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The legendart Duff's restaurant is scheduled to close at the end of June 2013. Cucina Pazzo, an Italian concept from the investment group who owns and operates The Corner Pub, The Tavern Kitchen and Bar, and The Shack, plans to open its doors in that space by early November.
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As was reported earlier in Relish today, one of St. Louis’ more significant restaurants—Duff’s—will close at the end of June, having operated in the Central West End for more than 40 years.
Filling the historic space? A new concept from Brant Baldanza, John Fogarty, Mike Rayner, and chef Justin Haifley, the quadrumvirate responsible for two locations of The Corner Pub & Grill, as well as The Tavern Kitchen & Bar and The Shack Pubgrub.
Cucina Pazzo (Italian for ”crazy kitchen”) will combine both modern and classic styles of Italian cooking, with some twists and turns, according to Baldanza, “as well as some Sicilian dishes from my mom’s recipe book, her versions of things like pasta e fava and pasta fazule.” Haifley (below) will add what Baldanza calls “refined rusticity” to create “unique dishes with a crazy flair in a vibrant setting.”
Haifley’s chicken saltimbocca, a popular item at The Tavern, will see double duty, as will a variant of the “tasting board,” a three- to four-item sampler. “Sure, we’ll have a pasta carbonara, in whole or half sizes,” says Baldanza, “but we’ll also include that on the tasting board, for people who can’t—or shouldn’t—handle a lot of that kind of pasta.”
At lunchtime, look for freshly made pastas, salads, and paninis. “With all of the pizza being offered along Euclid, we won’t be doing that,” Baldanza says, “which will allow us to focus on cured meats and expanding the bread program.”
At dinner, expect the same offerings, but with several entrée specials during weekdays and several more on weekends. A Sunday brunch is planned, and a Saturday brunch will be considered.
When SLM called out The Tavern as its “Restaurant of the Year for 2011,” we also called attention to server Wade Taylor, who later became manager at The Tavern. Taylor will serve as general manager at Cucina Pazzo.
Baldanza says the interior space will be slightly reconfigured, building an open kitchen and expanding the bar from 10 to 22 seats, with 120 interior seats total. Patio seating along Euclid will remain a beacon as well.
“Our plan is to keep the interior as unchanged as possible for nostalgia’s sake,” Baldanza says. “We’ll only tweak what we need to”—a comment not lost on Duff’s co-owner Karen Duffy. Baldanza says, “provided she’s in town, Karen said she would be honored to work the front door on opening night."
Providing the space can be acquired as planned by July 15th, Baldanza predicts that night will be in early November.
