Parigi in Clayton, one of the five restaurants owned by chef Ben Poremba, is closing. Poremba announced the news in a statement on Tuesday, saying the shuttering would be “effective immediately.”
“We thank the Clayton community for embracing Parigi and offering continuous support to our team over the years,” Poremba said in the release. “We’d also like to thank Clayton on the Park and its owner, The Koman Group, for a positive partnership in championing our vision.” SLM has reached out to Poremba for comment.
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Ian Froeb raised a yellow flag when he reported that Parigi was temporarily closed. Industry insiders know what that announcement usually portends.
The restaurant, located at 8025 Bonhomme inside the 24-story luxury apartment building Clayton on the Park, opened in February 2016. It was one of SLM’s “10 Most Anticipated Restaurants” for that year. It did not disappoint.
Parigi was preceded by Finale and prior to that, Smith & Slay’s, co-owned by Ozzie Smith and chef David Slay.
The name Parigi (the Itailan word for Paris) hinted at the style of cuisine: classic French meets soulful Italian. Ramon Cuffie, a seasoned but unheralded local chef, helmed the kitchen. (He granted SLM a rare interview in early 2017.)
His plates were finely-executed and beautifully composed… casarecce, seafood brodetto, ruddy Ora King salmon (considered by many the best eating species). Even the cheeseburger, a ground-brisket svizzera, was among the best in the city.
Parigi was also justifiably lauded as one of the most stunning restaurants in town. The elevated first floor space that overlooks Shaw Park had unique design touches, several of them outlined in Dave Lowry’s insightful lagniappe to his July 2016 review. (Would you have noticed the Carstian Luyckx?)
Parigi offered one of the best brunches in town…until it didn’t, driven by slow sales, which hints at a possible reason for the eventual demise. When the restaurant-length patio was incorporated into the building (adding more inside seating), the floor-length windows were darkened, and the trees on the terrace started to mature, it became impossible to gauge the vibe from the street—or even to be noticed from the street. As a result, while it had its devotees, Parigi was mysterious to some and hidden from others. Poremba, however, “is eager to see the neighborhood continue to flourish in the dining arena,” the release said.
Likely next for Poremba is continuing to focus on other restaurants—Nixta, Elaia, Olio, and The Benevolent King—which the collective pulse indicates are all playing at the top of their game. The release stated he looked forward to “homing in on other current and upcoming St. Louis projects.”
