One of the best parts of the holiday season is the opportunity to gather with loved ones, at a nice restaurant, and celebrate the past year. The year 2020 has been different, for sure, but small gatherings, with those closest to us will still be happening. New Orleans offers many fine dining options and one of the most beloved places to enjoy a celebratory meal is Tommy’s Cuisine.

Located in the Warehouse District, Tommy’s offers Creole and Italian dishes in a cozy, intimate atmosphere. Tommy’s Cuisine was opened by Tommy Andrade in 2003, after leaving Irene’s Cuisine. According to food writer and former OffBeat contributor, Todd Price, Andrade’s goal was to marry hearty Italian cooking with classic Creole dishes. Andrade also operated Tommy’s Wine Bar and Tomas Bistro, located on the same block.

In 2016, Tommy’s Cuisine, Tommy’s Wine Bar and Tomas Bistro were purchased by Creole Cuisine Restaurant Concepts. While Tommy’s Wine bar was transformed into New Orleans Social House, and Tomas Bistro became an event space called The Gallery, the spirit of Tommy’s Cuisine remained, under new ownership.

I spoke with Chef Steven Marsella, one of the culinary directors for Creole Cuisine, and he explained the importance of keeping the authenticity of Tommy’s Cuisine, while bringing a few updates to the restaurant we’ve loved for nearly 20 years.

“We kept a lot of Tommy’s beloved dishes that people enjoyed,” he said. “We still offer Gulf Fish Capri, which is Louisiana crawfish and blue Crab, artichoke, tomato and lemon-caper butter sauce. The menu also offers veal served with Louisiana blue crab piccata, and chicken marsala, which are classics.”

The menu has also been updated a bit, to reflect a more relaxed tone. An assortment of pizzas is available, as well as a fried calamari appetizer, and baked lasagna made with fresh durum pasta, ricotta, mozzarella, and Sunday gravy, and spaghetti and meatballs.

For Réveillon this year, Tommy’s Cuisine has some fantastic offerings that are sure to please, whether you are dining in or getting your special meal to-go. The four-course menu will start you off with your choice of blue crab and corn bisque, arugula salad, or seafood stuffed mushrooms.

The second course, the pasta course, will be your choice of shrimp linguine with slow- roasted tomatoes and basil pesto cream sauce or cavatelli with Italian-sausage, broccoli rabe and grated pecorino.

For your third course, you will have your pick of beef short rib Brasato (beef braised in Barolo) served with creamy polenta, Sunday gravy and grated pecorino, pan-seared Atlantic salmon, with sun-dried tomatoes, capers, pine nuts, olive oil, and grilled broccolini, or a panéed pork chop, a bone-in pork chop pounded thin and served with peppers agrodolce, Creole mustard sauce and garlic mashed potatoes.

The dessert course includes Amarena Cherry crème brûlée (the small sour dark-colored Italian cherries are grown in Bologna and Modena) or a chocolate torta served with brown butter pecan ice cream.

With so many mouth-watering choices, you might want to visit Tommy’s more than once during the month of December.

The Réveillon menu is $45 and is offered from December 2 through December 30 for dine-in
and take-out. Tommy’s Cuisine is located at 746 Tchoupitoulas St, New Orleans, LA 70130; 504-581- 1103. Hours: Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday, 5 p.m. until 9 p.m.; Friday and Saturday,