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Bayona and Mondo alum Paul Chell is breathing new life into the Irish Channel's elevated po' boy shop Mahony's, Todd Price reports. Chell has spent his career under the tutelage of legendary chef Susan Spicer, and along with his travels to Asia and India, brings these influences to Mahony's kitchen. He's already nabbed first place in the beef category at the Oak Street Po' Boy fest with his Abita-braised short rib in November, and is putting an emphasis on from-scratch everything. Per Price:
Next month, Chell will introduce a new menu with his own creations, like a pimento cheese BLT with green tomatoes and a po-boy with Zapp's Crawtator-crusted catfish dressed with French onion dip and pickled jalapeños.
Add to that a monthly supper club with higher end fare and wine pairings for $50/person (launching this Thurday, March 26) and a new name for the restaurant—it's now called Mahony's Po' Boys & Seafood—and you're looking at a majorly HOT revamp. Good news, considering the spot seemed shaky in the past couple years while hoping to reinvigorate itself. Founder/chef Ben Wicks tried to sell the place in 2013 (but didn't) and even stayed on as a consultant, as the restaurant tried to thwart its notoriously slow service. Wicks is now reportedly out of the venture, along with chef Jason Sanders.
