Kimpton Hotel Fontenot, located in New Orleans’ Central Business District, announces today the opening of its three-meal French brasserie, King, set for March 30, 2023. The new restaurant is part of the hotel’s expansion into the historic building next door, which will also include 12,000+ square feet of flexible meeting, wedding and events space as well as 33 new guestrooms and suites to finish out the hotel.
King: New French Brasserie Opens in New Orleans
Located on the ground level with an entrance on Tchoupitoulas Street, King will be rooted in the style of beloved brasseries of the French Riviera region, while weaving in rich culinary traditions of New Orleans. The dining experience at King will be upscale casual with a welcoming and inviting atmosphere, serving breakfast, lunch and dinner. The restaurant will offer seating for 125 with options for dining and imbibing in the interior dining room, at the spacious bar or on the outside patio in front of the restaurant and hotel on Tchoupitoulas Street.
“We’ve worked hard to create a restaurant that will be both a jewel for locals and a culinary must-try for visitors to the city,” says Kimpton Hotel Fontenot Director of Food and Beverage Jessica Retif. “We see King becoming a favorite neighborhood spot in true brasserie fashion that’s both comfortable and lively and always giving people a reason to come back.”
“After spending many months developing menus and dishes that emphasize the freshness and flavor of Louisiana seafood and feature unique interpretations of some of my favorite French classics, we can’t wait to start serving. I’m so proud of what the team has been able to build here,” says Kimpton Hotel Fontenot Executive Chef Samuel Peery.
Chef Peery’s approach to an elevated, creative and flavorful collection of dishes will begin with a breakfast menu that starts with French pastries, including the Louisiana Pecan Pain Brioche, and early morning entrees like Croque Monsieur and classic Quiche Lorraine. Lunch will continue through the afternoon offering bisque, entree salads, Steak Frites with bone marrow and mushroom au poivre, the King Burger, and sandwiches.
Dinner at King starts with a unique house-baked bread program that comes with choupique tapenade, monkfish liver mousse, and beurre maison. The delicious array of dishes also includes several raw selections like the Prime Steak Tartare with pommes maxim, ramps, horseradish and quail egg and the sublime King Imperial Caviar with brioche madeleines and crème fraîche.
Appetizers like the Crawfish Beignets with crab fat aioli and cayenne and Grilled Octopus with Benton’s bacon, sweet potato and vadouvan set the stage for some truly delicious house-made pastas, seafood mains and entrees. Other delicious dishes include the Veal Shank Blanquette with white mirepoix, morel mushroom and madeira, Lobster Bouillabaisse with shrimp, mussels, fennel and sauce rouille, and the Wild Boar Provencale with tomato, fennel and black olive caramel.
King’s dessert menu will be its own magnetic force, drawing diners in to some of Pastry Chef Lanna Talley’s amazing creations, like the Entremet de Ponchatoula with strawberry-coconut mousse, butter cake, gelee and sablé and the Menton-Brest with lemon diplomat, raspberry chèvre, pistachio and basil sucre. There will also be an assortment of glacés, sorbet and fromage.
King will offer a simple yet vast selection of beverages supporting the Riviera brasserie inspired food. A great selection of wines by the glass will also include house red and white on tap. The robust bottle list is focused on Euro coastal and French regions. Local craft beer is balanced by French and Belgian imports, as well as Euro-style lagers. The spirits and cocktails list acts as a complement to the rest of the beverage menu, but showcases some aperitif style cocktails as well as classic riffs.
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Part of an adaptive reuse expansion of the Fontenot and designed by MARKZEFF, the space inside King was designed to be sophisticated, but also warm and welcoming. Black and red paneling is cooled by a mix of white marble bar and table tops, white painted brick walls and natural oak wood floors. The design team worked to keep and incorporate elements of the original structure, like the painted-over existing brick walls and reclaimed timber, wherever possible. The building was built in 1844 by prominent New Orleans architect James Gallier, known for Gallier Hall, the former New Orleans city hall, and the Pontalba Buildings on Jackson Square in the French Quarter.
The opening of King, the meeting and event space with second floor outdoor terrace, and the additional guestrooms in the new building mark the full completion of Kimpton Hotel Fontenot. The hotel opened in the building next door, at 501 Tchoupitoulas Street, in 2021 with 202 rooms, award-winning cocktail bar Peacock Room and neighborhood cafe Gospel Coffee & Boozy Treats.
Starting March 30, King will be open daily for breakfast 7-11 a.m. Dinner will be served Sunday through Thursday 5-9 p.m. and Friday and Saturday 5-10 p.m. The bar will be open Sunday through Thursday 11 a.m.-10 p.m. and Friday and Saturday 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Lunch service will launch May 14 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Check out the restaurant online at https://kingbrasserieandbar.com/coming-soon and follow King on Instagram @kingbrasserienola.
