Thanksgiving dinner at a restaurant!
Hello, all! I'm working in NO for the next three months and will be eating all that the city has to offer--can't wait! I've already had delicious meals at Coquette and Jacque-imo's.
My current focus is finding a great place for Thanksgiving dinner. I've read all the great posts here and looked at a bunch of the menus online and have my choices narrowed down to: Ralph's on the Park, Arnaud's, Commander's Palace, Bourbon House and Luke.
Can you help me make my final decision? The price doesn't matter, we just want somewhere nice with delicious food. And we are looking for traditional-ish Thanksgiving food. Can be new-fangled or fancy or have a NO twist, but there has to be turkey! If you want to throw a wrench in things and suggest a different place, that's fine, too!
Thanks for your help!
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Commander's Palace Restaurant
1403 Washington Ave, New Orleans, LA 70130
Bourbon House
144 Bourbon St, New Orleans, LA 70130
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sarahvagaca
Nov 26, 2011 08:42 PM
Commander's Palace was awesome! The special Thanksgiving menu was quite varied, with some of their regular menu items but mostly specials. My SO had a shrimp and Tasso appetizer with 5-pepper jelly which he absolutely loved. I had an escargot and bone marrow in bordelaise sauce for my appetizer which I really enjoyed. I love escargot and this was a different preparation than I'd ever had before. For the main course, my SO went with the duck and again, he loved it! He hasn't had duck very much but it was so good here that he'll definitely be having it again. I went for the traditional turkey and it was really good. I especially loved the oyster dressing, shrimp and mirliton stuffing and caramelized root vegetables. We got a side of sour cream mashed potatoes which turned out to be enormous but was delicious. My SO had a gingerbread upside down cake with pumpkin ice cream--again loved! I had the bread pudding souffle which is their specialty and I thought it was just okay. The service was impeccable--very attentive but also very warm and friendly. Everyone was dressed up and the atmosphere overall was quite festive. I would highly recommend it for Thanksgiving and am anxious to visit again on a regular night.
Thanks everyone for your recommendations. I hope you all had a happy Thanksgiving!
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Commander's Palace Restaurant
1403 Washington Ave, New Orleans, LA 70130›6 Replies-
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re: bmoskowitz
sarahvagaca
Nov 27, 2011 05:53 PM
Thanks! We went to the right from the main entrance and were seated in that room. It seemed like the main dining room, but I'm not sure. We had a really nice spot in the back corner of the room. There were lots of people passing by to be seated upstairs. I'm curious what it's like up there but glad we got to sit where we did!
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re: sarahvagaca
Sounds like you got a nice table. The upstairs has the famed, "Garden Room" which is coveted for some reason. I think on a holiday like Thanksgiving it really doesn't matter where you sit. If you go back for lunch on a regular day, you might request the Garden Room to see what all the fuss is about. It is a beautiful room, but it seems like there are many nice rooms in the restaurant.
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re: bmoskowitz
sarahvagaca
Nov 27, 2011 10:12 PM
Ooh, good to know! I'm here for several months, so we'll definitely be visiting CP again. My list of must-visit spots is growing and growing as I read posts here on CH! So far, we've been to CP, Southern Candymakers, Jacque-imo's, Dante's Kitchen, Coquette, Luke, Bourbon House, La Bayou, Mother's, Joey K's and Cafe du Monde. Lots more on our list! If you have any suggestions, I'd love to hear them. Thanks, bmoskowitz!
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Dante's Kitchen
736 Dante Street, New Orleans, LA 70118Joey K's Restaurant & Bar
3001 Magazine St, New Orleans, LA 70115Bourbon House
144 Bourbon St, New Orleans, LA 70130La Bayou
208 Bourbon St, New Orleans, LA 70130-
re: sarahvagaca
Sure, I have suggestions. If you haven't already, you need to try both Cochon and Herbsaint--the 2 Donald Link restaurants. Both are great. I also recommend Brigsten's for dinner; Galatoire's for lunch or dinner; Acme for broiled oysters; Sylvain for cocktails and dinner; Restaurant August; Central Grocery; and Martinique Bistro (off the top of my head). Oh, and Parkway Bakery for a great poorboy.
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re: bmoskowitz
sarahvagaca
Nov 29, 2011 12:12 PM
Excellent! Many of these are on my list and you've helped solidify others that I'd been pondering. I haven't heard of Martinique Bistro, so I'll look into that one. Thanks so much!
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sarahvagaca
Nov 23, 2011 11:57 AM
There were some cancellations, so Commander's Palace it is! Thanks all for your input!
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Commander's Palace Restaurant
1403 Washington Ave, New Orleans, LA 70130›1 Reply -
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re: Hungry Celeste
sarahvagaca
Nov 18, 2011 05:27 PM
Yeah, the menu looks amazing! I love the leftovers at the bar idea!
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Highly recommend Commander's--I had a great Thanksgiving meal there. But I've also always enjoyed Luke and would be really interested to see what Thanksgiving was like there.
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re: midcity
sarahvagaca
Nov 14, 2011 11:18 PM
Thanks, midcity! I was hoping to hear from someone who'd been to one of these places for Thanksgiving, so it's great to hear your feedback. We're leaning towards Commander's Palace but Luke's Thanksgiving spread sounds amazing, too. We'll be visiting both at some point, for sure!
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Commander's Palace Restaurant
1403 Washington Ave, New Orleans, LA 70130-
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re: bmoskowitz
sarahvagaca
Nov 18, 2011 05:25 PM
Thanks, bmoskowitz! Commander's is booked, but they said they sometimes get cancellations the week of, so we're going to try back next week. We have reservations at Ralph's, Bourbon House, Dickie Brennan's Steakhouse and Brennan's as back-ups!
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Try scrolling down to the thread "good place to spend Thanksgiving in NOLA?". As per the sticky, many queries have already been asked/answered. A simple board search is all it takes.
Re: your list, Commanders' if they aren't booked already. Avoid Ralph's, nice restaurant, mediocre food. Check The Rib Room's menu. Reserve a window table.
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re: JazzyB
sarahvagaca
Nov 14, 2011 05:23 AM
Thanks, JazzyB! Yes, as I said, I've read and received helpful information on all the previous posts on this topic, including the one you referenced. I'm just looking for more specifics now that I have my list narrowed down. I'll check out The Rib Room.
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re: califkatie
sarahvagaca
Nov 14, 2011 02:25 PM
That's a great resource--thanks, califkatie! Guess I'll have to do the narrowing down on my own! :)
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re: JazzyB
Bill Hunt
Nov 14, 2011 06:59 PM
Now, this has been for Saturday and Sunday Brunch ONLY, but Ralph's has always come through on the food end of things.
Have no clue, how they might handle Thanksgiving meals, but for those brunches, they have requited themselves very well.
Only complaints were the piano in the bar area once, and the loss of some good FR Chards (Meursaults and Montrachets) from their wine list, but stuff happens.
What were the food issues, that you encountered?
Hunt
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re: Bill Hunt
sarahvagaca
Nov 14, 2011 11:13 PM
Thanks, Bill! Good to know. I think we'll try Ralph's, just maybe not for this particular meal.
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re: JazzyB
Bill Hunt
Nov 15, 2011 06:52 PM
Sounds like all of my experiences with Muriel's, Drago's (Hilton) and most recent ones with Commander's Palace - all big favorites here.
As I do not work for Ralph Brennan, I can only recount our great meals. That you, or others, did not experience such, is of no concern to me.
I only report them, as I encounter them, and try to provide enough detail on why I liked X, but hated Y, that almost anyone can use the reviews.
Sorry that you, and some poster, had bad food. I have yet to encounter that, with about 9 brunches under my belt.
Hunt
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Commander's Palace Restaurant
1403 Washington Ave, New Orleans, LA 70130
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