CHRISTMAS
NEW ORLEANS STYLE REVISITS REVEILLON DINING CUSTOM
Twenty-nine of New Orleans' finest restaurants will offer the
Reveillon, an adaptation of a traditional Creole holiday
meal, throughout December, as part of the month-long Christmas
New Orleans Style celebration. These historically based
Reveillon dishes combine ageless Creole cuisine with a
contemporary flair to create a memorable culinary experience for
diners.
Some of the modern-day Reveillon creations that will be
served at participating restaurants include Crawfish Bourgeois,
Oyster and Andouille Stuffed Quail, Veal Grillades and Grits,
Amuse Bouché (Warm sweet potato dumpling), Wild Mushroom
Sausage Stuffed Quail, Peppercorn Molasses Glazed Veal Chop, Crabmeat
Calas, Shrimp-Sweet Corn Bisque, Tiramisu Yule Log and a Miniature
Gingerbread Creole Cottage (filled with pumpkin mousse).
The Reveillon custom dates back to the 19th century, when
Creole families of New Orleans celebrated Christmas Eve (after
coming home from midnight Mass) and New Year's Eve with a breakfast
feast, consisting of eggs, fish, fowl and flesh, sweetbreads,
and such Creole delicacies as daube glacé (a well-seasoned
beef brisket), until dawn. Described as "fit to take on a
trip to heaven," the Reveillon meal also included
such treats as eggnog, elaborate pastries, meringues and crystallized
fruits, and often ended with a cake filled with jelly, dripping
with wine or rum and whipped cream.
Today's Reveillon has been expanded from the original meal
served in New Orleans households on Christmas Eve and New Year's
Eve, and is now served at participating restaurants during December
so that everyone may share in this unique holiday meal. The four
or five-course meals are priced from $21.95 to $54 and often include
New Orleans lagniappe of café brûlot, eggnog or wine.
All menus can be viewed at www.christmasneworleans.com.
These special, contemporary Reveillon menus will be offered
at the following restaurants: Andrea's, Arnaud's, Begue's, Bombay
Club, Bourbon House, Brennan's, Broussard's, Chateaubriand Steakhouse,
Dickie Brennan's Steakhouse, Galatoire's, Grill Room at the Windsor
Court Hotel, Gumbo Shop, GW Fins, Hunt Room Grill, Louis XVI Restaurant
Français, the Manor Room at Harrah's (r) New Orleans Casino,
Midi South of France, Muriel's Jackson Square, Palace Café,
Pat O's Courtyard Restaurant, Pelican Club, René Bistrot,
Rib Room, Royal Café, Sazerac, Tujague's, Upperline Restaurant,
the Veranda at the Hotel Inter-Continental and Zoë Bistrot.
For a free booklet detailing Christmas New Orleans Style
events, menus, and hotel rates, write to French Quarter Festivals,
Inc., 100 Conti St., New Orleans, LA, 70130, visit www.christmasneworleans.com,
or call (800) 673-5725 or (504) 522-5730. Hotel reservations can
also be booked via the Web site or by calling (800) 749-5679.
Christmas New Orleans Style is produced by French
Quarter Festivals, Inc., the 501(c)(3) corporation responsible
for the annual French Quarter Festival in April and the
Satchmo SummerFest in August. The New Orleans Tourism Marketing
Corporation sponsors centerpiece festivities in cooperation with
the New Orleans Metropolitan Convention & Visitors Bureau
and the Greater New Orleans Hotel-Motel Association. |
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