 | By ANNETTE SISCO | Staff writer |
Happy Mardi Gras, New Orleans food lovers! This week, we round up the best takeout fried chicken to feed a Mardi Gras crowd. Ian McNulty takes a drive to a seafood restaurant and dance hall way out in Cajun country. Chelsea Shannon experiences Indian flavors at a hidden gem in Algiers. The breakfast spot Ruby Slipper returns to Canal Street. After a short, sweet Carnival season, Ian picks his favorite king cakes. Finally, Chef Kevin Belton cooks up memories of Mardi Gras in childhood, with recipes for cinnamon cake rolls and shrimp Creole. 1. Bona fried? With dozens of Carnival parades rolling from today through Fat Tuesday, this town is running on mini-muffulettas, king cake and fried chicken. Here's Ian McNulty's guide to the crunchiest, spiciest and juiciest takeout fried chicken — at the best prices. 2. On the fly. D.I.'s Cajun restaurant in Basile is a destination for boiled seafood and live Cajun music amid the rice fields and crawfish ponds of Acadiana. Plenty of people make the drive, and some even take advantage of D.I.'s landing strip to fly in. Ian McNulty takes us there. 3. Wait! There's more. Plume in Algiers beckons Chelsea and Ian to dine with extravagant spices and authentic Indian dishes. Ruby Slipper will reopen its Canal Street location before Mardi Gras. And it's last call for king cakes! Here are our favorites. 4. Carnival cuisine! Chef Kevin Belton remembers growing up Uptown, walking to the Rex parade and loving his grandma's Mardi Gras menu. Here he shares two favorite recipes for Carnival day: cinnamon cake rolls and shrimp Creole. In New Orleans, the food news never stops. Keep up with all the inside info at Where NOLA Eats. P.S.: Want to support local journalism that matters? Subscribe here. It's our best deal! | 
