It is tradition since Tom started the New Orleans Menu to end each year honoring what he thought was the best restaurant to open that year. The scene has definitely changed since those days fifty years ago, so it is easier to arive at a single excellent restaurant of a certain caliber. There are few of these now, but this year's best is an easy one.
We think the honor belongs to Bon Ton Prime Rib. One of Tom's favorite restaurants has always been the Bon Ton, and old-fashioned centennial gem that served ordinary food popular in the mid-twentieth century to families who generationally patronized the place. We were in the house the night the beloved Bon Ton closed, and it was full of people and their families who had been coming for generations, all there to say goodbye.
Bon Ton Prime Rib has moved into the old Bon Ton space, but it bears little resemblance to the old Bon Ton. Bon Ton Prime Rib is a high-end steakhouse, and a very good one. It is the latest addition to a restaurant empire based in Atlanta. It is a sister restaurant to The Chophouse across the street. Both of the restaurants are owned by Jerry Greenbaum, a Tulane grad who loves New Orleans, and a real class act. Jerry bought the Bon Ton just before COVID and renovated it, only to have a devastating fire just weeks before opening that required them to start over.
The original Bon Ton served food similar to the fare in Creole kitchens all over town. Bon Ton Prime Rib features a signature dish of Prime Rib, which isn’t seen too much on menus these days. But this prime rib is unusually great. It is prime beef prime rib, with a superior texture and flavor. It is served with two little Sterno pewter dishes of hot jus as accompaniment. This is high-style service, which is emblematic of the entire place. What you order is served tableside from carts, but nothing about this is pretentious. It’s refreshing. You rarely see this kind of professionalism out anywhere these days.
New Orleanians aren't keen on embracing change, especially in restaurants they love. But they seem to have embraced this newcomer in the space that was their beloved Bon Ton. We approached with trepidation ourselves, in one of the first nights they were open. We warmed to the place immediately, starting with the affable and very helpful valet out front.
Once inside, it is hard not to gasp at the sophistication and elegant glamour of the place. It is very high style with high-end service not seen much any more. As usual, we got a ridiculous amount of food. Starting with oysters for Tom and a shellfish bisque for me. We got bacon, which is having a moment hanging from contraptions. And we got crabmeat au gratin, because this place has Bon Ton in the name..., and crab cakes because I am at the table. For entrees, we got the prime rib of course, and a grilled redfish.
We saw gorgeous steaks and beautiful salads going by, but those will have to wait for the next time. As for sides, there were some of the usual steakhouse regulars like macaroni and cheese, Brussels sprouts, and a baked potato. There are mashed potatoes with cheese, and the macaroni and cheese has crawfish added. Broccoli is steamed or grilled, and the requisite onion rings are here. But the star of this Sides menu is a puffed corn casserole. We call it corn pudding, but it’s sensational whatever the name. And we had a signature butter cake for dessert.
Before any of this came to the table, a small loaf of French bread and soft butter arrived warm and wrapped in a napkin. It was toasted just right and soft in the middle.
All our appetizers came on the cart and were served by a team of waiters. Tom’s Bon Ton oysters were charbroiled with lump crab and the cheese congealed into a doily-like seal over the whole dish, hiding the oysters and crab beneath. It was pretty, and delicious as well. This was served with more of the small French bread loaf.
While Tom was busy with his oysters, I watched a waiter pour the bisque around the shellfish bits in the center of a bowl. The soup was very thick, and exactly the right color for shellfish. This was insanely creamy and rich, and I could have stopped after this, it was so filling. And soul-satisfying.
But there was so much more. The bacon was obscenely thick and over-the-top as well. It was the thickest bacon I've seen, caramelized and smoky. One slice was enough for one sitting. This was divine.
The crab cakes were not precisely formed as I expected, but more of a giant mound of jumbo lump crabmeat. They came as a duo in a sea of sauce that was creamy with mustard notes, and more pronounced than a typical remoulade. The menu stated that there was no filler and indeed there wasn’t. This was a good choice for crab lovers.
Another crab appetizer we got in honor of the original Bon Ton was the Crabmeat au Gratin. There was nothing that these two dishes shared except crabmeat and cheese. In the case of the original Bon Ton, there was a slice of melted American cheese on top of the creamy crab casserole. This version had a medley of cheeses and no American cheese in sight. It was served with more of that small loaf of French bread. This could have been a little thicker, but was delicious nevertheless.
For entrees, Tom had the signature prime rib. It was medium rare and wonderfully tender, with a crust all around the edges, The flavor was great. This was the best prime rib I’ve ever encountered. Jerry reminded me that it was prime prime rib, and that’s what made the difference. It was superb.
We also had a whole roasted redfish, which was beautifully displayed in a stylish roasting pan. It was well-seasoned with Cajun spices, tender and flaky. I realized that ordering a whole fish was a mistake I learned the last time I ordered a whole fish. No bones for Tom. This was deboned, but I'm still paranoid about that when Tom is involved. I had to feel everything Tom would eat, and that was a sad thing to do to this beautifully presented fish. Too bad. It was perfect.
For sides, we got the puffed corn casserole and a good 'ole baked potato. We're very over Brussels sprouts, and macaroni and cheese is always a temptation, especially with seafood throughout, but I haven't had pasta in a while and I want to keep it that way.
The corn casserole was more like a soufflé, which might be the very best way to eat corn. It was the perfect texture and had a wonderful corn flavor.
And the baked potato was the tuber of my life. It was large and soft inside and loaded with all the usual things.
This was a fantastic meal and a large one. We decided to keep going and get the butter cake. It came with an excessive amount of raspberry gastrique overdecorating the plate. A scoop of custardy vanilla ice cream sat in the center of the cake that was toasted and caramelized brown. A medley of berries cascaded from the top.
It was a festive evening that was so pleasant we didn’t really want to leave. I felt a little silly with all the carry-out bags of leftovers, but I looked forward to having more of this at home.
We finally left, but not before chatting a bit with the very helpful valet who offered his assistance both in and out the door. He’s another member of the top-quality staff at Bon Ton Prime Rib, who collectively gave us a marvelous evening. We can't wait to return here, and we are thrilled to call it the best restaurant to open in 2024.
