Revelers are out in full force on this Lundi Gras, and along the New Orleans riverfront, they're sampling the various tastes New Orleans has to offer.
Seafood, meat pies, red beans and rice, and many other dishes are on the menu at the Spanish Plaza Lundi Gras event. In most cases, everyone there is eating a little of everything.
The charbroiled oysters were a hit amongst those ate them.
"Nice garlic butter on there; parmesan cheese," Larry Johnson said while downing a dozen of the oysters. "It's tasting good. Loving it."
Johnson said he'd be going back to try some of the other cuisine that's on sale.
"Crawfish, gumbo, whatever else they have to eat," Larry replied when asked what was next for him.
A family from Boston was sitting only a few feet away from Johnson. Courtney, who declined to give her last name, and her three children were enjoying some nachos purchased from a nearby tent. Her daughter Kylie said she wanted to sample a sweet treat to celebrate Mardi Gras, which also falls on her ninth birthday.
"A beignet!" Kylie enthusiastically responded when asked about what dish she had to have before going home.
Meanwhile at Woldenberg Park, the Zulu Lundi Gras Fest offered an even bigger smorgasbord, with burgers, chicken, tacos, and even seafood egg rolls on the menus at the different food tents.
Davon Johnson was about to take his first bite when we caught up with him.
"I got a ghetto burger," Davon told us. That's a burger with shrimp on it, and it comes with fries. It's about 20 bucks. I'm about to see if it's worth the money."
Survey says?
"It's good," Davon said with a full mouth.
After swallowing his first bite, Davon laid out the rest of his food plan for the day.
"I think next I'm going to go with the crawfish ravioli," Davon said. "And for the dessert, I'm going with the buttermilk drop. Six of them for $9, and they're big, too."
Lori Romain said she and her husband are following a similar plan.
"We tried out the shrimp tacos," Lori said. "Then we got some of the Jack Dempsey's shrimp and some baked macaroni and cheese, and I also have some seafood pasta to try later."
And after that?
"I want to try those seafood egg rolls," Lori said.
According to Larry Johnson, the best part of the day isn't the food. It's the sense of community the Carnival celebration and these Lundi Gras festivals are bringing to New Orleans.
"Togetherness. A lot of togetherness," Larry said. "That's what I like about it. Everybody's together and having a good time."
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