By Amy De La Hunt of ALIVE Magazine
Photo by Josh Monken

Dining or dancing at EXO, you’re in expert hands.

When a restaurant and club share the same space, there's always a danger that one will intrude on the other and leave customers of both dissatisfi ed. But there are examples in other cities where it works—to name just one, the Chambers in New York and Minneapolis melds restaurants, nightlife, art and even hotels together with brilliant results—and St. Louisans have an opportunity at EXO (the new restaurant-lounge in Midtown) to support that elevated concept. (There are plenty of vacant buildings neighboring EXO, should the owners ever consider adding a boutique hotel to their enterprise.)

Few local nightspots are worthy of news coverage for their dining, dècor and scene, but EXO could as easily be featured for its architecture as for its menu. In fact, even some of the details that the average customer will never see, like the eco-friendly kitchen appliances, deserve their own media attention.

In its offerings, EXO is what you would expect from an upscale lounge: fully stocked bars on both levels, private VIP areas, a cigar room, a dance fl oor, bottle service tables and three huge TVs. Yet the thoughtfulness that went into each element really sets the place apart. Take the TVs, for example. Two of them project onto very cool screens that add plenty of visual interest by themselves, and the other, on the expansive patio, projects onto a blank wall of the building next door. Warm wood and exposed brick pose a nice contrast to the dark, cool metal trimmings. The solid squares enclosing the exterior staircase, visible from the patio, resemble artwork themselves. Inside, paintings from artists like Cbabi Bayoc add another touch of refi nement to what’s already a sophisticated atmosphere. The menu, in contrast, exudes warmth as only down-home Southern cooking can, with sweet potato casserole and jambalaya.

EXO's synergy is no fl uke. The architect (Tom Niemeier), design fi rm (Space, LLC) and consulting chef (Eric Brenner) are all among the city's best. Owners Fred Finley and Harry Andre Michel have a long track record behind the networking event First Fridays, as well as a nightclub, Seven. The buzz that drew curiosity-seekers during EXO’s fi rst few weeks (even before the restaurant was up and running) isn't likely to die down soon; as the 6,000-square-foot space comes into its own as a venue for live music and DJs, there’ll be that much more reason for its fans to return.

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