Commander's Palace

Commander's Palace is a Creole fine-dining institution at 1403 Washington Avenue in the Garden District of New Orleans, Louisiana, housed in a turquoise-and-white Victorian mansion across the street from Lafayette Cemetery No. 1. The restaurant dates to 1893 and has been run by the Brennan family since 1969. Its kitchen is regarded as a training ground for American chefs, with Paul Prudhomme and Emeril Lagasse among the cooks who led it in earlier decades, and the restaurant has collected multiple James Beard Foundation awards. The cooking is modern Creole built on Gulf and Louisiana ingredients. Turtle soup finished with sherry is the traditional opener, shrimp and tasso henican pairs sweet Gulf shrimp with smoky tasso ham, and the bread pudding souffle served with whiskey sauce is the dessert most associated with the house. Seasonal Louisiana produce, redfish, pecans and crawfish appear across the menu as the year turns. The dining rooms are a series of bright, garden-facing spaces, including the glass-walled Garden Room that looks into the live oaks, and an upstairs area with a more clubby feel. Service is formal but warm, and the noise level rises on weekends when the jazz brunch brings strolling musicians through the rooms. The dress code is business casual to dressy: jackets are preferred at dinner, and shorts, athletic wear and T-shirts are discouraged. The wine list is deep and strong in French and American bottles, and the cocktail programme leans on classics. The weekday lunch is famous for its 25-cent martinis, limited per guest, which makes lunch the best-value way to experience the room. Reservations are strongly recommended. Dinner and weekend brunch tables are often booked several weeks ahead, especially during Carnival, Jazz Fest and the holiday season, while weekday lunch is usually easier to secure. Expect a three-course dinner to run roughly US$90-150 per person before drinks.