![]() ![]() Visiting New Orleans? Here's 5 of the best things to eat and drink And I do think our team is good at reading that. You know the gamut of things people might be doing. You could have two guys over here making a business deal like, pretty much leave us alone but we're gonna have some really good wine. When they realized we were kind of casual people and we were there to have a good time, the servers adapted. One thing that I did notice was our servers were waiting to see what kind of experience we wanted. I think a lot of people talk about it, but not so many people put that much effort into it. We try to teach how to make people feel well cared for with professional but warm service and true, true hospitality. And I can't tell you how often my cousin Lally and I, who's my co-proprietor here, literally model body language that shows it's an honor to serve. We also have classes about hospitality, obviously. We also do classes on finances and how to buy your first house or car. And it might be on wine, it might be on how to do flaming coffee. We do something around here called Aqua Blue, classes that we give to our team. Here at Commander's, we're in the business of creating dining memories. When you ask most restaurateurs or chefs what business they're in, they'll say the food business. I wasn't walking in expecting too much of a fusty-dusty experience, but I was still surprised by just how not-stuffy it was. What are we doing tomorrow? What's next, you know? Because none of that matters, right? And we, in fact, will be 130 years old next year. We'll take all the awards that are given out but I don't care about them. Truly our whole thing is pretty much what you just said the main thing around here is that we're going to evolve. Sometimes people want to put us into these stories about restaurants that frankly don't change. Ti Martin: I actually kind of love the question. Southern Kitchen: How does a restaurant this old stay so current and relevant after all this time? The interview has been edited for length. Martin explained how it all comes together. To see the staff in action, even as a storm threatened, the noise level rose and every seat filled, is to witness a well-oiled machine. That work continues to pay off, with the James Beard Foundation nominating Commander's Palace for an Outstanding Service Award in 2022. The service staff helps make it happen under Martin and Brennan's watchful guidance. Commander's Palace has been awarded seven James Beard Awards so far.īut the restaurant's ownership team has not rested on its recognition and continues to innovate, adding new dishes and flavors to the menu while still paying homage to classic Creole recipes.Ĭommander's is a huge ship, and steering it requires an enormous amount of work behind the scenes. The Beard's Who’s Who of Food and Beverage recognized current co-proprietors Ti Martin and Lally Brennan in 2018. Brennan netted the James Beard Awards' Lifetime Achievement Award in 2009. Women have a history of running the show here.įamily matriarch Ella Brennan was part of the team that took ownership of the iconic restaurant in 1974, revamping the interior and the menu, and establishing the scenic garden room by transforming an underused locker room into a sought-after dining spot. Chefs who have helped write the book on haute Creole cuisine here have included Paul Prudhomme, his successor Emeril Lagasse and, now, Meg Bickford, the first woman to serve as executive chef. This sprawling restaurant, a robins egg blue mainstay of New Orleans culture since 1893, is nestled in the tree-lined Garden District among Victorian mansions and one historic, moss-covered graveyard. ![]() A team of servers bustled around, ferrying trays of classic bloody marys, Sazeracs and crisp French sauvignon blanc to diners. On an intermittently rainy Saturday, the garden room of Commander's Palace swiftly filled up as diners gathered for the restaurant's famed booze-soaked jazz brunch. Watch Video: Roving jazz musicians at Commander's Palace in New Orleans. ![]()
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