Business Lunch: SoLou

SINCE IT OPENED in March in the former Rum House on Perkins Road, SoLou has been a magnet for diners clamoring to get back to normal. Owners Peter Sclafani, Kiva Guidroz and Michael Juban invested in an update to the former Caribbean-themed space, retooling the bar and dining room with a contemporary Southern look, and removing an outdoor bar to significantly expand outdoor courtyard seating.

A broad menu of modern, casual Creole fare gives diners lots of options at lunch, including several multi-ingredient salads, shareable boards, fancy sandwiches and upcycled comfort food. Lighter dishes like Gulf fish and vegetables in parchment are sprinkled amid a mostly robust lineup that includes “chicken fried chicken” with mashed sweet potatoes and rosemary tasso cream, shrimp and grits and fried softshell crab amandine.

The biggest lunchtime seller, says Sclafani, is the SoLou burger, a gourmet version made with ground short rib, brisket and chuck, along with several housemade toppings. A close second is the rotisserie chicken, in which roast chicken is pulled in-house and piled on rosemary ciabatta with truffle aioli, homemade pesto, provolone, lettuce, heirloom tomatoes and bacon. It’s served with french fries and housemade smoked ketchup.

The bar offers wines by the glass, craft cocktails and a signature frozen beverage, the Julep Freeze, made with Buffalo Trace bourbon, club soda, lemon, honey and mint.

2 SOLOU

BY MAGGIE HEYN RICHARDSON • PHOTOGRAPHY BY COLLIN RICHIE

3

One of the more popular lunchtime items is the in-house pulled rotisserie chicken on rosemary ciabatta with a side of fries cooked in bacon fat.

SoLou has an extensive beer, wine and craft cocktail menu, including the Strawberry Hill, which is strawberry-infused gin with lemon and simple soda.

Located in the former Rum House on Perkins Road, the space has been updated, retooling the bar and dining room with a contemporary Southern look while also expanding outdoor courtyard seating.

ADDRESS: 7246 Perkins Road PHONE: 225-256-7070 WEB: www.eatsolou.com CUISINE: Contemporary Southern and Creole cuisine OWNERS: Peter Sclafani, Kiva Guidroz and Michael Juban SCENE: Tree-canopied patio, high-energy dining room, weekend brunch PRICING: $$