Three chefs and former colleagues are reuniting to open Midtown's newest patio bar. Johnny's Gold Brick owner Benjy Mason (formerly a chef at Down House) has teamed up with former Bernadine's chefs Graham Laborde and Chris Roy to open Winnie's later this fall.
Located in the former Natachee's space in the Mid-Main development, Winnie's will offer a modern, cocktail-forward take on a classic po' boy shop. The project evolved out of the Peace Maker pop-up the trio launched last year.
“We knew we wanted to do something fun and unique,” Laborde said in a statement. "We’ve done fine dining, but we really love sandwiches and frozen drinks. This bar
grew out of things that we truly love, hanging out, arguing about sandwiches, and drinking tasty beverages.”
Those arguments led to an eclectic lineup of eight sandwiches. Naturally, the Peace Maker, a combination of fried shrimp and fried oysters, will be available. Another option will be the Mississippi Beef Debris po' boy with with braised beef, pepperoncinis, beer queso, roasted carrot ranch dressing, and Cool Ranch Doritos.
The menu will also feature shareable snacks such as pink peppercorn lemon pepper chicken wings, salads such as the Muffaletta Chop Salad, and oysters — raw and roasted. The menu will be served from lunch to late night for dine-in, to-go, or delivery via third party apps.
Johnny's bartender Garrett Lendermann developed a cocktail menu of frozen, draft, and traditional sips that aim to be refreshing. Options include a cafe su da take on a frozen Irish coffee, a hurricane soda highball, a Sherry smash, and a frozen raspberry Negroni.
“We see this bar as following in Johnny’s footsteps and being a neighborhood gathering spot for all the people who live nearby and we really wanted to take advantage of the amazing patio for people who want to get a drink and a snack in the afternoon,” Mason said.
Design elements will include exposed wood ceilings and two new bay windows that will let in more natural light. The bar top and back bar are being made by local sculptor Patrick Renner out of reclaimed wood.
The classic Peacemaker po' boy.
