Arnaud's Restaurant Cookbook
By Kit Wohl

In a city known for its culinary excellence and abundance of fine restaurants, few establishments have achieved worldwide acclaim. Arnaud's stands as a monument to the enduring allure of classic Creole cuisine, as well as to the excitement of gustatory innovation.
This New Orleans restaurant is a leader of the culinary old guard and serves tradition today with a menu of classics with a thoroughly contemporary accent. Within its beautifully restored, historic walls, one can sample dishes created on the premises--succulent Oysters Bienville and Arnaud's famous remoulade sauce, to name only two.
Arnaud's lasting success can be attributed in part to the constancy of its owners. It has known only two families since its establishment in 1918, from the colorful founder, "Count" Arnaud Cazenave, to his equally flamboyant daughter Germaine Cazenave Wells, to her heir apparent, Archie A. Casbarian.
Like the founder and his daughter, Casbarian has infused the restaurant with tradition and flair and shepherded its growth as a magical place to savor the full experience of a meal. When Archie and Jane Casbarian acquired Arnaud's they embarked on an extraordinary adventure. "Tonight," wrote Casbarian in his inaugural menu on February 28, 1979, "marks the rebirth of a grand and noble restaurant and heralds a new era in the history of a world-famous establishment."
"Creole cooking is an exuberant, living cuisine," emphasizes proprietor Archie Casbarian. "It continuously evolves as we take advantage of Louisiana's rich bounty of fresh seafood, shellfish, produce and culinary talent."

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Casbarian is dedicated to the fundamentals of Arnaud's heritage, keeping one foot in the past and the other a step ahead. Menus burst with seasonal flavors and the fun that is the soul of New Orleans.
Here you will find Creole classics and Arnaud's favorites, from Oyster Soup to Trout Meuni�re, each recipe carefully adapted for use in the home kitchen. These versions have been tested to reproduce their delicious flavor profiles, while appreciating the realities of most kitchens. Aficionados of the restaurant can savor a true taste of New Orleans.
Arnaud's Restaurant Cookbook contains more than 150 recipes ranging from Pompano en Croute and traditional Seafood Gumbo to many of the dishes for which Arnaud's has always been renowned. Liberally sprinkled throughout are fascinating stories about the restaurant's history, the legends that shaped it, and, of course, the many celebrities who have dined there. It is liberally illustrated with photographs, cartoons, drawings, and other Arnaud's memorabilia.
To read and use Arnaud's Restaurant Cookbook is to participate in a feast for all the senses, nearly as seductive as a meal at Arnaud's itself.
Arnaud Cazenave (1876-1948) expressed his philosophy of dining this way:

When choosing a New Orleans Restaurant--a dinner chosen according to one's needs, tastes and moods, well prepared and well served, is a joy to all senses and an impelling incentive to sound sleep, good health and long life. Therefore, at least once a day, preferably in the cool and quiet of the evening, one should throw all care to the winds, relax completely and dine leisurely and well. Au revoir, mes amis! Je vais vivre at diner en sage.

Author Kit Wohl lives in New Orleans. With her husband, Billy, she has worked with the Casbarians since they acquired the restaurant in 1979.

Photographs by David Spielman, unless otherwise noted
Edited by Brigit Binns
Recipe testing was supervised by Arnaud's Executive Chef Tommy DiGiovianni and Executive Sous Chef Jos� Munguia working with their extraordinary culinary team plus the talented home kitchen crew of Virginia Warren, Susan Hennessey, Christine Mason and Emanuel Dyer.

"Critic-Proof. This glittery old-line Creole institution manages to keep on sparkling with such winners as grand puffs of souffle potatoes, and a silky and rich oyster stew with cream. Dress up and bask in the finery of the handsome old main dining room."
DIVERSION

"If you'd rather dine in style, reserve a table in the nostalgic main dining room, with its gorgeous mosaic floors and beveled glass windows, or in the Arnaud's Jazz Bistro, where you can indulge your appetite for food and jazz alike."
TRAVEL & LEISURE

"They also have the city's first cr�me br�l�e, and the best and most dramatic version of bananas Foster and caf� br�lot around."
CITY BUSINESS

"From the moment you arrive, festivity fizzes in the air. More of the past unfolds on Arnaud's second floor in the Mardi Gras Museum with an astounding display of exquisite jeweled ball gowns and other memorabilia. . . . You don't want to miss this."
SOUTHERN LIVING

"Arnaud's is the real deal. The loud, bright landmark will stuff you with velvety seafood gumbo, oysters Bienville (created here) and pommes souffl�."
John Mariani, ESQUIRE MAGAZINE

Kit Wohl is an author and artist with a passion for the culinary arts. She works with chefs, restaurants, and hotels across the country, and her artwork is held in collections across the Americas and Europe and includes chandeliers, railings, and sculptures. New Orleans Icons: Iron Lace is her twelfth book. Arnaud’s Restaurant Cookbook: New Orleans Legendary Creole Cuisine, published by Pelican in 2005, received national acclaim, and The P&J Oyster Cookbook was named Cookbook of the Year by New Orleans Magazine. Her books in the Classics Series include New Orleans Classic Creole Recipes, New Orleans Classic Celebrations, New Orleans Classic Cocktails, New Orleans Classic Brunches, New Orleans Classic Desserts, New Orleans Classic Appetizers, New Orleans Classic Seafood, and New Orleans Classic Gumbos and Soups. Wohl and Billy, her husband, live in the Big Easy.