Get Your Fat Tuesday On With These Mardi Gras Drink Specials

zachbrooks
Wow.   Now that’s a FAT tuesday.

Let’s face it. This is Midtown Lunch… a site for cheap fat bastards who, instead of slaving away in a small cubicle desperately gripping to their red stapler, would rather be wallowing in an orgy of fatted calf and white sauce. And our Midtown Lunch Happy Hours are all about the visceral need for primal revelry in the intoxicating ocean of food and drink. Only a few yearly events come to mind where the ML Happy Hour mentality is in full swing.

  • St Paddy’s Day: Green beer, green puke, and the killer of all comfort food: corned beef, mashed potatoes, bangers, shepherd’s pies, and fish and chips. Plus all those true Irishmen turn jolly and red faced just like Mario Batali.
  • Cinco de Mayo: Carnitas, Coronas, piñatas and drunken belligerence followed by, “I love you mans.”
  • 4th of July: BBQ’s, beer, pyrotechnics, burn ointment.
  • Halloween: The holiday when any occupation preceded by “Slutty ___” becomes a costume (oh yeah and copious amounts of liquor)
  • New Years Eve: Has anyone been able to piece that night back together so far? I seem to recall singing “Party at ground zero”

And finally, Mardi Gras!!! New Orleans and that wild bacchanalia that we call Mardi Gras is loved by many New Yorkers. We don’t let a few hundred measly miles get between us and the debauchery that is Fat Tuesday. Hell, ML is all about FAT. Zach was married there and even blogged the food at Jazzfest. So let’s celebrate… and here’s where to do it.

(All posts are on Fat Tuesday unless otherwise noted.  Warning: almost every place will have a hurricane special, I know, very original)

Bar 9
807 9th Ave
212-399-9336
B9 is hosting a New Orleans style ragtime brass band and they are doing another of their fun food competitions. This time it’s gumbo and the tasting begins at 6PM, followed by a band called Mad Larry at 8PM. Expect a good time with burlesque dancers and more.

Bourbon Street Grill
346 West 46th Street
(212) 245-2030

Zach has a special place in his heart for Bourbon Street Grill and I agree. They fully embrace the New Orleans ideals of fun, food and festivities. They’ll have a live band, a late night New Orleans based DJ, an earn your own beads contest, and a sampling of New Orleans food and drink including a “Live Louisiana Crayfish Boil, Mardi Gras King Cake, classic jambalaya and seafood gumbo.”

Delta Grill
700 9th Ave
New York, NY 10036
Tel: (212) 956-0934

Mardi Gras party every year.  They have a $20 admission at the door which includes an all you can eat buffet with Jambalaya, Chicken Creole, Red Beans and Rice and Crawfish Boil, a free Hurricane and the band “Citigrass” that will play from 7pm to midnight. Doors open at 5pm, food goes up at 6pm and music starts at 7pm.  No reservations, just first come first served.

Smith’s Bar
701 8th Avenue (W.44th Street)
P: 212.246.3268

Well with a slogan like, “We can’t guarantee the girls will go wild, but at least the regulars like to party!” How could you not check it out? Smith’s will be extending their happy hour all night with Abita Purple Haze beer on draft for $4.50 and $4 hurricanes. Plus, Tuesdays are karaoke nights so after a few hurricanes you can channel your inner Journey and rock out to “Don’t Stop Believing.” Their sister bar Latitude on 783 Eighth Ave. (between 47th & 48th St.) will also be serving up similar specials, but really Smith’s neon sign calls to us every time.

Bubba Gump Shrimp Co.
1501 Broadway
New York, NY 10036
Tel 212-391-7100

Have out-of-towners for a visit and they insist on going to Times Square? Well at least the week long drink specials at Gump will ease the pain. Hell, a friend of mine took me there. It happens. Mari Gras Madness: $9.95. Perfect Blend of Southern Comfort, DeKuyper Peachtree with Sparkling Juices and includes SoCo Beads and light up glass! Sweet Lemon Surprise: $8.50 A Delicious Non Alcoholic Frozen Lemon-Up (Keep the Glass!)

Fat Annie’s Truck Stop
131 west 33rd
212-695-1122

Now if you just want to indulge in the fat part of Fat Tuesday, head over to Fat Annies for some tater tots, crabcakes, po boys and jambalaya. They also have the Beer Tower! 6 pints of any tap beer for the price of five.

Windfall
Lounge & Grill
23 W. 39th St.
(between Fifth & Sixth Ave.)
(212) 869-4606

2 for 1 hurricanes from 5 to 7pm. Just the girls bartending and get Mardi Gras beads and jello shots.

The Mean Fiddler
266 W 47th St (btw. 7+8th)
212-354-2950

The Mean Fiddler ended their cheap slider happy hour suspiciously soon after my review, but it’s still good eating and if you are stuck in the mad rush of Times Square then their Tuesday special might revive you. There will be 2 floors of Djs, $6 hurricanes, $4 Big Easy shots, and $4 beers. Plus beads, giveaways including a trip to New Orleans.

Galway Hooker Pub
7 E. 36th St.
(between Fifth & Madison Ave.)
(212) 725-2353

I’ve never been here myself, but I’m always hearing about it. What do you all think? Is this a worthwhile happy hour spot? If you go on Tuesday let us know. Galway will have $8 Makers Mark bourbon cocktails, $6 hurricanes, and $5 bloody marys.

Third & Long
523 Third Ave. (35th St.)
(212) 447-5711

Saturday & Sunday, February 13 & 14 they will be serving $4 Abita Amber and Turbo Dog, and $3 Hurricane Shots. Sounds like a great weekend deal for those avoiding the Valentines sugary sweetness! Monday & Fat Tuesday, February 15 & 16 there will be  $1 Mugs of Bud/Bud Light/Coors Light and $3 Hurricane Shots

Calico Jack’s Cantina
802 Second Ave.
(between 42nd & 43rd St.)
(212) 557-4300

Calico Jack’s website has this weird jukebox feature that plays songs while you browse their site. Unfortunately, when I clicked the link for the first time the song that started was Bon Jovi’s “Living on a Prayer.” It was both frightening and hilarious. WTF? Is this a Jersey bar? Are you actually winning any patrons with this music? Then the next song was Men at Work “Land Down Under.” At that point I had to leave to snort some coke and put on my leg warmers. Needless to say I am both intrigued and confused by this bar. Hipsters might find this ironic or lame. Damn hipsters.

The usual Tuesday special is $1 drafts but they will also have for Mardi Gras a $100 cash prize to the girl with the most beads, $2 well drinks, $3 margaritas and 1/2 priced appetizers. It’s a Cajun-Mexican restaurant, which I can get behind… as long as the website music doesn’t reflect the top 20 Karaoke songs of all time in the actual restaurant.

Live Bait
14 E. 23rd St
nr. Madison Ave.
212-353-2400

With a Louisiana theme a Cajun cooking Live Bait maybe out of bounds but it is definitely a destination bar. The music will be revved up, Fat Tuesday food specials will be offered and of course there is the unbeatable $5 happy hour from 4:30-7pm with clams, oysters, shrimp, calamari, wings, and chili cheese fries. Plus some specialty drinks like the Sweetini: Sweet Tea vodka and lemonade.

Rodeo Bar
375 Third Ave. (27th St. )
(212) 683-6500

We liked them for their ‘worth going out of midtown happy hour’ of chicken and nachos now they are offering fried alligator, jambalaya, and frozen hurricanes plus live music by Bill Malchow and the Go Cup Allstars. Plus $6.00 Lime and Strawberry Margarita’s and $4.00 Draft Beer from 4 to 9pm.

Overlook
225 East 44th Street
212-682-7266

I tend to think of Overlook as a spring and summer bar due to their cool roof garden, but that’s not necessarily true. Many theme nights, karaoke and happy hour specials make up for it during the winter months. This weekend they are having a Valentine’s party where ladies drink for free from 9 to 11pm, plus the first 50 women in at 9pm get a free bottle of champagne. Talk about a ladies night. For Mardi Gras Overlook is celebrating from 6pm till closing with hurricanes, costumes, masks, food and drink specials, plus karaoke (naturally) at 7pm.

McFadden’s Saloon
800 Second Ave.  (42nd St.)
(212) 986-1515

I have a feeling that Irish pubs will celebrate anything as long as it’s a party. I have no problem with that especially if 6pm to 12am they offer $1 drafts, $2 wine, $3 call drinks and ½ price appetizers. Of course there is a contest too:  $100 cash prize to the lady that receives the most beads. Alright girls go out and flash em!

Of course there’s always those places to grab a good po boy or some oysters. Tracks Raw Bar & Grill in Penn Station, the Grand Central Oyster Bar, and a personal favorite Two Boots.

Have any other favorites that I’m missing, let us know in the comments and I’ll update the list.

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