The owners of the Natchez, Mississippi-based Roux 61 Seafood and Grill restaurant intend to open their Baton Rouge location by the end of October, assuming no major hurdles in renovations arise between now and then.
Brian Lees, who owns the store with his brother, Jason, says renovations to the former Boutin’s Restaurant at 8322 Bluebonnet Blvd. are about 75% complete.
The Baton Rouge location on will be the second Roux 61, following the original restaurant in Natchez that opened in 2011. Roux 61 offers many Louisiana and southern staples, such as fried green tomatoes, fried pickles, chargrilled oysters, soft shell crabs and poboys on New Orleans-style French bread to go along with hamburgers, seafood platters, salads, steaks and desserts. The restaurant’s website boasts of the Lees brothers’ “passion for bold Southern flavors and crazy big portions.”
Boutin’s closed at the end of January after more than decade in business at the Bluebonnet location. The closing followed a Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing in federal court by the restaurant’s owners last November.
Prior to Boutin’s opening in 2001, the space had been occupied by Mulate’s, also a Cajun restaurant. Boutin’s featured a Cajun menu and live Cajun music. In early 2012, Boutin’s expanded to a second location on Howell Place Boulevard in north Baton Rouge, but that location has since closed as well.
See a rendering of Roux 61 by The Architectural Studio of Baton Rouge.
—Ryan Broussard
