1 of 4
The building at 1621 Tower Grove (a former carriage house) will become Old Standard.
2 of 4
Construction in progress at Old Standard.
3 of 4
The most expensive piece of equipment in a restaurant kitchen is the fire suppression and exhaust hood, which costs from approximately $20,000 to over $50,000, installed.
4 of 4
Look closely: Creative eyes see a long bar, with American whiskeys on the back bar.
Joining Ben Poremba’s multi-talented team is Chris DiMercurio, who will be the chef at Old Standard, Poremba’s fried chicken and whiskey restaurant slated to open in mid-September.
DiMercurio, most recently at Element, has technically already joined the team, as he’s been working in Elaia’s kitchen for the last couple of months alongside Poremba, Josh Charles, and Tudor Seserman. DiMercurio was excited to be working for Poremba—“one of the best chefs in the city”—and now that he gets to head one of Poremba’s ventures, he’s doubly excited.
Old Standard’s principle protein will be chicken, a concept DiMercurio finds both “awesome and daunting.” Fried chicken might be relatively simple, but its simplicity means it’s that much easier to screw up, according to the chef. Moreover, the novelty of the restaurant to St. Louis (while fried chicken is hot right now, no other restaurants are focused solely on the item) translates not only to positive interest but also extra scrutiny.
Describing the “Iron Man of fryers,” DiMercurio noted that they’ll be using a pressure fryer that’s tricked out with infrared sensors and a computer that adjusts the cooking time to changes in temperature, for example when the chicken first hits the oil. Chicken deep-fried under pressure (aka broasted) is in most cases juicier than when cooked in a traditional deep fryer, but the equipment is far more expensive. That's one of the reasons broasted chicken is a rarity.
A second expensive piece of equipment - a CVap oven-- will be used at Old Standard as well. The darling of restaurant chefs who can afford it, the CVap oven (short for Controlled Vapor Technology) can cook--but more importantly--maintain a product's juiciness, texture, and crispness for literally hours. There's little disagreement that the CVap has been a game changer in hotel and restaurant kitchens.
When asked if he might feel creatively limited by one protein, DiMercurio said not at all, explaining that, paradoxically, he’ll be “free and boxed in” at the same time. Free to be creative with sides and options (like a whole fried chicken served family-style on butcher paper) while working within the parameters of “uncompromising quality and standards” set by Poremba.
The fried chicken’s breading recipe is Poremba’s, and the chefs (Poremba, DiMercurio, Charles, and Seserman) continue to tweak that recipe as they experiment with the hi-tech fryer. Sides will include goat pimento cheese, black bean hummus, biscuits, cornbread, and waffles.
The other main focus at Old Standard will be whiskey, specifically American whiskey, and both John Fausz, Olio’s bar manager, and Andrey Ivanov, wine director at Olio & Elaia, are currently working on the drink menu. Fausz’s father even donated an 1800’s hunting rifle that will hang over the bar.
Old Standard will have between 50-70 seats, including patio seating, and be open for lunch, dinner, and late night dining. Working among Poremba and his team for the last couple of months has been great for DiMercurio for a number of reasons—because it’s an ego-free zone and because Poremba’s expectations drive everyone toward perfection. Since the collaboration already exists, DiMercurio is ready to hit the ground running when Old Standard opens, a Colonel James Rhodes to Poremba’s Tony Stark.
Old Standard
1621 Tower Grove
Botanical Heights
Scheduled to open in mid-September
