When BEAST Butcher & Block (4156 Manchester) opened in June 2019, owner David Sandusky quipped, “Well, yes, it took awhile…. This project has hit every single road bump and landmine it could find.”
That was before the pandemic, which arrived less than a year later. Due to health precautions, the restaurant was unable to operate at its full capabilities—including a live-fire kitchen visible to the dining room—until now.
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Beginning today, February 16, St. Louisans can experience the restaurant as David and Meggan Sandusky originally envisioned it, with a Live-Fire Steaks & Chops Dinner Menu. Patrons can watch as their dishes are cooked from start to finish and even see close-up shots via a television mounted over the kitchen.
“[The open kitchen] makes a massive impact, because now we’re doing things that are very unique and hard to find, especially in this city,” says David. “It’s really about getting back to primal cooking, and I think there’s a lot of beauty in that. Just working the fire, managing the coals—it takes a lot of skill and a lot of effort. And it produces such a better steak. It’s a night-and-day difference.”
The Menu
Butcher Jim Thomas will oversee all of the cuts on the menu, including ribeyes, filets, strips, T-bones, and more. Selections also include a grilled swordfish and local Berkshire pork chop, chosen specifically for its flavor profile in combination with smoke from the charcoal grill. Guests looking for a more exclusive experience can ask about the Butcher’s Reserve Menu, featuring dry-aged steaks from local grass-fed Black Angus cows.
Other offerings on the new dinner menu include appetizers, salads, and a strozzapreti pasta dish created through a collaboration with Pastaria. To top it all off, pastry chef Brandon Dusanowsky will serve up BEAST’s in-house gooey butter cake brand, Bettie Butter Cake.
And for fans of the barbecue menu, there’s no cause for alarm: The restaurant’s tried-and-trues will still be available as well. “All the barbecue here is the same as it is at the first location,” David says. “We’re not redoing the whole concept. We’re adding things to the menu and expanding what we do in the evening.” View the complete menu here.
Expanded Options
While alcoholic beverages including drafts, wine, and canned cocktails are currently available, BEAST Butcher & Block’s bar is still under construction. David anticipates a full opening within seven to eight weeks, which will usher in a full menu of specialty cocktails.
To accommodate its full-service model, the restaurant will be expanding its hours. Patrons can enjoy lunch or dinner from 11 a.m.–9 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday and from 11 a.m.–10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. On Sunday, the restaurant will open early for a 10 a.m. brunch and close at 9 p.m.
And while the Sanduskys currently own BEAST Craft BBQ in Belleville and BEAST Butcher & Block in The Grove, look for BEAST Craft BBQ at CITYPARK as well—one more way the couple is continuing to grow their business. Says David, “We ask the question, ‘Is it our best?’ not ‘Can we sell it?’” David says. “That ‘all killer, no filler’ mentality has always been our tagline.”
