Meet Me, For Dinner, In Downtown St. Louis

"From 1990 to 2000, the population [of St. Louis] shrank by 12.2 percent, falling to well under half of its high point of 856,796 in 1950...But rather than retreat into a self-pitying funk, something remarkable has happened in St. Louis: A city and its people mobilized and took action. Noting a surplus of commercial and industrial buildings and the infrastructure for contemporary loft-living developments, the Missouri Legislature in 1998 enacted legislation that provided a 25 percent tax credit for the rehabilitation of historic buildings in downtown St. Louis."

Consequently, the St. Louis...[of] the early '90s scarcely resembles the St. Louis of today. The $1.2 billion originally earmarked for improvements by the city has ballooned to $4 billion, resulting in widespread and dramatic change. Since 2000, more than 6,600 apartments and condominiums have been built or are in the planning stages, and thousands more people are projected to live downtown by 2008.

Those figures have attracted the attention of restaurateurs nationwide, many wishing to find new outlets to showcase their culinary talents before an ever-more sophisticated and expanding client base. "I'm seeing far more of my clientele coming from New York and Chicago," said Steve Komorek, owner of the city's highly acclaimed Trattoria Marcella. "This, plus the influx of young professionals living in the city -- diners are open to trying new items, they're requesting tasting menus, and exploring new things."

In the past two years, more than five dozen restaurants have opened in the city, 32 of them downtown. Collectively, it has created an energetic climate that offers a variety of appealing dining options. This reflects the changing downtown demographic. "Today, 37 percent of St. Louis's population is in their 50s and 26 percent is in their 20s," said Stanley. "This translates into restaurants that are busy both between 6 and 9 p.m., and then again from 11 until midnight or 1 a.m. It provides unprecedented growth opportunities." "