In celebration of Mardi Gras — which falls on March 8th this year — take your pick from one of these Cajun and Creole eateries in Tampa Bay to get a taste of 'Nawlins. And if all else fails and you can't make it to one of these spots, there's always Bourbon Street Grill at the local mall food courts.
CAJUN CAFE ON THE BAYOU 8101 Park Blvd N, Pinellas Park, 727-546-6732, cajuncafeonthebayou.com. It's Mardi Gras year-round at this Cajun joint on Cross Bayou in Pinellas Park. Serving a large menu of traditional dishes like Po' Boys, boiled crawfish, etoufeé and even alligator cooked in a myriad of methods. They also stock a huge array of craft beers on draft and in bottle.
CAJUN CORNER 2101 34th Street S, St. Pete, 727-329-8924, cajuncorner.net. Cajun takeout — with a slight Asian twist — that won't break the bank. Serving classic dishes like gumbo and jambalaya, Cajun boils with your choice of crab, snow crab or shrimp, and fried gator, oysters, shrimp and more. Offering live Louisiana crawfish for sale by the pound.
GULF COAST PO' BOYS 312 West Bay Drive, Largo, 727-584-3800. Popular with the locals, this small Cajun eatery not only does the standard fried oyster and shrimp Po' Boys, they also offer them topped with "Dirty Roast Beef" served "with debris" (I'll leave that to your imagination), Andouille sausage with Creole mustard and grilled pork sausage. Cajun fries, red beans and rice, and Southern-style cole slaw make up the sides. And the "Forbidden Bread Pudding" with whiskey sauce sounds divine.
This article appears in Mar 3-9, 2011.