Windowsills Cafe & Market is readying to open in Ellisville at 1326 Clarkson Clayton Center, next to Dierberg’s. The counter-service cafe will feature smoked foods, house-made sides, pies and Belgian waffles, while the marketplace will carry locally prepared sauces and jams and other specialty food items. The cafe-market, which The Scoop reported on last August, is the newest project by Jeff Allee, owner of Wildwood Pub & Grill. An employee at the pub stated that Windowsills is expected to open sometime this week.

The Press Box in Chesterfield is being reconceptualized as Scarecrow. Besides a new name, the space at 1095 Chesterfield Parkway will see a facelift and a new menu that will transform it from sports bar to upscale-casual restaurant by mid-January, as reported by Feast.

In addition, Chicago-based Prasino is opening a location in St. Charles. Prasino, which is the Greek word for “green,” is built on a concept of sustainability – from the locally sourced ingredients for the food (pictured) to the eco-friendly processes put in place in the kitchen. The restaurant will be located at 1520 S. Fifth St., with an anticipated opening of March, reports Feast.

Finally, while the calendar just flipped to 2013, diners thinking ahead to next year can look forward to the arrival of Cooper’s Hawk Winery and Restaurant in Town and Country. Cooper’s Hawk will be located at 1000-1272 Town and Country Crossing Drive at the intersection of Clayton and Woods Mill Roads, as reported by Evan Binns of the St. Louis Business Journal and the Post-Dispatch’s Evan Benn. The Cooper’s Hawk concept includes an upscale casual dining restaurant, full-service bar, private barrel-aging room, and Napa-style tasting room and retail gift store. The restaurant chain currently has 11 locations spread across five states, with expansion plans for four additional locations, including the St. Louis site.

Stephanie and David Stitt, owners of Veritas Gateway to Food and Wine, have announced that they are moving their restaurant and wine shop from its Chesterfield location at 1722 Clarkson Road in the Dierbergs Market Place (pictured) to the corner of Clarkson and Clayton Roads in Ellisville, in the space between Life Time Fitness and that formerly occupied by Straub’s. Veritas will close in mid-January and unveil its new space in early May.

A letter sent to supporters yesterday stated that, “We are keeping all the stuff that makes Veritas such a special place.” Among those core elements is the open kitchen helmed by the owners’ son, Mathis Stitt, who develops a menu each week based on local, seasonal ingredients (Sauce reviewed Veritas this past July.). The retail shop, stocked with wines selected by David Stitt and specialty culinary-related products, is also staying.

The announcement noted that the increased space at the new location will allow Veritas to offer a full bar with cocktails and a bar food menu, cooking classes, and an expanded kitchen that will “allow for even greater creativity and flexibility” in the restaurant’s menu offerings.

In preparation for the move, Veritas is holding an inventory reduction sale. Shop merchandise will be discounted beginning today, while wines will be sold at a discount starting Thursday, December 27. Additional discounts will continue until doors close at the original Clarkson location on Monday, January 14.

— Jonathan Gayman

A cafe-market is in the works for Jeff Allee, owner of Wildwood Pub & Grill. Allee’s newest venture will be called Windowsills Café & Market and will make its home in Ellisville at 1326 Clarkson Clayton Center, next to Dierberg’s.

At Windowsills’ counter-service-style cafe, patrons will be able to sit down to a meal of smoked meats, house-made sides and fruit pies. Customers at the market can pick up smoked meats as well as other pre-made, local products like sauces, rubs, jellies and local honey. The name Windowsills, explained Allee, refers to the homey practice of putting a pie in the windowsill to cool.

Upon renovation, the 2,300-square-foot space that was formerly home to a floral décor shop will have “the feel of a European cafe market,” described Allee, with seating for 40 and additional dining space on the patio. If all goes according to plan, Windowsills will open by the end of October.