Commander's Palace

Commander's Palace has been around since 1880 and is a landmark at the Garden District in New Orleans. In 1974, Ella, Dottie, Dick and John Brennan took over the Commander's Palace, remodeled and specialized in Creole-American cuisine. Everything is fresh, from their seafood, meats, fruits, and vegetables.

What a wonderful dining experience. We had dinner reservations at 7:00 p.m. and we were greeted by a welcoming committee of eager servers and were promptly seated.  I was upset to discover that I had forgotten to transfer my reading glasses in my evening purse. Our waiter, Patrick assured me he could do something about it. After a few minutes, Patrick arrived holding an open wooden case with an array of different reading glasses. Of course, I picked one that went with my outfit!

We started with the famous Turtle Soup which was divine.  Someone once told me that they didn't use real turtle meat anymore. Not true...they do use farm raised snapping turtles.  The soup has a lot of different flavors in it with just enough kick to keep your taste buds awake. This is a must try as there is nothing like it. We then split a Caesar's salad which was also good. We ordered the Crispy Soft Shell Crab which was a jumbo Louisiana soft shell crab over chorizo, pickled vegetables, barbecued onions, tiny tomatoes with greens and avocado "leche fresca" and red pepper ravigote.  What a treat this was! Crunchy, juicy and just yummy.

We also ordered the speckled trout which had the skin on it and was very crispy and light. This was served on a bed of a variety of Covey Rise spring vegetables and greens with a light brown butter vinaigrette. Can't believe how we truly enjoyed this meatless, pasta-less dinner!

For dessert, we had to order what we planned to order (as I have had it in the past), their famous Creole bread pudding souffle with the whiskey sauce.  I don't think you will ever find  a bread pudding as delicious, light, fluffy and wonderful as this. It just isn't possible. Since we had to order 2 desserts, we ordered the strawberry shortcake which I never ever order as it seems so boring. This was anything but boring. I don't know what they did to it but it probably had a dose of their magic spell.

To the executive chef, Tory McPhail....Sandi and I love you...

Note:  Our picture didn't turn out too good; I can't blame Patrick so I will blame my camera. Just had to include our picture as it shows how much we enjoyed our dining experience.