Sainte Marie

So, I have never written a review before, but Saint Marie (soon to be reincarnated as Meauxbar in the French Quarter) was an excellent restaurant experience. We are spoiled, living in the SF Bay Area/​Napa region. Chef Kristen is a creative, intuitive and passionate Chef-​we predict with a huge career in front of her. Owner Robert, Waiter Kyle, the bartending team and host were all just fantastic– infectious love for their work. Now about the food itself. Let’s just say my profile picture is now the yang of the yin foodie posting, because it shows the empty dish after devouring the black eyed peas hummus and cornmeal naan appetizer. Couscous salad off the hook, mussels heavenly. Kristen’s creativity is grounded in respect for local flavor, culture and style with a twist and deference to culinary traditions. We will be cheering you guys on.
No doubt this will be our go to restaurant when we are back in NOLA.

Beware the oyster salad entrée. It’s neither an entrée, nor a salad. It’s 4 fried oysters and some dime-​sized turnip cubes. The service was good but the menu gives no indication of what you can expect. I can’t eat here — it’s too RISKY!

This place was great. I wanted clean, healthy but authentic food and this place hit the spot. Service was top notch, the décor was modern, and the food was locally sourced. My cocktail was handcrafted to perfection. Downside, bill was a bit steep.

I picked Sainte Marie based on Unilocal reviews and by looking for a restaurant within walking distance of the Hyatt Regency in the CBD. I was taking newbies to NOLA and had never been there myself so was a little on edge about what kind of restaurant this would be. From the ability to change our reservation last minute, to the wait staff, the ambiance, the wine selection, and the menu, we had a most enjoyable experience! The food was excellent, the Malbec perfect, and our server amazing. I wish I remembered his name now because he was knowledgeable about the menu, the wine list, the city, and he was so personable. He really made our meal there a true delight! I will recommend and return. Well done!

The best thing about Sainte Marie is its charming, hardworking head chef, Kristen. She’s a true delight. Alas, my brief chat with her could not overcome the dreadful night my date and I experience at this upscale eatery. My review comes from my own service industry background.
Sainte Marie sent invitations to everyone in my downtown building. So I checked them out online for menus, pics, and of course, customer reviews. It all looked great, and reminded me of joints I enjoyed in SoCal for many years. A short walk from my apt, we decided to go grab a bite before hitting the Oshun parade.
Atmosphere: Cool, chill and modern. A boutique-​like dining room that could easily double as a hip, fashionable nightclub. The lighting, art, color scheme, and furniture were all on point. Upon entry you almost feel «cooler» than you really are.
Service: The host said tables were all booked but that we could grab a spot at the bar. I could see at least 3 empty tables were but figured the diners would show up at some point. And if not, perhaps the host would get us one later. It was only 5:45 PM.
At the bar we waited 20 minutes before a bartender even acknowledged us, despite the fact there were only a handful of customers there. Finally bartender Brooke tossed two drink napkins our way and took our order. Maybe she was a new hire or was just having a bad night but Brooke had no interest in serving us. Our tasty drinks did little to wash away her negative vibe.
Food: Our appetizer was beef tartare. My date ordered Sam’s yaka mein while I had their fried oyster salad. We found the tatare a bit bland and overrun with arugula. The oyster salad, though tiny, was good enough; but would benefit from more crunchy greens rather than the watercress it comes with. Their yaka mein is a real winner. A hearty dinner soup of noodles, beef stock, and boiled egg.
After our plates were cleared we waited another half hour for someone to offer us a check; or at the very least, a desert menu. Finally I walked over a hostess and asked her to get our check. She was sweet and appeared embarrassed at their poor service. Bartender Thomas, who had ignored us all night, was quick to notice my credit card and promptly ran the check. My date saw the irony without my saying a word. We left for the parade and later hit the Windham bar for drinks.
Five stars? Yeah, that’s for irony.

Sainte Marie is right around the corner from us, so obviously I’d like it more than the average person. It is a little pricey but the service was phenomenal, despite going during All-​Star weekend. The food was great too. I must say the apps is where it’s at. And they have happy hour from 4−7pm which I love because we can go after work and not have to slam down drinks in a one crunch.

Great atmosphere to enjoy a drink or two. Greeted by a lovely hostess then served by an equally polite bartender. Enjoyed a glass of Moscow Mule, which tickled the tastebuds with enjoyment. Recommend going in a small group to fully enjoy the quiet atmosphere.

Great atmosphere the drinks during happy hour weren’t super cheap but fair prices but more importantly they taste really good. I had the peary maison and it tasted like candy. Some people may not like that but they have a lot of options and the bartender does custom orders. He made a good gin aviation.

I feel like we had every appetizer on the menu. The mussels (an entrée we orders as an app) were by far the best mussels I’ve ever had. EVER. All of the apps were a hit, but I’ve waited too long to write this to remember them all. Let me see what I can recall: Gnocchi, Beef Tartare (another favorite), Pork Belly and Scallops, and Shrimp and Grit Fritters.
My entrée didn’t knock my socks off, but everyone else raved about theirs.
The drinks were all really tasty too. And for specialty and classic cocktail, they weren’t as pricey as some bars I’ve been to.
Service was great too. Prices are a little high, but that’s to be expected of certain places.

I have dined here twice in the past two weeks and have had two fantastic experiences. Chef Kristen Essig does an amazing job putting her own twist on classic dishes. The steak tartare (the best in the city, although a different preparation than the more traditional examples) and jerk shrimp are not to be missed. The menu highlights dishes that are sourced from the finest local farms with the freshest organic produce. With each bite you can taste the love and care, as well as the finest ingredients being used. Having been a long time New Orleans resident/​foodie, I am very happy that I was introduced to this restaurant. I will be adding Sainte Marie into my regular dining rotation of favorite restuarants moving forward.

Just had lunch with a friend. Got two apps, the muscles, and two drinks. With tip it was $ 80. Pretty hefty for a lunch and when you compare the food with similar priced lunches, it doesn’t stand up here.
But, the food was very good. The muscles were cooked in a great broth and the shrimp and grits fritters were excellent. Light and airy, with great flavor. Our drinks were also spot on. The service was also excellent, with the server being present but not in the way. Overall, I probably won’t go back because of the price, but I am glad that I tried it out. You should also, but I can’t say for sure if you will be glad that you did.

This review has been sitting for so long, and it’s so meh. Finally, I’ll express my ambivalence about Ste. Marie.
The food is great. I’ve loved everything I’ve ever had here, including a really stellar beef tartar with quail egg. But there is some funky stuff going on, like the décor which doesn’t match the service or food. It’s really weird for New Orleans, with this pretentious New York-​style vibe going that’s supposed to invite slim, sexy 20-​somes to slink in. I’m not slim or sexy, which is why I might feel out of place here.
The service has always left me feeling a little icky and off. Like, they try hard but they over-​try in some oddball ways. This is super weird, I know, but I went on a date with an Asian chick. Two weeks later, I’m back in Ste. Marie with another Asian date (at my date’s request). The two people were vaguely similar (both Asian, dark hair, boobs, roughly my height), but that the staff specifically commented on us «coming back so soon.» Did they just think I was there with the same person? Because that was not okay. I’m not sure a restaurant’s staff should make my social business their business if they can’t get it quite right. (The second visit did not involve reservations so it’s not like they cheated with my reservation history to take notes.)
They also closed their Revillion dinner before the official promotion was over and were quite rude on the phone when I called to verify that the program was still on. I thought their menu was tempting, and the official event went through NYE. When I booked for December 27, I thought I was safe. No dice. Wish the host who chatted with me that day wasn’t so snotty. Dude, y’all were the ones who shut down Revillion before the season closed.
Accessibility notes: door opens in. Space is dark and can get loud at peak hours. Tables are close together for visitors with mobility devices. High bar. No Braille menu or signage.

The oyster salad appetizer is one of the best things I’ve ever tasted. One of my companions said the same of her hangar steak. The watermellon and pork belly appetizer is like nothing I’ve ever had, it’s delicious. There is duck with duck craklins that is out of this world good. I can’t say enough good about the food.
The Dean of New Orleans cuisine was seated at the table next to us and he seemed quite pleased with his meal. The fact that he was there at all tells you what the buzz about this restaurant is all about.
Only reason I did not rate this a 5 is the service staff. The bar was great, and the service adequate, but not to the level of the food coming out of the kitchen.

If you love chicken and waffles, this is a great place to try it! The atmosphere is very friendly. The chef is also! He’s known for his famous fried chicken. The best is that crystal hot sauce and syrup mix for your chicken and waffles, YUMM!!!
Its also a convenient spot to get this dish down in the CBD. You can’t miss it!

Came by for lunch one afternoon with about 7 other people. The waiter was really nice and friendly. The issue we had was that we were on a time crunch and it took forever for the food to come out. That would make sense to me if they were really busy, but we were literally the only people in there!
When the food came, we were not disappointed. The décor is cute and trendy and the location is great for downtown. Price for lunch is medium, considering a burger is $ 14 and shrimp/​grits is $ 19. I would consider coming back to try out the brunch menu, which looks interesting. Only other comment is that I wish that the waiter had told me that I would need to pay extra for a substitution. Not that I really mind, but it was a surprise on the bill that was unnecessary.
Highlights: chicken and waffles + sainte marie burger
Do not recommend: steak sandwich (had some odd sauce + combo with fontina cheese that didn’t quite work out well)

I had a fun, yummy night at Sainte Marie but it did not knock my socks off. Our server was friendly and knowledgeable. The selection of cheeses was varied and delightful. The crawfish mac and cheese with a blend of three cheeses — fontina, gruyère, parmesan — is the best thing I have had there. The chicken and waffles are made special by the addition of their crystal hot sauce syrup. Portion sizes were great. Not too huge but filling.
I agree with a previous comment that «the feel is upscale but not douchey.» You can get away with dressed-​up jeans here or a suit and tie. We could easily hear ourselves speak and liked the people-​watching views out the window. I enjoyed their light and flavorful Sazerac, a New Orleans variation of an old-​fashioned cognac or whiskey cocktail.

³⁄₅ decent bar
been here a couple times now (literally) for after work thirst quenching and it’s a cool spot. i like how they have distinct areas for dine/​drink and folks seem to be coming in to hit that happy hour and decompress. decent selection of wines and cocktails, and the feel is upscale but not douchey.

I frequent this restaurant on average 3 – 4 times a week.
The service is always superb. The happy hour crowd is always professional and the drink prices during happy hour are the best in the city!
With that said, Ste Marie keeps the menu and drinks fun especially for 30 something’s.
My new favorite meal is the steak Cobb salad!

It’s a crazy Friday night, and from the moment I waked in, I felt like I should have stayed at home. It’s packed with girls dressed in their best and boys trying their damnedest to impress. However, I am cutting to the chase; there’s enough reviews about the space:
If you are asking me to pay hotel prices for a single cocktail, then I want hotel service. I do not want my bartender to give my drink to someone else, and 15 minutes later admonish me or shrug her shoulders when I ask about the strange drink sitting three feet away from me.
The tipping point? When your bar is slammed with customers, I do not want to see the manager or owner hi five-​ing his friends and pouring them drinks while many a patron are still waiting for paid drinks.
The nail in the coffin? The chef saunters out from the kitchen, pours himself a ½ a rocks glass of Johnnie Walker Gold over ice, ruins it by adding water, then drinks it behind the bar. On a Friday night. At a peak time.
So gauche. So wrong.

Gorgeous space. The walls are covered in drawings of old maps of the city — it looks like wallpaper but they were apparently hand painted. It’s a hip new place, and when I was there about a week ago it was surprisingly busy, given that it’s only been open a few weeks. Robert LeBlanc is clearly a popular guy.
I’ll have to go back to get a better sense of the service, food, etc. The first time I was there, I was mostly distracted by the group I met up with, so was paying more attention to our conversation than my surroundings. However, I definitely noticed this isn’t a terribly veggie friendly place. Fortunately for me, I’m trying not to be a vegetarian. Unfortunately for me, it’s not going very well, even when faced with a menu full of ostensibly delicious meat-​centric dishes. Still find myself eating around pieces of flesh. Le sigh.
The bathrooms are seriously confusing to find. You walk through this short hallway and are faced with a set of sliding doors on the right, and an unmarked door in front of you. The door in front looks like an emergency exit, so naturally I tried the sliding doors, which open onto a storage area of some sort. By process of elimination I figured out I needed to keep going through the unmarked black door, which takes you into a back corridor made of cement, where you’ll eventually find the bathroom. Once you know where to go, it’s probably not an ordeal, but the first time you’re looking for the bathroom is a bit of an adventure. At least, it was for me.
I tried the asparagus (pretty good), a bite of gnocchi (same), and had the French Onion Soup for my entrée. The soup was decent, not as good as Café Degas, but not bad. It was also the closest thing to a «vegetarian» item I found on the menu, and I assume it’s made with beef stock, since most French Onion Soups have this, right?
Oh, also, get the chocolate dessert. I forget what it’s called, but it’s amazing. One of these days, I may go back just for that. And drinks, of course.