A year removed from having his Rice Vice sake bar named one of the top drinking spots in America by Esquire, Byron Stithem is planning to expand to New Orleans, one of his favorite cities to visit. With an early 2024 opening planned, Rice Vice, part II will occupy a cozy space once home to a barbershop in the Algiers Point neighborhood of New Orleans, right across the Mississippi River from the French Quarter.
Founded early in the 18th century, Algiers Point is the second-oldest neighborhood in NOLA, and its shabby-chic vibe should make for an excellent home for Rice Vice to serve up Stithem’s Proper Sake, plus other sakes from Japan and across America. Taking advantage of the Big Easy's more, shall we say, relaxed liquor regulations, Proper Sake will be able to ship directly from their manufacturing facility in East Nashville to the new outpost, negating the need to burn up Interstate 59 every other day to replenish inventory.
Byron Stithem of Proper Sake
Stithem does plan to earn from Southwest frequent-flier miles though, as he commuted between the two locations to oversee the hospitality programs. With only 20 seats in about 400 square feet, Stithem should be able to re-create the cozy vibe of the original Rice Vice in his new spot at 143 Delaronde St.
Stithem’s partner in the venture is Bryson Aust, an Algiers Point resident who should bring plenty of local knowledge to the project. In a town filled with great bars, you might think that it could be difficult to stand out in New Orleans. Then again, you could say the same thing about Nashville, and Esquire definitely recognized that Rice Vice is an outstanding bar.
I’m already looking forward to the novel experience of taking a five-minute ferry ride from the base of Canal Street to Algiers, and then the one-block walk to Rice Vice the next time I visit New Orleans.
