COURTESY OF BRIAN HARDESTY
Element had striking good looks.
The restaurant announced the news in a press release this afternoon. "We would like to thank the St. Louis community for supporting us these past five years," its release said simply. "It has been very rewarding to serve you. We hope you join us one last time, to say goodbye."
Element has earned raves in several different iterations. Originally opened in 2013 in what was then a newly renovated building on the edge of Lafayette Square, Element featured a wide-open kitchen and a novel arrangement involving four chefs, among them Brian Hardesty of Guerrilla Street Food fame. Later, after the original chefs left, the RFT's Cheryl Baehr reviewed it a second time under up-and-coming chef Josh Charles, and pronounced that it had been restored to its original glory.
Even after Charles left, the restaurant persevered. Last year, it brought on chef Tudor Seserman, who did his part to drive interest in the place. A more recent hire, bar manager George Fiorini, told the RFT that he hoped to get the city playing cornhole in Element's third-floor lounge. But it had long faced tough odds. The location just outside the residential part of Lafayette Square, separated by a busy street and in a building that otherwise housed only a rock-climbing business, required it to be a destination — a difficult thing for any restaurant in today's crowded landscape.
The space remains a stunner, with a gorgeous third-floor lounge and a terrific patio. Its food isn't the only thing that will be missed.
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