Louisiana Food Legends and New Orleans Restaurants That Never Will Be Forgotten Come To Life At the Houstonian
A Spicy Food Night Like No Other
BY Shelby Hodge //
Bradley & Angelica Gabriel at the 'Tribute to Louisiana Legends' dinner held at The Manor House at The Houstonian (Photo by Jacob Power)
From the moment I saw the invitation from The Manor House at The Houstonian for the “Tribute to Louisiana Legends” dinner, I jumped at the chance to join Houstonian members at the table. After all, a Louisiana girl simply cannot pass up the opportunity to feast on her native cuisine. And for the record I make a mean shrimp etouffee and an even meaner seafood gumbo. And, yes, I include okra in the latter.
This Louisianan was not disappointed in the jovial evening that saluted the talents of Louisiana chefs Frank Brigsten, Emeril Lagasse and the late Paul Prudhomme, as well as famous New Orleans restaurants that have shaped the heart and heritage of the Bayou State’s cuisine. Having interviewed Lagasse and Prudhomme in my career and dined all across the Crescent City’s most famed restaurants, I was ready.
We were welcomed to The Manor House with powerful New Orleans Hurricanes. Let’s get this party started indeed. Mini-crawfish hand pies and crawfish bisque shooters helped tame the potent cocktails. Of course, there was an open bar and curated wine servings with dinner as well as that sweet drink.
The convincing menu was created by The Houstonian’s chef de cuisine Roland Soza, a Houstonian Hotel veteran, who crafted interpretations of dishes and techniques which he learned from other chefs and from his time at Brennan’s in Houston.
The sold-out seated dinner began with an amuse bouche of the well-known treasure of Chef Brigsten — oysters leRuth served with shrimp and crab parmesan, followed by a first course of snapping turtle soup. That’d be the Brennan family’s iconic bowl with aged sherry, egg and spinach.
Next came a tribute to Chef Emeril Lagasse’s iconic New Orleans barbecue shrimp with zesty Creole meuniere was accompanied with a house-made Southern biscuit. That came followed by a salute to Chef Paul Prudhomme’s blackened redfish henican with shrimp, tasso ham, pickled okra, five pepper jelly and popcorn rice.
The Allen
The fluffy finale of powdered beignets, as homage to everyone’s go-to Café du Monde, was served with Commander’s Palace-esque brandy milk punch, as everyone shared their own stories and memories of these dishes.
While everyone dined, photos from the past of those three chefs and some of New Orleans’ most storied restaurants streamed across a large screen. The images as delightful as the dishes. Ah, the benefits of membership.
PC Seen: Denise Bush Bhar and Philip Bhar, Colby Cameron, Alexis Brence, Deanna Cameron, Brian Cameron, Seliece and Lee Womble, Muge and Brad Wood, Tyri and David Centanni, Sam and Melissa Centanni, Doug Centanni, Cesar and Ann Tula, and Mirtha and Jack McKinley.
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