Had lunch with family and friends this past week, a New Orleans tradition. Colin was an excellent waiter. Food and atomosphere very good. Be forewarned, 25 cent martinis can be lethal.

My wife and I went to Commanders Palace for dinner. It is definitely a very nice restaurant and lives up to its reputation for excellent for and service. I could not find a fault in the service. The service ran seamlessly. I never waited for anything and the table maintenance was excellent, a used dish never stayed on the table any longer than needed. The food was excellent. The food came out at an excellent pace, not too fast not too slow. My wife had the house salad and I had the turtle soup, both very good. The entrees were the filet mignon and sea scallops. Both were cooked perfectly, steak medium rare and scallops browned on one side but still tender, not chewy. The dessert was the apple buckle which was excellent. The restaurant was busy for a Wednesday night but not too crowded. The atmosphere was vey nice, maybe a little loud due to one extra loud table. I would definitely eat here again and would highly recommend it, just remember it IS a pricey restaurant but well worth it.

We made reservations about 5 months in advance, I felt a little foolish calling that far in advance, but when I called, I was told that they did not have the time slot that I wanted, so I was glad to call that early! I let them know that we would be celebrating our wedding anniversary that night. When we arrived in November, we were greeted with, "so glad that you are celebrating your anniversary with us". Well, this was a wonderful start. We were led upstairs and at each turn where the staff was standing we were greeted with 'hello' or a lovely smile. We had a lovely table by the window and our waitstaff were all fabulous. We started with oysters in puffed pastry. The dish was delicious. I had the turtle soup which was so good and my husband had gumbo made with a veal stock, the flavors were so rich in his gumbo. Our entrees were scallops and my husband had pecan crusted redfish. Both were great. My scallops were cooked to perfection. My husband has a habit of ordering as much as he possibly can at certain restaurants so that we get a good taste of a variety of dishes and Commander's Palace was one of those places. So, he also ordered a side dish of poached crab meat poached in limoncello. I am so glad I could not talk him out of it! This was one of the most decadent, luxourious dishes I have ever had. It was so rich and wonderful, we could not even finish this. We had their signature bread pudding for dessert. I had an Adelaide's swizzle to drink and my husband had Sazerac's. This was a memorable event because the staff makes you feel so special. I can't wait to come back to New Orleans and eat here again.

At least 20 years ago I visited New Orleans and ate at the Commander"s Palace, it was awesome then and it is just as awesome today. The food was incredible and the service was also incredible. Part of the beauty of this restaurant is that it isn't in the French Quarter, but in the Garden District, a gorgeous setting to have a fabulous meal. I believe this is a must stop if you are visiting New Orleans.