Too busy to head down to the Big Easy this year for Mardi Gras? It ‘s not necessary, since Chester County has a great lineup of Mardi Gras events to spice up your week. Break out your masks and green, purple and gold gear for some Fat Tuesday fun on March 8th!
Downingtown:
Victory Brewing Company
420 Acorn Lane, 610-873-0881
Victory has put together a New Orleans-inspired five-course dinner with beer pairings and live music from the Victory Jazz Quartet for $50 per person. Here’s the jazzy lineup:
Hurricane Crab Shooter
Passion fruit lime crab, avocado puree, yellow tomatoes and roasted red pepper puree
paired with Braumeister Pils
Jolly Roger
Creole spiced prosciutto wrapped baked okra with fried oyster and dark intrigue sabayon
paired with Helios Ale
Gumbo Napoleon
Andouille sausage, chicken breast, and shrimp layered between rice crackers with gumbo sauce
paired with Dark Lager
Alligator Etouffee and Doubloons
Slow cooked alligator stew with brown buttered arugula and silver dollar red beans and rice croquettes
paired with Headwaters Pale Ale (Victory’s new release)
Beignets
Yeast doughnuts topped with chicory ice cream
Storm King Stout
Lagniappe
A little something extra – individual king cakes
(Look for the “baby” to win a 750ml bottle of Dark Intrigue!)
Exton:
Appetites on Main
286 Main Street, Exton 610-594-2030
What could be better than $4 hurricanes and sangria, $2 Coors Light pints, and $5 Red Bull bombs? Appetites on Main will be giving away tons of beads and prizes throughout the night and karaoke starts at 9pm. Nosh on some $5.50 cheese steaks, half price apps after 10, and N’awlins fries with crispy shoe string fries, real crab meat, homemade cheese sauce and old bay seasoning.
Phoenixville:
Bistro on the Bridge
210 Bridge Street, Phoenixville 610- 935-7141
Bistro will be bringing in the South Comfort girls to help host their Fat Tuesday Party. Sing your heart out with karaoke starting at 10 pm while sipping hurricanes and Soco specials all night.
Daddy Mims
150-152 Bridge Street, 610-935-1800
Some of their Mardi Gras creations include crispy fried oysters, raw oysters, seafood gumbo, andouille sausage, jambalaya, beignets and more! Diners can sip Swamp Water Martinis, Hurricanes, Abita Beer or bring their own bottle. Reservations are required and cost is $50 per person.
French Quarter Bistro
215 Main Street, Royersford, 610-792-7292
Madri Gras festivities will happening all day at French Quarter Bistro and kicked off with a Cajun/creole lunch buffet (including jambalaya, boiled crawfish, etouffee and more! ) from 11:30 am-2 pm. Beads, t-shirts, and prize giveaways throughout the day. At 7 p.m., Teachers Lounge will provide Louisiana music for their 3-course Dogfish Head beer dinner for $40 (doesn’t include gratuity and tax). Reservations are recommended.
West Chester:
Goshen Fire Company Fasnacht Donuts
1320 Park Avenue, West Chester, PA 19380
It is a custom to consume a delectable donut on Shrove Tuesday, the day before Lent, because it these wonderful pastries were often given up for Lent. The Goshen Fire Company will be firing up their famous donuts and selling them from noon to 8 pm on Monday March 7, 2011 and 7 am-5pm on Tuesday March 8, 2011. These donuts are wildly popular, so its a good idea to pre-order them. (Kimberton Fire Company’s donuts are equally as impressive as Goshen Fire Company’s. For info on their fried dough, click here.)
The High Street Caffe
322 S. High Street, West Chester 610-696-74350
As soon as you enter their festive dining room and taste their creations, you’d swear you were in New Orleans. This award-winning watering hole will be serving $3 drafts, $3 Abita beers, and $5 Hurricanes. In addition to their fantastic fare of jambalaya, andouille gumbo, etouffee, and voodoo shrimp, they will be serving crawfish boil and king cakes. There will be free beads, prizes, and a New Orleans blues band, Linwood Taylor, throughout the evening.
Toast Tavern
1215 West Chester Pike, West Chester 610-918-9525
Just because Crawdaddy’s closed, doesn’t mean you can’t indulge is some of their famous dishes. Toast Tavern will be serving up Crawdaddy’s Cajun and creole favorites and $4 hurricanes.
DubC Bar Stool Mardi Gras Bead Crawl
Celebrate Fat Tuesday in five bars in West Chester instead of just one, with drink specials, prize giveaways, DJs from Schafer Sound Productions and lots of beads along the way. Whoever receives the most beads from the bars by the end of the night wins a $300 cash prize!
Bead Crawl Schedule and Specials:
Barnaby’s of West Chester: 6 p.m. – 7 p.m.
$3 Soco Lime Shots!
Side Bar and Restaurant: 7 p.m. – 8 p.m.
$4 Soco Shots and Drinks!
Kildare’s Irish Pub: 8 p.m. – 9 p.m.
$4 Soco Shots and Drinks!
Ryan’s Pub: 9 p.m. – 10 p.m.
$4 Soco Shots and Drinks!
Landmark Americana: 10 p.m. – 12 a.m.
$3 SoCo Lime Shots $2 SoCo Drinks
