There were two events that occurred in the middle of March in which new sovereigns were declared within their own universe. In Rome, Jorge Mario Bergoglio became Pope Francis; and in New Orleans Ted Brennan became the sole business owner of Brennan’s Restaurant. Of the two, Bergoglio probably had the easier time because he only had to face the conclave of Cardinals sitting beneath the canopy of Michelangelo’s “Last Judgment.” Brennan, on the other hand, had to face the judgment of lawyers.
I will not attempt to explain the legal struggles of the last few years, even if I understood them. Nor do I want to trivialize the issues, many of which are due to the family’s success in so many directions. All I know is that the Brennans, all of them, no matter which side they are on, are masterful restaurateurs, and that life is better served when there is peace, or at least the absence of combat, between them. If temperatures are rising, let it be in the frying pan rather than the attorney’s office.
It would be easier to explain the schisms of the Protestant reformation than to analyze the divisions within the Brennan family, but I do know this: For all that was to follow, the high holy grounds was Brennan’s in the French Quarter, where Irishman Owen Brennan started his first restaurant. All the rest would evolve from there.
If sentenced to a lifetime of eating nowhere but at a Brennans-owned restaurant (including the one in Houston) I would be content. At all places the service is impeccable and the food is extraordinary.
Ted Brennan, backed by his wife and offspring, now has a chance to be the main man in one of the nation’s most important restaurants located in a city known for great dining.
As for the rest of the family, I hope that one day there are big group hug-ins at the courtyards of Brennan’s and Commander’s Palace. Let the champagne be flowing. We know the service will be great.
