Construction on Velvet Cactus to begin soon

With an anticipated opening in about nine months to a year, renovations on the Old Hammond Highway building formerly home to Another Broken Egg will soon begin for the Velvet Cactus. Herb Dyer and Rusty White—who also own The Bulldog bars on Perkins Road and in New Orleans—purchased the building in December and have since been working to get all their permits in order. Dyer says renovations will begin in about two weeks. When complete, the restaurant will feature an outside patio with a waterfall and pond to add a tropical vacation feel, he says. It will be the second Velvet Cactus, with the original location in New Orleans having opened in early 2012. Dyer says the Baton Rouge location will be a family-friendly restaurant with Caribbean flair and Mexican-style food. “It seems to me that there are a lot more chain-oriented restaurants [in Baton Rouge]. I think people are ready for more than just chains. This is a mom-and-pop restaurant,” he says. JP Roots, Velvet Cactus chef in New Orleans, will own a piece of the Baton Rouge restaurant, Dyer says, and will ensure that the food is fresh and identical at both locations. —Matthew Sigur