SLM | Feast

Undecided for New Year's Eve Dinner?

Consider the new Chez Leon for two reasons:

1. It opened (in the former Bistro Alexander space at 7927 Forsyth) only two nights ago, so chances are you won't encounter a madhouse full of infrequent diners.

2. The remodel is very well done...dark, romantic, subtle, i.e., perfect for a celebratory meal.

The bad news: The website has not been updated so the new menu is not online. We hear it's basically the prior Chez Leon menu (linked to here) with a few new additions. The phone number remains the same, so call 361-1589 for reservations and additional details.

What we do know: The new location is open Mon-Fri for lunch and Tue-Sun for dinner. Chez' $10 corkage fee is waived on Tues and Wed nights. Bon appetit! -- George Mahe  

StL Cellars Food & Wine Expanding

For me, it was one of the more interesting "restaurant" stories of the year.

In an interesting Q&A (if I do say so myself) in June's SLM, I discussed the St. Louis Cellars Food & Wine venture with Executive Chef Greg Maggi (he has since moved on) and was intrigued to learn that it was part cafe/part gourmet-to-go/part box lunches/part private party venue and part corporate catering with some cooking classes, wine dinners and gift baskets thrown in for good measure. It was an undertaking (admittedly) with no determined focus, yet with partners radical enough to take it for a spin and see which of those facets would catch fire (which flies smack in the face of the Restaurant 101 mantra that says "Do what you do and don't waver. You can't be all things to all people."

Ah, but fear not, the other partners in the venture were two of the sharper business people around: Matt Williams (who founded TKO DJs 25 years ago) and his wife, Jennifer Williams (founder of the St. Louis Closet Co., and the 2 year old adjoining wine business, St. Louis Cellars). They realized--and expected-- their customers would dictate the direction of the business.

And the customers have spoken.

Due to a significant increase in St. Louis Cellars' wine sales and in on-premise event business (the latter marketed only buy word of mouth), the decision was made to expand the scope at SLC as well as focus more on private events, but discontinue both lunch service and the gourmet food case offerings at SLCF&W. 

While St Louis Cellars had zeroed in on bottles priced $20 and under, an experiment with wines in the $20-45+ range has proven surprisingly successful, so look for more real estate devoted to wines in that price range as well as more retail merchandise--both edible and inedible--to accompany them. 

So if you've nothing to toast with tonight, I know a place with some "sparks" on hand, from Viudas right on up to Veuve Clicquot. 

Cheers! And a Happy New Year from Feast. -- George Mahe  

New: Nadoz @ Night

Even before the new year begins, restaurants seem to be rebounding due to the reopening of Highway 40/64.

The Boulevard, located across from the St. Louis Galleria, saw a significant uptick in December traffic. In response, Steven and Kathy Becker, owners of Nadoz at the Boulevard (as well as Nadoz at the Coronado and Steven Becker Fine Dining) have announced that, beginning this evening, the Boulevard location will debut a new evening menu (dubbed Nadoz @ Night), to bolster its existing soups, sandwiches, salads, and crepes.  

Look for homey, served-in-casserole items (like the French Country Beef Pot Pie, pictured), priced at or near the $10 price point. Add that side salad for $3 and the glass of Pinot for $5. The new items will be available from 5 PM till closing time (8 PM during the week and 9 PM on Friday and Saturday).

Save room for a dessert goodie from newly-installed Katherine Benson, a former pastry chef at  The Phoenician in Scottsdale. The fruit tarts have never looked better. -- George Mahe

Willmann To Leave Erato, KoKo To Become Farmhaus

New Year's Eve will be Chef Kevin Willmann's swan song at Erato on Main in Edwardsville. He's taken possession of the former KoKo space at 3257 Ivanhoe and plans to open a "small plates but prix fixe-centric" restaurant, debuting most likely in early Spring. The new place will be named Farmhaus, a fictitious word that pays tribute to his German grandmother, not to German cuisine.  

Erato was the reason many St. Louisans gladly made the 45 minute trek to Edwardsville...and I believe every foodie, food writer and food critic in the area would agree (SLM named it to our 2008 A-List). But still, it'll be nice having him a bit closer to home. The ink on the lease is fresh and details are sketchy, but he does plan to take his approach "a step or two further," and make the new endeavor "as locally-driven as I possibly can." 

Although I love road trips, let me be the first to welcome you to St. Louis. Happy New Year to you...and to us. -- George Mahe   

"Menu Mind Games"

 

The above comes from "Menu Mind Games," an interesting new article at New York Magazine's website. In the piece, author William Poundstone -- who's got a new book out called Priceless -- shows readers how the restaurant Balthazar ... encourages particular choices by diners.

Related: SLM's October 2008 article "Prix Fixer Upper," in which Dining Editor George Mahe wrote about tactics restaurants are using to make it. Among them:

Menu Rejiggering

Psychology has entered the art of menu creation. Menu consultants adept in steering diners to specific high-profit items through colors, graphics and positioning are in high demand. We’ve all been sucked in by fancy, food-styled photographs, but most diners do not realize they can be influenced by something as simple as text placement. High-profit items should be located top-right, where the eye goes first, and the low-profit millstones should be located lower-left, an uncomfortable place for the eye to land. Should you see pastas at top-right and steaks bottom-left, chances are that operator is a believer. 

Some thought should go into item placement within a menu list as well. Most restaurateurs have discovered that the middle items are the big sellers and act accordingly. “I always put my vegetarian items first,” says Café Provençal’s Eddie Neill. “Vegetarians will find them wherever they are. I put steaks at the bottom, and the items I want to sell go right in the middle.” 

More on Bailey's "Bridge"

The official buzz started with Ligaya Figueras' bit in the venerable Ladue News, and it appears the buzz is justified. Read on: 

Bridge is David Bailey's (Baileys' Chocolate Bar, Rooster) latest venture, located half a block east of Rooster. I initially thought that "Bridge" was a culinary term--that someone finally came up with a new word for "fusion." But I was wrong...it's an homage to Bailey's late brother, who played the violin.

"Bridge" has several musical connotations, not the least of which is it's the violin's critical sound-determining component. Bridge's artwork, as well as several construction details, will further the theme.

Bailey's concept this time is a combination wine bar/tap house/restaurant, with 100 bottled beers, 36 draft beers, and half that many wines by the glass.

Food wise, Bailey describes it as "sophisticated bar dining," from upscale bar snackies (like house-flavored popcorn and bar nuts, house-pickled veggies), to entree and pocket sandwiches, to house-smoked meats, to oven-baked "pots," which translates to stewy and pasta-based comfort foods.

The multi-level space could open before year's end. -- George Mahe

Elaborating on the Last Post

I felt the need to kick the following balls a bit further down the field: 

1. Red L Pizza: The nondescript "Red L" logo on the side of the building at 9769 Clayton Rd. belies what's going on inside. John Rice and Lee Redel's new concept is more than just a simple grab-and-go pizza joint. Besides boasting what may be the the largest array of pizza toppings in town--40 to be exact--things like French meatloaf; large, spicy, marinated shrimp; organic, no-nitrate, all-beef hot dogs; and even smoked Spanish paprika from Penzey's (hey, they wanted to get to 40 toppings), the menu also includes roasted, all-natural chicken, a smattering of salads, and sliced servings of Miche de Viande (the aforementioned French meatloaf). Sodas are the all-natural pure cane sugar variety from Boylan's, plus "Mexicola" (Mexican Coke). Red L's should open before year's end.    

2. Lola: Now occupies the former Crepes in the City space at 500 N. 14th St., and has scheduled a weekend brunch opening on December 26 - 27. Lola's menu will focus on French comfort food (including crepes) in small plate portions at small plate prices. The plan is to zero in on downtown's lunch, brunch and dinner business, plus provide entertainment after 9 PM.   

3. Copia: Owner E.T. Tammas' best case scenario was to get the doors reopened by January 1. His spokesperson says that early Spring now seems more realistic. 

4. Pi-CWE: With its softer lighting and a larger bar (read: a pizza parlor for adults), the only problem I foresee at the new location is it's so inviting guests may never want to leave. -- George Mahe

Ins, Outs, and Almosts - December Edition

As of mid-December press date. The following will be published in the February 2010 SLM. 
 
Recent Closings:

St. Louis Pizza Haus: 6602 Delmar, November 12
El Paisano: 9514 Olive Boulevard, December 1

Recent Openings:

Mr. Curry's Buffet Express (Curry in a Hurry): 612 Olive, November 30
Plaza Cafe and Grill: 3182 Morgan Ford, December 4
Haveli (Thali Palace): 9720 Page Avenue, December 4
Six Row Brewing Co.: 3690 Forest Park, December 12
Pi-CWE (Sapphire Pan-Asian): 4753 McPherson, December 15
Lafayette Fire Co. No. 1 (Soda Fountain Square): 1801 Park, December 16
Peel Pizza: 921 Arbor Vitae, Edwardsville, December 16
Yagu Asian Fusion: 17265 Chesterfield Airport Rd, December 22
Lola (Crepes in the City): 500 N. 14th St., December 26

Coming Soon: 

Bridge, 1006 Locust, late December
Red L Pizza (Mario's): 9769 Clayton, late December
Primebar, 80 West County Ctr., late December 
A’mis Pizza (Tumo’s): 6419 Hampton, January
Vegadeli (Paciugo Gelato): 173 Carondelet Plz, January
Everest Cafe (Baan Thai Express): 711 Olive, mid January
Trattoria Branica 3 (KoBa): 138 Chesterfeld Town Center, mid January
Llywelyn’s : 104 S. Main, St. Charles, early February
Dewey’s Pizza: 122 E. Lockwood, early February
City Diner: 531 N. Grand, early March
P’sghetti’s (Caito’s): 10012 Manchester, early March
Bixby’s (Meriwether’s): 5700 Lindell, March

Re-Opening:

Chez Leon (Bistro Alexander): 7927 Forsyth, late December 
Copia: 1122 Washington, early Spring
Mai Lee: 1467 Musick Memorial Dr., February

A Finer Diner

Phil Noe was tiring of watching the Grove's bar crowd zip by his Mia Rosa restaurant (4501 Manchester) in search of that hangover-mitigating late-night nosh, so he decided to do something about it: every Thurdsay, Friday and Saturday night, one bay of Mia Rosa is stripped of its tablecloths and stemware to become Satellite, a late-night diner serving vittles that rise above the greasy-spoon connotation (this ain't no Barry Levinson movie!). Coffee's even better...Joe's Special Blend from Chauvin instead of standard diner dreck.   

From basic breakfast to Bananas Foster French Toast, from Huevos to Instant Heartburn (a chili-topped omelet with jalapenos, salsa, chorizo and cheese), it's all yours from 11:30 PM - "the wee hours," which at present is 4 AM or later. For more info, call 314-601-3676...and ask for Phil, not Flo. -- George Mahe  

The McArthur's Bakery Highway 40 Cake

Via twitter.com/PERTZFOX.