With tomorrow being Fat Tuesday and all, we’re craving a classic New Orleans Mardi Gras style celebration with beads and beignets. Here’s a roundup of the best places to get your gumbo on:
• Yats is supplementing their always wicked-cheap Cajun/Creole menu with a live band from 6pm until they close at 9 — dancing and other forms of revelry heartily encouraged.
• The West Loop location of Wishbone is offering up an $8.95 buffet all day on top of their usual menu, and dinnergoers will dine to the riotous music of a genuine N’awlins brass band.
• Unsurprisingly, Heaven on Seven is planning a rock-out Mardis Gras fest, with live music, a special menu, as many hurricanes and Sazeracs as your liver can handle, and some serious door prizes: They’ve flown in traditional King Cakes from the Mississippi delta, each of which is baked with a little trinket inside. Get the trinket in your slice, and you’ll be showered with gifts.
• Head to Big Jones for a truly authentic Mardi Gras feast — among plenty of other items, on offer will be duck gumbo, oyster po’boys, and pours of Abita Turbodog, among New Orleans’ finest brews.
• Even Italian goes Cajun around this time of year: Harry Caray’s Restaurant is throwing a Phat Tuesday Party, with a $25 buffet spread including alligator gumbo and the New Orleans parade showing on their big-screen.
• Jerry’s Sandwiches brings back their stellar Mardi Gras menu, starting with a classic muffuletta and going all the way to a half-dozen po’ boys, with sides like sweet potato fries with creole dip and fried green tomatoes with remoulade over a biscuit.
• Calypso Cafe is throwing a family-friendly celebration, anchored by a a prix fixe that lands you four bon temps courses for $16.95, plus beads, masks, prizes, and $5.50 hurricanes.
