ILLUSTRATION BY MATT LEHMAN
The Leather Bottle was located at 7515 Forsyth, a location that eventually became Fio’s La Fourchette, on the ground floor of the garage of the Famous-Barr in Clayton. It was one of the first excursions beyond Kansas City for the then-fledgling Gilbert/Robinson restaurant group, which went on to open Houlihan’s (and Fedora, where Bill Cardwell started out here.)
Opened in 1970, The Leather Bottle was a fine example of period décor. Both carpet and ceiling were orange, and a room divider was made of empty wine bottles. Many nights featured live music. The help was hired inexperienced at first so that the restaurant group could train the staff properly. (A year after opening, the restaurant told the Post that the chef was a senior in high school—probably not impossible if he’d been taught well.)
Steaks and seafood made up most of the short menu. The salad bar starred an unforgettable dressing made with anchovies (like the much-loved Mayfair dressing). Even today, there are pleas online for the steak butter recipe.
The menus were painted on clay jugs, providing a double-entendre ad for The Leather Bottle. The restaurant was a favorite for business types, date nights, and drinks after flicks at the nearby Shady Oak Theatre.
Alas, The Leather Bottle closed in the mid-’80s. Both the theater and Famous-Barr are gone, too.
