The story
Inside the Windsor Court Hotel on Gravier Street, The Grill Room has earned its standing as a local leader in Modern American cuisine — a reputation backed by a Forbes Travel Guide Four-Star rating and Wine Spectator's Best of Award of Excellence. What sets it apart from comparable fine dining rooms is a deliberate refusal to feel intimidating. The kitchen turns out a dinner menu that, by the restaurant's own description, "defies categorization," yet the room also serves a gourmet "meat and three" Plate Lunch for $28 — proof that the ambition here is to make serious food genuinely accessible.
Bay windows look out onto the hotel's courtyard, but on most evenings the real draw is the live entertainment: a pianist at a grand piano, a jazz trio finding its groove, or a blues singer backed by a brass band. It is, in the most New Orleans way possible, dinner and a show — without the contrivance.
Forbes evaluators noted the foie gras as a prime first-course choice: light and velvety, served over brioche, ringed in sesame seeds, and balanced by the sweetness of fresh strawberries. Among the most popular mains is the duck — a tender seared breast paired with wild mushrooms, butternut squash purée, spinach, and a pomegranate reduction. The kitchen's approach to American cuisine keeps one foot firmly in Louisiana tradition while the other steps confidently into contemporary technique.
The Grill Room runs through the full arc of the day. Weekday breakfast and lunch anchor the schedule, while dinner service runs Wednesday through Sunday. On weekends, a Jazz Brunch brings the same kitchen energy to the morning hours. Wine Wednesdays give regulars a dedicated reason to explore what is, by Wine Spectator's measure, an exceptional cellar. Servers, according to Forbes, are consistently happy to walk guests through seasonal specials, cocktail options, or even explain how an amuse-bouche was prepared — the kind of floor hospitality that no award can manufacture but every good restaurant depends on.
Recognition
Ambience
Location