Chef Rick Lewis is leaving Quincy Street Bistro to become partners in a new restaurant, a new venture from Mike Emerson’s Pappy’s Smokehouse group.

The restaurant will be called Southern and be located adjacent to Pappy’s, in the former Brinco’s Mexican Grill & Cantina at 3108 Olive in Midtown. Brinco’s, a restaurant that was never able to capitalize on its proximity to Pappy’s, closed in January of this year.

Emerson had been kicking around the idea of doing a chicken joint for several years, but it had to be something new and different, he thought, something along the lines of Hattie B’s Hot Chicken in Nashville, Tennessee (their chicken basket is at right)

Nashville Hot Chicken is a local specialty, so much so that there’s even a city-wide festival and competition to commemorate it (So where's our Provel festival?). Hot Chicken, as it’s more commonly called, is first marinated, then deep-fried and finally sauced. Therein lies the secret. Hot oil is used to “activate the flavors in a special spice blend,” as Lewis describes it, the hot chicken is coated in the paste, and if tradition is followed, the pieces are served atop white bread, with pickle chips.

Lewis’ talents will shine through in Southern’s other menu items, most of them honoring their southern roots. There will be an “elevated” bologna sandwich, Lewis said, something similar to his glazed meatloaf, we trust, and a smattering of the side dishes that had Lewis devotees driving clear across town. The partners are discussing offering burnt brisket ends, and perhaps Skip Steele (co-owner of Bogart’s Smokehouse and part of the Pappy’s family) will be persuaded to part with his non-pareil recipe for smoked pastrami.

Followers of the local restaurant scene will remember that the Quincy Street Bistro was just another bar and grill before Lewis took over in late 2012. Word of the chef’s homemade, home-style dishes spread quickly, earning him Ian Froeb’s first “Chef of the Year” award in 2013, and shortly thereafter, a nomination for the 2014 James Beard "Rising Star Chef of the Year" award, an accolade bestowed upon up-and-comers 30 years of age or younger, the first time a local chef had been so honored.

Lewis says the concept will be a combination of “Hattie B's meets Cochon Butcher" (a famous New Orleans sandwich shop) and “comfort food the way I’d like to eat it,” which could also describe QSB after his arrival.

Southern will be different in several ways. The good news is that service at Southern will be fast casual, a la carte service (with chicken deep-fried in batches), meaning tables will turn quickly; the bad news is that there are only 40 seats, plus some sidewalk seating. The idea of breakfast is being bandied about, but to start off Southern will be open for lunch and early dinner.

Local drafts and canned beer will be available (“we definitely want to show off our local beers,” Lewis said) as will a small selection of wine.

And for those who might be bemoaning the fate of Quincy Street, fear not. Lewis told us that Chris Tirone, a longtime friend and chef who worked locally at An American Place, Monarch, and Truffles, has been handling many of the chef duties at the bistro for the last year. “After having some hip surgery I’d been working the floor a lot,” Lewis said, "giving Chris most of the deserved credit."

Construction at Southern is underway. Lewis said Emerson thought the doors would open “April first-ish.”

In the meantime, Lewis will stay visible. He will appear on Guy's Grocery Games (7 p.m. CDT on the Food Network) tomorrow night, where he will competing against three other James Beard nominees for a $20,000 grand prize.

And he will surely be on hand next Saturday at QSB's 5th Annual Kegs and Eggs, a rollicking and popular event. The perfect time to tell the chef hello, goodbye, and see you soon.