Diary: Wedding Festival, Part 2. Pelican Club.

[title type="h5"]Thursday, December 11, 2014. Wedding Festival, Part 2: Pelican Club.[/title] Jude's contingent of wedding guests from Los Angeles gather for a grand dinner tonight. A dozen people showed up at the Pelican Club, among them Brian and Joey, who were with us last night at Commander's Palace. This dinner was originally planned for Commander's, but getting a table that size that late was impossible. But I was relieved to move the venue to the Pelican Club, whose food is much more accessible and. . . dare I say it? I do. Better. [caption id="attachment_45880" align="alignnone" width="480"] Pelican Club's rack of lamb.[/caption] Pelican Club owner Richard Hughes did what he always does with his Reveillon menu: the one he publishes in July for the benefit of the Reveillon organizers is actually only about half the size he intends to actually serve. This year, that gambit is even more flagrant. If there is any appetizer or entree from the regular menu that isn't included in the Reveillon scheme, I couldn't find it. From the baked oysters to the seafood martini, from the gumbo to the turtle soup, from the cioppino to the whole fish, from the Prime ribeye to the rack of lamb, everything was available for a peak Pelican Club dinner. Brian was intrigued by the presence of several dishes that he also had the night before at Commander's, the turtle soup, most notable among them. Not much turtle soup in Los Angeles--or much of the rest of this contemporary Creole menu. He loved all of it, and I think I even heard him agree with me when I said that this was a significantly better dinner than the one the night before. [caption id="attachment_45878" align="alignnone" width="480"] Stuffed pork chop, Pelican Club.[/caption] My dinner started with an oyster soup, went to the seafood martini, then to the stuffed pork chop. No bite of any of this made me think about how it could be better. The riskiest dish was the pork chop, whose stuffing of apples, sausage, and cornbread was moist (usually the greatest challenge in cooking such a thing), harmonious with the white pork, and bone-nibbling good. The only things I saw on the table that made me jealous was the beautiful, crusty lamb rack and the whole flounder with the Thai-crabmeat sauce. The latter was particularly well loved by the L.A. folks, who I know get dishes like this only rarely. [caption id="attachment_45879" align="alignnone" width="480"] Lobster at the Pelican Club.[/caption] This dinner, and a few others Mary Ann and I had here lately made take a mental note to rewrite my Dozen Best Restaurants For Those Looking Mostly For Great Food. The bride and groom presided over all this at the head of the table, looking very pleased that all their friends were having such a swell evening. This is why they decided to tie the knot here in New Orleans instead of back in L.A., Suzanne's native turf. Jude, who had been afflicted by a nasty cold or maybe even flu, reports that he now feels fine. Suzanne glowed beautiful in a sleek, well-groomed way--not a long leap for her. Even Mary Ann seemed to be pleased by the way things were going. [title type="h5"]Pelican Club. French Quarter: 615 Bienville. 504-523-1504.[/title]