Developers Tim and Seamus McGowan are hoping they can make 13th Street and Washington Avenue a focal point in the downtown Loft district. The first or second week of November, they will be opening Tex-Mex restaurant Rosalita’s Cantina at 1229 Washington Ave. (even though the website says it will be opening early fall). Just adjacent to Rosalita’s, at 1223 Washington Ave., they’re opening dueling piano bar The Jive and Wail, and come January, McGowan Brothers Development will commence construction on a yet-to-be-named high-end coffee bar and late-night lounge inside the Fashion Square Lofts directly across the street at 1307 Washington Ave.
“Most notable of all is that we have vacated 13th Street from Washington Avenue north to Lucas Avenue, taking out a parking lane for traffic,” said Tim McGowan. Closing the street just west of the building will allow for a large street side patio. When construction on the patio is completed in spring, the all-seasons outdoor space will allow 120 more seats at Rosalita’s. The McGowans hope this section will become the cornerstone of the district. “Envision the corner of Maryland and Euclid – that’s what we envision to do with this area,” said Tim McGowan.
Though the lunch and dinner menus are still being finalized, Tim McGowan said Rosalita’s Cantina will hit “the general St. Louis expectation of Tex-Mex,” while also offering eight to 12 dishes “that are more on the upper end and considered authentic Tex-Mex. And we’ll have great chips and salsa and margaritas – a litmus test for most St. Louisans,” he added. Look for several types of margaritas available frozen or on the rocks.
The coffee bar and lounge is slated to open in the spring. The establishment, which will have a liquor license, will serve lunch and dinner and will even be open late night. Tim McGowan compared the concept to Café Ventana in Midtown where “customers can spend time on a laptop … get away from loud music or go study and have a couple beers.”
This article appears in Oct 1-31, 2010.