Lou Lou's + Foster's Bistro & Bar

A table, good friends, and a couple of dogs never too far from our feet.

Scott and Wesley Ailsworth seated together in the dining room at Lou Lou's

“The way a room feels matters just as much as what’s on the table.”

Wesley Ailsworth

Chef Scott Ailsworth at the pass in his whites and striped apron, plating two dishes
Scott at the pass, two plates going out.

The chef.

Scott is originally from Richmond, Virginia, and attended the University of Mississippi. Long before professional kitchens, his love of cooking started at home. He grew up cooking alongside his mother, learning that food wasn't just about recipes, but about gathering people and creating comfort.

After college, he moved to Jackson Hole, Wyoming, where he trained under a variety of chefs and restaurant teams, learning everything from classic technique and kitchen discipline to high-volume service and seasonal menu development. The diversity of those kitchens shaped his style, thoughtful, ingredient-driven, and rooted in strong fundamentals.

Over the years, he's blended that technical training with the Southern hospitality he values most, reflecting both the refined and welcoming worlds in his cooking.

  1. Richmond, VirginiaHis mother’s kitchen, long before anybody paid him for it
  2. Oxford, MississippiThe University of Mississippi
  3. Jackson Hole, WyomingWhere he trained, under a lot of different chefs
  4. 1350 13th StreetHis own pass, at last

Wesley chose every
single thing.

Wesley's path has always been rooted in design, hospitality, and creating beautiful spaces where people feel at home. Drawing on her work in interior design, she believes the way a room feels matters just as much as what's on the table.

The paintings are her grandfather's. Eddie Norris Jr painted every one of them, and she matted and hung them herself.

Wesley's material samples: her tartan hanging above a fan of wood and paint chips

The samples, before anything was built

A framed sporting dog painting by Eddie Norris Jr, a spaniel on a yellow field

Her grandfather's paintings, matted by hand

A caramel leather banquette under a round black mirror, a small lamp on the table

Caramel leather, a round mirror

The timber roof trusses and a teal steel column overhead

The trusses she kept

It was somebody else's restaurant first.

Before

This was the Wicked Hen for years. When Bryant Walker handed it over, the Village on 13th welcomed Scott and Wesley, MidTowner residents themselves, into a space the neighborhood already loved.

The upstairs bar as it was handed over, dollar bills still stapled to the beams
Upstairs, as it came to them
Downstairs stripped back to raw concrete during the build, the staircase bare
Downstairs, stripped to the concrete
The ribbon cutting outside Lou Lou's and Foster's on 13th Street

The day the street turned up.

The ribbon went up outside on 13th Street and Midtown came to watch it come down. Scott cut it in his whites. Every table was full by six.

And the two who named it.

Lou Lou, the French Bulldog the bistro is named for

Lou Lou

French Bulldog, the bistro is hers

  • A little bossy
  • Very charming
  • Undeniably cute
  • Loves to lay in the sun
  • Slightly mischievous
  • Definitely thinks she's in charge
Foster, the Australian Shepherd mix the upstairs bar is named for, sitting in a sunbeam beside a can of Foster's
Foster, and the beer the upstairs bar is named after. He was not consulted.

Foster

Australian Shepherd mix, the bar is his

  • Sweet as can be
  • Always welcoming
  • Endlessly loyal
  • Loves to fetch
  • Easy going
  • The goodest kind of energy

“The owners, Scott and Wesley, are incredible people and we're so excited to see their vision coming to life in this restaurant. My fiancée and I had a private tasting before we opted to have them cater for our wedding, and they made everything exceptionally memorable. Not to mention, the food is top notch! The hot honey chicken sliders, the burger sliders with their house aioli, the Mac and cheese, it was all incredible. The feta-watermelon-basil skewers were unbelievably fresh and hit every mark. Even the Caesar salad left an impression, just the right amount of olive oil and cracked pepper to make it pop. All in all, a standout local establishment.”

Gabriel McDonald, catered his wedding