Interesting. I would really like to see good things happen for Ivanhoe - it could be a great little business district.

Not sure the neighborhood will support this business unfortunately. This is the exact same type restaurant (similar menus except for pizzas) that has been at this location for several years and both previous have failed; Cafe Ivanhoe and KOKO. I really wish these people the best but this location has been a proven struggle for specialty restaurants. Rumor had it several years back that Seamus McDaniels was looking to open a second smaller resaurant at that location. That is the type of business that I could see really thriving there. Good luck Bistro Toi.

I think the lack of nighttime street parking did them in. The bars on the street take all the parking and only leave 12 spaces for them, with 6 going to employees. Without adequate parking no restaurant can make it, and no menu will bring enough people in to cover all the bottom line expenses. You also must have a high traffic count to get enough impulse eaters to help you and Ivanhoe Ave does not facilitate that.

Pepe was in the Business Journal about a month after he opened as an example of restaurants that were likely to have hard times because of the downturn. Supposedly some of his investors backed off. But when I reviewed, they didn't yet have a liquor license -- and hootch is a major profit center in restaurants. That was very weird to me.

A chef who worked for Pepe in the past, told me tonight that Toi is a felon, so he couldn't get a liquor license nor could Pepe since he'd "pissed off Kraiberg too many times". This doesn't surprise me knowing Pepe's past restaurant endeavors and how they ended.

Might this same Pepe be opening the new Mexican/Puerto Rican restaurant on S. Grand near Meramec? Hope not.