THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Victor's

THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Victor's Restaurant Review:

When The Ritz-Carlton opened in 2000, its main restaurant, then called Victor’s, was an experiment of decidedly un-Creole food and design. The experiment failed---not enough tourists or locals were interested in eating fancy, cutting-edge food in the French Quarter. And so now we have Victor’s Grill, a mainstream, though still expensive, New Orleans chophouse that’s void of verve but full of diners. An early appetizer list illustrated the hotel’s desperation for acceptance, placating steakhouse fans with Caesar salads prepared tableside and tourists with shrimp jambalaya. Shrimp jambalaya as an appetizer? Lately the appetizers have improved in concept if not execution: A recent visit turned up undercooked ravioli filled with a glutinous sweet potato and pecan mixture. The Ritz being The Ritz, the meats and fish are top-of-the-line. A well-seasoned double-cut pork chop cooked perfectly medium was as juicy as a summer peach. Even with the 1980s well behind us, a blackened grouper filet also passed muster. To the management’s credit, the professional service staff hasn’t relaxed its standards. Neither has the sommelier. In fact, some great bottles are so under-priced you wonder where the extra zero went.