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Three Kings Pub describes itself as “upscale pub food with a Mediterranean twist” but there are more jewels in its crown than that.
Since the pub's inception in the Delmar Loop almost three years ago, owners Derek Deaver, Derek Fleig, and Ryan Pinkston are now fully dialed in, so much so they’ve announced a second location, at 11925 Manchester in Des Peres (left), the former Mosaic Tapas. (Mosaic’s owner, Claus Schmitz, closed both the Des Peres and Downtown restaurants simultaneously, abruptly, and dramatically last September. Downtown was leased to Michon's Smokehouse just last week.The only other location, a licensed unit located on Concourse A at St. Louis International Airport, remains open.)
Deaver tells Relish the remodel will be extensive and “closer to a gut rehab” than a quickie, paint-and-paper job. The resulting space will have pine floors, more reclaimed wood and brick--“a modern-rustic look,” according to Deaver. Helen Lee of Tao + Lee Associates (Wapango, ARAKA, Bocci Bar, BARcelona) is spearheading the redesign.
The Three Kings in the Loop has a sidewalk patio and a small, alleyway courtyard; Des Peres counters with a large patio off the right side of the building (see above).
The beverage program at Three Kings is well-curated, with 22 revolving brews on draft (updated on Twitter) plus 40 bottled beers, a “one-of-a-kind beer cellar list” (lots of limiteds and seasonals), house-made liquor infusions, and a respectable wine list, with 18 glass pour selections available.
Three Kings' menu is whimsical (Cap’n Crunch Shrimp, Buffalo Chicken Toasted Ravs) but the partners are equally serious about quality: at the annual UCB Heartland WingDing, its chicken wings earned two First Placetrophies—for Best Traditional and Best Specialty Wing (for a wing fried in waffle batter). The trio is also focuse on sourcing locally-raised produce and meats, thereby reducing their carbon footprint: the pepper jack cheese bratwurst on the Dirty Bastard Bratzel, for example, comes from south St. Louis' own G&W Bavarian Sausage Company.
Deaver says the same approach will be taken in Des Peres, “but with a little more refinement and more of an emphasis on kids' meals—healthy kids' meals.”
Burgers have always been important to Deaver, too (his namesake restaurant, Deaver’s Restaurant & Sports Bar, garnered a “Best Burgers in St. Louis” nod from SLM), and that focus will also hold true at the new location. We can only hope The Pogue Mahone—with bacon, caramelized onions, sauteed mushrooms, two cheeses and a fried egg all on a pretzel bun (left)--will makes the journey to Des Peres. With St. Paddy’s Day on the doorstep, an explanation is in order--Pogue Mahone is Irish for “Kiss My Arse.”
Demo hammers start swinging on Monday, and with any luck, there'll be burgers and brews by early June.
