Not to tease, but this was 5 Star's April Burger of the Month, The Hannibal Lecter: Creekstone Farms Beef topped with Fava Beans, Caramelized Onions, Bacon, and Buttermilk Fried Chicken Livers, served with a Bacon Aioli.
The local restaurant scene continues to bloom like grandma's heirloom azaleas, so our focus today is on locally-owned, multi-unit restaurants (we dare not call them “chains”).
What’s news this week:
Steve Gontram opened the third St. Louis outpost of 5 Star Burgers yesterday at 11621 Olive Blvd. (Clayton opened in late 2012 and Kirkwood a year after that). The menu and attractions will sound familiar (half-pound burgers from Creekstone Farms, attractive happy hour deals, a rotating burger of the month, $1 “ice cream shooters”, and unique-to-the–area Maine Root fountain sodas), but there is one difference: while the two other locations have patios, the one in Creve Coeur overlooks the fountain at City Place.
Crushed Red Urban Bake & Chop Shop has announced plans to open its fourth metro store (after Clayton, Kirkwood, and Creve Coeur) at 222 Park St. in Edwardsville, Il. in the fall of this year. Co-owner Chris LaRocca says he’s been looking in Edwardsville “for a full two years,” and finally found the perfect location, a 3,000-square-foot space in a new office and retail development in the downtown area. LaRocca added that a franchisee will open a unit in Columbia, Mo later this summer (at Broadway and Highway 63) and in Overland Park at the end of this year. Another franchisee has opened two stores in the Boulder area and plans to open four more.
St. Louis Kolache (not to be confused with the Kolache Factory) is on the move as well, announcing plans for a second store opening in July at 14786 Manchester in Ballwin. Owner/baker Russ Clark opened the flagship store last October at 1300 N. Lindbergh (at Baur), a high traffic corner in Creve Coeur. St. Louis Kolache has 35 varieties of kolache (the singular is kolach) available at any one time, and just last week introduced a collaboration with Pappy’s Smokehouse for pulled pork and beef brisket kolache (right). Make that 37 varieties on hand…
Multi-unit restaurants that have recently opened or are slated to open within the next 30 days are as follows:
- Joey B’s Manchester (Chili’s): 14445 Manchester, opened May 2 (also located on the Hill, Laclede’s Landing, and Concord Plaza)
- Fred and Ricky’s: 11252 Olive, opened May 7 (commissary/store at 64 Weldon Pkwy opened a month ago)
- Mission Taco Joint (Gringo): 398 N. Euclid, late May (also in the Loop and Soulard)
- Scarlett's Wine Bar: 4253 Laclede, early June (a Sasha’s Wine Bar offshoot)
