Savor fine dining with view of Mardi Gras parades
NEW ORLEANS — Visiting New Orleans for Mardi Gras season? You’ll find pizza, hot-dog stands and rolling carts of cotton candy galore along the parade routes, but some of the city’s finest fare also can be consumed along St. Charles Avenue, the main drag for the biggest and glitziest star-studded processions of Carnival.
Some restaurants have grandstands that put viewers at eye level with floats and just above the throngs of street revelers jockeying for beads.
Herbsaint, a French bistro-style restaurant near the middle of the parade route, offers viewing spots for diners from its grandstands for $35-$50, depending on the night, and has diningroom windows fronting the route.
“I can’t think of too many spaces where you can actually sit in a restaurant and have that nice bottle of burgundy, that nice meal, and then just sit there and just watch the parades go by,” said chef and owner Donald Link. “It’s a neat experience.”
Link said this will be the restaurant’s 14th Mardi Gras and, after experimenting with buffets, special menus and scaled-back menus, what works best is regular dinner service inside with the option of grandstand viewing outside. That means diners can indulge in Herbsaint standards such as duck confit and dirty rice, gumbo or beef short ribs with potato cakes — all while taking in the Carnival revelry.
Like several restaurants, Herbsaint is closed on Mardi Gras (March 4 this year), but most downtown parades happen in the days before the holiday. More than 30 are scheduled through Lundi Gras, the Monday before Mardi Gras, including the star-studded Bacchus, Endymion, Muses and Orpheus parades.
“It’s a busy time for us, but it’s a fun time,” said Anthony Scanio, chef de cuisine at Emeril’s Delmonico, owned by celebrity chef Emeril Lagasse and also along the St. Charles route. Patrons can watch parades from the main dining area while enjoying a meal with Carnivalinspired touches including a Mardi Gras “king’s cup” cocktail and kingcake doughnuts sprinkled with Carnival colors of purple, green and gold.
The menu also includes Louisiana delicacies such as spicy cream-cheese boudin (sausage) balls, chicken and andouille gumbo and veal braciolone with spaghetti and red gravy.
The family-owned Palace Cafe, which is toward the end of the route where St. Charles turns onto Canal Street, offers fine dining with three levels of parade views.
“We’re known for our crabmeat cheesecake, our andouille-crusted fish and, of course, the white-chocolate bread pudding,” said Wesley Janssen, spokeswoman for the restaurant. “That’s what people come here for. The views are a bonus.”
Near the start of the route is Superior Seafood, which opened two years ago serving Louisiana seafood favorites such as raw and charbroiled oysters, oysters wrapped in bacon, seafood gumbo and shrimp and oyster po’boys. It’s on the corner where floats and marching bands turn from Napo- leon Avenue onto St. Charles. It was designed with Mardi Gras in mind, said Aimee Rowland, the restaurant’s event planner.
“It’s a crazy corner, so we tried to set things up to accommodate as many people as possible,” she said. The restaurant boasts an oyster bar and two patios with seating at ground level as well as a balcony that can accommodate up to 150 patrons.
A bit farther down St. Charles is Superior Seafood’s sister restaurant Superior Grill, a Mexican-style restaurant. To make room for more patrons on Mardi Gras, stools are removed from the long bar inside, and a walk-up bar is set up outside. The restaurant hires a disc jockey to entertain between parades, and grandstand seats are available for rent outside.
But the big draw is the food. The menu includes full meals of enchiladas and fajitas or easy-to-go options including burgers and nachos. A favorite is brisket, coated in a seasoned dry rub for 24 hours before being cooked and served in quesadillas, flautas and nachos. On busy parade days, it tends to run out, said McKinley Eastman, managing partner at the restaurant.
“We can’t make our brisket as fast as we sell it,” Eastman said. “But we’d rather run out than cut corners and make a less quality product, even for Mardi Gras.” Herbsaint: 701 St. Charles Ave., New Orleans. 504524-4114, www.herbsaint .com. Emeril’s Delmonico: 1300 St. Charles Ave. 504-5254937, www.emerils restaurants.com/emerilsdelmonico. Palace Cafe: 605 Canal St. 504-523-1661, www.palace cafe.com. Superior Seafood: 4338 St. Charles Ave. 504-2933474, www.superiorsea foodnola.com. Superior Grill: 3636 St. Charles Ave. 504-899-4200, www.superiorgrill.com.