Memorable Meal – Travel in N’awlins
Posted in Food, Travel | By Shelley Gillespie | Tags: Recipe, Restaurant, US Domestic Travel
When you think about travel, sometimes the meals can be the most memorable part of the trip. New Orleans is certainly a memorable place in its own right, but rarely do you get a repeat performance that lives up to expectations in the way I found about Brennan’s.
On a trip years ago, my husband and I had scoped out places to see and restaurants where we wanted to eat. Brennan’s had a fantastic reputation, so we decided to try their famous Sunday brunch.
Seated in an inviting patio, our waiter was Tony, a long time employee, formerly from New York. Tony was one of the consummate servers in the restaurant industry. I say “was,” because in researching the restaurant for today’s take on things, I found out that Tony, well into his 70s, retired in 2008.
During our meal, he chatted with us, but never obtrusively. He served us our meals with flair, especially when he “performed” – preparing the Bananas Foster for which Brennan’s is famous. (recipe follows)
For my meal, I thoroughly enjoyed Shrimp Sardou, a savory combination of “delicious spicy fried shrimp nestled” in creamed spinach, artichoke bottoms, and “covered in Hollandaise sauce.” My husband opted for the more mundane, but equally well-prepared, Eggs Benedict. Ah, perfection!
Our meals were large portions, but somehow we found room to try the Bananas Foster, an incendiary dish with flamed bananas that provided the just right contrast to our main courses with its sweetness.
Revisiting Brennan’s
Several years later, I was attending a conference in New Orleans and decided to go solo and visit Brennan’s again. Tony was, again, my waiter. He professed to remember me and I appreciated the same solicitous service. I ordered Shrimp Sardou again. I couldn’t resist. It was as wonderful as I remembered it being.
Hurricane Katrina came and went after that visit and I haven’t had the opportunity to return, but the Sunday brunch at Brennan’s ranks as one of my favorite and most memorable meals. I have heard that New Orleans has recovered, at least in the French Quarter, from the devastation of Katrina, but it is reassuring to know that some things are still the same. Except for Tony, who has reached his well-deserved retirement. I wish him well.
Bananas Foster
(Courtesy of the Brennan’s New Orleans Cookbook)
2 Tablespoons brown sugar
1 Tablespoon butter
1 ripe banana, peeled and sliced lengthwise
Dash cinnamon
½ oz. banana liqueur
1 oz. white rum
1 Large scoop vanilla ice cream
Melt brown sugar and butter in flat chafing dish. Add bananas and sauté until tender. Sprinkle with cinnamon. Pour in banana liqueur and rum and over all and flame. Baste with warm liquid until flame burns out. Serve immediately over ice cream. 1 serving.
I have not included the Shrimp Sardou, because the book I have doesn’t include it. It adds the crispy fried shrimp to Eggs Sardou, which incorporates 1 cup of creamed spinach, 2 artichoke bottoms, 2 poached eggs and Hollandaise sauce. (No recipe is included for the creamed spinach, but you’ll just have to go to Brennan’s and try it yourself.)
Note: I have not been paid for this endorsement.
Tags: Recipe, Restaurant, US Domestic Travel