"Give us your first impression. Bar Marilou, tucked secretively along the side of the new Maison de la Luz hotel, is the most striking library you’ve ever seen, with scarlet bookshelves, orange ceilings, and tiger-striped carpets. It’s currently the only bar in the United States designed by the acclaimed Paris-based dreamweavers Quixotic Projects. If you’re lucky enough to be a hotel guest, you can push through one of the bookcases into a smaller, but equally plush, private parlor. It’s as decadent a bar as you’ll find in New Orleans, which is saying something. How’s the crowd? The hotel guests from Maison de la Luz and the neighboring Ace Hotel are stylish creatives, though this is New Orleans so as long as you’re amiable, you don’t necessarily need designer duds. It’s a relatively quiet, civilized affair with ambient, lo-fi beats and French pop. Everyone feels sophisticated and grown up. How are the drinks? House cocktails are $16 with only a couple of exceptions. You can try everything from fresh frozen concoctions to the rich specialities that celebrate European flavors such as St-Germain, Dubonnet Campari, and Calvados. The seductive wine list is mainly French; the beer list is American but interesting and not overrun with IPAs. Is it worth ordering something to eat? The bar menu is also unapologetically Continental. Choose from the tapas-like anchovies or the gougeres aux epoisses, which are basically fancy cheese puffs. The Pommes Marilou come with creme fraiche and go well with the house burger. There’s apple semifreddo or a chocolate pot de creme to finish, together with a complimentary digestif of course. Did the staff do you right? The laid-back ambience promotes a friendly, unrushed, and personal level of service, which goes for the bar staff and the servers who meander about the tables and sofas. The levels of training are noticeable, and the bar staff can talk you through the menu and French verbiage with confidence. It’s a high-end bar but there’s very little pretension. Wrap it up: what are we coming here for? It’s hard to imagine a better place for a spontaneous cocktail on a first date. Probably have dinner somewhere else, and bring your date here for gelato and the Double Or Nothing, which mixes calvados with salted caramel after. Who wouldn’t be impressed?" - Paul Oswell
