Spats Café and Speakeasy introduced a special Mardi Gras menu to celebrate New Orleans style comfort food.
With a menu of delicious food, including classic Southern comfort food like jambalaya, Spats Café and Speakeasy promises an interesting dining experience.
Grits and collard greens make frequent appearances on the menu, as well as unique dishes that are not common to State College.
For adventurous diners, these unique dishes present an opportunity to try something exciting and different.
One of the most unique dishes on the menu is the appetizer, Pan-fried ‘Gator Tail Bites.
The ‘Gator Bites are real alligator tails that are breaded, fried and covered in a unique sauce. The ‘Gator Bites are paired with cornbread.
For someone who has never eaten alligator before, I enjoyed the ‘Gator Bites immensely. Alligator tastes like chicken but is a little tougher to chew on. It has a different texture than chicken but still tastes very good.
The pairing of the alligator and the cornbread was perfect. It was a sweet and salty combination that satisfied the adventurous daring to try the appetizer.
After trying the Pan-Fried ‘Gator Tail Bites, a Chicken and Andouille Gumbo soup was next.
With the added hot sauce, a special Spats Café and Speakeasy recipe, the Gumbo was a true testament to Southern comfort food.
However, after the ‘Gator Bites, the Gumbo was disappointing. The flavors of the Gumbo only stood out when the hot sauce was added.
A lemon sorbet in a small cup was served to cleanse the palette so the diner could experience all of the flavors of their meal. This was a nice touch to the meal that cleared the heat from the hot sauce from the palette.
The entrees of the special Mardi Gras menu were different from the normal steak and fish entrees.
A Bone in Pork Rib Eye “Cowboy Steak,” Zinfandel-braised Rabbit, Cajun Blackened Redfish, Catfish Ponchartrain and Bourbon-braised Pork Belly are on the special Mardi Gras menu.
Most of the dishes were served with collards, grits and different types of potatoes.
The Zinfandel-braised Rabbit stood out. The rabbit was paired with garlic-mashed potatoes and a fresh vegetable, asparagus.
As someone who has never tried rabbit before, I was surprised with the presentation. The rabbit was shredded and covered in rich mushroom gravy.
The rabbit also tasted similar to chicken but was gamey, meaning the flavor was wilder than the flavor of chicken. The rabbit was drier than chicken as well.
The asparagus tasted good, but the garlic-mashed potatoes were a tiny bit too watery.
Overall, the Zinfandel-braised rabbit was very good and very different from the typical menu selection.
The final touch to the meal was the dessert, a New York style raspberry cheesecake. Drizzled with a raspberry sauce, the tang of the cheesecake and the sweetness of the sauce created a good combination.
For those who love comfort food and for those who just want to try something new, Spats Café and Speakeasy is the perfect restaurant to have an adventure with their food.
