Thursday, February 5, 2015

Chowzter North American Awards at Commander's Palace in New Orleans

So last month I was in New Orleans for the Chowzter North American Awards. The award ceremony was held in the historic Commander's Palace! The restaurant was established in the 1880s and is an institution in this city. It was my first time there so I was pretty excited.

Commander's Palace

During the award, Boston's Rino's Place took home the Best Pasta award for their ricotta ravioli. Yay! You can check out the list of winners through the link above.
Chowzter trophy

Now, on to the dinner at Commander's Palace. The dining room was very elegant, white tablecloth and chandeliers are, of course, to be expected. We headed upstairs for our awards ceremony and dinner.
Commander's Palace

Before dinner started, we had some passed appetizers that included some great fried oysters.
Commander's Palace


Par for the course for NOLA, we start with a turtle soup spiked with sherry.
Commander's Palace

I had this soup once before, and just like before, it was hearty, though a bit salty.

The Romaine salad surprised everyone at the table. Perhaps because we've been eating fried and heavy food all day, the salad was a nice break, especially since it was a particularly good salad.
commander's palace

Tossed with just the right amount of dressing (black pepper buttermilk) and garnished with pecan smoked bacon, we all finished off our plates.

Next is a Pecan-crusted blackfish with jumbo lump crab in a corn sauce.
commander's palace

The blackfish is a common fish found in the Gulf Coast, it's firm and has a milder flavor which in this dish is helped with the sweet crab and corn.

Angus beef tournedos, whiskey smoked onions, roasted mushrooms, Creole mashed potatoes, glace de viande.
commander's palace

Given our large group and that the food came at pretty much the same time, it was quite impressive that they managed to get all the meats medium rare. The hot plates also kept all our dishes hot even after taking photos. This restaurant is certainly a well-oiled and well-run machine!

The dessert was my favorite part: Creole Bread Pudding Souffle. Yes, bread pudding souffle.
Commander's Palace
A combination of that classic French dessert with the popular New Orleans dessert, I really loved this dessert. Keeping the flavor of bread pudding, but giving it a lighter texture and sweetness.

Thank you Chowzter for holding the awards ceremony at this great restaurant and giving us all the chance to dine there! Chowzter lists the best dishes ("fast feasts") in cities all over the world, so check them out when you travel.

Commander's Palace
1403 Washington Ave
New Orleans, LA 70130
(504) 899-8221
http://www.commanderspalace.com/
Commander's Palace on Urbanspoon

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