The Five Dollar Beurre Blanc Sauce
October came and went fast. Gary and I went to New Orleans with my mother, baby sister and her husband. My sister and her husband treated us to a lunch at Galatoire’s. This bright restaurant in the two hundred block of Bourbon is one of the most popular restaurant in New Orleans. I have heard and read many positive reviews of this restaurant.
My experience was not positive. We sat at our table and stared at the bright dining area for at least 10 minutes before a wait staff came. I felt a slight hint of “snootiness ” from our waiter, however, after realizing that we (we were the youngest people there and the only non caucasians) were a bunch of foodies, he warmed up to us and gave us a well trained and professional service.
The $15 fois gras appetizer was very good. The tiny two pieces of rare seared goose liver shared the small plate with a small puffy brioche. It was like eating flavored fat. The escargot appetizer was boring and lacking in flavor. The soft escargots sat in a pool of clarified butter, but the dish was under seasoned. Where was the garlic? The complimentary mini baguettes and individual slab of butter was appreciated. The waiter also brought out a plate of garlic bread which was good. Bread crumbs were everywhere.
I had a cup of gumbo which was good, but my sweetbread entre was dry and flavorless from being overfried. At a price of $17, the six small pieces of fried dried thing sat on a white plate with nothing but a sprinkling of chopped chives on top. I chose not to have the optional beurre blanc sauce because this restaurant charges $5 extra for the various sauces on the menu. COME ON Galatoire’s! I have a major issue with restaurants that nickel and dime their customers.
Gary and my mother had the rib eye steaks and they were good just like the ones you get at the Outback Steakhouse. My sister, Mimi, ordered the trout almandine but had to settle for red fish almandine since the restaurant was out of trout that day. I have to say that it was one of the best “almandine” fish I have ever eaten. Usually, fish almandine is boring but Galatoire’s flavorful clarified butter (which was lost on the escargot) made this dish memorable. My brother-in-law had the grouper filet topped with clarified buttter and a generous heap of crab meat. It was very good. The crab meat was well complimented by that delicious clarified butter. Keep in mind that anything that is topped with crab meat taste real good.
Everything is a la carte so we ordered a potato lyonnaise and a creamed spinach as the side vegetable dishes. The spinach was boring and the potato lyonnaise reminded me of a potato dish that I cooked with butter and onion. OH! I have been making potato lyonnaise for a thousand years prior to my reduced carb diet, and my version taste better than this.
For desert, the waiter recommended their signature dish of banana foster bread pudding and creme caramel (flan). Our waiter thought that we did not know what caramel was and proceeded to epxlain but stopped when I blurted out the world flan. In Vietnam and most of Europe, flan is known as caramel. The texture of the bread pudding was good, but they must have ran out of rum or bourbon that day because there was not a hint of alchohol in the desert at all. With out the alchohol, the over sweetened desert tasted like it came out of a “Little Debbie’s ” box. The caramel flan had no flavor and the caramel sauce did not have that slightly bitter sweet taste that is the hallmark of a true caramel.
The lunch came out to be $50 per person before tip (no alcohol – too early to drink); at this price, it should have been much better. One good note is that there was not a hint of balsamic reduction (ballsonit sauce) on my plate.
This restaurant is and will always be popular and busy (dinner reservation for Saturday need to be booked almost a month in advance). It is part of the tradition of life here in New Orleans. For men, jacket and tie are required at dinner time and for lunch wear your Sunday’s best.
My sister summed it best when she said “I’m glad we went here though…” which means that we came, we ate and we will never come back. We all agreed that our dungeness crab buffet at Harrah’s Casino was a much better meal.
I am dissapointed at many of the pricey restaurants I have eaten through out the years. It is surprising to me that that many of these so called “food critics” give such high regards to restaurants like Galatoire’s. Am I so strict with my taste bud? If my meal cost less than $35, I would not be so harsh, but this meal cost $60 per person (including tip) for LUNCH! I had $50 meal that was worth $50. I also had $10 meals that tasted better than most $50 meals.
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Hurricane in Houston
I hosted my second annual “Brunch in November” on November 3, 2007. It was held at the home of my gracious friends, Carl Mc and K Nguyen. The 30 guests feasted on a New Orleans inspired meal.
Gary helped me served the famous hurricane cocktail in virgin and regular forms. Gary had ordered beautiful plastic hurricane glasses and plastic hot pepper straws to sip it with. Recipe is at end of article.
For appetizer, I served a homemade pate, a cheese plate of brie (topped with dried cranberries) and baby blue cheese.
For the meal, I made a twenty quart pot of seafood gumbo, cooked 30 cups of rice, simmered a giant pot of red beans & sausage, stewed a pot of vegetale creole (tomato, cauliflower, cabbage cooked with butter and bacon), and peeled and deveined 25 dozen shrimps for my shrimp etoufee. I also served a platter of Holmes brand pecan smoked boudin.
For the deserts, I made two large bourbon creme caramel and a huge batch of banana foster served over Blue Bell vanilla icecream topped with a dolloped of whipped cream. I did have a wonderful box of baked lady fingers which I bought from a Vietnamese bakery in Louisana but I forgot to serve them to my guest. Gary and I ate the entire 30 counts of lady fingers after the party.
Guests brought various wines, champaign and orange juice (mimosa). A pot 100% Kona coffee was brewed and served with sugar, cream and equal.
We had a great time eating, drinking and meeting friends. I look forward to next year.
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My friends and I were too busy eating and none of us took a single picture of my food. At least, the memories are in our belly and mind.
I will be going to Vegas on November 15 to celebrate my 42nd birthday. We will be staying at our favorite Vegas hotel, Paris Las Vegas. Get those penny slots ready VEGAS!
See you next time.
Carl
CARL’S HURRICANE
DRINK RECIPE
This is my version of the Hurricance. Fill a large punch bowl with 2 litre (maybe quart) Welch’s passion fruit drink, 2 litre of any tropical punch drink, about 1 litre of passion fruit cocktail (25 percent juice – I found this at the international aisle in the Fiesta Supermarket in Houston) 1 cup of orange juice and the juice of 4 limes.
Mix well and serve over ice in a hurricane glass with dark rum according to taste. The original version at Pat O’Brien in New Orleans uses equal part rum to equal part cocktail mix. This version will have enough alcohol to knock down a football player. Garnish with orange slice, maraschino cherry and a fancy straw. ENJOY!!!!
