Late next month, Boxcar Ale House will bring new life to the former Keeton’s Restaurant and Sports Bar location, at 5625 Manchester. Owner Tom Puto is putting 35 years of restaurant experience to work with his first solo venture. His partner, Brian Babcock, has logged an equal number of years in the business, circling all the way back to the legendary Al Baker's in Clayton.
“We had wanted to do this for a long time,” Puto says. “We figured it was time to jump.”
Two weeks ago, they signed the lease on the red storefront in the Cheltenham neighborhood, located just north of The Hill, between The Grove and Maplewood.
Puto most recently worked for the Pietoso family, owners of Café Napoli, Bar Napoli, and Napoli 2 (as a server at Napoli 2 for the last nine years). In addition to Baker's, Babcock worked for 10 years at both at Lester's and Gerard's.
“We’re going to have a bar, dining room, game room, and patio,” says Puto, along with a spacious parking lot.
Bill Farmer, the current chef at Brazie’s Ristorante, will join Boxcar when it opens. Expect his signature roast beef sandwich with garlic herb cheese to make an appearance on the menu, along with smoked meats. (The partners suspect smoked wings will become the restaurant’s signature.) There will also be a build-your-own sandwich offering. “Choose your bread—whether you want a burger, chicken or pork, and toppings,” Puto explains. Dishes will likely range from $8 to $15. On the beverage front, Babcock says that the bar’s 20 taps will feature local brews.
The restaurant will be open daily for lunch and dinner, with bar hours extending until 1:30 a.m. on weekends. And there's the potential for a weekend brunch.
Editor's note: This story has been updated with supplemental information.
