If you’re amused that a restaurant called The Shack is opening in the swank suburb of Frontenac, the oddity wasn’t lost on us, either. But opening it is, officially on Tuesday, April 14, in the former Salted Pig location at the corner of Conway and Lindbergh. (The restaurant will open softly this Sunday and Monday, where in exchange for comments and criticism, all food will be half-price).
The Shack is the kin of its sister store in Valley Park (the original location bordered the SLU campus in Midtown). The premise was to create a themed restaurant like the oft-remembered Shack in Columbia, Mo., “an iconic place that alumni would want to revisit every time they returned to campus,” said managing partner Brant Baldanza, whose OG Hospitality Group also owns The Tavern, two locations of The Corner Pub & Grill, and Cucina Pazzo.
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Despite moving the flagship to Valley Park in May of last year, The Shack did create a following—a huge one, in fact—and somewhat by accident. Baldanza thought that opening for “breakfast, lunch, & sometimes dinner,” as the tagline says, might be a good idea, but never thought it would be the breakfast destination it became. Some of his Shack customers are already heaping praise on the new location “because now they don’t have to drive as far.”
What’s all the hoopla about?
A bouncy array of Omelets, Plates, Skillets, and what the menu calls “Griddle Love” (try the corn flakes-encrusted French toast), all prepared in the quality-driven, chef-inspired manner the organization’s devotees have become accustomed.
Another surprise for Baldanza was the carryover popularity of the served-all-day breakfast items. “I’d look around at lunch,” he said, “and was amazed to see that over half the customers were ordering breakfast items.”
The breakfast menu at the new location will parrot the one in Valley Park; the lunch and dinner menu will be “almost completely different,” according to Baldanza. “In Valley Park, we owned two other restaurants in the same center and we didn’t want to handcuff them. In Frontenac, we’re completely unencumbered.”
“The 8-ounce chicken breast sandwich gets a honey-brine,” said exec chef Harry Sexauer, who shares kitchen duties with James Smith, both of whom have prior Shack experience. The GM is Ben Bueker, who’s managed several OG restaurants.
Sexhauer said that an existing in-kitchen smoker was retained, a top-of-the-line Old Hickory model that is now fueled with hickory and cherry woods. We’re not sure of the percentage of each, but will avow that the smoked “Wicked Good Turkey” sandwich on a Companion pretzel bun (right) is no overstatement. Additional texture, flavor, and a cheese kick come from add-ons of honey mustard and crushed Nacho Cheese Doritos. The $12 sandwich comes with a choice of several sides, including “sweet pot tots,” or upcharge options like brisket chili and homemade soup.
The house burger–an 8-ounce blend of brisket, chuck, and sirloin cooked-to-temp on a flat-grill—has an interesting back story. Formerly called The Shackburger, the OG camp received a missive from the Shake Shack suits requesting they change the name. And they did. The burger is now called the “Cease and Desist.” Advantage, OG.
Besides ham cut to the perfect thickness, the Cubano sandwich boasts pulled orange/lemon braised pork, swiss cheese, half-done pickle chips, and yellow mustard.
The “Lord of the Wings,” a full pound of rubbed-then-smoked chicken wings, receives an after-glaze of BBQ sauce and cider vinegar before being oven baked. The result is finger-licking stickiness.
Partner Jon Fogarty predicts the Chimi Steak–a Kaldi’s Coffee-encrusted hanger steak sandwich served with Asiago and chimichurri sauce–will be the big seller at the Frontenac location. The once-mysterious cut of beef is first dry-rubbed before being oven-roasted and sliced.
Impressive as well is the “Don’t Touch, It’s Mine” salad (right, shown with sliced steak), where the kicker is “fried zucchini croutons,” an addictive invention of Baldanza’s that could (and should) be a stand-alone side dish.
Baldanza’s faves include the Reuben (O’Fallon beer-braised corned beef on Companion’s marble rye) and the “Short Slided,” the Shack’s toothsome take on the French dip, with short rib standing in for sliced roast beef, and Companion’s mini-brioche buns subbing for the baguette. And who can resist a sandwich called the Mother Clucker? Menu items with a high smirk value always tend to sell well.
At this location “& sometimes dinner” means the menu will be expanded during dinner service, as in additional appetizers and a selection of 4-5 entrees.
Given the hours and theme, alcohol is a factor but not a driver. The Shack will offer three boozy shakes, three smoothies, three suggested cocktails, seven beers on tap, as well as a modest selection of wine.
Half-price Happy Hour deals have become the rule rather than the exception and The Shack will answer with 50% off select appetizers and drinks from 4 to 6 p.m., Tuesday through Friday.
The restaurant’s interior received a few notable changes. An often-heard complaint at The Salted Pig was the noise level and for Baldanza and Co. it became a must-fix situation. Three partial walls were added (one separating the bar from the dining room), helping break up the 170 seat dining space. Extensive sound-dampening paneling was installed between the ceiling joists that were painted a neutral beige. Under the metal seats foam padding was installed, sponging up more sound. Baldanza learned this trick the hard way: “We tried gluing the material under the tabletops but people ended up picking away at it,” he said. “And don’t even get me started on gum…”
The tables themselves are in fact doors, reclaimed from the second floor offices of the Midtown Shack. Local high schools (Ladue, Clayton, St. Joseph’s Academy, Villa Duchesne) were asked to personalize them and jumped at the chance.
Industrial-style “cage” lights were hung throughout the space, illuminating the whimsy of other repurposed doors (seen above, awaiting “window treatments”).
Six-seat booths were installed along the east-facing window wall. Above them are the soft barn wood planks of the prior restaurant. Metal urns with flowers and other homespun bric-a-brac accents the remaining walls.
The barn wood clad exterior remains largely the same, save for the trim boards, which were painted a neutral accent color.
A Shack regular described the Frontenac décor as “classy Branson meets Pottery Barn.” Baldanza said he didn’t know quite how to react at first, but once he took a good hard look, he nodded his head and said, “I see it and I’m OK with it.”
Beginning Tuesday, April 14, he will, of course, be soliciting other opinions.
The Shack
731 S. Lindbergh (at Conway)
314-736-5900
Breakfast: Mon–Sat, 6:30 a.m.–4 p.m.
Lunch: Mon–Sat, 11 a.m.–4 p.m.
& Sometimes Dinner: Tue–Sat, 4 p.m.–“9-ish”
Fri-Sat: 4–10 p.m.
Sun: 6:30 a.m.–2 p.m.
Website: shackstl.com
Facebook: The Shack STL
