Where to Celebrate Mardi Gras 2017
What late-winter lacks in federal holidays, it more than makes up with festive, edible observances; ways to cut through the gray-skied monotony with the promise of fun, food, and drink. And chief amongst them is Mardi Gras — i.e., Fat Tuesday — a let-it-all-hang-out lead-up to the sacrificial rigors of Lent. So whether you actually intend to give something up for the season (or are merely seeking respite from your daily woes), here’s where to laissez les bons temps rouler New Orleans style, with sazeracs, po-boys and more. From Maison Premiere to Birds & Bubbles…
Root & Bone
While Root & Bone’s menu cuts a wide swath through the South, they’re lingering in NOLA during Mardi Gras; transforming into a circa-1924 New Orleans restaurant, complete with historical records, antique cookbooks, authentic jazz-age cocktails and a $50 prix fixe, comprising Crawfish Bisque, Gumbo Filé, Stewed Okra and Galette du Roi (Kings Cake).
Read MorePorchlight
Danny Meyer’s first standalone cocktail bar is devoted to gold old Southern comfort; sip cups of “Louisiana Purchase Punch (bourbon, sherry, lemon and ginger) on an actual, built-in porch, and snack on Zapp’s Potato Chips, Crawfish Fritters, Pimento Cheese Sandwiches and Fried Oysters with comeback sauce, as you listen to live music from string, folk and bluegrass bands.
Read MoreBirds & Bubbles
Deep South native, Sarah Simmons, celebrates high and low indulgences at her champagne and fried chicken joint. Which makes French 75’s an apropos choice during Mardi Gras, as do Cajun specialties like Red Beans and Rice, Shrimp and Grits, Collard Greens and of course, Buttermilk Fried Chicken, sold by the half or whole bird.
Read MoreMaison Premiere
The city’s most expansive absinthe program renders Maison Premiere a year-round Mardi Gras destination — as does a killer menu of impeccably fresh oysters, Cod Brandade, Seafood Bouillon and soon-to-be-debuted additions from new chef, Damon Wise. (Yes, Damon Wise has returned to the big apple!)
Read MoreClaw Daddy’s NYC
Louisiana seafood boils are the specialty of this Lower East Side eatery. Select your crustacean (shrimp, clams, crab, crawfish or lobster), your sauce (Cajun, lemon pepper, garlic butter, butter cheese or simply water boiled), your spice level (mild, medium, spicy, insane), and your add-ins; including corn, potatoes and andouille sausage.
Read MoreInfirmary NYC
Cure whatever ails you at this upscale New Orleans bistro on the Upper East Side, by way of Hurricanes, Vieux Carres and three kinds of Sazeracs, paired with Alligator Sausage Sliders, Chicken Jambalaya, Crispy Boudin Balls, Yak-a-Mein (a Creole variation on Chinese Beef Noodle Soup), and “All That Jazz” Po-Boys; a pile-on of fried shrimp, fried oysters and beef with debris gravy.
Read MoreCajunSea & Oyster Bar
Get your “bomb” spicy seafood fix in the heart of Koreatown by way of boils brimming with Cajun seasoning-rubbed lobster, crab, shrimp, crawfish and clams. But keep in mind they comprise a relatively small portion of the sprawling N’Awlins menu, which also offers Ya-Ya Gumbo, Sausage Jambalaya, pan-fried Catfish and sugar-dusted Beignets.
Read MoreTchoup Shop
Big Easy émigré, Simon Glenn, has long dominated Brooklyn’s Creole-Cajun scene, slinging Catfish Po-Boys, Pork Belly Cracklin’s, Louisiana Hot Links and Brisket-Duck Liver Boudin Balls from the back of a Bushwick bar.
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