Tenant for Old Busch's Grove Falls Through; No Edgewild There

The owners of Edgewild Restaurant & Winery were not able to come to lease terms on the Busch's Grove location in Ladue, according to the St. Louis Business Journal.

In December, the owners of Chesterfield's newly popular Edgewild Restaurant & Winery announced they'd be opening a second location in Ladue's former Busch’s Grove. Now, it looks like that won't happen. According to the St. Louis Business Journal, the owners of the Busch’s Grove property were not able to come to a satisfactory lease agreement with the owners of Edgewild. That means the former restaurant, which has been vacant since 2010, according to the Business Journal, will remain unoccupied, at least for now. The restaurant closed in 2008 and reopened briefly as Busch's Grove Market, a gourmet grocer. The newspaper quoted John Cella, whose family owns the property, at 9160 Clayton Road. He didn't elaborate. In their original …

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The Baer Facts

Happy New Years to the Crew in Ladue & Frontenac

Best wishes to one and all and lots of luck in 2013.

We Hope everyone wants to read the L-F Patch in 2013. Hmmm, I could mail greetings to one and all. Lets see, that would be .38 cents times some 11,000+. I think I will just pass out my wishes for a new years by posting on the Ladue-Frontenac Patch. Here we go: Mayor Anthony Bommarito, City of Ladue--Thank you for serving as mayor and as councilman for an additional 10 years. A lot was accomplished on your watch. Mayor Keith Krieg, City of Frontenac--Here’s hoping that eyesore of the corner at Lindbergh and Clayton roads finally take on a whole new look. Mike Woolridge, Ladue City Manager--A lot of cooperation once more from your staff. Bob Shelton, Frontenac City Administrator--A prosperous development on the old Wright School property and…

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EdgeWild Restaurant & Winery Opening Second Location at Former Busch’s Grove

New owners are Andy and Dee Dee Kohn, teamed with veteran restaurateur Chris LaRocca.

Breaking news with the Ladue-Frontenac Patch. The contents of the news release directly from EdgeWild: EdgeWild Restaurant & Winery is opening a second location at the former Busch’s Grove in Ladue. Owners Andy and Dee Dee Kohn are teaming up again with veteran restaurateur and EdgeWild proprietor Chris LaRocca to open the new establishment in early summer 2013. LaRocca and EdgeWild’s Executive Chef Aaron Baggett are developing the menu for the new location. Executive Chef Baggett will oversee the kitchens and culinary teams at both locations. EdgeWild’s successful formula of affordable American fine wines and inventive American cuisine will expand to the new Ladue location, providing patrons with much of the same feel, experience and …

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Busch's Grove: The White Elephant on Clayton & Price Needs Some TLC

No substantial plans have come along since January, 2011.

Busch's Grove, Ladue's most historic landmark since 1855 needs a new life. The wooden and stone structure at the intersection of Clayton and Price roads has been vacant since January, 2011. That's when the Market Place in Ladue went out of business after two years of trying. Lester Miller's grand experiment in fine dining in Ladue needs a second life. Grandious plans for a II Bel Lago or an expansion of five-star Tony's never got off the drawing boards. Nothing has happened in ages. So we leave it to our loyal readers. Tell us in the comments what ought to come to this location? What would you like to see fill this historic void in Ladue. We will pass your thoughts to city planners. Someone must have a real sincere idea how this large, …

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James Baer

6:16 pm on Friday, May 18, 2012

Someone must have some idea what should come to boarded up Busch's Grove?   more ›

The Baer Facts

Top 10 Most Important Stories in Ladue-Frontenac in 2011

Closing of Busch's Grove after 100 years tops the list in 2011.

  All kinds of significant events occurred in Ladue and Frontenac in 2011. Important things happened in business, sports, politics, education and other topics. Here's a look back at the most important events that took place over the course of the past 12 months: 1. Busch Grove Closes after 100 years in business in Ladue. 2. Former MICDS student, Fred Teutenberg Jr., family died in tragic plane crash. 3. John Lamping upsets Barbara Fraser to win local State Senate race. 4. Canadian invesrment company takes over ownership of Plaza Frontenac. 5. Toxic spill in jewelry store closed section of Clayton Road for hours. 6. Anthony Bommarito, Sr. elected Mayor of Ladue. 7. Anita Reznicek selected new president of St. Joseph's Academy. 8. Villa …

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World Series 2011

Denizens From Ladue Will Cheer Mightily for Cardinals Tonight

Ladue has served as home-base for Cardinals greats down through the ages.

Very best of luck to our beloved Cardinals. Half of Ladue will be in the stands. These are the folks who own the best seats in the house. You will not find any community in the world that has a stronger connection to the St. Louis Cardinals than the Village (City) of Ladue. Case in point. Andrew “Drew” Baur, Alumnus of the Year at Country Day School in 1997 was a lifelong resident of Ladue. The banker, turned team owner, alongside his lifetime pals Bill DeWitt, Jr. and Fred Hanser will be looking from above at his position at first base on the diamond located behind the Pearly Gates tonight. Cigar firmly ensconced between his lips, he will be cheering madly for his beloved Birds. Baur was so crazed about El Birdos, he once marched into the…

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Il Bel Lago Owner On Busch's Grove: We're Out

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch speculates the Bommarito family may have an interest in the site.

One day after St. Louis Post-Dispatch columnist Deb Peterson speculated on the possibility that the Bommarito family may find a way to locate a Tony's restaurant on the site of the former Busch's Grove, Patch has confirmed that the owners of Il Bel Lago in Creve Coeur are no longer considering opening a restaurant at the Ladue location. "We're out," Frank Gabrielle said by phone Tuesday afternoon. In July, Patch reported that Gabrielles and another business partner, were going to open a restaurant in November. Gabrielle said the concept "fell out of the sky" to them, but ultimately they could not come up with a way to make the economics of it all work without subdividing the property. The initial plans had called for subdividing the 13,000…

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Nate Birt

10:26 am on Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Very interesting. Thanks for this update, Gregg. We're following the possibility of a Bommarito restaurant at The Cheshire hotel site in Richmond Heights. I'm sure there are many factors at play. I'd be curious to know when a final decision will be made.   more ›

Busch’s Grove In Ladue Will Reincarnate As a Locally Owned Restaurant

The new owners are planning for a Nov. 1 opening.

After shutting its doors as a failed grocery market earlier this year, the iconic Busch’s Grove will reopen as a restaurant and retail venue in early November. Frank Gabriele, owner of Il Bell Ago in Creve Coeur, his brother Carmelo and an unnamed partner are the new owners of this landmark property. “We’re going to serve the finest ingredients, but we’re not going to be a place where people have to worry if they can afford it,” Frank said. “We’re going to give people a comfortable place to relax with outstanding food, a place where families can come in and have a comfortable dinner or people can come on a date.” While the exterior of the renowned façade will remain the same, Frank said. The entrance will be moved back, and the 13,000-…

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James Baer

6:09 am on Wednesday, July 13, 2011

hip, hip hooray. Busch's Grove comes alive again Nov. 1. Hope a retailers comes into that space soon.   more ›