Portico, a Louisiana bar and grill that originated in Monroe, has closed one of its two locations in the Capital City. The restaurant’s Coursey Boulevard location, which opened in June 2012, closed last Sunday. Co-owner Stephen Walker says the decision was made to consolidate efforts on the Southdowns location at 4205 Perkins Road, which opened in January.
“It was becoming an issue of consistency between the two locations,” Walker says. “We wanted to focus on making the best Portico brand we could, and we felt like the Southdowns location had more potential in the future.”
The Perkins Road restaurant has been renovated, with a new patio with room for 40 patrons. The interior is now one “big wide open space,” Walker says, with booths and tables and the dining room flowing into the bar area. Executive chef Josh Hebert was also brought in, focusing on a menu that was revamped with the help of local food writer Jay Ducote.