As the holiday season continues to progress, many are
in the midst of their yearly traditions, including shopping, decorating, or
preparing for their holiday meals. A holiday tradition that is special to the
city of New Orleans is Réveillon dinner.
According to nola.eater.com, Réveillon
(REV-ee-on) takes its name from the French word "awakening," in which
parishioners of the 1800s were awake late into the night, indulging in a feast
following midnight mass on Christmas Eve. Their menu would include various
Creole and Southern dishes, such as gumbo and bread pudding, alongside a host
of wine, cocktails, and desserts.
Réveillon
disappeared following the rise of traditional daytime dinners on Christmas Day,
resurging in the 1990s in French Quarter restaurants seeking a method to
improve slow business days in December. New Orleans's dining scene revived the Réveillon tradition, keeping its holiday spirit
alive through commemorative dinners for many to relish in. Various restaurants
throughout the city honor Réveillon by
offering multicourse meals at a fixed price.
Réveillon
takes place throughout the entire month of December, with restaurants serving a
variety of delicious meals at prices ranging from $40 to $100. Réveillon menu dishes also feature culinary
styles that exhibit both custom and modern-day influences. This specialty menu
spans from traditional dishes that utilize classic Creole ingredients to
contemporary meals that showcase new and innovative food techniques.
Réveillon dinners have had a long history
throughout the culinary world of New Orleans. They
have also provided a great opportunity for people to sit and enjoy
delectable meals with their loved ones, creating memories to be cherished
through the holiday season and beyond. Below is a list of New Orleans
restaurants celebrating Réveillon that
welcome all to revel in multiple-course meals, while also partaking in a
holiday tradition near and dear to the city's culture.
Bourbon House
For $55 per person, you can enjoy a
first course of a tasty Oysters Rockefeller pistolette. Refresh with a second
course with a choice of poached pear salad or goat cheese and greens salad. The
main course includes either bronzed filet of Gulf fish or alligator grillades
options, to be finished with a dessert of Louisiana citrus pound cake, made
with mulled wine ice cream and cranberry. 144
Bourbon St., (504) 522-0111, bourbonhouse.com
Commander's Place
For $90, the first course is an oyster
and absinthe soup with lemon-roasted artichokes and oyster crackers. The second
course offers a savory beignet made with blue crab and caviar. Main-course
choices feature a citrus-crusted redfish or braised short ribs. Enjoy a dessert
of ginger-spiced Christmas pudding made with apricots, raisins, and Cajun
eggnog. 1403 Washington Ave., (504)
899-8221, commanderspalace.com
Dickie Brennan's Steakhouse
$55 will buy patrons a course of delicious
corn and crab bisque followed by a house-made Caesar salad. No steakhouse menu
is complete without a main course choice of broiled twin four-ounce filets with
shrimp and garlic mashed potatoes. Another main course option includes seared Gulf
fish with root vegetables and red potatoes. Enjoy a dessert of eggnog ice cream
alongside pecan brittle. 716 Iberville
St., (504) 522-2467, dickiebrennanssteakhouse.com
Domenica
$50 gets you a first course of crispy
oysters followed by a second course of their risotto agrumi e bottarga dish, made with rice, yuzu, Louisiana citrus, and
mixed herbs. The main course is delectable duck cooked three ways, with root
vegetables, rainbow chard, and black truffles. Dinner is finished with a pecan tartufo, made with cherry and dark
chocolate. 123 Baronne St.,
(504) 648-6020, domenicarestaurant.com
Muriel's Jackson Square
The $58 dinner features a course of
fried oyster chowder or duck and andouille gumbo. A second course follows, with
options such as satsuma salad or tasty sweet potato gnocchi. The main course is
pan-seared flounder with a wild mushroom sauce or wood-grilled venison with
smoked carrot puree, squash, and a wine reduction sauce. Finish dinner with a
dessert of salted caramel and chocolate torte or satsuma sherbet. 801 Chartres St., (504) 568-1885, muriels.com
Rosedale Restaurant
For $40, dinner includes a first
course of their soup of the day or turtle soup. Second course options are
roasted cauliflower salad or spinach ricotta gnocchi. The main course offers a flavorful
pork chop with cider-glazed apples, sweet potato spoonbread, and fried Brussels
sprouts; fried P&J oysters; or Gulf fish with artichoke bread pudding,
peppers, and lemon garlic butter. Top off dinner with a dessert of pumpkin
cheesecake with caramel and pecans or chocolate basil mousse with a cookie and
whipped cream. 801 Rosedale Dr., (504)
309-9595, rosedalerestaurant.com
The Country Club
The $60 Réveillon meal includes an
appetizing seafood board for seafood-lovers, featuring octopus, salted cod,
Scottish salmon, and Louisiana white shrimp. Enjoy a second course of truffled
chick pea soup, followed by a third course of foie gras en gelée, a mousse with Aperol gelée, and grilled bread. Their
final course, Petit Filet Stanley, is chargrilled beef made with banana
tempura, horseradish cream, and red wine. 634
Louisa St., (504) 945-0742, thecountryclubneworleans.com
Palace Café
For $52, enjoy first course choices
of crab fingers bordelaise or escargot. The second course includes a delicious choice
of fennel and citrus salad or turtle soup. For the main course, there is a
selection of either delicious boudin-stuffed quail or braised duck cassoulet.
Enjoy dessert to complete the meal, with their delightful sticky toffee pudding
accompanied by pumpkin ice cream. 605
Canal St., (504) 523-1661, palacecafe.com
The Pelican Club
For $49, first-course soup options
include turtle with aged sherry, gumbo, or vegan carrot coconut ginger. There
are a wide range of appetizers to choose from, from mushroom ravioli and baked
oysters to tuna poke, salad, or BBQ shrimp. Main course options span from filet
mignon, duck, and lamb to lobster and fish. Finish dinner with a tasty dessert
choice of either bread pudding, pie, or crème brulee. 312 Exchange Pl., (504) 523-1504, pelicanclub.com
Here is a list of other restaurants throughout the
city celebrating Réveillon:
Andrea's
Restaurant
3100 19th St., Metairie, (504) 834-8583, andreasrestaurant.com
Antoine's
Restaurant
713 St. Louis St., (504) 581-4422, antoines.com
Dickie Brennan's Tableau
616 St. Peter St., (504) 934-3463, tableaufrenchquarter.com
Galatorie's
209 Bourbon St., (504) 525-2021, galatoires.com
Luke Restaurant
333 St. Charles Ave., (504) 378-2840,
lukeneworleans.com
Restaurant
R'evolution
777 Bienville St., (504)
553-2277, www.revolutionnola.com
Rib Room
621 St. Louis St., (504) 529-7046, ribroomneworleans.com
The
Bower
1320 Magazine St., (504) 582-9738, thebowernola.com
The Court of Two Sisters
613 Royal St., (504) 522-7261, courtoftwosisters.com
The Grill Room (located inside the Windsor Court Hotel)
