Reasons you should have gone to Chesapeake Wine Co.'s Mardi Gras party

Here were the drinks you could order from at the party:Cocktails: Pat O'Brien's HurricaneFrench 75SazeracWine:Domaine de Grenelle Saumur BrutFamile Perrin Cotes du Rhone-Villages '10La Bastide Viognier '11Beer:Abita - New  Orleans, Amber Ale, Jockamo IPA, Turbo Dog, Restoration  Pale AleI've been to New Orleans on multiple occasions, both pre and post Hurricane Katrina. New Orleans is the birthplace of the cocktail. I've had the Hurricane at Pat O'Brien's and the French 75 at The Court of Two Sisters. I thought of the elegant Court of Two Sisters drink and ordered the French 75. Quite frankly, I was not happy with it at all: it came off very medicinal. I quickly switched to the Hurricane, which was tasty and refreshing.At the end of the evening, I would have liked it they served Cafe du Monde coffee with the King Cake.Blacksauce Kitchen served chicory garlic rubbed ribs, cherry wood smoked chicken, pickled green bean frites, smoked jowl baked beans and stone ground grit fritters. The ribs had some chew, rather than fall of the bone style: for bbq connoisseurs, this is a result of slow smoking, rather than parboiling. The chicken was very juicy and the skin was seared to create crunch and flavor. I noticed that their bbq sauce that they created and some of  the seasonings for the green bean frites were quite unusual . . . did I detect cinnamon?Dinner was quite filling.The Grapefruit Kings certainly added lively entertainment for the evening. In that small space, I don't think they needed to use the PA system that they did, but things were sure festive. Some people got up to dance and later, a "second line"/conga line formed and danced around the business. Lots of New Orleans type of songs like "When the Saints Go Marching In" as well as some Little Feat, were on the playlist.View the list »
Reasons you should have gone to Chesapeake Wine Co.' Mardi Gras party

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The term Mardi Gras comes from the practice of eating "richer, fattier" foods (according to Wiki) on the day before Ash Wednesday/beginning of Lent. Chesapeake Wine Co., in Baltimore's Canton neighborhood, hosted a fantastic Mardi Gras party! In case you didn't know, the place isn't merely a wine shop -- they also have gourmet snacks and a full service wine bar. They put in several tables around the bar, hired the band The Grapefruit Kings to play zydeco music and got Blacksauce to provide the meal. There were Mardi Gras beads, trinkets, masks, even an authentic King Cake flown in that day from New Orleans.

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The sign from the Baltimore City Fire Department says that the capacity in that area is 100, but that's probably before a bunch of tables and chairs are stuck in there. The cost was $50 per person for the evening, including an open bar.

People really got into the festivities and the neat part was, because of the space, it was still an intimate party, like a house party.

Please read the list below for more info on what the party was like . . . laissez les bons temps rouler!

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  • The Grapefruit Kings certainly added lively entertainment for the evening. In that small space, I don't think they needed to use the PA system that they did, but things were sure festive. Some people got up to dance and later, a "second line"/conga line formed and danced around the business. Lots of New Orleans type of songs like "When the Saints Go Marching In" as well as some Little Feat, were on the playlist.
  • Blacksauce Kitchen served chicory garlic rubbed ribs, cherry wood smoked chicken, pickled green bean frites, smoked jowl baked beans and stone ground grit fritters. The ribs had some chew, rather than fall of the bone style: for bbq connoisseurs, this is a result of slow smoking, rather than parboiling. The chicken was very juicy and the skin was seared to create crunch and flavor. I noticed that their bbq sauce that they created and some of  the seasonings for the green bean frites were quite unusual . . . did I detect cinnamon?Dinner was quite filling.
  • Here were the drinks you could order from at the party:Cocktails: Pat O'Brien's HurricaneFrench 75SazeracWine:Domaine de Grenelle Saumur BrutFamile Perrin Cotes du Rhone-Villages '10La Bastide Viognier '11Beer:Abita - New  Orleans, Amber Ale, Jockamo IPA, Turbo Dog, Restoration  Pale AleI've been to New Orleans on multiple occasions, both pre and post Hurricane Katrina. New Orleans is the birthplace of the cocktail. I've had the Hurricane at Pat O'Brien's and the French 75 at The Court of Two Sisters. I thought of the elegant Court of Two Sisters drink and ordered the French 75. Quite frankly, I was not happy with it at all: it came off very medicinal. I quickly switched to the Hurricane, which was tasty and refreshing.At the end of the evening, I would have liked it they served Cafe du Monde coffee with the King Cake.
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, Baltimore Restaurant Examiner

Tamar has developed and published recipes, been a restaurant critic, taken classes at Le Cordon Bleu and BBQ U, and judged the Roadkill Festival -- eating groundhogs and, unbelievably, moose.

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