What most people don’t realize about Tom is that even though he was born on Mardi Gras, he didn’t really like Mardi Gras. So sometime in the early 1980s he decided that since Mardi Gras is Fat Tuesday, and by tradition everything after is Lent, fasting and meatless, he came up with the idea to have a steak dinner on the eve of Ash Wednesday. Following his proclivities for older restaurants, he walked into the Crescent City Steakhouse for his pre-Lenten repast. He was the only one in there. What he discovered was a steak of the very finest quality, served in a charming place with the vibe he liked, at prices he couldn’t believe.
He talked about this experience so much that each year more and more people came to see what Tom had discovered. And now, 40 plus years later, it is madness at The Crescent City Steakhouse on Mardi Gras Day. People tailgate in the parking lot for the four hour wait for their table. And once inside the sound is deafening. But what a party!
It was such a wonderful experience for Mary Leigh last year that she wanted to return this year, but this time just as a duo. We sat at the same table where we started last year before the family matriarch Krasna revealed that it was actually the next table where Tom sat. Last year we moved but this year that table was occupied by people savoring their wine.
Krasna stopped by again and mentioned that she saw Tom come in and always sit by himself, reading The New Yorker. She said she had wondered about him for a while, when she saw him on television. She ran to her husband and said, “I know who he is now!” We all had a laugh at that (Krasna is as delightful as she is interesting,) then moved on to her gardening, and her time in Croatia. Also the fact that Hvar, the island where all the New Orleans Croatian restaurateurs have homes, is now becoming the next Sardinia.
By this time we had two orders of their delicious garlic bread. We definitely did not need two orders. I had forgotten that we had four people last year. The garlic bread is the old-fashioned kind that used to come on every table in new Orleans Italian restaurants. But free bread is long gone, as it should be. I'm sure restaurants threw literally tons of bread away over the years, especially since carbs became a dirty word. Here it is considered a side, but the prices for sides, (and everything else) are absurdly low.
This garlic bread is made with Leidenheimer French bread, and is toasted to perfection. With just the right amount of butter, garlic and herbs, it is irresistible.
We also got onion rings, which seemed different this time.The batter was not as crunchy, flaky, and dense. We still polished them off easily. .jpg)
Last year our table split a porterhouse for three, .jpg)
but this year ML and I each got a filet.
.jpg)
We also got two orders of the fries, a move which made her highly suspicious until she thanked me. These too are irresistible. They are to me the very best French fries in the entire city. They are shoestring, light, golden brown, crispy and greaseless, and like the garlic bread, impossible to stop eating. Like your mom would have made back in the 1960s. .jpg)
ML also ordered a Caesar salad for one, and a side of Au Gratin potatoes, after seeing them on a neighboring table. And she ordered the Bordelaise thinking it was Spaghetti Aglio e Olio. It didn’t hit me until right before it arrived that it was likely just the famous New Orleans Bordelaise Sauce. It was, but I’m glad I had a chance to see the much-ballyhooed sauce by itself. It was, to borrow an expression of Tom's, redolent of garlic. To say the least.
I ate this meal as a regular diner, so I just savored it without worrying about pictures, since we have so many. It was nice to just enjoy, and enjoy it we did. The steaks were hot and sizzling with butter, wrapped in bacon, and butter tender. This is prime aged beef, and Tom thought it the best in town. It is exactly that, but at prices that are literally half of what others are charging. ML asked me at one point how big the steak was and we both assessed it at 10 oz. At $37 for steak perfection that is a steal. Steak nights charge that for steaks not nearly as good. And steakhouses get that for petite filets. This was not a petite filet.
ML was disappointed in her Au Gratin potatoes, but I loved them. They reminded me of my mom’s, and it was always a treat when she served them. The Caesar salad was fresh Romaine and had a nice dressing, but was otherwise unremarkable.
At one point a guy came up to the table while someone at his table clinked a glass. He led the house in a rousing “He’s A Jolly Good Fellow,” which was so touching. And Tom was honored, because he was certainly there in spirit. It is, as the guy said, Tom’s party.
I often think about Tom’s importance after people thank me on his behalf. And I agree that he has directed a lot of people to great places and great food they otherwise would not have discovered. But the tip for The Crescent City Steakhouse, as I think about it, may be his very best. If you have not followed it, you certainly should. It is special.
