Where to find Mardi Gras gumbo, turkey legs and brunch, plus a Fort Worth fais do-do
Mardi Gras is March 1, but the celebrations start Saturday.
The small Mardi Gras parade and fais-dodo on Race Street will unfold at lunchtime, and Tributary Cafe will be serving Louisiana specials all day.
Tributary, 2813 Race St., is a small restaurant and bar in a nearly 100-year-old house.
It’s known for some of the city’s best fried chicken, barbecued shrimp or shrimp Creole, and also for a dark gumbo, crawfish hoecakes and salad with fried okra spears.
It also serves other shrimp dishes, bread pudding and Key lime pie.
It’s one of several small restaurants on Race Street, off East Belknap Street about a half-mile north of Airport Freeway.
Tributary is open for lunch and dinner Wednesdays through Saturdays, lunch Sundays; 817-832-0823, tributarycafe.com.
▪ The Post on River East, 2925 Race St., will feature free music at midafternoon Saturday in the courtyard. There’s a sandwich menu.
Here’s a look at other Mardi Gras specials:
▪ B&B Butchers & Restaurant, 5212 Marathon Ave., will celebrate Saturday with its annual Mardi Gras brunch featuring a piano bar, face painting and cocktails.
Brunch specials in past years have been dishes such as duck-andouille gumbo, boudin or a crawfish-etouffee omelet, plus the regular eggs Benedict and lunch dishes.
It’s the closest Fort Worth has to a Brennan’s-like Mardi Gras experience.
B&B serves brunch every weekend along with lunch and dinner; 817-737-5212, bbbutchers.com.
Big restaurants for big Cajuns
The usual Cajun favorites don’t have to advertise.
▪ Copeland’s of New Orleans, 1400 Plaza Place, Southlake, will serve $5 Hurricanes and offer a crawfish boil.
It’s the only Texas location for the New Orleans chain; 817-305-2199, copelandsofneworleans.com.
▪ Cajun Market, 5409 Colleyville Blvd., Colleyville, is a market known for crawfish, gumbos, fried seafood and meat pies; thecajunmarket.com.
▪ Boo-Rays of New Orleans, a locally owned restaurant with locations in Fort Worth, Crowley and Hudson Oaks, is a large Cajun dining hall and drinkery known for a wide-ranging menu including seafood, shrimp, jambalaya and gumbo. booraysofneworleans.com.
▪ Walk-On’s Sports Bistreaux, a Louisiana-based chain with a location at 401 Interstate 20 East, Arlington, promotes “Fat Tuesday every Tuesday” and will offer $5 Louisiana classics; 817-617-2137, walk-ons.com.
▪ Razzoo’s Cajun Cafe, an Addison-based chain, has locations in Fort Worth and Arlington, plus corporate cousin Tricky Fish in Fort Worth; razzoos.com.
▪ Other restaurants such as Fish City Grill, Flying Fish and Shuck Me also serve gumbo and jambalaya.
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White tablecloth gumbo
▪ Perry’s Steakhouse & Grille, a Houston-based chain with a location at 2400 Texas 114 West, Grapevine, is serving a seasonal menu including lobster Thermidor, chargrilled oysters, turtle gumbo and white-chocolate cheesecake; 682-477-2261, perryssteakhouse.com.
More Mardi Gras
▪ Dusty Biscuit Beignets, 411 S. Main St., is celebrating Mardi Gras Saturday with jambalaya and beignets at Martin House Brewing, 220 S. Sylvania Ave., and then will open the bakery Monday and Tuesday to sell beignets.
On Tuesday night, Dusty Biscuit will serve gumbo and beignets at Leaves Book & Tea Shop, 120 St. Louis Ave. The bakery is regularly open from midmorning through midafternoon daily except Mondays; 817-841-9255, thedustybiscuit.com.
▪ Jube’s Smokehouse, 1900 S. Edgewood Terrace, will celebrate Tuesday with a special menu including turkey legs, red beans and rice, boudin and pecan-bourbon bread pudding.
Jube’s is a small barbecue restaurant open Wednesdays through Sundays; 817-779-0235, jubes-smokehouse.com.
▪ French-owned La Madeleine French Bakery & Cafe, based in Dallas, is offering a Mardi Gras green-gold-and-purple danish with strawberry jam and cream cheese. La Madeleine has seven Tarrant County locations.
This story was originally published February 22, 2022 at 5:45 AM.
