Deborah and Ryan Borchelt were pretty happy, living in Indianapolis, Indiana. They had a wonderful and successful restaurant on Fountain Square in Fort Wayne doing good business. After years of training and experience for Ryan (starting when he was 15) and a successful small chain of pizza restaurants for Deborah they had gone to New Orleans and came away with a deep appreciation for Creole and southern cuisine, though maybe it was in Deborah's blood to begin with, she was born in Little Rock Arkansas. The restaurant they built B's Po Boy features what Ryan said are, "Very flavorful," sandwiches, that are, "very simple and yet it does require skill to make it." He had gone to culinary school and worked in fine dining but found that kind of food "stuffy and not what I wanted to do." Now it's opening a Seattle location on Alki in the former Alki Bakery/ Fatburger location at 2738 Alki Ave SW. Monday June 13 is their opening day.

In any case, fate would intervene. Their very close friends worked for Starbucks and were being transferred to the home office in Seattle. After they moved and got settled Deborah and Ryan came out for a visit. They saw the water, the mountains, the way of life here and in particular the feel and people of West Seattle. They fell in love with this place.

Back home in Indiana, on a summer trip to a lake, it just came to a head. Deborah said she simply had to move to Seattle. "It was 100 degrees and 100 percent humidity and even the lake water was hot. I decided we had to come back to Seattle for the temperate climate and this place." But it was not a done deal. They found the location on Alki but would not go forward if they could not live here in West Seattle. "Literally at the 11th hour," said Deborah, "We found a place to live and began to work on getting B's Po Boy Seattle ready."

The making of the sandwiches, despite a somewhat simple appearance, requires some very special elements. "It has to be from scratch," said Ryan," you can't just open a bag. When done right it's really good. It's very simple. You don't have to have the greatest of line cooks or sous chef because it's casual. But you've gotta have good recipes." These are classic Po' Boy recipes, though some have had minor adjustments. The Po' Boy is from New Orleans Lousiana and is made with a variety of meats on a french bread loaf. Everything from pulled pork to creole chicken salad to sausage and ham can go on the bread (though vegan and vegetarian options are available and encouraged).

But hold on a minute. This isn't just any bread.

The bread is made in New Orleans, by Leidenheimer Baking Company whose recipe is almost a national secret. It is taken directly from the oven and flash frozen and shipped to a food distributor here. B's Po Boy is one of only a few places in Seattle to get it. The product is like eating a bread cloud. It's crunchy but so light that the spaces inside it seem to burst with flavor. As a result it absorbs the flavor of the ingredients in the sandwich making it unlike any other you are likely to try.

The menu doesn't end there of course. They also offer Fried Green Tomatoes, Pan Seared Crab Cakes, Beer Battered Onion Rings and yes, true to southern tradition Alligator Bites. A trio of salads, fries, Creole Slaw, Chicken and Andouille Gumbo and naturally red beans and rice (a New Orleans staple) round out the main menu.

For dessert you can enjoy bread pudding (made from that same amazing bread) and what else? Beignets covered in powdered sugar and served with strawberry or chocolate sauce.

If your taste runs to the spicy, they've got that. In fact they have their own Habanero sauce called "Po it On Hot Sauce" you can take home.

There's a full service bar with beer and wine emphasizing locally made products, and on weekends they offer a brunch but have the full menu available as well, unusual in brunch happy Seattle.

B's Po Boy will be open from 11am to 10pm Sunday through Thursday, and till 11pm on Friday and Saturday "though we won't close up on a weekend night if we have a lot of folks enjoying themselves," Deborah said. Those hours will change a bit in the winter but that's something they will look at when the time comes.

They aren't worried about the seasonal nature of the Alki location one bit. "We looked at the other restaurants here and they do just fine during the winter months. We think our food is good enough and has a broad enough appeal that people will come year round," said Deborah.

Based on the foodie culture in Seattle, their success in Indiana, the simplicity of their approach and that wonderful bread, it's a safe bet that she's right.