Talk Restaurants With Tom Fitzmorris Click here to ask, tell, or respond about dining out Click here for the Talk Cooking With Tom page Please note the dates on restaurant reports. Restaurants do change with time, and the older a report is, the less accurate it's likely to be. Fingers On Food; Where They've Been Beth asks: At a certain restaurant you recommend, the quality of the steak was great but I couldn't get past the fact that the guy at the grill put his fingers in his mouth no less than five times, all while continually touching the steaks as he cooked. My dinner companion explained that this more than likely happens at most restaurants but the kitchen is closed and you just can't see it. I replied by saying out of sight out of mind.  If this place is going to seat people in front of the grill they need to speak with this guy about this problem. I personally will more than likely not return. Tom sez: Your friend is right. In most steak restaurants, the way cooks tell the doneness of the steaks is not with the meat thermometer but by touch. I was in one such kitchen where the cook licked his thumb before doing this--so, he told me, he wouldn't burn himself. Although the heat of the cooking kills all the germs that this introduces, I agree with you that it's gross. But I'll tell you what's worse. I've seen a certain chef of great repute licking his fingers constantly while assembling a COLD dish. Now THAT'S inexcusable. I have a proposal for restaurant managers: videotape your cooks in service and make them watch the video. They may not even realize much of what they're doing. Ardoise, Where Sal & Sam's Was Shannon writes: My friend and I went to Ardoise last night, and it was really good-- especially for a restaurant that only opened a couple of weeks ago. We had the filet with white beans and the ribeye with fried onion rings. The chef suggested a gorgeous Zinfandel to go with it. Also fried green tomato salad, blue cheese wedge (pretty standard stuff, but lovely bleu cheese), French fries with truffles (I smelled truffles all night), dessert (some sort of dark chocolate mousse cake) and they were all outstanding. The only thing that slightly disappointed me was the basket of dinner rolls. They were a bit stale. I have to say, though, it was a lovely surprise, in place of the old, sad Sal & Sam's. It was time for them to say goodbye, and for these folks to say hello. Ardoise. 4300 Veterans Blvd.. 885-8585. Deconstructed Dishes Dave asks: What does it mean when a dish is "deconstructed"? I saw a dish recently served with a deconstructed hollandaise sauce. Does that mean I will be served egg yolks and butter?   Tom sez: It means that the chef has taken the ingredients of the dish apart and reassembled them in a way different from the original. Sometimes this results in something suggestive of the classic dish; in other cases, it's hard to puzzle what the new dish has in common with the old. It is conceivable that a deconstructed hollandaise may be butter, an egg, and a lemon, arrayed on a plate for you to play with. I do not believe that the descontruction vogue will last for long. At least, I hope it won't. Cafe Lynn, Mandeville Carol writes: I had dinner with three friends at Cafe Lynn in Mandeville and it was wonderful! Even though it's in a former Burger King, it's pleasant. The service was first-class and friendly. The menu is small, but to me, that's a plus, because the chef pays more attention to everything.  For appetizers we shared crab cakes and the French onion tart. Both were exceptional. Two of us had the braised pork osso buco. and two of us had pan-seared scallops. Both were very good and piping hot from the kitchen. Prices are totally reasonable. We wish the best for Chef Joey Najolia. Tom adds: This is a well-hidden restaurant at the intersection of US 190 and the East Causeway Approach. Joey Najolia was chef de cuisine at La Provence until Chris Kerageorgious dies a few months ago; Joey took the opportunity to open his own place, which he'd been thinking of doing anyway. All reports I've heard about Cafe Lynn are along the same lines as this one. (I've not been yet; it's a little too new for review.) Cafe Lynn. 3051 East Causeway Approach . 985-624-9007. Hot Tamales At Guillory's I am asked several times a week: What is the name of that place you recommend on the radio show as having great hot tamales? Tom sez: Guillory's is a little Old Metairie grocery store that evolved into a café. Its specialty is homemade hot tamales, along the lines of the what Manuel's used to do--but significantly better, I think. Guillory's is located at 3708 Derbigny, a side street two blocks from and parallel to Airline Highway, between Cleary and Severn. Delachaise Michael writes: My wife, sister, brother-in-law and my self went to dinner at Delachaise Friday night. We wanted something a little casual. We were very surprised by how delicious all the food was. We started with grilled Spanish style vegetables, a cheese plate and an assortment of olives. All great, especially the vegetables.  I had the Boz sandwich--prosciutto with cheese and arugula on toasted sourdough bread. My wife had the blue cheese rib eye, and my sister and brother-in-law both had shrimp and andouille skewers over a truffle polenta. All were really good, but my sandwich was the prize winner. It came with fresh cut fries fried in duck fat. They were unbelievable.  As far as bar food goes, the place takes the prize.  They also have an extensive wine, beer and liquor list as well as ports and Madeira. Delachaise. 3442 St. Charles Ave. 895.0858. Michael's in Slidell Susan writes: We live in Slidell, where our favorite restaurant is Michael's. We recently dined there to celebrate our anniversary. My husband had their specialty dish, the Black Forest filet mignon--the most delicious thing either of us had ever tasted. The combination of the salty blue cheese and the sweet cherry-Shiraz reduction with the beef was perfectly satisfying. I had the regular filet mignon, by far the best I ever had. It was perfectly grilled to medium rare and had a wonderful flavor, though it was not seasoned. We started with the turtle soup, which was also delicious and packed with real turtle meat. We finished with a sinful white chocolate bread pudding. The service was remarkably professional( the lady who served us has been there for as long as we can remember) and the atmosphere was charming. We were fortunate enough to enjoy the sounds of a live jazz guitarist on the night of our visit. Michael's is now offering the full pre-Katrina menu, as well as a swank martini menu and an extensive wine list. I can't say enough about how much we enjoyed our evening there, and we are definately looking forward to going back to enjoy our favorites from the full menu. Michael's. Slidell: 4820 Pontchartrain Dr.. 985-649-8055. Tipping For Take-Outs Guy asks: What is your recommendation for tipping for a take-out order? Tom sez: My kneejerk wise-guy response comes first, of course. Whay are you ruining good food by getting it to go? Dining in takes no more time and not significantly more money, and the food will be incomparably better. I don't think you should be like me, but hear this: I never get take-out. As in not ever. If I eat at home, I cook. If I get restaurant food, I eat it as it comes out of the kitchen, right there. If I don't have time to do either, I skip the meal. (It's part of my diet plan.) But to answer what you asked me: It depends. But generally speaking a tip is not necessary. Let's look at the exceptions. If a waiter -- particularly a waiter who takes care of you all the time, whether you dine in or out--takes special pains to get your order together, then I'd tip him fifteen percent. If it's just an order at the front, and the only employee you deal with is the one who runs your credit card, there is no service delivered, and no service need be paid for. If it's anywhere in between, use your judgement, thinking about how complicated the process was for the person who assembled the order. If the restaurant charges you for containers, then I'd really not tip. Longbranch Sheri writes: Last Friday with the rain just pouring down on Abita Springs, my husband and I decided to make the best of it and have lunch at the Longbranch.  It was wonderful. We had not been for lunch in a while, and I believe this lunch menu is fairly new. The menu is called "Meat and Three." I chose the braised short ribs, and as my "three" the baby squash, "dug"' potatoes, and the soup du jour--a creamy leek and asparagus with crawfish.  It was only $15.00! What a deal! It was really just so good. I think they are only doing lunch on Fridays.  Longbranch. Abita Springs: 21516 LA 36. 985-871-8171. Puerto Rican Dining Helen asks: I wanted to treat some great helpers from Puerto Rico to some of their familiar food. Is there a Puerto Rican restaurant in the metro area? Any other suggestions? They miss their traditional rice and bean menu sometimes. Tom sez: I'm sorry that we have no Puerto Rican restaurant here. Not just because there isn't one for your friends, but because I'd love to eat the stuff myself. It's a tremendously underrated cuisine. It is, however, more than a little bit like our Creole cooking. Have you taken them out to a neighborhood place for some red beans and rice and gumbo? Different, yes, but not entirely so. The closest island food to Pureto Rican that we do have here is Cuban. I'd recommend El Liborio (321 Magazine, 581-9680) and Churros Cafe (3100 Kingman, near the Clearview Mall, Metairie; 885-6516). Saturday Lunch Anita asks: I am looking for a great restaurant downtown or in the French Quarter to take out-of-town friends for lunch on Saturday. It seems like most restaurants are closed for lunch on Saturday. Do you have any suggestions? Tom sez: You're right. Few restaurants around town offer lunch on Saturday. But the Quarter is an exception. Here's a partial list of some major restaurants open Saturdays for lunch there. (I welcome suggestions from readers about others not included here.) Galatoire's Bourbon House Bayona Red Fish Grill Brennan's Court of Two Sisters Rib Room Begue's Palace Cafe Marigny Brasserie Nola Also, most of the casual restaurants are open: Acme Oyster House, Mother's (CBD), Johnny's Po-Boys, Crescent City Brewhouse, Maspero's, and others. Tip The Maitre d'? Paul asks: Should I tip a maitre d' in a restaurant? How much? Tom sez: I'm very pleased to hear this question. Few of us think about maitres d'hotel anymore, because there aren't many of them left. The hostess has taken over. The answer is that it depends on what the maitre d' does for you. If a desirable restaurant is packed, and the maitre 'd gets you a table where you want it a bit faster than you might otherwise expect, then you should slip him a ten or a twenty (depending on the situation). If you are a regular customer in this restaurant, and the maitre d' is always looking out for your special desires, this is the time of year to express your gratitutude, with a hundred-dollar bill and a "Merry Christmas!" In most cases, however, a tip is neither needed nor expected. The maitre d' gets a piece of the tips for the whole room. It's the special extras that call for a tip. Assuming you want to be treated specially. Where For Fried Catfish? Jennifer asks: After watching too many Long John Silver commercials, I have the most persistent hankering for some good fried catfish (fresh trout would also do nicely). If it were oysters or shrimp, I'd head for Bozo's. But, catfish? Before I do it myself or make the pilgramage to Manchac (which is rumored to be suffering in quality), do you have any recommendations for this most elementary menu staple? Tom sez: In fact, Bozo's has the best catfish this side of Middendorf's (or Barrow's, which hasn't reopened after the storm). They use only small, wild-caught catfish, a far superior product to the enoprmous farm-raised cats that most restaurants buy these days. Cornmeal coated, fried to order, always perfect. And the reports you hear that Middendorf's has declined are false, near as I can tell. I've been there a few times in the last year and find them right where I left them. Nor have I heard any discouraging reports from the wisdom of the crowd. Finally, be glad that Long John Silver's has never made inroads here. A Great Bakery Reopens Downtown D.S. reports: La Boulangerie downtown (625 St. Charles, on Lafayette Square) has finally reopened.  It has new employees who are still feeling their way around the electronic cash register (literally), and its lunch menu is temporarily limited until the new employees are up to speed, but it’s otherwise almost identical to its excellent pre-K condition.  It is still serving the fresh breads baked at the Magazine St. location, and it still serving coffee, teas, espresso drinks, etc. I had a very good sandwich with mild red peppers, real fresh mozzarella cheese and tomatoes on their house-made bread.  I also had a small loaf of olive fougasse bread, which was incredibly tasty and fresh.  I wanted to try one of their croissants (just for scientific purposes, of course, to see if they’re still up to their old standards), but was too full by the time I finished lunch. Bangkok Cuisine Chris asks: What happened to Bangkok Cuisine on Carrollton next to the Rock 'n' Bowl? Tom sez: The short story is that it was flooded very deeply in the storm aftermath, leaving an expensive repair to be done. I have not been able to reach the owners. Bangkok Cuisine was originally opened by the Semiesuke family, which still runs Lla Thai Cuisine (933 Metairie Road, 828-3080), one of the best Thai restaurants in the city. But they sold it well before the storm. There are many other Thai restaurants around town that you ought to try if you haven't. Click here for the current list.  [5/8/07] Messina's In Kenner Audrey asks: What happened to Messina's in Kenner, on Williams at Veterans? Have they closed for good or have they moved? Tom sez: Messina's old location (which was indeed quite old) was too badly damaged by the storm to be easily repaired. The people who own it had bought the Jazz Seafood and Steak House nefore the hurricane, and they have converted the menu there into something like what Messina's had. In addition, the operate the Chops Steakhouse in the Heritage Plaza, on Veterans at the Seventeenth Street Canal. [5/6/07] El Gato Negro S.F. Sez: I went to El Gato Negro (81 French Market Place, 525-9752) last week and was impressed! We split four appetizers.. The shrimp civeche was enormous, the lamb taquitos were stellar. It's a shame the French Market is under construction because it's making business slow. I hope El Gato Negro can hang in there! [5/5/07] Complaining Without Offending Your Host Lisa asks: I had lunch with a friend last week, and she treated. We got a lunch plate of fried shrimp, hush puppies, cole slaw, and some boiled potatoes. Everything was fine until I cut into one of the potatoes and saw that it was bad on the inside. The waitress never did come over and ask how everything was, and I was too embarrassed to tell my friend about it, so I didn't say anything. How can you fix a problem like this without making your host feel you're not enjoying the treat? Tom sez: Congratulations on your sensitivity. But you should have let the restaurant know about rotten food. A good restauraeurm, chef, or waiter would want to know about that. Problems sneak through--food is not perfect all the time, no matter how much you pay for it. And if you tell them, they can fix the pestilence for you and others. Here's how to do it without embarrassing your host. First, excuse yourself from the table. (The others at the table will think you've gone to the restroom.) As soon as you're out of sight, ask any service person to see the manager. Tell him that you don't want to embarrass either him or the host, and explain the problem. Unless the manager is a jerk (and there are a few of those out there), he will likely take care of it without the host being any the wiser. Black Napkins Greg asks: I've noticed that a number of restaurants have a policy of replacing the napkin with which the table is set with a black napkin when they seat you. I've had it happen that they actually remove the white napkin from my lap and put a black on there. Sometimes it happens and sometimes it doesn't. But it seems that all restaurants that do this started doing it at the same time. I think it's a secret signal of some sort to the wait staff, but I can't figure out what it's supposed to be saying. Do you know? Tom sez: Greg, this is another one of those questions that you wouldn't ask if you were a woman. You'd know that the black napkin is brought when the guest is wearing dark-colored clothing, in order to keep lint from the white napkin from showing on that fine little black dress. Now, I wear dark-colored suits most of the time, and never in my life noticed napkin lint. However, women have been complaining about this to me for years. I guess we guys just don't notice the line, either on ourselves or the ladies. (All the female readers are nodding right now.) It's just another service nicety in the best restaurants. Favorite Table Brian asks: Whenever I call a certain restaurant for a reservation, if I ask for my favorite table, they tell me that they can't promise it to me. I am a regular customer. We eat there three or four times a year. Sometimes I get the table, but I usually don't. I've tried calling a long time in advance, but nothing seems to work. What's the trick? Tom sez: There isn't one. You hold two beliefs which are widely held, but at variance with reality. The first is that restaurants reserve tables. Very few actually do so. Instead, they track the number of people who want to come in at each time, according to how many seats and servers will be available. The assignment of the actual table doesn't happen until you arrive. And that involves not just open tables, but balancing the customers each server had to take care of. The reason for this is that it's already a tricky matter figuring out how much room a restaurant has at a certain time--particularly after the first seating. The length of time the first customers stay is impossible to predict. To do that on a table-by-table basis would be a nightmare. The only restaurants that can have more seats than customers. Antoine's, for example, is vastly larger than it needs to be, so they can reserve specific tables with placards. However, even in busy restaurants, there are people who can command a certain table. And that's where the second misapprehension comes in. While four times a year may seem like a ritual to you, in fact that's only an occasional customer for most restaurants. Special favors start clicking in when they see you once a month or more often. Or if every time you come in you spend a lot of money. So what else is new? Actually, there is a trick that works. Show up right as the restaurant opens. Unless a VIP is competing with you for the table, you should be able to request and get it. Black-Tie Dining A lady at the Eat Club dinner at Brennan's, a black-tie affair, asked: I love to dress up and wear my evening clothes, but my husband here says that a man can't wear a tuxedo unless the invitation specifically calls for one. And that he can't go out to a restaurant wearing a tuxedo, because it makes him look like a waiter. Who's right?   Tom Sez: You are, dear, by definition. The lady is always right. But you're right anyway. There is no reason on earth why the two of you shouldn't dress up any time the mood strikes you. Men, as we all know, look fabulous in a tuxedo. I wear one every time I have even a slight pretext. If someone asks why I'm so dressed up in a restaurant or elsewhere, I just say, "I'm going somewhere else later." (It's a better answer than trying to explain what I'm explaining right now.) As for the waiter thing, have you ever wondered what it means that servers look better than the people they're serving. Seems to me there's something wrong there. The only inappropriate time for a gentleman to wear a tux is before six p.m. (Although after dark you can get away with it.) They call it evening wear for a reason. Early-Evening Specials Charles asks: It appears that some restaurants like Brigtsen's and the Pelican Club are no longer offering early bird specials. Do you know where I can find a list of restaurants offering early bird dinners or can you suggest any good food deals? Tom sez: Because of the extreme shortage of restaurant employees, and because since the storm everybody seems to be eating an hour earlier than they used to, early evening specials have all but disappeared. Most of the few still around are much more expensive than they used to be. For example, the early-evening dinner at Andrea's, which was $16 before the storm, is now $30. The cheapest I know are at Bacco (three appetizers and a glass of wine, $25) and Ralph's on the Park (three courses, $25). The palace Cafe has a pre-theatre menu available every day for about $30. Cafe Giovanni does a three-course dinner Sunday and Tuesday through Thursday for $25. But there's not much more of that. Tipping The Sushi Chef Alicia asks: When you sit at a sushi bar, the sushi chef does most of the work of serving you. But there's a waitress, too, and I never know whether any of the tip money goes to the chef, or whether it all goes to the waitress. Should you tip the sushi chef separately? I don't want to hand him cash, since he's working with raw food. Tom sez: In most sushi bars, the sushi chef gets a cut of the tips generated at the sushi bar. But note that while he does serve you all the food, the server is taking care of everything else, clearing the dishes, bringing the water and utensils and drinks, fetching the check, etc. And the server gets a very low wage, balanced by tips, while the chef is usually paid at much higher levels. So the illusion that the chef deserves more is a little skewed. All that said, I usually tip the sushi chef by increasing the tip on the whole check. If they needed to be tipped directly, there'd be a tip jar, which is something I've never seen. Sugar Bowls Elizabeth asks: Someone told me that there isn't a single restaurant in New Orleans that has a sugar bowl. Is that true? I actually can't think of one. Tom sez: It's almost, but not quite, true. Antoine's is the only restaurant I know of which brings out an actual sugar bowl full of granulated sugar that you remove to your coffee cup with a spoon. Every other restaurant uses sugar packets, which may be in a sugar bowl, but I don't think that's what you mean. The reason for this is a health department inspection item. If you have open sugar bowls, you get points off during your inspection. Most restaurants go along with that, but Antoine's apparently believes tradition is more important. In this case, I agree. An Early Report On Anatole Ken Davis reports on the new Anatole, Chef Raymond Toups's new restaurant in the Lafayette Hotel. My overall initial impression of lunch at Anatole last Friday was favorable, although it was more expensive than I expected. On leaving and looking at both lunch and dinner menus, I found that dinner prices are even higher. I spoke to Chef Toups on our way out and he said he wanted to provide a higher level of service than usual. Our waiter, while obviously a little unsure of himself and a little rough around the edges, did provide good service. An interesting aspect of the service was that instead of simply refilling our tea glasses, he brought new, full glasses of tea. While this increases the number of glasses to be washed, it allows patrons to have tea prepared to their tastes rather than having a half-filled tea glass diluted with tea and patrons having to estimate how much sweetner to add. I started with the wild mushroom bisque with jumbo lump crabmeat ($6.50) which was good, and I would order it again. It was rich-tasting and flavorful with a good mouthfeel. I followed that with the Barataria Bay crab cakes (two, pan-fried, $21). These were good, but not as good as I hoped. I did not detect anything significant in the crabmeat other than herbs, but the fried coating was too thick and seemed to disguise, rather than complement, the crabmeat. It was thick enough that I had to use a knife to cut it for a portion of it. My wife had the Maine diver scallop appetizer ($12) and found it quite good (although not as tasty as a scallop dish we had at Taqueros a few weeks ago). It would also qualify for reordering. She followed that with a fieldgreen salad that was fresh and a little better than the usual salad mix. Total check before tip was $55. (No alcohol) Overall our impressions were good and we plan to try Anatole again. It is a worthy addition to New Orleans dining scene. [10/10/06] Anatole. 600 St. Charles Ave. (at Lafayette Square). 274-0105. Mexican Buffet A person who I will not name asks: Sometimes folks just want a cheap bottomless-pit type of place to go. Such as a buffet or restaurant that is known for low prices, large portions, and questionable quality. So here goes my question. Are there any Mexican buffet restaurants in the Greater New Orleans area?  Poncho’s doesn’t appear to be coming back and I miss loading up. Tom sez: There are many good things that have come from the hurricane. It has caused many of us to question things about our lives, and forced us to realize that certain habits and urges are not only destructive, demeaning, and unhappy, but are also very easy to allow to pass into the used to be. Bottomless-pit eating of very bad food is one of those. Pancho's is gone forever from our area (let's hope). Mexican buffets (and Chinese buffets, and most buffets, in fact) are bad. Forget them. Move on. There's a big world of pleasure out there waiting to fill that space in a more gratifying way. It could never get into your life before, because you were at Pancho's. Let it in. This advice gains even more urgency if you happen to be over the age of 40. Noise Garland Robinette asked me this in the hall yesterday: I was in a restaurant last night--I won't tell you which one--and the thought crossed my mind that it seems to me that restaurants are deliberately being built to have a high level of noise. I think they may be doing this to keep you from staying there any longer than it takes to eat. Is that just me? Tom sez: There's no question about it. Restaurant designers who built dining rooms to be very noisy would have been considered inept a couple of decades ago, when restaurants advertised their quiet, romantic atmosphere as a reason to dine in their establishments. But the trend took on a life of its own when the guys who look upon running a restaurant as a science instead of an art made a discovery: If a restaurant is loud, it attracts younger diners who will not block up a table as long as people who are visiting with one another would. Both of those effects are highly desirable to any restaurateur who looks at his bottom line frequently. (As more of them do.) And they get complaints from people, sure enough. . . but those people just keep on coming, if the rest of the ensemble is attractive. How else to explain Galatoire's, for example, where one has had to yell to be a heard by one's dining partner for pver a century? And Galatoire's has a large population of the people who are least amenable to noisy spots: customers over fifty. There's another mechanism that encourages the evolution of loud restaurants. It's that many people feel actually uncomfortable in a quiet place. It forces them to make conversation with their partners, and yet do so in a way that cannot be heard by everyone. Such people are among those with the greatest disdain for restaurants with lively acoustics, paradixically. The forces at work to make noisy restaurants are strong. Quiet restaurants are becoming rare. The mainstream wins again. Fried Oyster Salads Jack Asks: This is my first visit to New Orleans since our conference at Tulane, and I’m suddenly aware of a dish that seems to be omnipresent. Oyster salad is not something I recall in the 1970s and 1980s, before I began my 23-year out-of-town hiatus. But now it seems to be everywhere, an especially rewarding lunch entrée. I noticed it the last few days at Ralph’s and at Cafe Adelaide. But it’s a brilliant thing, fried oysters with artful greens. Is it new? When was it invented? By whom? <>  Tom sez: The oyster salad began as a crawfish salad, back in the 1980s. The idea was to replace the croutons commonly found in Caesar and other salads with something else toasty, and warm fried crawfish hit the mark. The first place I recall seeing this was on November 11, 1983 at Bouligny, on the corner of Magazine and Marengo. (The Battle of Marengo was one of Napoleon's greatest victories, and where his chef created a chicken dish which still bears the name of the place.) I once knew a guy named Napoleon. Anyway, crawfish are not always around, crabmeat is too expensive for this use, and shrimp seem more appropriate served boiled and cold on a salad than fried. So the onus fell on the lowly oyster. (Lowly only in the sense that it lies on the bottom of the body of water in which it grows. I do not mean to besmirch the proud heritage of the oyster and its kin.) It was also discovered, in one of those examples of cross-pollination so endemic in restaurant cooking, that the same remoulade sauce that was being used on the shrimp in the salads mentioned above was also good with fried oysters. Hence the evolution was complete, and the species began generating specie. Who's Open New Year's Eve? Dozens of people have asked in the last few days. . . Can you suggest a restaurant for New Year's Eve? All my favorite places are closed on Sunday. Tom sez: Call your favorite place. It may be open. Even if they're never open on Sunday, New Years' Eve is such a busy night for restaurants, and the possibilities for making big bucks that night are so alluring, that most restaurateurs break their regular schedules and open anyway. However, you may have waited too long. New Year's Eve reservations should be made weeks in advance. Some restaurants are so popular that months is more like it. Some restaurants have a regular New Year's Eve clientele. On their way out of the restaurant, they book a table for next year's celebration. However, because so many people are missing from the scene, the reservations are a bit easier to come by this year. Commander's Palace, whose New Year's Eve book has been closed for decades, has decided to do a second seating this year, and last time I checked still had openings available. When you make your reservation (and don't even think about going out to dine that night without one), be sure to ask what the restaurant will be offering. Most restaurants remove their regular menus and instead serve from a shorter, sometimes more expensive (in some cases, much more expensive) menu. Many restaurants have live music, party hats, noisemakers, free bubbly at midnight, and other extras that you will be paying for indirectly. But why not? It's New Year's Eve! Not a night for tightwads! It's also not a night for underdressing. If you're going to a nice restaurant, it wouldn't be a bad idea to wear the tuxedo. You'll certainly get better service, and you'll have more fun, too. Finally: New Year's Eve is the night to go to your favorite restaurant. The one where you're a regular, where the management knows and likes you. That may even be a necessity for some restaurants. It's another of many reasons why you should be a welcomed, regular customer somewhere. © 2007 Tom Fitzmorris. All rights reserved. news@nomenu.com

Index To Restaurant and Dining Matters Click to go to the question in question. Click here for all restaurant and dining questions. Anatole Ardoise Bangkok Cuisine Black Napkins Black-Tie Dining Cafe Lynn, Mandeville Complaining Without Offending Your Host Deconstructed Dishes Delachaise Early-Evening Specials El Gato Negro Favorite Table Fingers On Food Fried Catfish Search Fried Oyster Salads Hot Tamales at Guillory's La Boulangerie Downtown Opens Longbranch Messina's Mexican Buffets: Gone? Michael's In Slidell New Year's Eve Dining Noise In Restaurants Puerto Rican Dining Saturday Lunch Places Sugar Bowls In Restaurants Tipping For Take-Outs Tipping The Maitre d' Tipping Sushi Chefs "Best Cookbook Of  The Year!" --New Orleans Magazine, Dec. 2006 Wow! I'm flattered by the kind words for my new cookbook, New Orleans Food, in this month's New Orleans Magazine! The book, now in its third printing is a collection of the best dishes we're eating today in New Orleans, with clear, tested recipes I think you and your friends will love. A Great Gift! I would be very pleased to personalize and autograph a copy of New Orleans Food for you or a friend. Click here to order a signed first edition. ~~~ Lowest Price on my book is at Amazon: $13.57 Click here. The Food Show With Tom Fitzmorris 2-5 p.m. and  10 p.m.-5 a.m. Weekdays WWWL 1350 AM Call in! 504-593-2166 ~~~~~~~~~ WWL 870 AM WWL-FM 105.3 Noon-2 p.m. Saturdays Call in! 504-260-1870 Toll-free 866-899-0870 Streaming at http://www.wwl.com/ Much More In The Menu Daily Subscribe to get the full Menu Daily newsletter by e-mail. In the Five-Star Edition of the Menu Daily, new articles are added constantly--at least five a day. Subscribers can search all past articles, reviews, recipes, and top-ten lists, and get a personal, priority consulting service. It contains no advertising. The price is whatever you feel it's worth. Find out more: Click here.