Restaurant August

03/19/2008 Posted by mu83

Restaurant August is quite possibly the best fine dining experience in New Orleans. This is one of the few restaurants I have been to in recent years that lives up to its five-star reputation in service, food and ambiance. Requesting a table in the wine room will give you the best seat in the house, with a wonderful view of the beautiful second floor wine racks, and even with a packed restaurant, the acoustics are just right for a private dinner conversation. The wait staff is courteous and formal without being pretentious, and is eager to accommodate diners. The overall experience is that of a guest in someone’s impeccably decorated dining room, not of a paying customer. On our most recent visit, two of our party had dietary restrictions, and our waiter’s exact words were “Describe to me what your dream meal would be, and I’m sure we can make it happen tonight.” And lo and behold, he did. They put you at ease, and even the pickiest of eaters is sure to have an excellent meal. This brings me to the absolute best part of Restaurant August—the food. We were a hard-to-please bunch, but Restaurant August succeeded and then some. In fact, they surpassed my expectations a bit this go around—during my previous dinner there, I was pleased with everything, but underwhelmed by my dessert in comparison. But not this time—The entire meal was a feast for the eyes, nose, and most importantly the mouth, from start (beet salad) to finish (“candy bar” dessert). And the highlight of the meal was still the sugar and spice duckling. If you love duck, this restaurant is a must. Actually, if you love food, this restaurant is a must. I’ve been to more than a few of the other “fine-dining” restaurants of New Orleans: K-Pauls, Commanders, Ralph’s on the Park, Herbsaint, Arnaud’s, etc. all with their own unique offerings that make them wonderful. But on my list there is only one top spot, and it goes hands down to Restaurant August and Chef John Besh.

Pros: Food, Ambiance, Wait Staff are all five-star

Cons: None! Can't wait to go back.

11/19/2007 Posted by vimpy2

We made reservations at August for Sat. 11/17 to celebrate our 11th annniversary. We made a reservation for 9:30pm. We arrived on time and were told our table was not ready. We sat at at the tiny bar and proceeded to wait for over 25 mintes for a drink. The bartender was obviously slammed but had a horrible attitude, asking another waitress if she could "help these people." It took another 15 minutes to pay the bill because everytime she started to process the bill, she started doing something else. We sat down and once again waited for someone to come over to us. We ordered a bottle of wine and waited another 20 minutes. I went to the ladies room and returned and we still hadn't received the bottle of wine. It was now 10:30 and we still hadn't even begun our meal. At that point we were starving and frustrated and walked out. It was quite possibly the worst service I have ever experienced in a restaurant that is supposed to be of a certain caliber. The food may have been great, but we'll never know since they made it impossible to enjoy our time there. I'm so surprised that John Besh would allow such horrendous service. He may want to spend a little more time training his staff in customer service than making tv appearances. We had gone to NOLA on thursday night and the service and food were impeccable. We had 3 attentive waiters who made you feel welcome. The filet and fried chicken are some of the best. Go there instead. We felt better walking out of August than we would have if we stayed. That should tell you something.

Pros: None

Cons: Worst service I have ever experienced

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful