NEW ORLEANS FEATURES - Top of the Food Chain

Top of the Food Chain

In New Orleans, people don't eat to live. They live to eat. And they won't let you forget it.

Whether the competition is for the next big chef, hottest restaurant or heaviest citizens, New Orleans is a top contender. That means other people are talking about the city's food as well. From the Food and Wine's Best New Chefs to reader polls in other gourmet magazines, New Orleans makes news. But beyond the hype lies the simple truth that just the food is worth the trip.

In a sense, eating well is a relatively new concept in the United States. Until the 1970s, the trend in America was towards processed foods. Frozen dinners, cans of soup and squares of jello were taking over the home while fast food was all over the roads, literally. One of the most influential people in giving diners a fresh option was Chef Paul Prudhomme.

Prudhomme learned to cook at home in Opelousas, Louisiana, in the heart of Cajun country. His mother showed him how to start from scratch and cook for his entire family. There was nothing fancy about it, as the best produce from his family's farm went to market. Prudhomme threw everything into a large pot and stretched what he had to feed everyone. But he learned to get the most flavor out of his ingredients and he developed a love of cooking.

He made his name at Commander's Palace in New Orleans but he also began to leave left his mark on American cooking. In the early 70s, even fine restaurants were using frozen fish. Prudhomme started to change that. He reinvigorated Commander's French-Creole cooking and was well on his way to becoming the first celebrity chef. At the time, fine restaurants across the country were dominated by European chefs. Their menus were written exclusively in French.

Prudhomme left to start his own restaurant, K-Paul's, with his wife. He became famous for blackening redfish. The dish became so famous that the Gulf was almost emptied of the species and it had to be protected by law. Now restaurants use a lot of farm raised redfish or other Gulf fish in the same family. As the dish became popular across the nation, Prudhomme was saddled with several misconceptions he has since labored to rectify. "Most people were saying ‘blackened' but they were just burning it," he says.

Prudhomme started opening his own restaurants across the country to set the record straight. As his fame grew so did the popularity of Cajun culture, but Prudhomme and Cajun cooking became misunderstood anyway. While he called himself a Cajun, Prudhomme called his food South Louisiana cooking, meaning it incorporated Creole cuisine as well. While it was bold, flavorful and spicy by comparison to most other American regional cooking, "Cajun" became a synonym for raging heat. He hasn't been able to turn the tide as national advertising has seized upon the term.

As his combination of New Orleans Creole cooking and his Cajun background gained in popularity elsewhere, American cooking was essentially reborn. Fine restaurants opened specifically to cook American regional dishes. Southwestern cooking enjoyed a wave of popularity. Later Fusion cooking muddled boundaries. But a whole generation of American chefs were free to replace French dishes with their own creations. Menus in fine restaurants were written in English. By the '90s, a trained, professional chef who had never apprenticed in a European kitchen could open a restaurant in just about any decent-sized American town and make it. The path was clear for chef Emeril Lagasse, who had replaced Prudhomme at Commander's Palace before opening his own restaurants, to go on television and get a studio audience to hoot and holler as he threw garlic into a dish. Cooking with fresh ingredients wasn't a new idea, but it actually had to be rescued by American chefs like Chez Panisse's Alice Waters. The concept was rpopularized under the term California Cuisine.

New Orleans is now full of celebrity chefs and budding talents. Locals like chef Susan Spicer have multiple restaurants just like Emeril. After making her name at Bayona, she added Herbsaint and Cobalt in recent years. The men who trained in Prudhomme's kitchen have opened their own award-winning restaurants. Frank Brigtsen opened Brigtsen's, Greg Sonnier opened Gabrielle, Paul Miller is in charge of Prudhomme's K-Paul's and Randy Barlow opened several acclaimed places before moving on to a consulting role. Other recently recognized chefs include John Harris at Lilette, John Besh at Restaurant August and Anne Kearney-Sand at Peristyle.

Famous restaurants are everywhere. Among the best known names in the restaurant business is that of the Brennans. Different branches of the family run different restaurants, including Brennan's and Mr. B's in the French Quarter and Commander's Palace in the Garden District. Dickie Brennan, Jr. presides over Palace Café on Canal Street as well as the two newest restaurants, Dickie Brennan's Steakhouse and the recently opened Bourbon House on Bourbon Street. Ralph Brennan runs Bacco's in the French Quarter as well as Redfish Grill.

Famous restaurants are nothing new in New Orleans. Perhaps the most famous restaurant in the city is Antoine's Restaurant, opened in 1840 by Antoine Alciatore. It is the second oldest continually operating restaurant in the country. The fifth generation of his family now runs the massive and exceptionally traditional establishment. With seventeen dining rooms, it occupies most of the block. Famous dishes invented in its kitchen include Oysters Rockefeller and Pompano en Papillote. Tujague's is also more than a century old and maintains a traditional Creole style of serving a multi-course, prix fixe dinner with several entrée selections. Arnaud's is the third most senior restaurant. "Count" Arnaud opened it in 1918 and launched its signature Shrimp Remoulade with his own spicy sauce.

While fine cooking is nothing new in New Orleans, Creole cooking is not just for professional chefs. Home cooking shares many of the recipes. Plenty of locals will put their gumbo up against any chef's. Comfort food in the city comes from old French and Spanish dishes that are everywhere. Jambalaya is like a Creole paella, though usually made with sausage and chicken instead of seafood. Crawfish etouffee sounds fancy, and can be, but is crawfish tails smothered in a rich dark sauce and served over rice.

Even everyday staples have gained a reputation. Po boy sandwiches stuffed with fried shrimp or oysters are everywhere in the city. Beignets are just donuts with powdered sugar. The locals don't even put holes in them and yet they've got a certain caché. Even stuff that goes uncooked, like raw oysters, draw foodies from far away.