Photo by Spencer Pernikoff
A selection of menu items from Chicken Scratch, opening October 20 at the Food Hall at City Foundry STL
On Wednesday, two more restaurant kitchens opened at the Food Hall at City Foundry STL: Chicken Scratch and Sureste Mexican, bringing the total to 13 (out of a possible 20).
Food Hall operations director Susie Bonwich reminds that the long-awaited Food Hall "is a unique place to the St. Louis area because it brings together multiple first-to-the-area concepts.” (In the coming months, look for the openings of Gerard Craft's Fordo's Killer Pizza, 4 Hens Creole Kitchen, and Intergalactic Burgers, a third Food Hall kitchen from the owners of Sub-Division Sandwich Co. and Good Day.)
The raison d'être of Chicken Scratch is rotisserie chicken, as interpreted by chef-owner Nate Hereford, the former executive chef at Gerard Craft's now-shuttered niche. Hereford previously told SLM that he chose a dry brine and a house spice rub of garlic, paprika, rosemary, and thyme—among other "warm poultry seasonings"—because it produces the most consistent (and consistently available) product. Subjecting poultry to days-long brines and marinades can be problematic in a quick-serve concept like this, Hereford says.
Another key component is Hereford’s choice of a French Rotisol rotisserie oven. "It's gas-powered, fast, easy to operate, and produces a consistent product," he told SLM, a key factor, especially when planning multiple units. At Chicken Scratch, guests can order quarter-, half-, or whole chickens.
Additional menu items include sandwiches (including the Chicken Dip, with pulled rotisserie meat, marinated kale, and ‘scratch jus’ for dipping) and the Scratch Salad (with greens, vegetables, and the option to add pulled chicken).
Photo by Spencer Pernikoff
Side dishes from Chicken Scratch
Tagged "seasonal eats and rotisserie meats," a handful of side dishes are also available incorporating a variety of house made sauces, including what Hereford calls the “creamy and dreamy Scratch sauce.” Look for such dishes as roasted carrots with hot honey vinaigrette, nuts, and feta cheese, as well as a cabbage slaw with Thai basil and a yogurt dressing.
Chicken Scratch is open for lunch and dinner, daily except Tuesday. The hours are 11:30 a.m.–7:30 p.m. Monday and Wednesday through Saturday, as well as 11:30 a.m.–7 p.m. Sunday.
Sureste Méxican is the brainchild of Alex Henry, an alum of Brasserie and taste, a 2018 Eater Young Gun semifinalist, and former executive chef of Nixta and Cleveland-Heath. Sureste (Spanish for southeast) features the cuisine from that region of coastal Mexico, specifically dishes from the Yucatán Peninsula.
The most renowned dish from the region is cochinita pibil, a marinated pork dish that’s slow-roasted overnight in banana leaves. Henry’s traditional marinade includes citrus juice and achiote (a.k.a. annatto), which provides a bold, orange color. At Sureste, the dish is topped with citrus-macerated onions and ground habañero and is served either taco- or torta-style, for easy portability around City Foundry.
Courtesy Alex Henry
Look for items such as salbut (a thick fried tortilla topped with roasted turkey, pickled red onions, pickled jalapeno, lettuce, avocado, and tomato) and pavo en chilmole (local turkey stewed in burnt chili mole with pork meatballs and hard-boiled egg).
Courtesy Alex Henry
Henry will not only be making his own tortillas from nixtamal in house (from two different types of corn, no less), but he’ll also be breaking down whole hogs, turkeys, and fish inside the 500-square-foot kitchen. The net result: Sureste's menu items will change throughout the week, as the chef works through each protein, giving customers additional reasons to return. Henry also plans to offer several types of tamales and three to four kinds of ceviche, the latter displayed in a sushi-style case. “Sureste will be a scratch operation, very farm-to-table,” he says.
Breakfast items include the ever-popular chilaquiles, huevos motuleños (fried eggs over black beans on a fried tortilla, served with ham, peas, and colby cheese), and molletes (a Mexican-style open-faced sandwich with refried beans and melted cheese served with xni-pek—pronounced schnee-peck—a bold, habanero-based salsa that translates to “dog’s nose").
The inspiration for Sureste comes from Henry’s childhood in Mérida, Yucatán, re-creating foods that his mother and grandmother prepared. “Most of the dishes are also common fare at market stalls in Yucatán,” he says in a release, “so choosing to open in The Food Hall at City Foundry STL seemed like a natural fit to capture a similar feel.”
Beginning October 20, Sureste will be open 9 a.m.–7 p.m. every day but Tuesday, expanding to 9 p.m. in a few weeks. The menu will be posted on Sureste's website, which is still in development.
