Mabel Suen

Geez. I leave town for a few days, and everything at Gut Check International Headquarters goes bonkers. Specifically, Gut Check might have given you a malware warning when you visited late last week. If so, 1) our sincere apologies; 2) you missed some good stories, including the news that Piccione Pastry (6197 Delmar Boulevard; 314-932-1355), from the folks behind the catering and restaurant firm Butler's Pantry, is now open on the eastern half of the Delmar Loop.

See Also:
- First Look: Piccione Pastry Serves Cannoli, Cookies and Italian Coffee in the Delmar Loop

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Mabel Suen

Sultan Palace Bakery and Cafe (4144 South Grand Boulevard; 314-875-9653) opened in Dutchtown only last November. A banner still hangs outside the Middle Eastern restaurant announcing its grand opening.

Signs that it is still open at all are not good.

See Also:
- First Look: Sultan Palace Bakery and Cafe Serves Shawarma and More on South Grand

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via Facebook

- Dierdorf & Hart's Steak House (323 Westport Plaza, Maryland Heights; 314-878-1801) will close after 30 years. George Mahe of St. Louis Magazine broke the news with confirmation from owner Lou Garesche.

Garesche was unavailable when Gut Check reached the restaurant yesterday. According to Mahe's report, the restaurant has yet to choose an exact closing date. Its lease ends in June.

The downtown location of the steak house founded by the two St. Louis (football) Cardinal greats closed several years ago.

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The interior of St. Louis Pho | Jennifer Silverberg

So here is a classic bad news-good news scenario.

First, the bad: We told you last week that St. Louis Pho (3863 South Grand Boulevard; 314-664-4041) had closed temporarily and would reopen under new management. Today, I can confirm that the restaurant will not reopen as St. Louis Pho.

This is a shame, as I enjoyed my visits to that restaurant quite a bit. I included its namesake dish among my top ten dishes of 2012, and the RFT honored it as last year's "Best Vietnamese Restaurant."

Now, the good news.

See Also:
- South Grand Tidbits: St. Louis Pho Temporarily Closed, Hong An Coming Soon
- New Ownership for Phuc Loi in South St. Louis
- Top Ten Dishes 2012 #7: Pho at St. Louis Pho

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Orkeed served Middle Eastern cuisine on South Grand | Mabel Suen

Orkeed Restaurant (3191 South Grand Boulevard; 314-664-3940) has closed. Though the Middle Eastern spot remains furnished and decorated, a "Business for Sale" sign has been placed in a front window, the phone number is no longer connected, and the website is a dead page.

See Also:
- First Look: Orkeed Restaurant
- Once More Muntoo the Breach: Sameem Afghan Restaurant is Reborn in South St. Louis

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Tip Top Food & Spirits in Soulard | RFT Photo

Tip Top Food & Spirits (2501 South Ninth Street) closed last month. Djordje "George" Korac opened the restaurant, which featured both Serbian and American cuisine, in 2007.

See Also:
- Ian Froeb's RFT Review of Tip Top Food & Spirits (2008)

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Jason and Adam Tilford of Barrister's, et al. | Mabel Suen

Barrister's opens its new location at 7923 Forsyth Boulevard in Clayton at 4 p.m. today. The pub and soccer-watching destination shuttered its original location at 15 North Meramec Avenue in Clayton only this past weekend.

Adam Tilford, who owns Barrister's (as well as Milagro Modern Mexican, Tortillaria and the new Delmar Loop hotspot Mission Taco Joint) with his brother, chef Jason Tilford, explained the reason for the move to Gut Check last week:

Tilford says the owner was not putting in the money necessary to maintain the building: no mortgage, no bills, no maintenance. So when the building was foreclosed on and their lease was up, he says it was a good opportunity for a fresh start.

See Also:
- Barrister's in Clayton Finds New Home on Forsyth
- First Look: Mission Taco Joint Preps Fresh Tortillas and West Coast Inspired Mexican Food in the Delmar Loop

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Pouring a beer at the new Flying Saucer | Kaitlin Steinberg

Relocation was the theme in March, with four St. Louis restaurants announcing their closures to move to new digs. Among them was Adam and Jason Tilford's Clayton excellent Clayton pub and soccer-watching hotspot Barrister's, which is moving to another Clayton location, the former home of Mazara at 7923 Forsyth Boulevard.

Notable openings included the first St. Louis location of the Flying Saucer Draught Emporium chain, while two Clayton restaurants, Araka and the venerable The Fatted Calf (12 South Bemiston Avenue, Clayton) were among the prominent closures.

The full list is after the jump. As always, please let us know in the comments what we might have missed.

See Also:
- First Look: Flying Saucer Draught Emporium
- Barrister's in Clayton Finds New Home on Forsyth

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Owners Holli and Jon Rercher in the Gumbo Shop kitchen | Ettie Berneking

The Gumbo Shop (9501 Manchester Road, Rock Hill; 314-918-8747) has served the final po' boys and bowls of gumbo within its cozy confines at the corner of Manchester and McKnight roads. The restaurant must move to make way for -- wait for it -- keep waiting -- you've already guessed, haven't you? -- a CVS. Its final day was this past Saturday, March 23.

See Also:
- The Five Best Cajun/Creole Restaurants in St. Louis (2012)
- The Gumbo Shop and Its Family Recipes Pass on to New Owners

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via Facebook

A little over seven months after Murdoch Perk closed its doors at 5400 Murdoch Avenue, Southampton has its neighborhood coffee shop back. Russell's on Macklind opened for business this morning. The new venture is actually a second location for Russell's Cafe & Bakery (958 Brockwood Center Plaza, Fenton; 636-343-8900).

See Also:
- Murdoch Perk Closing July 31, 2012

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