MERCURY By Caitlin Smith Fleming Pablo Weiss first settled into the budding streets of 20th and Locust to set up shop at Hot Locust in the mid-90s. Since then he has invested his time, energy, culinary talents, and resources into two other then struggling, yet promising St. Louis neighborhoods. In 2003, his minimalist chic restaurant Kitchen K was one of the first to open on Washington Avenue, the now bustling downtown district. Cupples Station has become the newest section of the City deemed worthy of Weiss’s popular ventures. “This location is one of the next great locations in St. Louis,” Weiss boasts. “All of the buildings around me are being developed as we speak.” (Left to right): Brandon Bokern, general manager & Pablo Weiss, owner Cupples Station thrived in the late 1800’s as a shipping center, but over the past few decades, its eleven warehouses sat abandoned with the other St. Louis buildings of yore. Thanks to the efforts of HRI, McGowan Walsh, and other downtown developers, the bricks have been sandblasted to their original vibrancy in their transformation to ballpark lofts, offices, and retail space. The Westin Hotel finished a similar renovation and opened its doors in time to observe the transformation of the old Busch into the new. Now Weiss’s upscale-casual bar, Mercury, seeks to become a part of the same tradition. Not to be confused with the planned ballpark village, Mercury is situated only two blocks west of the stadium. “This is a very small, tidy, cool space,” he clarifies, “It offers to the baseball crowd a nice alternative to the huge places that have hundreds of people.” Thus far, customers taking advantage of such an option seem to be an adult crowd looking for a classy, low-key evening at the park. The full house of seventy-five to a hundred fans can watch the Cardinals from any seat in the house. On Friday and Saturday nights when there are no games, visitors can even enjoy house music by DJ Spin. Mercury welcomed its first customers to a small, exposed brick space with convex mirrored walls, fifty-inch high-definition plasma screen televisions, and comfortable, modern furniture and bar. Despite the challenge such a modest location might offer, Mercury is smoothly divided to offer three distinct, yet coherent, experiences. The bottom level houses lower tables and chairs for an informal atmosphere, but the wrought iron stairs leads to an exciting and much busier ambiance of a smart and contemporary bar. Weiss introduced a third area out on his patio for a warm evening of drinks with friends. While Weiss is known for both his delicious food and welcoming bar atmosphere, his newest venture focuses more so on the latter—a self-described “bar with food.” Bartenders offer a wide selection of cocktails and drinks. The summer favorite and feature is the Absolut Mandarin line of beverages. Four different cool, refreshing drinks made with the vodka fly off of the bar each night. Many patrons, however, enjoy an ice cold beer on lunch breaks, or during ballgames. These aren’t giant jugs of ale, rather they are normal sized, quality beers. Cocktails run about $5, while beers ring out at around $3.50. Tony Stone, grill master But the food is not to be outdone by the bar. It may be a limited menu, but it offers all the staples of a satisfying lunch. Weiss’s handpicked list contains a number of soups and salads that are basic, yet touched with unique ingredients such as the Chipolte Chicken Chowder. The appetizers are typical “bar foods,” but again Weiss manages to make them distinctively his. Diners love the Mercury Wings made with St. Louis’s own Maul’s Barbeque Sauce balanced with spicy jalapeno and honey. Heartier fare comes in the form of sandwiches, like the Asiago steak creation, wraps, and build-your-own flatbread pizzas. Mercury is now open Monday through Friday for “Hot Lunch at Mercury,” where guests can enjoy a break from the office with a bite to eat and half- price beers. Thanks to these simple added touches, Mercury succeeds not only in striking the right balance between upscale bar and delicious food, but it also manages to set the standard for other renovations to come to the Cupples Station area.   TalkingPOINTS Mercury 1025 Spruce St. St. Louis, Mo 63102 (314) 621-5502 Hours: Monday – Saturday, 4 p.m. – 1:30 a.m. Hot Lunch at Mercury, Monday – Friday, 11 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. Game days open three hours prior to game time. Parking: street

September 2006 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - (clockwise); Tom Reeves, Rodney Crim, Jim Cloar and Barbara Geisman, Ballpark Village Schupp Co. Earl Bingham - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - www.stlrcga.org - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - www.technologygateway.org - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Pinnacle Red Moon Mayor Francis Slay Carlos Pereira