WINE DINE & TRAVEL MAGAZINE SUMMER 2017

Whatever you choose, do not forgo a plate of souffle potatoes,
a dish I’ve only ever had in New Orleans’ grand Creole
restaurants, including Arnaud’s, Antoine’s and Galatoire’s.
Here’s how Arnaud’s describes these pillows of delight:
“Legend has it that Collinet, French King Louis Phillipe’s (reign
1830-1848) chef unintentionally created souffle potatoes
by plunging already fried potatoes into extremely hot oil to
reheat them… to the chef’s surprise and king’s delight, the
potatoes puffed up like little balloons.” They are served with
bearnaise sauce. This may be my favorite potato dish in the
world.
And also do not miss Cafe
Brulot, another classic on
many upscale old-line
Creole menus here. This
is an after-dinner coffee/
brandy drink that is prepared
tableside, including
some very theatrical flaming
techniques in special
equipment that gleams of
silver. This is no ordinary
after-dinner drink, but
then, this is New Orleans.
(www.arnaudsrestaurant.
com.)
Lunch the next day at Commander’s Palace put us in another
Brennan temple to Creole cuisine. You may notice there are
a lot of Brennans in the restaurant business in New Orleans.
They are in the second and third and fourth generations now,
and to map the uncles, aunts, fathers, mothers and cousins
who hail from this clan would be exhausting.
Commander’s Palace may be the most famous — and lauded
— of all. It has been named best restaurant in New Orleans
and even best restaurant in the United States many times.
(www.commanderspalace.com.)
A Garden District landmark since 1893, Commander’s Palace
is housed in an old mansion, many different rooms becoming
favorite dining rooms. In 1974, Ella, Dottie, Dick and John
Brennan took it over and the accolades began. Famous chefs
Emeril Lagasse and Paul Prudhomme both cooked here early
in their careers.
We dined in the Garden Room, a perennial favorite, indulging
first in the famous “25-cent martinis — classic, Commander’s
(the turquoise one), Cosmopolitan or Ray’s melon — limit
three per person ‘cause that’s enough.”
Favorite daytime favorites here include smoked corn stoneground
grits, Commander’s turtle soup finished table side with
sherry, Creole gumbo du jour, and cast-iron seared Gulf fish
with Louisiana crab and boiled peanuts pureed with brown
butter. Another classic is its cornbread crusted catfish with
Cajun andouille sausage, grilled Visalia onions, Louisiana red
beans and roasted tomatoes
with smoked corn grits.
If you save room, here also is
NOLA’s “most iconic dessert”
— Creole Bread Pudding
Souffle, created in 1981 by
Prudhomme.
Walk it all off around the Garden
District to view some of
the city’s grandest homes.
Our final culinary adventure
was dinner at Broussard’s on
Conti Street. Considered the
fourth of the grand-dame Creole
French restaurants in the
French Quarter (the others being Antoine’s, Galatoire’s and
Arnaud’s), Broussard’s opened in 1920. Its outdoor courtyard
for patio dining is one of the prettiest in the city. (www.broussards.com.)
It offers one of the city’s favorite reveillon menus of classic
Creole dishes. We loved its shrimp remoulade featuring Gulf
shrimp in that classic Creole sauce, akin to a slightly spicy
tartar sauce. The crabmeat gratin featured grilled cauliflower.
Entrees of Louisiana Bonaparte — fresh local fish sautéed
and topped with lump crabmeat, lemon butter and grilled asparagus;
shrimp and crab penne diablo — with corn and reggiano
parmesan; and Gulf shrimp King Creole — with sesame
herb sticky rice, were each truly delectable.
Is your mouth watering yet?
Mine, too.
Garlic Seared Gulf Shrimp at Commander’s
Palace, with grilled rapini greens, slowroasted
tomato, wild rice, charred shallots,
brown butter pureed Louisiana yams,
cebollita emulsion and sweet corn soubise.
On the side is its smoked corn stone
ground grits.
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