[title type="h2"]Dozen Best Oysters Bienville[/title]
Of all the many baked oyster dishes we make around New Orleans, oysters Bienville are the most complex and best. I'd even say they're better than the original dish in the genre, oysters Rockefeller. I don't fear offending Antoine's by saying that, because--at least as Antoine's is concerned--it created oysters Bienville as well as Rockefeller. No two recipes for oysters Bienville are exactly the same, but we can generalize a bit. They're baked --usually on their shells, but sometimes in a small casserole--topped with a thick, stuffing-like sauce made with mushrooms, shrimp, bacon, green onions, a light roux and bread crumbs. The sauce usually makes up two-thirds or more of the dish. Named for the founder of New Orleans, oysters Bienville were introduced at Arnaud's. Antoine's claims that its chef came up with the idea, but felt that its Rockefellers already filled that slot, and so passed it along to Count Arnaud. (Arnaud's denies this.) Other restaurants have made it a specialty, notably Commander's Palace, Pascal's Manale, and Delmonico. Here is the state of the art today.
[caption id="attachment_41536" align="alignnone" width="480"]
Oysters Bienville (the two in front) at Antoine's.
[/caption]
1. 
Antoine's. French Quarter: 713 St Louis. 504-581-4422. More people these days order the 2-2-2 combination of baked oysters at Antoine's than just one variety. This allows their version of Bienville to show off how good it is. Better, as I said above, than the more famous Rockefellers.
2. 
Pascal's Manale. Uptown 3: Napoleon To Audubon: 1838 Napoleon Ave. 504-895-4877. Here is the lightest version around, with the sauce served in large portion. This throws some people off, but I think they're great. A dozen of these makes a great lunch.
3. Arnaud's. French Quarter: 813 Bienville. 504-523-5433. A signature dish at Arnaud's, these are looked upon as definitive--so it's a good thing they really are excellent. Great texture and flavor. Most people get only one Bienville--in combination with Arnaud's four other baked oysters.
4. Felix's. French Quarter: 739 Iberville. 504-522-4440. Felix's is one of the city's premier names in oysters, but fell into a bad slump a few years ago. New owners went in and renovated the restaurant, but hung on to their many excellent recipes, among which are a fine Bienville and Rockefeller. Good raw bar to create the starter for an all-oyster meal.
5. Bourbon House. French Quarter: 144 Bourbon. 504-522-0111. I'm not sure if Dickie Brennan uses the original Commander's recipe for oysters Bienville. Those were the best around in their day, but Commander's says that the recipe is lost. I don't know whether that's true, but the Bienvilles at the Bourbon House--sold with Rockefellers and a very good house recipe called Fonseca--are very well made, and very generous with both sauce and oysters.
6. Keith Young's Steak House. Madisonville: 165 LA 21. 985-845-9940. Keith Young's oysters Bienville are not only among the best around, but are without doubt the largest. I can't imagine eating a half-dozen of them, then moving on to a steak. I would rank them higher on this list except for the fact that Keith says the recipe came out of my own cookbook, and I don't want to break my arm patting myself on the back.
7. Mr. Ed's Oyster Bar & Fish House. Metairie 2: Orleans Line To Houma Blvd: 3117 21st Street. 504-833-6310. Mr. Ed has made oysters the specialty in his new restaurant brand. One of these new restaurants is the former Bozo's; the other is under construction in the French Quarter. The Bienvilles here are terrific.
8. Tommy's Cuisine. Warehouse District & Center City: 746 Tchoupitoulas. 504-581-1103. Tommy Andrade is old-school, as so are his chefs, who put in many an hour in the kinds of restaurants where oysters Bienville will be found. Get the baked oysters assortment. It's impossible to say which are the best.
9. R'evolution. French Quarter: 777 Bienville (in the Royal Sonesta Hotel). 504-553-2277. Here's an odd one, a hybrid of Drago's famous char-broiled oysters with what they call "Bienville butter" sizzling on top. That's a disassembled classic Bienville recipe, with the roux, bread crumbs, and bacon left out. The shrimp, crabmeat, cheese and mushrooms fall into the cracks.
10. 
Superior Seafood. Uptown 2: Washington To Napoleon: 4338 St. Charles Ave. 504-293-3474. Superior is a chain out of northern Louisiana. Their spiffy, French-looking seafood restaurant on St. Charles Avenue at Napoleon make a major specialty of oysters, the best food on the menu. Included among the many options are a textbook oysters Bienville.
11. Tony Angello's. Lakeview: 6262 Fleur de Lis Dr. 504-488-0888. Mr. Tony makes the lightest Bienvilles in town. For many of his regular diners, these are a must-order dish.
12. Michael's. Slidell: 4820 Pontchartrain Dr. 985-649-8055. A candidate for best restaurant in Slidell, Michael's turns out an oyster trio in its appetizer section. The Bienville will be the best of the bunch. He naps them with a little Mornay.
