(Photo: Business Week Online)
Commander's Palace (http://www.commanderspalace.com/) is without a doubt one of my favorite places on this planet (restaurant or otherwise). It is the grandfather of New Orleans dining, and while it was closed for 14 months following Katrina, I have been fortunate enough to visit three times since and in the spirit of Thanksgiving tomorrow, I am so thankful for this restaurant.
This past weekend we were able to take friends to the fabled iridescent blue dining mecca and it was wonderful. Commander's has the best and most consistently fantastic service of any restaurant I have ever visited. From the moment you are greeted through cocktail and wine selection, and, on this past visit, a post dinner tour of the kitchen and the property, you are treated like royalty. And this means a dinner experience that it allowed to linger long into the evening in one of the many varied and beautiful dining rooms.
Commander's employs team serving and you are in good hands. I love that you select your cocktail and relax before menus are even presented. This is truly a celebratory experience. The food is wonderful and I have never gone astray with the waiter's suggestions -- this time chicken and oyster gumbo followed by a flaky rockfish in lemon, wine, cream sauce with wild mushrooms and finally, a decadent bread pudding souffle with whisky cream sauce for dessert. Their dishes celebrate each ingredient which come together to form a unique and perfect whole.
If you are headed to New Orleans, I highly recommend this experience. An average dinner for two with three courses, wine, tax, and tip averages around $200. But you will leave feeling like a (fattened) king or queen!
This place is quintessential southern hospitality and I agree totally about their outstanding service. Not to mention, the food is terrific. The bread pudding souffle is out of this world!
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