If you were wondering whether you’d get to hear live music again at the space that housed Deluxe Fine Food & Spirits in Maplewood, the answer is yes. Bob Wilhite, owner of Sky Music Lounge in Ballwin, has taken over the spot at 2733 Sutton Blvd. that Deluxe vacated in January, and his restaurant-bar, The Wood, will indeed offer live music.
But before we get to music, let’s talk menu. (We are Sauce after all.) The Wood will focus on American cuisine – burgers, wraps, sandwiches and a couple of vegetarian dishes, with a few international selections along the line of Italian pastas. Jill Wheeler, who has been managing Sky Music and running the kitchen there, will take the helm in The Wood’s kitchen. As Wilhite explained, Wheeler’s culinary talents will be “put to better use” at The Wood since Sky only serves bar food.
Expect relatively few changes to the physical space apart from a paint job of softer colors and lighting that “warms it up a bit,” along with some TVs for sports-lovers who can’t miss their Cards games.
As far as music goes, The Wood will feature live music on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday nights, with other occasional acts thrown in for good measure. Unlike Deluxe’s bent toward rockabilly and twang, however, Wilhite plans to bring in more mainstream gigs to his seven-days-a-week spot.
Hours of operation will be from 11 a.m. until 1 a.m. daily, except Sundays, when The Wood closes an hour earlier. If all goes as planned, Wilhite and his crew will hit their target opening date of May 12. Look for details soon on the Web site, thewoodstl.com, which is still under construction.
– Ligaya Figueras
This article appears in Apr 1-30, 2010.