A great jazz brunch on a rainy Sunday in the Big Easy...What could be better???Music was provided by excellent jazz quartet and even the food can stand up to any northern brunch-any where,anytime. Everything is first-class; starting with the never-empty champagne glass of mimosas,proceeding to the delecatable and regional cuisine offered at the brunch table and ending with the sounds of sweet jazz emanating out into the courtyard( where we had our after dinner drinks). I started my meal with an array of fresh salads, fresh croissants and smoked salmon that tasted just-caught. The "requisite" omelet chef was there serving made-to-order egg concoctions.. I passed on these to leave room for grits, eggs Benedict, andouille sausage, gumbo and Creole rice. I finished this off with a tiny piece of banana bread pudding with vanilla sauce (yum). The food and service was 10 times better than any average brunch and was worth the $38-a-head price.

Dominique's ranks up in the top five meals I have ever eaten in my life!

This world-class chef really lives up to his reputation. The food is described as French with Caribbean influence, but it is absolutely indescribable.

The meal started with a complimentary crab salad appetizer that was a tiny morsel of the crustacean, but fresh with a hint of cilantro.

Our party opted for salads rather than appetizers, as we had been eating rather heavily and needed some greens. The ladies went with a duck confit over greens wrapped in crispy prosciutto. I have never tasted anything quite like it. The guys both had an assortment of mesclun greens topped with 8-year-old balsamic vinaigrette (they raved about it).

Entrees sampled were: a Maine lobster served with a crispy plantain spring roll with roasted corn and lobster nage; pheasant stuffed with veal cheeks and chanterelle mushrooms with a sweet potato gnocchi, and snapper with a shrimp papaya sauce and hearts of palm served on a banana leaf. These entrees were so overwhelmingly delicious that we could barely speak as we devoured them. The wine list was sensational and the wine suggested by our adorable and knowledgeable hostess, Alicia, was a winner.

Now for the best part: the desserts! Alicia and our server, Cory, informed us when we ordered that the only chocolate dessert on the menu was a souffle that would require 20-25 minutes to prepare.They recommended we order it with our meal. Of course, we did, and were we ever glad... it was out-of-this-world! Other desserts equally outstanding that we sampled were ginger ice cream with fresh pineapple served in a phyllo pastry cup and a trio of three housemade sorbets (mango, passion fruit and raspberry) that were presented beautifully and provided a colorful and tasty ending to the meal.

Chef Dominique is a native of the island of Mauritius and he is getting (and deserves) rave reviews for his outstanding culinary contribution to New Orleans. This place is a winner.

We ate here on our first night in New Orleans. The food is so delicious and you don't have to wait a long time to be served. The dining room seats 90 and the courtyard 25. Catering for up to 200 guests is available in the Toulouse and Renoir rooms. Diners enjoy complimentary valet parking.