Although The Kitchen Sink (255 Union Blvd.) in DeBaliviere Place had been dark for several weeks, Anthony Ellerson, Jr. waited until last week to confirm the closure. The owner-chef officially called it quits on July 22.
The downtown location (626 N. Sixth, 314-241-5454), which opened last December around the corner from the National Blues Museum, remains open.
Find the best food in St. Louis
Subscribe to the St. Louis Dining In and Dining Out newsletters to stay up-to-date on the local restaurant and culinary scene.
Ellerson declined to elaborate on the details of the closure, preferring to look ahead “to the bright future we have downtown.”
Ever since its humble start in a teeny space at 280 DeBaliviere in 2012, The Kitchen Sink had earned a respectable reputation for its extremely affordable mix of comfort food and Cajun fare. (Over the years, SLM reviewed both the original and the Union Blvd. location.)
But the Union Blvd. address had been a tough one for Ellerson. A closure was rumored in late 2014 and unresolved issues with the building and landlord caused a temporary (and reluctant) closure in May of last year.
The Kitchen Sink is not the first restaurant to struggle in that space. Revelers in the early 90s remember it as Turvey’s on the Green. The bar was dimly lit and English-pubbish, with stem-hung glassware, lots of beer options, and liquor dispensed from inverted 1.75 liter bottles. The restaurant was the polar opposite thanks to spectacular floor-to-ceiling, round-top windows that flooded the airy room with light. And at the time, the off-street terrace was one of the best in town for al fresco dining.
And yet Turvey’s closed, as did a host of others in that space—most recently Rhine Haus Eatery, before that Q’s Sports Bar and Grill, The Excelsior Club, Turvey’s on the Green, Tango Grill, Parkfront Grill, and a rockin’ joint cheffed by Bernard Douteau and run by Jimmy Kristo (Jimmy’s on the Park, now at Twisted Tree Steakhouse) called An American Brasserie. We have a vague recollection of it being a Victoria’s Ice Cream parlor for a time as well…all of this in less than 30 years.
We’ve never thought a restaurant was automatically cursed based solely on its address (there are no bad locations, only bad food, bad luck, and bad operators), but there are plenty of folks who do. With the closing of The Kitchen Sink on Union, that debate will likely be rekindled.
