Reveillon

Christmas in New Orleans is, of course, largely about food. For local families, this usually means everyone gets together at maw-maw's house, or maybe everyone comes over to your house. Many folks also gather at local restaurants to celebrate the season in grand style. Some families do both, by going out to eat one evening before Christmas and then doing Christmas Day at a relative's house where the kids can see what Papa Noel dropped off the night before. The Creoles called this big feast Le Reveillon. While most family dinners center around the traditional Christmas turkey, the grand restaurants of New Orleans do Reveillon in classic Creole style.

Reveillon dinners are usually served nightly through Christmas. Because of the popularity of this celebration, most restaurants offer Reveillon as a table d'hôte affair. The menu usually consists of the Creole dishes all of us here in the city are familiar with. Here's one for example:

Reveillon Menu: Galatoire's Restaurant on Bourbon Street

Choice of Shrimp Remoulade or Oysters en Brochette
Turtle Soup
Green Salad with Garlic
Choice of Trout Meuniere Amandine, Filet Mignon, or Lamb Chops, either of the meat entrees served with a choice of Béarnaise or Marchand de Vin sauce.
Crepes Maison
Coffee
Glass of wine or cocktail

The price (last year) for the meal was $30 for the fish, $35 for the meat entrees.

Broussard's offered delicacies such as Sautéed Pompano with Shrimp or Cornish Hens Stuffed with Wild Rice. The Palace Cafe served Pan Seared and Mississippi Pharaoh Quail and Shrimp Clemenceau. All of these places charged in the $27.50-$35.00 range.

Of the reports we received last year, Galatoire's, Mr. B's, Tujague's and Commander's Palace served the best Reveillon dinners. That doesn't mean the others were bad, just that we didn't get comments on them.

If you're coming to New Orleans for Christmas, make your reservations wherever you'd like to have Reveillon now. It's not too late, especially since December is essentially an off-tourist month. This is a time when families get together at their favorite restaurants. The staffs have it pretty easy, because of the fixed menu, so they can enjoy the season with their regular patrons. Even if you think places like Arnaud's or Brennan's are tourist traps, think again; the reason these places have been around as long as they have is because they're local places first.

For those of you planning to be in town on Christmas Day, the following is an incomplete list of who is open on Christmas Eve, Day, or both:

Open Christmas Eve, but not Christmas Day:

Alex Patout's
Brennan's
Broussard's
Galatoire's
Pelican Club

Open both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day:

Begue's (in the Royal Sonesta)
Gumbo Shop
Le Jardin (in the Westin Canal Place)
Louis XVI
Rib Room (in the Omni Royal Orleans)
Tujague's

Closed Christmas Eve and Christmas Day:

Antoine's
Arnaud's
Bacco
Commander's Palace
Mr. B's Bistro
Palace Café

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