Good things come to those who wait—and, as with many restaurant openings of late, we’ve waited.
801 Local opens Monday in the Lifetime at Plaza Frontenac development (2021 S. Lindbergh). The 5,900-square-foot, 120-seat restaurant is located clandestinely in a street-facing building in the same complex as Lifetime Fitness.
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Originally slated to open in summer 2021 (and originally conceived as 801 Grill), 801 Local has appeared on SLM’s “most anticipated restaurants list” three different times due to pandemic delays—and, as is now evident, it’s been highly anticipated for good measure.
Des Moines–based 801 Restaurant Group opened 801 Chophouse, a proven brand, in 2013 in the former ARAKA space on Carondelet Plaza. A complementary eatery, 801 Fish, opened two years later a stone’s throw away. The city embraced the two so much that when the 801 Group chose to expand, St. Louis got the call again, becoming the first city to offer three of the restaurant group’s restaurants.
The company calls 801 Local a more casual version of 801 Chop, but you’d never know it from the environs. The intent, according to general manager Josh Keck (an alum of 801 Chop and 801 Fish), was for a guest to “visit once a week, rather than once a month.” But since the brand connotes a certain level of sophistication and expectation, “there were no compromises in quality,” which starts in the space itself.
A grove’s worth of stained walnut millwork runs from floor to coffered ceiling. The bar boasts an old-school herringbone wood floor, standard tables, and a scatter of soon-to-be-coveted booths accented by Hinckley-blue glass sconces.
The slightly elevated dining area, located behind a half wall capped with clear glass partitions, is further hushed by a wooly, wall-to-wall Scottish plaid carpet. In short, it’s an upscale version of the neighborhood eatery and cocktail bar idea.
The single-page menu is an eclectic collection of American cuisine in composed plate format that beckons with unexpected surprises: a double burger with harissa aioli on a homemade bun, Arctic char with sunchokes and yuzu beurre blanc, and ahi tuna lettuce wraps with mango and pearls of finger lime (a.k.a. citrus caviar). A scratch kitchen turns out pasta, duck confit, and house baked breads. “That’s the bridge we’ve taken from 801 Chop,” says executive chef Israel Rodriguez, the executive chef there for two years.
Appetizers include pot stickers with duck confit, caramelized Napa cabbage, butternut squash purée, green apple, and orange shoyu (pictured above), as well as steak tartare with salt and pepper chips (pictured below). Shareables include duck fat fingerling potatoes with pecorino romano and whipped potatoes with Perigord truffles.
“We’re sourcing local when we can but also featuring some less obvious fish options, fruits, and produce,” adds Kyle Vieira, culinary director for the restaurant group, which now spans 11 locations.
While not as extensive as its 801 cousins’ drink menus, the beer, wine, and cocktail lists are less expensive at happy hour, which will likely lure locals to the bar and the west-facing, 12-table patio
“There was definitely a void left in the neighborhood when Cardwell’s closed in 2019,” Keck says. “That’s part of the niche we intend to fill.”
