Photography by Kevin A. Roberts
A bacon, egg, and cheese kolache, one of 30 varieties available at St. Louis Kolache.
At the same time that metro area restaurants continue to grapple with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the new year has started on a more positive note, with three St. Louis-based restaurant groups opening new locations.
St. Louis Kolache, The Pasta House Co., and UKRAFT have recently opened locations in the Southwest Garden neighborhood, Ladue, and downtown, respectively.
Photography by Kevin A. Roberts
St. Louis Kolache co-owner Russ Clark
St. Louis Kolache quietly opened its fifth metro area location on January 9 at 5936 Southwest, at the corner of Hampton and Southwest. Founded by Russ Clark and Bart Mantia, the five-year-old company offers 30 varieties of savory and sweet kolache, including collaborative efforts made with smoked meats from Pappy’s Smokehouse and hot salami from Gioia’s Deli. Several more collaborations are being discussed, Clark says, including one made with vegan sausage and gravy.
Clark says the new location, situated on a busy artery for commuters, is already doing a brisk business, and new stores are planned for Sunset Hills and Florissant. There are also possible franchise locations that would operate as American Kolache in the works in Ohio and Oklahoma.
Photo by George Mahe
Photo by George Mahe
Shortly before Christmas, The Pasta House Co. quietly opened a new location in Ladue's Colonial Marketplace, at 8831 Ladue. The 90-seat dining room (pictured above) opened on January 4. In early November, SLM reported that the flagship Pasta House location, at 8213 Delmar, would be closing and planned to move its operation to the former Giovanni’s Kitchen location, which had been in business since 2014. Total Access Urgent Care's acquisition of The Pasta House's original site prompted the restaurant group to relocate the business. Considering The Pasta House’s takeout and delivery business was already on the upswing “long before the dining rooms closed,” Pasta House executive Sam Garanzini says, the new store was configured to accommodate to-go orders.
In addition to the regular menu (including tried-and-true items such as Pasta con Broccoli, cheesy garlic bread, and the signature house salad), guests at the new location can expect to see more frequent specials, served by the same staff, some of whom have worked at the flagship for more than 25 years.
Courtesy UKRAFT
Several of the avocado toast options at UKRAFT
And the doors are slated to open Saturday at UKRAFT's location in Peabody Plaza downtown, at 701 Market. The owners of the fast-casual sandwich, wrap, and salad concept are brothers Matt and Mike Ratz, both alum of Wicked Greenz. The you-build-it breakfast, lunch, and catering endeavor was first conceived as a food truck, which received additional exposure at 9 Mile Garden when it launched earlier this year. The business took off after the Ratz brothers opened a kiosk inside the Regions Center in Clayton and another at Ameren's headquarters while their new cafeteria was being built. “All those locations taught us the importance of having a captive audience,” says Matt.
The 2,000-square foot brick-and-mortar location has 70 seats, as well as a lounge-like area and sidewalk seating on two sides of the building. The brothers plan to establish a base of pickup and delivery customers, Matt says, so that whenever the sports fans, tourists, and office workers return, "we’ll already be established.”
