COMMONS CLUB NEW ORLEANS
Set to open Labor Day weekend, Virgin Hotels New Orleans is the latest addition to the Warehouse District. The brand-new hotel from Sir Richard Branson’s hotel brand will feature 238 guest rooms, a rooftop pool and lounge, and food and beverage outlets, including its flagship restaurant, bar, and lounge called Commons Club. The kitchen at Commons Club will be led by former Chef to Watch Alex Harrell, whose menu will focus on “contemporary American cuisine with a Southern sensibility.” commonsclub.com/new-orleans
MAMA RETA’S LAKE CHARLES
When Hurricane Laura tore through Lake Charles last August and destroyed “Mama Reta” Nell Durgan’s home and restaurant, she temporarily moved her business to Lafayette to “keep doing what she loves to do.” When her lease is up on that location in September, Reta will move the restaurant back to Lake Charles for good, with a new location near the I-10 corridor on Belden Street in Reta’s family
