French Quarter Journal
  • Home
    • Around the Block
    • Barstool Astrology
    • Behind the Scenes
    • Boho Back Pages
    • The Eyes Have It
    • Full Plate
    • Hunkering Down
    • It's a Living
    • Lit Life
    • Passing a Good Time
    • Personalities
    • Quarter Beats
    • Quarter Notes
    • Rainbow History
    • Sketchbook
    • Stanzas
    • Storyboard
    • Transformations
    • What's in Store
  • About
  • Sponsors
    • Reader Support
  • Archives
  • Krewe
Picture
                       

Recreating an Icon: Irene's

1/10/2020

 
Full Plate - Neighborhood Eateries
Picture
This restaurant beloved by locals moved from a cozy St. Philip Street setting to spacious new quarters on Bienville, bringing along all the original ambiance. 

- by Kim Ranjbar
- photos by Ellis Anderson

For nearly three decades, locals and visitors alike returned again and again to the small, cypress wood arched door on St. Phillip Street seeking Italian cuisine heavily perfumed with garlic and rosemary, and a warm, intimate atmosphere that felt like coming home.

But in 2015,  Irene's  fate at that location was sealed. The Times-Picayune reported that the Louisiana State Museum, the restaurant's landlord, would not renew the restaurant's 15-year lease amid concerns about storing historic documents and artwork in the floors above what was essentially over an “open flame.”

Three years later, in 2018, when Irene's relocated to Bienville Street, many regulars were concerned that the ambiance would be lost.  But that's precisely what owner Irene DiPietro and her son, chef Nicholas Scalco, fought so hard to preserve. 
 
The new location at 529 Bienville Street is also sandwiched between Decatur and Chartres, only now it's a bit farther upriver, only two blocks from Canal Street. Originally built in the 1880s, the building was purchased by DiPietro in 1997, and sat empty for both before and after her acquisition for many years.

When Irene's move became inevitable, DiPietro began renovations on the ground floor of the three-story Bienville Street building, adding tile flooring and mahogany wainscoting. 

Picture

Picture

In an effort to evoke the milieu of the old Irene's, three dining rooms have been sectioned off, mostly by interior windows and glass French doors – some inset with frosted glass and others with old stained and painted glass which patrons will remember from the previous location. “An old friend gave those to Irene years ago,” says Scalco.

Though much taller, the ceilings are painted in a familiar, dark sage green and DiPietro has filled the walls with the celebrity photographs, angelic statuettes and other décor from the original location. 
 
​In one of the smaller dining rooms, an echo of the old location is distinctly felt with a fireplace mantle at one end and heavy wood lattice that gives the illusion of a lower ceiling, creating a more intimate space. “The wood drop-ceiling was installed specifically to hold the stained glass window we had set into the old ceiling,” says Scalco, “but it was unfortunately damaged in the move.” Plans are in the works to either repair the glass or find a new one to take its place.  
​

Picture
Portraits of Irene's parents in the front dining room.

Picture
This dining room was designed to host an elaborate St. Joseph's altar Irene builds each March.

Picture

In addition to his toque, Scalco also wore a hard hat during the renovation, at least figuratively:  much of the construction in the new restaurant was his doing.  ​The long, pine bar topped with granite and the huge, floor-to-ceiling, built-in shelving unit standing behind it are his creations.

“I'd never taken on a carpentry project this large,” says Scalco. “It took me almost a year to complete just the bar!”

While including the bar in the new space was a small point of contention between mother and son during the planning phase, Scalco now delights in curating the restaurant's extensive wine collection and cocktail menu.

Picture

Picture

​Just off the bar, through large French doors topped with an arched glass transom, lies a large courtyard. 
Though dining is not currently offered outside, Scalco plans to add it in the near future after a few upgrades like space heaters and glass patio awnings.  Surrounded by brick walls dripping with ivy, the courtyard will offer a gorgeous place for guests to dine and sip cocktails under the stars.  

Picture

Picture

Like the old wine barrels, wood-lined rooms and exemplary service, another aspect that hasn't changed at Irene's is the food. DiPietro's beloved family dishes like white wine and rosemary roasted chicken and Lamb a la Provence still reside on the menu along with her son's additions like the San Francisco-style, seafood-loaded cioppino with a “saffron-scented” tomato broth. 
 
It's been almost two years since Irene's moved to Bienville Street, but judging by the highly-rated online reviews and dining rooms that are packed nightly, it's fair to say they're still going strong. “Sometimes I'll take off the chef coat and sit at the bar, listening to conversations” says Scalco. “From what I've heard, I'd say our customers are happy with the new space.”

Here's hoping they remain a French Quarter favorite for the next 30 years.

Picture
A wall full of memories made the move.

Picture
Though she was born in the San Francisco Bay Area, Kim Ranjbar felt New Orleans calling her home as soon as she hit puberty. A graduate of Granola U (a.k.a. Sonoma State University), Kim took her passion for the written word and dragged it over 2000 miles to flourish in the city she loves.  After more than seventeen years as a transplant — surviving hurricanes, levee failures, oil spills, boil water advisories and hipster invasions — Kim hopes to eventually earn the status of local and be welcomed into the fold.  Feel free to check out her blog or contact her at kimranjbar@gmail.com.



Comments are closed.
    Picture
    Picture

    Prime Sponsors

    Picture

    Picture
    Clay Creations

    Picture
    Authement Iron Works

    Picture
    California Drawstrings

    Picture
    Voodoo Authentica

    Picture
    New Orleans Musicians' Clinic


    Archives

    January 2023
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    September 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019

    Categories

    All
    Andrew Cominelli
    Architecture
    Around The Block
    Art
    Behind The Scenes
    Boho Back Pages
    Books
    Civics
    Darling
    Domicile
    Ellis Anderson
    Food
    Frank Perez
    Full Plate
    Game Day
    Gay Culture
    Grace Wilson
    Guest Columnists
    History
    Home & Garden
    It's A Living
    John Sledge
    Kerry Maloney
    Kim Ranjbar
    Kirsten Reneau
    Layth Sihan
    Libations
    Literature
    Lit Life
    Mardi Gras
    Margarita Bergen
    Michael Warner
    Music
    Nan Parati
    Passing A Good Time
    Personalities
    Photographers
    Poetry
    Publisher's Notes
    Quarter Beats
    Quarter Notes
    Rainbow History
    Reda Wigle
    Rheta Grimsley Johnson
    Richard Goodman
    Scott Naugle
    Sketchbook
    Southern Writers
    Stanzas
    Storyboard
    St. Peter Street Sketchbook
    The Eyes Have It
    Transformations
    What's In Store

    RSS Feed

French Quarter Journal is published by Ellis Anderson Media, LLC.   Unless otherwise attributed, all written content and photography copyright 2019 by Ellis Anderson Media, LLC.  By using this website you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.   
​
Interested in the Mississippi Gulf Coast?  Check out our sister publication, The Shoofly Magazine - Bay St. Louis Living
Picture

  • Home
    • Around the Block
    • Barstool Astrology
    • Behind the Scenes
    • Boho Back Pages
    • The Eyes Have It
    • Full Plate
    • Hunkering Down
    • It's a Living
    • Lit Life
    • Passing a Good Time
    • Personalities
    • Quarter Beats
    • Quarter Notes
    • Rainbow History
    • Sketchbook
    • Stanzas
    • Storyboard
    • Transformations
    • What's in Store
  • About
  • Sponsors
    • Reader Support
  • Archives
  • Krewe