Mac B’s New Orleans-themed restaurant opening in former 58hundred space in Southwest Garden this summer

The Southwest Garden neighborhood is excited: In four to six weeks time, there will be a new kid on the block, as reported by St. Louis Magazine. He’ll be frying duck wings, fixing some big, easy drinks; and banging out tunes on an old piano. Mac B’s – a New Orleans-themed restaurant, bar and upstairs lounge at 5800 Southwest Ave. –  is almost all systems go. It’s owned by Barry Strange who most recently hails from Stanley’s Cigar Lounge, and Jamal Dunn who owns a security company.

Things are looking good over there, thanks, in part, to master-of-all-trades Frank Folsom who has painted the place top to bottom – turning the walls from white to sultry gray – installed a few televisions and wired in the lights. When we went, the stain on the bar stools was still wet.

Strange said the menu had been finalized only yesterday. Chef Sabrina Curry, who worked at the Cardinals Club at Busch Stadium for the past three years will be heading the kitchen. Think poutine. Think catfish fillet with crawfish etouffee. Cajun trout amandine and a wagyu, baseball-cut sirloin will be other stars of this show; as well as a 16-ounce ribeye, cut in-house. 

Strange said the small, New Orleans-focused beverage program will be interesting. He seemed particularly excited (as were we) about the Creole bloody mary “with a lot of meat.” We asked for specifics. “It’ll be a real snack,” he said, adding that a smoked chimichurri chicken wing may show a face in that hearty drink. 

Considering his most recent provenance, we were not surprised to hear that there’ll be a lounge component at Mac B’s. For an annual fee, the handsome upstairs space will offer luxe, leathery sofas and chairs, and cigars will be allowed. Drinks for the lounge will be ordered downstairs. 

Strange seemed pretty relaxed about the preparations. “I’ve been around for a while,” he said. Although he’s not sure of an exact date, he said Mac B’s would likely open on a Tuesday. For the time being, live music will take place during brunch on Sunday; with an eye to increasing the “tune-factor” in pretty short order.