Editor’s Note: Three Flags Tavern has closed.
Three Flags Tavern is on target to open in late December in the former Harry’s Bar and Grill space at 4940 Southwest Ave., in Southwest Gardens. St. Louis Magazine’s George Mahe reported in July that husband-and-wife owners John and Cathy O’Brien were opening the restaurant. The Scoop recently caught up with John O’Brien – a chef whose 30-plus-year career has taken him to such kitchens in St. Louis as the old Balaban’s in the CWE, The Ritz-Carlton, McGurk’s, King Louie’s, The St. Louis Club, Chase Park Plaza, Adam’s Mark, and, most recently, Table Three in Wildwood – to learn first-hand about his concept and the food and drinks that will soon fly under the Three Flags Tavern banner.
Three Flags Tavern will offer American, French and Spanish fare “because that’s the food that I eat,” summed O’Brien. However, in searching for something to tie the three cuisines together, the St. Louis native came upon Three Flags Day, which took place in St. Louis March 9 and 10 in 1804. During the two-day ceremonial transfer of the Louisiana Territory, three different flags marked who ruled the city. The Spanish flag was lowered and the French flag was raised and flown for 24 hours instead of being immediately lowered (as originally planned) because it was so enthusiastically received by the townspeople. The next day, one red, white and blue flag came down, while another bearing the Stars and Stripes was raised. This cleared the way for Lewis and Clark to begin their exploration of the new territory. “Our local history is directly relevant [to Three Flags Tavern]. It explains the menu,” said O’Brien, adding, “and people like stories.”
O’Brien hopes that guests will leave Three Flags telling great stories about the tavern’s food and drink. Besides a tight dinner menu (prominent with hearty meat and seafood entrees), the restaurant will offer a rotating selection of daily soups, salads, sandwiches and a roast meat plate, as well as weekend brunch. Cathy O’Brien will manage the front of the house.
Although O’Brien doesn’t posit Three Flags as a “drinking bar,” it will have an extensive by-the-glass wine list, with 20 options between reds and whites, as well as six local craft beers on tap. Running the bar will be Nick Crow, who recently left his position behind the bar at Mission Taco Joint. The handful of cocktails on the menu will be classics, O’Brien noted.
The 44-seat space is currently “hot and heavy under construction,” according to O’Brien, who is working with local firm Space Architects on the interior design. Upon completion, a focal point in the dining area will be a large map on the wall that depicts the Louisiana Territory.
This article appears in Guide to the Holidays 2013.