Mardi Gras at Stanbury
by Katherine Poole
There will be a fais do-do on Blount Street Feb. 13. The krewe at Stanbury will kill the Boeuf Gras, so to speak, for its annual Fat Tuesday celebration. The popular neighborhood restaurant, known for its welcoming hospitality, throws open the doors for this annual authentic Louisiana shindig with hearty food and strong drinks in the playful atmosphere one would expect to find in New Orleans. Co-owner Joseph Jeffers says he has been scouting around for the perfect props to set the scene: Expect to see the eclectic dining room festooned in beads, boas, and bric-a-brac.
The decor is second to the menu, which Jeffers says includes seasonal filé gumbo, crab au gratin, deep fried Louisiana frogs, po’ boys, crawfish étouffée, and bananas Foster. Outside on the patio, they will be stoking the fire and boiling up crawfish to sell by the pound. Peeling stations – a wood plank table with a big hole cut out of the center for a trash can beneath – accommodate plenty of casual diners and serve as a gathering spot for Mardi Gras revellers. Jeffers says he and his brother, Stanbury co-owner Will Jeffers, have deep roots in Louisiana and make a special trip to their ancestral stomping grounds to procure the crawfish for the bash.
Reservations are recommended for the dining room (it will be as busy as Bourbon Street). No reservations are needed for the patio crawfish boil: first come, first served. Along with your appetite, you might want to bring plenty of doubloons to laissez les bon temps rouler.