This year’s Mardi Gras celebrations are underway in the Big Easy. The annual carnival of New Orleans culminates on Fat Tuesday, or Mardi Gras, which falls on the day preceding Ash Wednesday. Aptly named, Fat Tuesday offers a final opportunity to indulge freely in good food before the period of Lent commences. The Bourbon Street festivities are characterized by a pageantry of parades that exhibit elaborately costumed and masked participants aboard colorful floats of purple, green and gold, the fanfare of jazz tunes resounding through the streets and spicy aromas of Cajun and Creole cuisine wafting through the air, beckoning the hungry hoards. If you’re seeking to delve into the flavors of the festivities without leaving Long Island, The Bayou in Bellmore fits the bill.
The Bayou was established in 1986, where the chef conjures a variety of delectable dishes that are at once aromatic and savory. The menu at the Bayou is short, but flavorful, offering up the regional cuisines of New Orleans’ Cajun and Creole cultures. The prix fixe menu for this year’s Mardi Gras lists such classics as pasta jambalaya, crawfish etouffe and blackened steak, chicken or shrimp. For those who like it hot, consider the steak from hell, blanketed with a firey habanero barbecue sauce. Other entrée options on the special menu include the King Rex paella grille of chicken, shrimp and andouille sausage or the Krewe Bayou stuffed catfish with etouffee gravy. A choice of gumbos, salad and tempting appetizers await selection to accompany your cocktail and perk up your palate. The Mardi Gras menu also includes a choice of classic New Orleans desserts.
Some favorites from the regular menu include Marie Laveau’s voodoo tuna, Cajun maque choux, crawfish tempura and ragin’ Cajun calamari. The flavors and the ambience will carry former New Orleans tourists back to casual dining in the French Quarter. The dining area is casual, decorated with an eclectic collection of New Orleans memorabilia that adorns the walls and ceiling. The venue is all about fun, sharing good times and good conversation with good food and drink.
No Mardi Gras celebration is complete without beads and beverages. You won’t need to sacrifice any garments to earn your beads at The Bayou, simply order your dinner and enjoy. The dining room is small and waits can be long, especially on Mardi Gras, but the bar offers an impressive array of satisfying cocktails to imbibe while you wait for your table, including their take on the classic Hurricane. A selection of brews from New Orleans is also featured, such as Abita beers and Blackened Voodoo Lager from Dixie. Order a drink, have a seat next to their welcoming bony mascot and, as they say in New Orleans, laissez les bon temps rouler, or let the good times roll.
The Bayou is located 2823 Jerusalem Avenue in Bellmore. Visit www.bayou4bigfun.com for menus, hours, accepted payment and directions.
The Bayou was established in 1986, where the chef conjures a variety of delectable dishes that are at once aromatic and savory. The menu at the Bayou is short, but flavorful, offering up the regional cuisines of New Orleans’ Cajun and Creole cultures. The prix fixe menu for this year’s Mardi Gras lists such classics as pasta jambalaya, crawfish etouffe and blackened steak, chicken or shrimp. For those who like it hot, consider the steak from hell, blanketed with a firey habanero barbecue sauce. Other entrée options on the special menu include the King Rex paella grille of chicken, shrimp and andouille sausage or the Krewe Bayou stuffed catfish with etouffee gravy. A choice of gumbos, salad and tempting appetizers await selection to accompany your cocktail and perk up your palate. The Mardi Gras menu also includes a choice of classic New Orleans desserts.
Some favorites from the regular menu include Marie Laveau’s voodoo tuna, Cajun maque choux, crawfish tempura and ragin’ Cajun calamari. The flavors and the ambience will carry former New Orleans tourists back to casual dining in the French Quarter. The dining area is casual, decorated with an eclectic collection of New Orleans memorabilia that adorns the walls and ceiling. The venue is all about fun, sharing good times and good conversation with good food and drink.
No Mardi Gras celebration is complete without beads and beverages. You won’t need to sacrifice any garments to earn your beads at The Bayou, simply order your dinner and enjoy. The dining room is small and waits can be long, especially on Mardi Gras, but the bar offers an impressive array of satisfying cocktails to imbibe while you wait for your table, including their take on the classic Hurricane. A selection of brews from New Orleans is also featured, such as Abita beers and Blackened Voodoo Lager from Dixie. Order a drink, have a seat next to their welcoming bony mascot and, as they say in New Orleans, laissez les bon temps rouler, or let the good times roll.
The Bayou is located 2823 Jerusalem Avenue in Bellmore. Visit www.bayou4bigfun.com for menus, hours, accepted payment and directions.