Issue link: http://papercitymagazine.uberflip.com/i/1121557
104 76 Profusely cloaked in treillage, with a faux-cypress bar surround crafted by a Mardi Gras float maker and banquettes tented with bolts and bolts of billowing saffron silk, The Rectory's suite of public parlors is the scene of Tennessee Williams' New Orleans, which he described as "the last frontier of Bohemia." In The Elysian Bar, communion comes in the form of a Sazerac cocktail crafted by the Cana-esque wine-and-spirit outfit Bacchanal. Alex Harrell, former owner and chef of the Sofia Coppola-favored Angeline restaurant, runs the hotel's culinary program, which challenged Lent with small bites such as a caviar-crowned omelet of duck eggs. The story of Hotel Peter & Paul is not complete without reverence for the church itself. Though officially deconsecrated by the Archdiocese of New Orleans in 2000 during a parish consolidation, the 9,450-square- foot structure continues to be a sacred place for the diverse community, which uses the space for events and weekly yoga and Pilates classes. Folks from the neighborhood are invited in for tours by the clergy-like staff, whose apostolic stewardship of Jordi's vision preserves the cultural texture of the City that Care Remembered. Hotel Peter & Paul, 2317 Burgundy St., New Orleans, 504.356.5200, hotelpeterandpaul.com. IN THE ELSYIAN BAR, COMMUNION COMES IN THE FORM OF A SAZERAC COCKTAIL ... 68