Bistro La Floraison (7637 Wydown), Take Root Hospitality’s transportive French restaurant in Clayton, is closing its doors. The restaurant group announced the news in an email today, citing the inability to secure a lease renewal as the reason for the closure. Bistro La Floraison’s last day of service will be May 30.
“It is with a heavy heart that I share that Bistro La Floraison will be closing at the end of May,” the announcement reads. “This is not the outcome we had hoped for, and it is incredibly difficult to say goodbye to a place that has meant so much—to us, to our team, and to all of you who have filled our dining room with life, laughter, and celebration these last four years.”
Michael and Tara Gallina, co-owners of Take Root Hospitality with chef and partner Aaron Martinez, opened Bistro La Floraison in 2022, after taking over the space previously overseen by the iconic St. Louis restaurateur Zoe Robinson. Robinson had operated its predecessor, Bar Les Freres, in the charming space on Wydown from 2012 through 2020, when the pandemic forced its temporary closure. Robinson made the decision to retire and sell the restaurant along with her other concepts I Frattelini (now Wright’s Tavern) and Billie Jean (now Bar Moro); she was thrilled to entrust the Gallinas with her legacy, and they did her proud, maintaining her vision for a stylish, elegant French restaurant while infusing it with their own flair.
Under their stewardship, Bistro La Floraison became a go-to for diners interested in a taste of France without having to fly internationally. From excellent chicken cordon bleu, stunning cheeses, and positively addictive gougeres with gruyere to excellent French wines and spritzes, the Clayton spot was a definitive part of the St. Louis dining scene.
“From the very beginning, The Bistro was meant to be a small slice of Paris in the Midwest—a place to celebrate French cuisine, thoughtful hospitality, and the simple joy of gathering around the table,” the email reads. “That vision only came to life because of our extraordinary team and the community that embraced us so wholeheartedly.”
Reached for comment, Tara Gallina laments the closing. Though she is not at liberty to disclose the full details of the situation, she does want to make one thing clear: The closure is not on her terms.
“This was not our choice, and we would have stayed if we could have,” Gallina says. “We were about to celebrate four years and were ramping up for the busy season. We had a great chef, a great team, and great regulars, but it just is what it is.”
For Tara, the loss is painful because of her passion for French cuisine and how special she feels the restaurant is. But what makes it even more difficult is how much the restaurant meant to its regular diners, who formed a little community with each other and the staff and shared the most special moments of their lives across its bistro tables.
“There is nowhere else like it,” Gallina says. “While we were a tiny restaurant and not doing insane volume because of the size of the space, the people that came there came there a lot. We have our managers do nightly reports at all of our restaurants with things like who was there, what they had to say, and what worked that evening. I could write a book on the stories posted in Bistro La Floraison’s channel about the the guest experiences and conversations and celebrations that took place there. Our staff cultivated this special relationship with the guests, and it’s sad that can’t continue . We were a big part of their lives, and our staff just really owned that place. They did such a great job, and the fact that the community is losing that is a real bummer.”
Asked if Bistro La Floraison might live on in another location, Gallina said that there are currently no plans for that to happen, citing how difficult the current climate is for opening new restaurants. She says that she and the team are retaining as many employees as possible and trying to do right by everyone as best as they can. She believes that the spirit of the space will live on, and she is encouraging everyone who has special memories of Bistro La Floraison to pay a visit over the next five weeks to say their goodbyes and celebrate what they created.
“We would love to send it off on a high note,” Tara says.”
The Backstory
The Gallinas opened Vicia in 2017, after moving to Michael’s hometown of St. Louis from New York, where they worked at the acclaimed Blue Hill at Stone Barns. Under their leadership, the restaurant has received national recognition and numerous accolades, including a “Best New Restaurant” selection by Eater, Esquire, and Bon Appetit, as well as a Food & Wine “Best New Chef in America” selection for Michael and multiple James Beard Foundation nominations, including “Best New Restaurant,” “Outstanding Wine & Bar Program,” two “Best Chef Midwest” nods for Michael, two “Outstanding Restaurateur” nods for Take Root Hospitality, and an “Emerging Chef” nomination for chef de cuisine Jane Sacro Chatham. Most recently, Vicia was named as a James Beard Award finalist for Best Restaurant.
“While this chapter is coming to a close, we hope you’ll continue to support our team and our broader restaurant family at Take Root Hospitality, including Vicia and Winslow’s Table,” the email reads.
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