New Orleans and Chef Tenney Flynn
heat things up with aphrodisiacs

by Deborah Burst

He wasn’t born with a silver spoon in his mouth, never lived in a Frat house, and definitely doesn’t follow the in-crowd. Chef Tenney Flynn built his restaurant GW Fins the way he lived his life, always on the edge stirring up trouble. In a city with seafood joints on every corner, Flynn wines and dines his faithful fans inside a century-old French Quarter warehouse. Opened for nine years, he and co-owner Gary Wollerman are the new kids on the block, or at least compared to nearby one hundred year old Galatoires and Arnaud’s Restaurant, an eighty year old legend.

“We’re still treated like out-of-towners. When we make ten years, we’ll be accepted,” laughs Flynn touting his contemporary décor. “I want to be one of the top five restaurants that people visit. We average about a $50 check, on the lower end of fine dining.”

Arguably a master of his trade, Flynn has an eagle eye when it comes to fresh seafood. It’s a simple philosophy, locate the finest quality seafood from around the world and develop cooking techniques that enhance their flavors.

Diners might begin their journey with fresh King Crab from Alaska, go south to sample a whole roasted Red Snapper and fly halfway around the world to enjoy Blue Nose Bass from New Zealand. But the bulk comes from the Gulf of Mexico which has more fin fish than the other two coasts combined.

Flynn works the market building a network of suppliers, dozens of fisherman he calls the cream of the crop. There’s not too much you can slide by the master, he knows the tricks of the trade, what he calls industry shenanigans. Like gassing tuna with carbon monoxide to freeze the color giving it that magenta glow.

“I go on flavor, not all wild fish is good and not all pond is bad, like the Scottish farm raised salmon, the flavor is good. The Yukon King is 34% fat and the Foie Gras of fish.”

He pulls up a chair, white chef jacket and blue jeans with a silver spoon resting in his front pocket, and begins what he does best--next to cooking--shooting the breeze. This well seasoned, single, hippie-style guru isn’t shy about his past, and doesn’t give a flying leap about following trends.

A rebellious chap, Flynn grew up on the edgier side of the "hospitality" life. At age nine he was in back room kitchens learning the ropes from sixty year old dip-snuffing black ladies, then a move up, tending bar at sixteen and hanging with the bar maids after hours. By his 20s he owned a rock-n-roll club living on the dark side, "Any bad habit I picked up with a vengeance," he says. Then to Vegas working with some shady characters, "stubbing his toe" in Charlotte in a failed restaurant venture, operations manager of the renowned Ruth's Chris Steak House, and now co-owner of GW Finns with back to back "Best Seafood Restaurant" titles on national and local levels.

Even Southern Living magazine voted GW Fins one of their “10 Favorite Romantic Restaurants.” And for good reason, the sensual flavor of fresh seafood plucked straight from the ocean is pure bliss along with the meticulous wine list. For a truly sinful experience, do the sampler feast with eight small plates of the seasonal specialties and some old favorites. Start it off with the seared oysters sizzling in their shell, just enough heat to pump up the raw juices. Then the crab potsickers, an eternal favorite among locals and draws the longest lines at food festivals. Or enjoy the pure pleasure of the wood grilled pompano, all with Flynn’s signature of simple sauces not burdened by the heavy French influences.

He’s not in it for the accolades, just pleasing his diners. “I know when it’s a hot weekend,” he says. “But I never rest on my laurels, always strive to do better.”

Open seven days a week, everyone does prep work, sauces in the morning, cutting artichokes in the afternoon, it can be a pretty physical job. “Line cooks are like high school athletes, my old body can’t do it,” sneers 56 year old Flynn. “I’m an old pappy back there.”

The food and décor is a true reflection of Flynn’s radical persuasions in a city devoted to demonic behaviors. Soft lighting accented by woods the color of dark chocolate set the mood for romance. Woo your sweetheart with the Flynn line of aphrodisiacs—fish, oysters, champagne—and finish things off at home with dessert.