Festive feasts and fanfare in New Orleans

“This is what the holidays should be,” Dickie Brennan told my friend Patti and me as we stopped at the Bourbon House for a frozen bourbon milk punch to kick off our December get-together. “Living slowly, connecting with family and friends is slow,” said Brennan, a third-generation chef from the city’s most famous restaurateur family.

Of course, there is something to do between meals. The city and its hotels don’t hold back when it comes to decoration. It’s a festive custom to dress up and pose for photos in FDR’s forest-like winter wonderland or in front of the giant tree in the lobby of Windsor Courthouse.

After taking photos, Patty and I settled into the Grill Room at the Windsor Court Hotel for our first Réveillon dinner of smoked salmon, goat cheese raviolo, and petite filet mignon. Chef Alexander Kuzin is originally from Ukraine and worked in hotels in Miami before coming to New Orleans. “I’m in heaven,” he told us. “Everyone talks about food. At lunch the question arises: “What are we going to have for dinner?”

I laughed at his description of food obsessives—until I headed to the Garden District for brunch just a few hours later. The Commander’s Palace, housed in a large white building with turquoise trim, has been a favorite venue for celebrations for over a century. The jazz trio wandered from table to table as I dined on eggs Benedict with grilled pork shoulder and sautéed mushrooms. At one point, a group of patrons lined up and streamed through the room, waving napkins over their heads.

“We strive to make dining fun, not stuffy,” said restaurant co-owner Lally Brennan, a lover of low-key dining.

After brunch, Patty and I walked around the Garden District, where stately mansions began to be built in the mid-19th century. Several owners are opening their doors for a vacation home tour sponsored by the Preservation Resource Center. It definitely beats HGTV as a chance to see modern living in the city’s most beautiful homes.

But like many visitors to New Orleans, we spent most of our time in the French Quarter. The signature wrought iron balconies in the city’s oldest neighborhood seem designed to hang lanterns and garlands of greenery. We went back in time to the 1860 Galliera House, home to four generations of a distinguished family and now a National Historic Landmark. The tours chronicle the lives of the Galliers, as well as the lives of the enslaved people who served them.

“The living room was the most formal room in the house,” tour guide Danielle Glenn told us. The family received guests here and showed off their most valuable things. They celebrated Christmas by singing carols and exchanging modest gifts in the slightly less impressive back parlor. “You get the most expensive gifts for New Years,” Glenn said.

With its three spiers, St. Louis Cathedral in Jackson Square is the center of the French Quarter. Its lofty interior lends a sense of grandeur to the free concerts held during the holiday season. Patti and I joined a long line of people eager to hear New Orleans soul queen Irma Thomas bring her powerful voice and depth of feeling to traditional Christmas carols.

I’m sure we weren’t the only ones who had a post-concert dinner at Galatoire’s, one of the city’s favorite spots. Several times during our dinner of shrimp remoulade and fried chicken, the waiter called the diners’ attention, announced a birthday, and led us in with a song. Dinners at Réveillon are too good and too fun to resist. Another night we dined on fried Louisiana snapper and chocolate cream in one of the 14 dining rooms at Antoine’s Restaurant, founded in 1840 and still run by the original family.

If you’re looking to do some Christmas shopping between meals, the 25 members of the Dutch Alley artists’ cooperative will celebrate the city’s creative side with sculpted clay figurines, detailed scenes painted on the back of dominoes, leather wallets and bags, and wooden gumbo stirrers. At nearby Belle Louisiane, you can stock up on spices, seasonings and cookbooks to recreate traditional New Orleans cuisine.

It is almost impossible to pass by the legendary Café du Monde without stopping. A group of street performers often line the entrance and serenade visitors as they drink dark-roasted chicory coffee and eat beignets nearly drowned in an avalanche of powdered sugar. The musicians should create a new rhythm – shaking and stamping powdered sugar, practiced by each visitor before leaving the cafe.

You’re likely to encounter more buskers, as well as tarot card readers and palm readers on Royal Street, one of the best shopping spots. Bourbon French Parfums offers a selection of New Orleans scents, including Voodoo Love. Yann Fenner of Fleur d’Orleans creates jewelry inspired by the architectural details of the city. “I walk around looking for things that represent our heritage,” she said.

Fleur de Paris employs three milliners who make colorful, yet sophisticated hats. At Italy Direct, men can purchase a sequined tuxedo or bejeweled slip-on shoes. Salesperson Alex Welch feels right at home in this vibrant, fashionable environment. When I arrived, she was thinking about dyeing her hair purple. But you don’t have to go that far. “Anything with glitter will work for you, as well as a fancy headpiece,” she told me. “So much the better if it catches fire.”

Patricia Harris can be reached at: [email protected].

---

Patricia Harris can be reached at [email protected].