Mardi Gras 2005

[FistFullaRoux]

Carnival season is underway, culminating in the chaos that is Mardi Gras (Feb. 8, 2005). Already the newspapers are talking king cakes.

What else is going on? It's going to be a short season this year, with Mardi Gras falling in early February...

[FistFullaRoux]

Another story from the New Orleans paper.

[jg488]

Where can I buy good King Cakes in the Garden District / Lower Garden District / Warehouse District / CBD area?

[Mayhaw Man]

And that would mean that tonight, if you stand on St Charles Avenue at the appropriate time, you will be able to see the first parade of the season-The Phorty Phunny Phellows-who will take the traditional route along a closed streetcar line and greet merrymakers and well wishers along the way. It's really a traditional deal and well worth the effort if you happen to be in New Orleans tonight.

Semi Action Photos of the Phorty Phunny Phellows

As far as king cakes go, there was some spirited discussion in "The Best King Cakes in the City"

[FistFullaRoux]

Where can I buy good King Cakes in the Garden District / Lower Garden District / Warehouse District / CBD area?

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Honestly, can you really buy a bad king cake in New Orleans?

[joiei]

Where can I buy good King Cakes in the Garden District / Lower Garden District / Warehouse District / CBD area?

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Honestly, can you really buy a bad king cake in New Orleans?

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yes, at the Winn Dixie on Carrollton

also known as the Scary Winn Dixie

Edited January 6, 2005 by joiei (log)

[FistFullaRoux]

Where can I buy good King Cakes in the Garden District / Lower Garden District / Warehouse District / CBD area?

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Honestly, can you really buy a bad king cake in New Orleans?

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yes, at the Winn Dixie on Carrollton

also known as the Scary Winn Dixie

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Why on earth would you buy something as definative as a king cake from a grocery chain? Much less one nicknamed "scary"?

Especially with so many to choose from...

[jg488]

Where can I buy good King Cakes in the Garden District / Lower Garden District / Warehouse District / CBD area?

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Honestly, can you really buy a bad king cake in New Orleans?

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I recently moved to town and am not familiar with local bakeries, so I don't know where to start. I followed Brooks's link and found his suggestions of Gambino's and others, but it seems like all of those are a bit of a drive for me. If anyone has any helpful comments about where I can find a good king cake in the above-mentioned neighborhoods, I'd really appreciate it. Josh

[Mayhaw Man]

Boulangerie. It is not what you are thinking about, king cake wise, but it's the best bakery in New Orleans (no contest-it's far and away the best) and there is nothing, nothing I tell you, that comes out of those doors that is not pretty damn swell. Short of that, you might try Antoine's on Freret (you can take the Freret Jet!) as they are reputed to make a pretty dependable king cake.

Here is what I would do if I were you: (here I am giving advice again, but the world would be a better place if ya'll listened more)

Go to Gambino's and get the cake. It'll be an advencha for ya since you seem to fear Metry, Kennah, and the da Parish. Here's how. It'll be great. Trust me! Go out of your house (or your hotel or your friend's house, whatevah) and walk over to St Chuck and get on the streetcar going uptown. Ride it until it won't go no mo. Get off and continue up Carrollton Ave for 8 blocks (one block past the Notre Dame Seminary). You will find a Gambino's right there! You've gone to alot of trouble at this point, so take a break, buy a couple of napoleons and maybe a couple of those maccaroons and a biscotti or two, and rest your feet. Enjoy a coffee or maybe a carton of milk. Then grab a couple of king cakes and head back the same way that you came.

On the way home you could stop for a break at Cooter Brown's and enjoy a beer with Larry. He hates king cake. Actually, he hates everything-but he's really funny about it. Thusly refreshed, you can then climb back on the streetcar and ride it down to the Columns Hotel and enjoy a gentleman's drink, as you will, no doubt, be approching cocktail hour at this point. I forgot to mention that all the while you are taking this little jaunt, you should be spreadin hunks of that cake around like you are on the way to grandma's house.

You can do it. You make fast friends with people when you are drinking heavily and sharing your baked goods. Try it. You'll see. I get all of my friends that way!

Of course, if you are staying downtown you could always take the Elysian Fields Bus (catch it at Canal and Decatur or at Chartres and Elysian Fields if you feel like walking through the Marigny a bit) to the location there. Either way would be an adventure, but I reccomend the scenic route with the streetcars and the drinks.

[chezcherie]

Boulangerie. It is not what you are thinking about, king cake wise, but it's the best bakery in New Orleans (no contest-it's far and away the best) and there is nothing, nothing I tell you, that comes out of those doors that is not pretty damn swell. Short of that, you might try Antoine's on Freret (you can take the Freret Jet!) as they are reputed to make a pretty dependable king cake.

Here is what I would do if I were you: (here I am giving advice again, but the world would be a better place if ya'll listened more)

Go to Gambino's and get the cake. It'll be an advencha for ya since you seem to fear Metry, Kennah, and the da Parish. Here's how. It'll be great. Trust me! Go out of your house and walk over to St Chuck and get on the streetcar going uptown. Ride it until it won't go no mo. Get off and continue up Carrollton Ave for 8 blocks (one block past the Notre Dame Seminary). You will find a Gambino's right there!  You've gone to alot of trouble at this point, so take a break, buy a couple of napoleons and maybe a couple of those maccaroons and a biscotti or two, and rest your feet. Enjoy a coffee or maybe a carton of milk. Then grab a couple of king cakes and head back the same way that you came.

On the way home you could stop for a break at Cooter Brown's and enjoy a beer with Larry. He hates king cake. Actually, he hates everything-but he's really funny about it. Thusly refreshed, you can then climb back on the streetcar and ride it down to the Columns Hotel and enjoy a gentleman's drink, as you will, no doubt, be approching cocktail hour at this point. I forgot to mention that all the while you are taking this little jaunt, you should be spreadin hunks of that cake around like you are on the way to grandma's house.

You can do it. You make fast friends with people when you are drinking heavily and sharing your baked goods. Try it. You'll see. I get all of my friends that way!

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oh, how i want a ticket for that trip!

[joiei]

just do what Brooks said, and you will probably end up with a whole bunch of new friends before that advencha is over. Then you will be able to pass by em, every now and then.

[jg488]

Brooks, thank you so much for that great post. I'm not afraid of "Metry, Kennah, and the da Parish" - it's just that I volunteered to pick up a king cake for the office for today, and I didn't really have time to make a trip out of it. So I was going to walk over to La Boulangerie on St Charles, but I decided to take the Mayhaw challenge instead.

I made my way up to S Carrollton and finally found Gambino's hiding in a strip mall. Unfortunately they were out of the plain traditional king cakes, so I settled for an apple (and a breakfast jelly doughnut!) I was already running late for work, so unfortunately I couldn't stop for drinks at Cooter Brown's or the Columns...

I got in to the office late but no one could complain when they saw the Gambino's box! I'll report on the cake itself after we dig in....

Josh

[FistFullaRoux]

...

On the way home you could stop for a break at Cooter Brown's and enjoy a beer with Larry. He hates king cake. Actually, he hates everything-but he's really funny about it. scenic route with the streetcars and the drinks.

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Oi. You had to go and invoke Cooter Brown's. One of my old haunts. (Also Jimmy's, The Boot, and The Metro) Also reminds me one one lost night when I realized where I was at 8:30am, drinking at a place I don't want to remember in the 9th ward. Luckily, I must have been amusing to the regulars.

Now I remember why I'm sober...

[jg488]

Everyone in the office loved Gambino's apple king cake. It was the first king cake I've tried, and it reminded me of a danish. The bright colored frosting on the top was a little off-putting, but the cake itself was tasty. The boss got the baby so the next cake is on her...

Thanks again for your help, Brooks.

[joiei]

Hey jg488, Purple, Green and Gold. You will see a LOT of this color combination in the next bunch of weeks. On everything, including babies and the family dog. It is part of what makes New Orleans so wonderful and unique. Now, how can I get out of here for a quick trip for some beads. You will learn about bead greed also, and about the fact that the pretty girls get the best beads.

I hope you learn to love that magic place as much as I do. After the parades, go to Tips for some beverage and a little music. Or go to Les bon temp Rolle for some pool and food and music. Or to the Mermaid. I could go on and endlessly. And make sure you take some Popeye's to the parade.

Wow, i never realized how nostalgic for that place I could get, and I am not even native. But I do know were to get a good place to view the parades at Lee Circle.

Yes, king cakes are pretty much a danish ring, but there is just something about them.