royal Street parade. Tables further in the back are less atmospheric.
Why It's Essential
New Orleans is a tourist town, and tourist towns have tourist restaurants. But such places are much better than their predecessors of even as recently as ten years ago. The Royal House is a good example. The barker frequently employed to attract passers-by is a dead giveaway of the place's intentions. But the presence of an oyster bar--a very troublesome operation for a restaurateur--makes it clear that they're not just taking advantage of the easy pickings.
Why It's Good
The menu is centered on seafood, with the oyster dishes the most attractive. Also here are more-than-decent fried seafood platters, grilled fish, poor boy sandwiches, and good versions of the local soups. And steaks, clams, mussels, lobster, and seafood pasta dishes, in decreasing degree of interest. A visitor could do a lot worse than to dine here, although the presence within a block of Antoine's, Brennan's, K-Paul's, the Rib Room and the like are tough competitoon.
Most Interesting Dishes
<em><strong>Starters</strong></em><br /> »Raw oysters on the half shell<br /> »Charbroiled oysters<br /> »Oysters Rockefeller<br /> »Oysters Royale (seafood stuffing)<br /> »Pepperino oysters (roasted peppers, parmesan)<br /> Fried eggplant straws with alfredo and marinara<br /> Spinach and artichoke dip<br /> Sautéed crab claws<br /> Seafood stuffed mushrooms<br /> Clams and mussels with wine and garlic<br /> »Chicken and sausage gumbo<br /> »Crab and corn bisque<br /> French onion soup<br /> Spinach salad with apples and blue cheese<br /> Grilled chicken Caesar salad<br /> Crawfish salad<br /> Tomato mozzarella salad<br /> <em><strong>Sandwiches</strong></em><br /> »Fried shrimp, catfish, oyster, or alligator poor boy<br /> Hamburger<br /> Blackened chicken sandwich<br /> Muffuletta<br /> <em><strong>Entrees</strong></em><br /> »Fried seafood platters: shrimp, catfish, oyster, soft-shell crabs or combination<br /> Seafood-stuffed filet mignon<br /> Steak voodoo (encrusted with blue cheese)<br /> Seafood steamer pot (clams, mussels, lobster, steamed shrimp)<br /> Snow crab legs<br /> »Steamed Maine lobster<br /> »Blackened or grilled redfish<br /> Salmon and crab Bercy (crabmeat and lemon cream sauce)<br /> Baked seafood tortellini<br /> »Crawfish etouffee<br /> Shrimp creole<br /> Crawfish and crabmeat ravioli<br /> Linguini and clams<br /> Chicken marsala<br /> Seafood pescatore (clams, mussels, shrimp, scallops, marinara sauce, pasta<br /> <em><strong>Desserts</strong></em><br /> Bananas Foster cheesecake<br /> »Bread pudding, white chocolate sauce<br /> Chocolate layer cake<br /> Key lime pie<br />
Deficiencies
The soups and dishes like shrimp Creole and crawfish etouffee would not please anyone who has had good versions of those complex old dishes.
For Best Results
Oysters are by far the best eats here, but the platters are fried to order and more than decent.
Bonus Ratings
1
Attitude
1
Environment
1
Local Color
1
Value
Holiday Ratings
2
Christmas
0
Thanksgiving