Go Celebrate Mardi Gras; Chinese New Year at Departure

In this week's event-planning EaterWire:

N. WILLIAMS/PEARL DISTRICT—Wooooo Fat Tuesday! Today marks one of the nation's most hallowed drinking holidays — Mardi Gras — and the New Orleans-inspired spot EaT: An Oyster Bar hosts an all-evening event, featuring a whole pig roast, live music beginning at 4p.m., and prizes awarded for guests' best Mardi Gras costumes. For those looking to go from EaT's N. Williams location to its sister restaurant in the Pearl, EaT and the Parish are offering free limo rides between the two locations. More information here.

NORTHEAST—At NE Frement's Acadia New Orleans Bistro, chef Adam Higgs celebrates Fat Tuesday with a $35, three-course prix fixe menu featuring classics like gumbo and crawfish etouffee (the regular a la carte menu will also be available all night). As per tradition, King Cake is on-hand for dessert, and the lucky diner who unearths the baby from within the cake gets a $50 gift certificate.

DOWNTOWN—Meanwhile, at Departure, chef Gregory Gourdet will mark Chinese New Year with a multi-course celebratory menu, available February 18 through 24. For $45 per person, the dinner will offer family-style servings of dishes like steamed cod with ginger; beef chow fun; and pork with winter melon. A trio of dessert — sesame balls, pineapple cake, and orange-coconut sherbet — round out the meal. Reservations are recommended.

NORTHEAST—Last month's all-Thai installment of Portland Food Adventures was postponed due to illness, which means diners have a second go at tickets to the three-chef party at Earl Ninsom's PaaDee. Ninsom will host a trio of Thai chefs — Sayan Promwongsa (Thai Bloom), Pitoon Koonswasdikool (Red Onion), and PaaDee's own Amporn Khayanha — on Tuesday, February 19, with the $125 reservation including gift certificates to his favorite spots. Diners will also get first dibs on the next PFA dinner (sure to be a hot ticket): Gabe Rucker's Le Pigeon, scheduled for April 21. More information here.

Image of the Parish courtesy Avila/EPDX