Simon Beck didn’t set out for Brown Butter, his restaurant that once called Mid-City home, to be a burger joint; it kind of just happened.
Beck is a thirty-year veteran of the restaurant business and when he opened the original Mid-City location of Brown Butter in 2015, the restaurant garnered a following for its entrees, burgers, and brunch. When Brown Butter was featured on The Food Network show Burgers, Brew & ‘Que, the restaurant’s status as a local “burger joint” was elevated.
As time progressed, Beck says he felt like Brown Butter outgrew its Mid-City strip mall home and he noticed a shift in his customer base from locals to tourists.
He explains, “After Covid it flipped and we were twenty percent of customers were local and eighty percent were tourists, which was wasn’t what we were accustomed to. It became challenging when the season slowed and there wasn’t a lot happening in the city.”
The original Brown Butter closed in 2023 when the restaurant lost its lease. Beck is grateful for the original Brown Butter’s long run in Mid-City and was excited to continue the Brown Butter legacy if the opportunity presented itself.
Last year, Beck was contacted by the owners of Gretna Depot Cafe & Spirits at 326 Huey P. Long Ave. in Old Gretna with the news that they were interested in selling the business. Intrigued, Beck thought the place had a lot of charm and was in a great location just a few blocks from the Gretna courthouse.
“I knew that being out there we could get back to our original plan of being a neighborhood restaurant,” Beck says. “We probably won’t see a lot of tourist business so that will allow us to focus on local customers.”
Beck took over the lease in June 2024. After renovating the building and navigating the permit process, he and business partner Lauren Clayton opened Brown Butter Depot this past April.
Brown Butter Depot’s menu strongly focuses on burgers, shared plates, sandwiches, and salads. The menu boasts twelve burgers, including the Pimento Cheese Burger with housemade pimento cheese and pickled red onions; Bacon Cheddar Burger with sharp cheddar cheese and smoked bacon; the Korean BBQ Burger with Korean BBQ sauce, house kimchi, and crispy onion; and Brown Butter’s famed Brunch Burger topped with a fried egg, melted brie, smoked bacon, onion jam, and arugula. All burgers are made with a half-pound of brisket and short rib blend and served on a Dong Phuong brioche bun.
Other menu highlights include the Brown Butter Fried Chicken Sandwich, the BB Club Sandwich, a Chicken Salad Sandwich, and a selection of wings and assorted appetizers.
In the next few months, Beck plans to reintroduce some of the brunch favorites he served at the original Brown Butter, like the Hot Honey Chicken Biscuit, Chicken and Waffles, Shrimp and Grits, and Eggs Benedict. He says customers can expect a smaller, more streamlined approach with five or six entrees and a selection of appetizers. Brown Butter Depot will also offer bottomless mimosas and Bloody Marys.
The restaurant can host big crowds with indoor and outdoor seating, which Beck is especially excited about.
He says, “Inside is close to what it was in Mid-City, but outside I have forty additional seats on a wrap-around patio. Obviously, the weather isn’t always cooperative in the summer, but for the times it is we have a nice patio.”
Although Brown Butter Depot has only been open nearly two months, Beck says the restaurant has settled into its corner of Old Gretna nicely.
“The response has been really positive and we’re already seeing repeat guests,” he says. “I couldn’t be happier with our new location.”
Brown Butter Depot is open Wednesday through Monday from 11:00 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.
