Great Cajun Food, Atmosphere at Tibby's

This was our second time dining at Tibby's New Orleans Kitchen - its new location in Altamonte Springs - and, once again, we had a great experience. It was busy but not jam-packed on a Friday night, so service was quick and friendly in the bar area.

We ordered different dishes than last time, when we had the Seafood Gumbo and etouffee. The Blackened Chicken Pasta wth lemon butter sauce, artichokes, and roasted peppers, has such an amazing flavor! It is spiced well and the heat doesn't drown out the flavor. We also ordered the "Fried Shrimp Po-Boy" sandwich, which was delicious, but flawed. We ordered it with the Remolaude sauce and, unfortunately, that drowned out the flavor of the delicious shrimp.

For dessert, you must order the beignets, which are fried crispier than other beignets I have had, topped with a generous heaping of powdered sugar. It's the perfect sweet ending to a Cajun meal.

One note: Tibby's tends to pour drinks a little strong, which is good in most cases, but made our Mai Tai taste not quite right.

Get Cajun Food & Drinks While They Last

You have heard me rave about Marlow's Tavern before. It is the Winter Park eatery (that has a sister restaurant on International Drive) that not only has great specialty drinks and beer, but also a food menu that goes above and beyond typical bar food.

Take its special Bayou 'n Bourbon menu, which is only available until March 31. Marlow's added some special Cajun dishes to its regular menu that you definitely want to try. Some of the standouts are: "Nawlins-style" po-boy, Bayou Burger, Fiercy Spice Lump Crab Cake, and Roast Chicken and Shrimp Gumbo.

Plus, Marlow's is featuring special New Orleans-style cocktails through the end of the month. One that sounds delicious is the Marlow's Hurricane, borrowed from Pat O'Brien's. The Ramos Gin Fizz, made with Van Gogh dry gin, house-made sour, light cream and orange flower water, also sounds delicous and unique. Don't forget to try Abita Restoration and Abita Amber at Marlow's as well as the Cajun Cosmo, made with Absolut Mango and Peppar, cramberry, triple sec and fresh lime.

If the Crab Beignets appetizer are still on the menu, you must try those. Most everything else - including pastas and seafood dishes - are great. The burgers at Marlow's are good, but not outstanding.

Where: 1008 S. Orlando Ave., Winter Park, Fla.

Celebrate Mardi Gras at Tibby's

I love the atmosphere of Tibby’s New Orleans Kitchen in Winter Park, Fla., and how it reminds me of a nicer version of the many neighborhood bars and seafood eateries in New Orleans. This is such a fun, busy place, and I’m glad I went there to celebrate Mardi Gras.

Tibby's sports a vibrant bar and the seating area features a high ceiling – painted purple, no less - and authentic New Orleans décor. Plus, there are few places in Orlando where you can get real Cajun food. While the dishes we tried were close the real thing, they stopped short. The Crawfish Etoufee was flavorful and I loved the overflow of crawfish in the mix. Still, the etoufee was over-salted and not the best I have ever had. Same with the Seafood and Andouille Sausage Gumbo: it  was good, but I have had a few better versions.

The Shrimp Po’ Boy was pretty good, though. To make a good po’ boy, you need the right bread, and Tibby’s definitely has it. I'm not a beer lover, but those who are appreciate the fact that Tibby's has a wide variety of Abita beers on tap and bottled. You can find Purple Haze here! Happy Hour is every day from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m.

I would give the overall experience four stars out of five. Tip: don’t go during dinner hour: you will likely have a 30 minute to 1 hour wait.

Where: 2203 Aloma Ave., Winter Park.