Wes Johnson, chef de cuisine at Eclipse Restaurant in the Moonrise Hotel, has informed The Scoop that he will be opening his own restaurant. Long interested in having a place to call his own, Johnson has landed it in the likes of 4356 Lindell Blvd., currently the site for Overlook Farm in the City, the St. Louis satellite for Natalie Pettus’ farm-to-table operation in Clarksville, Mo. The space was formerly occupied by Savor restaurant.
The restaurant, which is scheduled to open toward the end of March, will be called Salt.
What’s the inspiration behind the name? “A lot of it is derived from an older style of curing meats and preserving things,” said Johnson. “We will do our own charcuterie in-house – curing prosciutto and stuff like that.”
Charcuterie is just one aspect of the contemporary American food that guests will find on the menu at Salt. “We are updating a lot of foods from the turn of the century,” Johnson noted. “Pork is all the rage right now, and we’ll be working with those kind of local producers. We’ll be slow braising. It’s about taking our time with food rather than being fast.” Other items Johnson expected to land on the plate include butter-poached fillets, bone marrow and duck confit.
Only minor changes have been needed at the space, which includes 70 seats in the main dining area, 40 at the bar and another 40 on an outdoor patio. “[Natalie Pettus] did a spectacular job decorating it,” Johnson noted. “It’s a little over the top, but that’s my style. It’s whimsical and fun.”
Prior to joining Eclipse when the restaurant debuted in March 2009, Johnson worked at The Shaved Duck and, before that, at The Scottish Arms. He has also spent time in kitchens in Seattle and in his native Springfield at Agrario Restaurant and the Highland Springs Country Club.
Although Johnson holds 18 years in the dining industry, he admitted that having his own restaurant is daunting. “It’s a huge leap,” he said. “Eclipse is the eighth restaurant that I opened. Salt will be my ninth. But it’s always been someone else’s money – this is truly my name and reputation on the line. I have people helping me and investors behind me, but this one’s truly me. The great thing about St. Louis, though, is that everyone here is so supportive.”
When asked if he will be leaving Eclipse, Johnson said that he will be working at both venues, as they are “two different styles of cooking,” and that he has “a great supportive team” at Eclipse. “I have been working really heavily on readjusting my day shift. In the short term – three to six months – there’s not any plan for me to leave here. But I may scale back so that instead of 70 hours at Eclipse, I might drop it back to 40 and do 40 over [at Salt].”
All of our coverage of Wes Johnson
— Photo by Greg Rannells
This article appears in January 2011.