By Tracy Record
West Seattle Blog editor
Five months after we brought you first word that B’s Po Boy would bring Cajun cuisine to Alki Beach, the restaurant at 2738 Alki SW opens tomorrow.
When we told you in January about Deborah and Ryan Borchelt‘s plan to expand their Indianapolis restaurant/bar to their new neighborhood, the previous tenant in the West Seattle space (Fatburger) had just closed. The Borchelts have spent the time since – longer than they had hoped, but that seems to happen to most such projects these days – renovating the space and getting ready to unleash their trademark cuisine.
“We’re ready!” Deborah told us this weekend, during a conversation in the 85-person-capacity indoor space (a patio is in the works too but won’t be ready to go until later this summer). Ryan, meantime, was busy in the kitchen, working on a caramel sauce that could not be left alone for so much as a second.
They’ll open daily at 11 am, with “flexible” closing times. “Probably 10 during the week, 11 on weekends in the summer, an hour earlier in the winter. Since we’re opening at the height of the season, if it’s Friday night and we’re packed at 11, we’re not going to close … (but) we’re also not going to be serving liquor until (2 am), we’re not late-night people.” They’re considering opening at 10 for weekend brunch (11 for now), which, by the way, will include their regular menu as well as brunch specialties, and you’ll be able to add a fried egg to any po boy at brunch time.
Along with the signature po boys (starting at $10, with halves available) – fried shrimp and fried oyster are their best-sellers in Indianapolis (where the original B’s Po Boy remains open) – the menu (see it here) also include beignets ($6), mostly missing in our area since the short-lived Mardi Gras Donuts in White Center closed.
Mardi Gras, of course, will be festive at B’s when it rolls around next year.
The green “subway tile” on the bar is in fact one of the main Mardi Gras colors – green, purple, and gold – though Deborah says it just worked out that way; their designers at Mallett chose it.
What’s special year-round: “Everything is made in house,” except the andouille sausage and the bread, which, as she told us in January, will be flown in from New Orleans. The aforementioned beignets are from their own recipe, not a mix. Their sauces are all house-made, too, from the strawberry and chocolate sauces for beignet-dipping to the savory sauces and even one you’ll find bottled and available on the table (along with sriracha, a Pacific Rim touch) – their custom hot sauce, “based on habanero peppers, complex flavor up front before the heat hits you.”
Classic New Orleans cocktails will be on the drink menu, including the Hurricane, Ramos Gin Fizz, and the city’s “official” cocktail, the Sazerac. That name is even painted on the side of the patio – where you’ll also see this painting:
They commissioned it from artist Eric Wallentine for their back yard in Indianapolis but it doesn’t fit where they’re living here, so it’s outside the restaurant. It has a special feature, Deborah told us – a coating that will be illuminated at night. “New place to take a selfie,” she suggested with a smile.
Online, you’ll find the menu and other info at bspoboyseattle.com.
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