Try gumbo and poboys at this Bluffton cafe, now open in once-popular brunch spot
When a longtime favorite restaurant closes and a different one takes its place, the new owners are under some added pressure.
“I didn’t want people to be disappointed that they lost something good,” said Renee Hotard, whose family has opened River Road Cafe in the space that once housed Walnuts in Bluffton. “It puts a little weight on your shoulders.”
River Road Cafe, with a distinctly Louisiana-influenced menu, served its first customers last week in Sheridan Park shopping center.
The restaurant is owned and operated by the six members of the Hotard family, including Renee’s parents, Emmett and Michele, her brother Evan, and her sisters Rachael and Sydney. They moved to Bluffton from the Mississippi Gulf Coast and the New Orleans area. All have had previous restaurant experience.
“I moved here in March, and the rest of the family moved in July,” said Renee, who worked as a manager at Poseidon on Hilton Head Island for several months until the family’s plans began to materialize.
The family painted and installed new flooring, replaced the tables and changed the decor with wood accent walls and plants to make the space feel cozy but also fresh and modern.
The menu
Family recipes lend some Louisiana authenticity to the menu.
“It’s not stereotypical Cajun/Creole stuff,” said Renee. “It’s not kitschy New Orleans.”
Instead, the menu is a mix of simple classics such as poboys, gumbo, and red beans and rice, along with steaks, seafood and salads.
“Everything is made in-house. The desserts are all scratch-made,” Renee explained.
River Road Cafe is open for breakfast and lunch. Breakfast is served until 11 a.m.
Breakfast options range from the $6.95 biscuits and gravy to the $18.95 steak and eggs. In between, there’s chicken and waffles ($11.95) and an array of omelets, including one with crawfish and another with andouille sausage.
In addition to eight different poboys, the lunch menu includes chicken and sausage gumbo ($6.95 bowl), fried catfish served with jalapeno cornbread ($13.95), and a fried shrimp basket ($14.95).
The Louisiana touches don’t stop when the menu reaches the dessert stage. Guests can try a slice of pecan pie or Mom’s Bread Pudding with white chocolate chips and rum sauce. Both are $5.95.
Walnuts, which was known for its brunch specials, announced on Facebook March 18 that it was closing until further notice. A second post April 2 said the closure would be permanent.
If you go
What: River Road Cafe
Where: 70 Pennington Drive, Suite 20, in Bluffton (in Sheridan Park behind Sonic)
Hours: Breakfast from 7:30 to 11 a.m. and lunch from 11 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Phone: 843-540-3982
Facebook: www.facebook.com/riverroadcafe
