Lou's, an American comfort food den with an affinity for market-driven French influences, trumpets our favorite kind of board: portly housemade sausages that dribble fatty juices; a formidable charcuterie lineup pimping everything from duck rillettes and duck liver mousse to duck pâté and a salumi plate, paved with various manifestations of pig, including copa, prosciutto and Virginia ham; escargot bobbing in butter; and main dishes that draw from Bonanno's repertoire of pleasurable, classical comfort foods -- spaghetti with mozzarella-stuffed meatballs, enchiladas plumped with carnitas, duck confit a l'orange, hanger steak and a magnificent heap of fried chicken.
"I want this to be a great neighborhood place, and I think it's different from everything else in this neighborhood, but it's also a big departure for me and a risk, because I own the building," explains Bonanno.
But this is Frank Bonanno we're talking about, and as with everything Bonanno touches, Lou's is poised to become another irresistible -- and successful -- restaurant in his growing culinary kingdom.
We sat in on the soft opening of Lou's earlier this week, and we've brought back a bundle of photos to give you a taste of what you have to look forward to.