[Evelyn]

The most interesting place to be in New Orleans on Friday is Galatoire's-in the downstairs dining room (upstairs is for tourists ) for lunch. Service begins at 11:30, and the restaurant is full in both the downstairs and upstairs dining rooms by 11:45. The room is filled with basically all the movers and shakers in New Orleans government and law along with the creme of old New Orleans society. Everyone has their regular table and a set time they arrive. If someone is late for their usually dining time, people roam by the table of the late arrivals to check and make sure nothing is wrong. Grey haired grande dames in hats that would be perfect for the Kentucky Derby, ladies of a certain age with nary a hair out of place, younger ladies in stylish yet conservative sundresses and the youngest ladies in crinolin and patent leather. Almost all the gentlemen, young and old, in coats and ties. Let the party begin. And it does. A festive atmosphere prevails. Martinis, manhattans, champagne and various wines and cocktails flow for hours. I toddled out after a 4 hour lunch and was chided by my new friends for leaving early . My only excuse was a dinner in a couple of hours that I needed to be somewhat sober for. The noise level gets positively painful, in a good way. Laughter and stories bounce from one table to the next and off the tile floors. This is how Galatoire's has always been, and thankfully, still is.

My favorite captain was occupied with a large party, but, I was lucky enough to find a new "favorite"-Bege. Bege proceeded to fill me in on all the diners around me and spoil me rotten at the same time. I ordered a champagne cocktail to sip, even though I knew what I would be having for lunch. There is no push to rush you through your meal here. A glass holding perfect ratio of bitters to champagne, covering the cube of sugar and a curl of lemon peel floating atop-hard to beat. The table next to me, celebrating a birthday, sent over a glass of rose champagne and a business card and an offer to join them. I declined, but, was still included in their festivities with gifts of various wines, tastes of dishes and conversation during the course of the meal.

I settled in to enjoy my afternoon and a fix of old New Orleans. Galatoire's "gilds the fleur de lis" so to speak. Every dish on it's own is good, but the addition of extra "touches" like bearnaise, crabmeat or perhaps bacon takes them to a new level of decadence. First up, Pommes Souffle with Bearnaise. A decadent little snack on their own, almost the standard to enjoy while awaiting other guests or just enjoying those first sips of cocktails. Golden and crisp double fried sliced poofs of potato without a hint of grease...add the bearnaise and you see where I am going with the "gilding". Excellent with the champagne.

I ordered a bottle of Meursault (the name escapes me) to accompany the rest of my meal. Interestingly enough, Bege steered me away from a pricier bottle, telling me they had three bottles earlier in the week that seemed to be suffering from poor storage issues.

My next course was Oysters on Brochette. Six Gulf Oysters, some large enough to be folded in half, wrapped in a delicate smoked bacon placed on a skewer and then deep fried. They arrive at the table sans skewer, but maintain their "kebab" shape, perfectly fried on the outside and plump and juicy on the inside. They are joined by a brown butter sauce and diagonal halves of toasted white bread for sopping up the goodness.

My original "game plan" was to have sauteed soft shell crabs, which Bege had announced earlier were gone. I called a consultation with Bege--a big sigh and my lower lip stuck out and quivering, I expressed my disappoinment at the lack of soft shells. Bege told me to be patient, he was sure the evening crabs had come in and he would try to work his magic in the kitchen to get one of the cooks to clean up a couple for me. Sure enough, he returned from the kitchen, practically strutting over to tell me he had taken care of things. Shortly I was enjoying two huge sauteed soft shell crabs that covered an entire large dinner plate. Gigantic lumps of Gulf crabmeat also sauteed in butter blanketing the soft shells. The crabs were so juicy I had to practice caution as I bit down on their legs to make sure I didn't shower myself. The lump crab chunks, sweet in a way only Gulf crab can be. Unbelievably good. The birthday table sent over bites of sauteed pompano, oysters rockefeller and grouper with sauteed crawfish. All perfect examples of well handled fish and shellfish.

Another New Orleans tradition for me is cafe brulot. A large silver brulot "bowl" is brought to the table. Warmed brandy and orange curacao, orange and lemon peel, and a cinnamon stick are drenched with hot coffee and then lit tableside and served while still flaming. At this point one of the gentlemen from the adjoining table came over and pulled my chair and table over to theirs. Within a few minutes, my new friends made me feel at home as only one Southerner can do for another. I was told "stories" of others around the room, entertained by a local high court judge who did magic tricks for our table as he was departing and enjoyed a simple chocolate sundea like the other folks at my table. Maybe it was the glow of the alcohol, or maybe it was being home in the South but, I couldn't think of any better way to spend a Friday in New Orleans.

[hollywood]

Wow, you took me there. Good stuff.

[Rail Paul]

Evelyn, on Apr 25 2007, 12:00 PM, said:

Another New Orleans tradition for me is cafe brulot. A large silver brulot "bowl" is brought to the table. Warmed brandy and orange curacao, orange and lemon peel, and a cinnamon stick are drenched with hot coffee and then lit tableside and served while still flaming. At this point one of the gentlemen from the adjoining table came over and pulled my chair and table over to theirs. Within a few minutes, my new friends made me feel at home as only one Southerner can do for another. I was told "stories" of others around the room, entertained by a local high court judge who did magic tricks for our table as he was departing and enjoyed a simple chocolate sundea like the other folks at my table. Maybe it was the glow of the alcohol, or maybe it was being home in the South but, I couldn't think of any better way to spend a Friday in New Orleans.

Your post made delightful reading, Evelyn. Thanks for sharing it.

[Wilfrid1]

A wonderful report. I am just not sure I could face that meal for breakfast. 11.30.

[Lippy]

You make me want to go to NO immediately.

[pixelchef]

Like hollywood, you completely transported me into the downstairs dining room of Galatoires. I was lost in your words, and it was a lovely bit of escapism that I really appreciate. Just an absolutely phenomenal post, and so very charming. I've never had the pleasure of experiencing Southern hospitality, and it sounds like pure bliss.

Thank you, Evelyn. I feel privileged to have been able to read this post, and I mean that quite sincerely.

[Evelyn]

Thank y'all for the kind words .


And Wilf...the only thing I faced at 11:30 was champagne ...the food started around 12:15.

[Daniel]

Evelyn, what a wonderful write up.. I have had the chance to experience a brunch with a local family to do and it was really just the best time.. Like Antoines, Galatoire's is a institution and experience that shows the beauty of New Orleans.. Waiters that are serving the third generation of families.. If anyone cant get there I highly recommend the cookbook.. They have most of their standard dishes and the recipes are really perfect.. Besides the dinners, nothing beats a Sardou for brunch.. The sweet bread recipe is also in our homes monthly rotation..

[Miguel Gierbolini]

Ev'ster!!!! This is Primo stuff. DAMN!


I need to get myself up there.

[Evelyn]

Another Friday in New Orleans, another Friday lunch at Galatoire's. The atmosphere, as festive as ever. Folks lining up out front under the canopy at 9:30 am on this rainy day, in hopes of snagging one of the tables not reserved for the Friday regulars. A highly prized commodity, these tables. The Maitre d' comes outside after about 1/2 an hour with clipboard in hand. The folks in line in front of me were reserving space for parties of 6 and 12. I got a table and two groups behind me also made the magic list. The rest of the people were given the option of adding their names to the list and returning at 1:30 to see how much longer they would have to wait, or, try again another day. The lucky ones could wait outside or come back at 11, when the bar opens and enjoy a beverage there while waiting for the dining room to open thirty minutes later. As happens every time, everyone was reminded, if you're not there when he reaches your name on the list your table is no longer your table. Everyone stays put despite the weather. Finally, the bar is open and the crowd fills the small, dark wood panelled room upstairs. The two bartenders are besieged by the thirsty throng. Adult beverages flow fast and furiously. The older man next to me, a well known local attorney tosses back three very sturdy Manhattans in the space of about 15 minutes. The volume increases as the brandy milk punches, martinis and champagne flow. After about 20 minutes, the regulars are prodded by their usual waiters to clear their tab and head for their tables. The rest of us follow suit, and the noise level slowly drops as the room empties and the party moves downstairs to the dining room. And party everyone does. The menu, with all the Galatoire's classics remains the same. They have hired a new, young and inventive chef. Rumor has it he will add some of his own dishes to the menu. I suspect on Fridays, those dishes, no matter how good they are, will take a back seat to tradition. Sometimes I hear people say they think Galatoire's wouldn't be a place they would enjoy. A preconceived notion that it's stuffy. Ever so wrong. You never can tell what you may encounter during Friday lunch at Galatoire's. But, I can promise that conversation flows from table to table. There is no such thing as being a stranger when you stop in Galatoire's on Friday. Friends are made and laughs are shared. It's softshell crab season and my last day in New Orleans. Wine to enjoy with Souffle Potatoes with Bearnaise, Oysters Rockefeller and Sauteed Softshell Crabs. Chocolate Pot de Creme and Cafe Brulot. The perfect way to spend a rainy Friday.

[hollywood]

Hmmm. Well, that's one way to get a fellow to look up. BTW, Miguel wants to know if they have shoes with that motif.

[scamhi]

very nice lunch Evelyn.
I have dined at Galatoire's once alone and enjoyed it very much...Crawfish Etouffee fondly...
I don't remember those headdresses, though.

[ulterior epicure]

Here's an excerpt from my review of Galatoire's. You can find the full post and the photos on my blog.

*****

... But one doesn't go to Galatoire's to diet.

Nor, as the over-broiled pompano and a cranky Sazerac that the bartender threw together attest,* does one go to Galatoire's in search of perfectly executed and beautifully plated food.

Subtlety and sophistication Galatoire's has not.

This is the big top, where one goes to see and be seen, to laugh and forget, and, perhaps, to make a little rain while you're at it.

Galatoire's didn't take reservations when it opened, and it still does't take reservations for the restaurant's main dining room on the ground floor. This is where you want to be.

Next to a regular, or a server with whom you've developed a relationship over the years, patience will be your best friend. Put in your name, head upstairs to the bar, and have a few drinks.

Lucky for us, a friend flew in from Texas to join us for dinner. A regular with a house account, he set us up with the host, and within half an hour, we landed ourselves a nice, spacious table in the center of the room.

Portions here are large and unforgiving.

We ordered too much:

-

First Courses

Galatoire's Grand Gouté ($32)
Crab Maison
Shrimp Maison
Shrimp Remoulade
Oysters en Brochette

Pommes Soufflé Bearnaise ($12)

Oysters Rockefeller ($9.75/dozen)

Salad Godchaux ($12)

Main Courses

Poisson Marguery ($24)

Pompano Meuniere Amandine ($34)
Crabmeat

Pompano Meuniere ($31.50)
Crabmeat

Crab Sardou ($26)

Sides

Asparagus ($6)
Broccoli ($5)
Potatoes Brabant ($5)
Potatoes Lyonnaise ($5)
Fried Eggplant ($5)

Desserts

Bread Pudding with Banana Sauce ($6)

Cup of Custard ($5)

Café Brulot ($6 each)

-

The food here isn't bad. But it's not the type of stuff I'd urge anyone to travel for.

From what I can tell, the food at Galatoire's exists solely as an excuse for interacting with the breezy, generous servers who work the room. Consummate professionals, they pull off one of the hardest shows in town, balancing a staggering number of plates, names, and functions. And they do it all with big personality.

What you'll find here is "French Creole" cuisine, an amalgamation of local flavor and the type of classic French food that Julia Child liked to make. There are Pommes Soufflé, puffy, hollow, and crisp. There are mother sauces, like creamy Bearnaise for dipping and Hollandaise for smothering. And there are salads with more dressing than lettuce, more protein than fiber.

The Salad Godchaux was a thrilling romp, a heap of shrimp, crab meat, tomatoes, and iceberg laced with a bracingly tart Creole mustard vinaigrette. Topped with an anchovy fillet, it was simple and bright; my favorite dish of the night.

The presentations at Galatoire's can be a bit slap-dash.

My plate of “Crab Sardou� looked like someone had slung creamed spinach and crab meat at my plate from across the line - replete with a skidding effect - and squirted Hollandaise sauce all over it to make sure it stuck. Served disappointingly cool, the creamed spinach had already formed a skin by the time it arrived.

And Lizzy Borden probably hacked her parents apart with more deft than the kitchen at Galatoire's did splitting an order of the "Poisson Marguery," which Houston and The Hair shared.

But, for the most part, the food at Galatoire's is good, even if it's not perfect.

The fillet of Gulf drum - a delicate, white-fleshed fish - was kept warm and moist under a thick blanket of creamy mushroom sauce rich with flavor (Galatoire's version of sauce Marguery is a mix of Hollandaise and Béchamel). And beneath the dry surface of the broiled pampano, youll find a nice layer of fluffy meat with which to run through the attending lake of brown butter à la meunière.

"Galatoire's Grand Gouté"� a crowded sampling of some of Galatoire's most celebrated dishes, was a table favorite.

The oysters en brochette were, perhaps, a touch over-fried, and the oysters were puny. But the crab maison and shrimp maison - both coated in a light creamy dressing punched with capers and Creole mustard - were fantastic. Boasting large, meaty lump crab meat, the crab maison was awesome.

The Grand Gouté also included the restaurant's famous shrimp remoulade. Tangy, and a shade sweeter than the maison dressing thanks to a touch of ketchup, Galatoire's remoulade dressing is spiked with spicy paprika, Creole mustard, and horseradish. (The shrimp remoulade recipe can be found on the restaurant's website.)

The "Oysters Rockefeller"� are de rigueur. They're like none other I've had. Whereas I'm used to a bubbly, buttery topping, the Galatoire's version is more like a spongy spinach breading. I especially like the strong, spinach flavor of the topping here. The oysters beneath were warm and plump, swimming in a shallow pool of their own liquor.

The "Fried Eggplant,"� too is well-celebrated, as it should be. These batons of breaded eggplant are crisp on the outside, molten and creamy on the inside. Let them sit for a few minutes and they deflate, turning limp and lifeless. Eat them while they're hot.

No meal at Galatoire's would be complete without a bucketful of "Café Brulot." We ordered a big one to cap off our meal.

The huge silver bowl full of liquor, fresh citrus, spices, and sugar was set alight in front of us. Our server, a true showman, drizzled the flaming liquor around our table, making a ring of fire, and over our desserts for a flambé. Extinguished with a pot of coffee and served in demitasses, the Café Brulot smelled like mulled wine and tasted like heaven: warm, smooth, and fragrant.

A rustic version of bread pudding, Galatoire's "Bread Pudding with Banana Sauce" is wonderful.

The magic is in the sauce, a brown sugar caramel heavy with praline liqueur. Ours also benefited from a good shot of brandy from the Café Brulot that our server poured over it. (The recipe for the Bread Pudding can be found on Galatoire's website.)

The "Cup of Custard" here is milky and mildly sweet, a fine crème caramel.

With such an injection of fat and alcohol, it's no wonder that diners at Galatoire's are prone to socializing. Indeed, it's the restaurant's main sport and spectacle.

I thought that only regulars (or tipsies) would be milling about and table-hopping. I did not expect that I, too, would be pulled into conversation with diners at tables around me.

I think I met everyone within two tables of ours, collected about a dozen business cards from all over the country, and swapped thrice as many stories.

I'm sure I joined the entire dining room in singing "Happy Birthday" a hundred times, including to my friend Iggy. We even sang a "Happy Bachelor" song to a fellow whose friends had dragged him out to drown his love woes in cream, butter, and alcohol.

These are things that I'll remember the most about my first dinner at Galatoire's, an experience so hauntingly captured by General Manager Melvin Rodrigue in the Galatoire's Cookbook that I can only believe that it's everyday.

"People come here to eat and drink far more than they ordinarily would. They visit with friends at nearby tables and they visit with virtual strangers, turning them into afternoon - and even lifelong - friends. In a world that's become too serious, Galatoire's is a place where frivolity rules and adults are given license to leave their cares at the door, act foolish, and have fun. So those who dine here keep coming back. They tell their friends and families about Galatoire's, and they come too. The pleasures have continued for 100 years."

[Sneakeater]

“People come here to eat and drink far more than they ordinarily would. They visit with friends at nearby tables and they visit with virtual strangers, turning them into afternoon – and even lifelong – friends. In a world that’s become too serious, Galatoire’s is a place where frivolity rules and adults are given license to leave their cares at the door, act foolish, and have fun. . . ."

Unfortunately for me, I view all restaurants this way. It's a good thing I have no shame.

[ulterior epicure]

“People come here to eat and drink far more than they ordinarily would. They visit with friends at nearby tables and they visit with virtual strangers, turning them into afternoon – and even lifelong – friends. In a world that’s become too serious, Galatoire’s is a place where frivolity rules and adults are given license to leave their cares at the door, act foolish, and have fun. . . ."

Unfortunately for me, I view all restaurants this way. It's a good thing I have no shame.

I think you're blessed. You know, there are idiots like me who take things way to seriously, toting cameras, taking mental notes, writing dissertations online...

You? You're one of the lucky ones.