HOTEL: Prince Conti. I’ve stayed here before, and have recommended it, but the service was just awful this time around. They just completed 18 new rooms, and we were told we were one of the lucky ones to get a brand-new room. Yeah, right. There were still paint fumes permeating the entire side of the floor, we had NO A/C, the ceiling fan had 3 speeds but only one worked: gusty. There was no remote control for the TV, no light bulbs in the bathroom, and fortunately neither of us have allergies, as the amount of dust would have killed us! We did complain – they did fix things, some immediately, but it felt like it was one thing after another. The kicker happened just before check-out on Sunday. Several staff members recommended Ms. D’s Bistro, which is connected to the hotel and open only for breakfast/brunch. The service was beyond slow – 1 hour and 5 minutes for breakfast – and incompetent. I received a dish I did not order. (I didn’t send it back since I didn’t have another hour and 5 minutes to waste!) My Eggs Benedict was cold, the eggs were cooked way beyond poached, and the sauce – it wasn’t Hollandaise, believe me – was cold and coagulated. Blech! Tom’s waffle was stale and cold, and didn’t come with the fruit compote as promised. When we presented our “Half-price off a second entrée” coupon that the desk clerk gave us Thursday night, we were told they didn’t honor them anymore. I’ve written a letter.
Onto better things, FOOD! Since most of our eating was done at French Quarter Fest (what fun! Especially the turkey leg – I felt like Henry the 8th!) I only ate at a couple restaurants. Friday was lunch at Uglesich’s, which I have been dying to try for years. Get there by 11:30 or wait; only open for lunch during the week. I had fried green tomatoes and Shrimp Uggie – a shrimp dish with new potatoes, sautéed in a hot pepper sauce. Just the right amount of spice. I liked this place. It was an experience. Be warned, though – don’t sit until you get your number! (We were gently reprimanded. ;-))
We also ate at Dante’s Pizza late Thursday night, after being turned down at Star Steakhouse (it was 10:45, afterall.) I already posted on this, but I had a very good grilled shrimp and vegetable dish. Simple, but good and fresh and reasonably priced. Tom’s eggplant parmigiana sandwich was just OK.
The weekend was very laid back – we spent a lot of time enjoying the Fest and soaking it all in, both the food & music (favorites were Charmaine Neville and Jimmy Thibodeaux), and enjoying time with friends. We had the requisite stops at our favorite bars: the Napoleon House, the Bombay Club, Ol’Toones Saloon, and a new one for me: the carousel bar at the Monteleone. I’m a big fan of hotel bars and I really liked this one! Not too crowded, nice atmosphere, good people watching, and I didn’t even get dizzy. ;-) It threatened rain just about constantly, but it ended up being a lovely weekend. I did not want to leave on Sunday!
Just a miscellaneous note: Sweet Kathleen’s is closed! What a shame. If anyone knows what happened, or where she and her band play now, let me know.