Dust off the ol’ breasts, girls, it’s time for Mardi Gras! Recently, the good people of La Chatelaine, 1550 W. Lane Ave., invited me to sample the menu of their upcoming Mardi Gras celebration. While I am still unsure how I could have been mistaken for a legitimate connoisseur of French cuisine, I will do my best to do justice to the exquisite feast they have planned.
Like many of you, I had no idea that Mardi Gras was anything more than an excuse to drink like a fish and watch girls go wild. As it turns out, this crazy New Orleans tradition was begun by Catholics, the same people who brought you such hits as Jesus and shame. Too bad Campus Crusade doesn’t throw parties like this.
According to La Chatelaine, Mardi Gras was established when the Catholic religion told Christians they must follow the example of Jesus Christ who had spent 40 days in the desert without food or much water.
During the 40 days before Palm Sunday, Christians were not allowed to consume any meat. Consequently, on that Tuesday before Lent, they chowed down all the meat they could. Because meat is high in fat, the day took on the name Mardi Gras or Fat Tuesday. Since then, on this day, Christians drink wine, cram food and party as much as they can before the long 40-day diet of Lent.
History lesson aside, I may not know much about the Catholic religion, but I can assure you that its food is top-notch. La Chatelaine first let me sample a variety of French breads. Their baguette, for example, was deliciously fresh with a tough crust and soft center. While the bread is very good, it’s a sad man who fills up on bread before the main course.
The next course was the Salad Louise, a hot vinaigrette over a bed of romaine lettuce, red onions, tomatoes, bacon and egg. This salad had a very light taste thanks to its subtle dressing. The taste of the salad blended well with the onions in the dish.
The salad was followed by a magnificent crawfish bisque, consisting of crawfish, red onions, celery, flour, salad oil, peanut butter and heavy cream. Served with a blush wine, the bisque had a balanced taste of shrimp and lobster which mixed very well with the cream.
The main course of the evening was the Gumbo Ya-ya, which was a spicy stew of pork and alligator sausage, thyme and chives over a bed of white rice. The tender meat of this dish was spicy, yet not overpowering. It was balanced out with the well-prepared rice and made for a wonderfully filling entrée.
For dessert, I was served the traditional king’s cake and the incomparable Big Banana Flambé. The king’s cake is a sweet pastry filled with almond and pastry crème. Simple and sweet, the dish was wonderful though unquestionably outshined by the dessert to follow. The flambé was bananas drizzled in a sauce of butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, banana liquor and rum served with vanilla ice cream and a peach dessert wine. This delicious mix of flavors and temperatures was unlike anything I had tasted before or since, and I can’t find words to accurately express the complexity and depth of the dish. All this time I thought the French were only good at losing wars.
This and more can be found on Tuesday, Feb. 27 at La Chatelaine’s Columbus locations. In addition to the food, they promise costumes, beads and live Cajun music. They’re offering two sittings from 6 p.m to 8 p.m. and 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. Seating is limited so please call and make reservations at 488-1911 for Upper Arlington or 848-6711 for Worthington.
Hank Mylander is a junior from Westerville majoring in information systems. After all he’s done to support B.J.’s political career, he is shocked and dismayed that he was not invited to Mitchell’s Steakhouse or paid even half as much as Keller Blackburn.
