Louisiana Creole
Louisiana Creole ( lou, Kréyòl Lalwizyàn, links=no) is a French-based creole language spoken by fewer than 10,000 people, mostly in the state of Louisiana. It is spoken today by people who may racially identify as White, Black, mixed, and ...
Louisiana
Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a U.S. state, state in the Deep South and South Central United States, South Central regions of the United States. It is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 20th-smal ...
.
History
Commander's Palace was established in 1893 in the Garden District of
Uptown New Orleans
Uptown is a section of New Orleans, Louisiana, United States, on the east bank of the Mississippi River, encompassing a number of neighborhoods (including the similarly-named and smaller Uptown area) between the French Quarter and the Jeffers ...
at 1403 Washington Ave.
Emile Commander established a small saloon at the corner of Washington Avenue and Coliseum Street in 1893. Within a few years he turned it into a restaurant patronized by the distinguished neighborhood families of the Garden District.''Times-Picayune''. 1880: "Humble beginnings for Commander's Palace, a landmark New Orleans restaurant." September 16, 2011 /ref> By 1900 Commander's Palace was attracting gourmets from all over the world. Legend has it that stored alcohol was ferried across from the adjacent cemetery during prohibition for patron beverages.
In the 1920s, Frank G. Giarratano was the owner of the restaurant. He lived above the restaurant with his wife, Rose, and their two sons. There were rumors that there were private dining rooms upstairs rented to riverboat captains, visitors, etc. The upstairs rooms were the private residence of Mr. Giarratano and his family, while the downstairs, with a separate entrance, remained a family establishment. Fearing that the restaurant business would decline from what it had been during World War II, and Giarratano's declining health, in 1944 he sold Commander's Palace to Frank and Elinor Moran, who refurbished it and carried on with an expanded menu including many recipes still used. The Morans lived in the adjacent home facing Coliseum. Weather permitting, dining on the restaurant courtyard was encouraged—around a large Goldfish/Koi pond, with a large bank of electric heaters available to ward off the chill during the mild New Orleans winters. It was during this post-WWII period that many New Orleans restaurants, including Commander's Palace, received wider national/international recognition and broader acclaim.
In 1969, the famous Brennan restaurant family of New Orleans purchased the restaurant and began a redesign of the interior to complement the outdoor setting. Large windows replaced walls, and custom trellises and paintings were commissioned. Through the years, additional changes have included a redesign of the courtyard area, facility expansion into the back/side property, and the removal of much of the fence that had long separated the restaurant from the neighboring owner residence.
From 2001 to 2003, the restaurant hosted the Turner South series ''Off The Menu''. Many of the segments were based on hunting and then turning the day's catch into a five-star dinner.
The restaurant suffered extensive damage due to Hurricane Katrina in 2005. After a full renovation, it re-opened on October 1, 2006.
Awards and honors
In 2013, Executive Chef Tory McPhail won the James Beard Foundation Award for Best Chef: South. In 1996, the Foundation awarded the Most Outstanding Restaurant honor to the restaurant. Other James Beard Awards include Lifetime Achievement Award ( Ella Brennan) 2009, Outstanding Service Award 1993, and Best Chef, Southeast Region (Jamie Shannon) 1999.
Since 2012, Commander's Palace has been a recipient of the ''
Wine Spectator
''Wine Spectator'' is an American lifestyle magazine that focuses on wine and wine culture, and gives out ratings to certain types of wine. It publishes 15 issues per year with content that includes news, articles, profiles, and general entertai ...
'' Grand Award. Zagat has listed Commander's Palace as the “Most Popular Restaurant in New Orleans” for 18 years. In 2008, the restaurant was inducted into the Culinary Institute of America Hall of Fame.
Recent Commander's Palace accolades include 10 Best New Orleans Restaurants by '' Nola.com'', 100 Best Wine Restaurants by ''
Wine Enthusiast
''Wine Enthusiast'' magazine is an American wine
Wine is an alcoholic drink typically made from fermented grapes. Yeast consumes the sugar in the grapes and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Differe ...
'' and the number one wine list in the U.S. by '' The Daily Meal''.