Purpose Driven Restaurants to bring supper club and tiki bar to downtown St. Paul

Jess Fleming, Pioneer Press, St. Paul, Minn.
·2 min read

Aug. 10—Brian and Sarah Ingram are on a roll, announcing yet another restaurant opening in St. Paul.

The Apostle Supper Club and False Eye Doll tiki bar and voodoo lounge will take up residence in the Gateway Project across from the Xcel Energy Center this October, if all goes well.

Brian Ingram, of Purpose Driven Restaurants, which includes Hope Breakfast Bar, The Gnome, Woodfired Cantina and more, said the project is something he's had in mind for a long time.

"I love supper clubs. I have had this idea to do a supper club for years, but I've never had the resources to do it," he said. "I love throwback stuff, and it really resonates with me."

Ingram said they've been traveling to supper clubs and tiki bars in Chicago, Palm Springs, Las Vegas and of course, the north woods of Wisconsin, to get inspiration for the project.

There will be 400 seats inside and a sprawling, one-acre outdoor patio space that Ingram is calling an "entertainment garden." There will be a piano bar and live music — Ingram envisions jazz singers and the like — five days a week.

As for the tiki part, Ingram has been happily sampling his way through fruity drinks, but expects to hire "a professional" to craft authentic versions, which will of course require a large rum selection.

The menu will include old-school tableside presentations of sole and a tableside salad bar cart of some sort as well as prime rib and other supper club staples.

There will also be less expensive options for event days — think fish and chips or a burger in a basket — so those looking for a quick drink and a nosh can have the experience, too.

The design, which is being carried out by Joshua Jansen of Collage Architects, will be "very curated," Ingram said. There will be a giant sunken living room in the back of the space, and mid-modern accents throughout.

The Ingrams also are spending a lot of time in antique stores picking up dishes, furniture and decorations.

"We want it to be the kind of space that really takes you back in time," Ingram said.