A new restaurant is bringing a taste of Southern comfort food to Downtown.
LaSalle’s Southern Kitchen and Bar celebrates its grand opening this weekend, January 14 – 16.
Tucked in the lower level of a parking garage at 30 S. Young St., LaSalle’s pays homage to Co-Owners AK Jones, and his sister Asia’s grandmother. (Asia’s husband, Alfred Jordan, is also a partner in the business.) The LaSalle name has been in the family for three generations and her recipes are part of the restaurant’s extensive menu.
“It’s inspired first and foremost by my grandmother’s recipes and then it’s trickled down from my mom,” Jones says.
Some of LaSalle’s staple menu items include Southern Fried Chicken, made, of course, with a secret blend of herbs and spices. Jones says other can’t-miss specialties include a four-cheese mac & cheese, collard greens with smoked turkey neck and candied yams.
LaSalle’s menu includes plenty of other options – appetizers, soups and salads, burgers, fried fish and meatloaf sandwiches for lunch, and a lineup of daily specialities, most with a little bit of Southern flavor.
Behind the bar there’s beer, wine and a menu of speciality drinks, along with a 3 – 7 p.m. happy hour that offers discounts on drinks and appetizers.
LaSalle’s will be more than just a place to grab a meal or a drink but, “What we’re trying to do is create an experience,” Jones says.
The venue will host live music hopefully three nights a week. Karaoke is on Tuesday, Ladies Night is Thursday, and on Fridays LaSalle’s wants to be the after-work spot for the Downtown crowd.
The eatery is the first restaurant the trio will open together, but all bring some industry experience to the table. Jones’ background is in nutrition and dietetics, and he also runs a consulting firm that helps with food service operations for large institutions like hospitals and nursing homes to restaurants. Alfred’s family is to thank for bringing national chain Popeye’s to Columbus, with a long family history of running three of the area restaurants.
Despite the industry challenges of the last nearly two years due to the coronavirus pandemic, the co-owners found there was a need for their kind of restaurant.
With a collective craving for comfort food now more than ever, “I think now is a great time to do something of this cuisine,” Jones says – food that hits the heart and is made with love.
The trio also saw a gap in the market Downtown for Southern food, along with a right time, right place lineup that landed them in the unique space.
Jones calls it a true gem. They’ve kept many of the design elements that previous visitors might recognize from the address’ bygone eateries, but added a few modern twists. (The space most recently served as a short-lived run for Talita’s Burritos & Coneys and before that was Buckeye Chili & Smokehouse and before that, The Hungry Soul Cafe.)
During LaSalle’s three-day grand opening celebration, the bar will open at 4 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, with carryout available from 4 – 6 p.m. and dining room service starting at 7 p.m. (There will be live music, too!) Sunday is the Soul Food Brunch from 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. (And something they hope to eventually make a regular part of LaSalle’s lineup.)
LaSalle’s regular hours will include daily lunch service from 11 a.m. – 3 p.m., and dinner hours from 4 – 10 p.m., with the bar open later.
For more information, visit lasalleskitchenbar.com.
All photos by Susan Post
