Dec 11, 2023 - Food and Drink

Mosquito Supper Club makes a great New Orleans gumbo

Chelsea Brasted

A bowl of gumbo sits on a countertop. Behind it is a plate with two small bowls of banana peppers and potato salad, and a plate of rillete served with bread. — You don't need a reservation to snag a bowl of Melissa Martin's duck and andouille gumbo at Mosquito Supper Club's bar. Photo: Chelsea Brasted/ Axios

Chef Melissa Martin once told me she hopes to cook like a Cajun grandma putting together Sunday supper and that she doesn't really care about what's popular.

She just cares about what's good. And her gumbo at Mosquito Supper Club is really, really good.

The gumbo ($18) is dark, rich and full of duck and andouille. It's served with Carolina Gold rice at the bottom of the wide bowl, and on the side are pickled banana peppers and a scoop of mustardy potato salad.

Dump them both in with the gumbo so you do it right.

Be smart: Mosquito Supper Club is known for its reservations-required prix fixe menu and communal tables that likely have you sitting next to strangers.

But you can stop in anytime to grab seats at the bar, where the menu on a recent visit included cabbage rolls, rabbit rillette, a meat pie half the size of my face and a fried grouper collar.

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Mosquito Supper Club makes a great New Orleans gumbo

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