THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Mumbo Jumbo

THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Mumbo Jumbo Restaurant Review:

This restaurant/bar/lounge all rolled into one is cool in every way and among our favorite Downtown haunts. The building is more than 100 years old. While still maintaining some of its former grandeur with a huge stone fireplace and 50-foot mahogany bar, it has been updated with orange and chartreuse walls, towering painted panels and tiled columns that look like creations of Gaudí. The lunch crowd reveals a mix of politics and business. Come sundown, the musicians, gallery owners and beautiful people come in droves. Chef Shaun Doty, a learned disciple of chef Guenther Seeger, has an intimate relationship with the region’s organic bounty. Doty has been known to travel to his native Virginia to dig up ramps, a Southern wild leek. He also is vigilant about incorporating seasonal changes into his menu, so look for such additions as soft-shell crabs in season. Some dishes never change however, such as the signature mumbo gumbo, a perfect balance of spice and comfort, slow-cooked oxtail meat nestled under mashed potatoes, and the homemade Kit Kat bar for dessert. As entrées, we like the rabbit dishes, when they’re available, or any of the fish dishes. Watermelon salad with Sweet Grass goat cheese from south Georgia unites old and new traditions. The menu changes constantly---just the excuse we need to go back. When we do, we’ll be sure to save room for dessert, especially the house-made yogurt, now served with pistachios, dried cherries and eucalpytus honey, but the garnish on this Mumbo Jumbo classic changes often. There’s just no locking chef Doty into one mode. The wine list isn’t especially long, but it’s well-chosen and has good values from around the world, even featuring a good rosé. One thing to note: Noise levels can get quite high, especially if the upstairs dance scene gets energetic.