Mardi Gras guide: Where to find crawfish boil, jambalaya, King Cake in Lexington
Mardi Gras is coming and do you know where your Cajun food is? If not, LexGoEat.com is here to help you find it. And we have King Cake as well.
The pastry is a special treat that is shared before and on Fat Tuesday. And if you get the baby in your piece, tradition says you bring the next cake.
Mardi Gras is Feb. 21 this year but you can celebrate well before Fat Tuesday at several restaurants.
You can get in the spirit with a taste of the Bayou here in the Bluegrass. Here’s a guide and list of local Lexington restaurants, bakeries and caterers offering a menu of Cajun/Creole favorites from alligator etouffee to zydeco music and much more:
Azur
3070 Lakecrest Circle, azurrestaurant.com, 859-296-1007. Azur will have andouille crusted and fried oysters with remoulade, shrimp etouffee over blackened filet medallions and Paul Prudhomme’s classic blackened redfish with brown butter, almonds, lemon and lump crab, plus drink specials on Feb. 21.
B’s Bakery
241 W. Main St. in Frankfort, 502-699-2222. B’s Bakery is taking orders for King Cakes. Each serves eight to 10 for $24.99. New this year: King Cakes with fillings; call for flavors. Mardi Gras-themed cupcakes and cookies also available.
Bayou Bluegrass Catering
861 S. Broadway, Bayoubluegrass.com, 859-523-7915. Bayou Bluegrass will have a shipment of crawfish coming from Louisiana to go with the other offerings including fried alligator, King Cake, beignets and more. Make reservations for dining in at Copper Roux on Feb. 17 and 21 with lunch seatings from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and dinner seatings from 5:30 to 8 p.m. Or pre-order dishes for six for curbside pickup (including Hurricanes by the gallon) on Feb. 17, 18 and 21. This year the Round Barn at The Red Mile also is hosting the Hopeful Paws Mardi Gras Gala on Feb. 18 to support KY Hopeful Paws dog and cat rescue.
Bear & The Butcher
815 Euclid Ave., bearandthebutcher.com, 859-469-9188. Bear & The Butcher will have $5 hurricanes with a take-home cup from Bacardi, Brunch Beignets that night, which is Trivia Night.
Bourbon ‘n’ Toulouse
829 Euclid Ave. and 1080 S. Broadway, Ilovecajun.com, 859-335-0300 and (859)423-2901. This year the party starts on Friday Feb. 17 and runs through Fat Tuesday (except Sunday, when the restaurants will be closed) with specials each day. Look for alligator sauce piquant, shrimp Creole, alligator sausages, Swamp Dogs gator hotdogs topped with crawfish etouffee, crawfish Creole and alligator etouffee, plus Kings Cakes available daily. You can also order Mardi Gras Party Packs online. Hurricane and beer specials next door at Chevy Chase Inn with live music.
Broussard’s Delta Kitchen
135 E. Main St in Georgetown, Broussardsdelta.com, 502-642-4193. The giant buffet this year will have Granny’s Famous Meatloaf, pork tenderloin with sherry apricot glaze, salmon with dill cucumber sauce, bronzed shrimp with scampi butter, as well as giant shrimp boil with red taters and corn cobbies, blackened redfish meunière, duck & andouille gumbo, seafood gumbo, red beans & rice, crawfish etouffee, shrimp Creole, chicken Creole, shrimp & grits, fried catfish & shrimp, chicken andouille jambalaya and desserts for $50 per person. Drink specials including $7 Hurricanes and $25 pitchers. No reservations accepted; opens at 4 p.m.
Caramanda’s Bake Shoppe
2901 Richmond Rd. and 2220 Nicholasville Rd., caramandas.com, 859-278-7172. Both the new location in Zandale Shopping Center will have a “funfetti” version of King Cake this year that you can pre-order by Feb. 17. Both locations will have cupcakes decorated in Mardi Gras colors. Order cupcakes at least a day in advance.
The Cellar
3256 Lansdowne Dr., cellargrille.com, 859-317-8301. The Cellar will have specials on Tuesday including jambalaya, gumbo, chicken Creole, shrimp Creole, beignets and Hurricane drink specials.
Donut Days
185 Southland Dr., Donutdaysbakery.com, 859-277-9414. Donut Days is taking orders for King Cakes and has them in store now. Available in cinnamon, cream cheese, apple and cherry flavors for $24.99 and comes with beads, coin, and baby in a presentation box.
DV8 Kitchen
867 S. Broadway & 594 E. Third St., dv8kitchen.com, 859-955-0388 & 859-832-0388;DV8 will have King Cake cinnamon rolls, complete with Mardi Gras colored sugar, Feb. 15 through Feb. 21, while supplies last.
Gumbo YaYa
294 E. Brannon Rd., gumboyayaky.com, 859-245-9292. Gumbo YaYa’s 20th annual celebration will kick off on Feb. 17, dubbed “Fat Friday,” , with alligator sauce piquant, shrimp & lobster etouffee, chicken Creole and other traditional favorites. You can pre-order their made-from-scratch fully decorated King Cakes for $25. Baby King Cakes (serve 4 for $10) also available in limited quantities. Call ahead for carryout party packs which serve 10 for $45, quarts and gallons. ABITA beer selection on special for $2 through Feb. 21. On Mardi Gras Tuesday, Ale-8-One will handout free merchandise, beads, Tshirts, etc. And, as always, free slices of King Cake on Fat Tuesday with purchase! (While supplies last.)
Honeywood
110 Summit at Fritz Farm Suite 140, honewoodrestaurant.com, 859-469-8234. Honeywood will have live music on Fat Tuesday, along with food and drink specials.
J. Render’s
3191 Beaumont Centre Circle, jrendersbbq.com, 859-533-9777. On Feb 21, 24 and 25, J. Render’s will have blackened catfish with jambalaya and collard greens for $21. On Feb. 26, there’s a New Orleans five-course dinner in their new Speakeasy event space. Reservations required. Dinner includes shrimp remoulade salad, barbecue shrimp, yak-a-main (beef broth, tender cuts of beef, noodles and hard-boiled egg, a Creole dish famous in New Orleans), crawfish etouffee and King Cake for dessert.
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The Kentucky Castle
230 Pisgah Pike in Versailles, thekentuckycastle.com, 859-256-0322. The Kentucky Castle will bring the French Quarter to Kentucky with a special dinner 7 p.m. on Fat Tuesday featuring a cocktail, hushpuppies with Cajun remoulade, shrimp boil skewers, either chicken and andouille sausage jambalaya or vegetarian jambalaya with King Cake for dessert. After dinner there will be music, dancing and more drinks in the Grand Ballroom. Masks, beads and dressing up are encouraged. Book tickets online.
Martine’s Pastries
Martine’s Pastries, 400 East Third St., martinespastries.com, 859-231-9110. Martine’s is taking orders for King Cakes to pick up either Friday, Saturday or Fat Tuesday, available with pistachio or cinnamon cream filling.
Midway Bakery
510 S. Winter St. in Midway, themidwaybakery.com, 859-846-4336. Midway will have King Cakes.
The Mousetrap
3323 Tates Creek Rd., Mousetrapky.com, 859-269-2958. House-made gumbo, jambalaya, Cajun shrimp, muffaletta sandwiches available in the deli.
Proud Mary BBQ
9079 Old Richmond Rd., Proudmarybbq.com, 859-913-5611. Proud Mary will have a heated tent and live music as well as boiled crawfish, Hurricanes, boudin balls, jambalaya, crawfish etouffee, fried catfish, barbecue shrimp, corn maque choux, fried catfish, barbecue brisket, smothered cabbage, seasoned green beans, beignets and King Cake.
Ramsey’s
All four locations, Ramseysdiners.com. Ramsey’s will have a Mardi Gras special for $21.95 featuring a heaping pan of crawfish brought in live from New Orleans, a cup of gumbo, a bowl of red beans & rice and French bread, available for dining in or for carryout. Voodoo Breeze, Hurricanes and Bloody Creole drinks also available. And the crawfish eating contest returns this year. Each location with allow up to 10 contestants, $10 entry fee. At 6:30 p.m. they get the same amount of crawfish by weight. First one to eat it all gets $100 in Ramsey’s gift certificates; best time of all four stores gets $200 more. The contest will be livestreamed on Facebook.
Red State BBQ
4020 Georgetown Rd., redstatebbq.com, 859-233-7898. Red State BBQ will have its own homemade shrimp, chicken and sausage gumbo, red beans and rice with Andouille sausage, pistolettes filled with your choice of Bourbon ’n’ Toulouse’s chicken or southwest crawfish etouffee.
Selma’s
720 Henry Clay Blvd., selmascatering.com, 859-971-2763. Selma’s will have Mardi Gras specials Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday as well as in the Grab and Go case all week, including red beans & rice with sausage, fried fish sandwiches, chicken and sausage etouffee and decorated Mardi Gras cookies 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. for lunch but grab and go is from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Shamrock Bar and Grille
Patchen Drive and Hartland; shamrocksky.com. Shamrock will have jambalaya, gumbo, chicken Creole, shrimp Creole, beignets and Hurricane drink specials.
Smithtown Seafood
501 W. Sixth St., Smithtownseafood.com, 859-303-4100. Agnes’ seafood gumbo, oyster/shrimp/catfish and grits, oyster/shrimp/catfish po’boys, Midway Bakery King Cake.
Wallace Station
3854 Old Frankfort Pike in Versailles, Wallacestation.com, 859-846-5161. Wallace Station will have muffuletta sandwiches and Midway Bakery King Cake.
Windy Corner Market
4595 Bryan Station Rd., Windycornermarket.com, 859-294-9338. Windy Corner will have shrimp and grits, crawfish or chicken etouffee, fried crawfish po’boy plus their other seafood po’boys and Midway Bakery King Cake.
Zim’s Cafe
215 W. Main St., Suite 25 in the Old Courthouse, zimscafe.com, 859-785-3690. Zim’s will have shrimp and grits, Paul’s Chicken and Sausage Gumbo, fried crawfish hushpuppies with Lisa’s Remoulade and Midway Bakery King Cake.
