This was my third trip to New Orleans with my husband, and each trip we have had one "fancy meal" that we planned and anticipated eagerly as we are both "foodies." When we planned a long weekend during the President's Day holiday, one of the first things we decided to do was make reservations for brunch at Commander's Palace. We had tried one of the other famous brunch restaurants in another neighborhood for both dinner and brunch, but we felt our dining experience in the Crescent City was not complete without visiting the blue-and-white-striped mansion in the Garden District.
We were so glad we did! The room was decorated with balloons and they commented that it was all for my husband's birthday (he recently celebrated a birthday, so I mentioned that when making the reservations). We originally thought we'd try the set menu option, but after Jose described the other mouth-watering options, we decided we had to go out on our own. Our first course choices were the Oysters Absinthe in cream sauce with a puff pastry top and the basket of shredded potatoes with pulled chicken topped with a poached egg. Both were over the top. Next, I was impressed by the delicious, creamy, corn sauce my pecan-crusted white fish sat in, topped with micro greens. My husband enjoyed a scrumptious crawfish and goat-cheese frittata. For dessert, his classic pecan pie was executed masterfully with a thick, carmellized crust of pecans covering the custard. My bread pudding souffle was a unique, light and airy finish to a perfect meal with all the flavor of traditional bread pudding but none of the heaviness. This was worth the splurge!

If you only had one meal in NOLA, I would recommend that you consider having it here. Commander’s Palace has great food, classy atmosphere, and exceptional staff. This is not a meal but an experience.

We go every year or two to celebrate a birthday with Sunday Brunch. It is 3 courses with the price of the entrée determining the price of the set menu. You really can’t go wrong with any of the selections, but the seasonal strawberry salad (2/16/13) was delightful as a first course. In my opinion, the fish dishes really stand out as the freshest and most interesting entree dishes on the brunch menu. All of the deserts are great but the Creole Cream Cheese cheesecake is my personal favorite. Pretty good strawberry shortcake and pecan pie as well!

Tip- Although you would think that sitting by the window wall facing the garden is nice, it got really hot and was almost unbearably bright last time we were there. It got to the point where we almost put on our sunglasses. Next time I will recquest being sat away from the window wall.

Bonus tip- Don’t wear jeans or they might seat you outside in the courtyard (that is if they even will agree to seat you). I like to dress very casually but will put on slacks and a jacket for this place. I recommend that you (men) do the same or you may feel a bit under dressed here.

Our group of 36 had the opportunity to eat at Commander's Palace this past weekend (2-16-2013). Our 5 course meal was EXCEPTIONAL as was the service provided by Eric, Sean, Heath, Cornell and Jermaine. Those in our group that had eaten there many times before said it was as good as ever -- the first timers in our group said it was the best restaurant they have experienced.

We look forward to a return visit. You cannot go wrong at Commander's Palace.

I've been to NOLA often but have avoided the famous restaurants bc of price and the feeling that they couldn't possibly live up to their reputations. Well, Commander's Palace really did! We went for lunch because of the prix fix menu and .25 martinis and enjoyed every bite! We'll go back!