Posted by ayersian
, March 31, 2010 21:55
Dear Dad,
We sure did miss you in New Orleans last weekend. After nibbling on hors d’oeuvres at the Roadfood Festival’s Opening Party on Friday, we asked Bruce, Sue, and Tony if they were interested in Galatoire’s for dinner. “Let’s just walk over and see if we can get a table,” I suggested. The hostess said it would be a twenty-minute wait and invited us to go upstairs to the bar, but not before asking Tony to borrow a sportcoat from the loaner rack near the door. I told him the story of when you brought me to Galatoire’s every summer as a kid, and you always made me pack a blazer so we could follow their dress code. The bartender was hilarious and served us potent Sazeracs, New Orleans’ official cocktail. The dining room was crowded and boisterous: a bachelorette party, literary scholars in town for the Tennessee Williams Festival, and a table full of rowdy gents already two or three sheets to the wind and wailing catcalls—kind of like Uncle Glenn yelling for coffee at the beach way back when.
Our waiter introduced himself and proceeded to bring us appetizers with no prompting: Shrimp Remoulade, crabmeat and capers, and oysters fried with bacon. All were phenomenal, of course, and the oysters and bacon are my new favorite dish. Tony ate the leftover lettuce with the remoulade sauce just like you always did. Amy & I split a plate of Lemon Fish Meunière Amandine; Bruce and Tony had the fresh drum, and Sue ordered the Crabmeat Sardou. Bruce had the foresight to order Brabant Potatoes for the table, and they were wonderful as usual. Though everyone was stuffed, I ordered a single dish of bread pudding with five forks, and we all managed a few last bites to a most exceptional meal. The only thing missing was you! Please write “New Orleans Roadfood Festival” for the last weekend in March on your 2011 calendar, because next year I’m not taking no for an answer.
Love, Chris
