Photo by Pat Eby
Chatawa will close its doors after brunch service on Sunday, October 31, owner Thomas Crone announced Wednesday.
Photo by Pat Eby
Warm garlic beignets with Prairie Breeze cheese sauce and house-made orange marmalade
The restaurant, located at 3137 Morganford in Tower Grove South (in the former Local Harvest Grocery/Seed Sprout Spoon space), opened just over two months ago with a pair of concepts under one roof: Chatawa and the Grand Pied.
The restaurant/bar is named after two legendary swamp creatures. Chatawa (pronounced CHAT-uh-wah) takes its name from the creature that supposedly roamed the woods and swamps around Chatawa, Mississippi; “grand pied” translates to “big foot” in French.
Chatawa’s goal was to offer beverages sourced from St. Louis, Memphis, New Orleans, and points in between. Grand Pied’s focus was on the cuisine from the same regions. Chef Tony Collida’s menu was inventive and full of surprises. The whimsical artwork alone was worth a visit.
Thomas Crone, formerly of Tick-Tock Tavern, owned Chatawa. Collida, an experienced industry vet, owned and operated Grand Pied. (Collida’s resume includes stints at such establishments as Duff’s, Melange, Balaban’s, John’s Town Hall, Civil Life, WildSmoke, and The Piccadilly at Manhattan, the beloved family-run restaurant owned by his parents.)
Photo by Pat Eby
Crispy eggs with kale salad and mustard vinaigrette
Photography by Kevin A. Roberts
A message on Chatawa’s Facebook page announced the news that Chatawa would close, but Grand Pied would remain open. Since Crone holds the liquor license, service will be BYOB until a new license can be secured by Collida (pictured at right).
While concrete reasons for Chatawa's closure were not disclosed, Crone noted several “regrets” on Facebook. He wrote that Chatawa was not able to procure the niche alcoholic products that would bring its theme to fruition, “despite begging, pleading and cajoling our distributors. We lacked the buying power, social capital and/or other necessary magic to make this happen,” Crone wrote. Chatawa had planned on making a donation to a local arts nonprofit every month (equal to 1 percent of sales) and while Artica will receive a check for October’s sales, Crone wrote that “it would’ve been nice to dig deeper into these types of programs,” signaling lower-than-expected sales, and that “it was a better decision for Chatawa to pause now, allowing Grand Pied a chance to really put an imprint on the whole building’s operation.”
Similar to restaurateur Gerard’s Craft’s parting words announcing the closure of Taste by Niche yesterday (“Cheers to beautiful memories and new beginnings”), Crone's Facebook post signed off by saying, “May my industry comrades successfully find/fight their way through this challenging market/moment. And above all, here’s to a grand future for Grand Pied.”
Chatawa will remain open this weekend from 4-10 p.m. on Thu-Fri and from 9 a.m.-3 p.m. on Sat-Sun.
This afternoon, Collida told SLM that Grand Pied is "not going anywhere. Eleven weeks in, we're alive and planning for the future." Collida says he's already enlisted a woodworker to help with some "needed cosmetic changes."
Realizing that acquiring a liquor license is not an overnight process, he says established bar minions are building a robust mocktail program, along with more emphasis on coffee and teas. In addition, he's already working on engaging nearby wine and spirits shops as interim "beverage partners." Collida plan is to familiarize them enough with Grand Pied's menu to that informed wine and beer recommendations can be made. "I'm interested to see what they'll pair with duck dishes, fried chicken, and the cast iron seared, crispy pork cakes with chow-chow," he says.
Moving forward, in addition to establishing "a small but mighty" wine program, the cocktail menu will be pared down, with less of an emphasis on the beers and spirits that Crone had trouble sourcing.
Grand Pied is slated to reopen on November 3. The hours will be 4-9 p.m. Wed-Fri and 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Sat-Sun (closed Sat p.m.).
Editor's note: This article has been updated to include comments from Tony Collida.
