1. E4 MG EE KLMNO WEDNESDAY, MARCH 18, 2015
5 generations have owned here,
served here and dined here
chef John Folse, a Louisiana
restaurateur and author. “Even
today, 175 years later, it is still
touching the culinary hearts of
the chefs who really care about
the significance of what Creole
food is in New Orleans.”
Blount’s role is unlike that of
most other restaurant execu-
tives: He is responsible for over-
seeing a dining and kitchen staff
of about 155 people and main-
taining revenue flow, and he also
is a curator of a living museum to
which almost every family in
New Orleans seems to share a
degree of connection. Here on
the walls of the sprawling dining
rooms are framed photographs
reflecting those rooted in An-
toine’s legacy: decades of Mardi
Gras courts, city and state digni-
taries, movie stars, U.S. presi-
dents dating to both Roosevelts,
even Pope John Paul II.
In those frames are also local
faces, long gone, whom Blount
might not recognize, but his
clientele does. One night in 2014,
after a movie shoot had required
one room to be rearranged, he
was called to a table where a
diner complained that a picture
of his grandfather was no longer
hanging in the location it had
occupied for decades.
“And he was furious about it!”
Blount says. “There’s so much
personal ownership to what is
here and how we do it. I didn’t
even know the people in the
picture. But he did.”
‘You have to be very careful’
Blount, 58, was not an expected
successor. His mother is Yvonne
Alciatore Blount, a fourth-genera-
tion descendant of Antoine Alcia-
tore, who as an 18-year-old French
immigrant in 1840 opened a small
eatery on the first floor of a French
Quarter hotel serving local no-
blesse. When Blount was growing
up, his family was largely de-
tached from the restaurant and
ANTOINE'S FROM E1
dined there about once a year. His
father was a marine surveyor and
they lived in Lakeview, an outer-
ring neighborhood closer to Lake
Pontchartrain than to the Missis-
sippi River.
It wasn’t until Blount was 13
that he took a job at the restau-
rant; it didn’t last long.
“Like a bull in a china shop,” he
says with a husky laugh. He left
and, after a professional life in
real estate and insurance, re-
turned in 2005, elected by share-
holders eager for a new chief
executive who could connect the
restaurant to a new generation.
“My purpose was to ask, ‘How
do you have this grand old histor-
ic dinosaur that I inherited and
make it relevant to millennials
who, for the most part, are not
interested in its history at all?’”
he says. “You have to be very
careful about what you change.”
Especially in New Orleans,
where traditions are legion, and
habits cemented in the past can
take generations to loosen. Poppy
Tooker, a local radio host and
author who specializes in teaching
Louisiana cuisine, says Antoine’s
is among a small handful of res-
taurants in the city where local
families have forged a deeply per-
sonal connection, going so far as
to carry the cellphone number of
their favorite waiter, who might be
the nephew, son or grandson of
the server who served earlier gen-
erations in their family. Personal
service, an anachronistic fantasy
elsewhere, is not just embedded
into the culture of these restau-
rants; it is the very foundation
that made them survivors.
“They are places that are re-
garded as extensions of people’s
homes, so the waiters are like
extensions of their families,” she
says. “Rick is a great business-
man in that he’s been really
creative in how he has carefully
restructured things while mari-
nating the 175 years of tradition.”
Tightening and loosening
When he took charge of An-
toine’s, Blount says, he was
shocked to see that the restaurant
lacked automated bookkeeping
and was relying on “a shoebox”
system of paying bills. “How do
you know who got paid? Who
didn’t get paid? How do you know
what food cost? How do you know
anything? The answer pretty
much was, ‘we don’t,’ ” he says.
Besides reorganizing the back
office, Blount started restructur-
ing the restaurant’s public face
with the basics: an inaugural
Web site, followed by the hiring
of a social media manger to
launch and maintain a strong
online presence, including part-
nering with OpenTable to en-
courage online reservations.
Then came the decision to
finally relax the dress code — a
jacket is no longer required for
men — which has not yet attract-
ed the shorts-and-sandals set (a
real possibility because Antoine’s
is a half-block from Bourbon
Street) but instead helped the
restaurant feel more accessible to
anyone who might be curious
about the cuisine but doesn’t
have proper formalwear.
Around the corner from the
restaurant, Blount opened An-
toine’s Annex, a European-style
cafe and pastry shop. But the
biggest addition to the restau-
rant is its first-ever cocktail bar:
Hermes, next door, is perfect for
the mixology crowd, encouraged
to order small plates of Antoine’s
classics that might eventually
persuade them to return for the
whole experience. The idea,
Blount says, is to extend the
brand equity to reach younger
people who are more likely to
have little to no interest in tradi-
tions dating to before their birth.
On a recent weekday after-
noon, the crowd at Antoine’s
could well represent the slice of
life passing through nearby Jack-
son Square: There are two older
couples dressed neatly in suits
and dresses, a 20-something cou-
ple in hoodies and tattoos, a
group of college men in matching
athletic jackets, and a middle-
aged man and woman talking in
hushed tones. The front door
opens and Chris Owens, Bourbon
Street’s notorious burlesque per-
former and club owner, suddenly
appears, trailing an entourage
and seeking a late lunch.
At any time, diners can leave
their table to roam the restaurant’s
14 dining rooms, including one for
banquets and another that holds a
single table for six. Artifacts from
the past are evident throughout: a
secret door from Prohibition days,
a 165-foot-long wine cellar holding
25,000 bottles (including a sealed
bottle of 1890 cognac), a large
collection of old rums, liqueurs,
absinthe and whiskey behind
glass. Visitors can travel through
annexes, up to the second-floor
balcony, through the former slave
quarters, even into the kitchen
where executive chef Michael
Regua has worked for 43 years.
Regua says the previous gener-
ation of owners would not let
him stray from the classic dishes,
but Blount encouraged him to
experiment.“He took that noose
off my neck, and we started doing
specials,” he says. “I have to keep
true to the restaurant and then
true to the city. Now when we
create, we have more specials
now than we ever had.”
Loyalty and family
Liz Williams, president of the
Southern Food and Beverage Mu-
seum in New Orleans, which is
hosting an exhibit on Antoine’s,
says that because of its age,
Antoine’s serves as “its own food
museum.”
“Because you have layer upon
layer of changes, with each gen-
eration reflecting the changes of
the time, and because it has been
uninterrupted for 175 years, you
not only have a reflection of the
city of New Orleans, but also you
have a reflection of the entire
country,” she says. “That makes it
even more important.”
The “living” component of the
museum experience is embodied
in the wait staff, some of whom are
required to bus tables for up to 10
years before “making waiter.” Ka-
trina forced an employee exodus
from New Orleans, but Blount
neverleft,settingupequipmenton
the street where he and his return-
ing kitchen staff cooked for first
responders and construction
workers. He sprang into action,
not just to rebuild Antoine’s, but
also to make sure his own workers
continued to receive their health
benefits when living far outside
the city. He started rebuilding as
soon as he could, primarily be-
cause he wanted to hire back some
members of the dining and kitch-
en staff as laborers as a way to keep
their cash and benefits flowing.
“It kept them close. So when I
reopened, I had my cooks, I had
my waiters, I had my managers, I
had everybody, because we fig-
ured a way to keep them where
we needed them,” he says.
That loyalty is what made
Charles Carter return. At age 32,
Carter has served Antoine’s din-
ers for more than half of his life,
becoming the second-youngest
waiter in the restaurant’s history
at age 18. Before him, his father,
brothers, cousins and four great-
uncles all had the same job. Like
them, Carter is able to make a
robust living as a server, support-
ing his wife and two young
children, by memorizing the
tastes of the “hundreds” of cli-
ents he inherited from his older
relatives and those he earned
through word of mouth.
“I was trained by some of the
best,” he says. “This is it for the
rest of my life.”
Antoine’s reopened Dec. 31,
2005, about four months after
Katrina emptied it out. Except for
the 2008 recession year, the steady
changes over the past 10 years
helped grow revenues back to
pre-storm levels. On April 2, the
restaurant will host a celebratory
six-course dinner at the James
Beard House in New York City.
But back in the early days,
when he admits he was just
“winging it,” Blount says consul-
tants he hired warned against
running a business where nepo-
tism became an inevitability,
with some of the strongest bonds
in the kitchen and on the dining
room floor going back a century.
“I’m just thrilled I didn’t follow
their advice,” he says. “I figured
out that the roots of this place is
that this is a family business, and
if we couldn’t act like family, we
didn’t have a right to act like
anything else. And what we need-
ed to do most: We needed to take
care of the families that work
here. Because Antoine’s is its own
personality. It just needed to
come alive again.”
food@washpost.com
Mark Guarino is a freelance
journalist who writes about national
news and culture out of Chicago.
In addition to its main restaurant, which counts 14 public and private dining rooms, Antoine’s operates
Antoine’s Annex, a European-style cafe and pastry shop, and Hermes, a cocktail bar.
PHOTOS FROM ANTOINE'S RESTAURANT
Two generations of the Antoine’s family: chief executive Rick Blount
and his mother, Yvonne Alciatore Blount.
NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS
IMAGES SHOWN ARE FOR ILLUSTRATION
PURPOSES ONLY.ACTUAL PRODUCTS
MAY DIFFER -NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR
TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS
“Like”uson
FREEPARKING
AT ALL LOCATIONS
FollowUs
@rodmansdc
RODMAN’S
FOOD & DRUG
STORE
SALE DATES
03/18/2015
THRU
03/24/2015
•Rodman*s DCSTORE&PHARMACY •Rodman*s WHEATON,MD
4301RANDOLPHRD (ATVEIRSMILLRD)
PHONE 301.946.3100
•Rodman*sWHITEFLINTPLAZA
5148NICHOLSONLA. N.KENSINGTON,MD
PHONE301.881.6253
5100WISCONSINAVE., NW
WASHINGTON,DC WE ACCEPT ALL
FLEX SPENDING
& HEALTH
SAVINGS PLANS
INDEPENDENCE CARDS
ACCEPTED AT
WISCONSIN AVE &
RANDOLPH ROAD
Rodman*s
GIFT CARD FOR ANY
NEW DC PHARMACY
CUSTOMER
FREE$20
Rodman*s
www.rodmans.com
*DISCOUNT GOURMET (GREAT FOOD, GREAT WINE)
™
PHONE(202)363-3466
24-HOURREFILLLINE
(202)363-1041
DISCOVEROUR
LowerLevel Pharmacy,
Fragrances,Housewares,
andManyMore Values!
ALL STORES OPEN EVERYDAY!
ALL
LOCATIONS
OPEN
EVERYDAY
OF THE
YEAR!
SamAdams
6packs....... $8.49
12packs....$15.99
Cases.........$29.99
Bud,BudLight,MillerLite,
CoorsLight,MGD,Rolling
Rock&MichelobUltra
Cases$25.9924packcans...$15.99
DC BEER SPECIALS
DogfishHead60minuteIPA 6pks$10.99.... Cases$35.99
LongTrail6pks$8.49...................................... Cases$29.99
OtterCreek
6pks$8.99..................... Cases$32.99
21Amendment6packs................. $8.99
Uinta6packs$8.99........ Cases$29.99
HeavySeas6pks$9.99. Cases$34.99
Anchor6packs$9.99..... Cases$32.99
Heineken&Amstel12packs..... $14.99
LooseCases................................. $25.99
SlyFoxBrewing
6pkcans........................ $10.99-$9.99
Stella12pks$14.99....... Cases$26.99
Becks16ozCansCase................... $19.99
NaturalLight&Ice30packs...... $12.99
Terrapin
Brewing
6packs$9.99,
12packs
$16.99,
Cases$34.99
Schlafly
6packs$8.99
(excludes
seasonal)
Cases$29.99
InesRosales
OliveOilTortas
ImportedFromSpain
AssortedTypes
6.4oz-$3.99
PRODUCE SPECIALS
Not at White Flint - Thru03-24-2015
GalaApples $1.19 Lb
BoscPears... $1.29 Lb
Cantalopes.. $1.69 Ea
RedDelicious
Apples............99¢ Lb
Asparagus... $2.39 Lb
Eggplant..... $1.29 Lb
BroccoliCrowns............. $1.29 Lb
VineTomatoes............... $1.99 Lb
BabyWhitePotatoes
3Lbbag....................... $1.69 Ea
Seedless
Grapes
Redor
White
$2.19 Lb
ItalianTomatoes
28 oz - 2/$3
Roasted
RedPeppers
12 oz - 2/$5
ArborioRice
1 Lb - $1.99
Gnocchi
Assorted Types
16 oz - $1.99
InstantPolenta
17.6 oz - $1.99
STASH TeaAssorted Types
KITCHENS OF INDIA
Authentic Indian Cuisine
“Heat&Eat”Entrees
10 oz - 2/$5
PELOPONNESE GreekSpecialties
Dolmas StuffedGrapeLeaves10oz- $2.99
Kalamata
OliveSpread
7.5 oz
$2.99
Country
MixedOlives
11.3 oz
2/$5
Wild
Capers
3.5 oz
2/$4
GRANFORNO
Grissini
ThinItalianBreadsticks
2/$3
TIPTREE Preserves
Assorted Types 12 oz
$4.99 - $5.99
LittleScarlet- $9.99
Assorted
Flavors 4.4 oz
EAT WELL
HummusAssorted Types
10 oz - 2/$5
LAVAZZA
EspressoAssorted Types
8 oz - 10 oz
$3.99 - $6.99
G
R
E
A
T
BELLINO
ItalianExtraVirgin
OliveOil3 liter
$24.99
V
A
L
U
E
DESERT PEPPER
SalsasAssorted Types
16 oz - $2.99
ARGENTINE WINE SALE
SAUVIGNON BLANC SALE
ALLWINES750MLUNLESSNOTED-WINEPRICESLISTEDAREFORDCONLYUNLESSNOTED
CHAMPAGNE & SPARKLING SALE
SeguraViudas...............$6.99
MontellianaProsecco....$8.99
Bouvet.......................... $10.99
GloriaFerrer............... $14.99
ChandonBrut.............. $15.99
RoedererEstate......... $17.99
LaurentPerrier.......... $31.99
Taittinger.................... $38.99
VeuveClicquot........... $41.99
PadrillosTorrontes&Malbec............... $7.99
TintoNegroMalbec............................. $6.99
AlamosTorrontes&Malbec................. $6.99
GasconMalbec...................................... $9.99
DonaPauloMalbec.............................. $6.99
BroquelMalbec...................................$11.99
CatenaMalbec....................................$15.99
PuntoFinalMalbec.............................. $9.99
TiliaMalbec........................................... $7.99
MaipeMalbec....................................... $6.99
TerrazasMalbec................................... $6.99
NavarroCorreasMalbec..................... $6.99
UrbanUcoMalbec................................ $9.99
BroadbentMalbec............................... $8.99
FelinoMalbec......................................$14.99
Crios
Malbec,
Torrontes,Cab,
Rose$9.99
TriventoMalbec
$7.99,Amado
Sur$9.99,
GoldenReserve
$14.99
SantaJulia
Malbec,PG,Cab,
Viognier$6.99
DC WINE BLOCKBUSTERS
YalumbaAsst’dtypes.............................................................. $8.99
DynamiteCabernet..........$7.99
MoutonCadet
Red,White,Rose................$6.99
EntradaMalbec,Cab,
Chard.................................$4.99
Woodbridge
Asst’dtypes......................$3.99
L.Martini
SonomaCabernet......... $12.99
CoppolaRosso&Bianco....$6.99
SantaRita
120’sAsst’dtypes.............$4.99
MirassouPN,Chard,Cab...$6.99
CasalGarciaVinhoVerde.$4.99
MontesClassicsAsst’dtypes.................................................. $8.99
Barefoot
Asst’dtypes
1.5liter
$8.99
BV
Coastals
Asst’dtypes
$4.99
Cousino
MaculChard,
Cab,Merlot
$6.99
YellowTail
Asst’dtypes
1.5liter
$8.99
MarquesdeCaceres
Red$11.99,
White&Rose$7.99
MonkeyBay.................. $5.99
DouglasGreen............. $6.99
NewHarbor.................. $6.99
Chat.St.Jean............... $7.99
ClosDuBois.................. $7.99
Cupcake& Lapostole.. $7.99
OysterBay.................... $7.99
Ponga& Simi............... $7.99
Uppercut........................ $7.99
EdnaValley................... $8.99
Josh& Nobilo............... $8.99
Starborough................. $8.99
Matua............................ $9.99
Sincerely........................ $9.99
VillaMaria.................... $9.99
FerrariCarano........... $10.99
Mohua......................... $10.99
KimCrawford............ $11.99
Morgan....................... $11.99
NapaCellars.............. $11.99
Decoy........................... $13.99
Honig........................... $13.99
SpyValley................... $13.99
WhiteHaven.............. $13.99
ThomasSancerre...... $15.99
FrogsLeap.................. $17.99
HEINZ
VITAMINS & SUPPLEMENTS
NOTAT
WHITE FLINT
50%
Off BlackBeans,
ChickPeas,
KidneyBeans
19 oz 4/$5
Artichoke
Hearts5-7 Ct
14 oz - $1.99
TomatoPaste
6 oz 2/$1
REGULAR
$2.39
BAKED
BEANS
$1.89
WALKERS
Scottish
Shortbread
Fingers,
Rounds,
Triangles,
Highlanders
4.7 oz -
5.3 oz
$2.99
18–20 Ct
2/$5
IMPORTED
FROM
ENGLAND