Breakfast and brunch spot coming to former Casa Maria space on College

A New Orleans restaurant owner has signed a three-year lease for the 4,000-square-foot space on College Drive previously occupied by Casa Maria Mexican Grill and Bar and plans to open a New Orleans-style breakfast and brunch cafe in the space in early April. The new eatery will be called Rue Orleans Breakfast and Brunch Café and will feature a Creole-influenced menu that will include standard breakfast fare like pancakes and also more sophisticated brunch items like eggs Benedict. “I’m just trying to bring the flavor of New Orleans to Baton Rouge,” says Rue Orleans owner Katrina Wyman, who moved to Baton Rouge after Hurricane Katrina but has continued to operate a small diner in Gretna, on New Orleans’ West Bank. Wyman says she chose the College Drive location, which is in a strip shopping center anchored by Hobby Lobby, because of its proximity to LSU, Interstate 10 and many residential neighborhoods. “It’s a great area and one thing we found is that there is a real demand for breakfast and brunch options,” she says. “People want a place where they can go hang out on Saturday morning and have a nice brunch.” Besides breakfast and brunch, Wyman’s new café will feature Café du Monde-brand beignets, which will be made fresh on site using mix from the famed French Quarter establishment. While that might mean some competition for Coffee Call, which is across College Drive from the Rue Orleans spot and serves its own version of beignets, Wyman says that was not her intent. “We’re not trying to take business away from anyone,” she says. “We just want to serve beignets.” —Stephanie Riegel