Scratch kitchen with craft cocktails opens in Belleville. See what’s offered
Belleville Stein Haus welcomed its first customers through its doors for lunch last week.
Lunch at the new bar and restaurant went well on the first day, said Joe Ruder, who owns and operates the business with his wife, Judy Ruder.
Prior to opening, owner Joe Ruder said he’s never seen a Belleville business have as much buzz as Belleville Stein House has had. The “sheer excitement” of it made him happy.
Joe said he started working on the Belleville Stein Haus last October, almost surprised to realize that a year has passed. He thought it would take three or four months to be ready, and that didn’t include the parking lot and patio projects.
Prior to working on the restaurant and bar, he planned to “white box” the building and rent it to a commercial tenant.
A previous owner of multiple nightclubs that included Excalibur Nightclub in Collinsville and Monastery Nightclub in East St. Louis, Joe said he got out of that business and didn’t want to go back.
Then a friend of his, Munsok So, who owns Drunken Fish and Kimchi Guys, suggested that Joe open a restaurant. This is where Judy Ruder became more directly involved.
Made-from-scratch meals
Judy said she grew up eating mostly processed foods. Realizing how unhealthy that was, she became interested in learning how to adopt a healthier lifestyle, even taking classes at Southwestern Illinois College’s culinary school to learn more about preparing nutritious meals.
In addition to cultivating a healthier, personal relationship with foods, Judy used her knowledge to create a solid foundation for the menu at Belleville Stein Haus.
It now consists of fare made from scratch with as few processed food ingredients as possible.
Judy said she has a home garden that provides fresh herbs and other produce for use at Stein Haus. There are also plans to partner with Eckert’s Farms to acquire more fresh ingredients for their kitchen.
The menu hasn’t been finalized yet, but the current offerings include:
Lunch menu
(currently available from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on weekdays)
- Sandwiches (all served with chips): Hot Italian Sub, Meatball Sub, Chicago Beef, BLT, Club and Chicken Philly;
- Salads (full and half sizes): Italian Salad, Cobb Salad, Caesar Salad;
- Soups (made in-house): Chili, Chef PK’s Soup of the Week.
Full menu
- From the Pizza Oven: Margherita, Korean, BBQ Chicken, Buttery Buffalo Chicken, Thai, The Classics (four cheese, Italian sausage, pepperoni), Onion Bread Bites;
- Land & Sea: Seasoned Baked Chicken Wings, Kabobs (chicken or steak), Shrimp Cocktail, Candied Salmon Bites;
- Sides: Crispy Loaded Mashed Potato Bites, Parmesan Potato Crisps, Cheesy Onion Crisps, Caesar Salad, Thai Slaw;
- Dips for Sides: Cool Dill, Classic Ranch, Remoulade;
- Charcuterie: Sampler — Chef’s selection of meats, nuts, cheeses and other treats, South of the Border Dip Tray — Fresh pico and salsa verde with chips;
- Sauces (made in-house): Sweet & Smokey BBQ, Spicy Korean, Thai (peanut-based), Buttery Buffalo, Carolina Mustard BBQ.
Mondays feature unlimited made-your-way pasta dishes where customers can choose their preferred sauce, meat, seafood and veggies. This is available every Monday from 4 to 8 p.m. or until the food runs out.
There are no fryers at Belleville Stein Haus. Joe said that if they had them for minimal use, they might be tempted to use it more than intended.
Judy said they’re open to providing fare for all dietary lifestyles. Their intention is to “disguise” healthier foods with flavor.
All sauces, dips and syrups are made in house, said Judy. The breads and doughs, made from scratch, are dairy-free.
In about a month, once the business settles in, Judy said they’ll start offering brunch on the weekends that will include fare like quiche, frittatas and biscuits & gravy.
With all the plans for the menu, Judy was in need of someone to share the kitchen workload. She found her “chef soulmate” in Patrick Kelly, aka Chef PK. A former chef at Le Ono, he helps elevate the dishes with tweaks and presentation, Judy said.
He’s “taking our vision and running with it,” said Judy.
Chef PK was recommended by a friend of Judy’s who is head bartender at Le Ono in O’Fallon.
“That’s how we got Sean as well,” she said.
Good drinks, good times
The bar manager, Sean Lowery, is also a Le Ono alum. He said the focus at Stein Haus is serving high-end, farm-to-table cocktails using Judy’s herbs and made-from-scratch syrups.
The crafted drinks fit in with the overall vibe of Belleville Stein Haus, which features a speakeasy-style details from the imagery on the building’s façade and the inside lounge area down to the fancy cocktail glasses and lamps on each table.
Walls are rich in colors of dark red and gold with touches of art deco-style wallpaper. Plush couches are situated on one side of the restaurant with various styles of table seating in the dining area and along the bar.
Flatscreen TVs around the room played black-and-white footage of performances by 1950s artists like Elvis Presley, Little Richard and The Big Bopper during the Stein Haus’ first day.
Even the bathrooms are part of the fun with its framed cocktail-themed art and gold decorative accent pieces. The gorgeous flapper dress in the ladies’ restroom is the inspiration piece for the restaurant and bar’s décor, according to Judy.
The newly built patio provides more comfortable seating with bar-height tables and outdoor couches, flatscreen TVs and ceiling fans.
More than the food and drinks served at Belleville Stein Haus, Joe and Judy believe that hospitality is the priority, especially good customer service. Joe said that no matter what people eat or drink, they “will always remember how we made them feel” when they visit.
During the interview, the Ruders greeted everyone who came in and spoke to others as they left. Customers expressed how much they enjoyed everything and look forward to coming back again.
Judy said it makes her happy to see people enjoy the food.
“I hope we’ll be well received,” she said.
A building with a long history
The Belleville Stein Haus building was originally constructed in 1922, according to county property records.
A search through the BND’s archive shows that the site housed multiple businesses through the years, mostly taverns and clubs. Among them were Bud Meyer’s Tavern in the 1930s, Subway Tavern in the 1940s, and Helmut Peters’ Concertina Club from around 1946 until the mid-1980s when it became Connie’s.
Ron Noltkamper owned and operated Rotten Ron’s at the site from about 1991 until relocating the business in August 1994. That year, Jean Hatzl acquired the South Illinois Street property and opened Steinhaus Bar & Grill in October. The business closed for renovations in fall 1997 and never reopened.
Jerry and Barbara Dinges, who own the property where LongStory Coffee is located, bought the former Steinhaus site in November 2000.
A year later, Kent Meyer opened KJ’s Saloon. The BND reported its closing in November 2013.
Property records show that the property was sold in July 2005 to William Mitchell. The property came under the ownership of Joe Ruder and his brother Danny Ruder five years later.
Joe and Danny had different ideas for how to use the property. Danny wanted to open a plain old tavern, said Joe. He had other ideas and eventually bought out Danny’s half.
About Belleville Stein Haus
Belleville Stein Haus is located at 805 S. Illinois St. in Belleville, across the street from LongStory Coffee.
The bar and restaurant is currently open Thursday through Monday starting at 11 a.m. with lunch available until 2 p.m. on weekdays.
For information and updates about Belleville Stein Haus, visit the business’ Facebook page.
