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A British Tradition in New Orleans

By Angela Wibking

If you can say a 23-story hotel is tucked away, then the Windsor Court Hotel in New Orleans is tucked. Despite the hotel’s size, you might just miss it as you travel down Gravier Street, a block from the convention center in one direction and a block from the French Quarter in another. A walled courtyard, where a statue of England’s patron saint, George, stands guard at the center of a bubbling fountain, discreetly masks the entrance. The statue is your first hint of the British things to come.

Though the exterior is sleekly modern, the moment you step inside the front doors you are enveloped in an atmosphere of traditional British style. The furnishings, the art, the flowers and the service are all elegantly English. The polished marble floors are strewn with thick Oriental carpets, the furniture is ornately carved and richly upholstered, and the walls are adorned with oil paintings, tapestries and fine drawings depicting British scenes and aristocracy. It’s a somewhat surprising oasis of English style amidst the Big Easy’s sea of French and Spanish influences.

The Windsor Court, an Orient-Express hotel, has a long list of awards to its credit, ranging from top ratings from Zagat and Conde Nast Traveler to its AAA Five Diamond Award. But the staff is hardly resting on its laurels. On each of several visits to the Windsor Court, I’ve encountered the same high level of service. It is that, as much as the hotel’s elegantly comfortable rooms and suites, its Mobile Five Star restaurant the Grille Room, or its renowned afternoon tea service, that keeps guests returning year after year.

The hotel boasts 324 accommodations, all with private balcony or bay window overlooking the Mississippi River or the city. The majority of the accommodations are suites with separate living room, petite kitchen or wet bar, mini-bar, and a dressing room adjoining the bedroom and bathroom.

All of the rooms and suites are undergoing a $5 million makeover that is replacing the overall cream and rose color scheme with a fresher one of sage green, soft gold, taupe and other subdued tones. The style is still very British but more relaxed and evocative of an English country manor.

Partaking of the Windsor Court’s lavish afternoon tea enhances the feeling of the English country life. New Orleans ladies (and gents) have made it something of a tradition, especially during the holidays. Any afternoon following a busy day of New Orleans sightseeing, however, is the perfect time for relaxing in the plush comfort of Le Salon, off the main lobby, with a pot of loose tea poured through a strainer for the fullest flavor.
The three-course tea menu begins with petite crustless sandwiches filled with smoked turkey, egg salad, cucumber or salmon. For a few dollars more, enjoy caviar and smoked canapés with your tea. Next come currant and walnut scones, warm and fragrant and served with sweet butter, lemon curd, raspberry preserves and clotted cream. To top it all off, there’s a tray of sweets: chocolate-dipped strawberries, chocolate truffles, pecan tarts, assorted cookies and tea cakes, all prepared by the hotel’s own pastry chef. Classical music performed by a string quartet or a solo harpist completes the tea time experience.

Tea isn’t the only sumptuous meal at the Windsor Court. Dining at the Grill Room is not to be missed, even in this city of fabulous restaurants. Chef Rene Bajeux’s inspired creations make weekend jazz brunch or a romantic dinner at the Grill Room events to remember. Earlier this year Bajeux and pastry chef Lisa Leggett created a magical menu for the prestigious James Beard Foundation Dinner in New York City and Grill Room diners can enjoy many of those same dishes as well as others. The menu changes frequently but you might find Louisiana farm-raised turtle soup, seared three peppercorn swordfish, sesame-crusted lamb rack, scallop carpaccio with mizuma greens and sake vinaigrette and so on. Bajeux’s style is a mix of French, Asian and contemporary American that he describes as “New Orleans grand cuisine.” And so it is, even in a city of grand cuisines. Be sure to save room for the delectable desserts -- perhaps a praline crunch chocolate pyramid -- and the tray of tiny sweets offered to each table after the meal.

The hotel is a short walk to French Quarter attractions and is convenient, via streetcar or automobile, to the Garden District, with its fabulous old homes and the fine zoo in Audubon Park. One of my favorite activities is to stroll a few blocks to Riverwalk, an area right on the Mississippi where you’ll find great enclosed shopping and the world-class Aquarium of the Americas. You might spend a morning shopping the mall or watching the enormous sharks cruise their tank in the aquarium. Then hop aboard the free ferry across the river to discover Algiers, a neighborhood recently reclaimed by urban pioneers. The homes have been beautifully restored and there are also a few shops, the Rosewalk House Bed & Breakfast, and a coffee house with luscious pastries and hot and cold drinks. You can also take the free shuttle sent by Blaine Kern’s Mardi Gras World to transport visitors to this vast facility where artists work on the famous Mardi Gras floats year-round.

Ferry back across the Mississippi and retreat to the Windsor Court for a refreshing dip in the hotel’s lovely outdoor pool or work out at the exercise club. Then relax with a cocktail at the Polo Club, the Windsor Court’s bar that has the look and feel of a private English club. It’s all so very British – and so very New Orleans.

For room rates and more information, call (800)262-2662 or visit the hotel’s website at http://www.windsorcourthotel.com

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