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Fat Tuesday is all about indulging in the spirit of N’Awlins through food, drink and good cheer, and local restaurants and bars are only too happy to partake in the festivities on February 13. Expect to see lots of Cajun and Creole dishes, Big Easy-inspired cocktails (Sazerac, Hurricanes), and, of course, sugar-dusted beignets.
Here are 11 ways to let the good times roll this coming Tuesday.
Acadiana
901 New York Avenue NW
This Lousiana-themed downtown restaurant is running all-day happy hour on Tuesday, February 13. Find $5 bar snacks including alligator fritters, pulled pork biscuits, and muffuletta in the lounge starting at 2:30 p.m., along with drink specials.
Barrel
613 Pennsylvania Avenue SE
This Capitol Hill watering hole is serving $8 Sazeracs all night on Tuesday, February 13. Or try a frozen riff on the Hurricane, which Barrel is calling the Tropical Storm Warning (rum, mezcal, passionfruit, orange, pineapple, lime, and Campari).
Black Jack/Tilt
1612 14th Street NW
The Mardi Gras-related deals at these 14th Street standbys begin at 3 p.m. on Saturday, February 10, with $3.50 Abita beers, as well as $8 Hurricanes and Irish coffee slushies. Sunday features an all-you-can-eat-and-drink brunch ($65 per person) from noon to 4 p.m. Monday’s program includes a “Double Dare”-themed cocktail competition among local bartenders, while Tuesday brings happy hour specials and live music starting at 5 p.m.
Brookland’s Finest
3126 12th Street NE
This Brookland bar is offering a three-course, Mardi Gras-themed menu ($35 per person) featuring crispy frog legs, Bananas Foster-flavored beignets, and specialty cocktails made with spirits provided by local producer One Eight Distilling.
Dock 5 at Union Market
1309 Fifth Street NE
Bayou Bakery founder David Guas and Top Chef alum Spike Mendelsohn are two of the chefs participating in Union Market’s second annual Mardi Gras-themed event scheduled to take place from 6 p.m to 10 p.m. on Tuesday, February 13. Expect classic New Orleans dishes and alternative tiakes on the Hurricane. Tickets are $65, all inclusive; proceeds will benefit DC Central Kitchen.
GCDC
1730 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
This self-styled “grilled cheese bar” is serving a special grilled cheese featuring andouille sausage, grueyere, remoulade, and caramelized from from Friday, February 9 through Tuesday, February 13. Other offerings include Hurricanes ($6), as well as cocktails such as rye Sazeracs and Vieux Carre (regularly $10 each; $8 during happy hour).
Hank’s on The Hill
633 Pennsylvania Avenue SE
The Capitol Hill location of Hank’s Oyster Bar is serving $11 Hurricanes, buckets of steamed seafood, and a traditional pancake dinner on Tuesday, February 13, as part of its “Party Gras” event.
Pearl Street Warehouse
33 Pearl Street SW
Area newcomer Pearl Street Warehouse is following up the Wharf’s inaugural Mardi Gras parade with a free concert by The Grandsons. The kitchen will be serving gumbo and jambalaya while the bar mixes up Hurricanes and Sazeracs.
Pennsylvania 6
1350 Eye Street NW
The downtown restaurant is serving $6 Hurricane cocktails all day long on Tuesday, February 13. Regularly scheduled weekday happy hour deals including $1 oysters and $8 crab dip will run from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Royal
501 Florida Avenue NW
All-day eatery Royal is throwing a pre-Mardi Gras party from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m., on Monday, February 12, focused on Carnival traditions. Guest bartender Duane Sylvestre, formerly of Bourbon Steak, will join Royal’s Jake Kenny and Alonzo Freeman in preparing eight specialty cocktails ($8 each) feauting Caribbean rums, absinthe and Trinidad-made bitters. A menu of $6 rum boilermakers and $3 canned beers from Atlas Brew Works will also be available.
Taqueria del Barrio
821 Upshur Street NW
This Mexican-themed Petworth eatery is serving two specialty empanadas — one filled with red beans and rice, the other with jambalaya ($3.85 each) — from 4 p.m. to close on February 13.