We were in the house the night the beloved Bon Ton closed. This centennial gem ran out of steam with no one stepping up to keep it going. The house that night was full of people and their families who had been coming for generations, all there to say goodbye. I always say that Wayne and Debby Pierce got out at the right time. The COVID lockdowns began the very next day. Debby Pierce had told me earlier that the place had been sold, and they felt it was going to “a good home” with Jerry Greenbaum, an Atlanta native whose time at Tulane left him with a soft spot for New Orleans. He has long been running a successful outpost of his mid-Atlantic chain The Chophouse, right across the street.
Jerry’s operation is huge, with a few different concepts, though The Chophouse is the most well-known. It is a high-end steakhouse, and a very good one. I was curious as to what he would do with the Bon Ton space, wondering if he would put his spin on old favorites. It took a long time and great perseverance on Jerry’s part to realize his vision for his newest acquisition. Mere weeks before opening, a fire gutted the place, and they had to start all over. Jerry talked to us on The Food Show (airs 2-4pm weekdays on 990AM WGSO.) and I was excited for the prospects for the old Bon Ton because Jerry is a total class act. It was in good hands. He was a bit secretive about specifics, so I didn’t know what to expect when we went to the soft opening. Jerry kindly paid homage to the original place by including it in the name, Bon Ton Prime Rib. Besides the name and the brick walls and a few dishes like crabmeat au gratin on the menu, there is no connection between the old place and the new. The original Bon Ton was a homey place with homey food, and Bon Ton Prime Rib is a glamorous high-end steakhouse with a signature dish of Prime Rib.
Prime Rib isn’t seen too much on menus these days, but this prime rib is unusually great. It is prime beef prime rib, with a superior texture and flavor. It is served with two little sterno pewter dishes of hot jus as accompaniment. This is high-style service, which is emblematic of the entire place. What you order is served tableside from carts, but nothing about this is pretentious. It’s refreshing. You rarely see this kind of professionalism out anywhere these days.
As usual, we got a ridiculous amount of food. Starting with oysters for Tom and a shellfish bisque for me. We got bacon, which is having a moment hanging from contraptions. And we got crabmeat au gratin, because this place has Bon Ton in the name,., and crab cakes because I am at the table. For entrees, we got the prime rib of course, and a grilled redfish.
We saw gorgeous steaks and beautiful salads going by, but those will have to wait for the next time. As for sides, there were some of the usual steakhouse regulars like macaroni and cheese, Brussels sprouts, and a baked potato. There are mashed potatoes with cheese, and the macaroni and cheese has crawfish added. Broccoli is steamed or grilled, and the requisite onion rings are here. But the star of this Sides menu is a puffed corn casserole. We call it corn pudding, but it’s sensational whatever the name. And we had a signature butter cake for dessert.
Before any of this came to the table, a small loaf of French bread and soft butter arrived warm and wrapped in a napkin. It was toasted just right and soft in the middle.
All our appetizers came on the cart and were served by a team of waiters. Tom’s Bon Ton oysters were charbroiled with lump crab and the cheese congealed into a doily-like seal over the whole dish, hiding the oysters and crab beneath. It was pretty, and delicious as well. This was served with more of the small French bread loaf.
While Tom was busy with his oysters, I watched a waiter pour the bisque around the shellfish bits in the center of a bowl. The soup was very thick, and exactly the right color for shellfish. This was insanely creamy and rich, and I could have stopped after this, it was so filling. And soul-satisfying.
But there was so much more. The bacon was obscenely thick and over-the-top too. It was the thickest bacon I've seen, caramelized and smoky. One slice was enough for one sitting. This was divine.
The crab cakes were not precisely formed as I expected, but more of a giant mound of jumbo lump crabmeat. They came as a duo in a sea of sauce that was creamy with mustard notes, and more pronounced than a typical remoulade. The menu stated that there was no filler and indeed there wasn’t. This was a good choice for crab lovers.
Another crab appetizer we got in honor of the original Bon Ton was the Crabmeat au Gratin. There was nothing that these two dishes shared except crabmeat and cheese. In the case of the original Bon Ton, there was a slice of melted American cheese on top of the creamy crab casserole. This version had a medley of cheeses and no American cheese in sight. It was served with more of that small loaf of French bread. This could have been a little thicker, but was delicious nevertheless.
For entrees, Tom had the signature prime rib. It was medium rare and wonderfully tender, with a crust all around the edges, The flavor was great. This was the best prime rib I’ve ever encountered. Jerry reminded me that it was prime prime rib, and that’s what made the difference. It was superb.
We also had a whole roasted redfish, which was beautifully displayed in a stylish roasting pan. It was well-seasoned with Cajun spices, tender and flaky. I realized that ordering a whole fish was a mistake I learned the last time I ordered a whole fish. No bones for Tom. This was deboned, but I'm still paranoid about that when Tom is involved. I had to feel everything Ton would eat, and that was a sad thing to do to this beautifully presented fish. Too bad. It was perfect.
For sides, we got the puffed corn casserole and a good 'ole baked potato. We're very over Brussels sprouts, and macaroni and cheese is always a temptation, especially with seafood throughout, but I haven't had pasta in a while and I want to keep it that way.
The corn casserole was more like a soufflé, which might be the very best way to eat corn. It was the perfect texture and had a wonderful corn flavor.
And the baked potato was the tuber of my life. It was large and soft inside and loaded with all the usual things.
This was a fantastic meal and a large one. We decided to keep going and get the butter cake. It came with an excessive amount of raspberry gastrique overdecorating the plate. A scoop of custardy vanilla ice cream sat in the center of the cake that was toasted and caramelized brown. A medley of berries cascaded from the top.
It was a festive evening that was so pleasant we didn’t really want to leave. I felt a little silly with all the carry-out bags of leftovers, but I looked forward to having more of this at home.
We finally left, but not before chatting a bit with the very helpful valet who offered his assistance both in and out the door. He’s another member of the top-quality staff at Bon Ton Prime Rib, who collectively gave us a marvelous evening. We can't wait to return here.
