Even though restaurants in St. Louis open at a far higher rate than they close, the closures sometimes garner more attention… especially when they come in waves.
Back in June, in the space of a week, news came that five restaurants—Harvest, Tripel, Brazikat, Chi Sushi Sake, and Lola—were all calling it quits.
And this morning, we learn that six restaurants have closed or will be closing soon.
La Cantina: 35 N. Gore, August 30
Hamburger Mary’s: 3037 Olive, August 31
Wild Horse Grill: 101 Chesterfield Ctr, September 2
Roxane: 12 N. Meramec, September 6-announced
Pomme: 40 N. Central, late September
Pomme Café: 44 N. Central, late September
As is frequently the case, Facebook provided a lot of the details…
In a post from last night, Bryan and Diane Carr, owners of Pomme and Pomme Café, announced they would be closing both restaurants and consolidating their efforts in a new venture, located at 12 N. Meramec, which has been occupied by Roxane for the last seven years.
The new restaurant will be called Avenue (slated to open in early October), which Bryan Carr describes as “the best of the two restaurants rolled into one...one kitchen, one menu, one focus…it will allow us to be better at what we do.” (The husband and wife team also own Atlas in the CWE.)
Meanwhile, the owners of Roxane, Natasha Creel and Emily Matthes, posted on Facebook that after some introspection,” they want a quality of life and be able to enjoy it” and will close Roxane to focus on a food truck, a more manageable endeavor than operating a lunch-and-dinner restaurant six days a week. That said, the couple also stated that they “want this last week to be FUN, RELAXED & ENJOYABLE.” Unfortunately, the “relaxed” part rarely happens, as throngs of diners new and old come to pay their final respects, Irish-wake style.
Regarding Hamburger Mary’s, an August 30 Facebook post states, "Thank you all for the kind words! Mary is sad to be closing her doors this weekend. But alas... we cannot fight the powers that be. We have enjoyed serving you for the past few years, and will definitely be looking for a new venue. It is unfortunate that our landlord lost the building in foreclosure, and the bank is now forcing us out in order to sell the building ;-( You guys have been great to us! Smooches and hugs…”
La Cantina in Webster Groves closed suddenly over the weekend as well. In a note taped to a side door, owner Roberto Trevino said that the business had been a success but due to health reasons, he would be shuttering the business, encouraging his customers to patronize his flagship restaurant, Amigo’s Cantina in Kirkwood.
Details regarding today’s sudden closure of Wild Horse Grill are still sketchy, as efforts to reach co-owner Tony Valenta were unsuccessful. SLM did learn, however, that Wild Horse’s chef, Ray Carpenter, will return to Niche to work with Gerard Craft.
Again, as SLM's monthly "Ins, Outs, and Almosts" confirms, restaurants open in this town at an astonishing clip, more than 15 in August alone. The local restaurant scene is anything but doom and gloom.
