Prime 55 Restaurant & Lounge will open on Delmar early next year

The Delmar Loop will welcome the entertainment industry’s Orlando Watson and Tony Davis with their first dining operation, Prime 55 Restaurant & Lounge, in early 2019 at 6100 Delmar Blvd., the former home of Vietnam Style.

Watson said the eclectic menu will feature “food for everybody,” including chicken Cajun pasta, Hawaiian-grilled shrimp wraps and Creole chicken with mushrooms and white rice, as well as quite a few vegan and vegetarian options.

The restaurant, which will feature two floors with dining space and a bar on each level, will be feature a sleek design, but Watson said he aims to simply create a place for St. Louisans to eat good food and have fun.

Both Watson and Davis, who are University City natives, cultivated careers in the entertainment business. Watson worked in cities like Los Angeles, Atlanta and Miami for marketing and promotion. Davis managed St. Louis-based musicians like Nelly and the St. Lunatics.

The two have partnered with executive chef Anthony Reason and sous chef Kelly Mills, both St. Louis natives.

Prime 55’s space needed significant rehabilitation before opening, Watson said. Renovators fixed the space’s structural issues and laid new floors, among other updates. Despite some rehab setbacks, Watson remains optimistic for the restaurant’s opening by early February 2019.

Monica Obradovic is an editorial intern at Sauce Magazine.