Photography by Kevin A. Roberts
Photography courtesy of West End Bistro
Mack Hill
“Everybody loves Mack,” says Gina McCurry, restaurateur Mack Hill’s partner in life and business.
When Hill walks down the street in the DeBaliviere Place neighborhood, everyone seems to know him. As he strolls from his restaurant, Mack’s Bar and Grill, past the corner space where his cigar lounge will debut soon, and to newly opened ice cream shop Mack D’Licious Ice Cream and Magnolia Treats, he waves to a passerby, calls out to a small dog and hugs its owner, and exchanges pleasantries with someone parking a car.
Hill's wide smile and quick laugh make Hill popular, but it’s his willingness to listen to others that makes him successful.
“You gotta be willing to change, be flexible, and go with the trend,” he says, explaining how many ideas have come from listening to neighbors.
Photo by Jenny Agnew
Sunday Night Dinners
“My focus is the neighborhood,” says Hill. For him, a neighborhood bar and grill means that everyone in the neighborhood should feel welcome. A recent Thursday lunch crowd included patrons in suits alongside a group of construction workers, with solo diners occupying spots at the bar. The menu reflects that neighborhood sensibility, offering sandwiches, burgers, wings, and several vegetarian options, with some Southern touches, such as fried pickles and shrimp and grits.
For years, the space housed Atlas, a much-loved higher-end destination. Hill realized that his bar and grill wasn’t capturing the same clientele, so he launched the concept of Sunday-night dinners with chef Kevin Green. The dinners are meant to appeal to those missing finer dining in the neighborhood.
This Sunday, Father’s Day, marks the first of the dinners. Reservations are required, and the $40 menu for the inaugural dinner includes soup, salad, and a choice of baked Atlantic salmon with scallop crust and asparagus or grilled filet mignon with asparagus and potato cake. Each Sunday will offer a different menu. While carryout is a popular option during the week, the Sunday night dinners will be for dining in only.
Breakfast with 2Schae Eats at Mack’s
Taking his cues from neighbors, Hill added another weekend offering last month. Don and Lisa Schae operated 2Schae Café at the corner of Pershing and Union for 14 years, before a steam pipe “misfortune” this past spring led them to temporarily close shop. When the Schaes would close for vacation in the past and when the café closed more recently because of the damage, Hill says, customers would end up at Mack’s looking for breakfast. So he invited the Schaes to take control of the kitchen on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday mornings, debuting 2Schae Eats at Mack’s. A bonus for those enjoying brunch: the addition of alcohol, which wasn’t previously available at the original café.
Photo by Jenny Agnew
The Game Room
When the 2,300-square-foot space adjacent to the restaurant was vacated last fall, Hill took it over and created a game room, where pizza is available. A full bar lines one wall, while pool tables are offset by pinball machines, Pac-Man, and other arcade games. The karaoke corner next to a mural of the Arch remains one of the most popular spots, second only to the pool tables. Mack's hosts trivia on Mondays and karaoke on Wednesdays—two more additions that came from customer requests.
Photo by Jenny Agnew
Mack D’Licious Ice Cream & Magnolia Treats
Photo by Jenny Agnew
Last month, McCurry opened an ice cream shop around the corner: Mack D’Licious Ice Cream and Magnolia Treats (313 Belt).
She used the existing black-and-while checkerboard floor as inspiration for the shop, which has a vintage feel. Vibrant and cheery red is used as an accent. On one wall are records signed by neighborhood residents. “I’m trying to make it all about the neighbors,” says McCurry, pointing out another wall of photos featuring area kids. (Although she’s already run out of records, she plans to get more.) Next month, she plans to begin hosting birthday parties in the shop.
Photo by Jenny Agnew
The shop's ice cream comes from Cedar Crest in Wisconsin. McCurry says it’s so good, she’d never be able to switch. Like Hill, she listens to neighbors, particularly when choosing flavors. So far, black cherry, Mackinac Island fudge, and coconut almond have been the most popular. Cones come in a variety of choices, including red velvet, and hot waffles are available as the base for ice cream sundaes.
Key lime bars, carrot cake, and vegan and gluten-free cupcakes are also available. McCurry’s friend Elvit Zubiri, who started Magnolia’s Treats, supplies the recipes behind the treats, which are baked in house. McCurry also hopes to stock vegan goodies from Pura Vegan Kitchen, which is located next door and currently operates solely by online orders and pickup.
The Premium Cigar Lounge
Stretching around the corner of Pershing and Belt will be Hill’s members-only cigar lounge. He’s currently working on the buildout, which will feature a special ventilation system. He's also waiting on the liquor license for the lounge. Membership will be limited to 75 people and priced annually at $2,500 (standard) and $5,000 (corporate). Depending on the membership level, members will be allowed to bring guests, who will be charged $50 for admission but receive the same amount in “premium bucks” that can be used at the bar.
Hill says he's been collecting bourbons in anticipation of the opening. Asked what concerns him the most about opening an exclusive lounge during the current economic landscape, Hill says being able to keep such high-end bourbons as Blanton’s and Stagg’s on the shelves. Regarding the possibility of alcohol sales being affected by supply chain issues (such as a shortage of glass bottles) and record inflation, Hill says, “We don’t even know what normal is anymore.”
Photo by Jenny Agnew
The Background
Before it was Mack’s Bar and Grill, the restaurant's space was occupied by West End Bistro, which was owned by Hill's aunt and uncle Marion and Kevin Green. Hill tended bar there and decided to stay in the space when the Greens moved their restaurant around the corner to Union, as reported in July 2020. Hill opened Mack’s, keeping it running throughout the first waves of the pandemic. When West End Bistro closed, the Greens returned to Mack’s, with Kevin cooking and Marion managing the phones while Hill made deliveries.
Photo by George Mahe
After customers began regularly dining in again, McCurry left her management job to help in the kitchen as they struggled to find staff, along with so many area restaurant owners. Once they were able to secure kitchen staff and the space on Belt once occupied by Tavern of Fine Arts, McMurry decided to open the ice cream shop. A self-professed “people person,” McCurry rejoiced when she could move out of the kitchen at Mack’s and into her own space.
Today, wherever your tastes lie—whether a casual spot to enjoy a burger, a fine-dining experience on a Sunday night, some trivia, perhaps a game of pool accompanied by pizza, a weekend morning with a breakfast burrito, a rare bourbon sipped with a cigar, or a double scoop of rocky road enjoyed while strolling near Forest Park—Hill and McCurry have you covered.
