St. Louis top chefs are throwing down the gauntlet at a special burger battle next month at Baileys’ Range to celebrate the restaurant’s eighth birthday.
The event will feature burgers from four chefs: Rick Lewis from Grace Meat & Three, Qui Tran from Nudo House, Jason Tilford from Mission Taco Joint, and Loryn Nalic from Balkan Treat Box, and beer pairings from four local breweries, including Urban Chestnut, Perennial Artisan Ales, 4 Hands Brewing, and Civil Life Brewing.
The breweries are also celebrating eighth anniversaries, so it felt natural to restaurateur Dave Bailey of Baileys' Restaurants to include them in the burger battle. “It developed into the idea of bringing in friends that have cool restaurants elsewhere in the city and have them do a collaboration," he says. "The burgers are representative of the chefs.”
Courtesy of Kevin Arndt, Baileys' restaurants
Lewis will make a burger with fried chicken thighs, crystal mayo, and beer cheese that pairs with Urban Chestnut’s Oktoberfest lager. Tran will whip up a burger with secret spices, sriracha mayo, and hoisin catsup that pairs with Perennial’s Saison de Lis. Tilford will create a taco-seasoned Match burger with chipotle mayo and taco sauce that pairs with 4 Hands’ Full Life Lager. And Nalic will make a cheese-stuffed beer burger with kajmak, a Balkan cheese, and ajvar, a roasted red pepper sauce, which pairs with Civil Life’s Angel & the Sword brew.
As with previous burger battles (an ongoing contest at Baileys' Range), whichever burger sells the most wins the battle and often garners a permanent spot on the menu.
Courtesy Rooster
In addition to the burger battle, Dave and Kara Bailey are rolling out month-long specials to celebrate anniversaries for another two of their eight restaurants. The group will mark Rooster’s fifth birthday by serving confetti pancakes and throwback menu items including a stuffed olive Bloody Mary, croque monsieur, and croque madame (pictured at right).
The Baileys will also fête the 15th birthday of Baileys' Chocolate Bar in October with dessert and drink specials, as well as a social media contest that allows guests to win tickets to Charlie & The Chocolate Factory at the Fox Theatre.
The burger battle comes at a busy time for the chefs. Tran recently opened a new location of Nudo House in the Delmar Loop, which serves boozy slushies and its signature ramen, pho, and soft-serve.
Nalic is continuing to expand local partnerships after Balkan Treat Box snagged a spot on Bon Appétit’s list of 50 best new restaurants in the U.S. over the summer. The accolade comes months after Nalic and her team opened a brick-and-mortar location in Webster Groves. A recent two-day collaboration with Nathaniel Reid Bakery over the weekend was a wild success, generating long lines at both locations.
Meanwhile, Lewis is putting the final wraps on a new concept in The Grove, Grace Chicken + Fish, which will serve fried chicken, catfish, shrimp, and tofu to a late-night crowd. The eatery opens officially this Friday, October 4.
Tilford, along with his brother, Adam, is focusing on opening Mission Taco’s seventh and largest location in Kirkwood. The restaurant, which will include a retro arcade and bar, is slated to open in early 2020.
The Baileys are also keeping busy with new projects. Knockout BBQ will open October 10. The South Grand eatery will be located in the same space as Rooster, another Bailey-owned restaurant, and will serve traditional and “off-the-wall” ‘cue.
The Baileys are also working on a second location of Baileys’ Range in a former filling station at 4175 Shaw. The "half-new, half-historic" space will be larger than it appears from the outside and is set to open next spring, “depending on construction.”
