New Orleans’ Magazine Street is getting another polished dining room, this time from the restaurateur behind two of Uptown’s most deliberately designed restaurants. St. Elmo’s is being planned as an Italian concept in the former Uptown Sports Social space, with handmade pasta and a lavish interior renovation on the way.
The project comes from John Michael Rowland, whose Pigeon & Whale and The Husky have built their identities around more than what lands on the plate. A City of New Orleans permit filing calls for roughly 2,300 square feet of renovations, including an open kitchen, parquet and marble flooring, custom-built booths, and a faux rock wall in the waiting area, according to What Now New Orleans.
The sample menu points toward refined Italian fare, with bucatini cacio e pepe, rigatoni alla vodka, beef cheek arancini, charred octopus, and lamb skewers among the early offerings. Plans call for 86 seats in the main dining room and another 15 at the bar, a setup the report describes as a “bustling, sophisticated vibe.”
St. Elmo’s Follows Rowland’s Design-First Playbook
Rowland’s earlier restaurants have leaned into the idea that dinner should feel like a brief vacation from the city outside. New Orleans Magazine described The Husky’s atmosphere as a “Gatsby’s mountain lodge,” while Pigeon & Whale takes its cues from New England seafood and nautical design.
That design-heavy approach has become a recognizable part of Rowland’s restaurant portfolio. Big Easy Magazine reported that Rowland opened Pigeon & Whale in 2023 before adding The Husky, a cabin-inspired steakhouse with dishes including Beef Wellington, pork cheek cannelloni, and bison short rib.
St. Elmo’s would extend that pattern into a more Italian direction, pairing familiar pasta dishes with an open view into the kitchen and a room built to make an impression. An opening date has not been announced in the public project details so far, but the Garden District already has a new restaurant-in-progress to keep an eye on.
