The Midwestern Meat & Drink, a barbecue restaurant, will open in the former Flying Saucer space downtown next spring. (Flying Saucer’s last day is September 26.)
In August, Stephen Savage, co-owner of the Wheelhouse and neighboring Start Bar, announced that his group had signed a lease for the Flying Saucer Draught Emporium, at 900 Spruce Street, but few other details were provided at the time.
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Today, SLM has learned that the restaurant will be named The Midwestern Meat & Drink, and barbecue guru Ben Welch will be the culinary partner. Welch owns the renowned Big Baby Q barbecue shack in Maryland Heights, which will close in late December to prepare for Midwestern’s late winter/early spring opening (“by opening day at the latest,” says Savage.)
Savage makes no apologies for his love of St. Louis and its “right in the middle of everywhere” location in the middle of the country. Realizing the city’s love (and reputation) for barbecue and well aware that the restaurant will have Busch Stadium and Enterprise Center as neighbors, he began looking for a pitmaster who was ready to expand.
Enter Ben Welch, owner of Big Baby Q in Maryland Heights. “Ben was friends with my partner [Nick Del Gaiso] and was ready to expand,” Savage says. “He’s well-known and respected in the industry. His award-winning brisket is as good as brisket gets.”
Further researching the concept, Savage found that “meat & drink” was an Old English saying for “that’s my bread and butter” or “that’s my wheelhouse,” an obvious tie-in. When Savage discovered that no other restaurant had used the “meat and drink” tagline, he inked the name, and Atomic Dust began working on the branding. “Our goal is to have the restaurant showcase Midwestern values and hospitality, as well as its bounty,” he says.
The expanded kitchen facilities (including four smokers) will allow Welch to explore a wider assortment of offerings. Expect to see former specials become permanent menu items and maybe even some of the Southern cuisine that Welch dabbled in at a pop-up event this summer.
In a departure from the norm, The Midwestern will be a barbecue restaurant, not a barbecue joint, so expect full- rather than counter-style service, “BBQ served ‘politely,’ at the table, without the line,” as Savage puts it. “We want this to be a barbecue place where you can hang out,” he adds, “not a place where you’re rushed. We want people to make a day or a night out of it.”
To that end, The Midwestern will offer local and regional live music on weekend nights, and Saturday and Sunday afternoons, and occasionally during the week. A well-placed stage facing Busch Stadium is being constructed on the previously unused south patio to accommodate bands. Plans are to enclose the patio, so it can be used year-round.
The existing covered east patio that runs the length of the building is expected to continue to be a popular perch on game days.
Savage had previously stated that the new endeavor would pitch to an older crowd (30s and up), so as not to cannibalize his other concepts (Wheelhouse and StartBar) nearby. Expect to hear rock, country, and blues acts, rather than the pop, dance, EDM, and hip-hop that the younger-market Wheelhouse and StartBar typically play.
One perk for patrons of all three concepts: free parking on non-Cardinals game days in adjacent lots. Savage also notes that he and his partners have been proactive in addressing safety concerns. They’re working with Koman Group (the developer of the Cupples Station complex) to develop a “security and branding initiative that encompasses the entire block,” details of which are still in development.
Savage says “the overarching theme is pairing quality barbecue with a vibrant, high-volume bar.”
