Over the last few weeks, a lot of temporary signage has appeared along Central Avenue in Clayton, in the in the block between Maryland and Forsyth Avenues.
To keep this simple, today’s itinerary runs north to south…
In late December, citing a sizeable increase in rent, the House of Wong vacated their prime corner perch on the SE corner of Central and Maryland (46 N. Central) and moved into smaller space a block away at 19 N. Bemiston, a few doors south of the Clayton Imo’s.
In its place will be Nami Ramen, a fast-casual, Japanese-themed ramen restaurant. Owner Jason Jan, who took possession of the space today, said that one concept St. Louis was lacking was a noodle shop and that he was just waiting for the right location, hoping that the high-vis corner in the land of the lunch crowd may just be it. The name, taken from tsunami, the seismic sea wave, may be prophetic: this may be the first in a wave of local noodle houses that were rumored but never materialized. Look for Nami to bow in the late spring.
Next door, the former Pomme Café will not be a restaurant but the future home of Cobbler’s Corner Shoe Repair.
A few doors down, the former Pomme Restaurant will become the brick-and-mortar home of Vincent Van Doughnut, slated to open in the next several weeks.
At the end of March, the pharmacy component of Jennifer’s Pharmacy & Soda Shoppe (30 N. Central) will move to the Oxford Building at 141 N. Meramec (the same block as the new Hampton Inn and Suites), but alas the storied 1930s soda fountain will not move with it. In an article published in the St. Louis Business Journal last month, owner Jennifer Rich cited several reasons for not renewing the lease, one being a decrease in foot traffic.
Regardless, we are not alone in lamenting the loss of tuna, egg, and chicken salad sandwiches on soft white bread, just like the ones mom used to make. We will miss introducing kids of all ages to sodas, real sodas--like cherry phosphates and egg creams--and milkshakes in traditional flavors (or made with a slice of pie if you want) served the only way shakes should be served—in a tall glass, with a stainless steel shake cup alongside, containing an "I shouldn't but I will" extra glassful.
But it’s the monkeys we will miss the most... Jennifers’ flying monkeys. We're not sure how it got all started, but longtime employee Maryruth O’Hagan told us here that any item containing a banana was called a "flying monkey,” and whenever such an item was ordered the lights would flicker and the orderee was honored with a stuffed monkey flung through the air from a slingshot.
It was one of many unique little touches that made this soda fountain memorable. Make that unforgettable.
O’Hagan and Isabel Biesterfeld, Jennifers' chief monkey flingers, report that all this monkey business will cease on or about March 14 and we all have until then to order up a tasty banana chocolate malt and watch that monkey fly.
