HOME > Chowhound > Los Angeles Area >


Mardi Gras in L.A.?

Is there anything going on for Mardi Gras anywhere besides Farmer's Market?

We used to go to Orleans many years ago (closed), then Cafe N'Awlins (closed) and then Mardi Gras in Toluca Lake (closed)...see a bad theme here?

  1. Click to Upload a photo (10 MB limit)
  1. There is a place on Pico, in Westwood, just West of Westwood Blvd called Burbons, I think... I haven't been there in years, and the last time I was there, I wasn't impressed. I do remember Orleans from many years ago, and this is no where near as good as that was

    1. Uncle Darrows is having a Mardi Gras party, but it's on the 28th and not on Fat Tuesday.
      If you just want great food on Fat Tuesday, you could make a reservation at Harold & Belle's!

      1. Cafe Boogaloo in Hermosa Beach is crazy and fun every year. They are open from lunchtime on. The food is really good...but i don't know if they serve at night when it gets really busy.

        7 Replies
        1. re: Rizza

          Yeah, the situation in Los Angeles is pretty bad regarding cajun-creole food. although in the 80s and 90s we had the most new orleans -expats of any other state in the union. and yet we still don't have much in the way of great food. truly sucks. cafe n' awlins in burbank was really good, they made a great murky, mahongany tinged seafood gumbo, delicious shrimp creole with sides of potato salad and canned corn, and blackened red fish of a sort, as well as french chocolate silk pie with chantilly cream. anyone know if the chef opened up somewhere else this was some seriously good eats.

          1. re: kevin

            I believe that the "authorities" (including the FBI) would also like to know if the former chef/owner from cafe n' awlins has opened up anywhere else. ;-D


            1. re: Servorg

              wow, oh, man. that doesn't sound so great. sounds a little like a junior ponzi scheme.

              and thanks for the link. that puts a sour taste in mouth considering i previously liked the food.

              1. re: Servorg

                Thanks for the link Servorg! I miss Mark Foster's great chow and his mom's hospitality. Maybe there is a Cajun hole in the wall somewhere south of the border! The last time we were at Cafe N'Awlins they gave my then 5 year old twin sons feathered Mardi Gras masks that still hang on our wall, sweet people in my book. I hope Mark can work out his problems with the feds and again take his place in front of a commercial range at another fine restaurant!!!

                1. re: Servorg

                  OT, I know, but their last 'scheme/scam' involved the property that is now the Edendale Grill on Rowena (I was SO looking forward to that gumbo for lunch, but alas....).

                2. re: kevin

                  Cafe' n'awlins in Burbank used exactly what you said...canned corn. It hurt my lil heart.

                  And the shrimp for the cocktails was frozen... I hated biting into a shrimp and hitting frozen icy meat in the center every time.

                  That kind of thing would burn a place down in N.O. - fresh ingredients is what's it all about...... can you imagine the horror of pre packaged trinity?

                  Boogaloos in Hermosa IS very fun....LA twist on cajun.
                  And Stevies in Sherman Oaks is getting better..another LA twist on almost cajun/soul food. (the fried okra is great)

                  from everything I've read the place to have fun is the farmer's market Gumbo Spot.

                  I never got to try Memphis....::::le sigh:::

                  1. re: missliisa

                    Yeah, but their Shrimp Creole was second to none, and their Red Beans and Rice was pretty darn good too. I never tried their Shrimp cocktails, in fact I didn't realize it was on the menu.

                    Oh, and I almost forgot their BEST dish, CRAB CAKES with an amazing gumbo-style gravy sauce, to this day, this is one of the dishes that I crave beyond belief along with bbq fried chicken from the defunct for years Paio in Silverlake (later site of Comfort Cafe and a newfangled gourmet burger shoppe recently).

                    and don't get me started on their French chocolate silk pie with chantilly cream.

                    Canned corn is still delicious, although yeah, for a restaurant there is no point in serving it. But I think he was an accomplished chef even though his self-proclaimed credentials of working at KPaul's and Court of Two Sisters might have been just that. and supposedly now a possibly accomplished crook.


              2. You can still get the Mardi Gras menu at Michael's Bar & Grill in Burbank. One of my favorite places in town to get cajun food (and I'm originally from Louisiana). You could also try Stevie's Creole Restaurant in Encino, but I haven't personally been there, so I can't vouch for the food there.

                3 Replies
                1. re: foodie21

                  do they happen to have french chocoalte silk pie there?



                  1. re: kevin

                    "That kind of thing would burn a place down in N.O. - fresh ingredients is what's it all about...... can you imagine the horror of pre packaged trinity?" FYI: Every supermarket in New Orleans sells it, already chopped, in plastic containers, and most local folks buy it and cook with it all the time. CERTAIN THINGS have to be fresh, but in southeast Louisiana most things never were. They use evaporated milk in darn near everything, and the use of preserved meats are an art form there. Fresh ingredients are not necessarily "what it's all about in N.O.," but good cooking and making the best of what you have are time-honored New Orleans traditions.

                    1. re: kevin

                      I think "French chocolate silk pie" was invented by the chef. It's definitely NOT a staple in New Orleans. My five cents...