Char 19
Wade Wyatt, owner of North Louisiana’s New Orleans-inspired restaurant Char 19, offers a dining experience that balances comfort and design, and where the food and drink is prioritized over everything else. VA N EL I S R I V ER A
K E L LY M O O R E C L A R K
BAYOU E ATS
T
here are a few local restaurants that exude elegance, inspiring us to adorn ourselves in sophistication and style, grab our glass slippers from the back of the closet, and galavant for the evening until the clock turns twelve. Perhaps we do this every once in a while—mom’s 50th birthday party, peepaw and meemaw’s anniversary, or a best friend’s rehearsal dinner—never to return again until we receive another monogrammed invitation in the mail. But, what if elegance could meet casual? Char 19 may seem like a place that welcomes only the ritzy and pristinely ironed guest, but owner Wade Wyatt wants the community of North Louisiana to know that his New Orleansinspired restaurant is a delightful balance of comfort and design, where the enjoyment of food and drink is prioritized for all regardless of whether you’re grabbing a post-workout bite, satisfying a lunch craving, or stopping by for a pre-shopping snack. Char 19 is the brainchild of Wyatt and executive Chef John E. Peters III. Both foodies attended River Oaks School in Monroe (Peters being a few grades ahead of Wyatt) and were in the food industry at some point in their careers. Wyatt’s father had the first Wendy’s established in Louisiana way back in 1978 (right on 18th Street in Monroe). “So I grew up kinda in the restaurant industry,” said Wyatt. Inspired by his early childhood experience, Wyatt opened up his first bar, The Duck Blind Lounge, when he was only eighteen years old. “I was a big hunter and puns are pretty big around here,” he humored. That was the start of many bars for Wyatt, who currently owns and operates TBJ’s on Roselawn Avenue. For a few years, he and Peters had been talking about opening up a dining establishment together and had just been waiting for the right location. When the 19th Street property became available, they were encouraged by the area’s bustling traffic and centralized location. Peters had a more intimate reason for jumping on the location. Back when it used to be the Monroe Steakhouse, he was employed as a dishwasher. It was his first job ever. Now, he’s back in the same kitchen as the executive chef. “It’s kind of surreal for me,” he revealed. Once they started construction, the versatility of the building made them improvise their initial plans. “Everything changes a little bit when you finally step into place and live with what the bones are and how you want to adapt and go home. That’s kind of where
82 APRIL 2021 | WWW.BAYOULIFEMAG.COM
