Museum/culinary hub/anchor of the OCH revival The Southern Food And Beverage Museum celebrated its ribbon cutting on Monday and opens to the public Thursday, October 2, after a $3.5 million renovation of the former Dryades Market building at 1504 Oretha Castle Haley Boulevard, street of dreams. Among the many reasons to visit the new location of SoFAB--including a new demonstration kitchen, a fully restored cocktail bar from West End seafood staple of yore Bruning's, plus amazing new exhibits, culinary artifacts, and plans for classes, workshops and lectures--there is also SoFAB's upcoming restaurant Purloo, set to open in late October/early November.
With an open, demonstration-style kitchen surrounded by a 30-seat dining bar, and room for 30 more customers at tables, the restaurant was conceived as both a stand-alone dining destination and an integral part of a museum visit.
Chef Ryan Hughes will also be doing a museum menu for SoFAB, so guests can get a taste of certain exhibits even if they're not dining in the restaurant. Hughes says, "It will be things that people can eat with their hands while they're walking around, to give them a taste of what they're learning about. It could be things like beignets or callas."
The restaurant itself will feature regional Southern cuisine, and will join in the up and coming Central City revival which already includes restaurants like Cafe Reconcile, Casa Borrega, and plans for a future Adolfo Garcia venture on OCH alone, prompting Garcia to even deem the strip the next Freret.
