The South Sound’s biggest Mardi Gras party is back with live music and lots of cocktails
If you’ve always wanted to experience Mardi Gras in New Orleans but never booked that flight, you’ll want to make a reservation at the South Sound’s go-to Cajun and Creole restaurant later this month.
Since 2015, Bourbon Street Creole Kitchen & Bar in Puyallup has hosted a raucous Mardi Gras fête. The 2023 edition — Feb. 17-18 and Feb. 21 — is shaping up to be the biggest in three years, said owner Mike de Alwis.
He is particularly eager to welcome back the Buckshot Brass Band, a 10-piece outfit based in Lakewood that performed at the restaurant’s Fat Tuesday celebrations for seven consecutive years before a hiatus in 2021 and 2022.
“We are excited to have them back,” de Alwis said by email while en route to New Orleans to retrieve beads and other decor straight from the source. “We do get sold out fast for this event and early reservations are advisable.”
Book a table for one of two seatings on all three nights in the main dining room or in the outdoor tent, where the band will be stationed. The music will resonate throughout the space, though, and guests are encouraged to get up and dance — especially when de Alwis leads a traditional line dance into the parking lot and around the block.
The kitchen, now led by chef Jacob Thacker, will serve a few specials in addition to the full menu.
Dig into Cajun and Creole classics: a generous bowl of jambalaya with mussels, shrimp and andouille or crawfish étouffée, both finished in a spicy, viscous tomato sauce; blackened catfish over rice and a lemon-caper Creole sauce with garlic-soaked greens; cochon au lait and fried oysters.
Pair with a textbook Sazerac or pear-infused mojito designed by bar manager (and the owner’s son) Mikey de Alwis. Beyond the classics, try the One Way Trip, a pink number of house coconut vodka with peach, grapefruit and sparkling rosé and the Bourbon Peach Tea, a boozy black tea with lemon, orange and a big sprig of fresh mint.
The younger de Alwis recalled experiencing Mardi Gras with his dad in New Orleans. There’s an undeniable anxious energy among staff at restaurants and bars as they prepare for the onslaught of revelers, he said.
Anxiety aside, they try to bring a sense of authentic New Orleans to Puyallup every day, but Mardi Gras “is always our biggest event,” added Mike de Alwis, who opened Bourbon Street in 2013 after living in southern Louisiana.
FROM THE BAYOU AT DOYLE’S
For the few weeks leading up to Mardi Gras, Doyle’s Public House resurrects its “From the Bayou” menu, which honors the late Tacoma restaurant of the same name.
It wouldn’t be possible without chef Benjamin Marcus and his locally famous étouffée, gumbo, po’boys and decadent cheesy crawfish dip. Regulars also turn out for the housemade boudin, not to mention king cake and bread pudding.
Though slated to go live Feb. 1, the pub was so excited about its return that it’s been available since Jan. 27.
Visit weekdays after 11 a.m. and weekends after 1 p.m. to order these favorites.
MARDI GRAS AT BOURBON STREET - PUYALLUP
▪ 401 S Meridian, Puyallup, bourbonstreetpuyallup.com
▪ Mardi Gras: Feb. 17-18 and Feb. 21, 2-hour seatings at 5:30 p.m. and 7:45 p.m.
▪ Reservations: highly recommended, call 253-604-4404 or 253-329-1386
▪ Standard Hours: Wednesday-Sunday noon-8 p.m. (9 p.m. Friday-Saturday), Tuesdays 4-8 p.m.
▪ Details: lively Cajun-Creole restaurant and bar; most dishes $16-$25, cocktails $12-14, bottles of wine under-$50
MARDI GRAS AT DOYLE’S PUBLIC HOUSE - TACOMA
▪ 208 St. Helens Ave., Tacoma, 253-272-7468, doylespublichouse.com
▪ Mardi Gras menu: through February, weekdays starting at 11 a.m., weekends at 1 p.m.
▪ Standard Hours: Monday-Friday 9 a.m.-2 a.m., Saturday-Sunday 7 a.m.-2 a.m.
▪ Details: 365-pub with full kitchen and bar; most dishes $13-$17
This story was originally published February 3, 2023 at 5:00 AM.