Earlier this month we had Melvin Rodrigue on the Food Show, (airs 2-4pm weekdays 990AM.) In my experience, Melvin Rodrigue is the steward who has guided this Grande Dame through the years on the steadiest, most prosperous course. These are the golden days of this restaurant, or so it seems to me.
He called into the show to talk about a new feature at Galatoire’s, specifically 33, the adjacent space the restaurant acquired some years ago and renovated into a handsome and delicious steakhouse. Galatoire’s 33 Bar and Steak is used for special events and restaurant spillover. Melvin called to chat about the fried chicken buffet which is held quarterly on a Sunday. It offers family-style dining with unlimited champagne and fried chicken, as well as an unusually interesting assortment of sides.
Just talking to Melvin made both Tom and me want to go to Galatoire’s. (That is the purpose of the Food Show, after all!)
It was a few days before we could make it there, and we arrived on a Sunday for lunch.
We got carried away, which is very easy to do at this classic New Orleans favorite. Tom was well into his turtle soup when the waiter brought out some souffle potatoes compliments of the kitchen. I have said that Antoine’s is the original but hardly the best of this famous favorite local dish. Arnaud’s is the best based on its impeccable presentation, but the Galatoire’s version is the best, period. They hit all the right notes of desirability. Souffle potatoes are supposed to be a hollow shell, but none of the others achieve this.
These were absolutely exactly to expectations, and I gave them all to Tom. He is crazy about this dish, and I just don’t get it. Edible item with a hollow middle, with the exception of a chocolate Easter bunny, annoy me. If I want to eat a fried potato, I want some potato. These were utterly perfect. A crispy potato shell with absolutely nothing inside. The Bearnaise sauce was equally fantastic, creamy with the perfect balance of tarragon and shallots. Delish! I kept the sauce to keep eating it with something. Anything.
Truthfully, I was already full of Crabmeat Maison and Shrimp Remoulade, the combo plate of my dreams, and the first thing I always order at any of the Grande Dames. Is there a better way to celebrate our local heritage? Here is the best version of that as well. Together with warm cap bread, it is the perfect New Orleans meal, and I could (and should) stop right there.
I didn’t, though, because Chicken Bonne Femme had caught my eye on this menu. I get my classic New Orleans chicken dishes confused, and I wanted to get some clarity on this as well as busting out of my predictable comfort zone. But what is wrong with a predictable comfort zone, especially at a place like this where one doesn’t go very often? Shouldn’t you stick with the things you know will give you great pleasure?
The Amandine here is, yes, also the best version of the classic. It is always perfectly battered and fried, unbelievably hot, and overloaded with buttery almond slivers. Bellissimo! Today’s Amandine was all that, and it satisfied our every desire. I look at that dish on a plate, then start eating it, and I completely understand why this food is the envy of the rest of the country.
Now that I have had the Chicken Bon Femme, I know what it is, and why I will not get it again. For some reason, all New Orleans chicken dishes get confused in my mind with Chicken Grande at Mosca’s, the absolute Holy Grail elevation of the lowly bird. This is the pile of chicken parts smothered in roasted garlic cloves, not to be confused with Chicken Clemenceau (available right now in a hip version at Eric Cook’s St. John, deep in the French Quarter), or this Chicken Bonne Femme at Galatoire’s. It came to the table smothered in onion marmalade and unruly strips of bacon.
I was completely uninterested in eating this, which was a good thing because I was full from the cold seafood app. (And too much buttery cap bread.) The bird itself was shockingly tough and sinewy, and getting to it through the maze of onion and bacon was tedious.
Just to make sure Phillip Lopez wasn’t “interpreting” the classic, I checked recipes online and indeed it was exactly like the dish before me. This tough bird thing is something I am seeing more of lately. I don’t want to reveal where I saw it, but once recently I ordered a chicken dish on a menu, and the chicken was branded. It was inedibly tough and I thought maybe they shouldn’t brand it, and the restaurant should be aware of that. Branding raises expectations, and disappointment was inevitable.
That was the only unpleasant surprise of this meal. I absolutely love this Grande Dame, with its Victorian vibe and its happy loud clientele. But it is the food at Galatoire’s which sets it apart. It is unfailingly the quintessential of quintessential New Orleans cuisine. And the fact that in the kitchen, Phillip Lopez, a cutting-edge chef known for his creativity, follows Michael Sichel, another cutting-edge chef known for his creativity, were willing to curb their culinary flair to execute the same food New Orleanians have savored for over a hundred years, is a testament to how very delicious this food really is. Tradition is always worth preserving, and here it is done to the highest standards. Good for them.
