NEW ORLEANS – Antoine’s in New Orleans will celebrate the second annual national oysters Rockefeller day – the legendary dish invented in its kitchen – on Wednesday, January 10 by offering a free order of oysters Rockefeller to anyone dining in the restaurant or Hermes Bar during lunch or dinner.
“We are honored to have national oysters Rockefeller day serve as the kick-off culinary event for the city’s many planned Tricentennial celebrations. We consider it the crown jewel of Antoine’s menu, and it is appropriate that we celebrate such an iconic dish as the city’s 300 anniversary year commences,” said Rick Blount, Antoine’s fifth-generation CEO and proprietor. “I know my great-grandfather Jules, who created the original recipe, would be extremely pleased that his contribution to New Orleans’ culinary heritage would remain so relevant more than a century later.”
Jules Alciatore, the son of the restaurant’s namesake founder Antoine Alciatore, invented oysters Rockefeller in 1899. At the end of the 19th century, there was a shortage of snails coming in from Europe to New Orleans and Jules identified a locally sourced replacement – oysters.
Jules combined a savory, buttery sauce with succulent green vegetables, producing such richness that he named it after one of the wealthiest men in the United States, John D. Rockefeller.
Antoine's is located at 713 St. Louis Street in the French Quarter. Visit www.antoines.com or call 504-581-4422 to make reservations.
