Somying Fox, the chef-owner of Thai restaurants Basil Spice and My Thai, will open a new Delmar Loop restaurant offering classic American dishes alongside favorites from a range of Asian culinary traditions.
Fox Fire Restaurant & Bar is slated to open April 15 at 6679 Delmar, in the space vacated by Mike Randolph’s Público last December. Fox Fire will seat approximately 60 people, with counter seats where diners can watch chefs at work and a bar serving signature cocktails including bourbon sours, blue margaritas, and Singapore Slings.
Find the best food in St. Louis
Subscribe to the St. Louis Dining In and Dining Out newsletters to stay up-to-date on the local restaurant and culinary scene.
“Sometimes when I go to an American restaurant or Italian restaurant, I want some Asian food and I can’t get it there,” Fox says. The idea at Fox Fire is that friends from different places or with different taste preferences can all find something they love. “Maybe some American people have never tried Asian food at all,” Fox says. “When they come to my place and see a friend ordering Asian food, they can try it. That’s my goal.”
Fox grew up in Chiang Mai, in Northern Thailand, and said she learned how to cook a range of Asian cuisines before moving to the United States. “Vietnamese, Chinese, Japanese, Korean… I’m bringing all of that together in one restaurant.” She says Fox Fire’s menu will include pad Thai, fried rice, Korean noodles, and more.
On the American side, Fox says she’ll be serving a Philly cheesesteak garnished with a Korean barbecue sauce and purple taro fries. “I’m Asian, but I married an American guy, so I’ve been cooking Asian and American food all my life—or at least since we got married,” she says. “I use some Asian ingredients and others used in American dishes and combine them until I get the taste that we like.” For instance, Fox Fire will serve a hamburger blended with a combination of spices (galangal, kaffir lime leaves, cilantro, garlic, onion), then brushed with a special sauce (oyster sauce, sugar, salt, pepper) before grilling.
One standout feature will be the existing wood-fire hearth, with a section of the menu putting the spotlight on that cooking method. Fox learned to appreciate the flavors of live-fire cooking as a child in Chiang Mai. “I saw my grandmother cook this way,” she recalls. “She made curries, pad Thai—everything. It’s very authentic, you get more flavor, and there’s the smell of the wood. It takes longer, but it tastes better.”
Fox hopes to attract a broad range of customers with reasonably priced dishes. “I want people to try something different and to see that Asian food and American food—and the cultures behind them—actually combine very well,” she says. “That’s why I love being in the U.S. and serving good food for people.”
Editor’s note: Fox Fire is now slated to open April 15, not April 1, as previously published.
