Mardi Gras State of Mind

Whenever Steve and I are in New Orleans we are in a Mardi Gras State of Mind. But actually being there during Mardi Gras season certainly accentuates our mood.

I’m sure that I have told you before, but it has become our tradition to dine at Brigtsen’s on our last night out before moving on from New Orleans. So since we were scheduled to leave on a Friday, we made a reservation for Thursday night.

We have been to Brigtsen’s so many times that they know us already. We were greeted warmly and seated in one of the cozy dining rooms. Everywhere we looked the rooms were festooned with Mardi Gras decorations. In fact in the reception area there were Mardi Gras altars set up with trinkets from years past.

The Chef/Owner, New Orleans native Frank Brigtsen even has his own Krewe with a very clever name. The biggest parade and Krewe is Endymion and the restaurant is in the River Bend neighborhood. So Frank decided to call his band of revelers Bendymion!!! Isn’t that a hoot?

Once seated we got to peruse the seasonal menu, which had some familiar items and some new, mouth watering options. We choose tried and true appetizers and two, new for us, entrées.

The Butternut Shrimp Bisque was heaven in a bowl. The soup was rich and creamy and so full of flavor that it was addictive. I could eat it by the gallon! Along with the soup, Steve and I shared the Shrimp Remoulade with Guacamole and Deviled Eggs. The huge chilled shrimp were tender, succulent and totally enhanced by the delicious remoulade. Add the guac and deviled eggs and you have another perfect appetizer that’s big enough to share but so yummy you won’t really want to.

For our mains Steve chose the Sautéed Veal with Oysters, Mushrooms and a Brie Red Peppercorn Sauce. And I selected the Broiled Gulf Fish with Crab Crust and Lemon Crab Sauce with Sautéed Mushrooms. Both dishes cam with Creamy Smashed Potatoes and a Medley of Seasonal Vegetables.

It was love at first bite for both of us. I was thrilled that Steve allowed me a taste of his veal dish. It was swoon worthy. And I felt obliged to offer Steve a taste of my fish dish, hoping he would turn it down it, knowing he’s not a fish lover. Phew!!! I got to eat every last delectable morsel all by myself. His loss.

As always when we eat at Brigtsen’s, we were too full to enjoy dessert at the restaurant. So we did what we alway do. We take our 2 favorite desserts home. For me it has to be Frank’s Pecan Pie. But Steve decided to shake things up and decided to try a slice of Double Chocolate Cake. The desserts are so decadent that we each saved half of our desserts to enjoy the next night too!

As I mentioned, we were originally planning on leaving the Crescent City on February 9, to continue our journey to the west coast. However, while enjoying a fabulous dinner with dear friends who live in NOLA, they informed us that we were invited to a Mardi Gras block party that’s been happening for 52 years as well as a private house party. Plus they promised to get us to a parade. (Look for more about that in a future post!) How could we refuse.

Fortunately we were able to stay in our same site at the RV park and cancel 2 nights in Lafayette with no penalty. We love being flexible enough to change plans at the last minute. That’s the Mardi Gras state of mind we like to keep all year ’round!