Pittsburgh Chaîne Members Laissez Le Bon Temps Roulet

By Vice Chargé de Presse Ken McCrory

As we walked into the Grand Concourse restaurant on Tuesday, February 24, 1998, a Dixieland band was playing and costumed celebrants were scattered about. We almost expected someone to say "Hey, Mister -- I'll bet I can tell you where you got them shoes!" (More on that later.) Greeting guests were Rex and Regina, the King and Queen of carnival. They look suspiciously like Bailli Pete Hanowich and Dame de la Chaîne Barbara Hanowich in full Mardi Gras regalia. Maître de Table Restaurateur Rick McMaster, proprietor of the Grand Concourse, was in full Phantom of the Opera costume and, although he never sang a rendition of "Music of the Night", he looked tres bon. So many others wore feathered masks, it looked like a pheasant feeding at the Zoo. Speaking of feeding, what is a celebration of Fat Tuesday without food and wine.

The reception featured many types of seafood which is the Grand Concourse's specialty. Oysters on the half shell, oysters bienville, crayfish ala bayou, cajun barbeque shrimp, catfish beignets, mini muffuleta sandwiches and tobasco popcorn crayfish were offered along with the always refreshing Veuve Cliquot Yellow Label Champagne. Regional Chef Bruce Patterson and Executive Chef John Klein opened the dinner with a New Orleans tradition - shrimp and andouille gumbo along with a spectacular treat -- a rare and very expensive 1983 Salon Champagne that some cognoscenti consider the finest champagne made. Salon only bottles in vintage years and the 1983 served was a wonderful vintage indeed!

The appetizer was a cajun swordfish eggroll accompanied by a distinctively flavored Sancerre from Domaine La Moussiere. The first entree was a crayfish pasta spectacularly accompanied by a 1989 Chaˆteau Gruaud Larose. Continuing the tour of France's major wine producing areas Faiveley, Domaine De La Croix Jacquelet Mercurey accompanied the second entree of american red snapper. 1983 Chateau Doisy - Vedrines - Grand Cru from Sauternes accompanied a wonderfully rich dessert of bananas foster creme brulee flambe. We were also served "king cake" - a Mardi Gras tradition that dates back to 1871.

As Chevalier Steve Montellese passed cigars to his dinner companions, he observed that this Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday) dinner was going to cause Mercredi Gras (Fat Wednesday) as well!

Oh yes - about those shoes. There is a traditional con game perpetrated on first time tourists in the vieux carre that consists of a bet that the perpetrator can tell where you got your shoes. When the bet is accepted, the perpetrator proceeds to inform you that you have those shoes on Bourbon Street, or whichever French Quarter street you happen to be standing on. They then inform you that the bet was based on where you "got them shoes" - not "where you bought them shoes". A fun tradition -- perhaps not as interesting as how young ladies encourage float riders to throw them trinkets -- but then that's another story for another day.