Element Restaurant and Lounge will be closing at the end of October. The news came in a brief, late-day release from media contact and executive chef Tudor Seserman.
Element Restaurant and Lounge, will be closing at the end of service on October 28th, and the last dinner service will be on October 27th. We would like to thank the St. Louis community for supporting us these past five years. It has been very rewarding to serve you. We hope you join us one last time, to say goodbye.
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Except to add that the closure was due to “a lot of contributing factors” and that building and restaurant owner Stacy Hastie has some “other restaurant options on the table” for the space, Seserman declined any further comment.
Today’s announcement comes on the heels of two other significant closures within the last week: The Coffee Cartel closed yesterday and Cardwell’s on the Plaza will close at year’s end. In addition, SLM broke the news that Kemoll’s will be leaving its downtown digs at the top of the Metropolitan Square building and moving to Westport Plaza.
Element was a restaurant that featured many unusual, well, elements. It shared a building in Lafayette Square neighborhood with a rock-climbing gym. It occupied two floors—the bar on one level, the dining room on the floor below. Both floors featured west-facing, shotgun patios that ran the length of the building, resulting in some spectacular sunset drinking and dining.
Due to the expansive, open kitchen and stunning design elements, SLM‘s Dave Lowry called Element’s space “certainly among the most beautiful of restaurant renovations.” He summed up his 2013 review by calling it “artistry on a plate served in a gracious, laid-back environment.”
Guerrilla Street Food’s Brian Hardesty was the founding executive chef. His cadre of five co-chefs collaborated on an inventive menu with simple, primal names like lobster, scallops, carrot, beef cheek, and goat loin. Subsequent execs included Josh Charles and most recently, Seserman.
Despite being critically acclaimed, the restaurant remained a dark horse for most of its five-year existence. Until today’s announcement, Element remained high atop SLM’s unofficial sleeper list. Located in what was once the old City Hospital’s power station (and despite directions to “just head for the giant brick smokestack”), people still had trouble finding the place.
Editor’s Note: SLM was able to reach Tom Bené, Element’s de facto general manager, who responded on behalf of Hastie, who was traveling. Bené says that the former Power Plant building is being sold to a successful, local restaurant group that will further enhance and invest in the existing two-level space. Bené says that plans call for the patio areas to be upgraded into all-weather destinations and to expect further details from the new owners. “It’s a very positive step,” he says, “a net gain for the neighborhood, the city…for all concerned.”
