08/23/09

Belle of New Orleans

by contempler

Many great things have been said about the food, service, and atmosphere at this restaurant that I would just like to add my family's applause to the list of those who adore this place. My family of five enjoyed a wednesday lunch, which included the Smoked Tomato & Roasted Pepper soup, Turtle soup (of course), Summer Melon salad, griddle seared Gulf Fish with artichokes, asparagas, pequillo peppers and grilled eggplants, Black Pepper Shrimp sauteed with garlic and black pepper over grilled corn, and Creole Spiced Gulf Fish with galic and leek confit. The dessert of Roast Peach & White Chocolate Bouchee must be tasted ( a written description would not do it justice). We had a special added treat. Lally Brennan was in the house and allowed me to engage her in a short conversation about her book "In The Land Of Cocktails." She is southern charm ...as is her restaurant. P.S. One does not co-author a book about New Orleans cocktails without offering an extensive variety of libations...be prepared. On the Wednesday that we visited there was a special of twenty-five cent Martinis with the purchase of an entree...things could get damgerous after a Commander's Palace Martini...or two

03/07/09

Rude and overrated

by coog78

#1. This is a cajun/creole restaurant in New Orleans, and is NOT upscale dining.

#2. Most people eat here on their vacation, otherwise known as the time of relaxation and lesiure.

#3. Lunch, I do not care if I am in New York, London, or Paris, should be comfortable.

This restaurant is so full of itself, I am still in disbelief. After walking in and asking how many (causing the hostess to grab the menus), I was then asked for the reservation name. They weren't all that busy for Saturday lunch and although I didn't have a reservation could have sat my party of two. However, because I did not have a collared shirt (nevermind the shirt I was wearing probably cost more than they make in an entire day), I would be denied eating at their most wonderful face-stuffing establishment. Really? So nice of them. I didn't let them know at the time, but called later to cancel my dinner reservation for 8 the next week for myself and business colleagues. Yes, driving away over $1000 of business is EXACTLY the way to run a pathetic establishment attempting to pass itself off as upscale. Their loss. We laughed and headed to one of the many great restaurants in this city that serve great food. We paid more elsewhere, but it was definitely worth it.

• Cons: attitude

07/29/08

Not all it's cracked up to be

by lisa2waters

This place failed to wow me, and with all the hype about it I never expected it to be so average. The staff is amazing, but they have this old school tradition of bugging you every thirty seconds to de-crumb the table or blather away about their favorite thing on the menu. I felt bugged and then the food fell flat. I also noticed the demographic in Commander's is about 99% old people. I felt like people have given me the wrong expectations of the place.

07/23/08

Best Food Ever

by ithinkfoodisgreat

This place is just incredible. So incredible, that I've seriously considered taking an additional trip to New Orleans just to stop by. It really is that good.

We arrived for our reservation (this was the first week of May) and were welcomed to the restaurant by the lovely fragrance of blossoming trees. The homes surrounding the restaurant are beautiful, and the ambience is top-notch. We were greeted warmly, and were whisked upstairs to our table. Our waiter (named Argyle) was a wonderful gentleman with a handle-bar mustache: he was by far one of the finest waiters I've ever had the privilege of being served by. He knew the menu intimately, and was very passionate about each item. I started with a delectable Brie-Cauliflower soup.... words cannot express... it was just amazing. Following the soup I enjoyed a Blackberry leafy greens salad, which was good but nothing remarkable. We then indulged in a cheese sampler, including: Italian green gorgonzola, Fromage d'Affinois, Carr Valley Mobay, Idiazibal, and Shropshire, all brought together perfectly by a bit of honeycomb, pecan bread with some sort of berry sauce, and blackberries. I ordered the Filet Mignon, and it came with buttery velvety mashed potatoes and a rich brown sauce that transcends flavor and defies description. Dessert was anticlimactic--the strawberry shortcake earned a derisive "eh" and a shrug of the shoulders after such a noteworthy meal. If I am ever in New Orleans again, I will definitely be stopping by. Restaurants of this caliber are few and far between.

02/28/08

Best Sunday Brunch in New Orleans

by veronicawrig62

From the valet service to the maitre d? the service at the Commanders Palace is impeccable--few mistakes are made. We were seated upstairs on NBA All-star weekend. The waitstaff and the headwaiter were outstanding. They checked on us making sure my salad was good and all are need were met. Changing out a used napkin for a fresh one with ease. I started out with the strawberry salad and my entree was the grilled gulf fish and bread pudding souffle is just one delightful combination. The jazz band put a tear in my eye playing Louis Armstrong. This is a New Orleans Classic and is not to be missed. This is a perfect 10 in my book.

• Pros: Everything

10/16/07

Dessert Bomb Baby

by tailgateking

We held a customer group dinner and the evening was a huge success. The wait staff was friendly, courteous, polite and attended to our every whim. The menu was pre-arranged and we had a multi course meal with several wonderful hors d'oeuvres. The best was the Classic Shrimp & Tasso. The Turtle Soup was incredible. The atmosphere was relaxing in this historic location. The dessert bomb was the highlight of the evening. Wine pairings were exceptional.

Brigette Brunken was my event planner and she did an excellent job....Thank You...We Shall Return

I want to bring some select clients to the Chefs Table in the Kitchen.....Awesome

• Pros: Dessert Bomb was Very Popular
• Cons: None

08/28/07

Sunday Brunch

by dcata25

Commander?s Palace.. Sunday, we went to Commander?s Palace for brunch. It was our first time there even though this was our 30th trip down to NOLA. The food was divine, however I did have to send back my barbeque shrimp appetizer, the shrimp were a bit raw. Fried oysters were very good. My dish was shrimp with angel hair pasta which was just okay. My husband?s steak was unbelievable, the melding of the flavors. He didn?t even need a steak knife to cut it. Creole cheesecake for desert was okay.. The service was a bit off, waiting for cocktails took quite awhile. However, they were extremely busy. The place was packed. The chef signed our menu for my Mom?s birthday, ?Keep Eating Creole.? We would definitely return again.

08/25/07

Overpriced for the quality, popular only for history and tradition. Dinosaur.

by tikivon

The building is cool. Yes, it's an old restaurant, but that's not enough reason to like it. People mistake things that are good for things they've simply heard of. I don't mind paying a lot for food if it's good food, but the food here is not worth the price. Unless you don't know a lot about food & quality, then you're just the fool they are looking for. Waitress was unproffesional, possibly on chemicals.

07/19/07

One student said: "they made us feel like visiting dignitaries!"

by psu_upward_bound

As a special treat for the 10 high school students who recently visited New Orleans to help rebuild, the two other adult chaperones and I decided to have a traditional Jazz Brunch at Commander's. We had budgeted carefully to afford the luxurious meal and it was well worth it. We were seated in a private room with our own waiter, a Paris-born Italian named Lorenzo, who managed to preserve the high class of Commander's while helping our students feel like they belonged. For a group of low-income minority students from Oregon, this was quite a feat! The food was divine, the service attentive without being overbearing, and we were treated like royalty from start to finish, from the complementary dishes to the balloons to our private tour of the restaurant and kitchens. This was definitely one of the most memorable parts of the trip.

• Pros: This isn't a restaurant, it's an experience

05/19/07

Tourist Trap! Never again!

by katfromnewyork

Commanders Palace very very overpriced for a limited menu which they offer. Not much of a selection .The palace as they call it is very nice although they lack the Creole sensation. The Turtle soup with sherry was cold and bland lacking flavor ,the overpriced entree such as the veal chop at a price of $40.00 was aburd and it was a smaller cut than any other elegant restaurants in New Orleans would offer. The staff is wonderful . Commanders Palace really needs to update their menus and focus on true traditional Creole foods instead of jacking up the prices on their menu. Beware the hype of Commanders Palace it doe not live up to the standards one would wish . Sorry Zagats New Orleans 2007 it do not live up to the hype !

• Pros: nice ambience
• Cons: tourist trap not worth the hype!