At the Table
& with Tom Fitzmorris by Anne Honeywell OUR OWN TOM FITZMORRIS is very, very busy. So, when I had the chance to sit down with him one-on-one, I didn’t hesitate. Read on to learn more about this man of many talents. Anne: What question are you asked most often? Tom: The #1 question I am asked is, “Which is the best restaurant in town right now?” My answers: If you mean my favorite restaurant, my answer is Antoine’s. If you mean the restaurant that achieves the highest standards of taste, service and environment, that would 38
Inside Northside
be Commander’s Palace. Anne: How did you get started as a restaurant critic? Was that an ambition of yours, or did it happen organically? Tom: I was a writer for The Driftwood, the campus newspaper at UNO, in the late 1970s. I was inspired by a professor there, Richard Collin, who in his free time published the New Orleans Underground Gourmet. I didn’t understand the pleasures of the table until I read Collin’s book—although I loved the idea of dining in restaurants. He turned me on to the food world,
