Well, this one caught me by surprise: Central West End institution Balaban's is being reborn in (wait for it...) Chesterfield as (wait, again, for it) Balaban's Wine Cellar & Tapas Bar. The new Balaban's will be located at 1772 Clarkson Road, in a Dierberg's shopping center. The Balaban's website predicts a November opening. Steve McIntyre, who bought the original Balaban's from Herbie Balaban in 1986 and owned it for most of the next twenty years before selling to Brendan Marsden and Harlee
The year of Balaban's resurrection is complete. Balaban's Wine Cellar & Tapas Bar opens today at 1772 Clarkson Road in Chesterfield. Owners Steve McIntyre and Brian Underwood are offering tapas dishes, carry-out fare and a retail wine selection, with some of chef Kevin Sthair's dishes drawing upon classic recipes of the original Balaban's (beef Wellington, Ligurian shrimp.) Balaban's is open 10 a.m.-7:30 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday. Call 636-449-6700 for mor
​Monarch (2003)Josh Galliano is reason enough to rank Monarch so high: The Louisiana native, sent packing when Katrina devastated New Orleans, is everything you could want in a chef -- creative yet respectful of tradition; ambitious yet humble. Yet he has been the executive chef at Monarch for only a brief portion of its existence, and Monarch attains this lofty position because it has been such a crucible of talent: original chef Brian Hale (now at the Chase Park Plaza); mixologist Ted Kilgor
