Courtesy of BLK MKT Eats
OG Fire roll, made with spicy salmon
A developing strip at Laclede and Vandeventer welcomes another adventurous restaurant concept.
Courtesy of BLK MKT Eats
Kati Fahrney and Ron Turigliatto
Joining Narwhal's Crafted Urban Ice and Yiro/Gyro (plus a newly opened Kaldi's Coffee), BLK MKT Eats (9 S. Vandeventer), is slated to open at the corner in mid- to late-August, offering burrito-size sushi rolls and bowls. Like the faddish cronuts before them, the mega-rolls are a culinary mash-up that have grown in popularity in the past few years, especially on the coasts.
The BLK MKT Eats rendition of the hybrid will use globally inspired flavors and housemade sauces. Cousins and co-founders Kati Fahrney and Ron Turigliatto, both longtime home cooks and local educators, came up with the idea for the restaurant about a year ago.
"We saw a need for more fresh, healthy fast-casuals in St. Louis," Fahrney says, adding that people increasingly "want to eat quality food but don't always want to sit down for an hour or more to do that." Burrito-size sushi rolls lend themselves to clean eating, Fahrney says, and the duo wanted to bring something like that to St. Louis.
Service will consist of a Chipotle-style line where patrons select one of 10 signature varieties of bowl or roll, made to order and packaged for dine-in or to-go. Fahrney and Turigliatto predict popular varieties will be OG Fire, made with spicy salmon, Persian cucumbers, avocado, scallions, a "tempura crunch," masago, jalapeño, and a housemade OG Fire sauce; and French Connection, with grilled chicken, Vietnamese pickled carrots, Persian cucumbers, cilantro, jalapeño, crispy shallots, and Kewpie Mayo.
Courtesy of BLK MKT Eats
Shaka Spirit bowl, made with tuna poke
Courtesy of BLK MKT Eats
French Connection roll, made with grilled chicken
"We want our customers to be able to come in, try these new things, and really get a taste for something different," Fahrney says. With the BLK MKT name, the duo want customers to experience something exclusive and "taste beyond boundaries."
For those averse to sushi, BLK MKT Eats will have three different chicken options, as well as vegetarian and vegan ones. Patrons can also expect tofu nugs (crispy organic tofu bites), wonton chips, and eight flavors of Puck's all-natural craft soda.
BLK MKT Eats fare will also be available for delivery, something Fahrney and Turigliatto believe will take off due to the restaurant's proximity to the Cortex Innovation Community and St. Louis University. For the latter, the restaurant will stay open most days until 2 a.m. "We want to get a feel for how late students or people in the area want to eat, because we found that other companies are delivering late," Fahrney says. "We want to be able to be one of those late-night eating spots as well."
The restaurant is about 1,000 square feet and will boast a color scheme of black, white, gray, and neon signage from local company Neon Time. Fahrney and Turigliatto have also collaborated with local designer Robert Karleskint from Anew Nature for a custom-made communal table. "It's going to feel like a market, but with a black market twist to it," Fahrney says, adding: "We actually designed it ourselves. That's another layer of love put into this."
For those who can't wait until August to try a burrito-size sushi roll, BLK MKT Eats will host a pop-up next Friday, July 21 at the Stone Shelter in Tower Grove Park. It'll coincide with Crafted Events' showing of The Big Lebowski.
BLK MKT Eats will be open seven days a week from 10:45 a.m.–2 a.m. Monday through Saturday and 10:45 a.m.–11 p.m. Sunday.
