Fat Tuesday is almost here, and multiple Evansville-area restaurants, bars, and bakeries are getting in on the fun with Louisiana-style fare and flair.
Here are some of the places to party the Cajun way in Southwestern Indiana.
Mojo’s BoneYard, 4920 Bellemeade Ave., has a homemade Cajun menu through Feb. 11 (Mojo’s is closed Feb. 9 for a sold-out, ticketed event). It includes a crawfish boil, red beans, gumbo, jambalaya, etouffee, oysters on the half shell, Cajun barbecue shrimp, and bread pudding.
Knob Hill Tavern, 1016 Highway 662 West, Newburgh, Indiana, hosts Cajun Fest through Feb. 13, with oyster, gator, or shrimp po’boys, French Quarter muffulettas, Cajun catfish, crawfish and andouille sausage pizza, chicken and sausage gumbo, crawfish chili, and bread pudding with bourbon sauce. Appetizers include fried alligator, Cajun catfish curls, and oysters on the half shell. Entrees include crawfish etouffee, fried oysters, creole catfish, jambalaya, red beans, and rice. All dinners are served with sweet and sour coleslaw or fries, chicken leg, and French bread. Diners also can substitute a cup of gumbo or chili.
The Deli on Main inside Old National Bank will serve up chicken and sausage gumbo for lunch on Feb. 13 from 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., or while supplies last.
Pappa Bear’s Catering food truck will roll out a special menu through Feb. 16, including Feb. 9 and 16 at Myriad Brewing at 8245 High Pointe Drive in Newburgh, Indiana; Feb. 10 and 13 at Myriad Brewing at 101 S.E. First St., Ste. 1; and Feb. 15 at Barker Brewhouse at 96 N. Barker Ave. The menu features boudin cake, red beans and rice, Cajun shrimp pasta, Cajun chicken pasta, gumbo, shrimp po’boy, crawfish dip, fish tacos, shrimp tacos, and bread pudding.
Be Happy Pie Company, 2818 Mount Vernon Ave. Ste. B and 6225 E. Virginia St. Ste. C, is taking orders through 5 p.m. Feb. 7 for king cakes. Each cake is available for $25 through Feb. 13.
Mo’s House at 1114 Parrett St. is serving Mardi Gras cocktails including Sazerac, daiquiris, hurricanes, and mixed drinks with monikers like Let Them Drink Cake, Obituary at Brunch, Pull the Pin, Purple Knight, Brandy Crusta, and more. Bodine’s Newsstand food truck will stop by on Fat Tuesday.
Don’t forget that Pier 17 Cajun Seafood & Bar, 600 N. Green River Road, offers fresh crawfish and gumbo for dine-in or carryout seven days a week.
Ellis Park Racing on U.S. 41 in Henderson, Kentucky, has Mardi Gras food and drink specials through Feb. 13, such as shrimp dip, crawfish boil, oysters on the half shell, jambalaya andouille sausage with chicken and shrimp, red beans and rice, seafood gumbo, and hurricanes.
Homer’s Barbecue, 128 Second St. in Henderson, Kentucky, jazzes up its February menu with specials such as etouffee and barbecue po’boy.
R’z Café, 104 N. Main St. in Fort Branch, Indiana, offers a Cajun menu Feb. 9-11 featuring crawfish pie, boudin balls, hush puppies, gator fries, drunken chicken, beignets, bananas foster bread pudding, and more. Reservations are recommended.
The 10th Annual Franklin Street Gumbo Cook-Off, hosted by the Franklin Street Events Association, is 1-4 p.m. Feb. 10. Purchase a mug and fill it with gumbo served at multiple booths. Tickets are $25 if purchased in advance and $30 the day of.
All Donut Bank locations are selling Polish paczki and king cakes Feb. 9-13, while supplies last. Pick up these traditional Fat Tuesday pastries in glaze-covered raspberry, lemon topped in powdered sugar, and blueberry finished with granulated sugar. Donut Bank President Chris Kempf says raspberry “outsells everything.” Read more in this story from the January/February 2024 issue.
Hometown Roots, 136 Second St. in Henderson, Kentucky, is serving up oysters on the half shell, gumbo, blackened shrimp po’boy, Cajun pork tenderloin, roots fish and chips, and New Orleans Sazerac through Feb. 13.
Deerhead Sidewalk Café and Bar, 222 E. Columbia St., has a special menu with spicy Cajun chicken bites, red beans and rice, jambalaya, seafood gumbo, and 16-ounce rum hurricanes through Feb. 13.
Stockwell Inn at 4001 E. Eichel Ave. is selling special beads through Feb. 13 benefiting It Takes a Village No-Kill Shelter. Mardi Gras menu specials include fresh gulf shrimp boils, gator burgers, fried gator, oysters on the half shell, boudin balls with hot pepper cheese, white chocolate bread pudding, and Cajun hush puppies.
Zap’s Tavern, 3725 St. Philip Road South, Mount Vernon, Indiana, is serving shrimp or catfish po’boys, red beans and rice, gumbo, gator bites, and jambalaya through Feb. 13.
Catfish Willy’s, 5720 E. Virginia St., gives its seafood menu Mardi Gras flair with West Side Cajun catfish, jumbo loaded gator tater, bayou fried frog legs, loaded shrimp and grits, shucked oysters, a Louisiana crab boil, a low country shrimp boil, and daiquiris., oysters, and gator.
