A recent dinner has me newly in praise of the early dinner reservation, especially when it makes room for a show after.

The restaurant was Sylvain (625 Chartres St., 504-265-8123), the table was for 6 p.m., and “the show” that followed was a vista of the Mississippi River where it makes its crescent curve below the French Quarter as sunset turned to evening, with a go-cup in hand.

It gave me renewed appreciation for a restaurant I’ve long been drawn to in the French Quarter, and also for the evocative power of our city, perhaps especially in its quieter span of summer.

I’ve been going to Sylvain periodically since it opened 15 years ago, a shocking stat to consider because it still feels so fresh today.

But Sylvain has always been a blend of the timeless, in its old bones and gracefu

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