Ramen shop to be: the cheery interior of the former Labeebee's Mid-East Cafe at 2609 Cherokee.
Don’t look now, but Cherokee Street just took an Asian turn.
There’s a ramen shop slated to open in the former Labeebee’s Mid-East Café space at 2609 Cherokee, a few steps west of Jefferson Ave.
Vista Ramen is a collaboration of Casey and Jeremy Miller, owners of The Mud House a few blocks to the east, and their friend and former colleague Chris Bork, a chef whose star has risen steadily in the last 10 years (Wild Flower, Roxane, Revival, The Mud House, Blood & Sand, and Kevin Nashan's Peacemaker in that order). The low-key Bork is held in high regard in chef’s circles and in the community at large. The mark he left at B&S was indelible and significant and he put together "pop-up" style dinners (the monthly Chef’s Night dinners at The Mud House) before the term even existed.
So there was a collective smile in the foodie community the other day when the P-D’s Ian Froeb announced that Bork (right) would be the kitchen cog behind Cherokee Street’s first ramen shop.
Make that ramen shop and more.
Although the noodle-based soup will be the focus, Bork hinted that there would be a handful of Japanese-themed small plates as well, for those not in the mood to slurp. During the next few months, menu items (including several different ramen broths) will be vetted at a series of pop-up dinners at Maryland House at Brennan’s in the CWE.
Beverages will include sake, soju, a selection of both Asian and local craft beers, and since the Millers' backbone is coffee and tea, several Asian teas and respective drinks, including iced matcha (a powdered green tea).
Another familiar face, Aaron Stovall, has also been tapped to help with the new endeavor. Besides being the front man for the band So Many Dynamos (and "all-around lovable dude," according to Casey Miller), Stovall wears a tricorne at The Mud House, acting as barista, manager, and coffee director. At Vista, he'll run the restaurant and spearhead the beverage program.
The Millers had been dreaming of doing a ramen shop for the past several years. “This might sound strange, but we wanted to do this more for the [Cherokee] neighborhood than for us,” Casey Miller explained. “We live here, we work here, our friends are nearby… Ramen is fun, it’s quick, it's inexpensive...we wanted something like that for the area and something different than what we’ve been doing.”
Bork had been toying with several concept ideas as well, but was never able to cement a deal. “The three of us have always clicked,” he said of the Millers, “so getting the band back together just made sense.” Casey Miller’s take was even more noble, confessing, “I just want more and more people to be able to experience Chris’ food.”
Although 36 seats small, the space is full of light and personality. A floor-to-ceiling mural takes up one wall and a nine-foot VISTA neon that Casey Miller fell in love with will take up the other, a sign that ended up determining the name.
“Naming a restaurant is hard,” she lamented. “Names are so limiting and become the butt of jokes and criticism. We knew that our place would be more than ramen—and maybe more than Japanese—and Vista seemed to work.” Agreed. It’s innocuous and has a lot of connotations, none of them pejorative.
We first encountered Casey Miller years ago at The Mud House, when we asked the latte artist if she could “put our mug in that mug.” She had time and did so, willingly.
And it was her hand that applied the whimsical bric-a-brac to the walls at the homespun shop (our favorite: the always-timely, wooden sign that reads “Scatter Kindness”).
Miller, who’s currently working on illustrations for Mary Engelbreit’s next book, says that although VISTA will develop slowly and organically, the decor will not resemble that at the coffee shop. “The Mud House grew into something that was fun to look at,” she said, “and I want this to come together the same way…more modern, more intentional, maybe, but just as photogenic. It won’t look like a restaurant kit.”
Bar tops and tables and pendant lights are being crafted by friend, farmer, and artisan woodworker Justin Leszcz of Yellow Tree Farm, from “mostly reclaimed wood from our neighborhood” as well as “big posts that held up a garage in an alley in Utah and some walnut that was sitting in a barn for over 100 years."
Vista’s branding is being done by another friend, David Rygiol, a graphic designer, illustrator, and typographer. His company, the keyboard-bending (RYÉ-JÖL), has been busy developing ramen-esque illos for the shop that has yet to establish an opening date. The social media handles are already in place, however (see below), never a bad idea when you’re trying to build a brand.
Website - vistaramen.com
Facebook - VISTA ramen
Twitter - @VISTAramen
Instagram - vistaramen
More ramen news: FEAST announced that the city’s first ramen shop officially checks in today, in Ballwin. Ann Bognar (Nippon Tei and Tei Too) and her son Nick co-own Ramen Tei (14025 Manchester, 636-386-8999). Jason Jan’s Nami Ramen is slated to open in Clayton this fall, and Qui Tran of Mai Lee says his yet unnamed yet highly-publicized ramen shop should open in suburban StL sometime early next year. There is also a crowdfunding campaign planned for yet another shop, Gaijin House Ramen, that may be heading to South City.
If anyone asks the current culinary trend in St. Louis, the answer is a two-syllable word.
Follow George on Twitter @stlmag_dining or send him an email at gmahe@stlmag.com. For more from St. Louis Magazine subscribe or follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
