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GRAFTON – Jerseyville’s Brad Hagen has had a long-time dream of opening an affiliate of the Broadway Oyster Bar & Grill in Downtown St. Louis on the Grafton riverfront and as of this week, he has made that a reality.
The Grafton Oyster Bar opened their doors last Firday in Grafton at the old Big Kahuna location, at 215 Water St.
Business so far has been “brisk” and it appears the business will be a big hit, Hagen said.
Hagen is an owner of the new restaurant along with John and Victoria Johnson, owners of the Broadway Oyster Bar & Grill in St. Louis.
“We were packed all weekend,” Hagen said of opening weekend. “We are still working out a few tweaks. We should be at full speed by next week.”
Hagen said he has had his eye on opening a restaurant of this type in Grafton for quite some time. Hagen is the head chef of the Broadway Oyster Bar in St. Louis and will retain that role, while he leads this restaurant in the same capacity and exhibits ownership duties.
“About 80 percent of the Broadway Oyster Bar menu items will be on the menu here,” he said. “We will have Mississippi River-raised catfish, along with some from other fisheries. We are also going to have a steak on the menu every weekend, either a strip or rib-eye steak as a chalkboard special.”
Hagen said he has a young staff, but they are all intelligent and hard-working individuals. He said he expects nothing but success from his team in the future. Hagen said he picked up his cooking abilities from his Grandmother Skinner.
Johnson said Cajun Creole and seafood will be staples of the new restaurant, much like the St. Louis location.
The thing Hagen said he loves most about this opportunity is being able to serve his hometown area.
“I wanted to establish a destination type of restaurant in Grafton,” he said. “I wanted to have a place for date nights and special events. There are a lot of great places for burgers and wraps, but not a lot of places for seafood around the region.”
Some of the more unique items are the Alligator Sausage and Shrimp Cheesecake and Shrimp Voodoo appetizers, with its enticing voodoo sauce. A grilled pear salad is another interesting option for patrons.
The popular menu items from the Broadway Oyster Bar are sure to be a hit at the new location to include oysters, gator, mussels, crab cakes and more.
The oyster options include Blue Point Oysters, Gulf Oysters, Char-Grilled, Fried, Oyster Cardinale (which is topped with a rich Cajun crawfish cream sauce) and Oysters Medley that includes Bienville, Rockafeller and Cardinale Oysters.
Eleven tap beers, both local and import, are available to enjoy along with a variety of mixed drinks and wine options.
The new restaurant/bar will offer live entertainment on Friday through Sunday during the summer, much like the Broadway Oyster Bar in St. Louis. Hagen said the new location should definitely be on the must see list for people through the spring and summer months.
For more information, contact The Grafton Oyster Bar at (618) 786-3000 or visit Facebook: www.facebook.com/Grafton-Oyster-Bar.
Brittany Kohler also contributed to this story.