Its contemporaries are the famed Arnaud's, Antoine's, and Napoleon House. Although this Grand Dame of French Quarter restaurants was neither named after royalty nor made the subject of a novel, it has nevertheless had a long and colorful history, boasting regular guests such as Humphrey Bogart, Marilyn Monroe, Tennessee Williams, and William Faulkner.

Now under its current proprietors, Gunter and Evelyn Preuss, Broussard's is enjoying praise for its new chef, Harvey Loumiet, its updated menu and "sparkling" atmosphere. The Broussard's Restaurant Cookbook reflects this "splendrous Broussard's Redux," a blending of the best from the past, "brought to a higher level of finish."

A traditional cookbook, the chapters are comprised of Appetizers, Soups, Seafood, Poultry, Meat, Vegetables, Salad, Dessert, and Sauces (absolutely necessary in Frenchbased cuisines). The recipes themselves, however, are refreshingly imaginative. Chef Loumiet and Chef Preuss have deftly combined New Orleans' various ethnic traditions into "a somewhat lighter cuisine." Dishes such as Stuffed Eggplant Bayou Teche with Warm Remoulade Sauce, Quail Louisiana with Fresh Sage and Green Onion Stuffing, Veal Medallions and Louisiana Crabcake with Shitake Cabernet Sauce invigorate the traditional Creole canon of cooking. By the way, Broussard's crabmeat dishes have been called "some of the best tasting crabmeat concoctions in the business."

This cookbook celebrates 75 years of outstanding cuisine and the Broussard's tradition. The legend, the hospitality, the celebrities, and the flamboyance started by its spirited and inspired founder Joseph "Papa Joe" Broussard graciously allows us to bring it all home to the kitchen. -- From the Publisher

Gunter Preuss was a chef at prestigious restaurants in New York, Washington, D.C., and Kansas City before coming to New Orleans to take the position of executive chef at the Fairmont Hotel. Gunter has been profiled in the PBS series "Great Chefs of New Orleans." This same zeal that Gunter brings to the cooking, his wife Evelyn brings to the restaurant's style.