February 28, 2007
By Maggie Heyn Richardson
It wasn’t so long ago that supper downtown was limited to pizza or po’boys at the Pastime. And while we still love that venerable haunt, a small but growing number of restaurants are adding texture to the neighborhood by serving dinner.
Coming soon in the North Boulevard storefront formerly occupied by the Black Forest is a new Lebanese restaurant called The Grape Leaf. Downtown Development Director Executive Director Davis Rhorer reports that Subway owner Al Choumar is currently updating the space in time for an April 1 opening. The restaurant will serve authentic Lebanese fare for lunch and dinner.
And last Friday, Business Report’s Steve Clark reported on Daily Report that Jack Warner and Brandon Landry, owners of The Roux House, Happy’s Irish Pub and Walk-Ons, will transform the recently closed Mortorano’s Deli on Third and Florida streets into an affordable pizza-and-beer joint.
The old Café Med in the 100 block of Third Street recently morphed into D’Agostino’s, a retro Italian restaurant with cuisine similar to the Little Village, a two-year-old eatery on Lafayette Street. These, along with Tsunami, Capital City Grill, Avoyelles on the River and The Kingfish (I’m hoping the food will improve) and more create a tidy group of dinner options in the orbit of the Shaw Center, which itself is giving us more reasons to come downtown. Also in the nascent arts district are newer places like Rasputin’s and the Wine Loft, which feature smaller, upscale bar menus.
The choice spot at the corner of Third Street and North Boulevard (the old Stroube’s) still sits dismantled and unclaimed, although many local and regional restaurateurs have flirted with the idea of scooping it up. Shaw Center officials said it would be built out soon to increase its appeal to potential tenants. Renderings of the would-be restaurant show a smart, breezy space with a rooftop terrace overlooking the block. Imagine it. You could eat outside practically year-round with a bird’s eye view of one of downtown’s livelier blocks. Think parades, Live after Five concerts and festivals.
Click here for the latest on downtown night and weekend venues, hours included.
And weigh in below on what you like, don’t like, and need food-wise from your downtown.
Comments
Posted by yknot on March 5 at 6:21 p.m.
I'd like to see a restaurant driven my a chef who is willing to take chances and come up with a menu that is very unique to baton rouge, not all of the usual beige food hidden under cream and crab. A place that offers inventive, creative good food, food with integrity, not some national chain reheating overpriced tv dinners or rehashing already worn out concepts. Maybe I am asking way too much but it would be great if said chef also was a huge proponent of seasonal, locally grown products, so tired of seeing tomatoes and basil in the winter, why not more parsley and chervil?
Maybe I'm crazy but I think Baton Rouge needs a real restaurant downtown!
Posted by spatuladiaries on March 6 at 11:33 a.m.
Great, great idea...especially with the market itself downtown. Keep pushing. I never thought we'd have such a thriving farmer's market or a Whole Foods and here we are. Thanks for your feedback. - MHR
Posted by yknot on March 6 at 9:54 p.m.
I do and go to the market as often as possible, by the way Smith Creamery Chocolate milk is one of the best things you can ever put in your mouth, get it ice cold in the fridge, and let it slowly slide down your tongue, and enjoy as the cold milk burns yet warms the back of your throat, and the whole flavor and mouth feel, not too sweet, not gritty with cocoa powder, just perfect.
Posted by spatuladiaries on March 12 at 12:08 p.m.
well said. I agree. -MHR
Post a comment
(225 magazine reserves the right to remove any comments from this site we deem offensive, malicious or otherwise inappropriate.)