AKRON, OH (by Katie Byard, Akron Beacon Journal) – BLU Plate opened above BLU Jazz+ on Tuesday with a Red, White, & Blu Plate celebration.
 
It features a “Southern-inspired menu” featuring po’boys, gumbo, barbecue and more, and signature cocktails. A piano bar provides a musical “appeteaser,” encouraging people to go downstairs to the jazz club.
 
Developer Tony Troppe and partners opened BLU Jazz+ in 2014. It’s in the basement of the 1870s Hermes Building, which Troppe redeveloped and owns with partners. He has spearheaded a string of historic preservation projects downtown.
 

In December, the 3 Point restaurant — which was not owned by Troppe — closed following a fire. Shortly afterward, Troppe revealed his plans for BLU Plate in that space.
 
“We’re giving [BLU Jazz+] a front door on Market Street,” Troppe said in a Beacon article I wrote earlier this year.
 
This week, Troppe said the restaurant would offer French-infused Lowcountry cuisine — Georgia coast and South Carolina Lowcountry eats.
 
“I don’t call it Cajun. I don’t call it Creole,” he said of BLU Plate’s food.
 
The menu does give a nod to both styles, including such items as Creole chicken wrap, Louisiana-style shrimp and crawfish étouffée and Creole bruschetta with Cajun honey mustard.
 
Cocktails include classics such as French 75 (gin, lemon, Cointreau, bubbles), as well as signature drinks like BLU Line (gin, St. Germain, crème de violette, lime, bubbles).
 
Regular hours are 5 p.m. to close Wednesday through Saturday. Call 330-252-1190 or go to the BLU Plate Facebook page or https://blujazzakron.com.