SHADE-O-METER RATING
2 OUTTA 5 WERKS: “NOT FEELING IT”
What’s Brennan’s? It’s a creole restaurant in the French Quarter in New Orleans. The restaurant is known for brunch and for the creation of the Bananas Foster desert. It was founded by Owen Brennan in 1946, and then re-established in 2014. The building dates to 1795.
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What was the décor like? Fabulous and definitely a high point—it’s one of the few saving graces about the place. The gouache murals in the main dining room, the Chanteclair Room, display beautiful vintage carnivale scenes of whimsy.
What was the seating like? There are two indoor dining areas, and one outdoor one. However, they weren’t seating anyone outdoors. What was the atmosphere like? Loud. What was the crowd like? Somewhat uppidity, and heavy on locals. Granted, this was the Friday before Mardi Gras, so it’s possible that the crowd was skewed because of the holiday.
How was the cruising? None. The queens are incognito here. What libations were ordered? We ordered a Cajun Bloody Mary for $10, and a Brandy Milk Punch for $9. Were they served timely? Not really. They came after the soup, and shortly before the entre.
How were they? The server claimed that the bloody Mary was rated as one of the “top five” in the city. It was pretty good, but it could have been a tad bit stronger. However, the “Marys” weren’t served consistently. One drink was served with pickled okra, but the other two were denied that tidbit—those two poor Marys. As far as the Brandy Milk Punch went, it was really nothing more than a glorified White Russian. But the situation gets better. When this drink was about three-fourths done, we noticed a chip in the glass and pointed this out to the server. He apologized for the glass and took it away, but supplied no replacement drink!
What was ordered? A two-course lunch (seafood gumbo and a creole-spiced shrimp salad) for $29, eggs Benedict for $19, country-fried pork chops for $27, an appetizer seafood gumbo for $10, and pumpkin-seed-crusted redfish for $28. Was the food served timely? Yes.
How was it? Overall, the food was excellent, but not superlative. The gumbo had oysters in it (a nice touch), but the base lacked sufficient flavor and richness. The Canadian bacon in the egg’s Benedict was cured with coffee, and it mixed with the egg’s red-wine reduction sauce in a pleasant manner. The salad had complements of thyme, and the shrimp in it was very fresh. The pork chop was tasty and high-quality, and the combination of pomegranate butter, pumpkin puree, and kale pumpkin seeds in the redfish was like a delectable and edible fall-foliage display. But there were also some inconsistencies. One gumbo had several whole oysters in it, but the other one had just a few measly chopped-up pieces in it.
How was the service? Not so great. The server wasn’t so friendly, and he also looked down at the bill to see what his tip was—18 percent, and then he made a face when he didn’t like what he saw—once he thought he was out of eyesight. What stands out about the place? Really, only the décor. That, and I suppose its reputation.
What could be improved? You name it. But let’s start with the mortician, and then go from there. What was surprising? That the bread that was served at the beginning of the meal was really just a po-boy roll, and it was served on top of a cloth napkin.
Brennan’s is located at 417 Royal St., in New Orleans, Louisiana. It’s open daily from breakfast to 10:00 p.m. The restaurant closes for a few hours between brunch and dinner, but The Roost Bar remains open.
