Someone was
throwing buckets of water at me””not just from above but from all
sides””as I sloshed my way through a classic southern spring
downpour and into the enormous, flamboyant (part southern belle,
part party animal) lobby of the Loews New Orleans Hotel. As if on cue,
someone handed me an enormous dry towel. Even more
impressive? The person handing me the fluffy white lifesaver was
not someone sent down from housekeeping, but a be-suited manager.
A quick look around the lobby revealed more suits. With foul
weather descending, the hotel had dispatched its big guns to make
sure that guests were greeted with a smile (and a towel) despite
Mother Nature's hissy fit outside. New Orleans is, after all, a
city where rising water inspires a potent brand of
self-sufficiency in its citizens.
So far so good, but I remained nervous about
one thing. The entire Loews group of hotels has adopted the Loews
Loves Pets program which encourages guests to bring their furry
friends with them by providing pet amenities including a water
bowl, a toy and even a veterinarian-approved room service menu
(Bow Wow Tenderloin anyone?). I've got nothing against dogs and
cats, but I don't want their hair (or worse) in my hotel
room.
I needn't have worried. The Loews
housekeeping staff has adopted enhanced cleaning procedures and
they use specially-filtered vacuums to ensure that my room
contained neither hide nor hair from the previous guest's best
friend.
What my room
did contain was a lot of square footage. Of the hotel's
285 rooms, almost half offer more than 530 square feet (the hotel
claims to have the city's largest king size rooms). And because
guestrooms don't even start until the 11th floor of
the hotel, each and every one of them has a view of either the
charming French Quarter, the bustling business district or the
meandering Mississippi River which can be seen from three sides
of the property.
Every room is decorated with original
hand-tinted black and white prints of romantic, peaceful, even
poetic New Orleans and Louisiana scenes taken by local
photographer Harriet Blum and bathrooms are stocked with Bloom
toiletries.
The 8th floor is home to a large
fitness room that has big windows and a full complement
of Cybex equipment, a 50'
lap pool, a whirlpool and a dry sauna as well as the Balance
Spa which offers a menu of surprisingly
well-priced services such as an 80 minute Swedish massage for
$110 and a 30 minute manicure for $30.
But the room I was most
interested in was the Swizzle Stick Bar just off the lobby. This
is the domain of Lu Brow who, in a city bursting with star
mixologists, was recently voted the city's top bartender by
New Orleans magazine. Lu calls herself a Bar Chef and
refers to the Swizzle Stick as “the kitchen.” Her passion for
well-made libations is reflected in the cocktail menu which
offers so many classics and inventive twists on classics that you
almost need a drink just to make up your mind. My choice? The
Corpse Reviver which was complex and intriguing (gin and
Lilet?) without being sweet.
In fact Lu stays away from sweet,
preferring to wow your palette with more sophisticated flavors.
To showcase the cocktail's full potential Lu has begun offering
Bar Chef Tables. Up to four guests can book a Bar Chef Table in
the Swizzle Stick where dinner is served from the hotel's Café
Adelaide, each course paired with a cocktail instead of wine. Add
a pinch of Lu's enthusiastic and knowledgeable conversation and
shake.
Though I was tempted by the Bar Chef Table,
I had a dinner reservation at local celeb chef John Besh's newest
restaurant, Luke””the latest addition to his growing stable which
includes the super-swanky and highly-acclaimed Restaurant
August and Besh Steakhouse at Harrah's.
Everybody knows that New Orleans is full of
great food and it's easy to find a fantastic affordable po' boy
(Crabby Jack's””get the duck) or plate of jumbalaya (Mother's)
or an amazing expensive meal. But it can be difficult to find a
restaurant with ambiance, inventive food and good service in the
mid-price range.
Not anymore. Besh””who was the 2006 James
Beard Award winner for Best Chef, in the Southeast””describes Luke
as “Alsace meets New Orleans” in the tradition of 19th
century German brasseries featuring food influenced by German,
Jewish and Creole cuisines.
The look (cherry and cyprus
paneling, antique floor boards, a salvaged pressed tin ceiling,
stained glass windows, rattan bistro chairs, newspaper racks and
charming pulley-and-belt driven ceiling fans) and food
(slow-cooked Berkshire pork belly, crab meat
ravioli, oyster and bacon salad, steak au poivre, even
matzo ball soup) are both executed well and the result is
a charming room where good food is served with style.
What's truly remarkable about Luke, however,
is that they do all that at prices that make eating at Luke even
more of a pleasure. The Shrimp Farci, for example, includes three
huge shrimp over-stuffed with crab and crawfish served with new
potatoes and green beans for just $15. Elegantly served fresh
oysters are only pennies more apiece than they are at
slurp-”˜em-down stand up bars and no wine on the extensive list
that's heavy on bottles from the Loire,
Alsace,
and Savoie
regions is over $45””most are under $30.
Visit Luke if you're looking to get
five-star full without the five-star bill, then head back to the
Swizzle Stick for a nightcap.
Rates: summer, $149 to $219; high season, $169 to
$319
Loews New Orleans Hotel
300 Poydras Street
New Orleans, Louisiana 70130
Phone: (504) 595-3300
www.loewshotels.com/en/Hotels/New-Orleans-Hotel
In April of 2006 peripatetic journalist
Karen Catchpole left her job as deputy editor of SHOP
Etc. magazine in New York City and embarked on the Trans-Americas Journey, a
three year, 70,000+ mile working road trip through North, Central
and South America. When she's not reviewing luxury hotels,
resorts, ranches and B&Bs, she can be found enjoying the
nearest campground.
