Prentice Café held its annual Mardi Gras themed dinner Tuesday night

Prentice Café held its annual Mardi Gras themed dinner Tuesday night where students indulged in semi-traditional New Orleans dishes and festive decorations.

“We try to create an atmosphere and menu to go with it,” said Zane Powell, Dining Services student marketing manager. “It’s one of Prentice’s big events of the year.”

Beads, masks and mini Mardi Gras beach balls were given away, and the whole place was decorated.

Yana Grinblat, Anastasia Marqiw and Karlena Cornett, all sophomore architecture majors, agreed their first Mardi Gras experience was “delicious and satisfying.”

“The music is jammin’,” Grinblat said.

“Plus we got beads, a mask, really good Jambalaya and root beer in a glass bottle,” Cornett said, while playing with her mini beach ball. “I loved the food!”

The menu consisted of Bourbon Street Carved Flank Steak with Sweet Potato Fries, “Blastin” Bayou Onion Petals, Jambalaya, Creole Spicy Fried Shrimp & Seasoned Twister Fries, Louisiana Pecan Pie, IBC Root Beer, Chicken Gumbo Soup, Red Beans & Rice, Vegetarian Creole Macaroni and “Andouolle” Sausage Sandwiches with Peppers and Onions.

“Sweet potato fries might be the best thing I ever got here,” said Zack Murton, a freshman special education major. “And I love my mask!”

“The steak tasted like my dad’s cooking, which is very good,” said Kristina Turlik, a freshman English major.

Turlik said she also tried Jambalaya for the first time.

“I didn’t like it because I’m picky,” Turlik said.

“She didn’t even like cheeseburgers until last summer,” laughed Seth Rose about Turlik’s pickiness.

Rose, a freshman political science major, said that him and his friends eat at Prentice a lot.

“This is our second time here today,” he said “We brought our friends from off campus earlier and showed them around. All the special events have good food and we are all going to soul food next week.”

Soul Food, another event being put on by Dining Services, will take place in Eastway next Wednesday from 4:30-8 p.m.

“We have a DJ coming and KSU gospel choir,” Powell said. “There is going to be a huge menu for it, and it’s one of our most popular events.”

Powell said that all events are not only for Kent State students, but family, friends and anyone in Kent’s community is welcome.

“It’s a night of food and soul pretty much,” he said. “That’s what it is all about.”

Email credit: contact on-campus entertainment reporter Michelle Bair [email protected].