Samedi

Galatoire's has long prided itself on never changing, but the Grand Dame is about to feel the Earth move under its feet.

Just down Bourbon Street from the 107-year-old dining room, renovations are set to commence on a newly-purchased building the legendary restaurant is set to add to its operation. In the process, the mingling spot for the New Orleans noble and noteworthy may just blend the attitudes of its celebratory Friday lunch lines with the decadent, dapper scene behind the white curtains.

On Friday, the legendary restaurant's owners announced the purchase of a three-story building adjacent to the restaurant's 107-year-old home. The plan is to add more tables, as well as private dining and event space. Plus, there will be balconies.

The former Mike Anderson's Seafood at 215 Bourbon Street was owned by the Randon family for 100 years, but sat vacant since the federal flood. An announcement from Galatoire's owner Melvin Rodrigue said the changes are in response to patrons who "clamored for larger parties and events that can embrace the energy and grandeur of the first floor of Galatoire’s."

With its new digs, Galatoire's is planning to add new dining and bar space on the first floor. The second floor is slated to offer private dining, with access to two galleries overlooking Bourbon Street. All told, Galatoire's expects to add 800 seats when the renovations are complete. Plans are still being finalized, and will be released later, the announcement said. Galatoire's expects to open the second building by Christmas.

The new building will be the most physical shakeup at the restaurant that commands huge lines for Friday lunch, and such reverence for its waitstaff that a single firing reverberates for years. The executive chef's hat has changed hands many times over the years - including a big shuffle over the past few calendar cycles that appears to have quieted for now- and the ownership changed hands in 2009. But with opening a new building is the kind of windfall that has the potential to bring the quiet chatter to an audible pitch.

Galatoire's was well aware of this when making their announcement. While talking up the changes with phrases like "Fridays just got more exciting on Bourbon Street," the expansion announcement also takes pains to note that these changes will bring no change inside the old first-floor restaurant at 209 Bourbon.

First, in the headline: Main dining room at Galatoire’s will not change.

Then, a sentence at the end of the paragraph announcing the capacity of the new spot: "The legendary main dining room at Galatoire’s will not change."

A quote from Rodrigue about the changes making things the same:  “What we have proven is that we honor the great local dining and entertainment traditions of the French Quarter and the city as a whole. We know that locals and visitors appreciate our commitment to these standards. They can all look forward to experiences that feature the same traditions and fine dining that earned us the James Beard Award for Best Restaurant in the U.S. and recognized us nationally as one of the top celebration restaurants in the country.”

And, later, we are again reminded that the dining room will remain unspoiled: "Guests can be reassured, though, that the legendary first floor of Galatoire’s will be untouched and continue to create memorable afternoons and evenings, as we have for more than a century.”