Central West End nook The Kitchen Sink will set up a second location at 555 Washington Ave., downtown later this summer, according to chef-owner Anthony Ellerson Jr.
Ellerson said he is broadening his Cajun/Creole-inflected menu and hopes to draw crowds visiting the nearby National Blues Museum, which will open next year. The chef, who opened the first Kitchen Sink on DeBaliviere Avenue before moving to its current location at 255 Union Blvd., in 2013, confirmed the expansion has quietly “been going on for several months,” and he is aiming for an August opening.
Kitchen Sink devotees shouldn’t expect too many departures from the new menu, though Ellerson said the emphasis will be less on breakfast, which won’t be available all day (as it is at the Central West End location) and more on entrees and ambience.
“It’ll be more steaks, more seafood,” he said. “There will be a live band every night. I’m going to have a little dance floor. I want to have it be something a little more crazy and different.”
Though details on menu and décor are still rough, Ellerson said his plans to offer multiple varieties of steak and crab legs were absolute. He also confirmed several new additions to The Kitchen Sink’s eclectic burger selection, including a build-your-own option – with added incentive. The house will select one inspired diner’s creation to be featured on the menu as burger of the month. “We’ll offer a smorgasbord of things and still stay true to my roots,” he said.
Ellerson’s new venture will be among the ballooning cadre of restaurants set to orbit the new museum and growing Washington Avenue neighborhood, including a fourth location of Sugarfire Smoke House; Gerard Craft’s newest fast-casual venture, Porano Pasta + Gelato; and soon-to-open Tazé Mediterranean Street Food.
This article appears in April 2015.