The Best Waiter in NOLA
Mariani's Virtual Gourmet Newsletter
by Christopher Mariani
The city of New Orleans is full of soul and particularly unique in character. Whether it's walking around Jackson Square with a beer in hand listening to the famous brass bands of the Quarter or sitting along the Mississippi eating beignets at Café du Monde, there is no mistaking what city you are in, "this is N'awlins baby!"
The Big Easy is as busy as ever post-Katrina and much has to do with the eternal abundance of southern hospitality. To get a true sense of what I'm talking about, walk down Royal Street and pop into Brennan's for a meal. When inside, ask if my good pal Ron Boykins is working, and if so, request his service. Ron is an 18-year veteran of Brennan's yet still claims he is one of the new guys, considering most of the waiters have been serving for nearly four decades.
My first visit to Brennan's was last October when I was introduced to Ron. His style was all his own. Ron was running a smooth operation, commanding his crew with the simple nod of his head as to when to clear empty plates, refill drinks, and slow or speed up service. He controlled his tables as a conductor would his symphony orchestra. It wasn't until I dined at Brennan's a few months later for an event part of the Tennessee Williams festival that I realized how remarkable Ron's service really was. I walked in, headed to the bar after saying hello to owner Teddy Brennan, and there was Ron. He walked up to me with a big smile and said, with a thick New Orleanian accent, "Chris, how ya doin', welcome back. You want that Manhattan with Maker's Mark right?" I said, "Yes, sir." Ron merely glanced at the bartender and had my drink on the way.
There's something very special about dining at a restaurant where you are known by your first name and the second you walk through the door you are genuinely welcomed and have your drink prepared just the way you like without asking. That's not to say that I have never experienced a waiter who has remembered my drink of choice, but at Brennan's it just different.
When we actually sat down to eat, Ron handed out menus to everyone but me. He leaned over my right shoulder and in a quiet voice said, "Chris, I got some nice crêpes filled with crabmeat, crawfish and some hollandaise sauce. You want dat?"
I said, "Perfect, and what about for an entrée?"
"Meat or fish?"
"Meat."
"I got you," and then he walked off. I knew I was in good hands.
My dinner couldn't be better and to top it off, Ron prepared us a tableside order of bananas Foster, and no body does it better than Brennan's. A giant skillet appears over a low-lit flame while a mixture of butter, brown sugar and cinnamon begin to liquefy and turn sliced bananas from a pale yellow to a golden brown. Then Ron grabbed the attention of the table and said, "Y'all ready?" followed by the pouring of dark rum into the pan creating a fireball that rose up into the air and radiated a flash of heat throughout the dining room.
When our lovely evening came to an end, I stood up and said goodbye to my friend who said to me, "I'll be here when you come back, see you soon Chris." I walked out of Brennan's into a warm spring night and strolled through the Quarter, savoring the realization that I had just been served by the best waiter in all of New Orleans.
Christopher Mariani is a food and travel writer for the Virtual Gourmet and features a weekly column called "Man About Town." Christopher travels around the world reporting on new restaurants, the gastronomy of cities, travel and culinary events. Prior to his writing career Christopher worked for over nine years in the restaurant business starting at a family-style Italian restaurant called Ciao's in Eastchester, NY before working in Greenwich, CT at an upscale modern American restaruant named Rebeccas. He travels most of the year and continues to reveal some of the world's best new restaurants and foods.