Courtesy of Baileys' Restaurants
Courtesy of Baileys' Restaurants
St. Louis diners will soon have a new way to experience deep-fried bird, courtesy of one of the area’s most talented fried chicken chefs. What the Cluck?, a pop-up restaurant from Baileys' Restaurants’ director of culinary development Cassy Vires, will open this Friday, April 14, on the mezzanine level, cleverly renamed the Hen House, of Bailey’s Range downtown location (920 Olive). For now, the limited-time concept will run from 3–8 p.m. Fridays and noon–8 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays.
The Menu
Billed as “fried chicken, reimagined,” What the Cluck? will feature cage-free, antibiotic, pesticide and hormone free chickens that are marinated, smoked and marinated again before being dredged in Vires’ top-secret breading recipe and dunked in the deep-fryer. Diners will have the option of enjoying her handiwork as a whole fried bird, chicken tenders or a sandwich. A variety of side dishes and sauces round out the menu, which Vires describes as focused on big flavors and culinary influences from the South and Texas.
Courtesy of Baileys' Restaurants
Vires is equally excited about the side dishes, notably the outrageously creamy mac and cheese, which she calls Mama Cass’ Mac. It's the first time she's ever put her name on a menu item. Patrons will also be able to choose from loaded charro beans, Tajin fries, fried sprouts with jalapeño peach vinaigrette and onion frizzles, and jalapeño cornbread with mezcal honey butter.
Courtesy of Baileys' Restaurants
What the Cluck? will also have its own beverage program, which leans into the “Texessean” theme. Vires worked alongside Baileys' Restaurants bartenders to create flavors that pair well with the food, such as the Southern Hot (featuring mezcal, peach nectar, triple sec, jalapeño syrup, and lime) and the Prairie Fire (made with bourbon, maple syrup, chocolate bitters and Oaxaca spicy bitters).
The Back Story
Courtesy of Baileys' Restaurants
Cassy Vires
Vires, who has been with Baileys' Restaurants since 2021, came up with the idea for a fried chicken concept in a most classic way: out of necessity. After receiving a call from one of her vendors about a spectacular price on organic, humanely raised chickens, she bought all 77 of the birds that he had on a whim, telling the cooks, “Don’t worry about it—we’ll figure something out,” when they arrived the next day. By the following morning, she, too, was having her doubts. “I looked at them and said, ‘Guys, really, what are we going to do with all these chickens?’" Vires recalls with a laugh. “We decided we were going to do a fried chicken pop-up.”
Courtesy of Baileys' Restaurants
She ran the idea by owner Dave Bailey, who loved it so much that he wanted to do it as a full-blown restaurant. They decided to test the waters with the pop-up, however, with the possibility that it could last indefinitely, depending on popularity. And the chances of that happening are great. For the fried chicken, Vires is calling not only upon her recipes from the gone-but-never-forgotten Home Wine Kitchen, but she’s also digging all the way back to when she first fell in love with food as a child in her grandmother’s Tennessee kitchen, as well as her experiences as a culinary student in Texas.
“Every Sunday night was fried chicken in Tennessee,” Vires explains. “That’s where I fell in love with food, and that’s what started the journey. All those flavors—sweet and savory is a quintessential Southern thing; we add honey, maple, or sorghum to everything. Then I go to Texas for culinary school and discover these layers of flavor, spice, heat, and smoke that’s not spicy but has this great back heat. It is a fusion of Texas and Mexican, and the way those foods come together. The idea was to put those two things I love together.”
Vires, who also spent a good deal of time doing R&D alongside Juniper’s John Perkins to develop his restaurant’s own extraordinary fried chicken, is confident in her bird and excited to again share with the world her special recipe. “I can stand behind this bawk bawk,” she says.
The Atmosphere
Courtesy of Baileys' Restaurants
Customers will order from QR codes in the mezzanine area, which has been reimagined to create a What the Cluck? vibe. They're then welcome to dine at one of the picnic tables or take the food to go. Either way, Vires is confident that the pop-up is bound to be a good time.
“This feels personal to me,” Vires says. “I want to share this experience and am legit excited about it—the flavors are fantastic, the entire team is excited. We are rearing and ready to go. They keep telling me that they are not going to disappoint Grandma. She will be proud of us.”
