One thing that I didn't do before my trip to New Orleans was food research. Fellow Atlanta food bloggers like Foodie Buddha and Eat It Atlanta map out where they're going to go eat, on what day and in what order -- real calculated and organized. But because your boy was procrastinating too busy preparing for interviews I didn't do any research. Lesson here boys and girls -- do your research like the smart men mentioned above.
I asked the bellboy where to eat Sunday afternoon brunch and he pointed us to Brennan's, famous for their Eggs Hussarde and Bananas Foster.
Now, don't panic when you see that a modified version of eggs Benedict is like $30. It'll be OK. Brennan's has a prix fixe that includes a starter, main and dessert for $41. So if you're on a budget or a college kid who didn't look at the menu before going, choose the prix fixe. We got the southern baked apple with double cream and Creole onion soup to start. The caramelized cinnamon apple by itself is too sweet for my tastes but once when eaten with the double cream it balances it out. I liked the Creole onion soup a lot more. It has a nice caramelized onion flavor and a hint of curry-esque back taste. You also get a hot, toasty French bread with a plate of butter to eat while you wait for your mains.
(Eggs Hussarde)
(Eggs Shannon)
The Brennan's original, Eggs Hussarde, is like an Eggs Benedict but with the addition of Marchand de Vin sauce. The egg and Canadian bacon sits on top of a Holland rusk which is a thick, somewhat tough biscuit that can soak up all the gooey egg yolk and other sauces on the plate. I thought the the Vin sauce got somewhat lost in the Hollandaise but overall I really enjoyed the dish. The Eggs Shannon is two servings of friend trout with poached eggs and Hollandaise sitting on top of creamed spinach. The trout was fresh and tender and the poached eggs just like the Hussarde were gooey and excellent. I didn't really like the creamed spinach because there was a strong presence of nutmeg but the other component of the dish were very yummy.
Perhaps the show stopper at Brennan's can be exemplified by their dessert. Both the Bananas Foster and the Crepes Fitzgerald are made table side with the flambe capturing everybody's attention in the room. Prepare to see several bursting flames throughout your meal. I really enjoyed the Bananas Foster because you could taste each individual component of the dish with each bite. The Crepes Fitzgerald was also pretty good. Each crepe is filled with a mixture of cream cheese and sour cream in a strawberry, Maraschino sauce.
