Restaurants

Say Goodbye, Say Hello

Farewell to Dooley's — and Hi, Pi!

By Ian Froeb 

Did this week's review put you in the mood for a burger? If your favorite is served at Dooley's Ltd., you'd better head to 308 North Eighth Street this weekend for one last fix. The downtown institution will close after its annual St. Patrick's Day celebration on Monday, March 17. This might not be the end for Dooley's, though. Owner Alex Dooley is seeking franchisees to continue the restaurant's heritage.

BUFFALO BREWING CO. is now open at 3100 Olive Street. The brewpub features four beers brewed on the premises, according to its Web site (visit www.buffalobrewingstl.com for more info). The menu includes plenty of beer-friendly dishes, including — trust me, you should be excited about this — beer-can chicken.

AT PRESS TIME the pizzeria Pi was slated to open at 6144 Delmar Boulevard, the former Mirasol space, directly across the street from the Pageant, on Friday, March 14. Get it? Pi? opening on 3/14? At any rate, Pi will be serving pizza with a California bent. And, yes, I'm curious, too.

It's been a busy few weeks for the Delmar Loop's restaurant scene. Work is under way subdividing the former Streetside Records location at 6314 Delmar into three restaurants. Chipotle and Noodles & Company will open in two of the spots; the third occupant has yet to be determined.

Meanwhile, Crazy Bowls and Wraps has closed its location at 6329 Delmar, and the hot-dog joint Archie's All-American Café (6277 Delmar) has closed "for remodeling." No word on when it will reopen.

Elsewhere, both St. Louis-area locations of the national chain Carrabba's Italian Grill have closed (10923 Olive Boulevard in Creve Coeur and 2558 Highway K in O'Fallon).

GELATO DI RISO, RFT's 2006 winner in the "Best Gelato" category, will open a new location at 4663 Maryland Avenue, the former Ben & Jerry's location in the Central West End. The Gelateria, which took "Best Gelato" honors in 2007, opened a second location, Gelateria del Leone, at 3197 South Grand Boulevard, right next to Pho Grand, this past fall.

ARE YOU OPENING a new restaurant? Know of a place that has closed? Something else for me to chew on? Drop me line at ian.froeb@riverfronttimes.com. Be sure to check this column's virtual doppelganger for daily updates at http://blogs/riverfronttimes.com/gutcheck.