Restaurants are still struggling with supply chain and staffing issues but food writer Jenny Vergara believes owners are “hopeful that, going forward, people will return to restaurants and that there will be some sort of sense of normality as we continue to figure out how to deal with this moving forward.”
Vergara notes that “this is the time of year that’s pretty sleepy,” so while waiting for spring to arrive, she offers this rundown of food and drink establishments set to open in the metro in 2022.
If you can’t wait that long to dine out, Jenny also offers a few places you can enjoy now.
Acre: Opening this spring
This spring, chef Andrew Longres will open his first restaurant, Acre, up north in the Parkville Commons shopping center in the spot where the former New London Café once operated. Named after his grandfather’s farm in Liberty, Missouri, Longres’ restaurant will serve modern Midwestern cuisine with all ingredients strictly sourced from this region and prepared on a live-fire, Argentinian brasero-style hearth that can be seen from the dining room. Having worked both locally as the executive chef at the now-shuttered Bluestem and The American Restaurant and nationally at the acclaimed French Laundry in California, Longres will focus on hearty entrées featuring locally sourced beef, pork, chicken, duck and game, when in season. His dishes will use live-fire cooking to add flavor to each dish, with a fresh focus on sides that include handmade pastas and a rotating mix of seasonal vegetables. The bar program will have locally made beers and spirits with a thoughtful list of wines from around the world. Although his roots may be in fine dining, Acre will be a much more casual affair, as Longres wants his place to be a neighborhood spot where families can come and dine together. Acre, 6325 Lewis St., Parkville, Missouri
Brady & Fox: Opening this March
Chefs Shaun Brady and Graham Fox have been cooking together for many years – but always working for someone else. From their time at The Ambassador Hotel to Brady’s Tavern, these two friends