The Brennan's family, a clan of Irish origin, is responsible for perhaps some of the greatest in fine dining and quality gourmet in New Orleans. Each branch of the family has its own line of establishments, all with different foci but all with the same unwavering dedication to amazing eating. A salute to some of the best restaurateurs in the city and possibly of the country, here's the complete pick.
They call New Orleans the most European of American cities, something never more apparent than during the Christmas season, when the French tradition of the Reveillon celebration carries on through modernity.
French for “awakening,” symbolic for the effect Jesus had on the Christian population, the reveillon is historically an elaborate feast that takes place in the wee hours after the traditional midnight Christmas mass. Since the mid-1800s, French-speaking settlements in Canada as well as New Orleans have participated in this second wind-giving tradition, using this large gourmet meal and accompanying cocktails to reawaken and reenergize after a long day of fasting and worship. Being made up mostly of Catholic residents, it would seem that the entire city took part; the windows of quaint Quarter houses and majestic Victorian manors alike would remain lit into the morning, sounds of music and laughter wafting out with the scent of perennial favorites like turtle soup and bread pudding.
This big-meal, stay-up-past-midnight practice was so beloved by the people who honored this tradition that the timeframe was expanded from one night to all of December (in many of the classic New Orleans restaurants), carrying over to New Year’s Eve as this festive meal rings in every new year with taste and style. The only difference between the two is that the New Year’s Eve reveillon is considerably less Christian/Catholic and family-oriented and considerably more raucous, with friends and lively entertainment. There’s a more palpable feeling of mounting excitement as the old year is ushered out, while the Christmas dinner is more about relaxing and indulging with loved ones at home.
Throughout both feasts, the menu has changed through time, even at restaurants over 100 years old. But the spirit remains the same. The flavors are familiar but different. All the multi-course feasts still emphasize Creole cuisine and its evolution through time while incorporating new culinary technologies and contemporary tastes. For example, the New Year’s reveillon would still include eggnog, French pastries, crystallized fruit, sugar sculptures, meringue, and other such party foods. For the Christmas one, a sit-down kind of meal, luxury items like oysters, lobster, escargot, quail, foie gras, sausages, steak, hams, and fish remain emphasized, washed down with champagne and quality wines.
Many of the restaurants scattered throughout the city have special menus planned that will run alongside their normal offerings, and with 3-5-course meals at prix fixe rates, why pay full price? Here's a list of some of the more noteworthy participants.
-- Quoted from "Revel in the Reveillon," Where Y'at Magazine, December 2008. By Su-Jit Lin
With all the live-action, interactive entertainment there is around town, it's easy to forget that "cultured" amusements call New Orleans home as well. Here's a refresher.