Main House Adds Refined But Casual Vibes to St. Charles' Main Street

The restaurant pays homage to the legendary Mother-In-Law House, which closed in 2018

Jul 3, 2023 at 6:11 am

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Scout Hudson

The Main House replaces Tompkins Riverside on St. Charles Main Street.

It’s difficult to achieve the aesthetic refinement of a New England law library while housing a menu fit to feed pretty much anyone. With exposed brick walls and yellow pub lights, the Main House (500 South Main Street, 636-493-6332, mainhouseonmain.com) does just that. It is less “My Country ‘Tis of Thee,” and more Johnny Cash’s “Ragged Old Flag.” Polished but never stuffy, it’s the sort of joint where you can swig beers on the weekend or cozy up to a date with a sauvignon blanc.

“We’re bringing good stuff to a casual space,” owner Chip Bates says.

Housed in St. Charles Main Street’s historic Mother-in-Law House, the restaurant has found ways to pay homage to the venue's rich history. Originally built in 1866 as a home for a newly wed couple — and the groom’s mother — the Mother-in-Law House was later converted to a restaurant under the same name in 1981. After decades of operation, the restaurant was replaced by Tompkins Riverside, then in February, renovated for the Main House.

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Scout Hudson

Red leather booths add to the ambience of the Main House.

Elements of the Mother-in-Law House linger, finding a new home on the Main House menu. For example, Bates’ chicken salad sandwich is a homage to the Mother-in-Law’s salad bar. After looking into the history of St. Charles Main Street, Bates discovered a bakery that housed the Mother-in-Law House’s original coconut cream pie recipe — unchanged, it’s on today’s menu unchanged.

“We’re trying to not erase the past but to bring it with us in an updated future,” Bates says.

Much like the Main House, Bates’s own history is filled with renovation and reinvention. He’s a lifelong chef who first cut his teeth in the kitchen of Ladue’s now-closed Busch’s Grove. After decades of manning 20-top’s at country clubs, dicing for a grade at culinary school and finally becoming the executive chef at Cafe Napoli, Bates left the food industry entirely in 2019. Trading in his cutlery for a credit card processing sales pitch, Bates was seeking a steadier career.

Eventually realizing he “wasn’t slippery enough for the industry,” Bates returned to the kitchen — but this time, his own. During the pandemic, he began cooking meals for the residents of a local assisted living facility.

“It was very soul-filling to do that because it brightened their days,” Bates says. “Every delivery came with a 45 minute conversation.”

Over dinner with the residents, Bates learned two very important lessons: Older people like something sweet to cap their meal and that cooking was undeniable his calling. After perfecting his dessert skills, Bates became head chef of the facility.

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Scout Hudson

Local artist Zack Smithey was inspired by the original wallpaper of the Mother-in-Law House restaurant in his mural.

His love of cooking only deepened, so when an old friend from Cafe Napoli told Bates about the space on Main Street, Bates knew it was time to venture out and start his own restaurant.

“It’s where you belong,” Bates remembers his wife saying to him. “It’s what you were built to do.”

Bates struck the exact balance of quality and casual he was aiming for. In the new-American eatery, green bankers lamps illuminate bar-style chicken. The bone-in pork chop is glazed with an apple cider vinegar gastrique — it is the essence of homestyle refinement.

“Everything started to come in and fall into place,” Bates says about the two busy months since opening. “We’ve already started to hit a stride.”