Beausoleil expansion features new bar and banquet room

Beausoleil just got a little more comfortable in its location. The restaurant and bar at 7731 Jefferson Highway now has a new bar and banquet space right next door.

A grand opening for the expansion kicks off this afternoon with an extended happy hour 3 p.m.-9 p.m.

The additional space features a concrete bar with seating for 16 and a banquet room that can accommodate about 50 patrons. Beausoleil’s signature cocktails and a few beers on tap will be featured at the new bar. The space is also furnished with two 45-inch HD TVs for sporting events. Co-owner Jeff Conaway says the expanded space will give Beausoleil new opportunities.

“Beer dinners, wine dinners, cocktail dinners … we’d like to have a new one every month as soon as we get comfortable,” Conaway says.

The small bar in the main dining room may be evolving into a “different animal,” he says, but he couldn’t comment on future plans just yet.

So far, he’s heard positive response about the expansion. Earlier this month, Pig and Plough Suppers hosted its first event in Baton Rouge in the new space.

“What we’ve gone for here is comfort,” Conaway says. “That’s the main thing we want to do. We want this place to be an extension of your living room and dining room. We want you to feel like you’re at home.”

Beausoleil is open 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Friday-Saturday, and 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Sunday for brunch. Call 926-1172 for more information.