Café Adelaide and Others Throwing Down for the BCS

This is kind of a big week for sports in New Orleans, and of course big time sports means big time eating and drinking. Yeah, last night's Sugar Bowl was a big deal, and there's a Saints playoff game on Saturday, and the Hornets still exist, but the marquee event in this marathon of marquee events is, of course, the BCS National Championship on Monday.

It hardly needs to be said that the best place to catch the LSU vs Alabama Ultimate SEC Showdown of Death is at the Dome. If you have a couple thousand dollars, maybe you can scalp a ticket beforehand. And of course if you don't want to do that, you can just walk to any bar in the city, get some drinks and watch the game. But other stuff is going on. Fun stuff. Here's the best of the rest, featuring one spot to eat beforehand and several to catch the actual game.

1) Boudin vs BBQ at Café Adelaide
This is probably the best of the bunch, an all-day tailgate in the Piazza d'Italia, just behind Café Adelaide and the Loews Hotel. Adelaide chef Chris Barbato is cooking up a menu of boudin, dirty rice and jambalaya, facing off against Drew Robinson, executive chef from Alabama barbecue chain Jim 'N' Nick's. Bartenders from the respective establishments will also be serving up signature cocktails. $4 for beer, $6 for cocktails, $8 for double cocktails, and $6 for food. (And also, while they're in town, the Jim 'N' Nick's people are cooking family dinner for the staff at Commander's Palace, which is pretty cool.) It's from 11-5 on Monday, so you'll still need to find somewhere to watch the actual game.

2) Block party at Lucy's Retired Surfer's Bar
Lucy's is pretty well known for shutting down a huge stretch of Girod Street with their block party pretty much every time Saints game, and they're doing the same for this one. They project the game onto the side of the building next door and take over the entire street. On Monday, they're also opening up their loft space upstairs with its own projector screen and offering Alabama Slammers and LS-Shooters. Yes, that last one is a thing.

3) Indoor Tailgate Party at the Hyatt Regency
The Hyatt has teamed up with purveyors of fine and upscale beer, Bud Light, for an Indoor Tailgate Party in the "Elite Hall," on the first floor of the hotel off Girod Street. A $5 gets you in, and they'll have food and drinks for sale, plus live music (The Wise Guys) and TVs to watch the game if you don't have tickets. Starts at noon, lasts until question mark. And if that's not your speed, the Hyatt will also be doing a special dinner buffet n the 8 Block Kitchen & Bar, for $42.95. They're showing the game, of course, and offering their regular line-up of cocktails, beer and wine. Plus, it's basically right outside the Dome, so it'd be a quick sprint outside when LSU wins. Or that other team, if you're so inclined.

4) Special game day menu at Capdeville
Still bar-y, but nicer. They're running a special game day menu with several types of burgers and variations on fries (including the not-very-Southern poutine), in addition to those amazing fried red beans and rice balls. They'll have two large flatscreens plus a third TV in a nook in the dining room. Also: Rebel Yell shots when LSU scores. Which will hopefully be more than they scored in the 9-6 win the last time these two teams played. Reservations recommended.

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