The doors at the historic Jimmie’s Saloon building in South City will soon reopen but, this time, it won’t be just a bar. Kevin Winkler and Mike Enright bought the building at 6931 Gravois Ave., at Quincy Street, and have done a total remodeling job in hopes of making their soon-to-open Quincy Street Bistro a choice dining option in South City.
“It’s been a 100-percent complete rehab,” said Winkler. “We went down to bare brick. As much as you can gut a building, we did it – inside and out.” That includes the second floor, where four apartments have been turned into an open dining area.
Winkler described the menu at Quincy Street Bistro as “a mix of a lot of different foods,” including salads, soups, sandwiches, burgers, pastas, steaks, barbecue fare, and comfort foods like pot roast, chicken and dumplings, fried chicken and meatloaf.
Winkler is no stranger to the restaurant industry. Years ago, he cooked at Jefferson Avenue Boarding House, one of St. Louis’ memorable “Class of ’72” restaurants. Winkler also owned the now defunct Last Chance Saloon, Outfield Bar and Grill on S. Kingshighway Boulevard (now The Royale), and Café Monterey. Later, he moved to Washington, Mo., and opened a slew of other eateries including steak and seafood restaurant Frontier Grill, a banquet facility called Evening Star and Big Johnson’s Doc Haus located on the riverfront.
“Affordable, casual and comfortable, and for the family” are what Winkler and Enright hope will attract lunch and dinner guests to their new establishment in the Princeton Heights neighborhood. “I don’t want to be a ‘bar’ bar,” noted Winkler. Granted, there is a bar in there, and big screen TVs to complete the picture, but they’re hoping Quincy becomes a fun-for-the-whole-family destination. In fact, one of the TVs upstairs will only show kid’s movies so that little Buster can stay entertained after he’s finished with that burger.
Winkler hopes to open the doors after the first of next year. A rooftop patio will open in the spring.
This article appears in Nov 1-30, 2010.