Epicure
Antoine’s 175
Years of New
Orleans History
By Debi Lander
The Rex Room
I had the thrill of eating lunch in
the elegant green painted Rex Room.
Rex is one of the original Mardi
Gras krewes and it is Rex who is
the King of Carnival. In April 1939,
the Rex organization’s Carnival
Kings’ Club, made up of former
monarchs, began meeting in the
1840 Room. In a few years, those
meetings moved to The Rex Room.
The Rex Room holds 20 to 50
guests and the Rex club supplies
the decorations such as crowns
and septers and photographs
in the room.
According to Rex archivist Dr.
Stephen Hales, the Kings’ Club
of ex-Rexes have met there
annually. In recent years, Rex
has claimed the restaurant for
the organization’s luncheon on
the Wednesday before Mardi Gras.
Rex also uses Antoine’s as the site
for the annual dinner honoring
donors to the organization’s Pro
Bono Publico Foundation, a nonprofit
group that supports community
endeavors focusing on the public
schools. According to Hales, the
annual dinner is hosted by the two
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