Friday lunch at Galatoire's (photo: Galatoire's)
Rolling with the Lunches
By Beth D'Addono
A restaurant lunch isn’t a simple midday meal in New Orleans. Like everything else in this bedazzled city, lunch - especially on a Friday - is a party turned up to 11.
From witch’s conclaves to Mardi Gras extravaganzas, dining out in New Orleans while the sun is still shining requires commitment, a strong liver and a perspective open to possibilities. For more than 60 years, Galatoire’s has set the bar for high fashion, flowing champagne and decadent excess.
Monied New Orleanians used to pay “sitters” to stand in line to secure their place at the table in the main dining room. That changed with the pandemic, when the restaurant opened Friday lunch to reservations in 2020. The success of Galatoire’s lunch tradition did not go unnoticed.
Just ask Ti Martin, who co-owns and stewards her family restaurant along with her cousin Lally Brennan. Lunch has ramped up significantly at Commander’s Palace. The way Martin recalls, Friday lunch wasn’t a thing when she was growing up. “When my mom and them were running things, lunch wasn’t that busy. I can literally remember sitting around with mom, Lally and Emeril and saying, how can we make lunch fun?”
Twenty-five cent martinis were one way to lubricate the proceedings when the team started promoting the three-martini lunch to jumpstart day business back in the 80s. It's a model that has inspired others, including Antoine’s, as famous for its besotted midday meals as it is for its oyster Rockefeller.
With martinis comes glitter. When a manager from one of Rick Bayless’s restaurants in Chicago recently joined the Commander’s Palace team, there was one thing she couldn’t get over. “She couldn’t believe how many things we wear on our heads,” said Ti Martin, “Straight up, people come in, all dressed up and sparkling. They decorate the tables. I really have to give it to the ladies. They’re pushing the fun. Fridays really go into high gear.”
Whether its donning purple in support of St. Augustine scholars or cherry chapeaus for the international Red Hat Society or purple, green and gold during Carnival, festively adorned lunching is de rigueur in New Orleans. At Mr. B’s in the Quarter, Martin’s cousin Cindy Brennan offers James Bond’s favorite pour for $1.50 at lunch - Bloody Mary’s too. While known for their dinner service of Creole specialties like barbecue shrimp, gumbo ya ya, and wood-grilled gulf fish, Mr. B’s flies under the radar for its rollicking lunch experience. The proprietress insists on “fine dining without the fuss" assuring us that lunch isn’t rushed or complicated.
Best of all, savvy diners know about Mr. B's discreet back entrance through Solari's Parking Garage at 721 Iberville Street. The restaurant’s back door access through the parking lot is the portal to $5, three hour validated parking. It's a cinematic introduction to one of the Quarter's most storied dining rooms.
For Martin, encouraging the fun is the reason it works. “Us being present and willing to make complete idiots of ourselves helps,” she said. “We’re walking around the Garden Room saying, ‘What, y’all think this is Galatoire’s?’ This thing has gone from serious business dealings at lunch to everybody walking around knowing everybody else.”
She’s had a sign by her desk for years that says Make Fine Dining Fun. This is one way Martin and her team make that happen. Add in an affordable lunch option, two courses for $23, plus all those martinis for a quarter each, and hijinks ensue.
The Friday before Mardi Gras is the penultimate time for a festive Friday lunch. Used to be that only dude krewes partied that day. Martin, who’s been riding in Iris for more than 40 years, remembers when the tide turned. “Back in the early 90s, we took over Bacco, my cousins Ralph and Cindy’s restaurant on Chartres. We had head bands. Got a jazz band, go cups, and paraded through the Quarter. So much joie de vivre and fun.”
Martin’s only rule relating to Friday lunch? “Never go to Galatoire’s for dinner on a Friday. The lunch people are still there and you just can’t catch up.”
Four more to try:
Antoine’s: A classic for 85 years
Clancy’s: There's a reason why they call it Galatoire's Uptown
Plates: Chef Farrell Harrison updates the tradition
Arnaud’s: Have a Friday drink at their French 75 bar before or after
Beth D'Addono's latest book, City Eats: New Orleans, is out now / READ OUR REVIEW HERE
By Beth D'Addono
A restaurant lunch isn’t a simple midday meal in New Orleans. Like everything else in this bedazzled city, lunch - especially on a Friday - is a party turned up to 11.
From witch’s conclaves to Mardi Gras extravaganzas, dining out in New Orleans while the sun is still shining requires commitment, a strong liver and a perspective open to possibilities. For more than 60 years, Galatoire’s has set the bar for high fashion, flowing champagne and decadent excess.
Monied New Orleanians used to pay “sitters” to stand in line to secure their place at the table in the main dining room. That changed with the pandemic, when the restaurant opened Friday lunch to reservations in 2020. The success of Galatoire’s lunch tradition did not go unnoticed.
Just ask Ti Martin, who co-owns and stewards her family restaurant along with her cousin Lally Brennan. Lunch has ramped up significantly at Commander’s Palace. The way Martin recalls, Friday lunch wasn’t a thing when she was growing up. “When my mom and them were running things, lunch wasn’t that busy. I can literally remember sitting around with mom, Lally and Emeril and saying, how can we make lunch fun?”
Twenty-five cent martinis were one way to lubricate the proceedings when the team started promoting the three-martini lunch to jumpstart day business back in the 80s. It's a model that has inspired others, including Antoine’s, as famous for its besotted midday meals as it is for its oyster Rockefeller.
With martinis comes glitter. When a manager from one of Rick Bayless’s restaurants in Chicago recently joined the Commander’s Palace team, there was one thing she couldn’t get over. “She couldn’t believe how many things we wear on our heads,” said Ti Martin, “Straight up, people come in, all dressed up and sparkling. They decorate the tables. I really have to give it to the ladies. They’re pushing the fun. Fridays really go into high gear.”
Whether its donning purple in support of St. Augustine scholars or cherry chapeaus for the international Red Hat Society or purple, green and gold during Carnival, festively adorned lunching is de rigueur in New Orleans. At Mr. B’s in the Quarter, Martin’s cousin Cindy Brennan offers James Bond’s favorite pour for $1.50 at lunch - Bloody Mary’s too. While known for their dinner service of Creole specialties like barbecue shrimp, gumbo ya ya, and wood-grilled gulf fish, Mr. B’s flies under the radar for its rollicking lunch experience. The proprietress insists on “fine dining without the fuss" assuring us that lunch isn’t rushed or complicated.
Best of all, savvy diners know about Mr. B's discreet back entrance through Solari's Parking Garage at 721 Iberville Street. The restaurant’s back door access through the parking lot is the portal to $5, three hour validated parking. It's a cinematic introduction to one of the Quarter's most storied dining rooms.
For Martin, encouraging the fun is the reason it works. “Us being present and willing to make complete idiots of ourselves helps,” she said. “We’re walking around the Garden Room saying, ‘What, y’all think this is Galatoire’s?’ This thing has gone from serious business dealings at lunch to everybody walking around knowing everybody else.”
She’s had a sign by her desk for years that says Make Fine Dining Fun. This is one way Martin and her team make that happen. Add in an affordable lunch option, two courses for $23, plus all those martinis for a quarter each, and hijinks ensue.
The Friday before Mardi Gras is the penultimate time for a festive Friday lunch. Used to be that only dude krewes partied that day. Martin, who’s been riding in Iris for more than 40 years, remembers when the tide turned. “Back in the early 90s, we took over Bacco, my cousins Ralph and Cindy’s restaurant on Chartres. We had head bands. Got a jazz band, go cups, and paraded through the Quarter. So much joie de vivre and fun.”
Martin’s only rule relating to Friday lunch? “Never go to Galatoire’s for dinner on a Friday. The lunch people are still there and you just can’t catch up.”
Four more to try:
Antoine’s: A classic for 85 years
Clancy’s: There's a reason why they call it Galatoire's Uptown
Plates: Chef Farrell Harrison updates the tradition
Arnaud’s: Have a Friday drink at their French 75 bar before or after
Beth D'Addono's latest book, City Eats: New Orleans, is out now / READ OUR REVIEW HERE