Photography by Kevin A. Roberts
The popularity of the fried chicken at Grace Meat + Three has spawned new concept next door, Grace Chicken + Fish
Chef Rick Lewis today announced plans for a new “late-night street food” concept, Grace Chicken + Fish. The venue will open in a space adjacent to Lewis’ award-winning Grace Meat + Three (4270 Manchester).
The chef said the new concept is a response to the neighborhood’s shortage of late-night dining options. “The Grove has continued to be one of St. Louis’ most vibrant nightlife neighborhoods,” Lewis says. “We wanted to offer a menu that would satisfy those late-night cravings.”
Customers will order from the street through a large, three-paned window. Orders start with a choice of fried chicken, catfish, shrimp, or tofu, which can be prepared with one or more of 10 flavors. "We wanted to utilize our most popular items like the chicken and the fish, but we wanted to make it unique to the window," Lewis said. "That's when we started toying around with the different ideas of flavor profiles, and how we could make it approachable to the late night bar crowd." The fried shrimp will be exclusive to Grace Chicken + Fish, as will most of the sauces featured.
Some of those teased so far include the Grace Hot Chili Blend, Cacio e Pepe, “Put the Lime in the Coconut,” and Ssäm Jang Sauce. Each option will have a base sauce and will be served with its own garnishes. The chicken or fish can be tossed in the base sauce, or the sauce can be served on the side.
"The cacio e pepe will have this garlic, parmesan and black pepper sauce base, but then we'll garnish it with fried garlic chips, black pepper, some torn basil, and maybe serve it on some cheese garlic bread," Lewis said. "The ssam jang sauce is a Korean-style, fermented chili sauce. That's going to be served on lettuce with sesame seeds and kimchi." Lewis is also excited about using Grace's house-made mustard to create a honey mustard sauce, which will be complemented by fried shallots, pickled mustard seeds, and a chili-infused hot honey drizzle.
Lewis said the approach can be distilled down to a simple truth he's observed over the years. "I think I've realized in the fried chicken business that people just love dipping chicken and fish in sauce," he said. There will also be a number of sides to go with the chicken and fish. “I am really excited about our loaded fries and hand pie options,” Lewis says. “We will have a little bit of all the good stuff to soak up those bad decisions!”
Lewis said the window would also serve as an outlet for experimenting with new menu items and ideas, a first step on the road to eventual expansion. "We're going to purchase a food truck, probably in the not so distant future," Lewis said. "Then we'll use the food truck to test different markets where we might later add brick and mortars."
The venue will have sidewalk seating for up to 38 diners, and there will be 15-minute parking spaces for takeout orders. Initial opening hours will be limited to late night on Fridays and Saturdays, but Lewis plans to introduce additional hours at a later date.
"That space in our building was underutilized," Lewis told SLM, "and there is hardly any late night food in the Grove, so it only made sense."
Lewis says Chicken + Fish should open in "less than a month."
Follow @gracechicknfish on Instagram (coming soon to Facebook and Twitter) to keep up with developments.
Rendering courtesy of Grace Chicken + Fish
