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OUR PLACE at 2905 Patterson Road in Florissant is noted for its Friday fish specials and Thursday pizza deals. Warren Fisher, a regular most Fridays, gets a cod dinner from owners Sharon Maxin and cook JoAnne Kindred.
BY CAROL ARNETT

Sure, North County has all the fast food and chain restaurants you could want. But how about some local food? Some of the best food in the Florissant area is served in bars. This week, we’ll look at four Florissant bars known for their food.

Ask ten people what their favorite local bar is and you’ll get ten different answers. But ask, “What’s your favorite bar for dinner?” and the same few places keep coming up. The following four bars are often mentioned in sentences like “you’ll get the best pizza at…,” or “for the best burgers, you have to go to…”

OUR PLACE, at 2905 Patterson, does brisk lunch business. Each day they offer a daily special that can be prepared quickly so that customers can be in and out quickly for lunch. Our Place’s popular Friday fish fry offers Jack Salmon and catfish as well as cod.

JoAnne Kindred, a cook at Our Place, said the burgers are great because she and the other cooks make them there fresh daily. On Thursday, the bar offers pizza. Our Place is building quite a following for its Taco Mondays, said owner Sharon Maxin.

Every other Monday, the bar offers a taco special. “The tacos are as big as your plate,” said Kindred. “People always say, ‘why don’t you have them every day?’ For now, they’re only a Monday item, said Maxin. “Our fish fries on Friday have been a big part of our reputation, now Monday night tacos are almost as popular.”

Our Place can accommodate large groups and often hosts parties. The bar is big inside, with plenty of seating. Maxin said she tries to make accommodating for parents to bring their kids in after Little League games.

B.J.’s, at the corner, is easy to overlook from the outside. It’s a small brick building that hugs the corner of St. Ferdinand and Washington streets. Many may remember the corkball cages that use to be on the lot and the many teams that played there.

Inside, the décor can be described as political retro. The small room is decorated with political posters, including several stapled to the ceiling. Everyone from John F. Kennedy to Jimmy Carter to current Florissant Councilmen is represented. The political décor is no accident. The bar is owned by Jay Russell, a state representative for 28 years and a Democratic Committeeman for 38.

The bar has been open since 1955, and has served its famous pizza since 1957. “We brought the first pizza to Florissant,” Russell said. “Our pizzas go over really well.” The pizzas are the most famous item at the bar, but certainly not the only item. B. J.’s offers a full menu, from a variety of sandwiches to rib eyes and roast beef. All items are available to go.

HENKE’s is another bar that opened in 1955, at the corner of Lafayette and St. Antoine. Joe Henke runs the bar started by his father and grandfather. “When my dad got out of the service in 1955, he and my grandpa opened this place,” Henke said. His father retired 15 years ago.

There was a brief period in the 1990s, after his parents retired, when he closed the kitchen, but it’s been back up and running since 1999. The bar serves lunch every day, plus dinner on Friday.

Henke’s is unique in that it has a separate restaurant in back, with its own entrance. “Kids have been coming since I was a kid,” Henke said, adding that so many students from Sacred Heart used to sneak over for lunch in the 1960s, that the principal came in to bring them back to school.

Henke’s is known for its burgers, including the cheeseburger platter, two burgers with fries, smothered with gravy. “Our burgers are good because they’re fresh,” Henke said. He gets meat four times a week from Max’s Meat in Florissant. The bar also has great pulled pork and other sandwiches.

Henke’s welcomes large groups and offers outdoor seating when the weather is nice. But don’t try to call ahead. “We don’t have a phone,” Henke said. “One day in the early ’60s, a customer’s wife called and asked if her husband was in. When my dad said ‘no,’ she said he was lying since she was across the street and could see her husband through the window. My dad said the phone was more trouble than it was worth and tore it out of the wall.”

GETTEMEIER’s, on Thunderbird near Lindbergh, has recently expanded. Last fall, the bar, which sits at one end of a strip mall, more than doubled its size by taking over the space next door. The expansion added light, as well as space, to the bar. It also allows the bar to accommodate large groups, something they do frequently.

What should you order at Gettemeier’s? The bar is known for its burgers, but the side dishes here are special. The bar starts with fresh mushrooms for its fried mushrooms and used its own breading. The cooks cut the mozzarella for the cheese sticks and also use their own breading. And the house-made potato chips make a great side dish for any sandwich.

Gettemeier’s also offers breakfast. Menu items range from a half order of biscuits and gravy to steak and eggs. Gettemeier’s has also attracted a following for its Friday fish fries. The meal comes with a free dessert.

So next time you eat out, try one of the local bars for something familiar, but different from the chain restaurants.
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