For those who think Laclede’s Landing has nothing new and different to offer, Elliot Winter used to agree.
And then he did something about it…
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Next month, he and his partner will have converted the former Jake’s Steaks at 708 N. Second Street (below) to Seven Zero Eight, a combination restaurant, bar, and burlesque theatre.
Winter went the “address as name” route because doing so “engages people and arouses their curiosity,” he said. “With no added tagline, you’re forced to ask exactly what the place is.”
Winter’s expertise is in producing and marketing burlesque shows. For the last two years, he’s produced, acted in, and/or emceed similar shows in St. Louis, semi-regularly at the Stratford Inn in Fenton. And he’s been successful, to the tune of 600-800 covers per show.
Seven Zero Eight (seven-oh-eight, as he calls it), will have two components: a restaurant/bar in front and a burlesque theater in back. Winter (right) says each production will run on Fridays and Saturdays (8 and 10 p.m.) for approximately four weeks, with a new show debuting every six weeks. Down time will feature “everything from jazz groups to traveling troupes,” Winter said.
The restaurant menu was conceived by Chef Brian McGrath (formerly of Basso and Truffles Butchery)., who plans to do all of his own butchering. So the house burger, will be a blend of several different grinds of meat, including andouille and Kobe beef.
McGrath’s Thanksgiving Sandwich (turkey, gouda, stuffing, ginger cranberry chutney, mashed potatoes, and cream cheese with gravy on the side) will be available year-round. There will be lobster mac ‘n cheese…and a mac ‘n cheese burger. Poutine and Cajun grits with shrimp and andouille. A Krispy Kreme bread budding…
The rest of the menu, priced mainly in the teens, Winters describes as “high-end comfort food, but with touches you won’t see anywhere else.”
Behind the bar will be 100 bottled beers, a respectable selection of whiskies, and a rotating selection of tap beers supplied exclusively by Excel Bottling Co. The Breese, Ill-based brewer will supply a house tap—708 Stout—based on Winter’s recipe, an “eight layer stout with eight distinct flavors and a citrus finish,” as he described it.
During burlesque shows, guests have the option of ordering tickets with a themed menu and themed cocktails.
His partner in the venture is Katerina VonRocket, who Winter credits with being “my best friend, my muse, my inspiration, and a large part of why seven-oh-eight is happening.” She’s also one of the performers (at right, backstage with Winter).
While others lament on the current state of Laclede’s Landing, the duo see it as an opportunity. “The Landing just needs an attraction,” Winter said, “and Kat and I have put together a concept no one else in the city is doing…no one else in the Midwest, really.”
“Think about it,” Winter reasoned. “None of the old draws are there anymore.” With its history and architecture, Winter and VonRocket see no reason the Landing “shouldn’t be the French Quarter of St. Louis. With all the street renovation and focus on the Arch,” Winter said. “We’re excited that people will again be drawn to the area.”
The duo has high hopes for their hybrid food/bar/entertainment concept, even envisioning franchises in cities like New Orleans and Chicago. “We’ve got concepts and plans for shows no one’s even touched yet,” Winter said. “We want this to be a cultural stop in St. Louis.”
The venue differs from other burlesque theatres in terms of its intimacy—80 seats as opposed to a room crammed with 600-800 people. “It changes the entire dynamic,” Winter said.
Asked to sum up modern burlesque, Winter And VonRocket coined the term #burlesquelove to remove any negative stigma associated with its traditional form. Articles of clothing bearing the moniker will be available in a retail nook at Seven Zero Eight.
“It’s an art form, a new form of community theater, with lots of pop culture, and still an element of strip tease,” Winter said of their interpretation. “Our shows are very dance-heavy…some opening numbers even Fosse-esque.”
Guests will experience aerialists with silks, fire performers wielding “fire parasols” (Katerina VonRocket at right), comedy, gymnasts, a circus element… “It’s a very sensual experience,” said Winter.
And a very close-knit one: Besides having a passion for the art form, Winter and VonRocket emphasize the closeness of the performers (profiles listed here). Winter boasted that “our past success came about from both their talent and their dedication.”
When asked about the profile of today’s typical burlesque customer, Winter’s answer surprised us: “Late 20’s and early 30s, 70% of them women, and a lot of couples,” he said. “It’s very much a date thing,” alluding to the wide range of entertainment, “and a lot of them get dressed up or dress to the theme of the show.”
Tickets for the performances are reasonably priced, ranging from $20 to $40, with occasional discount tickets available via social media.
The curtain st Seven Zero Eight rises in late May. Watch the website for show dates and ticket availability.
Seven Zero Eight
708 N. Second
Laclede’s Landing
314-833-4504 or 314-606-3051
Facebook: Seven Zero Eight
Twitter: @708stl
Projected opening: late May 2015
