LaChance Vineyards has opened a new restaurant in Hillsboro.
The 9,600-square-foot restaurant space now occupies the former Russell House Restaurant and Inn at 10333 Business 21.
Harold Hamby, owner of LaChance Vineyards, said the restaurant held a soft opening Aug. 5 and officially opened Aug. 6.
“We had a little teaser on (Aug. 2); we had a band in from Key West, Fla., and an opportunity to have a ticketed event,” he said.
Originally built in the 1880s, the Russell House has become a fixture in Hillsboro’s history over the last two centuries.
“Everybody’s always wanted to be involved in some way,” Hamby said. “I never thought about owning the Russell House until the opportunity came to me in late December.”
Hamby purchased the 4 1/2-acre property from former owner Douglas Dieckman in January.
He said the original plan was for Dieckman to continue to operate the restaurant and inn independently under a rental agreement.
But Dieckman closed the Russell House Restaurant and Inn in February after nine years in business before an agreement could be finalized.
In the six months since the restaurant closed, Hamby said it has been redecorated with landscaping work still ongoing.
“It’s been 100 degrees every day, so it’s difficult,” he said. “It’s OK to take things out, but it’s hard to replant right now. We’re going to make a nice lawn area with seating; we’re putting in a big koi pond in the back by the patio. We’ll be doing a lot of landscaping.”
Hamby said the LaChance staff is trying to keep the place close to the feel of the late 19th century, when the home was built “with a little touch of class.”
“Structurally, we did not (add anything),” he said. “We did a lot of repairs. We totally repainted everything. We changed the feel of the place. New carpet, new booths, new everything.”
Hamby also said a lot of live music will be at the restaurant on the weekends.
He said three bedrooms on the second level of the building will be ready for bed and breakfast guests sometime in September.
Hamby said he envisions LaChance Hillsboro as “a place to gather” for members of the community.
“We don’t want people to come here just because it’s a special occasion, we want them to come here because they want to go somewhere,” he said. “We want to make this place a destination to go relax, enjoy, have a beer, sit back and order fries and a beer or a hamburger or whatever or a nice steak dinner.”
Hamby said fresh seafood, pasta and weekly specials will be on the menu.
The restaurant is open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays, and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.
Hamby said the kitchen will close at 9 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.
He said LaChance Hillsboro will expand to seven days a week once the staff adjusts to the new space.
“During the weekdays, we’ll probably be open until 9 p.m., and on the weekends, we’ll probably be open until midnight,” he said.
LaChance Vineyards also operates locations in De Soto and Kimmswick.
For more information, visit lachancevineyards.com or the Hillsboro location’s Facebook page.
Dining and Cooking