New Orleans brothers will transform Biloxi mansion into fine dining Italian restaurant
The last surviving mansion in downtown Biloxi will become home to a new location of one of the finest Italian restaurants in New Orleans.
Jack Rizzuto — who, with brother Phil Rizzutto, owns Rizzuto’s Ristorante & Chop House — confirmed Wednesday they purchased the historic Redding House at 770 Jackson Street in Biloxi.
They have operated Rizzuto’s in the Lakeshore neighborhood of New Orleans for five years, he said. That restaurant also in an historic house that for more than 40 years was Tony Angello’s Ristorante.
Rizzuto said they are working on another project in New Orleans and then will expand to Biloxi, probably in about six months.
The 5,000 square foot Redding House has been for sale for years. It’s tucked away on a side street, but is just a block or two from Hard Rock and Beau Rivage casinos and The District on Howard, where actor Morgan Freeman will open Ground Zero Blues Club.
Rizzuto said they were very intrigued with the Redding House when they took the tour. The house was built in 1908 and is on the National Register of Historic Places.
Two levels of curved porches will become outdoor dining spaces, he said.
Inside, customers will be wowed by the two-story entrance hall. The mansion has nine fireplaces, crystal chandeliers, pocket doors, rich wood floors, stained glass windows and mahogany and cypress wood trim.
Minimal renovations will be needed to transform the building into a restaurant, he said, primarily in the kitchen that will turn out prime steaks, fresh seafood dishes and authentic Italian specialties made from their grandmother Lena’s old-world recipes.
“Every cut of meat on our menu is prime,” he said.
“There’s a lot of seafood on our menu,” Rizzuto said. In addition to the fish of the day are lobster or shrimp fra diavolo, seafood lasagna, clam pasta and their oyster Bordelaise, a Creole Italian dish seasoned with herbs and garlic and served with house-made linguini.
Fine wines also are featured.
Rizzuto said Hurricane Ida and the coronavirus have made it more difficult to staff the restaurant and get supplies. Rizzuto’s is known for its quality service, he said, and when everything is in place, their new restaurant will open in Biloxi.
