Lent it all hang out!
The pre-Lent celebration of Mardi Gras has spread well beyond the Bayou State, and beads will be flying all over Brooklyn for Fat Tuesday. We have rounded up some of the best New Orleans-style parties for those who want to get down.
Bayou bites
Get started early with the “Mardi Gras Madness” crawfish boil at the Hall at MP, where the cuisine of the bayou takes center stage. On Friday, Saturday, and Fat Tuesday, grown-ups can indulge in New Orleans cocktails and beers, a crawfish platter from chef Michael Psilakis, and a different brass band blowing off the roof each night. And parents can bring their kids to the Kids’ Mardi Gras Brunch on Sunday, which will feature child-friendly crafts and a show from Elise Testone and the Funky Po’Boys.
The Hall at MP [470 Driggs Ave. between N. 10th and N. 11th streets in Williamsburg, (718) 387–4001, www.theha
Beer blast
Who needs Bourbon Street? Go with beer instead at the Sixpoint “Mardi Gras Mambo” party at Bar Chord in Ditmas Park. The Sixpoint brewery will take over the taps and offer drink specials all night, and you can combine a bowl of gumbo and a Sixpoint beer for just $7. And Zydeco band the Dirty Water Dogs will play Creole-style music starting at 10 pm.
Bar Chord [1008 Cortelyou Rd. between Coney Island Avenue and Stratford Road in Ditmas Park, (347) 240–6033, www.barch
A swinging show!
Dress to collect some beads at the late-night “Brass, Sass, and Ass” party at the House of Yes, where the Idle Hands Brass Band will take the stage, circus performers will circle the venue’s ceilings, and booty-shaking will go on all night. And keep your dancing shoes on, because this Fat Tuesday party will feature its own parade.
House of Yes (2 Wyckoff Ave. at Jefferson Street in Bushwick, www.house
Tubby Tuesday
Bar Lunatico always has New Orleans-style cocktails, but the chef will also cook up some Creole cuisine for its “Mardi Gras Party with Tubby,” starring a band that plays old-school N’awlins rhythm and blues.
Bar Lunatico [486 Halsey St. between Lewis and Stuyvesant avenues in Bedford-Stuyvesant, (718) 513–0339, www.barlu
Big Heavy
All things New Orleans will be on display at the Heavy Woods bar, which has the look of the French Quarter, lots of Cajun food, and beads — a lot of beads, according to its owner. Jambalaya, catfish cake, and king cake are on the menu, and you can get a Hurricane on draft for just $8.
Heavy Woods [50 Wyckoff Ave between Starr Street and Willoughby Avenue in Bushwick, (929) 234–3500. www.heavy
A bit of Abita
Louisiana brewery Abita will set up in Bay Ridge on Fat Tuesday, taking over the taps at Lock Yard to serve special tastes of its Big Easy brews.
Lock Yard [9221 Fifth Ave. between 92nd and 94th streets in Bay Ridge, (718) 333–5282, www.locky
