Martinique is one of the surprisingly few restaurants in New Orleans that serve respectable, interesting food in an outdoor setting. Although the space is distinctly Uptown, the menu is that of a French bistro. It also offers more special menus and events than its competitors, making it even more interesting. The series of Italian menus on Mondays was a particular hit.
Founder Hubert Sandot, a French chef from the Indian Ocean islands, first appeared on the scene with a funky little French place in the Warehouse District. It was only a modest success. He found an equally funky building in the narrow stretch of Magazine Street and moved there in 1994. His new menu of French Caribbean food expanded, and so did the customer base. He sold it in 2003 to an ambitious Houma restaurateur who renovated the old quarters and expanded the use of the courtyard. The menu evolved in the direction of a French bistro, but with local ingredients, especially in the seafood department.
The building is a former store in the old Jefferson City stretch of Magazine Street. The footprint of another, extinct store was turned into a hedge-lined courtyard, the handsomest uptown of Commander's Palace. Although the chairs out there are less than ideally comfortable, the appeal of the alfresco environment is hard to beat. Radiant heaters keep the courtyard comfortable even on nights when you might suppose it not to be usable. The two small, spare rooms indoors contain no two lines that meet at an exact right angle, which adds to its charm.
The current cool weather makes the many rib-sticking dishes very satisfying. Go on Wednesday night and bring a bottle of wine, corkage-free. Parking around there is tough, byut the restaurant just added a valet service.
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| Local Color | 2 |
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| Value | 0 |
| Wine | 1 |
