Jim Edmonds 15 Steakhouse has added a new player to the roster, hiring Andy Shrensker as executive chef at the downtown restaurant. Shrensker makes the move from Mihalis Chophouse on McCausland Avenue, where he worked for the last year. Prior to cooking in the kitchen at Mihalis, Shrensker worked for four years as executive sous chef at Forest Hills Country Club. He has worked in the restaurant industry since 1996.
One of Shrensker’s first tasks is to usher in a new menu, which could happen as early as next week. Among the new menu items, look for his fried calamari, which was a popular appetizer at Mihalis. “It’s a twist off of a Rhode Island-style calamari – pepper, cheese, tomatoes, a balsamic butter sauce. But mine is not a heavy breading,” added the graduate of Johnson & Wales culinary school in Providence, R.I. Shrensker is also hoping to add starters like corn tortellini, a goat cheese and asparagus quesadilla, and spinach and artichoke bruschetta. “We’re trying to move away from fried appetizers,” he summed. Overall, guests at the fine dining establishment can expect a more seasonal menu that’s still affordable.
Mark Winfield, co-owner of the restaurant, expressed his excitement over the new hire. “He’s really talented and motivated and I think he is going to take us to the next level.”
During the conversation with Winfield, Sauce inquired about recent rumors that his establishment, which includes the upstairs nightclub, Club 15, was getting its license revoked by the city in an effort to crackdown on rowdy behavior and street violence downtown.
“We are not getting our liquor license revoked,” replied Winfield. “I’ve had meetings with the city. They were just looking into some issues in all of the downtown places serving liquor until 3 a.m. We are one of those places. As far as violent crimes, it’s not a violent place.”
In addition, Winfield affirmed his commitment and that of co-owner and MLB player Jim Edmonds, to operating a business in St. Louis City, but admitted that the recent negative press has resulted in a substantial loss of business. “We are going to be here for the next 20 years – we own the building. We’re the only place downtown that has had a successful restaurant business in a nightclub, but this has hurt our reputation and we’ve lost numerous events since this came out.”
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This article appears in Aug 1-31, 2010.