Holy Flambeaux! Brennan’s Restaurant hosted a banana bacchanal in its French Quarter courtyard on April 6 to celebrate Bananas Foster Day. This year marks the 75th anniversary of this iconic New Orleans dish which was created at the restaurant in 1951.

Third-generation restaurateur, Ralph Brennan, fondly recalls the story of his mentor and aunt, Ella Brennan, creating the dish to impress one of Brennan’s VIP customers, Richard Foster, chairman of the New Orleans Crime Commission. Miss Ella took her mother’s recipe for caramelizing bananas in brown sugar and butter and added rum, creating a fabulous flambé prepared tableside that is now a popular mainstay of the Brennan’s menu. While many desserts come and go with changing trends and tastes, Bananas Foster remains an enduring classic.

Brennan’s uses over 45,000 pounds of bananas annually and prepares 250-300 servings of Bananas Foster each day. It remains the most-ordered dish on the menu even though there are other delectable desserts to try like Brennan’s original Crêpes Fitzgerald, also prepared flambéed tableside with Ponchatoula strawberries and accented with citrus vanilla-scented cream cheese, and there’s a New Orleans bread pudding with whiskey caramel, buttermilk ice cream with pralines.

Bananas Foster Day drew a celebratory crowd with many wearing yellow apparel and banana accessories. Ralph Brennan greeted the grandsons of Richard Foster who were among the VIPS. Champagne was sabred, and banana- inspired cocktails were plentiful.

Decked out for Bananas Foster Day

We recommend putting Brennan’s on your list when you visit New Orleans. The restaurant’s breakfasts and brunches are legendary and generous. I can still recall my first “breakfast at Brennan’s” with my parents when I was eleven years old. I tasted my first turtle soup, eggs Sardou (poached eggs over crisped artichoke hearts with parmesan creamed spinach) and, of course, Bananas Foster. My Dad even gave me a sip of the Brandy Milk Punch. If you can handle the menu, Brennan’s offers a “Traditional Breakfast” of five house specialities for $80 per person.

We like going to Brennan’s for dinner during the week to enjoy an elegant Creole-inspired meal prepared by Executive Chef Kris Langley and her kitchens team with wines selected by Beverage Director Braithe Gill. Kudos to Brennan’s having women-led kitchen-beverage team!

We both remember our mothers making us Bananas Foster. Here is Brennan’s original recipe below. Make sure to have a fire extinguisher on hand for kitchen safety!

Brennan’s Bananas Foster (serves 2-4)

1 oz. butter

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 cup light brown sugar

1 1/2 ounce aged rum

1 1/2 ounce banana liqueur

1/2 banana per person, sliced

(We suggest one sliced banana per person!)

Combine butter, sugar and cinnamon in a flambé pan over medium heat. As the butter melts, add the banana liqueur and stir to combine. As the sauce starts to peel, add the bananas to the pan. Cook bananas until they soften (about 1-2 minutes). Tilt the pan to slightly heat the far edge. Then carefully add the rum and tilt the pan. Once the rum is ignited, it should create a flame, so be careful. Stir the sauce so the alcohol cooks out. Serve cooked bananas over vanilla ice cream* and top with sauce from the pan. (*or try pralines and cream ice cream).

 

Celebrating 80 years in 2026, Brennan’s Restaurant opened in 1946 and remains family-run. It is located at 417 Royal Street in the French Quarter and is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Cocktails are served at the Luxury Roost Bar and Courtyard. On Fridays at 5 p.m. enjoy Bubbles at Brennan’s in the Courtyard that starts with a Champagne sabering. Information: www.brennansneworleans.com

 

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