Jonathan Martin
Early one hot summer evening, New Orleans Saints legend Archie Manning and his wife, Olivia, walked into the cool, dimly lit lounge at Pascal’s Manale Restaurant (1838 Napoleon Ave.), shook hands with admirers and proceeded to a small chamber just around the corner that is filled with family memories. The photos lining the walls around Pascal’s Manale have stories to tell. In one nook of the historic Uptown restaurant, the Mannings can narrate the stories with evocative intimacy. A few years ago, the restaurant’s then-proprietors named one of the private dining rooms the Manning Room and decorated it with photos. Since the local restaurant group Dickie Brennan & Co. bought Pascal’s Manale in 2023, a renovation has been progressing through the property. That includes an expansion and overhaul of the Manning Room, with has contributions from Archie and Olivia on the walls.