Reveillon Dinners

New Orleans food is reason enough to visit, any time. But during the holidays, the city outdoes itself. The French settlers of New Orleans had a tradition of eating a special meal after midnight mass on Christmas eve. They called those dinners "Reveillon" from the word for awakening.

The restaurants of New Orleans have reawakened the tradition, and extended it through the whole of the holiday season. Participating restaurants offer multi-course dinners that are so delicious they constitute definitive proof of the existence of heaven.

You might begin with a Smoked Mirliton Soup with sweet bacon and plump bayou oysters, and then rest for a few minutes with a Warm Brie Salad with winter fruits and pecans. You could choose a Roast Quail with Sweet Potato Pecan Casserole that's a perfect combination of wild game with a luscious accompaniment. Or you could try a classic Louisana Cassoulet that's an incredible confit of pheasant leg, duck and rabbit sausages, winter root vegetables cooked with lamb and white beans, and then topped with an herb bread crumb crust. I won't even try to describe to you the Galantine of Goose and Foie Gras with quince jelly and onion toast, because it just hurts too much to talk about it, it's so delicous. But I will tell you that before you are done you will want some Creole Plum Pudding topped with Calvados Creme Anglaise. And of course, you'll want to finish your holiday gastronimic adventure with a steaming cup of Louisiana coffee and chicory.

And this is just one example of a classic Reveillon dinner that you'll discover only in New Orleans.

Creole families of yesteryear celebrated this traditional dining custom twice during the holiday season-on Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve. Today's Reveillon has been expanded throughout December so that everyone may share in this special holiday meal. Menus have been adapted to combine ageless Creole cuisine along with more contemporary New Orelans dishes, but the spirit of the past remains. Gather your dearest for Reveillon dinner, recreated throughout the holiday season at 32 fine New Orleans restaurants. Reveillon menus and featured dates for participating restaurants may be found at left.