A Waist is a Terrible Thing to Mind (The Commander's Palace Story)

We just got back from a trip to New Orleans, which is one of our favorite cities. We'll have a few posts covering the entire trip, but because this is primarily a food blog, we thought that we'd start with our most incredible culinary experience of the trip. In a city known for its food, the bar was set pretty high and we had a lot of amazing foodie experiences. The chef's tasting menu at Commander's Palace, however, handily beat anything else we ate in the city. We'd picked Commander's for our fancy "spendy" dinner not only because it is one of the oldest and most established fine dining restaurants in New Orleans, but also is where amazing chefs in the area jump start their careers. Among those chefs: Emeril Lagasse, Paul Prudhomme, and John Besh. Even with our sky high expectations, Commander's Palace did not let us down.

With a group of friends who had come to N.O. with us, we headed to our 7:00 reservation an hour early because we wanted to grab a pre-dinner cocktail at the bar. Our trip to the bar began with a trek through the kitchen (which was pretty amazing), and included sightings of James Carville (aka the Rajin' Cajun) and the owner of Commander's Palace, . The service at the bar was attentive and friendly (particularly to Allie) and the cocktails were good (but not great), but Commander's didn't get famous for their drinks.

After we were seated, it only took minor cajoling to get everybody to agree to the $100 "Chef's Playground" (which required a unanimous decision at the table) and four of us (including both of us, of course) also opted for the $68 wine paring, which was worth every penny. Without further ado, here it is, in all of its glory:

Truffled Egg & Caviar
Shaved black Oregon truffles, Atchafalaya Basin bowfin roe and sassafras chantilly
(1996 Duval-Leroy Brut Champagne)

Tortellini en Brado
A rich mushroom consommé with black trumpet mushrooms and herbed goat cheese tortellini
(1997 Kalin Cellars Potter Valley Reserve Sauvignon Blanc, Mendocino)

Foie Gras "Du Monde"
Cast iron seared foie gras over roasted pecan and foie gras beignets with a foie gras cafe au lait warm sugarcane syrup & chicory coffee "mist"
(2003 Royal Tokaji Red Label Aszu Five Puttonyos, Hungary)

~Le Coup De Milieu~
Maker's Mark, Grand Marnier, Cherry Herring, lime juice, and Peychauds bitters

Louisiana Crawfish "2" Ways
Crispy soft shell crawfish and a sauté of crawfish tails with grilled corn, tomatoes, Creole crawfish bisque and toasted garlic popcorn rice
(2007 LIOCO Chardonnay Sonoma County, California)

Cracklin' Crusted Duck
An air dried Muscovy duck breast with potato Boulanger, caramelized Louisiana citrus and roasted pecan duck fond
(2007 Domaine Jean-Jaques Girard en Charlemagne, Corton Grand Cru)

Artisan Cheese Plate
Bocage honeycomb, kumquat marmalade, shaved apples, and warm pecan biscotti
(2004 Dme. Stephane Pichat le Champon Cote Rotie, Rhone Valley)

The Angry Ice Cream Cone
Vanilla-toasted black pepper ice cream in a dark chocolate cone over a confiture of pink peppercorn and golden pineapple with Sailor Jerry's rum caramel
(2007 Chateau Gravas Sauternes, Bordeaux, France)

A few notes about the experience:

• The service was great. Super-attentive without being stuffy. A perfect level of New Orleans friendliness. Every course and wine paring described to us as it was served.
• Our favorite course was the Foie, which was creamy, sweet, savory, and salty. A well-balanced and beautiful course all around, paired with a wine that cut right through the richness of both the foie and the beignet.
• Our favorite wine was probably the Sauvignon Blanc that came with the tortellini... perhaps the richest and most complex white wine we've ever had.
• We were a little trepedatious about the angry ice cream cone, but sweet vanilla flavor really set the tone, and was followed by a slightly spicy peppery finish, which were both set off by the sweetness of the pineapple and caramel.
• And of course, like true food geeks we got our menus signed. Potentially by a future New Orleans celebrity chef.