Mardi Gras may conjure Carnival celebrations with beads, masks and lots of drinking, but its roots are tied to indulging in food on the last day before fasting during Lent. While it’s celebrated in several cities, New Orleans seems as famous for its Fat Tuesday events as it is for its culinary delights, and there are a couple Chicago restaurants focused on the food side of Mardi Gras, which takes place Feb. 17.
Carnivale (702 W. Fulton Market, 312-850-5005) flavors its Latin fusion cuisine with a taste of the Big Easy on Fat Tuesday. Appetizers include a creole chicken empanada ($11) and crispy royal oysters with Andouille and plantain ragout, spinach and yuzu preserved lemon remoulade ($12). Entrees include a 1.5-pound Maine lobster etouffee comprising butter poached lobster, coconut rice, clams and mussels ($50) and Feijoada, which is a Brazilian meat jambalaya with chorizo, chicken, Creek Stone prime NY strip steak and a farm fried egg ($46). There’s pound king cake ($10) served with candied pecans and Knob Creek single barrel ice cream for dessert. Reservations are recommended and can be made by calling the restaurant.
Frontier (1072 N. Milwaukee Ave., 773-772-4322) is holding its annual shrimp boil ($33). It begins at 6 p.m. and seating is first-come, first-served. The meal includes all-you-can-eat shrimp with potatoes and corn prepared by chef Brian Jupiter, who was raised in New Orleans. Other Mardi Gras-oriented menu offerings include red beans and rice ($10), shrimp po’boys ($13), Abita beer ($4), hurricanes ($5) and sazeracs ($6). There will be complimentary king cake served and the Four Star Brass Band will also perform. Tickets can be purchased here.
Heaven on Seven (111 N. Wabash, 312-263-6443) will be open for dinner Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings starting this week. But one thing remains the same, and that’s celebrating Mardi Gras, which the restaurant considers the biggest day of the year: It will be open from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. Specials include fried oysters and bacon with black pepper meuniere, duck and Andouille tamales smothered in mole sauce and chicken vindaloo enchiladas smothered in pork shoulder on dirty rice, and range in price from $17.99 to $21.99. Big Shoulders Brass Band will provide live entertainment. Heaven on Seven will also be celebrating Mardi Gras at its Naperville location (224 S. Main Street, 630-717-0777) with food specials and live music from John Kattke.
Marion Street Market (100 S. Marion St., 708-725-7200) in Oak Park celebrates Mardi Gras Feb. 16 through Feb. 20 with its New Orleans-inspired menu, which includes mini muffulettas ($4 each or three for $10), fried oysters with Cajun remoulade ($10), gulf shrimp and grits ($10), a mac-and-cheese-topped gumbo ($10), lobster etouffee ($15) and beans and rice ($5). Few rye whiskey sazeracs ($8) and the Hot In Rio ($8) made with Clement Rhum are among the specialty drinks offered.
Shaw’s Crab House kicks off its Fat Tuesday celebrations a day early at both the Chicago (21 E. Hubbard St., 312-527-2722) and Schaumburg (1900 E. Higgins Rd., 847-517-2722) locations. From Feb. 16 through Feb. 20, the restaurants will offer specials including oyster po’boys, shrimp po’boys, blackened redfish with crawfish sauce, crawfish etouffee, red beans and rice, jambalaya and seafood gumbo, and they range in price from $6 to $35. On Fat Tuesday, both Shaw’s locations will serve a Louisiana crawfish boil ($30) featuring one-and-a-half pounds of Louisiana crawfish with potatoes, Andouille sausage and corn on the cob. Hurricanes ($9) and sazeracs ($12) are also available. Live music from the Midway Ramblers will be featured at the Chicago location’s oyster bar on Fat Tuesday.
Suzette’s Creperie (211 West Front St., 630-462-0898) in Wheaton already kicked of Mardi Gras with a special menu it’s offering through Feb. 17. New Orleans-themed items include crab cakes with habanero sauce; jumbo shrimp beignets with sweet and tangy sauce; crawfish and gruyere fondue for two; shrimp remoulade salad; chicken and tasso ham gumbo with rice; crawfish creole quiche; chicken, tasso ham and sausage jambalaya; red beans and rice with cooked ham hocks; shrimp creole crepe; habanero chicken etouffee and flambe crepes Suzette. Reservations are recommended.
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