L’Auberge Casino Resort, Lake Charles, will open a Johnny Sanchez Restaurant this summer. Owner Aaron Sanchez, popular TV chef personality, opened the first Johnny Sanchez in New Orleans in 2014.

The restaurant will embody the warmth of traditional Mexican cooking and the fun and genuine hospitality that defines New Orleans, according to a press release from L’Auberge. It bridges traditional Mexican food with a cutting-edge, modern approach to dining that utilizes the very best ingredients.

The new eatery will serve breakfast, lunch and dinner and feature 74 dining seats, 26 bar seats and 66 seats on the outside patio. It is situated near the casino’s popular pool and Lazy River, which will make it possible to beat the heat times two, in the water and with a sauvignon blanc, margarita or Modela from the Johnny Sanchez Bar.

L’Auberge Executive Chef Kevin McCarthy said the food and beverage menu will be similar to the New Orleans restaurant. His team will replicate most of what is served in New Orleans, while leaving room for a pinch of their own creativity. The menu might change a couple of times a year.

“The salsa and ‘guac’” will be made fresh daily,” McCarthy assured. Other appetizers  or small plates will include crispy brussel sprouts and a cauliflower taco. McCarthy looks for the queso fundido with chorizo to be a major hit. He definitely enjoyed this menu item when he dined at the New Orleans location. Expect empanadas, flautas, quesadillas, fajitas, and enchiladas, arroz con pollo, as well as a ‘Sanchezed’ burger or sandwich.

“It is exciting to work with Aarón and grow the Johnny Sanchez brand within Louisiana,” said L’Auberge VP & GM Harold Rowland.  “We chose to partner with Aarón because of his commitment to Louisiana and passion for timeless Mexican food.”

The two partners are supportive of each other’s personalities. Sanchez was eager to learn about L’Auberge customer preferences and the overall L’Auberge experience. Rowland said the casino is working with Sanchez designers and architects to capture the vibrant, hip feel of the Johnny Sanchez concept. To create the right vibe, the area that once housed “Favorites,” has been opened up to the pool and corridor “to draw a different kind of energy,” Rowland explained.

Aaron Sanchez visited New Orleans for the first time when he was 16 to intern at K-Paul’s, according to the NOLA.com article by Todd Price. He didn’t stay. He returned when he was 18 and stayed one year. In 2007 Sanchez was back again as a contestant on the Food Network’s Next Iron Chef. John Besh was also a contestant. They teamed up to open their first taqueria in Baltimore. That explains the “Johnny” in the name of the restaurant. However, Besh has not been affiliated with the restaurant since 2017.