UPDATE May 17, 2018: After several weeks of playing the name game for their “concept within a concept,” Paul and Wendy Hamilton decided on Hamilton’s Urban Steakhouse & Bourbon Bar.
Paul explains that the menu will include wet-aged as well as several 35-day dry-aged steaks, all of them from the Est. 8 Angus line of Iowa Premium Black Angus (a higher grade named after the facility’s USDA establishment number and recognized for its “remarkable marbling, superior quality, and rich flavor”).
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He adds that Charleville will remain open during construction, serving its regular menu along with select items from the steakhouse menu. “We wanted to give customers a sneak peek and a chance to weigh in on something we’re very excited about,” he said.
SLM‘s original article from April 25, 2018, is below:
Hamilton’s Urban Steakhouse & Bourbon Bar is slated to open by late June.
Paul and Wendy Hamilton, who rent space and provide food for Charleville Brewing Company & Tavern, determined that the brewery did not need as much as space as it currently occupies in the building just north of Lafayette Square. So rather than leave that space underutilized, they’ve decided to carve out a new chophouse in a section of the building at 2101 Chouteau.
The Hamiltons haven’t yet finalized a name for the restaurant, but it will feature a menu centered around bone-in steaks and a bar featuring bourbon, scotch, and other whiskeys and high-end wines, says Paul, who co-owns Vin de Set, Eleven Eleven Mississippi, and PW Pizza.
Hamilton says he likes featuring bone-in steaks, because “it really adds to the flavor, and it gives you a different texture because the meat is a little more rare closer to the bone,” in addition to the appearance on the plate.
The couple has developed their own spice recipe for the beef and will offer a variety of sauces and compound butters, including a Korean compound butter with a fermented chili paste, a classic maître d’hôtel butter with roasted garlic, and a steak sauce with smoky flavor.
The Hamiltons also own an urban garden and greenhouse on the site and will use its produce for sides, which will be included with the price of the entrée. The price range will sit somewhere between Ruth’s Chris Steak House and Tucker’s Place, says Paul. The space will seat about 60.
The couple also plans to lease the neighboring building, which had housed a fitness company, as a banquet facility for another one of their ventures, Moulin Events and Meetings.
Paul says they hope to obtain a liquor license for the new chophouse in the next 30 to 45 days and open the restaurant shortly thereafter.
