We had reservations for brunch at 11:30am at Commander's Palace so after a light breakfast of yogurt and fruit we piled into Titanium Green and made our way, along North Rampart Street, as suggested by Jo-Anne, the day before, towards the 9th Ward neighborhood was thrust into the nation's spotlight during Hurricane Katrina. Much of the 9th Ward on both sides of the Industrial Canal experienced catastrophic flooding in Hurricane Katrina in 2005. The majority of the damage was caused by storm surge. There were multiple severe levee breaks along both the Mississippi River-Gulf Outlet and the Industrial Canal.The Upper Ninth was flooded by levee and floodwall failures near the Desire, (A Streetcar Named Desire!), neighborhood, across the IC from the junction with the MRGO. The Lower Ninth Ward flooded most catastrophically, with storm surge coming through two large breaches in the Industrial Canal flood protection system, creating violent currents that not only flooded buildings, but smashed them and displaced them from their foundations.
We saw much evidence, almost eight years later, of the devastation, either derelict houses or vacant lot after vacant lot where rubble had been cleared away. However, there were some rays of hope as we also came across neighbourhoods where rebuilding has gone ahead with astonishing results. We had known about Make It Right, (official website: http://www.makeitrightnola.org/), founded in 2007 by Brad Pitt, "committed to rebuild 150 houses in the Lower Ninth Ward. The houses are sustainable, energy-efficient and safe. Make It Right homes were designed by award-winning architects from New Orleans and around the world, including Frank Gehry, Shigeru Ban, Hitoshi Abe and Thom Mayne."
Very impressive, (Due to wind-proofing, aerodynamic baffle designs, many of the structures are quite futuristic and are sheathed in lively, bright vibrant cladding.), one must say, but there is still so much to accomplish that one's heart cannot help but be brought low in spite of these new, remarkable beginnings. Mixed feelings about our quick tour as we didn't wish to appear callous at the horrendous loss suffered by so many yet it was uplifting to see people at work on re-building their homes and their lives as we bumped over roads neglected for years in the predominantly African-American ward prior to Katrina and which remain, in most places, a patchwork of potholes and uneven dips and humps.
Following N Claiborne and then onto St Charles Avenue past Canal, we were soon at Washington Avenue but had drive past as we couldn't make a left-hand turn. Proceeded along St Charles until we reached Audubon Park and then tried to drive around the perimeter, only to be thwarted by a series of dead-end and more one-way streets. The unknown territory, notwithstanding, Über Navigator, Jugos The Bold, soon has us on Coliseum, (a street I wanted to scope for possible cycling), and we made our approach to Commander's Palace, finding on street parking less than a quarter of a block away. I caused The Sisterhood to shift into Overdrive in Fuss Mode when I took off my shorts the better able to attach the zip-on leggings, (Dress code at Commander's Palace, don't you know!), while Cora Lee acted a a human shield to prevent any faint of heart passersby from suffering a conniption fit! Seemed highly unlikely, to me, in this Mardi Gras ville!
Once suitably attired, we made our way to the entrance and were shown to our table. Since we were to be seated in a room of the garden patio we actually walked through the kitchen on our way to the very comfortable and pleasingly appointed room. The service is absolutely beyond reproach. While the servers were always deferential they were not obsequious. Far from it. Ever attentive with gracious charm and lighthearted humour.
Our waiter, Todd, was more than a delight, offering helpful tips about the menu and made the entire meal a truly wonderful experience. Parts of the service were somewhat formal inasmuch as each course, from soup/salad to entrees and desserts, was placed before us at the same time. And this orchestration was done without much ado, in a very friendly manner.
At lunch Commander's offers a martini special. If you order an entree, they will allow you up to three basic martinis for a quarter a piece. My luncheon companions each had two apiece, (Cosmopolitans for The Babes, two-olive martini, stirred, not shaken, for Dom Pedrito), but as DD, (Todd said that most people drink three martinis before taking a driving teat in NO!), I restrained myself and decided upon a local soft drink, Abita Root Beer. When the bill came, my drink cost $4.50, their total was $1.50!
Things just got better once the food was served. For an appetizers Lynne decided upon Shrimp & Tasso Henican: Wild Louisiana white shrimp, tasso ham, pickled okra, sweet onions, 5 pepper jelly, and Crystal hot sauce beurre blanc. Her entree was Commander’s Crisp Romaine Salad:
Hearts of romaine, grated Parmesan, pressed egg, housemade bacon, French bread croutons, shaved Gruyère, and creamy black pepper dressing
For her part, Cora Lee's appetizer was the Spicy Shrimp Rémoulade: Crab boiled wild white shrimp over a tri-colored tomato & Louisiana citrus salad with limestone lettuce, local legumes, and crushed basil. She chose the Cranberry Molasses Lacquered Quail: Cochon de lait boudin stuffed quail over caramelized onions, bacon lardoons, and garlic wilted greens with sticky cranberry-apple jus for her entree.
Dom Jugos and I decided upon the Commander’s 3 Course Selections which consisted of a flight of three soups served in very generous demi-tasse portions.
Commander’s Creole Gumbo: a rich gumbo spiked with Louisiana hot sauce and Creole seasonings
Commander’s Turtle Soup: their famous soup that takes 3 days to make, finished tableside with aged Spanish sherry
Soup du Jour: Shrimp bisque, on this occasion. Simply outstanding, absolute perfection, and our favourite.
Our entrees were Hickory Grilled Pork Tenderloin: housemade bacon wrapped pork tenderloin over three-potato boulanger, root vegetables, petite greens, and smoky trotter jus. The portions were enormous and we were not sorry that this was the case as the dish was superb, the pork succulent and tender.
We chose the C3CS in part because it included Creole Bread Pudding Soufflé~ The Queen of Creole Desserts ~Finished tableside with whiskey cream sauce. Poor CoraLeeta had to settle for Lally’s Praline Parfait: hand-crafted vanilla ice cream layered in an elegant parfait glass with candied pecans, crispy honey tuile, and sticky praline syrup~ Lally Brennan’s favorite dessert, due to her gluten-free diet. The three of us lucky enough to have the souffe adored it and were very, very glad that we didn't have to share even a spoonful! Light, airy, delicious, and the sauce was rich, silky smooth perfection, yet not too sweet.
Quick drive back to our abode and the Cheap Drunks all took extended naps while I worked on the Jambalaya Diaries. They didn't stir until about 5:30pm and after The Lads fortified themselves with a few snorts of malt, The Sisterhood a glass of white, we made for Camp Street to catch the bus to Canal. We were off to Preservation Hall to take in the 8:15pm show and understood that we needed to be in line about an hour beforehand if we wished to find seats in the quite small venue. PH bills Live New Orleans Jazz Nightly 8:00 to 11:00 PM; Admission: $15 and is at 726 St Peter, just down the street from Pat O'Brian's, the pub where we had purchased our hootch before watching Krewe du Vieux on Saturday.
We enjoyed the stroll through the French Quarter, now reasonably familiar with the streets, various shops and bars/restaurants and squares. We arrived at just before 7:00pm and were close to the beginning of the queue for Petros and I were immediately dispatched to buy Pinot Grigio from the bar at Pat O'Brian's. Once we delivered the hootch to our overly demanding wives, the Sherpas took a stroll down Bourbon Street, just around the corner. Had not done so before and felt we couldn't visit NO without seeing this notorious thoroughfare. It really was, at least for a few blocks, a Frat Party, drunks spilling out from bars blasting raucous music onto the sidewalks and into the road. Didn't take us long to have our fill and then we headed further east to get away from the mindless noise and behaviour.
But a few blocks later we were in a completely different world, a sea of peace and calm, the buildings housing apartments rather than loud bars and exotic dance clubs. One could actually hear oneself think and we stopped to chat with a pedicab driver waiting for a fare. He himself preferred this part of the Quarter even if it wasn't as lucrative. Bidding him goodnight we made a bit of a loop and found ourselves on the edge of Jackson Square so it took us but a few minutes to rejoin our companions.
We chatted quite amiably with the couple ahead of us and in no time we had purchased our tickets and found seats on backless benches in the third row. Even though the show was going to be a little less than an hour in duration I suggested we move to the bench against the far wall. View of stage was just as good, if not better, and I knew having the wall to lean against would be a godsend, after a while. Cora Lee was happy to stay on a seat in the second row but the three of us moved before the few seats were taken. Once again we chatted with people around us until the performance started.
House manager introduced The Preservation Hall Living Legends, (a group of musicians which changes, from time to time, session to session, I believe), consisting of drums, a double bass, a trombone, a trumpet, a piano, a saxaphone and a sousaphone, (a type of tuba)! This group featured Maynard Chatters, on trombone, and he acted as the unofficial leader, introducing the numbers and giving a bit of musical/cultural background to most pieces.
As the name implies, "Preservation Hall, (opened in 1961), was created as a sanctuary, to protect and honor New Orleans Jazz which had lost much of its popularity to modern jazz and rock n roll. Allan and Sandra Jaffe, the hall's founders, wanted a place where New Orleans musicians could play New Orleans Jazz, a style, they believed, should not disappear. Today, over 40 years later, the hall is still going strong. On any given night, the hall is filled to capacity with people eager to hear New Orleans jazz played by veteran musicians in their 70's and 80's and younger musicians learning and embracing music that is both sweet and very beautiful."
The set was wonderful, the musicians, both black and white, each and every one a delight to watch and listen to. The crowd was most appreciative and we were mesmerized by the playing. After the show picked up one of the CD's the Hall puts and was pleasantly surprised to be given a free copy of another in the series.
We took a cab home so were back in our apartment by just after 9:00pm. Coramandle did a wonderful stir-fry, using overlefts of rice and chicken and I tossed a green salad. Couple of Coffaros, 2006 Tannat, 13.8%, and a 2007 Zin, 15.6%, to take the edge off the busy, fun-filled day! Lynne tidied up the kitchen while rest of us played three-handed bridge. Dom Pedros and Coraleeta ganged up on me and put me down, down, down. The fact that I bid on nothing and then redoubled when doubled didn't help matters, of course! Petros was winner by a country mile so we toasted his victory with a shot of Ardbeg before wishing each other goodnight. Once I'd brushed and flosssed I was too, too tired to read but drifted off trying to think up new three-handed bridge rules which would allow me to snatch back my loss from the Evil Navigator turned New Orleans Card Sharp! To be continued...
Hi Kids!
Trust all goes well now that you are back from Colorado. Bit of an update on life here in New Orleans. More to follow about arrival on Wednesday! Must away as we are off to Preservation Hall shortly!
Glad
partying in NO is in full swing … We’re back safely, with some sore
muscles but no broken bones. Adrian left the next day and is spending
today in
DC for the inauguration! I’m swamped at work, partly due to the timely
(or untimely) vacation in the middle of our busiest time, partly
because my soon-to-be ex-boss and new boss are in town this week! The
ex is in New Jersey, and the new is moving here
from Chicago. I’m meeting both of them for the first time! Will fill
you in on all the changes. Looking forward to seeing you on Wed! Ruth
Mega dittoes. Good luck with your boss swap Ruth!
I'm doing personnel evaluations this week. Finished one and a
portion of another today! Envious of Adrian in DC and miss him and his
mom.
I have visitors for our interdisciplinary program Wednesday through Friday, but will see you on Saturday.
Dr. Randall Nadeau
Jennie Farris Railey King Professor and Chair
Department of Religion
Trinity University
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