New restaurant to bring a taste of Louisiana to Aiken

Staff photo by Michael Gibbons Chef Jason Veasey stands outside his new restaurant at 233 Chesterfield St. S.W.

Downtown Aiken will get a little New Orleans flavor today with the grand opening of VZ's Big Easy, a Carolina-Creole-Cajun style restaurant in the former home of the Italian-style eatery Olive Oils.

VZ's Big Easy, located at 233 Chesterfield St. S.W., will be open for dinner with a limited menu through April 18, at which time it will debut its full menu. Owner and chef Jason Veasey said he hopes to open the restaurant for lunch seatings in early May.

"When we open we'll have things on the menu like Crab Imperial, blackened stuffed pork Porterhouse, chicken boursin, eggplant Bayou teche, veal maison, and filet mignon and ribeyes," Veasey said. "Then when we change to the regular menu we'll have a lot more stuff - a lot more fried and broiled seafood items."

The restaurant will be open from 4:30 to 9 p.m. from Tuesday to Thursday, and 4:30 to 9:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday. During the week of the Masters Golf Tournament, April 6-12, VZ's will be open every night and will stay open at least a half-hour later than usual, according to Veasey.

The restaurant's entrees at dinner seatings will range in price from $16 to $26, and the menu will include daily specials; the lunch menu is not yet set, but Veasey said he estimated prices would be from $6 to $10. VZ's has its alcohol license and will serve beer, wine and liquor.

VZ's will offer dine in, take out and catering services. The restaurant has seating for 56 indoors and 30 outdoors; reservations are recommended but not required.

Veasey, his fellow chef, Alex Stallings, and their staff of 12 have been working for more than a week to get the new restaurant ready for opening night. He credited servers Matt Clark and Caitlin Houston with "working night and day" to prepare the restaurant, and thanked his friends Sam Mize and Chris Boerstler for their assistance. He also credited Will Jackson with the new eatery's menu design.

Veasey has worked as a chef at Up Your Alley, the Aiken Brewing Company and as executive chef at the North Augusta Country Club. He owned and managed restaurants in North Carolina in the 1990s, and returned to Aiken in 2003.

VZ's Big Easy is no relation to the former Aiken hot spot The Big Easy Cafe on Whiskey Road, which closed several years ago.

"I hope that people will feel it's the best food they've ever had," said Veasey. "To me, if somebody says the food is good, that's not a compliment. I want to hear that the food was incredible."

For more information about the restaurant or to make a reservation, call VZ's Big Easy at 644-3279.

Contact Suzanne Stone at sstone@aikenstandard.com.