Louisiana Gulf Coast Restaurants

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - Everybody loves a New Orleans Hurricane! What? No, not that kind of hurricane! The drink! The famous tall, red, sweet, generously potent drink created at Pat O’Brien’s in the French Quarter. One of the quintessential moments in every person’s life is (or should be) sipping their first Hurricane next to the flaming fountain in Pat O’Brien’s courtyard.

How did the Hurricane get to be so synonymous with New Orleans? It began during World War II, when good whisky was in short supply. Rum was plentiful, however, and liquor dealers insisted that O’Brien’s purchase lots of rum before making whisky available. What to do with all that rum? The answer was to put it in a glass shaped like a hurricane lamp and sell it to soldiers. A legend was born.

Everybody loves a New Orleans Hurricane! What? No, not that kind of hurricane! The drink! The famous tall, red, sweet, generously potent drink created at Pat O’Brien’s in the French Quarter. One of the quintessential moments in every person’s life is (or should be) sipping their first Hurricane next to the flaming fountain in Pat O’Brien’s courtyard.

How did the Hurricane get to be so synonymous with New Orleans? It began during World War II, when good whisky was in short supply. Rum was plentiful, however, and liquor dealers insisted that O’Brien’s purchase lots of rum before making whisky available. What to do with all that rum? The answer was to put it in a glass shaped like a hurricane lamp and sell it to soldiers. A legend was born.

Now, you can’t, in good conscious, walk around the Quarter without having at least one hurricane. They are sold everywhere, on each street corner it seems. If you can’t make it to New Orleans and find yourself jonesing for a Hurricane, fear not. We have bravely located, mixed and personally consumed several different Hurricane recipes, the best of which we supply below. It was quite a sacrifice, but we’d do anything make sure there’s always a Hurricane ready to make landfall.

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During celebrations (and celebrations seem to be every nigh in the New Orleans French quarter), tourists carry their "to go" hurricane drinks with them. In New Orleans, you can carry your drink out of a bar and down the street, even into another bar. Hurricanes are also the cocktail of choice during Mardi Gras, when thousands come to parade and party.

The hurricane was made famous by Pat O'Brien's French quarter bar. Other restaurants and bars now serve this drink but it has become synonymous with Pat O'Brien's. This signature cocktail is a potent fruit punch drink that is served in a special hurricane lamp glass in New Orleans. The drink was created during World War II, when liquor such as whiskey was in low supply and bar owners were forced to order large amounts of rum in order to get their quota of whiskey. Pat O'Brien's has become a tourist mecca, and the Pat O'Brien's Hurricane glass is one of the most sought-after souvenirs in New Orleans.

The Hurricane became popular at Pat O'Briens bar in 1940's New Orleans, apparently debuted at the 1939 World's Fair and was named after the hurricane lamp-shaped glasses the first drinks were served in. It's said that O'Brien created the heavily rummed drink as a means to get rid of the large stock of rum his Southern distributors forced him to buy.

The creation of this passion-colored relative of a Daiquiri drink is credited to Pat O'Brien. He is reported to have invented the Hurricane in the 1940s in New Orleans. Rumors say he needed to get rid of all the rum that Southern distributors forced him to buy before he could get a few cases of other spirits. He poured the concocosion into hurricane-lamp-shaped glasses and gave it away to sailors. The drink caught on, and it's been part of the celebration ever since.

Pat O'Brien operated a speakeasy during prohibition known as, "Mr. O'Brien's Club Tipperary". The password to get in was, "storm's brewin'". In 1933, after the repeal of prohibition, he moved across the street, opened Pat O'Briens, and later down to the present location at 718 St. Peter, in the French Quarter. During W.W.II, it was difficult to get whiskey, but rum was in ample supply. With the help of the liquor salesman, this cocktail was born. It is served in a 26 oz. Hurricane glass, which is named after the shape of a hurricane lamp and the drink.

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Recently crowned Louisiana Seafood King, Chef Brian Landry answered questions from Gulfscapes Magazine about his winning dish, his cooking style and summer wine preference. His winning recipe follows.

Gulfscapes: Your winning dish used cobia.  That's not your every day Gulf coast fish.  Why did you decide to use cobia?

Chef Landry: Cobia (aka Lemonfish) has a great texture and flavor that is very popular with our clientèle at the restaurant.  It has a firmer flesh compared to the more traditional trout or redfish that we also serve. It is still a white fleshed fish, but can withstand harsher cooking techniques like grilling or broiling. In the dish I prepared for the cook-off, I chose to sauté it. It has a slightly stronger taste than some of the other white fleshed fish from the Gulf due to a higher oil content, but it is by no means an oily fish.

Gulfscapes: Have the after-effects of Katrina altered the availability of fresh seafood for your dishes?

Chef Landry: We have had great success with all of our purveyors and availability of fresh seafood since the storm.  There have been times when certain seafood items have been harder to find, but for the most part we are still able to offer all of the same products from before the storm.  We use Louisiana shrimp and jumbo lump crabmeat exclusively, and also offer as many as four different species of fish from the Gulf on a daily basis.

Gulfscapes: What's the one spice you can't live without?

Chef Landry: Salt is the most important spice I use daily. A little bit of salt complements all of the other flavors that are involved in a dish. I am very careful not to over salt, but it definitely finds a way into everything I cook. As far as fresh spices go, I love the taste of fresh thyme. Used sparingly it can give a great fresh taste to a wide variety of dishes.

Gulfscapes: When you go out to eat where do you go? Who are some of your favorite Chefs?

Chef Landry: With two small children (boy 3yrs, girl 18 months) my wife and I don’t make it out as much as we once did, but they love it when we take them to Little Tokyo for sushi and the hibachi bar. Lately we have also been visiting some of the area’s newer restaurants like Patois, Cochon, Luke and La Provence (which has a new chef - Rene Bajeaux who is one of my mentors). My favorite chefs - Rene Bajeaux, Gerard Maras, Kevin Vizzard, and Bob Waggoner.

Gulfscapes: How are you preparing for the National Seafood Cook-off? Do you have to use the same dish you used in the Louisiana Cook-off?

Chef Landry: I am preparing for the cook-off by simply continuing to use the freshest local ingredients that I can acquire. I do not have to prepare the same dish for the national cook-off, but I will be preparing a slightly altered version of the dish I prepared for the Louisiana cook-off. I believe that Louisiana and the Gulf coast have access to some of the best seafood in the world, so I plan on using it in my dish.

Gulfscapes: Where do you look for inspiration for your own cooking?

Chef Landry: I think a lot of my inspiration comes from reading different cookbooks and industry magazines. I like to stay informed on what is going on in the food world. 

Gulfscapes: What are some good summertime wines for seafood dishes?

Chef Landry: In the summer, the heat can really kill your appetite, so people tend to eat a little lighter.  I like starting a meal with a glass of Riesling.  Riesling can also pair well with some of the spicier dishes that are indigenous to New Orleans cuisine. (The Montelena 2006 Chardonnay which will be served with the winning dish—Sautéed Cobia with Crab Butter—at the July Summer Wine Dinner.)

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CORPUS CHRISTI, TX: Gulfscapes Magazine is a lifestyle magazine for those who live or vacation along the Gulf coast. The magazine emphasizes home design and travel. Articles offer information on home interiors and building materials; coastal recreation; food; travel destinations; style; and real estate concerns. www.gulfscapes.com

The magazine is sold nationally in Wal-Mart, Kroger, Books-A-Million and HEB.

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On January 13 representatives of the Louisiana Seafood Promotion and Marketing Board, including board member, Chef John Folse, traveled to Fort Hood, Texas to host a luncheon for more than 130 members of the 225th Engineer Brigade Headquarters Company of the Louisiana National Guard, headquartered in Pineville, La. The 225th had orders to depart Fort Hood, Texas for Iraq and the seafood board and Chef John Folse wanted to give them a true Louisiana send off.

With the help of generous donations from seafood suppliers across the state, the Louisiana Seafood Promotion and Marketing Board secured 95 pounds of Louisiana shrimp, 70 pounds of Louisiana redfish, 40 pounds of Louisiana crabmeat, 25 pounds of Louisiana alligator meat, 24 pounds of Louisiana crawfish and 3 gallons of Louisiana oysters. Chef Folse used this bounty of fresh Louisiana seafood to prepare a feast that was medal worthy.

Harlon Pearce, chairman of the Louisiana Seafood Promotion and Marketing Board said that he was thrilled when he found out that the seafood board would be able to coordinate this event “We take for granted that we have Louisiana seafood available to us all the time, but it will be awhile before these troops are able to experience the tastes and culture of home,” said Pearce.

The menu featured all the best Louisiana seafood cuisine, from crawfish étouffée to barbecued shrimp and oyster stew to baked fish Creole, and it would not have been complete without boiled crabs, boiled shrimp and boiled crawfish. "What a great honor to be selected to cook a true Cajun & Creole feast for those Louisianans who will be serving our country in Iraq,” said Folse. “Food has always been the center of all great events in Louisiana. What better way to send our troops off to protect our country than with a great taste of Louisiana seafood."

The 225th has orders to stay in Iraq for one year. While there, they will command more than 1,000 additional soldiers. This will be the first deployment for some, but many of these soldiers have been previously deployed to either Iraq or Afghanistan.

“It was truly an honor to have Chef John Folse prepare traditional Louisiana cuisine for the 225th Engineer Brigade’s deploying soldiers,” said Command Sgt. Major Joe Major, senior enlisted advisor for the brigade. “Food is an attachment back to Louisiana and home and the link to many great memories with friends and family.”

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