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Hot Tails’ Cody Carroll talks Sac-a-Lait

It’s been about six months since we’ve last heard from Cody Carroll, the 2013 Louisiana Seafood King and owner/chef who runs New Roads’ popular Hot Tails Restaurant with his wife, Samantha.

Last June, the Carrolls decided to take their new seafood restaurant concept, Sac-a-Lait, to New Orleans’ Warehouse district, and the opening is right around the corner. Sac-a-Lait is at 1051 Annuciation Street, cater-corner to Cochon Butcher, in the former Sun Ray Grill. Carroll says he’s eyeing a late February or early March opening.

The 5,000-square-foot building has room for about 120 patrons, an open kitchen and an interior inspired by the country. The menu, while not big, will feature “everything we hunt and fish in Louisiana,” he says, with dishes utilizing proteins such as alligator, turtle, rabbit and venison. A large part of the menu will focus on seafood such as Gulf fish and oysters sourced from different areas of the Gulf. Like Hot Tails before it, Sac-a-Lait’s m.o. will be making everything from scratch, including pastas and breads.

Brad Andries will join the Carrolls as the restaurant’s chef de cuisine, and Chris Oakley will be the general manager. Andries previously worked at Stroubes, and Oakley worked at Galatoire’s Bistro. Executive sous chef Owen Hohl has taken over Hot Tails.

Carroll says he knows some of his Baton Rouge supporters were disappointed at last year’s news that he couldn’t find a satisfactory Capital City location. However, he’s leaving the door open for bringing a restaurant here.

“If a strong restaurant opportunity comes up, I would definitely be open to the idea of bringing something to Baton Rouge,” he says, mentioning that he was looking at two possible locations last year in the Capital City but the deals fell through. “Our strong followers know how we ended up here. We found this [New Orleans location] at a great deal and couldn’t pass it up.”

One reason for the Carrolls’ jump to the Crescent City is the fact that the Warehouse District where Sac-a-Lait will be located is growing as a food destination. Already, Carroll has made friends with Cochon owner Donald Link.

“The chefs [in New Orleans] are willing to help, trying to build the city’s reputation,” Carroll says. “We want to work together to make the city better than those other food towns around the nation.”