Wayne Skiver’s new Florissant restaurant, the Raygun Café, looks a lot like his Facebook page – festooned with images of pulpy sci fi paperbacks, horror-film posters, and comic-book covers.
His new venture combines his two great loves into a single vocation – a sci fi-themed restaurant.
“I’m a big comic-book and pulp magazine collector and sci-fi fan, and I’m a chef,” he explains.
Skiver, whose pedigree includes schooling at Le Cordon Bleu, private catering, and toiling at one of the Massa’s Italian restaurants, is seeking to elevate lowbrow chow and culture in the same six-table space.
The Raygun Café’s menu, which he describes as “street food and comfort food with a gourmet twist,” will include deli sliders (mini turkey and ham sandwiches), fresh seasonal soups and stews, homemade potato salad and cole slaw, and Skiver’s signature spicy deviled eggs, made with three kinds of mustard and crispy bacon. His “Sonora Dog” is a Southwestern specialty —a hot dog cradled by two pieces of bacon, spicy pinto beans, jalapenos, and onions. The “Missing Link” is clever fun -- an Italian beef sandwich with an Italian sausage hidden inside.
Naturally, the chef will also do the Chicago-style hot dog with its “salad” of relish, sport peppers, etc., plus sandwiches including a French dip, turkey Panini, and the “Mile-High Pastrami on Rye.”
Where’s the sci fi stuff, Wayne? No “UFO Burger”?
“No one wants to eat ‘Filet of Black Bat’ or ‘the Spider Special,’” he quips.
People do want to drink their favorite swamp juice, though, and Skiver has a liquor license. He plans to offer microbrews and artisan beers.
The Raygun Café’s chartreuse (“sci-fi green,” says the owner) and blue walls are the backdrop for an abundance of movie posters, comic books, robot toys, and so on from Skiver’s collection of memorabilia. Batman, Flash Gordon, and Doc Savage are battling their respective enemies wherever you turn. Skiver has even made a life-size bas relief of Dr. Who’s “TARDIS” time machine; kids will probably be fooled by it and yank on the door, which is bolted to the wall.
The space also has a “casual nook” —a cozy sofa braced by shelves stocked with comics supplied by neighborhood comics emporium, the Fantasy Shop. Skiver adds that he has plans to trundle in a big-screen TV and show old movie serials and classic, family-friendly sci fi (sorry, no Re-Animator or Lifeforce). He also hopes to have a “gallery talk” every few months when he swaps out the posters and comics for a fresh batch.
The Raygun Café is located at 1030 Rue St. Francois in Old Town Florissant. It is scheduled to open for business within a few weeks.
