You still have got one more night to party until the wee hours at the Winnipeg Convention Centre.  Last evening it would have been very tempting to order a pizza and watch the Jets game but Mardi Gras only comes around once a year and we were so glad that we ventured out.  Besides, today offers the best of both worlds: we tucked into our romantic dinner for two and were able to check for scores on D`s phone.

We know the Mardi Gras colour scheme to be purple, gold and green so D donned a purple shirt and I dug out our beads and my purple boa and felt perfectly dressed for the occasion.  There were others that I would say were overdressed, but this is another story and a fun attraction of the event.

We found a cozy place at the oyster and wine bar where we could watch the chefs prepare food orders.  Having lived those hectic times ourselves, it was relaxing to see the food machine in operation without having to pitch in ourselves.

We started off with an Appetizer Sampler Platter which included

oysters on the half shell,

peel and eat shrimp,

deep fried dill pickles,

sweet potato fries, an extended array of dipping sauces and our first taste of alligator fritters. This recipe finely minced the meat with a variety of spices and they came out tasting more like a sausage than the wild animal taste that I was expecting.

Our favourite item on the platter were the freshly shucked oysters and next year, we will likely order half dozens of them.

The Big Mama Chicken Creole was absolutely delicious-chuck full of savoury chicken  and served over top of rice which ensured the consumption of all the spicy sauce.

The Carbonara also contained a spicy chicken as well as sausage, mushrooms and a creamy sauce over penne.  Both dishes came with a crostini slice and a topping of frizzled leeks which I adore.

Once we were well satisfied we moved closer to the, stage to hear the headliner from New Orleans and various other talented acts.

The most fascinating aspect of this part of the evening was the people watching-as varied a group as we`ve seen anywhere on our travels to New Orleans and Europe.

So get off the couch and get out to Mardi Gras 2012-it will chase away the February blues.

Kath`s quote: “Oysters are the most tender and delicate of all seafoods. The stay in bed all day and night. They never work or take exercise, are stupendous drinkers, and wait for their meals to come to them.”-Hector Bolitho

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