According to an announcement on its website a few days ago, the fire damage to the building at Central and Forsyth Ave in Clayton on September 27 was too extensive to allow for ground-floor occupant Il Vicino to reopen. A contractor told me as much unofficially several weeks ago, as noted here.
Il Vicino was an above-average pizza and salad joint, and one of the better local examples of the "quick service dining," a concept I believe is not going anywhere.
Many never realized this store was, in fact, part of an 11-unit chain, with locations in Colorado, Kansas, and New Mexico. Il Vicino was included in SLM's Cheap Eats article last year and I know it was on the radar screen for several local professional athletes...on several occasions I witnessed a Cards, Blues, or Rams player double-park their tinted -window go-fast cars and dart inside to fetch a to-go order.
There has been no official announcement regarding the fate of neighboring San Sai, but a manager of their Kirkwood location did report that the store "will definitely reopen."
