While the restaurant space at 2540 Banks St. has had a few different concepts over the past couple of years, including Fharmacy and The Cause and The Cure, each one has brought something special to the table. That pattern appears set to continue with the July opening of Hot and Soul, a chef-driven restaurant spotlighting international cuisine and craft cocktails.
Co-owner Mike Hampton recently told What Now New Orleans that the restaurant’s menu will be influenced by his culinary travels, and those of his co-owner wife, Christy Samoy.
“We’ve spent a good amount of time traveling in the Caribbean and living in South Florida,” he noted. “It’s impossible to not have that influence in our cooking. Also, I just love West Indies-style Caribbean food. I just love it.”
In addition to Caribbean food, Hot and Soul will also serve some Filipino food and a few noodle dishes, including beef stroganoff. There will be a small lunch menu of hot dogs and hot sandwiches served on hot dog buns. The beverage program includes a craft cocktail list with signature spins on classic drinks like the Peruvian Sunrise, Calamansi Gimlet, and Old Pho Fashioned.
Hampton worked as chef de cuisine at Cane and Table for the past five years. The husband-and-wife team also ran a previous iteration of Hot and Soul in Fort Lauderdale for several years. Hampton admitted that the food and drink menus are a bit all over the map, but emphasized that the entire concept is tied together by its approachability.
“We just hope to be a cool little neighborhood spot,” he said. “It’s really important to us to have that sort of backbone; a good local group that comes in regularly.”
