Belleville restaurant has a lot to offer, including new menu items, specials and beverages
I recently received a call from Cured and Cultured’s executive manager, Dee Turnbeaugh, who wanted to meet with me and share a couple of updates at the Belleville restaurant on West Main.
So I met with the management team one day during the restaurant’s down time between the lunch and dinner rushes.
Upon entering the building, I was faced with the Market at Cured.
The deli was up and running. Glass cases feature some of their meats and cheeses. There are displays and shelves of adult beverages too.
Then I looked closely at the first shelf full of bottles. Joy! There are shelves of whiskey. As I reveled in my glee, Turnbeaugh came out to greet me and show me around.
She told me about the Market (deli), which offers dine-in and take-out, mainly sandwiches, soups, salads and sides.
Sandwiches on the deli menu board include the hot ham and cheese, turkey melt, reuben, pulled pork, pastrami and other sandwiches.
Meats and cheeses are also available by the pound.
Opposite the Market is a new(ish) party area, aka the front lounge space, that holds up to 45 people.
Turnbeaugh said they already booked reservations for December. The space has been in use for parties since January.
As I was shown around this area, I met Cured and Cultured’s general manager, Miranda Skimehorn, who joined Turnbeaugh and me as we went to the restaurant area.
Turnbeaugh described Cured and Cultured as a hometown bar environment with really excellent food.
We arranged ourselves at a high-top table where bar manager Chase Loehr, kitchen manager Gabe Naegele, and owner Adam Hill joined us.
Cured and Cultured launched a new menu in October and includes “a lot of the old favorites,” according to Loehr, who’s been with the business since it opened in 2020.
The fare is made with “a lot [of] higher-quality ingredients than typical bar food,” said Naegele.
“The wraps are brand new and going over very well,” said Turnbeaugh.
Loehr shared that one recent customer, described as a “fancy hat lady,” said Cured and Cultured has the best buffalo chicken wrap in town.
The group is still getting used to the menu additions. The menu is packed with so many good new eats that they still have to look at it a lot to remember what’s on it.
The restaurant’s popular reuben is still on the menu, according to Loehr.
Skimehorn said The Hero (pepperoni, ham, capicola and salami with lettuce, tomato, banana peppers and Swiss on a hoagie bun – served hot or cold) is a hit.
Weekly specials are a thing there too.
Mondays feature burgers and beer.
“Taco Tuesdays,” throws in Naegele.
Turnbeaugh said each Tuesday brings in a good crowd.
They get that handful of regulars on Tuesdays who always order the same thing, said Skimehorn.
Flatbread pizzas are featured on Wednesday. There’s fish on Friday, wings and buckets on Saturday and fried chicken on Sunday.
Thursday is the kitchen’s call. Skimehorn said they play with the menu and take recommendations from their customers.
And as I often do, I asked about vegetarian and vegan options (because that’s my jam).
Cured and Cultured offers a vegetarian burger — a black bean burger (which is vegan) on a brioche bun (not vegan) served with choice of cheese and lettuce, tomato, onion and pickle.
I can work with that.
A place to kick back and relax
The team agrees that people feel at home here, and Loehr added that it’s homey and approachable.
They are “very fortunate” to have an experienced staff that’s great with customers, according to Turnbeaugh.
The energy among the employees appeals to customers, said Skimehorn.
The guest experience is everything, and this includes the space, said Hill.
He doesn’t want to jam in as many people as possible all the time, whether it’s a private event or a regular night. Hill wants guests to be comfortable. (Fair enough. They aren’t sardines, after all.)
When asked if they offer live music, Skimehorn said they just don’t get that kind of crowd and that people want to sit back and relax.
Hill recently observed two couples that came in together. He said they seemed to have all the time in the world and just sat together, talking and enjoying each other’s company.
That sounds good to me.
Catering, wine and whiskey
Cured and Cultured also offers catering, for both outside and in-house events.
They also cater for outside events, mostly in the summer, like Memorial Day and Fourth of July gatherings. They will provide barbecue, buns and sides, making it as effortless as possible for the customers.
Cured and Cultured offered Labor Day family packs for pick-up that included fried chicken, pulled pork, ribs, sides and buns.
Hill said Cured and Culture doesn’t serve family pack dinners for Thanksgiving or Christmas because they want their employees to be able to spend time with their families, just like anyone else.
Hill said the restaurant also has private parties, and not just in the party room. Customers can reserve the entire restaurant for private events.
They’ve already hosted wedding parties and a Kentucky Derby party.
And not all events at Cured and Cultured are private.
They recently held their second annual wine tasting event. Guests were able to enjoy free samples of around 15-20 different wines with the opportunity for great deals to purchase.
With the front lounge space, they hope to hold more tasting events, at least one a month.
The Cured and Cultured team hopes to broaden people’s knowledge of wines through these tastings.
Then the talk turned to spirits.
Bar offerings include whiskey, gin, tequila and more with so many different things to try and so much to learn, Loehr said.
Skimehorn said people come to Cured and Cultured and try things they’ve never heard of, or they bring recipes for cocktails they already like.
As a whiskey lover myself (team scotch here), I’m able to try the occasional scotch or Irish whiskey while at a restaurant or bar. But when I want to buy a bottle of something I like, it’s not always easy to find.
Skimehorn said customers are able to taste and buy at Cured and Cultured, unlike many places.
“We try to take that extra step out,” she said.
When asked if they would hold whiskey tasting events, Hill replied, “Oh, yeah.” (Sweet!)
He said that for each event, they’d like to have the brand manager from the distillery present to tell their stories.
Hill loves these stories. They’re what make whiskey a lot more interesting.
Hill, Skimehorn and Loehr agreed that a few customers have become whiskey converts.
There are so many different things to try and so much to learn, Loehr said of their bar offerings.
Skimehorn said people come to Cured and Cultured and try things they’ve never heard of, or they bring recipes for cocktails they already like.
It’s a “team effort through the customers as well,” said Loehr.
“A good cocktail is everything,” added Hill.
Overall, Cured and Cultured offers high-quality food and drink in a great setting.
“We make [food and cocktails] how we’d want it made,” said Loehr.
“It makes it harder to go anywhere else to eat,” said Skimehorn.
About Cured and Cultured
Cured and Cultured is located at 6401 W. Main St. in Belleville. It’s open seven days a week from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. (or 11 p.m., depending on the crowd). The kitchen closes at 9 p.m.
The Market at Cured is open 11 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Friday-Saturday and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday.
For more info, call 618-213-7545 or check out their Facebook page.
This story was originally published December 6, 2022 at 6:00 AM.
