New St. Paul restaurant to offer retro steakhouse approach

Think retro.

That's what the guys behind Eagle Street Grille in downtown St. Paul are doing. Their effort to diversify brings them to the corner of Western and Selby avenues this fall with a steak-and-seafood spot that will play homage to classic tableside service. The Salt Cellar — a nod to the grand past of the Cathedral Hill neighborhood — is expected to open in late October.

"We decided a while ago that we wanted to step out and open up a different venue, a high-end steak-and-seafood restaurant. We want to stretch our wings and bring out classic service and do something different from we have been doing," said Kevin Geisen, who with Joe Kasel, owns Eagle Street Grille. Both grew up in St. Paul.

They've gathered a team to help them that includes Lenny Russo, chef/owner of Heartland Restaurant & Farm Direct Market, as consultant, and Blake Watson, formerly assistant manager of Interlachen Country Club, as general manager. The restaurant will be located in a building that formerly housed the College of Visual Arts, at 173 Western Av. Interior design will be from Joe Kasel and Elements Design of Davenport, Iowa. Mohagen Hansen of Wayzata is the architectural firm behind the effort.

"Joe and I, when we started this concept, we were looking at bringing back a classical style of service that really isn't practiced as much anymore. It's service I performed in the past at restaurants when I was younger," said Geisen. "Joe and I want to bring it back with a twist, a feeling, if you will, that we remember when we were kids when we were out with our families. We may not have nailed down everything we're going to do yet, but it's the tableside service that we're really focusing on."

That means a classic Caesar salad prepared tableside, chateaubriand dished up with flair, bananas foster flambéed, all presented with just enough drama to assure a sense of special occasion.

"It's kind of like bringing the kitchen out onto the floor, making it a little more interactive for the guests," said Geisen.

The emphasis will be on updated classics, whether it's cocktails or entrees (think martinis and veal Oscar). Grass-fed beef will be center-of-the-plate for many diners; seafood will definitely include walleye. Watson will curate the wine list. "There will be a small cellar in the restaurant and great wines by the glass in the bar area," he said. And no big markups — more retail than restaurant markup.

"I think it will be a pretty spectacular looking place, with lots of glass," said Russo. "You can see into the prep area off the street. There will be lots of visual cues as to what's going on. You're going to pretty much see everything."

That includes the butchering of meat. The space includes sufficient room for a large meat locker. "They will be bringing in whole animals, using the same methods and techniques that we use at Heartland. They will be making their own sausage. And they want to bake their own bread as well," said Russo, who has a prospective chef and sous chef in mind.