Oceano in Chesterfield to Rebrand as Bishop's Post, Serving Upscale Comfort Food

Oceano Bistro (16125 Chesterfield Parkway West, Chesterfield; 636-536-9404) is completely overhauling its menu, look and concept and will reopen May 9 as Bishop's Post.

Oceano, which also has a location in Clayton, opened the Chesterfield outpost in August 2012. The space was previously Andria's Steakhouse. General manager Christy Rayfield tells us the changes come from listening to customer feedback. There was a lack of meat on the menu (Ocean being a seafood restaurant and all), but after diner demand, Rayfield and chef Dave Rook decided to "take more of an approach to a classic environment, but the best version of that."

See also: Tidbits: Oceano Bistro Changes Ownership; J. Greene's Pub, Mary Ann's Tea Shop to Open

The menu will focus on upscale comfort food and Rook's smoked fish and meats. Rayfield says Bishop's Post will maintain the same level of elegance as Oceano, just with heartier fare.

"Dave's signature calarmari and his gumbo will definitely be present, a lot of his old recipes," Rayfield says. "We'll have housemade desserts, like banana-cream pie, gooey chocolate brownies. We're not using a lot of ingredients you can't pronounce."

The interior has been warmed up to give the space a rustic, lodgelike feel consistent with the new menu. The name comes from co-owner Ben Bishop Jr. as well as Justus Post, one of the pioneers of Chesterfield. He bought the land that's now Chesterfield in the early 1800s after he found the city of St. Louis "too gay and dashy."

"We really wanted to use 'Post' because it's really important to us to incorporate the history of Chesterfield and show the community we're tied with them," Rayfield says. The plan is to not have to close at all, or for just a few days at the most before the May 9 grand opening.

"We're really excited and optimistic that we've made a really good brand change," Rayfield says. "We're excited for everybody to see what we have to offer."

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