Fairview Heights restaurant celebrates grand reopening. Southwest IL bar to open.
This week I wanted to venture out again to see what’s going on in the world of restaurants and businesses. The challenge was deciding where to go this week, and I admit, I wasn’t sure where I should start.
Then I received an email from Paul Ellis, director of economic development for the City of Fairview Heights, letting me know about a grand re-opening event for Signature Tap House at 51 Lincoln Highway next to St. Clair Square mall. So, naturally, I decided to make this my first stop.
Signature Tap House opened in March for indoor dining, about five weeks prior to kicking off their grand re-opening week, which was commemorated with a ribbon cutting on Tuesday, April 20.
The restaurant had only been open six weeks when they were shut down by state COVID-19 restrictions in March 2020. Owner Brandon McGraw said that at the time, he wasn’t sure what they were going to do. Soon after, the restaurant was able to provide curbside pickup. They also had outdoor dining options.
McGraw is glad to finally be open again for indoor dining. “It’s good to see people inside and not in a tent,” he said.
At the grand reopening, I asked McGraw how he was feeling. He said, “Good. I think we’re gonna make it.” He added, “Failure is not an option.” McGraw went on to say that the staff is “super happy” to be back. They’ve been able to take time before reopening for seven days a week to thoroughly train and to get the menu just right.
Those present at the event included McGraw and his family, Ellis, Mayor Mark Kupsky and Michael Hagen, the general manager for St. Clair Square.
McGraw and Hagen both acknowledged the great relationship between McGraw and St. Clair Square. Hagen said of McGraw: “He’s been one-of-a-kind as far as far as tenants and operators go.” Signature Tap House is in a stand-alone building but is located on St. Clair Square property.
Signature Tap House is now open seven days a week. Hours are 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday-Monday, 11 a.m. Tuesday-Thursday, and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday-Saturday. For more information, call 618-589-9393 or visit the website at signaturetaphouse.com.
Temporarily closed bank locations have reopened
The last two stops on my journey were to Bank of America locations in O’Fallon and Belleville.
I received a message from a reader who was concerned that both bank locations were “temporarily” closed. She called the customer service line but was told they didn’t know when the branches would reopen. The reader also mentioned that the location in Glen Carbon has been closed for a while.
First I visited the O’Fallon branch at 910 Talon Drive, to find that it was open again. I went inside to ask about the recent closure, and an associate provided me with contact information for someone who could answer my questions. From there, I went to the Belleville location at 1911 Carlyle Ave., which was also open.
I then left a message for the contact provided by the employee in O’Fallon. I received a reply from a spokesperson for the bank’s Central Region.
“We temporarily closed several branches because either they were unable to accommodate required social distancing guidelines or we had reduced staffing at these locations,” stated Diane Wagner. “We were able to reopen each of these locations within a few weeks.”
Regarding the Glen Carbon location, Wagner stated, “The Edwardsville/Glen Carbon center has been closed since 2020 so that we could deploy resources to other locations.”
Wagner added that clients can access ATMs at closed locations and use online services. Information about the financial centers, including closures and hours, can be found at bankofamerica.com.
A New Baden bar & grill featuring craft beers is set to open
After three years of planning, construction, relocation and setbacks, Wooden Mouth is set to finally open to the public on Thursday, April 29. A soft opening will take place Wednesday, April 28, by invitation only to New Baden city officials, health care workers, military and first responders.
Wooden Mouth offers specialty craft cocktails, wine, draft beer (26 taps total) and an extensive whiskey selection. An exclusive lunch menu is also available.
Brant Kehrer, owner and operator of Wooden Mouth, originally planned to open in 2018 at 115-119 E. Hanover St., in the center of town. That changed in November 2020 when A Fine Swine announced it was closing permanently. Kehrer, who already owns the property, announced that Wooden Mouth would relocate to the former barbecue restaurant, which needed less work to prepare for opening.
Some renovation work at the original location was done. In July 2018, a Facebook post stated that they “encountered a few unforeseen engineering and design issues throughout the construction process” and had to push the grand opening date to Fall 2018.
An August 2018 Facebook update mentioned the ongoing delays. No posts appeared again on the social media site until May 2020. A May 20 post stated that delays caused by the pandemic resulted in the grand opening being postponed indefinitely.
Since then, regular posts to the bar’s Facebook page documented the work that went into the project, including product branding, staffing updates, collaborations and menu preparation, which is accompanied by photos of appetizers. Other updates, such as the acquisition of a liquor license in December, are included in the timeline.
Wooden Mouth is located at 423 W. Hanover St. in New Baden. Hours are 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. Thursday-Saturday and 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. Sunday. For more information, call 618-588-5181 or visit the Facebook page.
First of season’s produce at Eckert’s donated for good cause
Eckert’s Farm in Belleville was forced by winter weather to harvest its asparagus early, according to an April 20 press release.
“In order to protect our asparagus crop for later in the season, we chose to cut the vegetable down to ground level,” said Eckert’s marketing director, Amanda Morgan. “We always try to offer our farm-fresh product to local chefs so this was a great opportunity to get the asparagus to restaurants who could offer creative menu items. We’re incredibly thankful to our chef partners as we recognize the trials and tribulations that they have faced in the last year as well.”
Eckert’s partnered with local chefs from St. Louis restaurants to donate the early harvest for chef-inspired dishes benefiting Operation Food Search, which works to make sure area families have sufficient nutritious food.
“With multiple opportunities across St. Louis, guests can support not only this important organization but these amazing restaurants in our community,” said Morgan.
Restaurants in the partnership include Yolklore, 8958 Watson Road, Crestwood, Missouri; Balkan Treat Box, 8103 Big Bend Blvd., Webster Groves, Missouri; and Lazy Tiger, 210 N. Euclid Ave., St. Louis, Missouri.
Eckert’s plans to offer pick-you-own asparagus later in the season, stated the release. For more information, visit eckerts.com.
This story was originally published April 25, 2021 at 5:00 AM.
