The 50-year-old Saint Louis Club has undergone the final phase of a major renovation. The private dining and meeting facility has been an oasis during my work career—the site of wonderfully decadent staff luncheons and a few memorable dinners—at the invitation of Helane Bernath, the director of marketing and membership. It was the place where we participated in the coveted Kitchen Buffet, a peek behind the scenes, snaking through the kitchen to see where the magic happens while piling our plates with goodies (careful to be on best behavior in front of all those temperamental French chefs).
I’ve always considered the Saint Louis Club an especially civil retreat, a place where manners, dress codes and impeccable service matter— so different from most places today, with omnipresent cell phone conversations and ‘fast casual’ service. So when I heard the club was completely redoing (and repurposing) its 14th floor, well, I wasn’t sure what to expect. They say change is good, but it’s hard to improve on perfection: rich French food with a view— what could be better?
After a tour of the new and improved space, my fears have been assuaged. True, it’s now ‘tech-friendly,’ but that doesn’t mean public cell phone conversations. It does mean, however, that members and their guests can access the Internet in the breathtaking new lobby, with its geode-encrusted and lighted bar, and in the lounge, where windows face the Arch for grand views of the sunrise and residual colors from the sunset. There will be complimentary snacks in the lobby virtually all day long: danish and coffee in the a.m.; soup and sandwiches midday; and ‘bistro bites’ in the evening.
The previously formal space is now also ‘denim friendly,’ but only ‘business-appropriate denim,’ explains Kelly Standing, new director of innovation and communications. After studying trends in private clubs, one thing was clear: “We have to appeal to millennials,” she notes. There is even a student membership attractive to graduate students; after all, private clubs provide premium networking opportunities.
So rather than diminish what it does best, my favorite place to dine (as opposed to eat) has added amenities, not subtracted them, and who can argue with that? Its most compelling asset, to me, has remained inviolate: the food. Chef Pierre Chambrin, former White House chef under the George H. W. Bush administration, will continue to serve up tournedos de boeuf with a side of Lyonnaise potatoes, and crème anglaise with dessert.