by Mary-Devon Dupuy

The people at Commander's Palace are at it again, cooking up new ways to fill our tummies and drain our wallets. Members of the Brennan family brought on a couple new additions to create their new restaurant in the old Bacco space. Known as SoBou, the new venture is moving into the W French Quarter Hotel at 316 Chartres St., with opening slated for June. The new partnership between two of the city's culinary giants makes for one of the most anticipated restaurant openings since the last most anticipated one. Today, this prime pairing provided a preview today.

Owner and “cocktail chick” Ti Adelaide Martin envisions the new restaurant as a place where people can choose their own dining speed. 

“Guests can come for cocktails and nibble on snacks like pig-fried pecans, or they can enjoy a multi-course dinner with wine pairings,” she said in  

Executive Chef Juan Carlos Gonzales and James Beard-nominated consulting Chef (and Commander's head chef) Tory McPhail will be serving up dishes that are entirely original but still reflect Louisiana’s southern and Cajun influences. They’ll make you a Po-Boy, but it won’t be your standard fried oysters on French bread. They’ve reimagined the dish as Duck Debris on Buttermilk Beignets dressed with coffee ganache. Gonzales will also be incorporating elements of island cuisine from his Puerto Rican background, such as the Shrimp and Tasso Pinchos with grilled pineapple and spicy pepper jelly.  

Drawing directly from the SoHo name that stuck so well in Manhattan, the restaurant comes from the location directly south of Bourbon St., so it’s no surprise that their fancy cocktails are a big part of the restaurant’s allure. Bar Chef Lu Brow of The Swizzle Stick Bar and In-House Bar Chef Abigail Gullo have joined forces to craft artisanal drinks with nearly as many ingredients as the food. Their concoctions include “The Charbonneau Way,” a beverage that got its name from the street where Gullo’s family makes their own maple syrup. It’s made with whiskey, maple syrup, lemon and Amere Savage, fresh thyme and a Herbsaint rinse on the glass.

They’ve also reimagined the bartender-costumer dynamic, with self-serve wine machines, a hidden courtyard, and a beer garden. Commander’s Palace “wine guy” Dan Davis and Mark Mansfield have designed an extensive wine list, and they want to make sure you try it all. The idea behind the self-serving is that guests can sample various wines without committing to one until they’re satisfied with their choice.