New Orleans restaurant owners David Smith and Doug Hary are expanding their businesses to Baton Rouge with Canefield Tavern, filling the void of the former Brew-Bacher’s Grill on Nicholson.
Canefield Tavern will offer breakfast, lunch and dinner options along with weekend brunch, a coffee bar and happy hour, Smith said. The duo plans to host a soft opening around the first or second week of October with the hours of 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.
“[We’re going to offer] homestyle cooking, and not even really with a twist, but in a nice environment,” Smith said.
Smith and Hary own five restaurants in the New Orleans area: Vacherie, Eat New Orleans, Café Conti, Between the Bread and Café at the Square.
Each restaurant has a different flair but all with a Louisiana spin.
Canefield Tavern will have a refined rustic aesthetic with reclaimed local Cypress wood from St. Francisville. The interior is still under construction, and the location is in the permit phase.
Along with the food options, the restaurant will push local Louisiana and Mississippi beers and will also offer a build-your-own bloody mary bar for brunch.
Canefield Tavern also is going to have a custom built rotisserie it plans to use with several different meats. Menu items will include meatloaf, chicken and dumplings, breakfast omelets and shrimp and grits.
There also will be a grab-and-go section in the morning for coffee, pastries and breakfast sandwiches.
“[Students] can come in on their way to campus and get a croissant or muffin and a latte,” Smith said.
The desserts will feature homemade cakes and pies, along with adult and non-adult milkshakes and coffee milkshakes from the espresso machine.
“We want LSU students,” Smith said. “It’s going to be a very comfortable environment, but we’re a restaurant with a bar, not a bar with a restaurant.”
Smith said he hopes Canefield Tavern will be a sort of middle of the road restaurant for the 40- to 65-year-old demographic on the south side of the railroad tracks, since they are in a “food desert” with mostly fast food.
Nicholson will be going through expansion in the years to come that will create a construction zone in the area.
“We’re totally aware of the expansion, and in the long run, it is going to be wonderful,” Smith said. “[However], it will be a pain and a learning curve while it is going on.”
In the same strip as Canefield Tavern is Hungry Howies. Assistant manager of Hungry Howie’s Lashonda Ricks said she had never gone to Brew-Bacher’s, but she would be interested in the new business.
“I saw that they are going to have a coffee bar, and I would definitely get that in the mornings,” Ricks said.
For LSU students, it’s the end of one chapter and the beginning of another.
“It is sad that Brew-Bacher’s closed,” said kinesiology sophomore Chandler Freeland. “The vibe of the place was really great. I’m hoping that the new place will be better, and I’m excited to try their menu.”
Canefield Tavern is accepting work applications to prepare for next month’s opening.