T. Pittari's restaurant tourist guide and recipes

              NEW ORLEANS
TOURIST
GUIDE
AND RECIPES
COMPLIMENTS OF
r.«~J@w;;y
S uperdome Facts
The LOUISIANA SUPERDOME downtown in New Orleans is the largest
enclosed single structure in the history of man with no center supports,
with a dome roof 680 feet across and 273 feet high. It is designed for
sports events, entertainment and cultural activities, and conventions and
trade shows. The huge building has both heating and air conditioning,
theater style seats, dramatic theatrical lighting, and a sound system
which can give true fidelity to everything from grand opera to football
announcements. In the Superdome there are lounges, shops and offices.
Even a medical clinic! All in a convenient downtown location. • Construc­tion
began on August 11, 1971. • Total project budget cost $163,313,315. •
Total land area is 52 acres (building, garages and grounds). • Height is
273 feet. • Diameter of the dome is 680 feet clear span. • 52 convention
meeting rooms. • 64 private box suites. • Parking garages for 5,000 cars
and 250 busses. • Superscreen TV has 6 sides, each 26' x 22'. • 4 score­boards,
each 8' x 88'. • Electrical wiring: 400 miles of interior wiring. •
32 escalators. • 9 elevators plus 1 freight elevator. • 88 rest rooms. •
9,000 tons of air conditioning. For football and baseball, the concrete
floor will be covered with 75,000 square yards of "Mardi Grass," euphe­mistic
Astroturf by Monsanto- which will be rolled up and stored when
not in use. Once the Superdome opens it will cost $38,000 a day to
operate- every day, year round. It costs $4,800 daily for energy alone.
It will cost $15 million a year to maintain.
T. PITTARI'S RESTAURANT -ONLY MINUTES FROM THE SUPERDOME
SEE MAP ON INSIDE BACK COVER ...
FOR RESERVATIONS Call
504/891-1801
Tombs show ornate architecture. One at
left is that of Marie Leveau, voodoo
queen, in St. Louis No. 1 cemetery.
In New Orleans
Within two miles of T. Pittari's
are the city's most interesting sites.
A Pittari diner may go in any direc­tion
and come upon attractions al­most
within shouting distance. The
restaurant is in the center of the
crescent of the Mississippi River.
Founded in 1895, it has much in
common with New Orleans, and
both relish their ancestry.
The city boasts of its wide ave­nues,
iron grillwork, mansions, cui­sine,
Mardi Gras, music, culture
and business developments. Its
Yankee, Creole and immigrant
stock blend. Founded in 1718 by
Jean Baptiste Le Moyne, Sieur de
Bienville, New Orleans was named.
for the Duke of Orleans, regent
of France. In 1763 the city was
ceded to Spain, but the colonists
did not abide by the Treaty of
Paris. In 1803 the Louisiana Pur­chase
occurred, and gradually the
city's commerce expanded because
of the port location .· to the Missis­sippi
Valley. Today New Orleans is
a leading industrial center of the
South, with petroleum, tourism,
shipbuilding and petrochemicals.
St. Charles Avenue trolley passes 'Tara'
home near Nashville Avenue. This is the
last streetcar line in the city.
To the north of T. Pittari's is
the Fair Grounds, where there is
thoroughbred horse racing. Near­by
are cemeteries, where tombs
with ornate architecture are above
ground. The restaurant is in the
University Section. Nearby are the
Tulane and Louisiana State uni­versities
medical schools. A few
blocks farther is Canal St. and the
Vieux Carre.
In the University Section is Au­dubon
Park, with a zoo and un­usual
group of whooping cranes.
City Park is 1382 acres of moss­draped
trees. Transportation is
among the best transit systems in
the U.S., with trolleys on St.
Charles Ave. Telephone calls are
five cents, and the bridges and fer­ries
are free. The Jackson Ave. fer­ry
is a few minutes ride from T.
Pittari's. On Claiborne Ave. is Tu­lane
Stadium, home of the Sugar
Bowl and New Orleans Saints and
site of the 1970 Super Bowl. The
Garden District is next to the Uni­versity
Section. So like New Or­leans,
T. Pittari's is strategically sit­uated.
The dining spot has wild
game, lobsters, seafood, steaks,
French and Italian cuisine. It all
adds up to the city's most interest­ing
food in the country's most in­teresting
city.
4200 SOUTH CLAIBORNE AVE. - NEW ORLEANS
, . Around New Orleans
New Or leans is America's most
interesting city not only because of
the town itself, but because of the
surrounding area where there are
places of natural beauty and his­torical
structures. Take a tour of
Evergreen is a renovated mansion on
River Road of the West Bank. It was
built in 1840 and is shaded by oaks.
old mansions along the winding
roads of the Mississippi River. On
the East Bank near Reserve is San
Francisco, an ante-bellum home.
Near Vacherie on the opposite
bank is Oak Alley. Near St. Fran­cisville
are Rosedown Plantation
Home and Oakley, the latter in
Audubon Memorial State Park.
All of South Louisiana is pictur­esque
with its fishing hamlets,
streams and agricultural scenes.
Around Lafayette is Evangeline
country, named after the heroine
in the Longfellow poem. The cui­sine
is Cajun, and seafood is al­ways
available. Natives speak Ca­jun,
a carryover from their French
ancestors who fled Canada in the
18th Century. Near New Orleans is
Chalmette National Historical
Park, where Andrew Jackson de­feated
the British in 1815. On Hwy.
90 at the Rigolets is Fort Pike, a
state monument open daily. A park
for picnickers surrounds the 141-
year-old fort. Also on Hwy. 90 at
the Chef Menteur is Fort Macomb.
On the north shore of Lake Pont­chartrain
is a piney woodland
called the Ozone Belt. Many make
the drive daily via the lake cause-
Beauregard House on Chalmette
Battlefield houses the visitors center of
the Chalmette National Historical Park.
way, longest overwater bridge in
the world. Fontainebleau State
Park is on the north shore. The
bayou country is a scene of shrimp
fleet blessings, crawfish feasts, frog
jumping contests, pirogue races,
and fairs. Sugar cane refining is
big business, as are crops of straw­berries,
yams and oranges. Road­side
produce stands sprout under
moss-draped oaks. The Mississippi
Gulf Coast' is a p0pular resort with
fishing, hunting and boating.
Grand Isle, La. is a vacationland
for sunworshippers and deepsea
fishermen. The drive is through
some of the richest oil fields in the
world.
1~he Garden District
The Garden District is an up­tO\\'
n area famous for mansions,
live oaks and private gardens. It
was developed by the Americans
after they failed to get along with
the Creoles "·ho settled the Vieux
Carre. The Americans built their
homes ,,·ith high ceilings and intri­cate
ironwork. Their houses also
'"ere characterized by occasional
raised cottage construction of the
essentially Neoclassic style brought
from the North.
'Valking tours are popular in the
Garden District, any time of year.
During Spring Fiesta tune, regular
tours are conducted. But a tourist
needs only a comfortable pair of
shoes to make his own tour. The
district is bounded by St. Charles,
Louisiana, ~Iagazine and Jackson.
Wharves in New Orleans port, second
largest in U.S., extend over 50 miles.
Facilities constantly need updating.
NEW ORLEANS TALK
BANQUETTE: Sidewalk.
BATTURE: The land between a riv­er
at low leYel stage and the levee.
BEIGNET: A doughnut topped with
powdered sugar served at the French
Market with coffee.
CAFE AU LAIT: Half strong chicory
coffee with half hot milk.
CAJUN: A descendant of the Acadi­ans
who left Canada to live in South
Louisiana.
CHICORY: A dried ground roasted
root used to flaYor coffee.
CREOLE: One of Spanish-French an­cestry
prominent in early New Orleans
society.
For a tour, start at the uptown
river corner of First and Prytania
where you will see a home with gal­leries
adorned with ironwork and
a lovely garden. At 1134 First you
will see the mansion in which J ef­ferson
Davis died in 1889. The
home at 1238 Philip elates from
1853 and is decorated with Doric
columns on the lower veranda and
Ionic ones on the upper balcony.
At 2340 Prytania is the oldest home
in the District, dating from 1839.
During a recent Spring Fiesta,
eight homes were opened for pub­lic
inspection. They were: 3219
Chestnut, 2920 St. Charles, 2504
Prytania, 2336 St. Charles, 1525
Louisiana, 1328 Harmony, 1240
Sixth and 1332 First. The tours
conclude with a reception at Gal­lier
Hall, 545 St. Charles.
Historic Fort Jackson, near the mouth of
the Mississippi River, is one of the many
tourist attractions in the area.
GUMBO: Seasoned soup made of fish,
oysters, shrimp, okra, chicken and oth­er
ingredients.
JAMBALAYA: A hodge-podge refer­ring
to food, as rice cooked with ham.
sausage, chicken and seafood seasoned
with herbs.
LAGNIAPPE: Means something ad­ded
extra or for free.
MUDBUGS: Crawfish or crayfish; also
called crawdads.
SHOTGUN: Refers to a doublf house
in which the rooms are arranged in a
straight line with a common wall sep­arating
the two apartments.
What Is Mardi Gras?
It's wild, it's wacky, it's the
"Greatest Free Show on Earth,"
and it's called Mardi Gras. The
words literally mean Fat Tuesday.
The big day of masking from sun­up
to sunset comes the day before
Ash \1\Tednesday, which ushers in
the solemn season of Lent. The
Carnival period covers about two
weeks before Mardi Gras Day when
more than 25 day and night pa­rades
are held. But the season of­ficially
begins on Jan. 6, Twelfth
Night after Christmas. During Car­nival
time more than 60 lavish cos­tume
balls are staged.
Carnival night parade passes Gallier
Hall . Kings traditionally are toasted
at former City Hall Building.
The street parades as we know
them today did not start until 1857
when the lVlistick Krewe of Comus
was organized. Rex, traditionally
the King of Carnival, had his be-ginning
in 1872. Since then numer­ous
private social clubs, called
krewes, have produced parades and
sponsored balls. In 1969, a new
krewe called Bacchus, the God of
V\Tine, broke Carnival tradition by
selecting an "outsider"-entertain­er
Danny Kaye-to reign as a Car­nival
king.
Carnival is big business in New
Orleans. A Carnival ball costs in
excess of $30,000 to produce. At­tendance
is by invitation. Parades,
on the other hand, are for the peo­ple.
It is estimated that maskers
who ride the decorated floats toss
beads, trinkets and doubloons
Moss-draped oaks populate Audubon
Park which has over 250 acres. It was
once part of Etienne de Bore plantation.
valued at over $750,000 each sea­son.
And that's not in Confederate
money, either. Carnival is, in short,
a celebration by the people, of the
people, and for the people.
Vieux Carre Points to View
BEAUREGARD HOUSE. 1113 Char­tres,
home of author Frances Parkin­son
Keyes and once the home of Con­federate
General P.G.T. Beauregard.
CABlLDO, on Chartres opposite Jack­son
Square, built in 1795, houses Lou­isiana
State Museum.
CORNSTALK FENCE, 915 Royal.
CASA HOVE, 723 Toulouse, built in
the 1720's.
FlZENCH MARKET, Decatur and St.
Ann streets, first built in J 791, has as­sorted
retail outlets.
HAUNTED HOUSE, 1140 Royal, site
of an interesting legend concerning
wandering spirits.
LAFITTE'S BLACKSMITH SHOP,
94 I Bourbon, very earliest forms of
Colonial construction.
MADAME JOHN'S LEGACY, 632
Dumaine, built in 1726. possibly the
oldest building in the Mississippi Val­ley.
OLD JUDAH P. BENJAMIN HOlVIE,
327 Bourbon.
OLD U.S. MINT, 400 Esplanade,
Greek Revival structure dates from
1 835, was used as a mint.
PIRATE'S ALLEY, 700 block of
Royal.
PONTALBA BUILDINGS, around
Jackson Square, reported to be the
oldest apartment units in the United
States, city owned.
PRESBYTERE, houses Louisiana
State Museum, next to St. Louis Ca­thedral.
URSULINE CONVENT, 1 I 14 Char­tres,
built for Ursuline nuns in 1745,
now St. Mary school.
Horses are led to the post at the Fair
Grounds, one of the oldest tracks in the
U.S. It has been in existe nce 95 yea rs.
City Park has many lagoons and covers
1400 acres. Park offers recreational
facilities of all types.
Monuments to See
JOHN JAMES AUDUBO);: In Audubon
Park, Louisiana na turalist and ornitholo­gist,
1780-1831.
GEN. PIERRE G. T . BEAUREGARD:
At main entrance of City Park, Confede­rate
general from New· Orleans shown
riding his horse.
JEAN BAPTISTE LEMOYNE, SIECR
DE BIENVILLE: At Howard and Loyola
Ave. in front of Union Passenger T er­minal,
1680-1767, founder of l'\ew Orleans.
HEJ\RY CLAY: In Lafayette Square,
bounded by St. Charles, Camp, North
and South, unveiled in 1860.
JEFFERSON DAVIS: At Canal St. and
Jefferson Davis Parkway, dedicated in
1911, president of the Confederate States
who died in New Orleans.
ANDREW JACKSON: In Jackson Square,
general who saved the city from the
British in 1815, equestrian statue deli ­cately
balanced on a stone base.
ROBERT E. LEE: At Lee Circle, St.
Charles and Howard Ave., city's most im­pressive
monument, dedicated in 1884,
bronze figure of Lee is 16 feet on top
of 96-foot granite shaft.
JOHN McDONOGH: In Lafayette
Square, 19th Century Orleanian who left
wealth to city's public schools, mi:mu­ment
was paid for by school children in
a series of collections from 1892 to 1898.
New Orleans
For 12 months out of the year,
no town swings like our town.
Tourists and natives alike vouch
for that. And there is no particular
area of the city where entertain­ment
can't be found. Nor is there
any particular tim€. or reason for
it. The fun lasts year round. The
history of the city and its ancestry
obviously are contributing factors.
Old New Orleans society, with its
mixture of Creole, plantation and
Yankee cultures, always believed in
working hard by day and playing
hard by night. This tradition has
carried over more than ever today.
To start with, New Orleans has a
sunny climate that just beckons
residents to the outdoors from Jan­uary
through :December. The nor­mal
average temperature in fall
and winter is about 60 degrees,
while the figure in spring and sum­mer
is about 77 degrees. Freezing
temperatures are rare, and the out­door
recreational facilities range
from a game of archery to a ride
on a zephyr. Even Louisiana's au­tomobile
license plates bear the
words "Sportsman's Paradise."
\!\Then it comes to dining, the ex­cellent
restaurants in New Orleans
are too numerous to mention.
Some, like T. Pittari's at 4200 S.
Claiborne Ave., date back to be­fore
the turn of the century. They
are situated in all areas of the city,
just as many of the fun spots are.
And New Orleanians like to eat
out, especially on weekends when
they put on their best bib and
tucker for cocktails. It is not un­usual
for them to dine as late as
midnight.
If you are a visitor to New Or­leans,
don't make the mistake some
tourists do. See our entire city­not
just one section of it. ~ee the
port, the parks, the museums, the
~ .
Our Fun City
monuments, the avenues with land­scaped
gardens, the lakefront, the
universities, the mansions, the cem­eteries,
the trolleys, the gardens,
the zoo, the new homes and the old
ones, and most of all-meet our
people, those uptown, downtown
and mid-town. Crescent City hospi­tality
is always smiling.
New Orleans is truly a place for
pleasure-seekers. The night clubs
do a booming business with mod­ern
jazz and Dixieland music re­sounding
from their portals. The
strippers are plentiful, but you just
might find viewing them expensive.
There is theater, opera and a sym­phony
orchestra. There are quaint
shops of all types with wares run­ning
from candles to antiques.
Boats take cruises on the Mississip­pi
River and on the scenic bayous
around the city.
If you like to watch sports, there
is professional football, basketball
and golf. There is thoroughbred
horse racing and sailing. There is
swimming and boating. There is a
lakefron t amusement park with a
gay midway and long sandy beach.
For the outdoorsman, the area is
a paradise. Fishermen and hunters
year round find excitement in the
Gulf of Mexico, the salt marshes
and the fresh water streams of
South Louisiana. For the ladies
tours of ante-bellum homes and his­toric
points of interest are con­ducted
daily, both by foot and by
bus.
An interesting note is that the
New Orleans Tourist and Conven­tion
Commission has a smaller
yearly budget ($150,000) than in­teresting
cities of comparable size.
Yet the visitors keep coming to the
"City That Care Forgot." This can
only be a tribute to the people who
live in our "fun city."
St. Louis Cathedral and Jackson Sauare
are viewed from the iron laced bakony
of the Pontalba Apartments.
Fog shrouds Canal Street ferry. Several
free ferries and toll-free bridges cross
the Mississippi River.
Facts A bout New Orleans
AREA: Total, 363.5 square miles.
CANAL STREET: 170 feet wide.
CAUSEWAY: Two spans acrosss Lake
Pontchartrain, 23.8 miles long, world's
longest overwater bridges.
CIVIC CENTER: 5 modern government
buildings, including City Hall, State Of­fice
Building, Supreme Court, Civil Courts
and Public Library.
CLIMATE: Normal average daily tem­perature,
Oc~ober-March, 59.8 degrees;
April-September, 77.4, rarely above 94.
CONSULAR OFFICES: 41, one of largest
number in U.S.
FOUNDED: In 1718 by Bienville.
HEALTH: International center for treat­ment
and research; 21 hospitals in metro­politan
area with 6,480 beds.
INDUSTRY: 900 plants with 1967 aver­age
employment of 57,800 and payroll of
about $400 million.
MISSISSIPPI RIVER: 2,200 feet wide at
Canal St.
NATURAL RESOURCES: Louisiana
ranks second in natural gas, oil and
sulphur and first in salt.
POPULATION: Corporate New Orleans,
659,200; metropolitan, 1 ,076,600.
PORT AREA: 51.4 miles on both banks
of Mississippi River and ll miles on In-­dustrial
Canal. Ranks second in U.S.
behind New York.
Not long ago a national maga­zine
asked Tom Pittari Sr. this
question: "What is the key to
success? T. Pittari's has been in
business since 1895." The ques­tion
was easy, and Tom Pittari
replied quickly: "My Uncle
Tony told me an old Italian
proverb many years ago. I've
tried to follow it. It goes like
this: 'The eyes of the boss fatten
the horse.' What it means is that
if an owner watches over his
business closely, it will thrive.''
Today T. Pittari's offers one
of the most cosmopolitan menus
anywhere. Seven chefs prepare
charcoal broiled steaks, French
and Italian cuisine, Maine lob­ster,
seafood native to Louisiana,
and wild and domestic game.
The epicurean may order steaks
from tiger, elephant, hippopota­mus,
buffalo, bear, elk, moose
and venison.
The restaurant, accommodat­ing
250, has been enlarged since
Anthony Pittari founded it. Un-­der
the supervision of Mr. and
Mrs. Tom Pittari Sr. and their
son, Tom Jr., it serves as a land­mark
for diners who want to
select their own Maine lobster
swimming in a pond, or their
steak from a revolving display.
The restaurant serves more than
1500 lobsters a month, which
are flown in almost daily from
Maine. A specialty is Lobster
Kadobster, which has more than
13 ingredients.
The Pittaris not only prepare
interesting food but they are
particular. On each table are a
pepper mill, shining crystal and
serving plates with the Pittari
coat-of-arms, a large scoop of
butter, and napkins in a bish­op's
cap design. Beer, like wine,
is served from an ice bucket
after 3 p.m. Wild Turkey Cock­tails
(a Pi ttari concoction of 101
proof whisky) and Tiger Mar­tinis
(macle from Bengal gin)
are served. A parking attendant
is on hand to park your car free
in a lot that holds 75 vehicles.
The three dining rooms are
designed attractively, the Wild
Game Room being adorned with
wall trophies of wild game from
Africa, Asia and the U.S. An ex­terior
wall has huge colored mo­saic
tiles depicting a lobster and
a black angus steer. These mu­rals,
along with T. Pittari's two
famous towers, are lures for
many a diner who is looking for
something special.
MUSEUMS TO VISIT
CABILDO: On the left side of St.
Louis Cathedral when standing in
Jackson Square, houses part of the col­lections
of the Louisiana State Mu­seum.
CHALMETTE NATIONAL PARK:
Six miles east of the city via St. Claude
Ave., displays and an audiovisual pro­gram
explaining the importance of the
Battle of New Orleans.
1850 HOUSE: 523 St. Ann St., period
pieces in parlor, operated by Louisiana
State J\Iuseum.
DELGADO MUSEUM OF ART: Near
City Park front entrance, shows his­tory
of art from primitive to contem­porary,
also contains portion of the
Kress collection of Renaissance art.
JAZZ MUSEUM: New location is in
Royal Sonesta Hotel, 300 Bourbon (as
of June, 1969), numerous musical dis­plays
and jazz related objects.
LOUISIANA CONFEDERATE MU­SEUM:
929 Camp St., displays of rel­ics
and documents of the Civil War.
LOUISIANA WILDLIFE MUSEUM:
400 Royal St., first floor, specimens
of many birds found in Louisiana, plus
habitat groups of native mammals and
reptiles.
PHARMACEUTICAL MUSEUM:
514 Chartres St., early medicine dis­plays
and equipment in a drugstore
from the 1820's, also voodoo powders
display.
PRESBYTERE: On the right side of
St. Louis Cathedral when standing in
Jackson Square, part of the Louisiana
State Museum, contains old costumes,
jewels, medals, etc.
WAX MUSEUM: 917 Conti St., con­tains
144 costumed, life-sized figures on
scenes depicting three centuries of
New Orleans history.
Those Odd but Tasty Lobsters
They may look odd but are they
tasty!
In a city like New Orleans where
excellent seafood is easily available,
it might seem tough to popularize
another seafood dish. But that's ex­actly
what Thomas J. Pittari Sr.
did in 1952 when he decided to fly
in from Maine about six lobsters a
month. Despite the crusty crusta­cean's
looks, the idea paid off. To­day,
T. Pittari's prepares about
1500 lobsters a month in various,
lip-smacking manner.
Referred to as the oddball of the
ocean, Homarus americanus hasn't
changed in looks in the last 100
million years. But they have be­come
one of the world's favorite
seafoods. Last year trawlers caught
about 70 million lobsters from
North Carolina to Newfoundland.
Lobsters inshore average about one
pound, while offshore weight goes
up to six pounds. Some weigh 35
pounds. Fishermen earned $50 mil­lion
bringing them to diners who
paid $100 million to savor them.
Lobsters, sadly near-sighted, walk
forward on eight slender legs. When
frightened, they flip their meaty
tail and retreat in reverse. The out­er
shell is greenish-black to blend
in with the ocean floor, but it al­ways
turns red when placed in hot
water. The pincers are powerful
and can be dismembered easily by
the lobster itself. They can always
grow new claws, legs or other spare
parts. In summer they molt in the
short time of 15 minutes and bur­row
in a hole for several weeks un­til
the new shell hardens.
Most baby lobsters fall victim to
fish but with luck can live for 50
years. However, about 90 per cent
of all lobsters that reach legal size
are caught each year by fishermen.
Maybe that's why they are snappish
and cranky. No matter, they are
one of the tastiest denizens of the
deep. And when you think of lob­sters
in New Orleans, you think of
T. Pittari's.
Famous Recipes of the
Pi ttari Family
The Pittari family hopes you will enjoy sampling these recipes, some
of which have been part of T. Pittari's gourmet repertoire since 1895.
Also included are some of the famous Creole and Cajun recipes prized
by epicures, which, we hope, will remind you for many years to come of
your trip to fabulous New Orleans.
Spaghetti with Chicken Livers
1 lb . spaghetti (#8) 1/
2 cup grated Parme·
1 lb. chi cken livers san cheese
2 tbsps. olive oi I 1fz lb. mushrooms,
1 on ion, chopped fine washed and
2 cups tomato puree pee led, or 1
V2 tsp. sa lt large can mush·
% tsp. pepper rooms
If.~ lb. butter
Cook spaghetti in rapidly boiling salted
water until tender, and drain. Heat olive
oil in large frying pan, add onion and
brown until golden in color. Add tomato
puree, salt and pepper. Add grated cheese,
a little at a time, blending thoroughly.
Add spaghetti and keep over low flame,
stirring constantly until thoroughly
heated. Sau te mushrooms and chicken
livers in butter. Place spaghetti mixture
on serving dish, pour over it the mush­rooms
and chicken livers and serve with
a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese. Serves 4.
Venison Stew ~ontana -~!X~---
21/2 lbs. Cube d Veni son
2 Stems of Celery
1 Medium Be ll
Pepper
lj2 lb. Ca rrots
1 Large Oni on
1 Bunch of Shallots
3 Tabl espoons Flour
Thyme
Bay leaf
Sa It & Pepper to
taste
Saute Venison cubes in pot till brown,
add celery, pepper, carrots, onions, shal­lots.
Then take some of the drippings and
make roux with flour. Add this to pot
then adcl water and mix thoroughly. Cook
till tender about 3 hours.
Lasagne Neapolitan Style
1 lb. Lasagne (# 123) 2 cups warm water
1 lb. pork shoulder 5 qts. water
1 tbsp. ol ive oil 3 tsps. sa lt
lj2 onion, minced 1 lb. Ricotta (Ital ian
1 clove ga rl ic, sli ced pot cheese)
1 tsp. minced parsley 1 tbsp. hot water
1fz tsp. sa lt 4 tbsp. grated Pa r-lj2
tsp. pepper mesan cheese
11/2 cans tomato paste
Place pork in sauce pan with oil, onion,
garlic, and parsley and brown thoroughly
on all sides. Add sal t, pepper and tomato
paste, diluted in 2 cups warm water.
Cover pan and cook 2 hours, adding a
little warm water from time to time, if
necessary. This should make about 2 cups
of tomato sauce. Remove pork from sauce
and keep warm.
In another pan bring water to boil, add
salt, and drop in lasagne. Cook 15 min­utes,
or until tender, stirring almost con­stantly
to prevent lasagne from sticking
together. Drain. Mix Ricotta with 1 tbsp.
warm water, making a soft paste.
In a casserole, arrange lasagne in layers,
alternating with sauce, ricotta and Parme­san,
until lasagne is all used, and ending
with a layer of sauce . ricotta and Parme­san.
Bake· in moderate oven 20 minutes
and serve. Serve pork as second course.
Makes 6 large or 8 medium servings.
Chicken Spaghetti
________ j!_~E~n Style) _____ _
One 4 to 5 lb. stew·
i ng chicken
2 cans tomato paste
1 8·oz. can tomatoes
3 ca ns 303 tomato
sauce
cup olive oil
medium size onion
cut very fine
leaves from 2 sta lks
ce lery
2 bay leaves
2 medi um sized cloves
garlic
1/z tbsp. papri ka
1 tsp. red pepper
1 lemon sliced
Sa lt and pepper to
taste
Wash and cut· up chicken into 10 pieces,
salt and pepper, set aside to be used
later.
Put olive oil in a large heavy 8 or 10
quart pot, put in the finely cut onion,
celery leaves and garlic, fry slowly, for 10
minutes, then add tomato paste, tomato
sauce and tomatoes. Let cook on a slow
fire for 15 minutes. Stir frequently as it
will scorch; use low fire. Add three quarts
of hot water, mix well, add bay leaf,
lemon juice, paprika, hot r ed pepper.
Keep cooking over a slow fire and stir
occasionallv.
Using separate pot to fry chicken, use 1
cup oil and fry for 20 minutes only over a
medium fire. vVhen fried put into gravy
that is cooking over medium heat and
continue to cook for two hours or more.
pierce with a fork. If gravy is too thick
add a little hot water. If gravy is too
thin mix 2 tablespoons of corn starch with
a little water to form a paste and add to
the gravy a little at a time; it will thicken
it.
Then let simmer for at least 30 minutes
longer; be sure the chicken is tender. Serve
over spaghetti, sprinkled with grated Ita­lian
cheese.
Trout Amandine
6 filets of trout
1 cup of milk
1 teaspoon sa It
1/
8 teaspoon black
pepper
lf2 cup sifted flour
1;4 cup butter
1/z cup chopped
almonds
Dip fillet in milk, season with salt and
pepper then roll in flour so entire fillet
is well coated. Melt butter in skillet and
cook fillets, browning evenly on both.
sides. Remove fish from skillet, add
chopped almonds and saute. Sprinkle
thickly over the fish.
Removing a live Maine lobster from the
restaurant pond for a diner are Tom Sr.
and Tom Jr. See lobster recipes.
Shrimp Creole
Bacon drippings, 4
tablespoons
Onions, medium
sized, 2
Pepper, green, 1
Celery, 11/2 cups
Tomatoes, can, 1
quart
Tomato paste, 3
tablespoons
Salt and pepper to
taste
Shrimp, cooked 3
cups
Cut up onions, green peppers and celery
and fry in bacon drippings for 15 or 20
minutes. Add the quart can of tomatoes
and 3 tablespoons tomato paste. Let this
mixture simmer slowly to a thick consis­tency
for a half to three-quarters of an
hour. Add pepper sauce to taste. Fifteen
minutes before serving add shrimp that
have been freshly cooked and baked. Serve
with dry rice.
Oyster Gumbo
4 dozen small oys- 11/z quarts hot water
ters and liquid 1 clove garlic,
2 large onions or chopped
bunch shallots sprig each thyme,
1/z cup salad oil parsley, minced
1;4 teaspoon black 1 bay leaf, minced
pepper 2 tablespoons file
2 tablespoons flour
Make roux with salad oil and flour. Add
onions ·and fry until brown around. the
edges. Add garlic, oyster juice (about 1
quart) , and remaining seasonings. Do not
salt until ready to serve, as oysters require
little or no salt. Add hot water, simmer
for 15 minutes. Add oysters and cook 5
minutes more. Remove from fire and stir
the file powder slowly into gumbo. Serve
immediately with cooked rice. Serves 6
to 8.
_____ Oysters Brochette
12 oysters 12 slices bacon
Drain and wrap each oyster in a slice of
bacon, using wooden tooth picks as skew­ers.
Place in pan in 350 degrees F. oven
and bake until bacon is done. Serve on
toast.
Crepe Suzette
Fm the flatter:
3 eggs
3 oz. flour
1j7 pint of milk
1 oz. Kirschwasser
Beat eggs and flour until smooth. Add
milk, keep the batter thin. Fry the pan­cakes
paper thin in a very small frying
pan. Do not laY cakes on one another. Do
not fold them.
Sene 2 cakes per person.
For the Sauce:
1 burner 1 lemon
1 souffle pan or flat 12 thin pancakes
chafing dish (cold)
lfs lb. butter % oz. cointreau
12 tablespoons sugar % grand mariner
2 oranges 2 oz .. brandy
Have souffle pan heated. Place sugar in
pan. Heat well but do not scorch. Cut or­anges
and lemon peels and squeeze into
sugar, add peels. Mix thoroughly. Cut or­anges
and lemon in halves, squeeze juice
into mixture. Mix and let simmer for 10-
15 minutes until sauce becomes a light
syrup. Add cointreau and grand mariner.
Place cakes in sauce and cover with sauce
on both sides. Fold each cake in half and
then in quarters. Lastly pour the brandy.
Tilt the pan and move rapidly but gent­ly
back and forth over the flame until the
liquor ignites. Then level the pan and
continue forward and backward move­ment
until flame on cake dies. Serve the
cakes, 2 to a person and pour remainder
of the sauce over each serving. Serves 6
people.
Thomas J. Pittari Sr. displays stuffed
pheasant for son Tom in the Wild Game
Dining Room of their restaurant.
Chicken Tetrazzini
1;4 lb. Butter
1 cup Flour
1 qt. Chicken Stock
2 Eggs Yolks
1,4 cup Pi men to
chopped
1,4 cup Sliced Mush·
rooms
Italian and Ameri-can
Cheese
Salt and Pepper
1 - 4 lb. Chicken
(boiled, boned
and cut into
strips)
cup Boiled Ham (cut
into strips)
1/ 2 lb. Spaghettini
Put butter in sauce pan and let melt, add
flour and cook. Stirring slowly until well
blended, without lumps. Make sure flour
is cooked. Add chicken stock, mix well,
then add egg yolks and stir. Now add
chicken, ham, mushrooms and pimentos,
stirring to mix all ingredients. Fold in
spaghcttini that has been freshly boiled.
Place in casserole dish, sprinkle with
grated American and Italian cheese, also
melted butter. Bake until cheese is melted
golden brown. Serves six.
Marinara Sauce
2 cloves Garlic,
chopped fine
2 tablespoons Olive
Oil
2 cups Whole Canned
Tomatoes
Salt and Pepper
Mash tomatoes and place with garlic,
olive oil, salt and pepper to taste, in sauce
pan, let simmer until all ingredients are
cooked. Suitable for steak or fish.
Maine Lobster a Ia Pittari
2- 21/
2 Lbs. Lobster, 1,4 cup Parsley,
split in half chopped fine
lengthwise 1fz cup Cooked Shrimp,
1/z cup Green Onions, chopped
chopped fine 1/z cup Fresh Lump
1/z cup Celery, chopped Crabmeat (Back
fine Fin
2 cloves Garlic, 2 cups Bread Crumbs
chopped fine Salt and Pepper
Pour olive oil into skillet and heat. Add
green onions, celery and garlic. Marinate
until soft, not brown. Add chopped
shrimp, let simmer until cooked, stirring
to keep from sticking. Add lump crab­meat
and stir gently. Salt and pepper to
taste. Let simmer about 20 minutes.
Parboil lobsters 2 minutes to the pound,
clean cavity in the head, fill with dressing
and sprinkle lightly with paprika. Brush
the entire lobster with melted butter.
Place in broiler for about 20 minutes.
Serves four.
Shrimp Jambalaya
a Ia Louisiane
Make Raux of: l tbsp. fat, 1 tbsp. flour
then add: Y2 cup chopped onions and let
cook in the roux until the onions arc
withered.
Then add:
2 cups cooked shrimp
1 clove garlic, minced
fine
cup canned toma­toes
1/ 2 cup water
3 cups cooked rice
green pepper,
chopped fine
V2 tsp. red pepper
1,4 tsp. thyme
1 tbsp. Worcestershire
Sauce
Let these ingredients come to a boil for
five minutes. Then add 3 cups of cooked
rice, 2 cups cooked peeled shrimp. Stir
slowly for 10 minutes on a low fire. Pour
into a buttered casserole. Sprinkle over
the top Y2 cup grated cheese and 2 table­spoons
parsley. Place in oven at 350 de­grees
for 15 minutes. Serve hot.
New Orleans jazz is known the world over.
A wide selection of music, from Dixieland
to operatic, is offered in the city.
Pompano en Papillotes
3 green onions, 2 lbs. pompano fillets
chopped 1 cup crabmeat
3 ozs. mushrooms, 5 tbsps. butter
chopped 1 tbsp. white wine
1 tbsp. flour 1/z tsp. salt
3 cups stock 1 egg yolk
Salt and Pepper 1 lemon sliced
114 cup white wine
Brown onions and mushrooms lightly in
1 tablespoon of the butter, mix in flour,
add stock, season and boil 5 minutes. Add
1;2 cup white wine. Saute fillets and crab­meat
separately in 4 tablespoons butter 5
minutes. Add 1 tablespoon wine, salt and
slightly beaten egg yolk to crabmeat and
cook until thickened, stirring constantly.
Place some of the crabmeat mixture on
half of each fillet, fold other half on top,
cover with sauce.
Fold well in parchment cooking paper
or place in paper bag and bake in hot
oven 425 F. about 10 minutes. Arrange on
platter garnished with lemon. Serves
about 6.
Restaurateur Pittari with rifles and wall
trop_hies of Louisiana deer in Wild Game
Dining Room. See venison stew recipe.
Crawfish Bisque
12 lbs. crawfish 2 cloves garlic
lj2 cup cooking oil
1 cup flour
3 tbsps. chopped
1 very large onion 1/
2 lJz large green pepper 3Ij2
2 tsps. red pepper 11/2
4 tsps. salt
One and one-third
parsley
cup tomato sauce
to 4 cups water
to 2 cups crawfish
tails
cups fat 1
Choose crawfish and wash. Be sure that l
all crawfish are alive when choosing them I
for cooking. Drop live crawfish in boil­ing
water for 10 minutes or until craw­fish
are red. Separate and clean heads and
tails. Pour fat from heads into a dish.
Clean tails and place in a separate dish.
Save heads to fill with dressing.
Grind onions and pepper. Brown flour
in fat until dark brown, stir constantly
to avoid scorching. Add onions and green
pepper and cook until soft, stirring fre­quently.
Add crawfish fat and then add
tomato sauce, if desired. Gradually add
31;2 to 4 cups lukewarm water and sea­soning.
Cook for 30 minutes. Add chopped
garlic and tails and simmer for 20 min­utes.
Add chopped parsley. Just before
serving add the baked stuffed crawfish
heads. Serves 8 to 10 people.
Stuffed Crayfish Heads
% total crayfish tails, 1 tablespoon black
ground pepper
3 tablespoons butter teaspoon red
2 large onions, pepper
minced tablespoon salt
3 stalks celery, teaspoon thyme
juice 1 lemon
minced 1/z total crayfish fat
large bell pepper, 3 tablespoons parsley,
minced minced
4 cloves garlic Ij2 bunch shallots,
2 tablespoons chopped
Worcestershire 3 to 5 slices stale
sauce bread
Saute onions, celery, bell pepper, garlic in
butter. Add ground tails and cook 5 min­utes.
Add salt, pepper, Worcestcrshire
sauce, lemon juice, parsley, thyme, shallots
and crayfish - fat. Add bread which has
been soaked in water. Simmer 10 minutes,
stirring constantly so as not to burn. Stuff
heads with dressing, pack tightly. Bake in
moderate oven 350 degrees for 15 minutes.
Set aside in cool place: Add to bisque and
cook 10 minutes. Serves 8-10.
Rice a la Pittari
1!4 cup bacon grease
3 tbsp. flour (level)
2 medium onions,
chopped
large garlic pod,
pressed
cup celery,
chopped
Salt, black and red
pepper
1/ 2 lb. ground beef
1/ 2 lb. ground pork
(lean)
lb. raw chicken
giblets
Few dashes worces­tershire
sauce
Cooked rice
Cook bacon grease and flour over medium
heat until flour is well browned, stirring
constantly. Add onion, green pepper and
celery and cook until they are slightly
wilted. Add ground meat and giblets, cook
over medium high heat until meat is
cooked through and slightly browned.
Add enough water, in which a bouillon
cube has been dissolved to make the mix­ture
the consistency of a thick gravy. Add
the garlic a few dashes of worcestershire
and season to taste with salt and red and
black pepper. Let this cook slowly for
about 30 minutes to let seasonings blend
but do not allow the mixture to become
too thick or "dehydrated". Mix this with
cooked rice, this amount should be just
about enough for 2 cups of raw rice
which has been cooked. Individual tastes
will vary so make the mixture to suit your
own taste. Add chopped green onions and
parsley, about a heaping tablespoon of
each, mix gently, cover and allow to heat
over very low heat for about 15 minutes.
Tom and his parents, Mr. and Mrs.
Thomas J. Pittari Sr. examine section of
buffalo meat, one of items served.
Oysters Bienville
dozen oysters on
half shell
bunch shallots,
chopped
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon flour
lfz cup chicken broth
1/2 cup shrimp
chopped
1j3 cup mushrooms,
chopped
1 egg yolk
1j3 glass white wine
Ice cream salt
Place ice cream salt in pie plate or layer
cake pan. Place oysters on half shell on
salt. Bake oysters in 350 degrees F. oven
until partially done-about 6-8 minutes.
Sauce: Fry shallots in butter until
brown. Add flour, and heat until brown.
Add chicken broth, shrimp and mush­rooms.
Beat egg yolk with wine and
slowly add to sauce, beating rapidly. Sea­son
to taste. Cook for 10 to 15 minutes
over simmer flame, stirring constantly.
Pour sauce over each oyster: cover with
bread crumbs, paprika and grated cheese
mixed. Place in oven to brown, about 12
minutes.
Stuffed Crabs
Crab meat, 2 cups
White sauce, 2 cups
Pimento, 1·
Green pepper, 1
Parsley, chopped, 1
teaspoon
Worcestershire sauce,
1/2 teaspoon
Lemon, thin slices, 2
Cheese, grated, 1 cup
Place ingredients in a pudding dish.
Sprinkle grated cheese after tasting to
ascertain if the seasoning is suffiCient.
Bake in moderate oven about 30 minutes.
Fish Bouillabaisse
Estimate Y2 lb. fish per person. Use scale
fish only, preferably large in size, such
as commercial gaspergou, drum or red­fish.
Cut fish in sections about 2 inches
in width. To bone make an incision
about center of each section on both sides.
Do not use the head. Make sure fish is
very clean.
Using large cast iron or cast aluminum
pot, at least 12 inches in diameter, with
tight cover, pour cooking oil to about
thickness of pot bottom. Lay as many
sections of fish, without crowding, in
bottom of pot backside up. This is first
step.
For second step, spread thin layer of
crushed tomatoes over fish, topping with
a layer of onions, cut ovally and not too
thin, adding a generous sprinkling of bell
pepper, cut very fine. Season to taste with
salt and pepper.
Repeat steps 1 and 2 for as many layers
as desired, never using less than two.
Step 2 must be repeated at surface.
Place on very low flame and let cook
for about 1 Y2 hours. Keep covered. This
will have the effect of cooking fish in
its own juice.
To prevent sticking, stir contents oc­casionally,
by lifting pot and turning it
circularly, from left to right. Serve with
sprinkling of ·parsley on fish. Pour equal
portion of juice over each serving.
A section of hippopotamus steak is cut by
Tom Pittari Sr. while one of seven chefs
in restaurant watches.
Baked Quail In Sherry Sauce
8 quail whole or 1 chopped onion
breasts (soak 1 chopped green
overnight in 3 sweet pepper
cups milk) can cream of
Salt and pepper to chicken soup
taste 1,4 cup white sherry
1 cup flour wine
1 cube butter 1j2 cup milk
Salt and pepper quail. Roll in flour.
Brown in butter, (just brown, do not
over cook) . Place in baking dish. Pour
off 1;2 drippings. S~ute onion and gr~en
pepper in same skillet. Add soup, wme,
and milk. Mix well. Pour over quail. ·
Cover and bake in 300 degree over 45
minutes.
Couple enjoys glass of wine in Wild Game
Dining Room. Leopard skin is among
wall decor .. Leopard is not on menu.
Delgado Art Museum shows primitive to
contemporary art, along with part of Kress
collection. Open daily, except Monday.
Oysters a la Rockefeller
6 people ... . .... . ...... . . . .. . . 1/ 2 dozen each
One-halfBunch Green Onions, 2 bunches
Green Spinach, 2 slices Bacon, 1;2 Bunch
Parsley, 2 Sprigs of Garlic, one top of
Green Celery. Grind very fine all together
-add one spoonful of Anchovy Sauce, 3
tablespoonfuls Worcestershire Sauc;:e, 1 I 4
bottle of Ketsup, Salt and Pepper. 5 drops
Tabasco Sauce, One ounce of Absinthe, 1
pound of melted butter, a good handful
of bread crumbs. Mix altogether, place
shells on rock salt in pie pan. Sprinkle
with Parmesan Cheese and place in oven
450 degrees for 12 minutes.
Lobster Baked with Mushrooms
% pound cooked
lobster meat
2 tbsp. chopped
onion
2 tbsp. chopped
green pepper
can (4 ounces)
mushroom stems
and pieces,
drained
2 tbsp. butter or
other fat, melted
3 tbsp. flour
1h tsp. salt
Dash pepper
11h cups milk
1,4 cup grated cheese
1 tbsp. butter or
other fat, melted
1,4 cup dry bread
crumbs
Cut lobster meat into 1;2-inch pieces.
Cook onion, green pepper, and mush­rooms
in butter until tender. Blend in
flour and seasonings. Add milk gradually
and cook until thick, stirring constantly.
Add cheese and lobster meat; heat. Place
in 6 well-greased, individual, 5-ounce cus­tard
cups. Combine butter and crumbs.
Sprinkle over top of lobster mixture. Bake
in a hot oven, 400° F., for 10 minutes
or until brown. Serves 6.
Crawfish Etouffee
5 cups crawfish tails
cup butter
Fat from heads of
crawfish
Water
Salt and pepper to
taste
Melt butter in saucepan and add tails.
Let cook until there is no more water or
crawfish juice in the pan. (Pan will be
slightly dry.) Add fat from crawfish heads
that was reserved while cleaning crawfish.
Add salt and pepper to taste and enough
water to make a thick soupy mixture. Let
cook until done (about 25 or 30 minutes).
A simmering heat is best. Serves 6 to 8.
Serve with steamed rice.
This roof top view of the Vieux Carre, the
oldest section of New Orleans, is only
one of interesting sites in city.
Distances from c~~ 4200 S. Claiborne, New Orleans
various cities to
ONLY MINUTES FROM THE SUPERDOME
Abbevi lie, La. 163 Covington, La. 62 Hot Springs, Ark. 465 Mandeville, La. 52 Patterson. La. 96
Alexandria, La. 193 Crowley, La. 176 Helena, Ark. 400 Monroe, La. 276 Plaquemine, La. 98
Amite, La. 82 Chicago, Ill. 990 Jeanerette, La. 130 Morgan City, La. 90 Pass Christian,
Atlanta, Ga. 536 Donaldsonville, La. 72 Jackson, Miss. 202 McComb, Miss. 119 Miss. 68
Baton Rouge, La. . 83 Dallas, Tex. . 510 Jennings, La. 194 Meridian, Miss. 213 Pascagoula, Miss. 98
Eunice, La. 160 Kentwood, La. 97 Mobile, Ala. 152 Pensacola, Fla. 216
Bastrop, La. .299
Franklin, La. 115 LaPlace, La. 28 Montgomery, Ala. 360 Picayune, Miss. 57
Berwick, La. 91 Lafayette, La. 162 Memphis, Tenn. 430 Rayne , La. 168
Bunkie, La. 159 Gulfport, Miss. 74
Lake Charles, La. 216 Natchitoches, La. 246 Ruston , La. 287
Bogalusa, La. 79 Greenville, Miss. 325 New Iberia, La. 142 Shreveport, La. 318
Bay st. Loui s, Miss 59 Galveston, Tex. 354 Laurel, Miss. 155 Natchez. Miss. 174 Slidell, La . 35
Biloxi , Miss. 86 Hammond, La. 64 Little Rock, Ark. 46{) New York, N.Y. 1400 Thibodaux , La. 61
Brookhaven, Mi ss. 144 Houma , La. 58 Los Angeles, Cal. 2040 Opelousas, La. 139 Tallulilh , Mi ss. 261
Birmingham, Ala . 367 Houston, Tex. . 368 Mansfield, La. . 296 Ocean Springs, Vi cksburg, Mi ss-: 245
Beaumont. Tex. 281 Hattiesburg, Miss . . 127 Minden , La. 316 Miss. 93 Washington , D.C. 1160
FOR RESERVATIONS
CALL.. 8 9 1· 2 8 Q 1
4200 South Claiborne Avenue
New Orleans, Louisiana
TO: __________________________ __
PLACE
STAMP
HERE