John Besh to venture outside of LouisianaJohn Besh to venture outside of Louisiana

Ron Ruggless

John Besh, New Orleans chef and multi-concept owner, plans to expand outside of Louisiana for the first time with the mid-October opening of his Lüke restaurant on the River Walk in San Antonio.

Besh, who owns and operates Lüke, Restaurant August, Besh Steak, La Provence, American Sector and Domenica in the New Orleans area, said, “It is really exciting for me to be bringing my beloved Lüke to a city with such vibrancy and spirit as San Antonio.”

The original Lüke in New Orleans’ business district features a Franco-German-inspired menu in a brasserie-style atmosphere. Besh named Steven McHugh, who has worked within the Besh Restaurant Group, as executive chef of the San Antonio Lüke.

The company called McHugh a “devotee of farm-to-table cooking,” and added that he “is creating a menu that draws from the many German influences of the San Antonio area and features such regional delicacies as Texas-raised beef and quail, as well as some of the nostalgic brasserie menu items that Lüke’s sister restaurant in New Orleans has become famous.”

Those specialties include housemade pâtés, duck confit, herb-roasted chicken and creamy pasta dishes.

The new restaurant is expected to feature some San Antonio specialties as well, including veal barbacoa, locally made cheeses, Hill Country produce and Texas wild boar. An extensive wine and beer menu that highlights French, German, Belgian and Texas selections is planned to complement the cuisine.

“There’s a distinct flavor and palate in San Antonio,” McHugh said, “and we want to make sure that Lüke is a part of that. We’ll have some seafood on the menu, but you’ll see more locally raised beef, some wild boar from a ranch just up the road, and I’m thinking about creating a deep-fried, plump Texas quail dish with local honey. It’s the French version of American comfort food with a San Antonio kick.”

Lüke San Antonio will accommodate about 350 people in a two-story River Walk building. The restaurant will be open for lunch and dinner.

Contact Ron Ruggless at [email protected].