With my new curiosity about the Dickie Brennan restaurant group, it became a mild obsession to make it to the Bourbon House, a place I have been to a few times but have never really warmed to. Since I have recently had good experiences at several other places in the group, I thought perhaps a fresh look would make a difference.
A glance at the menu online made me even more interested, and we finally made it there recently. We were among the first customers there that day. In typical Brennan service style, there were two people serving our table, working as a team. Runners placed the food from the kitchen on a sidebar where we could see, so there was no surprise when the food was coming.
When I looked at the menu in front of me, my enthusiasm waned. This time I wasn’t all that interested in the offerings. I had it in mind that we would share a seafood platter, but it was a little taxing to find some starters.
For Tom it was easy. He would have a half dozen chargrilled oysters, and I settled on crab claws. Both of these are regular starters for us. Chargrilled oysters are a given for Tom, and if crab claws are on the menu, I will get those.
The chargrilled oysters looked appealing when they came to the table. They had some juice for dipping, a thicker-than-usual amount of breadcrumbs toasted nicely, and were presented in a metal tray with indentions.
Tom thought they were very good, but I had to help him sort of wrestle them from the shell, which surprised me. The little sauce after the shell was cleared was buttery and flavorful, and we ate it with the wonderful little loaf in the bag that is a trademark of these restaurants.
I was disappointed in the crab claws. They were beautifully presented with a nice sauce that even looked citrusy, with a bright half lemon beside a little pile of crab claws. A wedge of bread that appeared toasted with Parmesan was part of this ensemble. The disappointment started there because the bread was stale. The toasted cheesy top was tasty but I couldn’t get past the stale enough to even eat that. And the claws paled in comparison to their cousins at Palace Cafe, where I had them atop a divine crabmeat cheesecake. Maybe it was that thought and the comparison that set me up for disappointment with these, but I don’t think so.
I mentioned in ordering that we would be splitting a seafood platter. There was no extra charge for this but they split it in the kitchen, so I didn’t get to see how it is presented normally. I didn’t view it favorably on sight. It registered as meager. I asked about this because I only counted two oysters. They mentioned some problem and said they gave me more shrimp. Minutes later they came out with a small dish of four oysters. I asked what is the count for each seafood on a normal plate, and they said four of each: shrimp, oysters, and catfish strips. There were hush puppies and coleslaw on the plate as well, but a quick view registers mostly ordinary fries. This was $32, which I guess is the going rate for seafood platters now.
We got several tartar sauce ramekins, and it was the oddest version of this I’ve had. I often say some things definitely should not be “gourmetized,” like spaghetti and meatballs and pizza and burgers. I’ve never thought about “gourmetizing” tartar sauce, but there it was. Tarragon is a semi-common seafood sauce spice but only in fancy places. I didn’t expect to taste it in the lowly tartar sauce. It was not an improvement over basic perky pickles. There was also a lot of fresh dill, which I found as distracting as the tarragon.
We sat in the bar part of the restaurant, which may as well be its own restaurant. Bourbon is a big thing, and apparently, people meet there to taste Bourbon. There is a whole wall devoted to their Bourbon holdings, and I imagine this is a hot spot for the regulars.
\
I have never been a regular here. The Italianate decor doesn’t thrill me, and neither does the food. The service is very good, fully in step with the Brennan style. But that’s where it ends for me.
A complete turnaround has occurred in my mind for this group. We just had a terrific meal at The Palace Cafe. Tableau is now a favorite, as is The Audubon Clubhouse. And I am excited about Pascal’s Manale. But my long-held impressions of The Bourbon House remain. I’ll leave this one to the tourists.
