The Restaurants We Can't Live Without By Tom Fitzmorris. . . Revised July 2009 Tommy’s Classic Creole. Italian. Warehouse District: 746 Tchoupitoulas. 504-581-1103. Map. Dinner seven nights. Casual AE DC MC V www.tommyscuisine.com   WHY IT'S ESSENTIAL   Owner Tommy Andrade, after decades of running classy local dining rooms, is much more interested in making people happy than in showing off how his kitchen can invent new dishes. So the menu is unapologetically on the traditional side. You've seen this food before, but you're very glad to see it again.   WHY IT'S GOOD   The combination of classic Creole and Creole-Italian dishes is immensely enjoyable. It's lusty eating, with fresh fish, jumbo lump crabmeat, beautiful shrimp, first-class steak and veal and duck all over the place. The dining is made more fun by the convivial local crowd and the unerring hospitality of the staff.   BACKSTORY   Tommy Andrade was the manager of the Fairmont Hotel's Sazerac in the 1970s--a very classy gig. Ever since, he has had a rapport with restaurant staff, and when he opened this restaurant he filled its dining room with old pros--including some highly recognizable waiters from some of the city's favorite restaurants. He was involved with Irene's in its early years, leaving there to open Tommy's, which in some ways is similar to Irene's.   DINING ROOM   It feels like an old French Quarter cafe, with a lively buzz emanating from the largely local clientele. They keep the restaurant full most of the time. Tommy's bar, in an adjacent building, is one of the classiest watering holes around, with live music most nights.   ESSENTIAL DISHES   Oysters Rockefeller. Oysters Bienville. Oysters Tommy (baked on the shell with Romano, pancetta, and roasted peppers). Panneed oysters. Grilled shrimp. Crabmeat canapes. Crabmeat maison. Sweetbreads with capers and butter. Soft-shell crab with tomatoes and crawfish. Fish Capri (crabmeat, artichokes, beurre blanc). Crabmeat au gratin. Crabmeat Sardou. Roast chicken with rosemary. Veal Sorrentina (eggplant, prosciutto, mozzarella). Lamb Provençal. Duck Tchoupitoulas (roasted half duck, with raspberry duck demi-glace, wild rice and spinach). Filet mignon bearnaise. Praline bread pudding. Caramel custard. Tiramisu.   FOR BEST RESULTS   If you have four or more, get them to make an appetizer assortment for the table. Make a reservation and show up early. Make friends with the service staff. Plan to have an after-dinner drink in the lounge next door.   OPPORTUNITIES FOR IMPROVEMENT   The wall decorations look as if they came from a 100-year-old neighborhood restaurant. The large dining room's ambient sound level can be too high for conversation.   FACTORS OTHER THAN FOOD   Up to three points, positive or negative, for these characteristics. Absence of points denotes average performance in the matter. Dining Environment Consistency +2 Service +2 Value +2 Attitude +1 Wine and Bar +2 Hipness +1 Local Color +2   SPECIAL ATTRIBUTES    Live music Romantic Good for business meetings Private dining room (fewer than 25) Private dining room (more than 25) Open Sunday Open Monday Open late (11 p.m. Friday-Saturday) Unusually large servings Valet parking ($10) Reservations accepted Click here for an index to current reviews of the 200 Essential Restaurants, and others. © 2009 Tom Fitzmorris. All rights reserved. news@nomenu.com