James Beard-nominated chef Jeff Harris is reviving his former po'boy shop, Jimmie Lou's, inside the former Razzo space at 1201 Broadway St., in Pendleton. He told The Enquirer he is hoping to open in October.
Harris, a New Orleans native who relocated to Cincinnati after Hurricane Katrina, first opened Jimmy Lou's as a walk-up counter inside the Oakley Kitchen Food Hall in 2021. It was named after his great-great grandmother and served gold standard versions of New Orleans fare such as red beans and rice, jambalaya and po'boys. After closing Jimmy Lou's, Harris went on to open Nolia Kitchen, an Over-the-Rhine restaurant that has earned the chef multiple James Beard nods as a finalist or semifinalist.
Unlike the original Jimmy Lou's, the Pendleton
location will be a full-service restaurant with a bar featuring New Orleans classic cocktails such as Sazeracs, an elevated version of the French Quarter's famous hand grenade and, possibly, a New Orleans snowball cocktail, though Harris and his team are still working out the details.
Along with po'boys, fried chicken and jambalaya, the new Jimmy Lou's menu will be far more ambitious than the original. What else would you expect from a James Beard finalist? Harris plans on highlighting Louisiana fish from the Gulf, gumbo z'herbes (a vegetarian gumbo made famous by the late New Orleans chef Leah Chase, who served it at her Dooky Chase's Restaurant once a year on Holy Thursday), as well as creative takes on Cajun boudin, jambalaya and etouffee. And yes, he will also serve beignets. His wife, Heather, told him it would be ridiculous if he didn't.
Despite Nolia's popularity, Harris told me many of his customers have begged him to bring back the Jimmie Lou's concept, craving the authentic po'boys made with New Orleans' famous Leidenheimer bread, as well as his once famous Louisiana fried chicken.
Harris said he wants Jimmy Lou's to be a true neighborhood joint and plans to collaborate with neighboring businesses, such as Anthony Sitek's Mexican spot Cantina, Hart & Cru wines, Lucius Q barbecue and Urbana Cafe.
Meanwhile, it will be business as usual at Nolia Kitchen as Harris and his team work to earn an elusive Michelin star (his longtime dream) and surprise locals and visitors to the city with his exciting seasonal menus inspired by the global south. The only change, he said, is that he will bring back his tasting menu.
For Harris, having one restaurant devoted to his hometown and one that strikes a more globally ambitious chord is a way for him to separate his past from his present − and his future.
"This is where I draw a line in the sand between the two," he said.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: James Beard-nominated chef to resurrect Jimmie Lou's po'boy shop
