Restaurant Spotlight: Bayou on Penn
Location: 2519 Pennsylvania Ave (right after M turns into Pennsylvania)
Cuisine: Cajun / American
Prices: $$
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Now that Valentine’s Day is behind us (for which I have nothing to show but one rose that I was given by someone who was trying to recruit me to a Jesus society), it’s time to turn our attention to, in my opinion, the most important holiday in February – Mardi Gras.
For those few uninformed plebeians who don’t know, Mardi Gras is the last Tuesday before Lent, which is typically reserved for eating unhealthy food and blacking out before people have to give up the fun things in their lives during Lent. Alternatively, for people who aren’t Christian, it is an excuse to disregard your commitments for a night in the middle of midterms. As much as we all wish we could road trip to New Orleans for the festival (as some of us did last year when Mardi Gras coincided with Spring Break), exams, papers, and other Georgetown-related inconveniences have probably made that impossible for many people. However, if you still want to get into the Mardi Gras spirit and enjoy Cajun food and Tuesday night drunkenness, Bayou on Penn is probably the closest you can get.
Bayou is hosting a day-long Mardi Gras event on February 21st from noon until 2 a.m. that offers live music, a New Orleans-style Cajun buffet, and a variety of drinks. For $25, you get all you can eat and drink between those hours, which I suppose attempts to simulate what would occur at the actual Mardi Gras parade. If you can’t make it on Tuesday, Bayou is still a great place to have dinner that’s not too far from campus. The po’ boy sandwiches and shrimp and grits are amazing, as well as the fried green tomato appetizer with roasted red pepper aioli, corn salsa, and goat cheese.
Additionally, Bayou does a Happy Hour every Tuesday-Friday from 4-7 p.m. that offers $2 beers, $4 rail drinks, and $2 po’ boy sliders. While I have never been to New Orleans, some guy from the Washington Post claims that Bayou’s chef is “the first chef I think of when I want to visit New Orleans without hopping on a plane,” so that’s something to consider. Happy Mardi Gras people!!
For more info on Bayou and their Mardi Gras festivities, visit www.bayouonpenn.com/www/index.php.
Sources: http://www.zimbio.com/pictures/LhCJK8FTVKX/New+Orleans+Celebrates+Mardi+Gras/D7g52khiPly
www.bayouonpenn.com/www/index.php