Mr. John's Steak House

Greg Syrup, The Executive Chef, Wild and Crazy Man in the Kitchen


Last night, my husband, famous New Orleans' artist Martin Welch, his partner Tim Buckless and yours truly went to Mr. John's Steak House on St Charles Avenue. We went to celebrate another one of my new ventures that I have started.

The process of deciding where to go eat is always an adventure when you are dealing with 3 men. If you ask my husband where to go he will always pick steak. The amazing thing is that all three of them decide that I would choose where we will eat.

I first tried Mr John's with a group called New Orleans' Women and Wine, whose entire purpose is to sample great wine and food pairings together.

Desi Vega, the managing partner of Mr John's, grew up in the restaurant business. Desi was "groomed" by Miss Ella Brennan at Commander's Palace, Miss Ruth Fertel of Ruth's Chris Steakhouse, and by Emeril Lagasse. In New Orleans, those are the biggest names in restaurants.

Desi's partner Rodney Salvaggio, (Mr. John's son -in-law), owned and operated the very popular, "Smilie"s, in Jefferson Parish. His other partner Paul Varisco has been in the restaurant supply business for over 14 years. Paul is the one who brought the partners together to continue Mr. John's name. And we are all glad that he did.

Now, I'm a foodie. I love that all the steaks were cooked to perfection especially since this is the first time that Martin and Tim have eaten at Mr. John's. It's like watching an orchestra, because suddenly 4 waiters all arrive at the same moment to place those plates of meaty wonderment sizzling from the kitchen in front of us.

Since I am not a very good cook I always order side dishes that I will never make at home, so the potatoes Au gratin were just the right combination of gooey lush, slightly crunchy baked cheese on the outside and firm, creamy potatoes on the inside.

We shared the side order of mushrooms, scooping up those plum, rich morsels and decking our steaks with more flavor.

The wait staff is like a well oiled machine. They are attentive and entertaining. Shawn was our waiter and he is The King of Entertainment. Every time I have eaten at Mr. John's, he has been my waiter and he has never failed to entertain.

The real action is in the kitchen. You need to walk through the kitchen to get to the restrooms ( Hey, this is New Orleans and all the buildings are old...we consider this charm and character).

The ringleader is Executive Chef Greg Syrup. He is full of life, energy and he has the magic touch when it comes to food. Make sure that you walk back to the restrooms and meet Greg. He will give you samples of other fabulous food that you might not have ordered and you can soak up some of that exquisite energy of his.

You might want to call for reservations on Friday and Saturday nights, because they get booked up.

Mr John's is open: Tuesday- Saturday 5:30PM-9PM , and Friday Lunch 11AM-2PM.

2111 St. Charles Avenue | New Orleans, Louisiana
Restaurant 504-679-7697 | Office 504-679-7689