Where to Celebrate Mardi Gras in Boston
Crawfish boil photo via Shutterstock
Beat Hotel
The Harvard Square brasserie celebrates their second annual Brazilian Carnival with live music performed by the Marcos Santos All-Stars and plenty of authentic Brazilian dishes like pork empanadas, Moqueca Capixaba (Brazilian fish stew), steak with chimichurri sauce, and Yucca Frite.
4 p.m.- midnight, 13 Brattle St., Cambridge; 617-499-0001 or beathotel.com.
BOKX 109
Having spent time in New Orleans’ French Quarter, sous chef Carey Dobies brings his passion for southern cuisine to Newton with dishes like his New England gumbo (clams, mussels, pulled pork, Andouille sausage); boudin hush puppies; and a southern surf and turf with grilled blue crab, bavette steak, and hoppin’ john. Libations will include traditional boozy beverages like Sazeracs, Hurricanes, and Pimm’s Cups.
399 Grove St., Newton; 617-454-3399 or bokx109prime.com.
Post 390
On Fat Tuesday, Post 390 will be running Mardi Gras-themed specials for both lunch and dinner. Pastry chef Craig Williams has created a special rum baba doughnut inspired by the famous “Hurricane” cocktail, which is stuffed with passion fruit curd, house pomegranate and orange blossom grenadine syrup, and orange blossom meringue. On the savory side of things, executive chef Eric Brennan will be serving gumbo and oyster po’ boys with all local oysters.
406 Stuart St., Boston; 617-399-0015 or post390restaurant.com.
South Street Diner
For a paltry $5, patrons can feast on all-you-can-eat jambalaya. There will also be a full New Orleans-style Mardi Gras menu with items like beignets, gumbo shrimp, po’ boys, alligator sausage, and more. Staff will be fully decked out in Mardi Gras garb and traditional zydeco music will blasting from the jukebox throughout the entire day.
11 a.m.- 11 p.m., 178 Kneeland St., Boston; 617-350-0028 or southstreetdiner.com.
Sweet Cheeks Q
Chefs Tiffani Faison and Dan Reia are throwing a traditional southern crawfish boil. Tables will be topped with brown paper so guests can get messy digging into spicy crawfish, shrimp, crab, corn, and potatoes, all drowned in drawn butter. Bowls of gumbo will be provided and cans of cold ‘Gansett will be thrown in with the price of admission. Sweet Cheeks regular menu will also be available à la carte.
$45 per person, 5-10 p.m., 1381 Boylston St., Boston; 617-266-1300 or sweetcheeksq.com.
The Beehive
The South End hot spot is welcoming in the traditional jazz stylings of Brian Thomas’ BT New Orleans 2nd Line Brass Band to paire with chef Marc Orfaly’s NOLA-style cajun dishes such as Louisiana shrimp and grits, pan fried catfish, and seafood jambalaya. In addition to dinner, Mardi Gras revelers can enjoy entertainment at one of The Beehive’s two bars, which will be providing celebratory cocktails from sponsors Jim Beam, Old Grand-Dad and Maker’s Mark. Complimentary Mardi Gras beads will be available outside the dance floor. There is no cover charge for this event.
5 p.m.- 1 a.m., 541 Tremont St., Boston; 617-423-0069 or beehiveboston.com.
Tryst
Chef-owner Paul Turano has taken it upon himself to bring authenticity to his special Mardi Gras-inspired dinner at Tryst. Served in addition to their regular menu, the three-course prix fixe dinner includes items such as blackened catfish with red beans and rice, a celery root remoulade, a fried green tomato “BLT” with pork belly, lettuce, and ranch dressing, and for dessert, beignets with cinnamon-bourbon caramel and milk jam. And of course, the Hurricanes will be flowing all night.
$30 per person, 5-10 p.m., 689 Massachusetts Ave., Arlington; 781-641-2227 or trystrestaurant.com.
