ĔĘ stlmag.com July 2019
tunate rarity in St. Louis. Wat-
son promises acoustic music
on occasion to accompany
chef Tyler Wayne’s mix of
core dishes (crabcakes, cara-
melized pear salad, habanero honey wings) and
creatives (smoked chicken grilled cheese, mahi
mahi topped with citrus “caviar”). Steak 55, the
namesake entrée, is a premium 9-ounce sirloin
with chimichurri, white cheddar tots, veal jus,
and vegetable. Watson explains that historically,
the number five symbolizes rejuvenation and
innovation (and 55 doubly so), exactly what his
restaurant represents in the ever-evolving Del-
mar Loop. 6100 Delmar. —G.M.Photography by Kevin A. RobertsAS MORE RESTAURANTS open across the country
and competition intensifies, operators attempt
to cast wider nets to expand their customer
bases. In creating a restaurant that’s equally
appropriate for weeknight and date night din-
ing, a pair of local music moguls have done just
that. At Prime 55, U. City resident Orlando Wat-
son (RockHouse Entertainment) and Tony Davis
(former manager of the St. Lunatics and Nelly)
took a ramshackle corner building (home to five
eateries in less than a decade) and transformed
it into a modern yet rustic two-level space where
guests can scrimp or splurge. The 30-seat main
level—with a smoky tile floor, matching amber
pendants, and swaths of stained wood—is a
lighter, brighter version of the 70-seat room
below, a cozy, sexy candlelit rathskeller, an unfor-
Cajun Veggie
Gnocchi, with
romesco sauce,
pickled mustard
seeds, and chive oilŲ
SLU AND STLBEER
PARTNER TO OFFER
A PROGRAM THAT’S
ALL ABOUT BREWING.
Has brewing beer al-
ways been your dream,
or do you just want to
learn more about beer?
Saint Louis University
and STLBEER (the pub-
lic face of the St. Louis
Brewers Heritage Foun-
dation) have teamed
up to offer a Brewing
Science and Operations
certificate (online.slu
.edu), the “first program
of its kind in the coun-
try to be created and
facilitated in partner-
ship with an entire city’s
beer scene,” says STL-
BEER executive director
Troika Brodsky.
The year-long program
comprises six 8-week
segments, with weekly
online courses. Stu-
dents also brew their
own beers and visit
breweries and labs. In-
dustry experts—brew-
ers, biologists, and
entrepreneurs—teach
the courses. John Witte,
director of beverage op-
erations at Square One
Brewery & Distillery, is
among the instructors.
He sees the program as
“a way to give back to
the brewing commu-
nity.” Among other top-
ics, instructors address
brewing basics, vari-
ous styles, the science
behind brewing and
fermentation, the opera-
tional components of
running a brewery, and
the history of beer.
“Since its inception,”
says James Ottolini,
Brew Hub’s chief of
brewing operations
and a course instructor,
“beer has always been
about community.”
—WILLIAM C. MEYERSFIRST BITEPrime Mover
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