Brunch With the Commander

It was early on a Saturday afternoon and we were walking through New Orleans’ Garden District admiring the grand old mansions there.  We strolled alongside the high wall of an old New Orleans cemetery.  Overhead an array of plastic beads from many Mardi Gras past hung forlornly in the trees.

As we turned the corner we were confronted with a massive blue building on a tree-lined corner.  This structure was tall for a two-story building and it seemed to take up the entire block.  The great blue building was a restaurant–its sign read “Commander’s Palace.”

The name of this restaurant sounded instantly familiar as we headed towards its door.  Once inside we discovered rooms full of Saturday diners dressed in their best.  These diners were eating and conversing, drinking and embracing one another.  Children scampered through the lobby and climbed onto big chairs on the backs of which colorful clusters of balloons were tethered.  The maitre d’ looked at us and asked, “Reservations?”

“We don’t have reservations,” we fumbled.  “May we see the menu?”

The menu was for Commander’s Palace Jazz Brunch and it described an exciting array of dishes including many enticing  game meats, seafood items, and regional specialties.

“The restaurant is full for today,” said the maitre d’, much to our disappointment.

We were not going to give up that easily!  Our unspoken strategy was to just “hang around” for a while in the lobby to see what would happen, so we continued to examine and discuss the menu.  Amanda admired the interesting wallpaper of old black and white scenes of the bayou which someone had colorfully embroidered and we watched servers and hostesses bustling through the dining rooms.

Finally, when we had hung around long enough, the maitre d’ offered us a table saying “Since you guys are just hanging around…”

This is the beauty of just “hanging around!”

Even having been offered a table, Amanda and I continued to deliberate.  We wondered if, instead of eating brunch, we should instead make plans to come back for dinner.  So we asked the matire d if the brunch at Commander’s Palace was a good representation of the restaurant.

“Commander’s Palace is best known for its brunch!” the maitre d’ replied.

We took the table!  The maitre d’ gestured welcomingly into the dining room and a hostess immediately whisked us through the open kitchen and asked us to wait near the bar.  The bar was facing a row of windows that opened into a large brick courtyard where tables full of diners were scattered.

We observed the bartender pouring mimosas and assembling Commanders Palace’s signature bloody Marys complete with Cajun salt on the rim of the glass and sweet peppers and pickled okra skewered with sugarcane as a garnish.  From this vantage point, we could also watch the chefs with their tall white toques cooking and maneuvering around the kitchen.

Soon we had the green light to head to our table out on the patio.  Here a wonderfully charming team of servers (and musicians) showed us some true southern hospitality and the kitchen provided us with an authentic New Orleans meal to remember.

To start off our meal, the servers brought out some Louisiana French garlic bread.  This bread was saturated with garlic butter and it was crisp, soft, and absurdly delicious.  And it was served with more butter!  This bread was pure indulgence in a city where excess is a way of life.

“Let the good times roll” is a popular saying in New Orleans. With that in mind we ordered a whiskey sour and one of Commander’s Palace’s famous Bloody Marys!

Our whiskey sour was tart, minty, and just barely sweet.  The restrained sweetness of this cocktail allowed for the more subtle oak and caramel flavor of the Maker’s Mark whiskey to shine.

When our bloody Mary was first brought to the table a pessimist might notice that, while the drink looked pretty enough, the top quarter of the glass was empty.  On the other hand, the optimistic noted that the servers at Commander’s Palace looked at the glass and saw that there was still plenty of room…for booze!  They quickly topped off our glass with a good vodka poured from a big bottle encased in a block of ice.

The servers also poured an authentic Cajun appetizer of rich, brown gumbo at tableside.  This thick and velvety soup had the toasty flavor of dark roux and contained big chunks of celery, pulled tender chicken, and spicy, smoky Andouille pork sausage.

Our other appetizer of shrimp and Tasso ham was a Commander’s Palace classic and has been on the menu for years.  Tasso ham is a spicy cured Cajun ham that was cut in to strips and stuffed into the backs of butterflied Louisiana shrimps.

The stuffed shrimps were tossed in spicy beurre blanc sauce and served with a sweet and hot pepper jelly, pickled okra, and pickled onions. All of these elements resulted in a very colorful appetizer with a great balance of sweet, spicy, salty, and sour flavors.

For our main course we shared a dish of pied de couchon (pig feet), biscuits, poached eggs, mushrooms, and hollandaise sauce.  The pig’s feet were braised and served in big, meaty chunks.  The rich meat was tossed with earthy wild mushrooms and piled on fresh biscuit halves.  On top of that, runny egg yolks and buttery hollandaise made for an extremely rich and delicious dish.

For dessert we were happy to try Commander’s Palace’s signature dessert–creole bread pudding soufflé!  This soufflé had a crispy, meringue-like top which encased an interior of moist bread pudding that was speckled with raisins.  The soufflé was served with a bourbon spiked anglaise sauce that kept the interior supremely moist and soaked it with a boozy kick.

As our meal came to a close, we discovered why this brunch was called a “Jazz Brunch.”  A trio of musicians who,  had been making the rounds at the restaurant came to our table to make a little small talk and play us a song.  Since we were on the road, the guitarist chose to play the appropriate tune of “Route 66” to give us some kicks! Click to listen.

Many of the servers and kitchen staff there were graduates from our school, the Culinary Institute of America in New York.  The entire staff at Commander’s Palace seemed to share a passion for food and service that reminded us of the same hospitality we came to know while attending our Alma Mater.

From the moment we stumbled upon the big blue building of Commander’s Palace to the time our servers bid us farewell as we left, we were thoroughly enchanted by the delightful atmosphere, food, and staff.