First Look: The Boathouse at Forest Park

By Matt Sorrell // May 7, 2018

A Forest Park icon has a new look and taste.

As Sauce reported in December 2017 , Sugarfire Events took over management of The Boathouse at Forest Park late last year with the intention to revitalize the iconic eatery. The new incarnation opened for business on Wednesday, April 25, just in time for patio season.

Executive chef Jack W. MacMurray III, who’s helmed kitchens at area restaurants like Schneithorst's, Kirkwood Station Brewing Co. and Chandler Hill Vineyards, among many others, is running the Boathouse kitchen and has brought his signature scratch-cooking style to bear on the menu.

The menu now features such MacMurray signature items like the almond-encrusted and flash-fried shrimp appetizer, a recipe he first came up with more that 20 years ago. Other items include a roasted portobello Reuben with baked portobello mushrooms, juniper sauerkraut, Thousand Island dressing and Gruyere on rye toast, as well as an artisanal cheese plate with a rotating selection of curated foreign and domestic cheeses. Other MacMurray touches include house-made items like cured salmon and a variety of pickles.

MacMurray is doing his thing in a revamped kitchen area, which boasts such new chef toys as an Old Hickory smoker. The 80-seat interior dining room has been spruced up with new paint and artwork, and the old carpet has been removed to reveal multicolored tiles. The 70-seat outdoor seating area – always a crowd favorite this time of year – now features live music to entertain diners. The spectacular views of Forest Park, though, remain unchanged. Take a First Look at the new Boathouse in Forest Park.