Café Degas
Cafe, Restaurant, French, $$$

Oysters Rockefeller, invented at Antoine's in 1889 | Courtesy of Antoine's Restaurant
Named for the French Impressionist painter, Edgar Degas, Café Degas strives to serve authentic Gallic French cuisine. Degas lived in New Orleans for a short time in 1872, in a house near the restaurant on Esplanade Avenue. Owner Jacques Soulas, himself a painter, moved to New Orleans in 1980 and collaborated with his friend and co-owner to open Cafe Degas, a restaurant which would pay homage to his home in France. In addition to the three-course prix fixe menu served on Wednesdays, Café Degas cooks up excellent brunches, lunches and dinners with protagonists such as the ever-popular gratiné d’oignon, a hearty onion soup typical of the French countryside.