groovy1967
02-02-2010, 08:41 AM
This sounds really cool, especially if you're anywhere near Park Slope. I'm trying to figure out a way to get there.
Two Boots is great, and Bill is always a blast. I've been listening to his Fat Tuesday show, where he covered Dr. John's Gumbo with a full horn section, from last year religiously, and it sounds fantastic!
From Bill Malchow:
Tuesday, February 02, 2010
Mardi Gras Tuesdays - GUMBO COOK OFF
The Bill Malchow Trio +1
at Two Boots
514 2nd Street
(7 & 8th Avenue)
Brooklyn (Park Slope), NY
718-499-3253
8pm - 11pm (two sets)
$FREE
2 for 1 Drinks from
They are having a gumbo cook off contest. I will be one of the judges... bribes excepted.
The Gumbo Tasting begins at 6:30pm. See http://www.twobootsbrooklyn.com/pages/home.html for more info.
Skip Ward-bass, Dave Berger-drums and Scott Bourgeois - sax
MaloGator
02-04-2010, 11:19 AM
I went to see Alex McM and Bill M last summer and thought it was an awful venue for live music. I understand that Two Boots is really a restaurant, but I was hoping for a bar area to enjoy the music in. But, alas, we had to hang in the dining room for the music, which was less that ideal, IMO. Alex and Bill seemed a little uncomfortable, but we all made the best of it and had a good time. The food was pretty good, and I'm sure if the focus was on the food, as is probably the case with the Gumbo Cook-off, it wouldn't be half bad. I'm not remembering any 2 for 1 drink special either...
groovy1967
02-04-2010, 12:22 PM
It is definitely not the ideal place for a show, although it eventually became one.
The gumbo cook-off was incredibly unorganized and chaotic. In short, it was very New Orleans. Some of the gumbos were pretty good. I liked the one with andouille, smoked chicken, and gator. Nothing was mindblowing, but for the price, I ate like a king. The sides were good, and while the Key Lime tart was a little too sugary, that didn't stop me from having several of them.
The first set had everyone sitting at tables, and since I was in the other room, we couldn't see the band, but towards the end of the set, people started leaving, and they cleared out the middle area to create a little dancefloor for us. Bill was in a giddy mood and when he asked for requests, he got "Big Chief," "Proud Mary," and "Iko Iko," so he decided to play all three at the same time! It was hilarious AND it actually sounded good. From then on, he was improvising a lot and inserting lyrics about gumbo wherever he could.
The second set featured a really dumb drunk girl "singing" horribly off-key without any knowledge of the lyrics to her chosen "Puttin' on the Ritz." (Seriously, BETTY Cooper?!?!?) By the end, he kicked into high gear with a blistering 20 minute run of Stagger Lee->One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer->Ready, Willin', and Able that was flying superfast by the end. I gamely danced through the whole thing and realized that dancing fast after eating 17 bowls of gumbo can lead to some painful stomach cramps.
As an added treat, there was a nice blanket of snow on the ground, and it was coming down when we left. It was very pretty until I nearly fell on my ass.
Overall, it was a great night, and the owners there are very cool people who really dig Nola.