Antoine's

The oldest restaurant in the United States still in operation, open since 1840, and the birthplace of Oysters Rockefeller — which is, of course, what you order, alongside the Pommes de Terre Soufflés, a nearly lost art. The labyrinthine back rooms have hosted secret Carnival krewe dinners for generations; ask for a tour and the Carnival artifacts alone justify the visit. Dinner in one of those back rooms is the way to experience old-money New Orleans at its source. Few restaurants anywhere carry this much living history.