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SQWIRES RESTAURANT
By Christine Imbs
There’s no place like home. Just ask Dorothy, or Bethany Budde. When Budde was looking for a place to open a restaurant, she looked no further than her own backyard.
 Bethany Budde, owner, SqWires Restaurant. |
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“I’ve lived in Lafayette Square for a number of years. My parents live here,” she says. “So when a group of developers started talking about renovating the old Western Wire factory, I knew I had found the perfect location for my restaurant.”
She also found the perfect name–SqWires. The “Sq” stands for Lafayette Square, and of course “Wires” is a tip of the hat to the old wire factory. So is the décor.
“This is an old historical building. We wanted to leave things very minimalistic, so it would still have that warehouse feel,” she comments. “So we have lots of exposed brick and oak beams.”
They also have something rather unique—a market housing downtown’s only source for fresh fish and seafood.
| SqWires also has something rather unique—a market housing downtown's only source for fresh fish and seafood. |
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“The market itself is not really a destination area like the restaurant. It’s more of a service to the neighborhood,” Budde explains. “But since about 40 percent of our menu at SqWires is seafood, we are able to offer a fresh fish case where people can buy mussels, clams, salmon, halibut, whatever we serve on our menu.”
Open seven days a week, SqWires Market also offers residents a place to purchase the essentials like dairy food, fresh baked goods, fresh fruit and vegetables, and sandwiches and gourmet entrees. And it serves as the neighborhood coffee house.
“It’s really a neat little niche for our neighborhood. There are really not any little urban markets like ours,” says Budde. “You can just walk in here and buy your whole meal for that evening if you’d like.”
The market may not be a destination spot, but without a doubt, the restaurant is. The food is American modern, with a strong emphasis on fresh seafood. Oysters especially seem to appear frequently. Every night they shuck them at the bar for $1 each. There are also oysters on the half shell and grilled oysters drizzled with a fresh hollandaise both for $11.95. But even oyster lovers can’t pass up the Macadamia Nut Encrusted Calamari. At $8.95 it practically flies out the door.
Of course the appetizers are just a taste of things to come, and once again oysters take center stage. SqWires is known for its Oyster Stew, a creamy sherry thyme broth with oysters, andouille sausage and potatoes with fresh chives. This will
run you $16.95. The Seafood Bouillabaisse for $19.95 is another big customer favorite. This is a medley of clams, mussels, shrimp, scallops and fresh fish steamed in a white wine tomato saffron stew. But if you’re one of the meat and potatoes crowd, don’t let the extensive fish selection scare you. SqWires also offers some delicious alternatives including a
12 ounce Grilled Strip Steak rubbed with fresh rosemary and stuffed with wild mushrooms and gorgonzola for $24.95.
Although dinner entrees will run you between $17 and $25, lunch is a different story. There’s a good selection of sandwiches ranging from $8 to $11, including the much in demand Beef Brisket for $8.95, or the Crab Cake Club for $10.95. The entrees are also a bit less expensive and include a sampling from the dinner menu. For instance the Crawfish Lasagna for $11.95, the Veggie Stir Fry for $9.95 and one of SqWires’ biggest sellers, the Seafood Salad also for $11.95.
The wine selection is nice with 80 to choose from starting at $23 per bottle. You can choose vintages from California, New Zealand, South Africa, Argentina, Spain and France. Eleven are available by the glass for between $6 and $10.
TalkingPOINTS
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SqWires Restaurant
1415 South 18th St., St. Louis, Mo. 63104
(314) 865-3522
Hours:
Lunch: Monday – Saturday: 11-2:30 p.m.
Dinner: Monday - Friday: 5:30-10 p.m.
Saturday: 5:30-11 p.m.
Sunday: 5-11 p.m. A bar menu is available throughout the day. |
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