New Orleans

UPTOWN/THE GARDEN DISTRICT 113
are a loyal bunch, as New Orleans diners tend to be, but we have to
say our last meal at Clancy’s was only average and quite forgettable.
We may have hit them on a bad night. But to ensure a better meal,
follow the advice of those same locals and order the night’s specials
rather than sticking to the menu (though the duck dish on the
menu is as good as duck gets). You could try the fried oysters with
brie appetizer or smoked fried soft-shell crab topped with crabmeat
(smoke flavor not overpowering, crab perfectly fried without a drop
of grease to taint the dish), and veal topped with crabmeat and béarnaise
sauce. Food too heavy? What the heck—make it even more so
with desserts such as lemon icebox pie. One local said it was even
better than his grandma’s!
6100 Annunciation St. & 504/895-1111. Reservations recommended. Main courses
$23–$29. AE, DC, DISC, MC, V. Mon–Sat 5:30–10:30pm; Thurs–Fri 11:30am–2pm.
Commander’s Palace CREOLE The much-beloved Commander’s
is perhaps the symbol of the New Orleans dining scene,
and for good reason. The building has been a restaurant for a century,
it’s at the top (more or less) of the multi-branched Brennan
family restaurant tree, and its chefs have gone on to their own fame
and household-name status (Prudhomme and Emeril ring any
bells?), plus they train and produce their own outstanding locals, so
the tradition keeps going. The many months it spent shuttered—
part of the roof was lost and rainwater got in, requiring a pretty
much stripped-to-the-studs renovation inside and out—were a frustrating
symbol of the pace of city recovery in general.
But now it’s back, gleaming on the outside, and amusing on the
inside with new, endearingly subtly eccentric decor. Such a relief.
Service, once the gold standard for the city, as with every other
establishment, remains a bit spotty in these trying staffing times, but
it should never be less than eager. The current menu reflects the
work chef Tory McPhail did during his months off. Favorites like
the pecan-crusted Gulf fish and the tasso shrimp in pepper jelly
appetizer remain, but new dishes reveal all sorts of culinary fun
going on in the kitchen. A standout appetizer is the molasses and
black pepper–cured pork belly. Chef Tory makes a daily gumbo of
relatively unexpected ingredients that might convince even a committed
Cajun cook to reconsider his own traditions. “Veal-Platte” is
the amusingly named (it’s a pun on a Cajun town) seared veal tenderloin
covered in cracklins, while the seared duck breast (with
mushrooms and shallots, a morel duck fond, and spicy honey)
caused more than a few superlatives to be uttered. The dessert menu