LOVING LA
me that he had a good business plan for me, and offered me a choice between the two hotels, so I chose the St. Louis. He spent $4 million while
renovating the St. Louis Hotel. From the moment I sat down with Mr.
Joe, until Bar Vin was open nine months later, it was like the Immaculate
Conception. It took nine months, and then my baby was born!
Patrick Van Hoorebeek
connoisseur, legendary maître
d’, and King of the Krewe of Cork
Twenty-six years ago, an ambitious young man from Belgium
arrived in New Orleans. He began working in restaurants in a
modest capacity as a waiter after studying food and beverage
management and wine programs at top establishments in Europe.
by Lisa LeBlanc-Berry
photography by Judi Bottoni
Now, his life-long dream has been realized with the recent opening of Patrick’s Bar Vin, located in the newly renovated and renamed
Hotel Mazarin, one of several luxury hotels owned by entrepreneur Joe
Jaeger. It was formerly the historic St. Louis Hotel, which was heralded
for its acclaimed Louis XVI French Restaurant and Bar, where Hoorebeek’s new place is now located (directly across the street from Chef
John Folse’s new R’Evolution, opening in late May). The only wine bar
in the French Quarter, Patrick’s overlooks what are perhaps the most
romantic courtyards in the city.
Upscale and beautifully appointed, with an extensive selection of
wines by the glass, and an array of fine champagnes and signature
cocktails, Patrick’s also has a limited number of personal climatecontrol wine lockers for patrons. An utterly romantic place to enjoy
wine or cocktails before or after dinner, Patrick’s Bar Vin is an elegant
oasis in the heart of the French Quarter. Award-winning Executive Chef
Agnes Bellet, who was at the helm of Louis XVI French Restaurant for
decades, is in charge of cuisine at the new hotel and she prepares delectable hors d’oeuvres for Patrick’s Bar Vin.
I ran into Hoorebeek on a recent evening at the Royal Orleans, and
he reminded me that I was the first journalist to ever write about him.
“I still have that article on my wall at home,” he said affectionately.
I was a young restaurant critic at the time. We were dining at Susan
Spicer’s first chef-owned restaurant, Le Bistro at Maison de Ville, and
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OUR LOUISIANA
Hoorebeek was our waiter. I knew he would become a presence in New
Orleans. He was entertaining, utterly charming, had an impressive
knowledge about food and wine, and regaled us with many interesting
stories. Clearly, he was more than a waiter—he was a personality.
Hoorebeek’s stories became more and more interesting through
the years. He was quickly promoted to the position of maître d’ and
amassed a large local following. He presided over the legendary 40-seat
restaurant for 18 years and encountered many celebrities during his
tenure. Hoorebeek’s larger-than-life personality gained him top posts
at such renowned establishments as the Windsor Court Hotel, Versailles, Peristyle, Rib Room, and Restaurant August.
While at Le Bistro, Hoorebeek founded the Krewe of Cork with a
small group of connoisseurs. Now 500 members strong, it has grown
into a world-famous Mardi Gras and wine connoisseur phenomenon,
and is one of the main attractions during the Royal Street Stroll that is
held each May as part of the New Orleans Wine and Food Experience.
As King of the Krewe of Cork, Hoorebeek has collected an international
array of celebrities who come to New Orleans each year to march with
the krewe during Mardi Gras and the New Orleans Wine and Food
Experience.
I asked Hoorebeek to share some of his stories about the various
people he has encountered during the past quarter century as New
Orleans’s most beloved maître d’ and wine connoisseur.
What inspired you to start the Krewe of Cork, and how has it
evolved since its inception in 2000?
It was on a rainy Friday afternoon before Mardi Gras. We were sitting
at Le Bistro drinking wine. We saw a couple of guys in the street coming
back from the Hermes luncheon and we followed them and discovered
that we knew some of them. We came back and decided that we could
do these kinds of luncheons also. The first year, it was only 38 people
and we created the first “Thank God It’s Cork” lunch that is held the
last Friday of each month. People started to like it and word spread. We
select a different restaurant each month, and we are usually around 80 to
100 people. The most popular one of the year is in August at Restaurant
August. For the Royal Street Stroll, we always have a grand marshal,
someone who is important in the wine industry.
You have finally realized your dream with the opening of Patrick’s Bar Vin. How did you decide on its location in the new Hotel
Mazarin?
For years, I knew businessman Joe Jaeger who had a construction
company in Metairie. He owned several major hotels. A year and a half
ago, he bought two hotels from the Smith family, the Marie Antoinette
and the St. Louis Hotel. The bar was existing in the hotel. It’s difficult
to open a bar in the French Quarter and get a liquor license. You must
buy a bar that was already open. I used to serve him when I was at the
Rib Room in the Royal Orleans and at Peristyle. He called me and told
Who are some of the celebrities and interesting people you have
encountered through the years?
There were plenty of them. But the ones I remember the most are
Paul Newman, Kevin Costner, Tom Cruise, and Michael Jackson. Newman was staying at the Soniat House. They called me and told me that
they had a VIP customer coming to dine at Le Bistro and asked if I could
accommodate him for a late lunch. They gave me the name Johnson for
the reservation. The door opened, and it was Paul Newman and his wife.
They wanted to sit outside in the courtyard. I said, “Of course, Mr. Johnson.” He definitely did not want to be recognized. I never said his name
at any time during the lunch. Joanne Woodward tells me, “You have a
lovely accent, where are you from?” When I told her it was Belgium, she
said, “Oh sweetie, I made one of my first movies in Belgium. Oh, by the
way, my name is Joanne Woodward, and that’s my husband, Paul Newman.” So I said, “So nice to meet you again!” Then they asked me about
Maison de Ville, and I told him that this was a very small luxury hotel like
Soniat House, but we have cottages with kitchens and the best restaurant
in the city because of Chef Susan Spicer. They asked if they could see the
cottages, and I said, “Sure, Paul, I’ll see what I can do.” So here I am,
walking with Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward all the way to the
cottages. They ended up moving from Soniat House to the cottages. Paul
was filming the movie about Huey P. Long with Blaze at the time. Paul
started coming to Le Bistro on a regular basis, always wearing sunglasses, and everyone was always asking me what he was eating. He brought
the producer of the film in to meet me one night. Later, on a Monday
night, when there was very bad weather, we were about to close, and I
see three guys coming in wearing jeans and tennis shoes. It was rock star
Sting and his band. They became Le Bistro’s new best friends. A week
later, I got a wonderful CD signed by Sting. Tom Cruise came in with Nicole Kidman. He was very particular, he wanted to be sure his table was
the last table, and didn’t want to have too many people around him. He is
very short, like a jockey. Princess Margaret of Kent stayed at the Windsor
Court and I served her there when I was also working at Le Bistro. She
came to Le Bistro with Jimmy Coleman and had a bottle of champagne in
the courtyard. Three days later, she had a banquet for 50 people at Windsor Court. I was in charge as captain. We were all wearing white gloves
and following strict protocol. There was a receiving line. I was standing
next to Chef Kevin Graham. The chef and maître d’ looked very surprised
when Princess Margaret walked up to me and said, “Hey Patrick! That
was a great meal today, but the meal at Le Bistro was better.” Mrs. Coleman called me one day and said she was entertaining Mick Jagger, and
could she have the patio just for them. They had a wild party with around
20 people. I can’t tell you how many joints we found on the floor!
What would be your last supper in New Orleans?
I would start with the lobster bisque from Château du Lac. Second
course would be some sweetbreads from Susan Spicer. The third course
would be duck salad from René Bajeux. And the main course would be
lamb chop with béarnaise sauce and Brabant potatoes at Galatoire’s.
Then I would have Greg Picolo’s crème brûlée at Redemption. The first
course wine would be a white Bordeaux called Château Cheval Blanc. The
second course would be Corton-Charlemagne produced by Coche-Dury,
one of the best white wines from Burgundy. With the duck salad, I would
have one of my favorites, Château Haut-Brion. With my lamb chop, I
would have what is maybe the most famous red wine in the world, Domaine de la Romanée Conti La Tâche. And finally, I would have Champagne Salon from Le Mesnil-sur-Oger vineyards with the crème brûlée.
And because it’s my last supper, I don’t have to pay my credit card for
that! A bottle of La Tâche is $2,500. The champagne is around $750. The
wines are going to outdo the food. Well hello! Don’t forget, I’m the wine
guy. F
May 2012
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