Philadelphia, PA
- Can’t be in the Big Easy for Mardi Gras? Chris’ Jazz Café is delivering the sights and sounds of New Orléans to Philadelphia when it hosts a fantastic day-long Mardi Gras event from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Tuesday, March 5th.
Chris’ Jazz Café is Mardi Gras Central on Tuesday, March 5th
Chris’ Jazz Café’s proprietor and chef Mark DeNinno has put together a special Fat Tuesday menu and will offer free buckets of crawfish to the first 25 guests who order them up. “Think of crawfish everything. Crawdads, crayfish, whatever you call the sweet Bayou treat, this beloved crustacean is THE symbol of New Orléans cuisine, and we’ve got hundreds of pounds coming in,” beamed DeNinno. Highlights include Crawdad Potpie, Smoked Crawfish Cheese Cake, a Crawfish Cheesesteak, Crawfish Mac & Cheese, Boiled Buckets O’ Crawdads, and of course, Gumbo and Jambalaya. Mixologist Brittany Koole, a New Orléans native, has crafted a whimsical cocktail menu incorporating the history and traditions of Mardi Gras with deliciously aged rums from event sponsor Rhum Clement.
However, you can’t just host Mardi Gras without great music or even a procession. Center City’s only second-line celebration will start out the holiday by strutting around Broad and Chestnut with members of The Hoppin’ John Orchestra at the forefront. The 10-piece unit bills themselves as “Philly’s only Southern-fried jazz orchestra” with horns in abundance and a flavor for New Orléans second-line grooves, jump blues, good-time funk, vintage R&B, and early jazz. The parade steps off at 6:15 p.m. and everybody is welcome to take part in the fun. The Hoppin’ John Orchestra will play inside Chris’ Jazz Café starting around 7 p.m. Admission is $15. For more information or to make reservations, call 215-568-3131 or please visit http://www.ChrisJazzCafe.com.
