Photograph by Katherine Bish
Joey Nguyen (pronounced “win”) calls his place Jade. I might have named it Geode. On a pre-opening tour, I cracked open the unassuming front doors only to be astounded by polished marble columns, gilded capitals, and shiny, two-toned enamel paint everywhere. Then my eye tracked the 360-degree mezzanine, framed by century-old wrought iron, destined to be a people-watcher’s paradise. Those eschewing such folderol will sink into cushy chairs and couches, perhaps opting for sushi rolls or something noodly from Jade’s Asian-and-then-some menu.
With a dozen food-service jobs on his résumé (including a long stint at family-owned Bamboo Bistro), Nguyen certainly qualifies as a restaurant veteran...and he’s only 25. Even young veterans understand the wisdom of next-door proximity to downtown’s only Schnucks store, smack-dab in the scrum of all that foot-traffic. And of course he has plans to transform that ugly-duckling front entrance: Two iridescent koi ponds will transfix and beckon passersby. So much for that geode reference.
910 Olive
Downtown
314-425-2900
Lunch and dinner Mon–Sat
