Photo by Michael Reiss

Zoe Bistrot, located in the W Hotel at 333 Poydras, is not at all what we expected. Just having returned from France, we thought we'd be dinning at the usual late-nineteenth century, Paris-style, dark-wood and curtained boisterous bistro. Instead we found a sleek, modern-styled restaurant with considerable elegance.

Zoe Bistrot has low-lit lighting and minimalist "international style" furniture. The serving staff are dressed in black with a silver "W" lapel pin. And then the fun begins. No stogie food here. Traditional bistro food items are reinterpreted with flair and panache. The "Warm Onion Tart" appetizer ($8) was less of a tart and more of frittata of caramelized onions with a balsamic reduction. The "Foie Gras Torch an Supreme" appetizer ($11), a French-Laundry inspired creamy, silky-smooth, sweet, room-temperature delight was delicious, so much so, we found it difficult to stop eating.

Zoe Bistrot's Lobster Shepherd's Pie was served in a gleaming copper pot.
Photo by M. Reiss.

The most noteworthy entrée we had was the "Lobster Shepherd's Pie" ($28), which had generous chunks of fresh Maine Lobster (9 oz.) served in a rich potato puree with cognac sauce and lovely fresh vegetables. It was served in a gleaming copper pot. We also ordered a side dish of rich duchess chive potatoes. Both the lobster and the potatoes were elegant interpretations of country dishes. With our main course we had a bottle of 1998 California Ramsey Pinot Noir ($24, a great wine value).

Before starting our meal we had one of the Zoe "Specialty Cocktails" called "Zoe Champagne Cocktail." This was champagne, creme de framboise and fresh raspberries ($10). It was perfectly blended with the same wonderful proportions as we had in France under the name of "Kir Imperial." What was striking about the Zoe Bistrot was the exciting setting. Upon entering the W Hotel on Poydras Street, one enters another world, where curtains swish open, where "hip music" pulsates gently around a low-lit, Alice-In-Wonderland environment. The "with-it" crowd is lounging on bed-like modern furniture and large out-of-proportion chairs with stacks of chic coffee-table art books everywhere. Who says this place is not for reading? The bar scene is "real cool" and the sensational Whisky Bar is the place to be for "in crowd" action.

According to W Hotel's General Manager, Carlton Hudson, the W Hotel bills itself as an intimate boutique hotel with all the upscale amenities, conveniences, and service-level of a major urban business or resort hotel. Amenities include "heavenly beds" with ultra-luxury down comforters and billowing piles of pillow, all of which promise sweet dreams to those lucky enough to try them. High-speed Internet access, two-line speaker phones, extra lighting, large television monitors--are all part of the upscale package.

In sum, the Zoe Bistrot, located in the W Hotel on Poydras, is a sophisticated bistro which takes traditional bistro food to a new level. Zoe Bistrot is unquestionably a bistro with a modern, elegant, "hip" style. It is worth trying.

Zoe Bistrot
333 Poydras
New Orleans, LA
(504) 525-9444

food ****
service ***1/2
atmosphere ***1/2
value scale ***
bar scene *****

Scale:
***** Superior
**** Excellent
*** Good
** Fair
* Poor