Where To Celebrate Mardi Gras in NYC

What with Valentine’s Day, Super Bowl Sunday, and Groundhog Day (for those of you that celebrate),  it’s easy to forget that other, fun February festivity… Mardi Gras.  French for Fat Tuesday, Mardi Gras traditionally refers to the practice of eating rich, fatty foods before Lent.  In modern times, it’s more closely associated with parades, bead throwing, debauchery, and general gastronomic excess.  And while it’s New Orleans, and not New York City, that’s the undeniable capital of Mardi Gras, we’ll take any excuse to eat, drink and be merry.  So don your purple, gold, and green, and check out these ragin’ Cajun New York bars and restaurants, just perfect for a Fat Tuesday fix.

Duane Park
Address: 157 Duane St., btwn. West Broadway & Hudson
Phone: (212)732-5555
Website: www.duaneparknyc.com
This Tribeca restaurant looks like the inside of an ornate New Orleans mansion, replete with crystal chandeliers, life-sized etchings of manor houses, and a garden scene on the rear wall.  Chef Richard Overholt’s menu offers a similarly refined look at the Deep South, with dishes like Pan-Roasted Shrimp with Georgia Cheese Grits, Abita Braised Pork Shoulder, and Pan-Seared Nova Scotia Salmon with Creole Mustard Sauce.  But Duane Park isn’t nearly as buttoned up as it might appear.  It’s actually home to some of the city’s top burlesque performers, who “shake their tassels faster than any Hurricane.”  Expect them to deliver an especially sultry performance for Mardi Gras.

Char No.4
Address: 196 Smith Street (Carroll Gardens)
Phone: (718)643-2106
Website: www.charno4.com
Instead of making his annual pilgrimage to New Orleans, Char No. 4’s Sean Josephs is bringing the Mardi Gras spirit to Smith Street this year.  Known for its world-class selection of bourbon, Char No. 4 will host a celebratory Buffalo Trace whiskey tasting on Monday for $45, followed by a traditional dinner on Fat Tuesday.  For $26, patrons will receive a bowl of spicy Gumbo and a slice of homemade King Cake, accompanied by a glass of barrel aged Sazerac.  As they say in Louisiana, “Laissez les bons temps rouler”… let the good times roll!

Bourbon Street Bar and Grille
Address: 346 West 46th Street
Phone: (212)245-2030
Website: www.bourbonny.com 
Set in a converted townhouse, ringed by wrought iron balconies and flickering gas lanterns, you’ll swear you’re in a saloon on New Orleans’ most infamous street, and not in the middle of NYC’s Theater District.  Needless to say, Bourbon St. Bar and Grille goes all out for Fat Tuesday, featuring music, giveaways, prizes, beads, masks and more.  Three separate bars keep the Hurricanes, Dark and Stormy’s, and two for one Abita beers flowing, while the kitchen cranks out all sorts of tasty, Cajun specialties, like a Crawfish Boil, Alligator Sausage, and Fried Green Tomatoes.

Great Jones Cafe
Address: 54 Great Jones St.
Phone: (212) 674-9304
Website: www.greatjones.com
This unpretentious Bayou meets the Bowery eatery dates all the way back to 1983, which is pretty old in restaurant years.  And although the neighborhood has steadily changed around it, Great Jones Café still boasts the same jumping jukebox and comforting Creole menu as it always did.  Think Collard Greens, Blackened Catfish, Ya-Ya Gumbo with andouille, shrimp, chicken and ham, Bourbon Pecan Pie, and Jalapeno Cornbread… yum!  Their Fat Tuesday party is bound to be a blast, with King Cake, a Crawfish Boil, and their famous jukebox loaded exclusively with New Orleans tunes.

Exchange Alley
Address: 424 East 9th Street
Phone: (212)228-8525
Website: www.exchangealleynyc.com
Former Soho House chef Paul Gerard may be a Brooklyn boy, but he spent his formative years learning under New Orleans luminaries, like John Besh, Donald Link and Susan Spicer.  That Big Easy education is on full display at this subterranean East Village clubhouse, which features dishes like BBQ Shrimp, Fried Pickled Okra with Remoulade, and Jambalaya Balls with Dirty Gravy, ideally accompanied by the BBBQ cocktail, made with beer, lime, BBQ bitters, and smoked salt.

Cheeky Sandwiches
Address: 35 Orchard Street
Phone: (646)504-8132
Website: www.cheeky–sandwiches.com
We love this charmingly haphazard Chinatown snack shop, where patrons enter through a thick plastic curtain instead of a door, and perch on painter’s stools along a makeshift counter.  That little bit of discomfort is worth it for tasty, Big Easy treats, like a Pickled Veggie Muffalatta on an olive roll with a bag of Zapp’s Chips, followed by a Beignet and cup of Chicory Coffee.  The fully dressed Shrimp and Oyster Po Boys are another must order during Mardi Gras, especially since chef and owner Din Yates ships the bread in straight from John Genusa Bakery in New Orleans.

Ninth Ward
Address: 180 Second Avenue
Phone: (212)979-9273
Website: ninthwardnyc.com
The owners of the lively, Scottish pub Shoolbred’s took a 180-degree turn with this intensely atmospheric East Village voodoo lounge.  The entrance is marked solely by two hitching posts, and the light within comes only from candles and low wattage bulbs tucked away behind hurricane shutters.  The interiors are paneled with reclaimed dock wood from the Louisiana swamps, and the clandestine booths are trimmed with velvet curtains.  It’s a gothic alternative to dancing and bead throwing, but the provisions are just as good.  Snack on Fried Pickles, Shrimp and Andouille Skewers, and Gators on Horseback.  What to drink?  Try a Tequila and Pink Grapefruit concoction called the Marie Laveau (the Queen of New Orleans Voodoo).

Dean Street
Address: 755 Dean Street (Prospect Heights)
Phone: (718)783-3326
Website: deanstreetbrooklyn.com
This Brooklyn bistro has been through plenty of chefs (most notably Spotted Pig alum and Allswell owner Nate Smith)  and even more concepts (Gastropub, Sports Bar, Modern American). But it looks like they’ve finally found their sweet spot with chef and NOLA expat Simon Glenn, of the beloved Brooklyn pop-up, Tchoup Shop.  He’s brought his signature, N’awlin’s inspired dishes to Dean Street just in time for Mardi Gras, like Brisket Boudin Balls, Duck Confit Hush Puppies, Big Easy Shrimp and Grits, and Black Eyed Peas with Peppers and Parsley, all accompanied by oversized, frosty Hurricanes for $7 a pop.