The Scoop: Brian Hale to open Jax Café

Editor's Note: Jax Café has closed.

Brian Hale (pictured) is opening his own restaurant. Hale, the former executive chef at the Chase Park Plaza and Monarch and, most recently, the former director of culinary operations at Coastal Bistro & Bar, Bocci Bar and Barcelona Tapas, will be setting up digs at 2901 Salena St., formerly Pointer’s Market & Deli in Benton Park. According to Hale, he and his business partners, husband and wife David and Gina Seltzer, closed on the purchase of the building last Friday. Their plans are to use the 60-seat eatery as a breakfast and lunch spot as well as a venue for special events.

At Jax Café (named for the Seltzers' two-year-old grandson), Hale expects to “get back to basics,” a switch from “doing the rock star dinner thing,” he said, referring to the pop-up dinners he held at Bocci Bar last year. Jax will be “semi-upscale, plated breakfasts,” he described. Lunch will include appetizers, salads, sandwiches and smoked meats, wutg homemade pies and ice cream among the desserts. Hale added that local ingredients will be used as much as possible. Jax will also have a small retail section housing packaged beer and wine as well as Hale’s marinades, salad dressings and line of spices.

“There’s not a lot to do,” responded Hale, when asked about construction plans, which include building a new bar and renovating the kitchen. He hopes to open Jax Café in mid-May.

— photo courtesy of Brian Hale