Dennis T.
Yelp
Galatoire's is a strong candidate for my favorite restaurant in the United States, among the several hundreds I have sampled. And for good reason!
Upon arriving for dinner at our reservation time, we were immediately ushered to a table for two on the first floor. It took awhile to receive menus, but then the fun began. We had to ponder numerous delectable-sounding offerings, and listed prices were surprisingly low based on California and Nevada menu prices for comparable listed items. Appetizers included Souffle Potatoes, Shrimp Remoulade, Crawfish Maison, Fried Oysters with Bacon and Meuniere Butter, Shrimp Cocktail, Oysters Rockefeller, Escargot, and Foie Gras.
We selected Souffle Potatoes and Shrimp Remoulade. The Souffle Potatoes were like large and light golden potatoes draped over pockets of air, and the shrimp dish featured huge Shrimps covered in a mild Remoulade. As another preliminary, I ordered a Bowl of Duck and Andouille Sausage Gumbo, which turned out to be the best non-seafood gumbo I have ever eaten. It was silky and delicious, augmented by some Steamed White Rice.
For entrees we had even more intriguing choices, including Chicken Clemenceau with Brabant Potatoes, Chicken Creole, Crab Ravigote with Bechamel and Hollandaise Sauces, Shrimp Au Vin, Crab Au Gratin, Bouillabaise, Crawfish Etouffe, Fried Shrimp, seasonal fresh fish with Meuniere Sauce, Meuniere Amandine, or Lemon Caper Beurre Blanc, Filet Mignon, Prime Ribeye, New York Strip, Veal Chop, and Lamb Chops.
For our mains at this purveyor of top-grade Creole cuisine, we selected Chicken Clemenceau and Crab Au Gratin, which contained Bechamel Sauce and Cheddar Cheese. Diane very much liked her choice of entree augmented by a large side of Hash Browns, and I loved my Roasted Half Chicken with Mushrooms, Brabant Potatoes, Peas, and Clemenceau Sauce and a large side of Steamed Cauliflower. This time we both passed on dessert, and without a time crunch, elected to walk back to our hotel.
Our fellow diners leaned toward coats & ties, with women in fashionable dresses. Service was very attentive once we received our menus. And the historic building with a mirrored wall leant an elegant ambiance to the place.