New Orleans Chef Serves Up Authentic Mardi Gras Menu in SoCal
Dominick's in West Hollywood is serving traditional Cajun food through Fat Tuesday.
Stephanie Elam
Dominick's in West Hollywood is serving traditional Cajun food through Fat Tuesday.
Mardi Gras wouldn’t be Mardi Gras without the food. For the sixth year in a row, Dominick’s in West Hollywood is putting on a Louisiana style culinary show.
"The chef is from Louisiana, so it's a really fun," said Jessica Schmidt, Dominick’s general manager. "It’s a really festive event for us here because we are really embracing his culture inside Los Angeles."
Along with some Louisiana-themed specialty cocktails, New Orleans native Chef Brandon Boudet has prepared an authentic Mardi Gras menu packed with Cajun favorites – like Jambalaya, Po Boy sandwiches and fresh crayfish.
But no Mardi Gras meal would be complete without something sweet.
"The hot bread pudding and hard sauce, whiskey hard sauce, and I am not shy with it," said Dominick’s pastry chef Ann Kirk.
"It's made with brioche, sautéed apples. They're sautéed in butter, brown sugar and a little bit of cinnamon," Kirk said.
And don’t forget the royalty of all pastries: the King Cake. Decked out in the Mardi Gras colors of purple, green and gold -- it’s a classic Mardi Gras specialty.
"It's actually more like a bread. It’s a sweeter bread with a little bit of nutmeg and golden raisins in it," Kirk said. "There’s a lot of icing on it."
Hidden inside the King Cake, a little baby that -- depending on whom you ask -- either blesses the finder with good luck or charges the finder with the responsibility of hosting the Mardi Gras party the following year.
For pastry chef Kirk, it’s both.
"It’s good luck if you like to throw a party," she said.
Located at 8715 Beverly Boulevard in West Hollywood, Dominick’s Cajun inspired dinner menu is available through Tuesday (Fat Tuesday) Feb. 21.
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