Downtown’s newest restaurant and club, Sweet Lady Blue at 331 W. Forsyth St., opens today and will have a jazz theme through Sunday.
Kevin Hickman and Patrice Williams secured the space in November and have been remodeling the former “Cafe 331” into a breakfast, lunch, dinner and entertainment option for Downtown.
Hickman said he and his partner looked at many locations during their search for a restaurant site. They discovered the 300 block of West Forsyth Street when they were Downtown for Florida-Georgia weekend.
After deciding it was the right choice and signing the lease, the transformation began to turn the former alternative nightclub into a restaurant with a lounge.
“We spent six months peeling back the layers,” Hickman said.
The new look is upscale urban, with separate bar and dining areas. There’s a full kitchen and a small stage for entertainers.
Sweet Lady Blue is open at 6 a.m. Monday-Friday to serve a traditional breakfast. Hickman said the lunch and dinner selections will consist of Southern-style comfort food.
There will be a daily lunch special that might include fried chicken or pot roast, for example, with collard greens, macaroni and cheese or fried okra. The dessert menu features red velvet cake and peach cobbler.
“We’ll also have some lighter items on the menu like salads and soups,” he said.
Other plans include a daily happy hour in the cocktail lounge and late-night promotions based on live entertainment, mostly jazz, blues and R&B, Hickman said.
The location between the new Duval County Courthouse and AT&T Tower 301, soon to be renamed EverBank Center, is a bonus, said Hickman.
While being in the center of the most rapidly changing part of Downtown wasn’t a thought when they found the location, the partners believe it will aid their success and their goal of being part of Downtown’s revitalization.
“Downtown needs things that will draw people Downtown. There are a lot of professionals in Jacksonville and they need things to do,” said Hickman.
Visit sweetladyblue.com to see the menu, entertainment schedule and lunch specials.
356-2466