Mt. Juliet food fans have long been awaiting this day. Nick and Audra Guidry — owners of East Nashville restaurants Pelican & Pig and Slow Hand Coffee + Bakeshop as well as the Lebanon-based Slow Hand Coffee + Bakehouse — are finally swinging open the doors at their latest venture, Leon’s Famous Deli. Partnering with friends and developers Hunter and Wendy Briley, the Guidrys officially open today, April 3, at 2240 N. Mt. Juliet Road, Suite 100. Their new space aims to combine the ambiance of an NYC deli with influences from Nick’s Louisiana upbringing.
The restaurant is named after Hunter’s grandfather, a native of Baton Rouge, and the lightning bolt painted on the wall is a nod to Grandpa’s work as a welder. The cuisine will definitely reflect lots of Pelican State influences. In the official opening announcement, Nick shares: “I grew up with a love of po’boys. New Orleans, and cajun cooking, have always had a major influence on me, when Hunter brought the original idea of Leon’s up eight or so years ago, it was of immediate interest as it spoke to so much of my childhood and memories of my own grandfather, who was a native of southern Louisiana as well.”
Photo courtesy of Leon's
Despite Audra’s vaunted talent as a baker, the group chose to go with a New Orleans original for their po’boy bread, bringing in the irreplaceable French rolls from Leidenheimer Bakery. “Being from Louisiana it just felt like a natural fit," says Nick. "The bread is light, airy, yet has a glass-like crunch to the crust. This is one of the breads I knew to be the base of po’boys growing up; we played with other products but we kept coming home to Leidenheimer French bread.”
The menu will also feature a roast beef sandwich that might be unfamiliar to local diners used to sliced beef on their rolls. Instead, they will slow-braise beef until it breaks apart into the delectable tender chunks that New Orleanians refer to as "debris." Of course, they’ll also serve a classic muffuletta to hang their hat on, featuring pit-smoked ham, hard salami, mortadella, provolone and house-made giardiniera. Any of the sandwiches are also available as toppings over loaded fries, just in case, y’know, you’re trying to cut back on carbs (and are comfortable with blatantly lying to yourself).
On the Manhattan side of the menu, Leon’s will offer cold deli salads like egg salad and chicken salad available by the pint or the cup, but Upper East Siders probably won’t know what to make of drink options like Kool-Aid and Cinnamon Crunch cold brew coffee. However, I’m guessing that Upper East Mt. Julieters will be delighted, so check out Leon’s seven days a week from 10:30 a.m. until 8 p.m.
Welcome to the neighborhood, Leon!
[Update: Well, apparently Leon's has been a victim of their own early success, and Nick Guidry has temporarily cut out Sunday hours and set 4:00 as the closing hour during the other days of the week. He's also cut a few of the sandwiches from the voluminous menu for the time being, and reports that wait times have already been greatly improved. He expects to return to full hours soon, but we'd hate for anyone to show up for dinner and find the doors locked. Check Leon's website for further updates.]
