Monday, January 24, 2011. Max Zander, Butch Steadman, And Galatoire's. About a year ago Butch Steadman--who has managed the wine and spirits section of vaunted Dorignac's Food Center for thirty-six years--called to say that I had been elected as the first recipient of the Max Zander Memorial Award from WYES-TV. Max was in the wine business even longer than Butch (or anybody else), and loomed large at WYES's annual fundraising wine auctions. He passed away a couple of years ago. Butch said that my sole duty as Max Zander laureate was to attend a dinner in my honor at Galatoire's. Could do, and did.
The second Max Zander Award was bestowed tonight, again at Galatoire's. The man this time was Butch Steadman. Right on. Butch pulled a bigger crowd (at $150 per person, proceeds to WYES) than I did. He also commanded a better dinner.
My table, however, was the best in the house. Sitting next to me was Peggy Scott Laborde. She and I are currently writing a book together, a print version of her famous "Lost Restaurants Of New Orleans" documentary. Across from us were David and Anne Gooch. David is fourth-generation Galatoire and manager of the restaurant since the 1960s. Next to them, Vic and Barbara Giancola. Vic is just retired from many years on the WYES board of directors. He and his wife have been with me for many Eat Club dinners and even our train trip last fall. The other seats were occupied by some wine merchants who no doubt sell a lot of cases to Butch. When we could hear one another (which you really can't at Galatoire's) we had a nice conversation.
I complained in this space last year that when Galatoire's does a special dinner like this, they ought not to stray too far from their classics. Not because Chef Brian Landry is incapable of doing so (he certainly can), but because when most people go to Galatoire's, they're thinking about certain favorite dishes they've had in the past.
I don't think it's because I said that, but this year's dinner was more along the lines of what I had in mind. After they passed around shrimp remoulade, escargots in little pastry cups, and soufflee potatoes to go with the Taittinger Champagne, we sat down to a turtle soup, then a very nice salad of hearts of palm and Boston lettuce.
The fish course was almost the dish of the night. It's something I'll sure ask for again: trout amandine, with the restaurant's brown butter as usual, but also a layer of creamed spinach underneath. You didn't know was there until you cut in. This was a very minor adaptation, but a very good one.
Nevertheless, the next course exceeded the trout in excitement. A thick pork chop had a light but distinctive smoke flavor, applied in house. It was cooked to an ideal juiciness, seared at the skin, and moistened with a thin coat of marchand de vin sauce. Just delicious. Dirty rice on the side. Joel Gott's 815 Cabernet Sauvignon served well with it.
Butch got up and gave a short appreciation. Then I was asked to come up for what I hope will be an annual (it's two years now, which in this city makes it a tradition) telling of my favorite Max Zander interchange. I asked him once on the radio which wines he was setting aside for aging. "Tom, at my age, I don't even buy green bananas!" That was Max.
Chocolate pot de creme and a Zinfandel port from Terra d'Oro finished things off. I unfurled my umbrella and headed for the parking garage, where I had a short exchange in Russian with the attendant. He gives me very fast service because I do that every time I see him, ever since I saw him reading a Russian-language book about a year ago.
Galatoire's. French Quarter: 209 Bourbon. 504-525-2021.
