Open-arms New Orleans

NEW ORLEANS

“Neverhungry; never lonely,” said the ladies’ room attendant at Brennan’s, the famous restaurant in the heart of New Orleans’ French Quarter. “Not in New Orleans.”

She’s right. New Orleans’ Ninth Ward remains a wasteland and Lakeview is still struggling to restore itself, but the Quarter, the beautiful Garden District, the developing Warehouse and Magazine Street districts are flourishing and eager to welcome tourists.

There were 809 restaurants in the Big Easy before Hurricane Katrina nearly killed New Orleans’ unique cuisine. Thanks to the pluck and spirit of the residents and culinary professionals, more than 700 restaurants are once more spreading a table.

Food has always been an important part of New Orleans’ culture, which local chef John Besh defines as a combination of food, music and literature. Mr. Besh, with his restaurant, August, has won national acclaim for his superb cooking and his sense of civic responsibility. “What makes us special,” he says, “is that (good food) is inherent in every neighborhood,” and “the best food in New Orleans is found at home.” Yet it would be hard to beat some of the food we tasted in New Orleans restaurants on a visit to celebrate the annual Tennessee Williams festival.

Louisiana can be divided into three distinct culinary traditions: northern Louisiana, where the cooking is primarily Southern, a combination of British and African cooking; southern Louisiana, where Cajun cuisine combines Southern and French concepts; and New Orleans, with its Creole cuisine.

The French settlers expelled from Acadia in Canada in the mid-18th century because they refused to take an oath of allegiance to the British. Cajun cooking is essentially country cooking made with whatever was available in the area where the Acadians settled; it also includes American Indian influences. It consists primarily of hearty one-pot, slow-cooked dishes served over rice, such as etouffees (smothered food cooked in tightly covered pots over low heat), lots of pork and rich dark roux made with flour and animal fat or lard.

The term “Creole” is from the Spanish “criolla,” a name given to people of European descent who were born in French or Spanish colonies in the New World. The oldest families call themselves either “Spanish Creole” or “French Creole.”

Creole cooking reflects the waves of European immigration combined with American Indian and African influences, emphasizing butter, cream, tomatoes and a lighter roux made with butter and fresh herbs. It includes African and Caribbean influences, and Mr. Besh says it’s the “only cosmopolitan cuisine native to America.”

Gumbo, along with red beans and rice, is perhaps the most famous Louisiana dish and one of the best examples of “Creolization,” as the cultural blending process is called in Louisiana. “Gumbo” comes from Bantu for okra, “nkombo.” Gumbo is a rich, souplike dish usually served over rice. It contains two or more kinds of meat or seafood and can be dark-roux-based, or thickened with okra or with file, a powder made from ground sassafras leaves. There’s also a variation made solely with vegetables.

Creole cooking is never stagnant, says Leah Chase, a distinguished cookbook author and chef of her family restaurant, Dooky Chase’s. Red beans and rice was the traditional Monday supper dish in New Orleans. Monday was wash day, when wives didn’t have time to cook elaborate meals.

Restaurant culture in New Orleans began in the 1830s, and in 1840, French expatriate Antoine Alciatore started serving meals in his boarding house. In 1868, he opened Antoine‘s, and it’s still in its original quarters on St. Louis Street.

Other old established restaurants are Galatoire’s, Commander’s Palace, Arnaud’s, Acme Oyster House (which is known for its gumbo as well as oysters) and Tujague’s.

These restaurants all are prospering, rescued from Katrina’s wrath. So, too, is Brennan’s, which serves one of the most famous breakfasts in the world. Brennan’s bananas Foster at dinner are world-famous, imitated by many an amateur cook. So is its milk punch, best enjoyed on the patio.

Commander’s Palace, which required more than a year of renovations after torrents of rain poured sideways for three days through windows blown out by Katrina, continues to prepare its delicious bread pudding souffle and shrimp remoulade, although more contemporary notes have crept into the menu. Thanks to Katrina, the restaurant has a fabulous new state-of-the art kitchen.

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