re: Commander’s Palace in Nola

Friend,

I have not been to Commanders in 13 years. The last time, I had been visiting a family member’s grave at Lafayette Cemetery. I was wearing slacks and a long sleeve button up shirt. I thought it would be nice to go in to make a reservation for the next day. When I did, Ms. Martin was at the front desk and took the reservation. As I was leaving, she spoke up and said, “Be sure you do not wear what you are wearing. We require at the least a sports coat.” It is not an overstatement when I say I was mortified. Did she really think I would try to eat there without a coat?

Yours,
TulaneLSU

No matter where you're from, they make their guests feel local. 10

A little history on the Palace:

In 1975, Paul Prudhomme became the first American-born executive chef at Commander's Palace under Richard Brennan, Sr. Chef Paul turned the Garden District restaurant into a world-class destination.

In 1979, Paul Prudhomme and Kay opened K-Paul's Louisiana Kitchen in the French Quarter of New Orleans. The restaurant was named as a portmanteau of their names, with Paul working as head chef and Kay as restaurant manager. For a while he attempted to operate the restaurant while still working at Commander's Palace, but the demand in his new restaurant was such that he moved to work there full-time, while also appointing Emeril Lagasse to take over as executive chef at Commanders Palace.

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Jeans and polo shirts were abundant

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Was this right after Covid? They may have been more lax.

But you won’t see a lot of that. Jeans are greatly discouraged.

This thread got me thinking. Has there ever been another restaurant in the city that has nurtured the creativity of chefs and given them as much free reign culinarily as Commanders does? Almost all of the chefs that leave Commanders go on to success. Most of the Grand Dame restaurants in the city want their chefs to conform to the tradition of the restaurant. When you think about the enormous talent that has gone through that place, it's mind boggling. Paul Prudhomme Jamie Shannon, Emeril Lagasse, Frank Brigtsen, Tory McPhail, and a ton of other very talented guys. I do believe Meg is the first female Executive Chef. I can't think of another place that turns out such talent.

Gautreau’s comes to mind. For a while and perhaps still it was the only restaurant in America that has had 3 Best New Chefs by food and wine (Larkin Selman, John Harris, and Sue Zemanick). Not too mention John Currence worked there and many other notable chefs passed through that kitchen.

Friend,

One of Uncle’s fly fishing friends in Bozeman told us some distressing news about T McPhail. Apparently he was convinced to take a job at a hot sushi restaurant there in Bozeman a few years ago (probably explains why I often saw him at Shogun before he left New Orleans). While head chef there in MT’s best sushi restaurant, a woman ordered a roll that had a morel mushroom in it. Somehow someone figured out the morel had not been cooked. It may have caused a terrible reaction and the woman died what was said to be an extremely painful death in the hospital a few days later. McPhail left that position shortly after. Very tragic.

Yours,
TulaneLSU

You belong somewhere else

I've forgotten why he left Commander's.

quote:

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One of Uncle’s fly fishing friends in Bozeman told us some distressing news about T McPhail. Apparently he was convinced to take a job at a hot sushi restaurant there in Bozeman a few years ago (probably explains why I often saw him at Shogun before he left New Orleans). While head chef there in MT’s best sushi restaurant, a woman ordered a roll that had a morel mushroom in it. Somehow someone figured out the morel had not been cooked. It may have caused a terrible reaction and the woman died what was said to be an extremely painful death in the hospital a few days later. McPhail left that position shortly after. Very tragic.

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Wow