A metro area classic is back: Gallagher’s Restaurant (114 W. Mill) in Waterloo recently reopened after an extensive two-year makeover. The interior and menu now emphasize a renewed focus on an elevated dining experience. Here’s what to know before you go.
The Menu
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Accomplished chef Brian Hale has created a menu featuring steaks, seafood, and sushi, alongside creative cocktails, wine, and sake.
“It’s an elevated, Southern-style menu,” says owner-operator James Gallagher, who runs the restaurant along with his brother, manager Jered Gallagher.
Hale, who grew up with a “Southern belle mom,” makes his grandmother’s biscuits recipe using her wooden bowl, along with other family favorites, such as creamed corn. The smoked white cheddar-jalapeno grits and dirty mashed potatoes are gaining in popularity as side dishes. “For dirty mashed potatoes, it’s just like it sounds,” says Hale. We use Yukon Gold potatoes, bacon, sour cream, salt, pepper, garlic, hard-seared onions, butter, bacon grease and love.” The gruyere creamed spinach is made to order. “We want that spinach texture,” he says. “We make a mornay sauce and don’t want to overwork the spinach.”
Independently produced pork, poultry, and grain-fed beef are sourced for entrées, which include fried catfish and barbecue pork steaks. (Among the accoutrements are gorgonzola mousse, house-made steak sauce, honey bourbon butter, and Japanese chimichurri.) The Duck Fat Burger is made with ground chuck and served with white cheddar, arugula, house bread and butter pickle relish and brown sugar pepper bacon on a brioche bun. Pair it with Truffle Fries, served with roasted garlic aioli and asiago cheese.
A few of the entrées also have Asian influences, and Jered says they plan to broaden the offerings with lighter fare, such as sushi. The bestselling Tuna Tartare is made with fresh yellowfin tuna and served with avocado mousse, a wasabi aioli, and a sweet chili-sesame glaze, topped with fried wonton strips.
Hale, who plans to change the menu seasonally with such fresh ingredients as morels and ramps, plans to listen to customer input. “If everyone loves it, it goes on the menu,” he says.
Likewise with the famous fried chicken, which won multiple local restaurant polls for years. After resounding feedback from customers, family-style chicken dinners are slated to return during “Southern Sundays,” which will premiere in March.
Special Dinners
The recently sold-out Valentine’s Day dinner included a five-course menu starring a Kobe beef New York strip steak and tempura fried prawn. “It was an overwhelming success,” says Jered. “The food was exceptional. People are still talking about the [Blood & Sea] salad,” which featured port-wine poached beets, micro greens, blood orange vinaigrette, scallop ceviche, radish escabeche, grilled heirloom carrots, and charred grape tomatoes.
Special holiday menus are also planned for Easter, Mother’s Day, New Year’s Eve, and St. Patrick’s Day.
The Atmosphere
The rustic building in downtown Waterloo was supposed to be demolished nearly two decades ago, before John and Susan Gallagher rescued and renovated it. (John’s father ran a bar and grill in South St. Louis, so he already had experience in the industry, and his rehab construction work contributed to the historic gem.)
The family opened the restaurant in 2005. For years, Susan was known for her desserts and other contributions to the menu, and she made sure fresh flowers were placed throughout the restaurant. While John and Susan recently retired, their children–Kasey, Jered, Cody, Shaun, Susan, John, James, Cory, Kylee, and Kelly—have also worked in the restaurant business, and the founders have 24 grandchildren, with many involved in hospitality.
Today, a reconfigured bar (shown above) near the entrance of Gallagher’s welcomes guests and provides a place for customers to mingle. “This gives us more mobility,” says James. “We didn’t really have that available before. Now we have the ambiance.” The bar is flanked by contemporary booths. They are in the process of hanging historic photos of downtown throughout the three floors as well. The first and second floors will be used for everyday dining, with a total of 150 seats on both floors.
The third floor will eventually be available to accommodate private parties of between 60 to 100 guests. “We only had limited seating for large parties before,” says James.
The Gallaghers are also making room for a small outdoor drinking and dining area.
The Chef
During a 30-year plus career, Hale worked at such St. Louis favorites as Harry’s, SqWires, Monarch, and The Chase. Along the way, he shared a kinship with the Gallaghers.
“I couldn’t be happier to be here,” Hale says. “I believe in this rejuvenated concept and want them to succeed. They are giving me the creative freedom. We are basically doing gourmet peasant food. We want food that is comfortable, and we want to do it better than anyone.”
Hale, who resides in Granite City, says the location in a small town about a half hour from downtown St. Louis fills a niche. “Nothing in this area is like that,” he says. “This is such a great place to be at. I have never done better food than I’m doing now.”
Hale’s right-hand person is chef de cuisine Lee Grochowski. “He’s instrumental—we wouldn’t exist without him,” says Hale, who is also excited to mentor young chefs.
“It’s a privilege and honor to be able to feed people,” Hale adds. “It should not be taken lightly. It’s an escape for people to go out to dinner. It’s your duty to do everything you possibly can for them to enjoy it.”
