There's a lot to love about Mardi Gras. Filled with fruity drinks, Cajun-Creole food, colorful beadsand upbeat music, it's a day to let loose that New Orleans has taken to new heights.
However, those living in New Jerseydon't have to miss out on the festivities just because New Orleans is much farther than a bead's throw away from the Garden State.
Besides the countless celebrations that will be taking place at our local bars— no matter if they're Cajun-themed or just our favorite neighborhood dive bar— there's alwaysa Mardi Gras celebration happening at New Jersey'sCajun restaurants.
Want to get in the spirit of Mardi Gras with authentic seafood gumbo,jambalaya, étoufée or boudin balls? Check out these eateries, which offer a taste of The Big Easy.
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Marsha Brown, New Hope, Pennsylvania
Cajun cuisine isn't usually associated with fine dining, but at Marsha Brown, which is housed in an elegant former church, it couldn't be anything but. At this New Hope staple, patrons can enjoyCreole-Southern fare andan oyster bar with dishes such as Bourbon Street sautéed catfish, crabmeat ravioli and live Maine lobster.
And yes, there really is a Marsha Brown— after years in the restaurant industry, she decided to bring thebold flavors of her Louisiana upbringingnorth of the Mason-Dixon line as an extension of her own living room.
For a taste:15 S. Main St., New Hope, Pennsylvania.;215-862-7044,marshabrownrestaurant.com
The Cajun Crab, North Plainfield
Don't let the modest strip mall exterior of the Cajun Crab, which just opened in North Plainfield in late October, fool you. This authentic Louisiana restaurant has been serving up fresh seafood – at reasonable prices – to some raving reviews.
Here, the bulk of the menu is set up as a seafood boil— your fresh catch is boiled, then tossed with one of theirsignature seasoning before being served. Add in your favorite seafood options, such as crawfish, lobster tails, snow crab legs and clams.
For a taste:789 Route 22, North Plainfield;908-822-8888,cajuncrabonline.com
Drew's Bayshore Bistro, Keyport
For more than a decade, Chef Drew Araneo has been cooking Cajun-inspired cuisine at his restaurant, which goes all out for Mardi Gras. (Surprisingly, Araneo isn't from New Orleans. He grew up in Keyport but learned to love Southern and Gulf Coast cooking through travel and cookbooks).
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On March 5, the dinner-only restaurant will offer a multi-course, prix fixe meal ($60 per person) that begins with cornbread, biscuits, red beans and rice for the table. From there, the choices are plenty: Starters include a muffuletta-style antipasto plate; pimento cheese empanadas with bacon jam; crawfish beignets; pork rice balls with Creole mustard; seafood gumbo (with crawfish, of course); and broiled oysters, among other dishes.
Entrees include jambalaya over pasta with Cajun parmesan cream sauce; breaded catfish with braised greens; crawfish étouffée; and Nashville hot chicken with jalapeno slaw. For dessert, beignets; bananas Foster bread pudding; Guinness ice cream sundaes; pretzel-chocolate-caramel tart; and Key lime tart.
For a taste: 25 Church St., Keyport; 732-739-9219, bayshorebistro.com
The Quarter House, Point Pleasant Beach
In 2013, Scarlett Dell and Jesse Dedreux openedF-Cove Restaurantin Brick. The young couple crafted a menu ofCajun and Creole dishes inspired byDell's Baton Rouge, Louisiana, upbringingand the six years Dedreux lived there.
In 2016, they moved to a bigger space in Point Pleasant Beach, taking over longtime seafood spot Captain Ed's Place and reopening as The Quarter House.
Mardi Gras, Dell says, is a time to indulge in decadent dishes before the Lenten fast begins, hence its nickname, Fat Tuesday. "Whatever you want to eat, you eat too much," she said. "And whatever you want to drink, you drink too much."
As of press time, the restaurant's three-course Mardi Gras menu had not yet been finalized. But last year's dishes included blackened red fish topped with crab meat; shrimp or crawfishétouffée; and head-on shrimp simmered in a spiced broth of beer and butter. And alligator cheesecake, a savory dish made from alligator meat, smoked Gouda, peppers and onions in a panko crust, returns to the menu after a winter hiatus.
"It's a dish in New Orleans, but not that many people have it," Dell said of the cheesecake."It's really nice, and people really enjoy it."
For a taste:1001 Arnold Ave., Point Pleasant Beach; 732-202-6678,quarterhouserestaurant.com
Modine, Asbury Park
While the culinary inspiration for Modine's low country cuisineis rooted east of New Orleans (from the coast of the Carolinas on south, wrapping into Georgia), true Southern food is found here, too.
Be sure to order the fried chicken, which is brined in buttermilk and pickle juice then smoked and served with a drizzle of hot honey. Get an order for yourself($19) or a whole chicken, with mac and cheese and biscuits, for the table ($45). Grits come topped with head-on shrimp and greens ($24); oysters are broiled in chipotle bourbon butter ($7); and house-baked biscuits are filled with country ham, cheddar, and pepper jelly ($9). And during weekend brunch, beignets are on the house.
For a taste: 601 Mattison Ave., Asbury Park; 732-893-5300, modineasbury.com
Loui Loui, Fort Lee
The meal to get at Fort Lee's branch of this national seafood chainis the boiler bag. You might feel as if you're on the banks of the Mississippi at a down-and-dirty fish market when handed one of LouiLoui’s translucent plastic bags full of bright red crawfish, crab legs and more, swimming in spicy sauce.
Each boiler bag comes with your choice of seafood —among your optionsare shrimp, mussels and orlobster. Then fries or garlic noodles are addedto the bag, plus an earof corn and a baked potato(prices rangefrom $12.95 to $47.95+). The stafferswill toss your picks into a bag, along with a mild, medium, hot or extra hot sauce. Put onyour provided (and necessary) plastic gloves and bib and dig in.
For a taste: 210 Main St., Fort Lee; 201-461-7080;louiloui.com
Shaking Crab, Clifton
The name says it all at this fast-casual Cajun restaurant. Shaking crabs is exactly what you'll be doing when you ordera boil,which comes in a plastic bag full of garlic, butter, spices and herbs that need to be shakento coat your poached seafood. Options include whole Dungeness crab, Alaskan King crab legs, whole lobster and Argentinian shrimp with or without their heads (ranges in price from $11 to $48). Add in corn, sausage, a baked potato or quail egg and pick your sauce from among choices such asmildly spicy Shaking House Cajun, the tangy and mildGulf Rich and the chili miso Seoul Sweet.
Not into the shake thing? Consider getting the lobster rolls ($20), catfish, shrimp and calamaripo'boys served on French bread with chipotle mayo ($14 to $15) and gumbo ($5 to $8).
For a taste:1168 Broad St., Clifton;862-225-9996,shakingcrab.com
Seafood Village, Wayne
Another North Jersey restaurant doling out plastic bibs, disposable gloves and wet wipesis Seafood Village in Wayne. Take a seat at one of its paper-covered tables, each with its own roll of paper towels and abucket for discarded shells and order your meal.
Seafood Village's seafood boils feature such fresh seafood including lobster tail, king and snow crab legs, crawfish and shrimp. They are all cooked in a spicy broth that's drained before being served ($8.99 to $16.99). The boil comes with potatoes and ears of corn, all of which are doused in a butter sauce of your choosing: lemon pepper, garlic or traditional Cajun. If the boil isn'tyour thing, opt instead for crispy Cajun-spicedwings ($7.99), a golden-brown hush puppy ($3.99) or a serving of grilled Cajun chicken ($12.99).
For a taste:777 Hamburg Turnpike, Wayne;973-832-7738, facebook.com/SeafoodVillageofWayne
Iron Hill, Maple Shade and Voorhees
If you like your Cajun spices paired with really good craft beer, Iron Hill is the place to go.
The brewpub, with locations in Maple Shade, Voorhees and throughout the Philly suburbs, has some tastes right out of NOLA on its regular menu.
Start your meal with Louisiana chicken gumbo ($5.50/$7.50), with andouille sausage, rice and okra.
Next, choose between the Cajun garlic shrimp ($19), a dish of linguine, tri-colored peppers, plum tomatoes, onions and spinach, slathered with a spicy garlic Iron Hill Light Lager butter sauce, or perhaps the Voodoo Shrimp ($10.50), with tri-colored pepper rice, green onion, and spicy Vienna Red Lager barbecue sauce, served with a sour cream drizzle and a side of garlic bread.
Better yet, order both and share!
For a taste: 124 E. Kings Highway, Maple Shade, and 13107 Town Center Blvd., Voorhees; 856-273-0300 or 856-545-9009,ironhillbrewery.com
Riverview Restaurant & Bar, Burlington City
When our then-dining critic Emily Teel visited Riverview after it opened in 2017, she was wowed by the restaurant’s wide bowl of shrimp and grits(then $16). “Six gorgeous tiger shrimp are beautifully cooked, snappy and juicy, perched atop a bed of stone-ground grits, better than any you or I will ever make at home thanks to a brazen quantity of cream, butterand cheddar cheese. The best mouthfuls of the dish are the ones that include one of a handful of cherry tomatoes, blistered in a hot pan, swimming in a creamy balsamic sauce,’’ Teel wrote.
This downtown Burlington City restaurant has just welcomed a new executive chef, Dylan McGovern, who will be putting his own mark on the menu this spring, but be sure that the Mardi Gras season will be reflected on their menu in some manner.
For a taste:219 High St.,Burlington; 609-614-6624,riverviewnj.com
Corrine’s Place, Camden
South Jersey doesn’t lack for scratch kitchen soul food, but locals hold a special place in their hearts for Corrine’s.
Owner Corinne Bradley-Powers opened her Haddon Avenue eatery 30 years ago. Corrine’s sells all manner of drool-worthy dishes from smothered chicken to beef oxtails to mac ‘n’ cheese.
For Mardi Gras season, head to Corinne’s for her Cajun turkey wings ($12), fried catfish ($13), Cajun pig feet ($12) and okra, corn and tomatoes ($2.75). Generous portion sizes, hospitality and home-cooked goodness will have you feel like you’re chowing down in the Garden District.
For a taste: 1254 Haddon Ave., Camden; 856-541-4894,facebook.com/corrinesplace/
Grand Lux Café, Cherry Hill and Paramus
If a beignet is what you are after for that Fat Tuesday indulgence, this place can deliver.
Grand Lux Café only has two Jersey locations, one north and one south.
Treat yourself to a hearty bowl of Cajun shrimp and chicken jambalaya ($19.95), sautéed with peppers, onions and Tasso ham in a delicious spicy sauce and served with white rice. Or, you can indulge in Bourbon Street chicken (17.95), sautéed chicken breast with lemon sauce, mushrooms, artichoke and capers over pasta.
Consider tempering the spicy dishes with a Bourbon Smash co*cktail.
But save room for those piping hot New Orleans beignets ($7.95), served with three sauces for dipping and sharing.
Fora taste:Cherry Hill Mall, Route 38, Cherry Hill;856-486-7232,1 Garden State Plaza, Paramus; 201-909-0399,grandluxcafe.com
