Cuisine:

• Italian
• Others
• Creole

Eleven 79 Description:
Eleven 79 attracts patrons to its location in the shadow of the Crescent City Connection elevated highway with the promise of lusty Italian Creole cooking. Regulars sit or stand hip to haunch around the bar, cooling their heels before being squeezed into a very hard-to-get table in the rather small dining room. A less-than-comfortable wooden banquette lines one long wall. Oval ramekins hold shrimp scampi drenched in a rich, buttery brown sauce that's bursting with garlic and mushroom flavors. A broiled beef filet of fine quality comes embellished with a brushing of seasoned butter, its charred crust sealing in a bounty of meat juices. Richly sauced familiar pastas and veal dishes---saltimbocca, Marsala and the like---dominate the rest of the menu. The wine list, bulging with Italian labels, is more than serviceable. The restaurant has developed its own happy hour bar scene, thanks to the urbane setting and a free antipasti table set out by the bar from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays. What does it feel like inside? Well, if the Rat Pack boys were alive today, you'd expect to see them sharing a bottle of red in a softly lit corner table at Eleven 79.