Ava Street Café, a new restaurant concept that combines authentic Vietnamese cuisine with Japanese and French influences, has opened at 5207 Essen Lane in Universal Plaza.
The restaurant held a soft opening on Sept. 10.
Owner Ethan Huynh says his mother’s authentic southern Vietnamese recipes are the foundation for his new restaurant concept. Huynh’s mother owns the Austin, Texas-based Me Con, which translates to “mother and child.”
Huynh says he’s building on that foundation by adding decor inspired by and recipes served at his Japanese restaurant Zen Sushi of Houma, combined with French culinary influences he gained as a trained chef. Vietnamese cuisine also is French-based, Huynh says.
“I’ve been in Houma for almost a decade now. This is my next evolution, to make a name for myself in a bigger market,” says Huynh, adding that he has a five-year plan to bring more fast-casual restaurant concepts to the Baton Rouge market. He isn’t ready to divulge all of the details of that plan just yet.
Ava Street Café is named for Huynh’s 4-year-old daughter. The restaurant has a full bar and seating for roughly 100 people. “This concept has a lot of meaning for me,” Huynh says. “I’m cooking my momma’s food and dedicating it to my daughter.”
He says everything is made in-house. Huynh believes his new concept fills a niche that’s currently missing in the Baton Rouge market.
Ava Street Café is located in Universal Plaza near Our Lady of the Lake Hospital. Lawrence Maestri and George Murrell, the namesakes of Maestri-Murrell Real Estate, purchased the 3.7-acre plaza in November for $2.65 million.
Broker Ransom Pipes, also of Maestri-Murrell, represented the buyers in the deal. Pipes says the owners have since rehabbed the property and built out fresh space for new tenants.
“We’ve plugged in a handful of new tenants since the sale in November 2015, but still have the ability to accommodate office users between 2,500 and 15,000 square feet,” Pipes says.
Huynh plans to capitalize on the health district’s lunch crowds and serve more signature dishes for the dinner crowds.
“I wanted to bring some our Japanese dishes up here to test the market,” says Huynh, adding that he plans to offer vegan cuisine as well.
So far, Huynh says he has received a good response for a dish called the Bird Nest, which is an avocado cut in half and stuffed with special snow crab mix that’s baked and topped with spicy mayo and eel sauce. The dish is served at his Houma restaurant.
—Alexandria Burris
