Menu 6, the Larchmere restaurant opened by Said Ouaddaadaa (Bodega), quietly closed its doors at the end of last year. The restaurant originally opened in March of 2010, with Michael Herschman (now at Lopez) manning the range.
The attractive space (12718 Larchmere Blvd.), formerly Boulevard Blue, has not been sitting vacant, however. It was leased by the Angie's restaurant group, which operates Angie's Soul Café (3859 Superior Ave., 216-426-8890, angiessoulcafe.com) and Zanzibar Soul Fusion (13114 Shaker Sq., 216.752.1035, zanzibarohio.com) on Shaker Square.
When it opens in mid-February, Jezebel's Bayou will dish up Cajun and Creole dishes inspired by the Big Easy, says Akin Alafin, Angie's general manager.
"I've had the concept in mind for a while," says Alafin, who travels frequently to New Orleans. "When Fat Fish Blue closed I knew it was the right time." He adds that a cursory search on Urbanspoon.com turned up no worthwhile results in the Cajun-Creole category except for the very good but largely carry-out Battiste & Dupree Cajun Grill (1992 Warrensville Center Rd., 216.381.3341).
Chef Wynn Strickland will oversee a menu filed with classic New Orleans-style fare, including gumbo, jambalaya, shrimp etouffee, and seafood Creole. Traditional French-style dishes will also be available. Prices are in the $12 to $15 range.
"This is casual dining, not fine dining," stresses the GM.
Some minor physical changes are being made to the space, most notably the installation of a banquette that runs the length of the brick wall in the main dining room. Linens will be pulled from the tables, candles added, and a 16-foot mural depicting Mardi Gras scenes is going up.
There will occasionally be live music, says Alafin, but it will not be a regular and consistent feature.
