Ted Kilgore, arguably St. Louis’ most well-known bartender, is leaving his post as beverage director at Taste to open a cocktail bar in Lafayette Square called The Planter’s House.
Kilgore isn’t going solo in this new venture, which will be located in the building (pictured) at 1000 Mississippi Ave., at the corner of Chouteau and Mississippi Avenues. He’s teaming up with business partner Ted Charak, currently bar manager at Taste’s sister restaurant, Brasserie, in the Central West End. Charak joined the French bistro in the summer of 2010. Among the highlights of his 10 years in the bar biz is opening nationally recognized craft cocktail bar Teardrop Lounge in Portland, Ore., in 2006.
Since doors won’t open at The Planter’s House until mid-2013, Kilgore will remain behind the Taste bar for the next four to six months. “It just depends on how our project goes,” Kilgore said. After that, he will stay on board as a beverage consultant for Craft Restaurants, chef-owner Gerard Craft’s family of four eateries.
What will the next phase of Taste look like? “We aren’t going to lose any of Taste’s original concept,” said Taste GM Jack Noecker of the modern speakeasy that has received national aplomb. “There are a lot of people who have put a ton of work into learning, sometimes under the shadow of Ted. It’s an awesome opportunity for them.”
Taking over as bar manager will be Kyle Mathis, who has worked at Taste since February and has worked on and off at Craft’s various other restaurants since 2008. Other bartenders at Taste include: Mathis’ brother, Corey Mathis; Joel Burton; Heather Dodderer, who has worked at Taste since its infancy; and Diana Benante. (Kyle Mathis and Benante recently tied for the highest score among all examinees on the written portion of the Bar Smarts advanced course exam, a bartender education and certification program.)
Kilgore noted that he’s currently working with Mathis and Noecker so that they can “drive the ship in the same direction it’s been going. We don’t want it to change, just grow.”
Although Kilgore built the cocktail program from the ground up when Taste opened in fall 2009, recipe and menu development have become a collaborative effort, as is visible with the current menu. Kyle Mathis expects future menus to remain the product of “a team effort,” and reassured balance and great taste in all drinks. “Everyone knows Ted’s rules of mixology,” he said of the Taste bartending team.
Kilgore’s departure isn’t the only news on the beverage side for Craft Restaurants. Craft has hired Michael David Murphy as beverage director for all of his restaurants. “We’re developing a cocktail trending strategy to take the Taste mentality to Niche, Brasserie and Pastaria as well,” Craft explained. “With a formalized training process in place, we can continue to develop the cocktail and overall beverage programs for all of our restaurants.” Murphy, a certified sommelier who is currently studying for the Advanced Sommelier exam, has worked as GM at both Niche and Brasserie and managed the wine lists at both locations. He also spent time in Kansas City working for a wine distributor, during which time he served as president of the Kansas City chapter of the United States Bartenders’ Guild. “We’re trying to look at the group of restaurants and offer the same type of quality in beverages as the food,” explained Murphy. “To do that, you have to train and educate your staff.” Murphy is currently beverage director at Remy’s Kitchen and Wine Bar in Clayton and will officially take up his new post on January 1.
As for The Planter’s House, there’s still much to decide about this bar named after a famous turn-of-the-century St. Louis hotel. “I don’t want to pigeonhole anything,” responded Kilgore when asked about the design for the space – it will include the first floor and a large outdoor patio – and whether food will factor into the equation. Will his bartender wife Jamie Kilgore, who appears on this month’s cover of Sauce, spend time behind the stick at The Planter’s House? Another unknown. One thing Kilgore is certain about: “It’s going to be a great bar.”
This article appears in December 2012.