davenport lounge

this is our second time at the davenport!! wow!! if you like the smooth sounds this is the place to be at 9:00 on a friday/saturday night especially when mr. davenport is playing!! our next trip to nola will exclude at stay at the ritz!!

elegant fun. i brought my friends here from out of town -- michael and mark -- to hear jeremy davenport play. davenport is a classic jazz trumpet player, who once toured with harry connick jr for four years.

the atmosphere in the ritz is beyond elegant, the band very good. they played entirely old familiar standards, without much deviation from their traditional arrangements. but we went out afterwards to vaungh's for a more soulful music experience.

we stayed for a couple of hours first. i enjoyed the black angus sliders (three delicious mini-burgers with bacon jam and cheddar), and a crawfish grilled cheese with tomato marmalade appetizer. i also had three red fish tacos. the food was very good. i washed it all down with some overpriced but tasty drinks: a berry mojito and a cognac sidecar.

it was all very good, but would have been a little pricey had my friend michael not picked up out tab.

tea in style. reservations are required for afternoon tea but on trois was accommodating and checked whether they were able to fit us walk-ins. fortunately, we were seated after a while. at first, the menus looked different but it was only the layout of the items. the server was polite and courteous. i asked for the imperial gunpowder and when the teapot arrived, it was very fragrant. as for sandwiches and pastries, my favourites were the crawfish barquette, artichoke confit, blueberry tart and the scone. all of this while a harp serenaded the relaxing atmosphere. when the bill came, the server apologised for the slight wait in the beginning and gave a significant discount. such service! i left a large tip in return and look forward to my next experience here.

returnability rating : 4 boomerangs