St. Louis Restaurant News Archive

Openings

Sage, an urban American grill, has opened across the street from the Anheuser-Busch brewery in a location that once was home to the Lynch Street Grill. The executive chef at the Benton Park spot is Jack West MacMurray, formerly of the Wild Horse Grill, who will serve lunch and dinner Mon.-Sat. Sage, 1031 Lynch St., St. Louis, 314-256-1206.

The Levy Restaurant Group, a Chicago mainstay for many years, has arrived in St. Louis with two restaurants opening in the Central West End. David Frattini, after stints behind the stove at The Ritz and Dierdorf & Hart’s Steakhouse, and a year instructing the instructors at L’Ecole Culinaire, is the executive chef of Scape, 48 Maryland Plaza, and Crepes, Etc., next door at 52. The former will be an American bistro, serving breakfast, lunch, dinner and Sunday brunch in a two-level space; the latter is a more casual restaurant dishing up lighter fare.

Dana Holland, who has owned restaurants, cooked at restaurants, advised on restaurant menus and created a line of sauces, has a new project in Jilly’s Cupcake Bar, recently opened in University City, serving breakfast, lunch and afternoon nibbles (until 6 p.m.) Tues.-Sun. Jilly’s Cupcake Bar, 8509 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-993-5455.

And, speaking of cupcakes, the Cupcakery has opened at in the Central West End serving desserts and coffees Mon.-Sat. Cupcakery, 28 Maryland Plaza, St. Louis, 314-3670-6111.

Bud Starr, who began in the hospitality industry by running a Clayton ice cream parlor, then shifted to gourmet food and wine, along with catering and private parties, has opened The Restaurant at Starrs for Thurs.-Sat. dinner service at his wine and food shop. Starr and James Gill are in the kitchen. The Restaurant at Starrs, 1135 Big Bend Blvd., St. Louis, 314-781-2345.

The Crescent, a condo-retail complex next door to The Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Clayton, has lured chef Mark Curran from the Larkspur Restaurant in Vail, CO., to take charge of Araka Restaurant, which will seat 250 indoors and another 70 on the patio. Late September or early October is the planned opening date.

Another autumn opening is scheduled for the Continental, which will occupy the ground floor of the remodeled Ford Plaza Apartments as it becomes a downtown condominium. Eric Brenner, chef-owner at Moxy in the Central West End, will create the menu. Continental, 1405 Pine St., St. Louis.

Cardinal center fielder Jim Edmonds is opening a downtown restaurant and sports bar, to be named Fifteen after the number of Edmonds’ uniform. The restaurant is scheduled for an autumn opening. Mark Winfield is a co-owner, and Josh Roland is designing a yet-to-be-revealed menu. Tim McLaughlin, who worked in the kitchen at (recently shuttered) Red Moon and as chef de cuisine at Faust’s, two downtown standouts, will be executive chef at Fifteen. Fifteen, 1900 Locust St., St. Louis.

Richard Perry, one of the five restaurateurs who opened restaurants in 1972 and changed the face of dining in St. Louis, is back in the mix with the Farmer’s Inn & Prairie Kitchen in nearby Millstadt, Ill. The menu is happily similar to his original St. Louis operation, the Jefferson Avenue Boarding House, and Perry is serving dinner Thursday-Sunday, brunch Saturday and Sunday. As before, the service will be family-style, and the emphasis will be on classic American cuisine, using fresh supplies from nearby farmers. A separate menu in the bar will offer lighter fare. 

Coby Arzola, the third generation of Arzolas to open a St. Louis Mexican restaurant, is opening Agave Mexican Table & Tequileria in the Grove neighborhood, which is growing into what may be the next destination for diners in the city. The elder Arzolas are involved in Chuy Arzola’s, a long-time Dogtown neighborhood favorite. Classic Mexican cuisine and tequila will be featured. “We’re going beyond the burrito,” Arzola said. Aaron Whalen, chef at the highly regarded but short-lived Bastante, has signed on as the chef.

Flaco’s Tacos was a huge hit for the half-dozen years it cheered St. Louisans in two locations, but its memory is coming back–name and all–to 8400 Delmar Blvd., where Shmeers had operated. Maziar (Maz) Nooran, a co-owner of Momo’s Ouzara Taverna, is opening it as a tribute to one of his favorite restaurants, with a similar menu, late this summer.

Kirk Apazella and Derek Onstoff will plant a touch of Eastern Europe in Red sometime this summer.  Rene Cruz, formerly sous chef at Mosaic, is designing a menu that will feature the foods and the flavors of Eastern Europe, including Russia, Czechoslovakia, Hungary and Poland. Red, 1130 Washington Ave., St. Louis.

Oceano Bistro is a new, seafood-themed restaurant that has joined the gang in suburban Clayton. The just-opened operation, a favored but unsuccessful site for more than a decade, is the first offering of the Bon Vivant Restaurant Group, whose principals are Amer Abouwardah, Paul and Elizabeth Pierron and Brian and Kathy O’Brien. Jon Lowe is the chef. The restaurant is serving dinner Monday-Saturday, lunch Monday-Friday and brunch on Saturday and Sunday. Oceano Bistro, 44 North Brentwood Blvd., Clayton, 314-721-9403.

Despite a strong German heritage, St. Louis has made only occasional, and seldom successful, attempts at German cuisine. An Illinois entrant, Roemer Topf, is trying to change that, serving lunch and dinner every day. Roemer Topf, 1415 McKinley Rd., Mascoutah, Ill., 618-566-4884.

The 17th Street Bar and Grill, which made its barbecue name in Murphysboro, Ill., and as the guide for Danny Meyer’s Blue Smoke, has come to O’Fallon, Ill., with Mike Mills opening his third restaurant for ribs and other smoked things. Lunch and dinner every day.  The 17th Street Bar and Grill, 1711 W. Highway 50, O’Fallon, Ill., 618-622-1717.

Still on the east side of the Mississippi, a second Erato location has opened in Edwardsville, Ill., serving tapas, small plates and desserts with a slightly greater emphasis on food than the original Erato Wine Bar on South Grand in St. Louis. Kevin Willmann is the chef for the Illinois operation, offering “a farm-fresh bistro menu” for lunch Tuesday-Friday and dinner Tuesday-Saturday. Erato on Main, 126 N.Main St., Edwardsville, Ill., 618-307-3203. Owner-sommelier Tim Foley is serving appetizers in addition to wine and spirits at the handsome wine bar on South Grand.  Opens at 5 p.m., Tuesday-Sunday.  Erato Wine Bar, 3117 S. Grand Blvd., 314-664-6400.
 

Bacana Brasil, the city’s first churrascaria-style steakhouse, has opened in the far west Chesterfield location where K. C. Masterpiece once was. The all-you-can-meat restaurant features oodles of carnivorous fare that’s cooked on skewers and served at the table. Ownership is with a Tokyo-based corporation that plans to make the St. Louis restaurant the first of many across the country. Minami Pope, born in Japan and reared in Brazil, is the CEO; her husband, Dolph, is the G.M. of the restaurant. Dinner every day. Bacana Brasil, 16123 Chesterfield Pkwy. W., Chesterfield, 636-532-6969.

Jim Fiala, with successful restaurants in Clayton and the Central West End, entered the Maplewood dining derby March 1 with Acero, an informal, country-style Italian spot where Arthur Clay’s once held forth.  Fiala already has The Crossing and Liluma.  Lunch and dinner are planned.  Acero, 7266 Manchester Rd., St. Louis, 314-644-1790.

New ownership and a new chef, plus a little remodeling and a new lighting level, have taken place at Balaban’s.  Brendan Marsden, (Modesto) and Harlee Sorkin are in charge and brought Andy White from the kitchen at Harvest to this Central West End standout. In other changes, the popular Sunday brunch now holds forth on Saturday and the Café Balaban designation has vanished.  Balaban’s, 405 N. Euclid Ave., St. Louis, 314-361-8085.

In the works is a total rehab of Ladue stronghold Busch's Grove (9160 Clayton Rd., 314-993-0011), with entrepreneur Lester Miller having destroyed the entire building except for the front facade facing Clayton Road. And Dave Owens, longtime chef at Cardwell's at the Plaza, pictured, (94 Plaza Frontenac, Frontenac, 314-997-8885), will be opening Terrene (33 N. Sarah St.), in the former Southern Belle.

 

Geographically in between is Spyglass on the Park, offering American food with Mediterranean overtones (255 Union Blvd., 314-367-3704) in the space most recently used by Q Sports Bar, and by many other restaurants before that.

Lemon Grass, a Vietnamese standout in the South Grand area, is moving a few blocks north to 3161 South Grand Blvd. (314-664-6702), to the site that once held the charming Café de Manila. And chain operator P. F. Chang has opened a second St. Louis location, in Richmond Heights at 25 The Boulevard (314-862-2624), across the street from the Galleria shopping mall. The first Chang is at Chesterfield Mall.

For many years, Al Baker's Restaurant was a must-visit spot on the St. Louis map. With an elegant dining room and cuisine to match, Al and his wife, Mary, created a romantic spot that drew from all levels of society as well as the political arena. They closed the restaurant and retired in 1993, and now, under the leadership of Tom and Karin Krakover and Randy Waldman, the Baker's aura is being re-created in Xanadu, recently opened in Chesterfield, in far West St. Louis County, 280 Long Rd., 636-532-9262.

Downtown continues to be a new-restaurant haven, with Mosaic (1101 Lucas Ave., 314-621-6001), in the Art Deco Hadley Dean Glass building, open and thriving with tapas-style dishes of worldwide fusion cuisine and a splendid, modestly priced wine list. Spencer G. Wolff, who worked in the kitchen at Charlie Trotter's in Chicago, is the executive chef. It joins Larry Forgione's An American Place (800 Washington Ave., 314-418-4800) and Red Moon, pictured, (1500 St. Charles Ave., 314-436-9700), where French-trained Marc Felix is putting an Asian flair into action.

Meanwhile, City Grocer (920 Olive St., 314-621-0010), the first grocery store to open in downtown in more than two decades, has introduced a quick-lunch menu, and the aptly named Tenth Street Italian restaurant ( 504 N. Tenth St., 314-241-9988) will be open in early spring. The Dubliner Irish pub and restaurant is slated to open downtown at 1025 Washington Ave. Another downtown option is Lucas Park Grille (1231 Washington Ave., 314-241-7770), located in a converted warehouse, serving American dishes in a handsome room with high ceilings and lots of wood.

The Billy Goat, pictured, (1449 S. Vandeventer Ave., 314-371-4628) has opened in the Manchester-Vandeventer neighborhood while farther west, where the community of Maplewood is thriving again, wandering Greg Perez has opened the Grateful Inn (7336 Manchester Rd., 314-647-3323). The peripatetic Perez, a fine chef and restaurateur with big ideas, formerly operated the Delmar Bar & Grill, left town to try his luck in St. Helena, Calif., then returned to establish the former Corky's on Manchester, now called JackSon's (6655 Manchester Ave., 314-645-4904) by a different ownership group.

Tanner B's downtown at 1000 Pine St. is an offshoot of the Tanner B's located at 2855 Shenandoah Ave., 314-762-9800.

The opening of the new Busch’s Grove, which has been rebuilt from the ground up, except for the white wooden façade, is the hottest item among St. Louis food fanciers. Owner Lester Miller reportedly poured more than $10 million into the 115-year-old Ladue property, a must-visit with the toniest type of St. Louisans throughout its history. Miller hired the Rockwell Group to design the interior, brought Todd Weisz from the Turnberry Isle in Miami as his chef and lured Pedro Beltranena, once the general manager of the popular Cardwell’s of Clayton, from Manhattan to fill a similar role. The restaurant is larger than its predecessor, and will serve lunch and dinner Monday through Saturday. Live music is a nightly feature at the bar, and the opening headliner is St. Louis-born trumpeter Jeremy Davenport, chased home from New Orleans by Hurricane Katrina.

Dierdorf & Hart's new store

Dierdorf & Hart’s, the popular steakhouse with locations in Downtown and West Port Plaza, has added a gourmet grocery and meat shop next door to the restaurant in the latter location.

David Caito and his son, David Jr., will open Caito’s Pizzeria in Chesterfield Valley near the Wehrenberg Galaxy Theatre. The Caitos hope the 70-seat parlor will be the first of several in the area.

Mike Johnson and friends continue moving around the St. Louis suburbs with new restaurants and a new take on tapas and things. They began with Café Figaro in Clayton, then opened BARcelona a block away and sold Figaro, which is now renamed Barrister's. Johnson moved north for the Grecian-themed Momos in University City, now is going south with Boogaloo (7344 Manchester Ave., 314-645-4803) in the Maplewood restaurant row. Boogaloo, its name changed from the originally announced BARHabana, will feature Cuban and Caribbean cuisine, with touches of New Orleans here and there.

Speaking of Grecian, three new restaurants with Hellenic fare have entered the ranks of establishments in a recent dining expansion that has widened horizons for St. Louis eaters. Old-line places with Greek overtones like the Olympia (1543 McCausland Ave., 314-781-1299) and Michael's (7101 Manchester Ave., 314-644-2240) are joined by Ari's (3101 Hampton Ave., 314-644-4264) in the former Tokens space, Colossus (3208 Ivanhoe Ave., 314-644-5599) and Mediterranean House Apollonia (6836 Gravois Ave., 314-353-1488).

With bartenders in kilts, the Scottish Arms is bringing haggis, tatties and neeps, Scotch eggs, and other traditional fare to Midtown (6 South Sarah St., 314-535-0551). The bar displays a lengthy list of single-malt whiskeys and draft beer and ale, and also serves lunch and dinner.

Across the world in taste and style, Modai has arrived at the eastern part of the University City Loop (6100 Delmar Blvd., 314-725-8330). The self-described Japanese sushi bar and lounge also serves fans of Far Eastern food and drink in Chicago, New Orleans and Atlanta.

Chef Shuffle

Patrick Dawson has arrived from Indianapolis to become the executive chef at Ruth’s Chris Steak House. Ruth’s Chris Steak House, 1 North Brentwood Blvd., St. Louis, 314-783-9900.

Ed Hines has succeeded Andy White as executive chef at Balaban’s, long-time Central West End standout, according to owner Brendan Marsden. No word yet on White’s plans for the future. Balaban’s, 405 N. Euclid Ave., St. Louis, 314-361-8085.

Dave Owens and Margaret Kelly, the husband-wife chef team and co-owners of Terrene in Midtown, who departed suddenly about two months ago, have resurfaced as part of the Bissinger’s Chocolate team, with more details to be announced later.

Dave Owens has left Terrene, the Central West End restaurant where he was the chef since it opened. Owens, a long-time chef at Cardwell’s at the Plaza, and wife Margaret Kelly, a freelance chef and television performer, did not announce future plans.

Justin Yazdik has assumed the chef’s duties at the Pitted Olive, Michael Holmes’ gourmet delicatessen and wine shop at 5815 Hampton Ave., St. Louis, 314-832-6548.

Todd Weisz, formerly the chef at Busch’s Grove, will be the chef at his own shop when the Adler Restaurant and Lounge opens in the fall at a downtown location.

Nicholas Miller has been promoted from sous chef to executive chef at Harvest, succeeding Andy Rice, who moved to Balaban’s.  Miller, a St. Louisan and graduate of the California CIA, worked under Gary Danko in San Francisco before returning to St. Louis five years ago and joining the staff at Harvest. Harvest, 1059 Big Bend Blvd., Richmond Heights, 314-645-3522.

Joshua Norris is the new executive chef at Kitchen K. His resume shows stints at Spago Beverly Hills, and he succeeds Byron Smith, now on board at L’Ecole Culinaire. Lunch and dinner, Mon.-Sat.  Kitchen K, 1000 Washington Ave., St. Louis, 314-241-9900.

Jonathan Kraft has departed Sunset Country Club to join the kitchen staff at Puck’s Restaurant in the St. Louis Art Museum. Lunch Tues.-Sat, dinner Fri., brunch Sun. Puck’s, St. Louis Art Museum, 1 Fine Arts Dr., St. Louis, 314-655-5490.

Tim Pounds has been named executive chef at the Copia Urban Winery, up from sous chef. Copia Urban Winery, 1122 Washington Ave., St. Louis, 314-621-7275.

And speaking of catering, Marianne Moore left Wolfgang Puck Catering to become director of catering at The Westin St. Louis.

Terrene, a Midtown spot where the late Lynn Smith held forth for a long time, has remodeled and reopened with Dave Owens as co-owner and chef. Owens previously had been the chef at Cardwell’s at the Plaza. Terrene serves lunch and dinner.

News Bytes

To Market Again
The announced demise of the Clayton Farmers Market proved premature. The market opened this spring at a new location in the parking lot at the west side of Straub’s, 8282 Forsyth Blvd., a few blocks west of the Central Avenue space where it operated for several years. Sarah Vickers is the market master, and many of the same vendors will return. Plus, there will be some new growers of fruits and vegetables in the area. Demonstrations by chefs are planned.

Outdoor Dining at Terrene
Terrene, the modern American restaurant in the Central West End that has a large vegetarian selection, has abandoned lunch, but has opened its lovely patio on the north side of the restaurant. Chef Dave Owens is serving dinner Tuesday-Sunday. Terrene, 33 North Sarah Ave., St. Louis, 314-535-5100.

New Deck at Franco
Franco, operating in the one-time Welsh Baby Buggy factory in the Soulard neighborhood, also rolled out the red carpet for al fresco dining with a new 50-seat deck opening at the west side of the building.  Lunch and dinner, Mon.-Sat. Franco, 1535 S. 8th St., St. Louis, 314-436-2500.

Summer Sipping
Stone Hill Winery of Hermann, Mo., has released a 2006 dry rosé made from its St. Vincent grapes, a rather uncommon variety for rosé, made mostly from Grenache in France and from a variety of grapes in California. After the first crush, the grapes are cold-soaked overnight to bring out a little color. Then, they’re fermented at a cool temperature in stainless steel tanks to complete dryness.  The wine has hints of strawberry and watermelon–just right for summer picnics and barbecues ($12.99). www.stonehillwinery.com.

Trio’s New Addition
Josh Alt, Rich Burke and Mike Headrick, owners of the Tin Can Tavern, have added sister restaurant Panama Red’s Pub & Grill, 1909 Locust St., 314-231-0019.  No menu changes so far at the Downtown spot.

SL Chef in NY
Lou Rook III, chef at Annie Gunn’s, will prepare the St. Patrick’s Day dinner at the James Beard House in New York. The menu will include Irish-style fare, including lamb and salmon, plus his highly regarded brioche bread pudding.  Missouri’s Stone Hill Winery, from Hermann, will provide the wines.

Sold!
Harry’s East, the Fairview Heights outpost of the local group, has been sold and renamed Martorelli’s.  An Italian menu is in place. Martorelli’s, 4660 N. Highway 159, Fairview Heights, IL, 618-236-9696.

Suburb Expansion
Bar Louie, the Central West End outpost of the Chicago-based chain, is expanding to the suburbs. The CWE spot is at 14 Maryland Plaza, 314-678-3385.

Closings

Jaboni's, which opened strongly on the slowly rising Manchester-Vandeventer neighborhood, has closed, along with the Mangrove across the street.