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Dinner was another extravaganza at Dickie Houmas House was bought some 14 years ago
Brennan’s Tableau, the newest restaurant in by New Orleanian Kevin Kelly who not only
Dickie Brennan’s stable. Located on Jackson restored it to exceptional glory, but turned it into
Square, Tableau showcases classic French a wonderful restaurant with several venues as
creole dishes with a twist — “sophisticated yet well as a high-end hotel with 21 guest rooms in
true to tradition.” The open kitchen provides beautiful new cottages. Next time, I’ll spend a
some of its own theater, while next door is Le night here. (www.houmashouse.com.)
Petit Theatre.
Kelly bought this property when it was a gutted
Tableau features a different reveillon menu shell with no gardens. His associate, Jimmy
during each of its December nights, which you Blanchard, an extraordinary artist and designer,
can find closer to the event on its website, www. brought it to newfound glory.
tableaufrenchquarter.com.
Named after local Indians, the Ouma, Houmas
But I’ll share a few of the taste treats we en- House originated in 1720 with a brick hacienda,
joyed. Blanchard told us. In 1858, it was sold to John
Burnside for $1 million.
For starters, we loved the shrimp remoulade
“Bloody Mary,” which showcased Gulf shrimp “Known as the Sugar Palace, It was then
with pickled vegetables in a bloody mary the largest sugar plantation in America with
vinaigrette, and the crabmeat ravigote, which 250,000 acres,” Blanchard said.
featured local jumbo lump crabmeat with chow
It was also the largest slave holder in Louisiana
chow, cucumber and lemon aioli on lavash.
then with more than 800 slaves, according to
For a main course, steak, pork chops and veal the National Park Service.
are on offer as is a charred cauliflower steak
“It was so Catholic, Christian and French, slave
or barbecued shrimp and grits . But I went for
plantations here were different from the rest of
the pan-roasted redfish Bienville, a fine white
the country because we had many free blacks
redfish with frisee-fingerling potato salad and a
who owned slaves,” Blanchard told us. “It was
blue crab butter sauce.
a whole different, complicated world… In fact, a
One day we ventured out of town for a truly black person in Louisiana discovered how to
transporting experience. We drove a little more crystallize sugar so it could be shipped.”
than an hour to the Houmas House Plantation
Tour this former plantation home and prepare
and Gardens, “The Crown Jewel of Louisiana’s
to be amazed. Blanchard has designed every
River Road.”
room with fascinating, unique, evocative pieces
Louisiana’s Great Mississippi River Road is that are simply remarkable. “It’s been a home
a corridor about 70 miles long on each side for 300 years, so we show things from every
of the river between Baton Rouge and New era — it’s eclectic. Most plantation houses don’t
Orleans. Here are the state’s most famous live anymore, but this one is still lived in.”
monumental plantation houses, most built by
Indeed, Kelly told us — he lives full-time here —
wealthy sugar plantation owners in the Greek
“my bedroom is on tour from 10:30 a.m. to 8:30
Revival Style. The National Park Service has a
p.m. every day.”
map, itinerary and list of sites on Louisana’s
River Road, www.nps.gov/nr/travel/louisiana/ The many various dining rooms as well as the
riverroad.htm. glorious gardens — with one of the largest

Top: Dessert sampler at Tableau: Vanilla
Bean Creme Brûlée, Flourless Chocolate
Cake and Bananas Foster Cheesecake. .
Bottom: Shrimp po-boy at Houmas House
Plantation on Louisiana’s famed River
Road.
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