The Wedge is Closing

**UPDATE - 06/28/09 - The Wedge is now officially closed***

Jumped on to one of my many social networking sites today and saw the following post by staff at The Wedge:

THE WEDGE WILL BE OPEN FOR ONLY 1 OR 2 MORE WEEKS.....
	MY BOSS HAS INFORMED ME THAT WE WILL BE SHUTTING DOWN,HE HOWEVER IS LETTING ME STAY OPEN ONLY FOR DRINKS TILL THE BOOZE IS GONE. PLEASE MAKE THE LAST COUPLE WEEKS OR WEEK AN AMAZING PARTY ....

I'm honestly conflicted about this. On one hand, a small part of me is laughing while screaming "VINDICATION!" Another part of me is sad to see everyone's efforts for that cool little bar go to waste. When I managed the place, I and everyone who worked there tried to make it a place that was worth the drive to deep South City. We stumbled a few times, granted, but we also had some amazing times and amazing shows there. I met my girlfriend there (sort of). I had my first two-day drinking binge there (bad idea). I met some fascinating people there (and some real losers).

So, in the end, color me disappointed with a smirk.

Tonight at The Wedge - ME!

I spin at my old bar tonight. Should be fun. Come on down.

Back to the blog

So, I recently got laid off from my job. It was a mixed blessing, really. The job was too stressful and I logged too many hours for the amount of money I was being paid.

Not only did it eat my whole existence, but it made updating this blog a real challenge.

Now that I have some free time, I hope to actually add to this on occasion. I haven't been out to photograph in about three months, and my feet are gettin' itchy.

Also, if you happen to know of any place that is hiring a server/bartender/promotions/booking person, please let me know. Cheers.

Shoegazing

This Week @ The Wedge

The Wedge is excited about the upcoming week. We have quite a few events going on that's going to offer something for everyone.

• On Monday, we have double the fun. Tenacious Trivia happens downstairs from 9pm to 11pm. Its free, and you could win fantastic prizes, courtesy of The Wedge. Upstairs in The Iggy Ziggy Room, we have The Matthew Leach Band with special guest Sarrow Muse. Doors open at 7pm for the 8pm show. Admission is $6/$9. 18+

• On Wednesday we have Pat Boone's Farm with Stars Are Bullets and other special guests. Admission is $8/$11. Doors open at 8pm for a 9pm show. 18+

• On Thursday, we play host to the legendary South City open mic night, Chippewa Chapel Traveling Guitar Circle. This week's host is Deanna Bosse. Chippewa Chapel has been named Best Open Mic night by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, and features a wide variety of musicians from all over St. Louis and beyond. With rowdy, off-color sign-alongs and a loose atmosphere, Chippewa Chapel is always a good time. You never know who's going to show up. Artists are encouraged to sign up for a slot. Doors open at 7pm for the 8pm show. Admission is free. This show is 21+

• On Friday, The Wedge is proud to present Cassie Morgan's CD Release Party for her new EP Pine So Sweet. Cassie's special guest this evening will be local favorites Maid*Rite. Admission is $5. Doors open at 7:30pm for the 8pm show. This show is 18+ THIS EVENT IS SMOKE FREE.

• On Saturday, we have St. Louis' burlesque queen, Lola van Ella presenting her newest creation: Lola van Ella's Screw You Burly-Q. A monthly punk rock burlesque show that will feature some of St. Louis' hottest bands and most lovely burlesque entertainers. This week's band is the hard-rocking Left Arm, and the burlesque performers include Siren, Foxy LeFeline, Sturdy Gurlesque, Lola van Ella and the one and only Gravity Plays Favorites. Admission is $12 and the show is 21+ Doors open at 8pm for the 9pm show.

The Wedge is also open downstairs all week long, and there's never a cover charge for the lower level. Our menu is served until 10pm Sunday through Thursday, and until 11pm on Fridays and Saturdays. Our full menu is available in the Iggy Ziggy Room, too. And The Wedge boasts an impressive line up of pizzas, calzones, salads, soups, sandwiches, appetizers and daily specials.

To find out more about the Wedge, including our full menu and calendar listings, visit http://www.thewedgebar.com, or become friends with us on MySpace at http://myspace.com/thewedgestl.

The Wedge Grand Opening II: Electric Boogaloo

The Wedge Is Open

AT A GLANCE:
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- Grand Opening Party set for Saturday, November 29
- Open for lunch and dinner seven days a week with a menu created by Chef Blake Brokaw
- All food is made from scratch using fresh ingredients
- Lunch specials and carry-out available
- The music venue- The Iggy Ziggy Room- is now open and hosting bands and performances
- DJs, Trivia and other special events to be hosted in the main bar/dining room area
=========================================================================
Contact: Tyson Blanquart – info@thewedgebar.com

The Wedge – Pizza/Drinks/Music – 442 Bates St., St. Louis, MO 63111
314-351-1200 – http://www.thewedgebar.com – http://myspace.com/thewedgestl

St. Louis, MO – The long awaited opening of The Wedge has finally come. Adding to the recent neighborhood revival started by Iron Barley, The Wedge − recently renovated − opened its doors on Monday, October 21 and hosted its first concert on Wednesday, October 23.

The Wedge is St. Louis' newest hot spot for good food, good drinks and good music. Located one block West of I-55 at the intersection of Bates, Virginia and Compton Streets, The Wedge takes its name from the triangular piece of land on which it sits. Even more apropos, The Wedge now serves up pizza. But not just pizza. The menu also includes calzones, salads, appetizers and soups with more to come.

Consulting Chef Blake Brokaw has designed a menu of Italian fare that is certain to please the palate. Everything coming out of the kitchen is made from scratch using fresh ingredients. The pizza dough, sauces, salsicca, meatballs, dressings and soup are prepared right in the kitchen and cooked to perfection.

The Wedge's lunch specials will be served up daily, and weekly dinner specials will also supplement the menu. The Wedge opens for lunch at 11:00am seven days a week. Dinner is served until 10:00pm Sunday through Thursday and until 11:00pm on Friday and Saturday.

The bar itself is open until 1:30am Monday through Saturday, and 12 midnight on Sunday. Happy Hour runs from 4:00pm to 7:00pm Monday through Friday with daily drink specials. The Wedge has assembled a strong staff of servers and bartenders, and many familiar faces will be on hand to serve up the food and to sling drinks.

But one of the most exciting aspects of the new Wedge is the renovation of the second floor. The upstairs has been transformed into St. Louis' newest music venue, The Iggy Ziggy Room. With an intimate feel and a top notch sound and light system, the space will host a bevy of local and touring bands. Additionally, the room will host The NonProphet Theater Company and their critically acclaimed sketch comedy show The Militant Propaganda Bingo Machine on the fourth Friday of every month, as well as St. Louis Burlesque Queen Lola van Ella and her punk rock Burly-Q showcase on the second Saturday of every month. Weekly, The Wedge will be bringing Chippewa Chapel to the stage starting on Thursday, November 6. And downstairs in the main bar and dining room, Tenacious Trivia will take place every Monday night beginning at 9:00pm.

The Wedge will host its Grand Opening party on Saturday, November 29. There will be some surprises in store upstairs, and a DJ spinning downstairs. Admission for the entertainment will be free, and samples of favorite menu items will be available.
The main intent of The Wedge is to give St. Louis rockers a place to call home, as well as offering South City residents a local tavern to wander into for lunch or kick back at the end of the working day. A destination venue with a local feel, and most importantly, a place where everyone is welcome to come and have a good time.

The Wedge – Pizza/Drinks/Music
442 Bates Street
St. Louis, MO 63111
314-351-1200
http://www.thewedgebar.com
http://myspace.com/thewedgebar

Self serving promotion

The bar and restaurant that I work at has finally opened its doors. The Wedge, as I'm sure you probably know, is a new pizza joint and music venue located in south St. Louis. Its on a curious patch of land bordered by Compton, Bates and Virginia Streets. We're open and serving food seven days a week, and we're having music and other events such as comedy and burlesque going on in our upstairs venue. In fact, The NonProphets were just there last night and sold out the joint. It was pretty cool.

We have a calendar going on our Web site that you can peruse for upcoming events and shows. And soon a menu will be available, too.

Chef Consultant Blake Brokaw and Kitchen Manager Steve LaFata have crafted an incredible menu, and so far, everyone has been raving about the pizza, the calzones and my personal favorite, the eggplant manicotti.

Come on down and check it out. We've got plenty of familiar faces behind the bar, too, and you can whet your whistle without spending too much coin.

The Wedge - Pizza/Drinks/Music
442 Bates Street
St. Louis, MO 63111
314-351-1200
http://www.thewedgebar.com
http://myspace.com/thewedgestl

The Wedge is now booking acts for October & November

The Wedge- soon to be St. Louis' newest rock n' roll pizza bar- is now booking music acts (bands and DJs), comedy, karaoke, trivia, burlesque and other special events.

If you or your group is interested in performing in the new Iggy Ziggy Room, please contact Tyson at thewedgestl@gmail.com, or send us a message thru MySpace.

New restaurant/bar/venue opening up in October

OPENING SOON: THE WEDGE BRINGS LIVE ENTERTAINMENT, PIZZA AND A ROCK'N'ROLL VIBE TO SOUTH CITY


Contact: Tyson Blanquart, thewedgestl@gmail.com

September 7, 2008 – Since prohibition, The Wedge has been a staple of the South St. Louis' drinking culture, found at a curious, angular intersection at the corner of Bates and Virginia. After surviving the dreaded repeal of drinks, the bar went through an assortment of owners and names over the years. Now, the classic corner tavern is set to reopen in October under its classic name, The Wedge, with a new drink-and-dining concept.

Without argument, the biggest change greeting those who've been to the space is the thorough renovation of The Wedge's interior. A second-floor apartment's been gutted, creating room for an exciting second-floor space suitable for bands, films and small-scale theatre and improv. The first floor, meanwhile, has been given a total rehab, as well, with a thorough modernization of the space, while still maintaining a distinctly corner bar feel – in fact, about every window in the place looks out at that busy intersection of Bates and Virginia.

Though not seen by the public, the kitchen's also been going through changes, with consulting chef Blake Brokaw getting the space ready to turn out homemade pizza and calzones, from recipes that he's been developing solely for this venue. Serving lunch and dinner hours at The Wedge, the restaurant will be a welcome addition to the neighborhood, which is generally underserved in food options, especially those of the caliber of Brokaw's cooking. That said, The Wedge will complement the continued success of the noteworthy Iron Barley, located a literal stone's throw from The Wedge's front door.

But with all this talk of food, The Wedge will still be a bar – in fact, it's kept the bar from the last place that called it home, Windy's on the Wedge. High-quality draught beers, premium liquors and specialty house cocktails will all be had, along with local micro-brews.

Just as the Iron Barley has included live music both inside and on its patio, The Wedge will feature music in a variety of forms, as well. Every night of the week on the main floor will feature music over the state of the art sound system, with each night devoted to a particular style of music such as punk, rock-a-billy, honky-tonk country, vintage rock, indie rock, metal, hardcore, industrial, garage and surf. Plans also call for other types of artistic ventures in the second floor space, called The Iggy Ziggy Room. The performance space, which might be evocative to some veteran club goers of the old Hi-Pointe, will include the best live local music, DJs, open-mic nights, comedy, burlesque and karaoke.

The management and ownership team of the Wedge has experience in a wide variety of endeavors. Proprietors Luke Reynolds and Sam Berger have achieved success in a number of real estate ventures, and their holdings include Soulard's popular nightspot, Molly's. Consulting chef Brokaw is the veteran owner/operator of a number of clubs and restaurants in Downtown St. Louis, including the legendary Tangerine. And promotions man Tyson Blanquart has, until recently, been the managing director and promoter for the NonProphet Theatre Co. and has written for PlaybackSTL.

Together they look forward to working on a space that will knit together some of the best aspects of South St. Louis culture into one, unified space: a complete lack of pretense, some rock'n'roll on the stereo and delicious pizza that'll make the spot both a destination and a neighborhood hangout.

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