Cuisine Review

Galatoire’s restaurant, on Bourbon Street in New Orleans, has been a traditional dining spot for my family. Classic, energetic and pleasing, I try to eat there every time I go to New Orleans. I wanted my children to have what truly can only be described as a dining “experience” – just like the memories I have of Galatoire’s.

There is a famous family story about me at Galatoire’s. I was 3 and my grandparents took my parents and me over for a late lunch. Late lunches at Galatoire’s in my opinion are the best time to go. On this first visit, I sat in a high chair picking at my plate. The waiter thought I had finished so he removed my food, only for me to exclaim at the top of my lungs “woast, woast!” You can guess that every time for the last 30 or so years whenever we have roast beef I hear this.

I took the children over the weekend before Christmas to spend Saturday night and go to the Saints game the next day, with the plan to eat dinner at Galatoire’s. They do not take reservations for their first floor dining room, which is the place to eat. Several years ago they renovated the second floor into dining rooms and a nice bar, and they take reservations up there, but it is just not the same to me. And everyone has to wait, no matter who you are. Although I will say that Archie Manning came in about 30 minutes after us and got a table 20 minutes before, so don’t believe everything you hear.

The first floor has soaring ceilings, green walls with mirrors, crowded, tables with crisp white tablecloths. The waiters are dressed in black tie, professional and perfect – yet not stuffy. Many people go so often that they ask for, and get, their own special waiter. Glass carafes filled with cold water greet you along with a quickly brought loaf or two of excellent French bread and hard butter.

The word festive downplays the atmosphere when we arrived. Little children in fancy dresses and ties, bejeweled matrons and debutantes, men in black tie, regular tie, jeans (not suggested) and coats. But all men had on a coat – one of the few left to do so, Galatoire’s requires coats at night. If you do not have one, they have plenty to loan.

We waited upstairs in the small bar area and watched the people. A black tie party of some sort had taken over the entire second floor. My son tapped me on the shoulder to point out Archie Manning. He would not dare allow me to ask Archie for a photo, so we simply positioned my son in front of him and took one “with” him. The hour-and-twenty-minute wait flew by. Our table was close to the front of the room and commanded an excellent view of the diners and bustling wait staff.

I am sure that all of the appetizers are fantastic, but I always order one of their famous duos, the fried eggplant and soufflé potatoes béarnaise ($10). Souffle potatoes are fried once, then cooled, and fried in hot oil again to achieve a crisp, “puffed” texture – crisp yet light. Dunked in béarnaise, these are addictive. The fried eggplant is prepared in sticks, and served with a side of powdered sugar and Tabasco. Making a paste of the sugar and hot sauce creates a dueling sweet hot flavor to accent the eggplant.

Something special is always happening at Galatoire’s, and it is the diners themselves who can sweep the entire dining room into laughter, fun and singing. Just as we were finishing our appetizers, two men got up and led us all in rousing renditions of “Deck the Halls!” “Jingle Bells” and “Frosty.” I do not think my children had experienced anything like it. Later the room sang “Happy Birthday” to two different tables, there was some dancing and lots of flash photography.

Turtle soup ($6.25, cup) and a mixed green salad with garlic dressing ($5.50) came next. I had the soup, with tender, thick pieces of turtle, a strong hint of sherry and flavorful base. My daughter and I split the salad – this one is so simple yet so sublime in my mind. The dressing reeks of garlic, not in an overpowering, but a tempting way. I know of several people who like to try the Gadhaux salad (recipe found in Word of Mouth column here), the oyster artichoke soup or gumbo. My parents always ordered the Oysters Rockefeller (recipe also found in Word of Mouth).

There really is too much to tell you about on the menu and it is hard to screw up. The waiters are quite helpful. I stick with the fish and the filet mainly because they are always excellent and no other has prepared them like Galatoire’s. I have also had excellent lamb chops, their soft shell crabs Meuniere people fight over, the crabmeat au gratin and even sweet breads are also good selections.

On my last visit, I ordered the pompano and it was delicate, flaky and fresh. This time I chose the Speckled Trout Meunière Amandine ($25) – a hot gleaming white plate arrived with an ample filet swimming in brown butter and slivered almonds, and it was perfect. My daughter selected the petit filet béarnaise ($32), which was not petite, but her plate was emptied quickly. My son got the fried oysters and shrimp ($16), and he thought the oysters marvelous but the shrimp just alright.

Sides are a la carte with plenty to pick from. Spinach Rockefeller ($5) and Lyonnaise Potatoes ($5) were ours, but the children were full and hardly ate them. The potatoes were prepared well in hot brown butter with soft onions and garlic.

I was the only one not too full to eat dessert and finished with caramel custard ($5). There are many more to choose from, but I am already way outside my column word limit!

It is hard to tell you all you need to know about this place in one review. But hopefully, our quintessential Galatoire’s experience will encourage you to go over and have one of your own.

Kinnon Phillips is Lagniappe cuisine editor. Contact him at kphillips@lagniappemobile.com.

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