Three generations of one family are putting the finishing touches on Eleven65, an upscale restaurant coming to 1165 Technology Drive in O’Fallon, Mo. It’s the first restaurant venture for co-owners Cliff, David and Hal Sparks, a grandfather-father-son trio.
Eleven65’s executive chef will be Erick Brown, who worked for 10 years at Cardwell’s and another five at the Racquet Club Ladue, before joining Eleven65’s team in May. “It’s my first opportunity at a large property. I’ve been sous everywhere else, and it was time to step up and do my own thing for a change,” he said. “I understand what it takes to feed O’Fallon, if that makes sense.”
What that takes at the 204-seat venue is an opening menu with “a Mediterranean feel with some everyman dishes to start,” Brown said, citing items like a hummus plate, smoked chicken wings, a slider trio featuring a chicken burger with manchego, marinated salmon, sirloin steaks and double-decker pizzas. The kitchen team, including sous chef Alex Diomis and Katie Fitzgerald, a former pastry chef at Farmhaus, will focus on creating as much as possible in-house. “What’s important to me is food quality always,” Brown said. “I’m not trying to reinvent the wheel. I just want it done right.”
Hal Sparks will serve as sommelier, pairing wines to the culinary offerings, and eventually hosting wine dinners as the business gains traction, Brown said. The owners hope to have a soft opening in mid-August, but Brown stopped short of giving an official date, saying they hoped to open as soon as possible. The restaurant will operate Tuesday through Sunday for lunch and dinner service until 10 p.m., with a late-night bar menu served on weekends.
This article appears in August 2013.