John Racanelli, owner of Racanelli’s New York Pizza, will launch a new restaurant in roughly a month – and it won’t involve pizza.
The Market Pub House will occupy 6655 Delmar Blvd., the former site of Racanelli’s Cucina, which closed in February. “The target date is April 27, but I know we’ll be open that first week of May,” said company spokesman Paul Witwer.
The menu at the University City eatery will feature roughly 40 appetizers and entrées, most of them priced from $5 to $7 to accommodate today’s tight budgets. It will include Angus beef burgers, spring rolls, fresh pastrami and various specialty salads – but again, no pizza.
“It’s a totally separate concept,” Witwer said. “It’s been John’s baby for a long time. He was looking for something that drove that price point home but was a little higher level and a little more – I guess the term would be multinational.
“It’s kinda pub food for everyone, especially in that area,” Witwer continued. “We’ve been testing a lot of recipes and going through, item by item. I think the thing that really makes it stand out, other than the price point … is the scratch prep. And there’s some fresh-baked items as well, fresh-baked desserts.”
The Market Pub House will have a full bar with 25 specialty beers on tap. Its courtyard, to the side and to the back, will hold outdoor functions, and the restaurant will also incorporate a stage for live local music and DJs.
Witwer characterized the Market Pub House, which will seat 125, as “a neighborhood gathering place – a place to come and stay, not just come for food, but stay with friends, a neighborhood pub for the Loop.”
Hours there will run from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. daily, Witwer said. The Market Pub House will join other Racanelli operations in the Central West End, Fenton, Kirkwood, St. Peters and Webster Groves.
This article appears in Mar 1-31, 2010.