Brothers open fine-dining restaurant in Edwardsville with respect for the old Andria’s
Three brothers are forging a new path with Moussalli’s Prime, a fine-dining restaurant in Edwardsville, but they’re also building bridges to keep customers from the past.
Moussalli’s Prime opened last month in a former brick ranch home on the northeast edge of town, where Andria’s Countryside Restaurant operated for 30 years before closing in April.
Antoine, Christian and Andre Moussalli all worked at Andria’s at one time or another.
“The food was always good, and the steaks were phenomenal, but it got to the point that the atmosphere didn’t match the quality of the food,” said Andre, 34, of Glen Carbon.
The brothers and their partners, Jonathan and Claire Fowler, gutted, renovated and brightened up the inside. They brought back popular appetizers from Andria’s and continued with top-quality beef and pork, but they added dishes with international influences, particularly Thai.
One example is the Heritage Breed Pork Chop entree ($28), created by Andre, who formerly worked five years at a Thai restaurant in California and traveled to Thailand to immerse himself in the culture.
“There’s a tamarind dipping sauce with the pork chop, and that’s topped with a toasted rice powder,” he said. “It’s dry-roasted in a wok with some aromatic lemongrass galangal, which is similar to ginger, and kaffir lime leaves. Then it’s ground after it cools.”
The brothers also are taking a farm-to-table approach, with plans to grow many of their vegetables and herbs in a garden and greenhouse on the 5-acre property, which is backed by woods.
“We’ve already harvested a good amount of arugula,” said Andre, who also filled raised beds with garlic, carrots and five types of lettuce before winter weather hit.
Plan B becomes Plan A
The five partners had expected to open Moussalli’s Prime after Moussalli’s on Main, a restaurant planned for the site of the old Rusty’s Restaurant in downtown Edwardsville.
But Plan B became Plan A due to delays in demolishing Rusty’s. Preservationists wanted owners Greg and Candy Fowler, Jonathan’s parents, to save an interior wall that was part of the oldest brick structure in Edwardsville. The building came down in August.
“(Moussalli’s Prime) wasn’t our first plan, but it all fell into place and here we are,” said Claire, 34, of Edwardsville, a trained nurse and former Andria’s customer.
Jonathan is vice president of J.F. Electric, a company he co-owns with his parents. Greg and Candy bought the old Andria’s site as part of their North Main Properties. Jonathan has been friends with Antoine and his brothers since childhood.
Antoine and Andre are sharing chef duties at Moussalli’s Prime, while Christian serves as general manager.
The partners also brought in Zach Robinette, 38, of Cottage Hills, as bar manager. He went to school with Antoine and Christian, who are twins, and washed dishes at Andria’s in 2003 before he become an award-winning “mixologist.”
Zach’s bar menu includes more than a dozen specialty drinks. His favorite is the Amateur Physician ($11), a tiki cocktail invented by local bartender Ben Bauer.
“To me, it is just one of the most complex, balanced and delicious drinks I’m making right now, and I get to set a lime on fire,” Zach said. “It’s got Jamaican black rum, Drambuie, and mezcal with our homemade tiki tonic (fresh-squeezed lime juice, sugar, Angostura bitters and nutmeg).”
The restaurant also offers a variety of craft and other domestic beers and wines served by the glass, bottle or half-bottle.
Spruced-up atmosphere
Moussalli’s Prime is at 7415 Illinois 143, also known as Marine Road, about a mile east of the Illinois 55 interchange.
Former Andria’s customers will immediately notice that carpeted floors and dark walls have been replaced with gray-wood laminate, crisply painted tan and navy walls with white trim and new lighting and furniture. Tables are set with white cloths and navy napkins.
Less obvious are infrastructural improvements: new windows, plumbing, electric, kitchen equipment and landscaping, a repaved parking lot and waterproofed basement.
“It was very downtrodden (before the renovation),” Andre said.
But Andre and Antoine would rather talk about food, including their decision to stick with Andria’s legacy as a steakhouse. They serve certified Angus prime, all-natural Niman Ranch beef and pork, with steak entrees ranging from $35 to $55.
“Only .1 percent of the beef in this country actually qualifies for this name and for this standard,” said Antoine, 37, of Holiday Shores.
Other entrees include Housemade Pappardelle, Pan-Roasted Salmon, Pan-Roasted Chicken Breast, Seared Scallops and Creamy Sunchoke and Lobster Risotto ($21 to $33). A raw bar menu section offers oysters in the half shell, lobster tail and shrimp cocktail.
The salad and appetizer section has several new options, such as a Thai-inspired spring roll and Crispy Pork Rib Tips, along with enhanced versions of Shrimp Alexander, Crab-Stuffed Mushrooms and other popular “throwbacks” from Andria’s.
“We put real snow crab in the mushrooms,” Antoine said. “They’re much sweeter, and they just taste way better.”
Brothers bond over food
Food is a family affair for the Moussallis. Both Antoine and Andre trained at the New England Culinary Institute in Vermont.
Christian, 37, of Glen Carbon, went in a slightly different route, focusing on the business side of restaurants. He studied food science and human nutrition at University of Illinois and taught classes before becoming Andria’s manager in 2004.
Christian later spent eight years in Houston with the company that owns Olive Garden restaurants. He transferred to the St. Louis area, returned to Andria’s briefly, then spent five years as a sales rep for Sysco food service.
Antoine worked at Andria’s the longest, from 2002 to 2004 and 2006 to 2016. In between, he earned a degree in food and beverage management and interned in Miami Beach, Florida, and Napa Valley in California. In 2016, he did a stint at 1818 Chophouse in Edwardsville before launching a business called Personal Chef Experience.
“I served six- or seven-course dinners in private homes,” he said.
Antoine returned to Andria’s in February to help out after the restaurant’s chef died.
Andre started his career at 15, busing tables at Rusty’s and washing dishes at Andria’s. During culinary school, he interned in Key West, Florida, and Napa Valley. He stayed in California and spent seven years at Domaine Chandon winery, working with noted chef Perry Hoffman.
Andre later helped open a Thai restaurant, where he spent five years.
“I came back to Edwardsville to start (Moussalli’s Prime), and it’s been pretty much game on since then,” he said.
Moussalli’s Prime is at 7415 Illinois 143 in Edwardsville. Hours are 4 to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 4 to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday. For more information, visit the website at www.moussallisprime.com or Facebook page or call 618-656-0281.
This story was originally published November 21, 2019 at 6:00 AM.
