The former Vietnam Style restaurant in the Delmar Loop is being transformed into Prime 55 Restaurant & Lounge. The owners are two moguls in the local entertainment industry—Orlando Watson of RockHouse Entertainment LLC and Tony Davis, former manager of the St. Lunatics and Nelly. (St. Louis Magazine interviewed Davis during that period.)
With that pedigree, the casual observer might expect a glitzy, raucous, nightclub vibe, an assumption Watson is quick to dismiss. “Even though my partner and I are in the entertainment business, Prime 55 will be a restaurant—not a club,” he insists, eager to dispel past associations at the same address (Cabana on the Loop, Modai Lounge, Horseshoe House, Rebel Lounge, Mazzoni’s Café).
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There will be two dining rooms, on the main and lower levels. As with any downstairs space, the challenge is to create an equal or better vibe as on the main floor, and Watson says he’s up to the task. Watson tells SLM that after all its iterations, the space was in need of a major overhaul, so “new everything” is being added: floor, bar, lighting, artwork, tables, chairs, banquettes, and booths. Construction is underway, and a December opening date is expected.
The executive chef, Anthony Reason, is a childhood friend of Watson’s who recently returned to University City after cooking across the U.S. and abroad. The menu will present some Cajun and Creole items (Reason’s grandma’s recipes), island-themed dishes like jerk chicken tacos and a Hawaiian grilled shrimp wrap, and sure bets like fresh Atlantic salmon.
Watson’s local roots run deep as well. He grew up in the Loop and met Joe Edwards by booking the majority of urban programming at The Pageant, Edwards’ concert venue. He represents singer Mai Lee. Lee’s family owns the eponymous restaurant as well as Nudo House, with a new location opening soon in the same block of Delmar. Watson’s an 11-year cancer survivor and hosts an annual gala to raise awareness and honor the dozen family members lost to the disease. The restaurant’s construction contractor is from U. City. Watson loves the diversity there—he even ran for city council.
Asked about the name, Watson said that “prime” needs no clarification. Five is a significant and powerful number; 55—two fives—is all the more so, symbolizing freedom, exploration, and an out-with-the-old, in-with-the-new attitude. Quite apropos for a business opening along the new trolley line in the burgeoning east end of the Delmar Loop.
