A tantalizing Italian culinary concept is taking shape in the heart of the Garden District as St. Elmo’s prepares to open at 3218 Magazine St. The restaurant is a new concept from John Michael Rowland, the man behind experiential dining spots Pigeon & Whale and The Husky. If St. Elmo’s follow suit, it will be a place where the surroundings combine with the food for a transcendent experience. What Now New Orleans has reached out for additional details.
According to a permit filing with the City of New Orleans, the restaurant space will undergo a major interior renovation that will create an open-kitchen layout. The roughly 2,300-square-foot dining space will feature a mix of parquet and marble flooring, custom-built booths, and a faux rock wall in the waiting area. A sample menu included with a permit filing focuses on refined Italian fare with an emphasis on handmade pasta dishes, such as bucatini cacio e pepe and rigatoni alla vodka. Plates like beef cheek arancini, charred octopus, and lamb skewers round out the sample menu. With 86 seats in the main dining room and 15 in the bar area, St. Elmo’s feels like it will offer a bustling, sophisticated vibe.
