‘An amazing, beautiful restaurant in downtown Perry.’ This new spot is sure to please
Step into ‘Orleans on Carroll Street in the heart of downtown Perry and you’ll find yourself immersed in a beautifully designed space where the spirit and flavors inspired by the Crescent City come to life.
This long-anticipated casual fine dining restaurant at 807 Carroll St. is the inspiration of two longtime friends, Steve Wemple and Curtis George.
“We built this amazing restaurant, we’ve created the food, and we hired the staff,” George said. “We just want people to come in and have a good time and feel like they’ve had a great meal and a great value.”
When asked to describe the cuisine, George said with smile, “Southern with a Cajun twist or maybe Cajun with a Southern twist.”
The food
The dinner menu offers a carefully curated selection of dishes that range from simple po’boys to classic Louisiana inspired dishes such as jambalaya and etouffee to steaks and salmon almondine. The lunch menu does not include a few of the dinner entrees and steaks.
The restaurant’s jambalaya is Cajun fried rice served with shredded chicken, andouille sausage and blackened shrimp. The etouffee is described on the menu as a rich creole gravy loaded with a choice of blackened chicken or blackened shrimp over a bed of dirty rice.
Some popular dishes, George said, include ‘Orleans crawfish dip and fried green tomatoes for appetizers and the ‘Orleans Cajun pasta with blackened chicken or blackened shrimp and the jambalaya for entrees.
George said his favorite menu item is the blackened salmon BLT served on white bread with lettuce, tomato, bacon and house-made remoulade sauce.
On a recent visit for lunch, I tried a cup of gumbo, crab cakes and the small portion of the ‘Orleans salad. Gumbo and crab cakes are two of my favorite dishes, and I enjoy a good salad.
The gumbo, billed as a hearty stew with tomatoes, okra, onions, shredded chicken and smoked andouille sausage and topped with a scoop of rice, did not disappoint. It had just a hint of heat and was perfectly seasoned to my taste. Blackened shrimp can be added to the gumbo for an upcharge.
The crab cakes were perfection — pan seared crab with homemade chow-chow and drizzled with remoulade.
The ‘Orleans salad of mixed greens, mandarin oranges, dried cranberries, candied pecans and crumbled blue cheese tossed in balsamic dressing was delicious.
For dessert, the chocolate revenge cake with a scoop of butter pecan ice cream on the side was delectable. The chocolate brownie-like cake was moist with a thick icing and a sprinkling of candied pecans. It’s revenge was a just hint of cayenne pepper. The ice cream paired nicely.
Our videographer tried the Mary Ellen’s Favorite, a pounded and fried pork tenderloin sandwich with coleslaw, pickles and garlic aioli.
Billed as their take on an Iowa classic, this sandwich is also popular in Ohio where our videographer became a huge fan. He said he had to order the classic sandwich because there are very few places he can find it.
For dessert, he enjoyed the caramel apple cheesecake with a homemade apple compote, caramel drizzle and spiced candied pecans.
The portions were large, and he carried half of his meal home to enjoy later.
What I like about this restaurant is its beauty, attention to detail, vibe, range of good food choices from simple to sophisticated and its service.
My server, Jakare Brown, was attentive and aimed to please. One of the managers stopped by to ask about my experience. My visit to the restaurant was unannounced.
Quiet opening
The restaurant opened without any fanfare Oct. 20.
Nonetheless, word got out and “spread like California wildfires,” George said.
To achieve their first independent restaurant concept created together, Wemple and George renovated this two-story building on Carroll Street that formerly was home to a restaurant on the first floor and medical offices on the second floor.
Wemple is the CEO and George is the chief operating officer of ‘Orleans on Carroll Street.
The men became friends when working at a Wendy’s in the early ‘80s. Wemple went on to make a successful career owning and operating quick service restaurants while George made his mark in casual fine dining.
Transformation
The structure underwent a complete transformation to become ‘Orleans on Carroll Street. A large skylight was added to fill the second floor event space and first floor dining room with lots of natural light.
The skylight is over a staircase that was added to the structure and connects the first and second floors.
‘Orleans on Carroll Street is capable of seating 150 people inside.
The open and spacious dining area includes The Voodoo Room, a private dining room that is encased in glass and can be closed off by a sliding glass door.
While reservations are “required,” there is limited walk-in availability — including at a long “community table” at the restaurant. The Crescent City Bar and Grill, which is the restaurant’s full-service bar, is first come, first serve.
At the community table, a diner “may end up having lunch with someone he hasn’t met before or a friend he hasn’t seen in awhile or your neighbor,” George said.
Throughout the space are nods to the Big Easy. A painting of The Blue Dog by Louisiana artist George Rodrigue can be found in the main dining area while an image of a New Orleans streetscape covers a wall in the second floor event space.
The event space includes a bar, lounge area and space to add tables for dining if desired. A second floor balcony accessible from the event space overlooks Carroll Street and the lawn of the former Houston County Courthouse where downtown events are often staged.
‘Orleans on Carroll Street plans to hold a Fat Tuesday celebration next year with plans to ask the city to close the street in front of the restaurant for the event, George said.
A new elevator also connects the event space to the bar on the first floor.
Sliding glass doors that lock can close off the main dining area from the restaurant’s bar that also has table seating. This allows for the bar to remain open later than the main restaurant.
The bar spills out to a patio that includes a large pergola, a large and a small fountain, a massive overhead cooling fan and patio heaters. The patio can seat another 50 people.
“We built an amazing, beautiful restaurant in downtown Perry,” George said. “Now we have to deliver amazing service and amazing food.”
Daily hours for the restaurant are 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. for lunch and 4 to 9 p.m. for dinner and 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily for the bar. The telephone number is 478-224-2222.
