The French Quarter provides many eateries that exemplify New Orleans cuisine, but very few of those eateries exemplify the city’s very spirit through the medium of food. Boutique du Vampyre’s Apothecary serves the soul and the body in a charming atmosphere. Not only will you find enchanting fare at Apothecary; you may indulge in tarot or tea leaf reading. On Tuesdays, climb into the attic for Dr. Dalgo’s Diabolical Delusions, a magical pharmacy show. Whatever you hope to find at Apothecary, rest assured that there will be something here to cure, please, and amaze.
Apothecary operates in a gorgeous old French Quarter spot that looks like a witch’s cabin, but she’s a witch that does positive magic. You can sit by a window and watch people walk to and fro or you can tuck yourself away in one of the dark romantic recesses for a quiet night together. Branches and flowers lazily hang from the ceiling and the walls and soft jazz and soul music emanates from somewhere to create a truly mystical space I liked sitting at the table facing the open window, and I watched as so many pedestrians slowed down to peek inside, take photos of the sidewalk sign, or be enticed to enter.
The Vexing Violet cocktail called to me; who doesn’t love a pretty purple cocktail to start a meal? The multi-colored drink had Creme de Violette sitting at the bottom of brut champagne, and a homemade lavender tincture flavored the cocktail so that the bubbles popped and released a floral scent as you sipped. A lovely edible purple flower sat atop it. An amuse-bouche of cold Summer Salad arrived soon after. The chilled slices of crunchy cucumber, red onion, and radish were kissed with tongue-tingling vinegar. My palate was thoroughly cleansed and ready for more.
The Tuna Crudo seemed like a good opener to beat the early fall heat; large, fresh tuna slices were heavily drizzled with rotating wasabi aioli and citrus ginger dressing, then dotted with blood orange oil. The sauces were excellent separately and together, but the orange oil was divine. It added such a pop of fruitiness and freshness to the dish. The tuna was nice and light, yet not light enough to be forgotten. I could seamlessly switch between the remaining Summer Salad and Tuna Crudo with lovely sips of Vexing Violet bubbly in between bites. I appreciate this being a very slow eater.
In the spirit of Halloween, I wanted to try a cocktail that has a little trick to it. The Alchemist’s Elixir comes to your table as a beautiful shade of blue. The glass holds pea flower-infused gin made by a local distiller, and another vial holds elderflower liqueur. When the two are combined, the blue liquid transforms into a purple drink. Most people like to film the transformation, and I watched as an excited couple got their own color-changing cocktail that they filmed for their followers. As far as taste, this gin drink is refreshing: not overpowering, not overly sugary, but floral and sweet.
It’s so much fun to play with your food, and the Red Snapper en Papillote requires ripping it’s bag apart. After a puff of steam flies to the ceiling, you can get to the huge piece of fish and veggies within. The steamed red snapper is succulent and so juicy and only required a dash of herbs to season it. The vegetables are also so juicy that they drip with herbaceous flavor with every bite. I love that the chef just lets the fish shine without over-seasoning the dish. This is what the menu was referring to when it explained that this is not “health” food, but food with ingredients that can have medicinal properties. I somewhat disagree. Food that starts off with great locally-sourced ingredients, prepared by knowledgeable chefs, and served in the most loving manner is health food: good for your body, your mind, and your soul.
But wait! There’s more. Everyone needs a little dessert in their life. The Napoleon Cake could not escape my eye, nor could the Macabre Martini. The Napoleon Cake didn’t just come out by itself, however. The slice of fluffy, flaky pastry cake was accompanied by a big, sweet scoop of caramel sea salt gelato. As a bite of cake mixed with gelato melted in my mouth, a sip of rich, chocolatey goodness in the form of a martini washed it down.
Boutique du Vampyre’s Apothecary would make for an unforgettable date night, a fun tourist spot for pictures, and an intriguing place to bring your big group of friends. Keep a watchful eye on the restaurant’s social media to get info about special events that you cannot miss.