Hatch’d STL (6931 Gravois) opened last week in the former Quincy Street Bistro space, where owner Joshua Sturma serves up breakfast and lunch. Here’s what to know before you go.
The Menu
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The menu is packed with puns. The Hot in Hurr skillet features two eggs paired chorizo, grilled jalapeños, and onions, topped with green chili salsa and queso. The Fat Elvis pancakes sit atop a bed of sliced bananas, drizzled with peanut butter sauce and topped with fine bacon bits, chocolate chips, and maple syrup. Avoca-Toast from the ‘Wishful Shrinking’ section of the menu includes a layer of egg white fluff topped and pico de gallo on multigrain toast topped with a smashed avocado mix. The Bizzle & Grizzle includes house-made gravy slathered over tender biscuits, with two eggs cooked to order, hashbrowns, multigrain toast, and a choice of smoked bacon or sausage.
For lunch, bestselling sandwiches include the Pastrami Gone A Rye (a classic Reuben made with house-smoked pastrami) and the We Be Clubbin’ (with smoked turkey, avocado, bacon, lettuce, tomato, Swiss, and mayo). The Dutchtown Hoosier is a fried bologna sandwich with caramelized onions, cheddar, and may on toasted white bread. The Original Karen mixes peanut butter and jelly with bologna, American cheese, and mayo on toasted wheat bread.
As for the meats? “My dad, Paul Sturma, is in charge of smoking all the meats at Hatch’d from beginning to end,” says Sturma. “We bring in the whole brisket. The flat becomes the pastrami. The point becomes the brisket. The flat goes through a seven-day brine, then spends two days out of the brine to release all the moisture. He rubs it with coriander, black pepper, and beef tallow, then smokes it for six hours.” The resulting is a key ingredient for the Pastrami Hash, one of the Home Skilletz. (All six skillets come served over hash browns with two eggs.)
A catering menu is also in the works and will feature smoked meats. “My dad makes the best ribs I’ve ever had,” says Sturma.
The Space
“I knew that I wanted someplace in this neighborhood,” says Sturma. “I knew the building was gorgeous, and I had been a customer at Quincy Street several times a month for six years. The space has a unique charm. The upstairs is perfect for events. I knew this was the place.”
The interior is decorated with local art and memorabilia. “The art comes from my grandparent’s house,” says Sturma. “The Eat-Rite image, Soulard Market, the John Pils art is all about local, about being here in St. Louis.”
A long string of Cardinals bobbleheads line a shelf above the bar. “My dad collected the bobbleheads from the 1980s and ‘90s. We’ve got Whitey [Herzog] up there twice—once fishing and once in his uniform—[Tony] La Russa, Mike Shannon, Lou Brock, Willie McGee, Mark McGwire… They’re all my father’s; he’s been a season ticket holder for over 20 years.”
There also family photos and keepsakes. “The framed photo is of my grandmother, who served in the Women’s Army Corps in World War II,” Sturma says. “The snapshot to the side is my son; he’s 21 now, and that’s his Spider-Man. My GI Joes are up there, too… We’re a family here.”
And the restaurant’s name? It came from Sturma’s girlfriend, Sarah Evans. “Hatch’d,” he says, “It’s perfect.”
