Thursday, November 15, 2012.
In Court With Tour Guides.
Back in the earliest days of my radio show (1979-1982), I had the time to do a lot of production to add texture to the program. One bit that I wound up using on a regular basis for over fifteen years was my reproduction of what I once heard a horse-and-carriage driver in the French Quarter tell his passengers. It was about eighty percent an exact quote. It struck me as so preposterous that I still remember how it went:
"Behind that old house there's a beautiful courtyard! And over there's another beautiful courtyard. [Neither one could be seen.] And on the corner, your Time Saver grocery! [Time Saver was a large local string of utterly ordinary convenience stores.] And two blocks down the street and around the corner you got your Preservation Hall, home of Dixieland jazz! [That's really what he said!] And behind that wall another beautiful courtyard."
I thought I'd use that to open my talk to the local organization of tour guides tonight. A large roomful of them was having an annual meeting, and I was the after-dinner speaker. While waiting, it became clear to me that these people--who are licensed by the city to do what they do--take the accuracy of what they tell people very seriously.
So I dropped the buggy-driver shtick and went with my Soup Du Jour Trilogy of stories, which I have used to open every address I have given for thirty years. I always ask whether anyone in the room had ever heard them before, and only two people ever had. I guess this means that nobody listens to my speeches twice.
The dinner was in the Court of Two Sisters, which provided the meal for free. I guess one could make a fuss about that, but I don't think it's worth persuing. There's not question that the Court of Two Sisters is historic and picturesque, and any visitor who came here for dinner would get a good taste of the city.
And its food. I think the Court is much better than it's reputed to be. Indeed, I walked in with two desires: a Sazerac (the best in town, I think) and turtle soup (consistently excellent, old style). I expected to have to pull rank to get a bowl of turtle soup instead of the shrimp and grits or the steak (both of which looked good). But no. The server, who had no idea who I was, hesitated only a second before saying, "Of course!" He even brought out a bottle of sherry. I appreciated that, even though I don't add it. (I think the sherry service with turtle soup is much more about the service than the flavor. Turtle soup should be cooked with sherry, but pouring it into the bowl injects alcohol where it is not complementary. (Even when it's complimentary.)
The Court served a great-looking dessert that I wasn't able to taste because by then I was talking.
I thought it was telling that the question capturing the greatest interest from the tour guides concerned the ages of the oldest restaurants. There's one surprise among those right now: next year, Pascal's Manale completes a hundred years.
Court of Two Sisters. French Quarter: 613 Royal. 504-522-7273.
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