One of my favorite types of food to write about is good, old-fashioned homestyle cooking, and Minnie and John’s, located at 8801 Oak St., is poised to become a destination for delicious Southern comfort food.
Owned by chef Chad Sabatier, Minnie and John’s was born from a dream started by Sabatier’s mother. Always enjoying cooking for others, she started a small business providing for her neighbors.
“My mother was always really good at home cooking,” Sabatier says. “She cooked for the pastors and the people at church. They told her that she should open her own place, so she and my uncle started making plates at their own carry-out place called M & J Soul Food Restaurant in New Orleans East.”
Named for Sabatier’s grandparents, M & J Soul Food Restaurant is where Sabatier got his start in the restaurant business. When Sabatier’s uncle, Rochester Denson, and mother, Dolores Fisher, retired, he took over the family business and attended New Orleans Culinary & Hospitality Institute. At M & J Soul Food, Sabatier constructed the menu and ran operations.
A month ago, Sabatier opened Minnie and John’s in the former Cowbell space on Oak St. He was immediately drawn to the location, surrounded by magnolia trees, a nostalgic link to his childhood.
He explains, “Growing up, my grandmother had a huge magnolia tree. When I was creating Minnie and John’s I was integrating the magnolia into the concept. When I saw the place at 8801 Oak St., the first thing I saw was magnolia trees surrounding the outside; that’s what first drew me in.”
Sabatier describes the menu at Minnie and John’s as a combination of the food he served at M & J’s and his own concepts. He wants to make approachable dishes, while still experimenting with his own culinary tastes.
“I wanted to make an elevated soul food concept where I highlight the historical significance of soul food,” he says. “When we moved into the space we’re in now the goal was to take the same ingredients that we had at M & J’s and rework them into a one-upped experience.”
One of the most popular dishes at M & J’s was candied yams. At Minnie and John’s, Sabatier uses the syrup from the canned yams to make the restaurant’s barbecue sauce. Another popular dish from M & J’s, barbecue ribs, is on the Friday menu. Another tasty addition is the kala, a savory beignet-style pastry made with corn and andouille and fried to a golden brown.
Other menu highlights include Crispy Gulf Fried Shrimp, succulent shrimp, fried to a golden crisp and served with a tangy charred lemon aioli and fresh arugula salad; Turkey Neck Pepper Preserve, tender turkey neck, slow-cooked with a pepper preserve and served over roasted red potatoes; Candied Pork Ribs, fall off the bone tender pork ribs, coated in a signature sweet and smoky BBQ sauce and topped with green onions; Half Roasted Chicken, herb roasted chicken, served with a chimichurri sauce and a corn andouille vinaigrette; and Red Beans and Rice, the classic New Orleans dish, made with creamy red beans and fluffy rice.
“I want everything on the menu to be unique and familiar at the same time,” Sabatier explains. “It’s some of the food that we know and love, but we’re shining a new light on it.”
The restaurant also offers a selection of classic cocktails, including Sazerac, Hurricane, Mint Julep, and Moscow Mule.
Minnie and John’s is currently open Thursday through Saturday from 5:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. Sabatier plans to expand the restaurant’s hours and introduce a brunch menu, making it a seven-day-a-week destination for Southern comfort food.
The post Minnie and John’s Brings Elevated Soul Food to Oak Street appeared first on Big Easy.
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