By Dwight Casimere
Brennan’s
417 Royal Street New Orleans, LA 70130
504-525-9711
Tujagues
429 Decatur Street New Orleans 70130
504-525-8676
French Quarter cuisine is duplicated around the world, but there’s nothing like the real thing. To eat, as Cole Porter wrote, ‘the real Turtle Soup, not merely the mock,’ you have to travel to New Orleans.
Two legendary restaurants where mainstays of New Orleans’s cuisine were created are Brennan’s and Tujague’s (pronounced Two Jacks). Both restaurants inhabit the pages of the city’s history and the imaginations of foodies everywhere.
Rated among the “Best Restaurants in the World” by Conde Nast Traveler, Brennan’s is home to one of New Orleans’s most celebrated dishes, Bananas Foster.
Originated in 1946 by Owen Brennan, proprietor of the Old Absinthe House, Brennan’s began as Owen Brennan’s Vieux Carre on Bourbon Street. That’s where Bananas Foster was born.
Started on a dare, Breakfast at Brennan’s quickly became a local tradition. Eggs Hussarde, Turtle Soup and Baked Apples became staples on the restaurant’s classic Creole menu, along with “The Muthas and the Othas,” a selection of five ‘Mother Sauces’ created by the Brennan’s culinary team that reflect Brennan’s unique take on Creole cooking and it’s roots in classical French cuisine.
Breakfast at Brennan’s has been a tradition for more than 70 years.
Brennan’s style of nouvelle-Creole cuisine is emphasized by its adaptation of French tableside service. Dishes like Soft Scrambled Truffled Eggs, Steak Diane and Crepes Fitzgerald are prepared tableside and served from the cart. The most dramatic presentation and the Grand Finale’ for any meal at Brennan’s, including Brunch, is the famous Bananas Foster, a mixture of butter, bananas, brown sugar, spices and rum flambéed right before your eyes. Breakfast at Brennan’s has been known to stretch well into the afternoon, often finishing with a round of Ramos Fizzes or Bloody Mary’s at the Roost Bar.
Brennan’s mascots are its turtles, which were ‘adopted’ by the Ralph Brennan
Turtles occupy a special place at Brennan’s. They’re not only on the menu in their famed Turtle Soup, but live turtles also occupy a place of honor in Brennan’s legendary courtyard. Patrons regularly pay a visit to see the turtles in their elegant space under the canopy of greenery in the fountain. It is said that they first came to the restaurant after a family of ten turtles were ‘adopted’ by owner Ralph Brennan some years ago. Each year, in their honor, the turtles get their very own Mardi Gras-style parade through the French Quarter. It’s said to be “the Slowest Second Line on Earth!”
Tujagues- New Orleans’s second oldest restaurant
New Orleans’s French Quarter is known for its historic buildings, many of which still serve as home to its many famed bars and restaurants. Old Absinthe House, for example, on the corner of Bourbon and Bienville, still serves drinks from its copper-topped wooden bar as it has for more than 200 years.
The second oldest restaurant in New Orleans is Tujaque’s, which has been in continuous operation for more than 165 years. Nearby Antoine’s is the oldest, dating back to 1840.
In 1914 Tujague’s moved from its original location across from the French Market, where Guillaume and Marie Abadie Tujague began holding court in 1856, to Begue’s Exchange a few doors down. It was there that Madame Begue invented the concept of brunch. Tujaque’s continued her tradition of a long breakfast feast that spilled over into lunch, calling it the ‘Butcher’s Breakfast. The much daintier sounding term ‘brunch’ is what resonated with customers then, and remains in the vernacular now.
The ‘new’ Tujaque’s contains a replica of the original stand-up bar where the Grasshopper and Whiskey Punch were created. A collection of 6,000 miniature liquor bottles also made its way down to the bar’s new location. (Author sidebar- I also have almost that many saved from my many years of airline travel!).
Famed for its early fusion of French and Creole cooking styles, Tujague’s began to gain a reputation for its signature dishes, Spicy Shrimp Remoulade, Chicken Bonne Femme and later, Blackened Fish, which became New Orleans staples.
Until a decade ago, the only way to dine at Tujague’s was to indulge in its Table d’Hote, a five-course extravaganza offered at a fixed price. Diners are still encouraged to avail themselves of the gut-busting adventure, complete with the restaurant’s famed Shrimp Remoulade on Fried Green Tomatoes, its Soup Du Jour or celebrated Turtle Soup topped with a healthy dousing of Sherry.
Regular menu items include Roasted Mushroom Crepes, Crispy Pork Belly and House Made Boudin Balls with pepper jelly to get the juices flowing. Mouth-watering entrees like Grilled Gulf Fish, Shrimp and Grits and the signature BBQ Shrimp Ribeye, featuring New Orleans-style BBQ Shrimp served over a 12 oz Steak and Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes highlight the dinner menu.
Save room for dessert. You might want to try a few. The Crème Brulee is a Tujaque specialty as is the Bread Pudding with Rum Sauce, which changes with the seasons. Dark Chocolate Mousse and the Double Lemon Tarte with seasonal fruit is another favorite. King Cake Pain Perdu is another popular finale, especially during Mardi Gras.
Dining at Tujague’s is an adventure involving myriad options
Tujague’s has an interesting array of dining areas, including several private dining rooms lavishly decorated with antique furnishings and crystal chandeliers. Its Balcony Dining Rooms and Patio Room are among the most unique dining spaces in all of the French Quarter. Rambling across several adjoining buildings, no two dining areas are alike. The upstairs dining areas feature an enclosed Wine Library. Another features a collection of antique glassware and decanters with framed photos of the many celebrities and politicians that have graced Tujague’s over the course of its 70 years.
The Courtyard is a particularly lovely, secluded dining area, as are the private dining rooms upstairs. The restaurant’s many balconies offer an incomparable perspective of the bustling crowd on the streets below.
One can return to Tujagues several times and have a completely different dining experience on each occasion. For more, visit tujaguesrestaurant.com and brennansneworleans.com.