In an intimate Hampton restaurant, a brightly colored wall mural and Bourbon Street-style second line soundtrack transports diners to Chef Charlton Minor’s idea of New Orleans. Complementing the sights are the Cajun flavors that Minor is serving up at Roux Raw Bar and Grill.
Minor may be a familiar face to many, after working at local restaurants and making appearances on WAVY TV’s Hampton Roads Show, but the celebrity chef branched out in October 2020 and opened his own restaurant. Named after the foundation of many Southern dishes, Roux Raw Bar and Grill achieves Minor’s goal of wanting to bring the cuisine he experienced in Louisiana to Hampton diners.
The menu embraces New Orleans favorites. Po’boys, fried alligator bites and hearty gumbo loaded with chicken, crab, crawfish, shrimp, smoked andouille sausage and okra are just a few of Roux’s signature dishes. “It’s ordinary food, just made extraordinary,” Minor explains.
Creamy shrimp and grits, with white truffle cheddar stone-ground grits, topped with a rich crab and crawfish gravy and jumbo, southern-fried shrimp, are a breakfast favorite. Another Louisiana favorite, that you typically wouldn’t find in Coastal Virginia, is Roux’s Deep Fried Snow Crab Legs. One pound of snow crab legs, removed from the shell, are breaded, lightly fried and served with a sweet chili and jalapeno remoulade.
Adding to Roux’s offerings is the restaurant’s raw bar, which goes through 200–300 oysters every few weeks. Watch as fresh James River, Chesapeake Bay, Rappahannock and Misty Point oysters are shucked right in front of you for the full experience.
Learn more at RouxRawBarAndGrill.com
Arielle Patterson
