Scratch Kitchen & Craft Cocktails Open in Belleville

A New Era for Belleville Stein Haus

Belleville Stein Haus welcomed its first customers through its doors for lunch last week, marking the beginning of a new chapter for the community. According to Joe Ruder, who owns and operates the business with his wife, Judy Ruder, the first day went smoothly, and the excitement surrounding the opening was palpable.

Joe shared that prior to the opening, he had never seen a Belleville business generate such buzz. The "sheer excitement" made him feel proud and happy. He started working on the project in October, surprised to realize that a year had passed. Initially, he thought it would take only three or four months to complete, not including the parking lot and patio projects.

Before focusing on the restaurant and bar, Joe had planned to "white box" the building and rent it to a commercial tenant. However, after stepping away from the nightclub business—where he previously owned Excalibur Nightclub in Collinsville and Monastery Nightclub in East St. Louis—he found a new passion. A friend, Munsok So, who owns Drunken Fish and Kimchi Guys, suggested that Joe open a restaurant, which led to Judy becoming more directly involved in the venture.

Made-from-Scratch Meals

Judy Ruder grew up eating mostly processed foods, but she became interested in healthier living after realizing how unhealthy that was. She took classes at Southwestern Illinois College's culinary school to learn about preparing nutritious meals. This knowledge helped her create a menu that focuses on made-from-scratch fare with as few processed ingredients as possible.

Judy also has a home garden that provides fresh herbs and produce for use at the restaurant. Plans are underway to partner with Eckert's Farms to acquire more fresh ingredients. While the full menu is still being finalized, current offerings include:

Lunch Menu

(currently available from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. on weekdays)

• Sandwiches (all served with chips)
  • Hot Italian Sub, Meatball Sub, Chicago Beef, BLT, Club and Chicken Philly
• Salads (full and half sizes)
  • Italian Salad, Cobb Salad, Caesar Salad
• Soups (made in-house)
  • Chili, Chef PK's Soup of the Week

Full Menu

• From the Pizza Oven:
  • Margherita, Korean, BBQ Chicken, Buttery Buffalo Chicken, Thai, The Classics (four cheese, Italian sausage, pepperoni), Onion Bread Bites
• Land & Sea:
  • Seasoned Baked Chicken Wings, Kabobs (chicken or steak), Shrimp Cocktail, Candied Salmon Bites
• Sides:
  • Crispy Loaded Mashed Potato Bites, Parmesan Potato Crisps, Cheesy Onion Crisps, Caesar Salad, Thai Slaw
• Dips for Sides:
  • Cool Dill, Classic Ranch, Remoulade
• Charcuterie:
  • Sampler - Chef's selection of meats, nuts, cheeses and other treats, South of the Border Dip Tray - Fresh pico and salsa verde with chips
• Sauces (made in-house):
  • Sweet & Smokey BBQ, Spicy Korean, Thai (peanut-based), Buttery Buffalo, Carolina Mustard BBQ

Mondays feature unlimited made-your-way pasta dishes where customers can choose their preferred sauce, meat, seafood, and veggies. This is available every Monday from 4 to 8 p.m. or until the food runs out.

There are no fryers at Belleville Stein Haus, as Joe said they would be tempted to use them more than intended. Judy emphasized that the restaurant is open to providing fare for all dietary lifestyles, aiming to "disguise" healthier foods with flavor.

All sauces, dips, and syrups are made in house, and the breads and doughs are dairy-free. In about a month, once the business settles in, the Ruders plan to start offering brunch on the weekends, featuring fare like quiche, frittatas, and biscuits & gravy.

A Chef Soulmate and Bar Manager

Judy needed help with the kitchen workload and found her "chef soulmate" in Patrick Kelly, aka Chef PK. A former chef at Le Ono, he helps elevate the dishes with tweaks and presentation, according to Judy. "He's taking our vision and running with it," she said.

Chef PK was recommended by a friend of Judy's who is head bartender at Le Ono in O'Fallon. That's how Sean Lowery, the bar manager, was brought on board. Sean, also a Le Ono alum, focuses on serving high-end, farm-to-table cocktails using Judy's herbs and made-from-scratch syrups.

Good Drinks, Good Times

The crafted drinks fit in with the overall vibe of Belleville Stein Haus, which features speakeasy-style details from the imagery on the building's façade and the inside lounge area down to the fancy cocktail glasses and lamps on each table.

Walls are rich in colors of dark red and gold with touches of art deco-style wallpaper. Plush couches are situated on one side of the restaurant with various styles of table seating in the dining area and along the bar. Flatscreen TVs around the room played black-and-white footage of performances by 1950s artists like Elvis Presley, Little Richard, and The Big Bopper during the Stein Haus' first day.

Even the bathrooms are part of the fun with framed cocktail-themed art and gold decorative accent pieces. The gorgeous flapper dress in the ladies' restroom is the inspiration piece for the restaurant and bar's décor, according to Judy.

The newly built patio provides more comfortable seating with bar-height tables and outdoor couches, flatscreen TVs, and ceiling fans.

More than the food and drinks served at Belleville Stein Haus, Joe and Judy believe that hospitality is the priority, especially good customer service. Joe said that no matter what people eat or drink, they "will always remember how we made them feel" when they visit.

A Building with a Long History

The Belleville Stein Haus building was originally constructed in 1922, according to county property records. A search through the BND's archive shows that the site housed multiple businesses through the years, mostly taverns and clubs. Among them were Bud Meyer's Tavern in the 1930s, Subway Tavern in the 1940s, and Helmut Peters' Concertina Club from around 1946 until the mid-1980s when it became Connie's.

Ron Noltkamper owned and operated Rotten Ron's at the site from about 1991 until relocating the business in August 1994. That year, Jean Hatzl acquired the South Illinois Street property and opened Steinhaus Bar & Grill in October. The business closed for renovations in fall 1997 and never reopened.

Jerry and Barbara Dinges, who own the property where LongStory Coffee is located, bought the former Steinhaus site in November 2000. A year later, Kent Meyer opened KJ's Saloon. The BND reported its closing in November 2013.

Property records show that the property was sold in July 2005 to William Mitchell. The property came under the ownership of Joe Ruder and his brother Danny Ruder five years later. Joe and Danny had different ideas for how to use the property. Danny wanted to open a plain old tavern, said Joe. He had other ideas and eventually bought out Danny's half.

About Belleville Stein Haus

Belleville Stein Haus is located at 805 S. Illinois St. in Belleville, across the street from LongStory Coffee. The bar and restaurant is currently open Thursday through Monday starting at 11 a.m. with lunch available until 2 p.m. on weekdays. For information and updates about Belleville Stein Haus, visit the business' Facebook page.