Last November, longtime Grove-area concert venue the Gramophone (4243 Manchester Avenue; 314-531-5700) announced that it would close its doors for remodeling on January 1. On February 13, the business reopened with updated hours, an expanded menu, and a new focus on beer and alcohol rather than entertainment.
"The neighborhood is changing, and we think we did a very good job with live music for seven years," says operating partner Scott Swanston. "We just decided to try something else."
See also: The Gramophone Will Close In January, Reopen As Bar
Instead of a stage, visitors will find new booths and tables to increase the dining room's seating capacity as well as a selection of amusements including a pool table, dart boards and a pinball machine. A divider in the middle of the space features a display case that holds 45 different six-packs of craft beer to pick up on the fly. At the bar, choose from more than 40 bottled beers and twenty taps.
The Gramophone started offering its sandwich menu for lunch last April. Those eight original creations, including the fan-favorite "Mississippi Night's Club" are still available, along with an entirely new list of offerings on the flip side developed with consultation from chef Brian Hardesty of Guerilla Street Food.
Some new sandwiches (around $5-$10 each, half and whole sizes available) include a reuben, cold-smoked salmon and banh mi. Another option is the "Frenchy" with chicken, bacon, swiss and red-wine aioli. All come served on Fazio's Bakery breads, wrapped up and ready to go. Cups of soup are available such as chicken-tortilla and garlic-tomato.
The Gramophone's current hours are Tuesday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 3 a.m., with the kitchen open until 2:30 a.m. For more information, visit the Gramophone's website and follow it on Facebook.
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