It's Carnival Time On Louisiana Eats!

It's Carnival time in Louisiana! We'll take you into the secret realm of some of New Orleans' oldest Mardi Gras krewes by visiting Antoine's and Tujague's Restaurants. Antoine's fifth-generation proprietor Rick Blount gives us a tour of the Rex Room, the Proteus Room, the Twelfth Night Room, and the Hermes Bar. Then, Mark Latter of Tujague's shows us the infamous Krewe d'Etat Room, a place of rollicking misbehavior.

In sharp contrast to elaborate parades and krewes of New Orleans, Mardi Gras in Cajun Country is altogether different. From Lafayette, Toby Rodriguez and Lucius Fontenot talk to us about the prairie Mardi Gras traditions that make Acadiana unique.

Also, Robin Young, host of NPR's Here & Now, turns the tables on Poppy with an interview about Mardi Gras food. There's more to it than just King Cake!

Allons au Mardi Gras!

Baked Beef Brisket

Serves 10 - 12

1 3-4 lb trimmed beef brisket

1 8 oz bottle of Heinz Chili Sauce

1 packet of Lipton Onion Soup Mix

1 liter of Coca-Cola

Mix together the chili sauce, the dried onion soup mix and the Coca-Cola. Place the beef brisket into a roasting pan and pour the mixture over the brisket. Cover with plastic wrap and marinate in the refrigerator overnight.

Preheat the oven to 275 degrees. Remove the plastic wrap and cover the roasting pan with aluminum foil. Bake for 3 - 4 hours. When ready to serve, be sure to cut across the grain (usually you can just begin slicing diagonally from the tip.) Slice as thinly as possible and serve in the pan gravy with baguettes or onion rolls.

The wonderful part of this recipe is that it can be made one day and marinated, then cooked while the daytime parades pass and be ready for slicing and serving for dinner. Or, it is also wonderful cooked, cooled and THEN sliced (which makes slicing very thin pieces easier) and reheated in the gravy.

Peeled carrots, potatoes and onions can be added while roasting for a complete meal.