We are so blessed to have the many dining options that firmly solidify our culinary cultural traditions; we really should avail ourselves of these riches more often. Summer offers great deals to entice people to come out in the heat. Restaurant anniversaries, birthday celebrations of our chef heroes, and just whatever an establishment can think of to make special will get people out and in their doors, and as Ella Brennan famously quipped, their butts in seats."
The birthday of the late Chef Paul Prudhomme is enough to have the owners of Gabrielle, Greg and Mary Sonnier (who met in the kitchen at K-Paul’s) offer a two-week special $65 menu of his favorites, which sells out every year. There are so many of these I had to see these deals for myself. It’s not a chore to go to any of these places, but at these prices, it’s foolish not to say “yes, please” to these offers. Were they as good as they seemed?
I dropped in on Pascal Manale’s because they offered a summer lunch special menu of $19.13 entrees, marking the restaurant’s original year. The prices were so cheap I got two, choosing a half portion of the signature BBQ shrimp, the original of this dish. And I got a shrimp salad, which was definitely not Shrimp Remoulade.
When I walked into a handsomely renovated dining room, Michael Sichel was sitting down with a little family, who were obviously connected somehow to the business. They were talking shop. I had been talking about Michael just the day before on The Food Show, when a caller asked why a chef like Phillip Lopez was at Galatoire’s. My response was that Philip Lopez was not the first wildly creative chef to helm a staid institution like Galatoire’s. Michael Sichel cracked that glass first. The question revived a conversation I have with myself all the time. Why would someone like Michael Sichel or Phillip Lopez take a job like that? Money is usually the obvious answer, but also has less pressure to create, so it’s a good respite from creative intensity. And did I mention the money?
I’d do it too. But for a chef like that, I imagine there’s also a lot of stress working within the confines of set perimeters. And I wondered a lot on the show about Michael Sichel’s whereabouts since he had disappeared from this scene after leaving Galatoire’s. I got an email after the show that he was at Manale’s, another institution entrenched in the traditional culinary culture in place since early in the last century. But that culture has been challenged mightily in this century, and I am happy to report it is holding its own. If something ain’t broke, why fix it? That doesn't mean that a younger generation of chefs and owners isn’t pushing boundaries within the framework.
And that is exactly what I found at Manale’s. I had a shrimp salad that wasn’t Remoulade. It was just a boiled shrimp salad with normal-sized boiled shrimp, but I tasted mint in the mix. Upon closer inspection, I found capers, radishes, and cilantro among the green elements. I loved this salad. It has a fresh taste and look, but it was not something that would have been found even last year at Pascal’s Manale. This is the Old Guard. To be honest, I would have preferred it to be Shrimp Remoulade. I can get a basic shrimp salad anywhere (though unlikely with mint), but I still enjoyed it.
I also ordered a second item from the $19.13 menu. It was the half portion of the famous BBQ Shrimp. The last time I had this signature dish in the place where it was first rolled out, I was bored by it. Since the craze it created in the early part of the last century, lots of people have poached it. This “simple” dish has been tweaked so many times I wouldn’t call it simple anymore. Gerard Maras first included Worcestershire sauce at Mr. B’s in the late 1980s, and the dish has never been the same. Here was a case of re-inventing the wheel and having it be a better wheel. That rarely happens.
With all the other happy bastardizations of the original, Pascal Manale’s kept their own original version, which now seemed boring by comparison. On this visit, I was glad to try it again. I found the 2026 version of the classic original to be tweaked as well. I didn’t taste Worcestershire, but the sauce was not nearly as blonde, both literally and figuratively as I remember. I still enjoyed it very much.
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The size of the shrimp is ridiculous now, here as well as anywhere else. Shrimp that need to be cut with a knife into three or more pieces are just too much, at least for my taste.
These entrees came with a starter of a house salad, though I chose a cup of seafood gumbo. I didn’t notice that the gumbo was an upcharge of $3, and when the waiter mentioned gumbo as an option, he failed to inform me of the upcharge. We’re of course only talking about $3, but I don’t like waiters who surprise you, even when it is your fault.
Conversely, the next deal meal I had was at Tujague’s, where I was looking at the regular traditional Table d’Hôte menu with the “legacy dishes.” The waitress mentioned to me that all the legacy dishes on the traditional Table d’Hôte menu were choices on the $26 menu I had come to experience. She didn’t have to do that. I felt for the remainder of the evening that she was my advocate for the duration of the meal. Indeed, she was, and we happily tipped 40 % of the bill, which was absurdly cheap at $100 for three, including a glass of wine.
So, how was this incredible deal? It was first fanciful, which made it ipso facto fun. The Taste of 1982 Menu celebrates the year that the owner’s father Steve Latter took over the restaurant from the previous owners. The prices from that year are the prices for this year for this offer. Four courses! $26. Ridiculous. But I had to see it.
Three of us went, and we got all three entrees. The first course was a demi portion of Shrimp Remoulade, and indeed it was. Four smallish shrimp were tossed in Remoulade sauce and served the old-fashioned way with chopped hard-boiled egg on top. This sat on top of a leaf of lettuce and included some pickled red onions and a half grape tomato or two. I was a little underwhelmed, but someone at the table remarked that it was the best version of the classic dish he had had in memory. What I didn’t like about it (the mildness) was what appealed to him. Too light on the horseradish for me, perfect for him. I was intrigued by the old-fashioned preparation that included the chopped egg. Regardless of these little details, Shrimp Remouade is a great invention, and I don’t know anyone who would take an argument about that.
The size of the next course surprised me. The menu said a demi portion of the gumbo, but I have paid $18 for gumbos smaller than that size. This was a happy surprise. It was neither the best nor the worst gumbo I have had, full of chicken and andouille pieces, lots of rice, and just enough spice. Very good.
While we were enjoying the gumbo course, entrees were delivered to the table next to us. What looked like a serving-size platter of something was placed there, along with a plate with just nibbles. The contrast of these two plates was amusing. It soon occurred to us that these were the two “legacy dishes” offered. The huge platter of chicken was the Bonne Femme, which could have fed the entire table.
The other “legacy dish” was the hunk of boiled brisket with horseradish sauce, boiled potato and carrot. I remember this dish as a hunk of brisket about 4 inches long, 2 inches wide, and maybe 3 inches high, sitting alone on a plate with a large dollop of the sauce. This plate was a little sad.
As we were assessing these dishes, our own version arrived at our table. The Bonne Femme was beautiful. Chicken pieces of half a chicken were arranged on a large platter, with the potato component of the dish updated to potato chips rather than the fried potatoes I remember.
The heavy garlic/parsley component was the same, except that there seemed to be more parsley than I remembered. The chips were brown and overdone, so we left most of those. I liked the light coating on the chicken, but when I tasted it, the salt component was so high that I had only a few bites. Too bad. This was an incredible deal that I wish I could have enjoyed more.
Salt was a problem for two of the three dishes. The Pork Escalope was an enormous piece of paneed pork with a mound of arugula tossed in a light vinaigrette on top. This was simple and pretty to look at, but the pork was also even saltier than the chicken. Also too bad because the meat was tender enough to enjoy it, and that’s what I wanted to do. The crust was nice, the arugula salad was very good, but we left most of that, too.
The boring plate of brisket was the best of the three, though it shouldn’t have been. The meat was tender and had a great bite with a pass through the horseradish sauce. The vegetables were miserable, clearly an afterthought.
Dessert was another local classic, bread pudding. It was a lovely presentation and tasty enough. None of us at the table eat bread pudding, but a bite revealed that this was a fine enough version of the dessert so locally beloved.
I couldn’t help but think what a great opportunity this is for someone who hasn’t been to this beautiful Grande Dame to enjoy an evening there for a ridiculously low price. The food could have been better, but three of the four courses were very good. Bottles of wine were only $19. C’mon.
You’re welcome.