Acme’s in the house

The French Quarter institution finally makes its way to the Red Stick. Acme Oyster House puts down roots on Perkins at the former site of Wal-Mart and Books-A-Million. The menu is stuffed with Louisiana classics. There’s the “Acme poopa,” your favorite soup or gumbo served in a fresh bread bowl, and oyster Rockefeller soup infused with a hint of herbsaint. But this namesake is most famous for oysters, served icy cold on the half-shell.

Acme Oyster House is open for lunch and dinner Sunday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., and on Fridays and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. acmeoyster.com

Gracefully green

Earning the Best of 225 award as the Best Local Architect this year, Grace and Hebert has pointed their design savvy inward as they head from Bluebonnet Boulevard to a renovated downtown building. (After Gustav, the firm moved into the unfinished new location in early September.) Their 16,000-square-foot St. Charles Street location once housed Baton Rouge Lumber Co., St. Louis Hide and Fur, and a combination grocery store/furniture store. Though previous businesses knew nothing of going green, an inside source tells 225 the building is LEED certified, meaning the building materials are environmentally friendly. “We’ve always oriented our business with being environmentally conscious,” project architect Sean Johnson says. The architecture firm also is looking to put solar panels on the roof. graceandhebert.com

Sakura

In Japanese, the word “Sakura” means lush cherry-blossom trees. In Baton Rouge, the owners hope it becomes synonymous with sushi and steak. Settling into the building that formerly housed Vincent’s on Essen Lane at Interstate 10, owner Guang Ming Lin hopes to open this high-end eatery by the end of the month. Along with a menu chockfull of Chinese and Thai selections, Sakura brought in a veteran New York chef, and he installed six hot plates for cooks to dazzle customers with their culinary abilities.