Courtesy Nexus
A possible menu item at Nexus: Tikka Fish Curry, with chickpeas, basmati rice, mint chutney, roasted red pepper, golden raisins, and cashews
Courtesy Nexus
Misha Sampson and Ceaira Jackson
In January 2020, when Misha Sampson and Ceaira Jackson left their positions at Bait restaurant in the Central West End, Sampson told SLM that they "had some things in the works" and would “definitely be working again on another brick-and-mortar.”
A year and a half later, those plans are coming to fruition. This week, the duo announced Nexus Cultural Cuisine & Craft Cocktails, slated to open in late fall or early winter at 2704 Locust in Midtown.
The name has multiple meanings, according to Sampson and Jackson (who go by Misha K and Chef Jack). The moniker collectively means a gathering place, the central core, a place where “people of every culture will be able enjoy cooking from every culture,” they explain. The location is in a trio of buildings at the corner of Locust and Beaumont, a block north of Beffa’s and three blocks east of Egg, Fountain on Locust, Small Batch, and Brennan’s Work & Leisure.
Courtesy SLM
Nexus is a culmination of the duo's past successes. Readers will likely remember Fleur de Lilies, a Creole fusion restaurant that managed to hit the sweet spot between casual and fine dining. The combination gumbo (pictured at right) and shrimp étouffée were noteworthy, and the Bananas Foster French Toast was Sunday morning decadence.
Sampson and Jackson were part of the opening team at Bait (as general manager and chef, respectively) and instrumental in its rapid rise to fame. SLM dining critic Dave Lowry described it thusly in an article titled “Favorite dining moments in St. Louis during 2020”: “Like the atmosphere, the fare is quality, with lots of imaginatively presented seafood, including our meal of pasta swirled with scallops, crab, and prawn in squid ink.” (He could have also mentioned the lobster-topped French fries, alligator tacos, or the Flaming Wicked Prawns, which happened to be all three.)
Courtesy Nexus
Housemade pappardelle, portobello, peas, whipped ricotta, olive oil
During the pandemic, Sampson and Jackson launched Culture Food Group, a series of pop-up dinners and curbside pickup meals (Taco Tuesday, Bayou Wednesday, BBQ Thursday, Fish Friday), which spawned a line of spices, an e-cookbook of favorite dishes and cocktails, and catered meals. The couple hosted the popular Dinner with Friends series at their loft home, all of them with a cultural theme, from "Caribbean Night" to "Elevated Street Food."
Nexus will draw on the entirety of the duo's experiences from the past few years. The cross-cultural menu is based on feedback from the dinner parties and curbside events. “We narrowed it down to the things that people really enjoyed,” Sampson says. The menu will emphasize small plates. “Our formula is to pay homage to each culture but serve everything in a Spanish tapas-style backdrop"—or, as Sampson puts it, “a romp around the world, tapas-style.”
Look for authentic dishes, imbued with “mom and pop–influenced flavors,” according to Jackson, “and higher-end presentation, because I just can’t do it any other way.”
The inaugural menu—and possible additions—will be supplier-driven, written for what is available. “We know what we’d like to serve, but we’re not married to any particular items at this point,” Jackson says. On the “hopefuls” list are Sampson’s gumbo (made from her great-aunt Maybelle’s recipe), Korean short ribs, plenty of seafood, and house-made desserts.
Photo by George Mahe
“The pandemic taught us a lot,” Sampson says. “As traditional restaurant people, we always had a plan B, but now we’ve been forced to consider a plan C and D," referring to baked-in models for pickup, delivery, and offsite catering.
Physically, the space is divided into three rooms, with the bar in front and two dining rooms in back. Architectural details (terra cotta arches, multiple fireplaces, original brick walls) will be preserved. A covered courtyard with fans and heaters is under construction in the rear (pictured at right).
Expect to see a mix of bar seating, couches, chandeliers, large open windows, and greenery inside and out, echoing the sage color in the logo. Hasina Starks of Hasina Design will direct the interior finishes. Sampson envisions the space as modern and welcoming, “like a restaurant/bar in a boutique hotel.
Jassen Johnson, owner of Tower Real Estate Group, is spearheading the development, which consists of several parcels at the corner of Locust and Beaumont. Nexus (2704 Locust) will occupy the middle space.
Photo by George Mahe
A ping-pong parlor is slated for one parcel, and an Airbnb will occupy the space adjacent to Nexus (complete with its own dedicated entrance). The corner space (pictured at right) consists of three separate units that share the common patio with Nexus. (A coffee shop is already in the works.)
The area is part of the $70 million Jefferson Connector project, which will connect Midtown to downtown with new retail, office, apartments, and a hotel, much of it spurred by the future home of the nearby NGA West headquarters.
Sampson and Jackson are excited about the area and their first foray into restaurant ownership. In 2020, Jackson got a tattoo of a Phoenix. “It was my year—and our year—to rise again,” she says. “And we did.”
