When folks find out we have been to New Orleans on a Knoxville Museum of Art trip, they ask all about the art we saw, right? No. “Where did you eat?” is what they really want to know.
As folks who read this blog from time to time may know, Alan and I go to New Orleans fairly regularly and we have our favorite eateries, naturally. (Click here or here for info on that.) But on the trip last month, we made it a point to go to several we’ve not visited before. We found some great new (to us) spots. And, I hate to say it, but we were disappointed in one of our old favorites that we did visit.
First, the good news. For my money, the best food we had on the trip was actually a catered meal at artist Hunt Slonem‘s sugarcane plantation. It was catered by the restaurant Clementine Dining and Spirits, located at 113 E. Main Street in New Iberia, about 130 miles from New Orleans proper. Since Clementine is closed on Mondays, the day of our visit, the restaurant’s owner, Wayne Peltier, helped prepare the noon meal for the 32 guests from Knoxville. We dined on the spacious back porch of Slonem’s mansion, overlooking the bayou a few feet away.
Clementine Dining and Spirits is named for folk artist Clementine Hunter, owner Wayne Peltier’s favorite painter. She always signed her initials with the C placed backwards, with its arms “reaching out to hug you.” The tines of the fork represent the backwards C. You can see that the knife and spoon form the H in her initials.
So, Clementine provided my favorite food of the trip. I would love to go to the actual restaurant, but the two-hour drive from New Orleans may be a sticking point for getting back there. We shall see.
Alan’s favorite restaurant this time was an Uptown place called Clancy’s. Located at 6100 Annunciation Street, it was packed when our party of 10 arrived, but I do think we were the only non-residents. Clancy’s is a place for locals. It has the kind of atmosphere the old Regas Restaurant in Knoxville used to have — white tablecloths, but homey and comfortable. The wait staff members were personable and helpful. And the food was great. As were the martinis!
Another great meal at a place we’d never been before was at GW Fins in the French Quarter. Located at 808 Bienville Street and recommended to us by a friend’s New Orleans buddies, it clearly was a spot for business diners and conventioneers, among others. With a very modern, sleek feel to it, it was a contrast with the cozy Clancy’s. But we really liked the food there, as well. It was our last dinner of the trip, though, and we had to force ourselves to indulge in one more rich meal.
In New Orleans we stayed at a funky hotel in the Arts District called the Renaissance New Orleans Arts Hotel, a Marriott property located at 700 Tchoupitoulas Street. It was filled with all kinds of modern art, which I guess is why it was selected for our group. It was conveniently located not far from the French Quarter and had a bar/restaurant in it called Rene Bistrot. The bar was a great place to grab a table by the window and people-watch while sipping a cocktail. Since we arrived on the afternoon that the Saints were playing a home game, we got to see plenty of festively dressed fans heading to the Superdome. We also saw the various members of our group coming and going and we were able to wave them in to join us for drinks.
Here’s the deal with Rene Bistrot. It has fantastic drinks and appetizers and a great wait staff. But our dinner was dreadful and tasteless. I’ll just show you the good stuff. But you have been warned. Have snacks there, but don’t even THINK about having dinner there.
And then we sat down to – yuk! Super bland onion soup, mushy gulf fish and my normally favorite dessert, bread pudding with whiskey sauce, that I swear had absolutely no flavor at all.
The other disappointment on our dining marathon was, unfortunately, Commander’s Palace. Located at 1403 Washington Avenue in the Garden District, Commander’s is usually one of our favorite stops. The only thing I can figure is that we normally go on Sunday for Jazz Brunch and perhaps that is just over-the-top great and not a good comparison. Also, we were in a private dining room this time and we were a party of 32, so maybe that was a problem. But you would think a place as storied and experienced as Commander’s Palace could handle that. The food still was good, but customer service was an issue.
We had pre-ordered all the courses: a romaine salad, griddle seared Gulf fish and a praline parfait for dessert. Also pre-ordered were a white wine (chardonnay) and a red wine. When the waiter came to pour the wine, my friend Rosemary Gilliam and I asked if, instead of the pre-orderd chardonnay, we could split a bottle of pinot grigio. We would, of course, pay for it out of our pockets. Incredibly, the waiter acted like this was a problem. When I offered to go to the bar myself and buy a bottle of wine to bring back to the table (I’m not sure there actually is a bar, but I was making a point!), he said he would have to check with the dining room manager. At last he relented and told us we would be allowed to purchase a bottle of pinot grigio.
We learned later that several of our party asked if they could have (and pay for) coffee after dessert. They were told no! Good grief.
So, there you have it. The good, the bad and the ugly. Fortunately, much more good than anything. We can’t wait to go back to New Orleans. Please post in the comments any suggestions you have or interesting dining experiences you’ve had in the Big Easy.
This was a great trip. I learned how to pronounce Tchoupitoulos.I asked that my goofy pose be dropped, and apparently my request has been ignored.
Love Commanders Palace – was there in July. . What a great group and all that delicious food. I want to go back. Fay
Great post! We loved Atchafalaya in the Garden District as well as Herbsaint and August. You probably know them but we recommend them highly!
My mouth started watering at the first bread pudding photo.
Herbsaint is on our Top Ten list. We look forward to trying the others Susan mentioned.
Alan, I thought that was a cute pic of you!
Fay, we normally love Commander’s. But their customer service attitude was not good this time. It’s not like there aren’t plenty of other great restaurants in New Orleans!
Susan: Thanks for your reccomendations. We definitely will try Atchafalaya and August on our next trip. Already love Herbsaint.
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