(Note: Opening a restaurant is difficult even under ideal circumstances. Projected opening timeframes are subject to change, perhaps dramatically.)

“Most people thought we were batty to open on Cinco de Mayo,” Arzola says.

In fact, he reports, Arzola’s debut went “super smooth.” Which might not be so surprising given his family’s restaurant legacy. Chuy Arzola’s, his father’s restaurant, was a two-decade Dogtown mainstay, and Eddie Arzola returns as the general manager of his son’s sequel.

Fajitas are the signature dish (of course): steak, chicken and shrimp as well as the sweet potato-starring Veggie version. The menu also includes burritos, quesadillas, guacamole, queso and multiple margarita versions (of course).

Arzola’s is already seeing old friends, Coby says: “We've got some of our original clientele from way back when, and one guy who literally came in four weekend nights in a row just to get steak fajitas.”

Where 2730 McNair Avenue • More info 314-226-9672; eatarzolas.com • Hours Dinner Thursday-Monday (closed Tuesday-Wednesday)

“To be quite honest with you, I don't think that we really have boundaries that we may have in the Italian cuisine,” Del Pietro says.  “So, if something is appealing, whether it's in Latin cuisine or in, you know, Asian cuisine, I think that we would love to push it and go from there with it.”

Joining Del Pietro as partners in Blue Violet are Ryan French, Micah Hopkin, Pat Baltes and executive chef Jordan Knight. Del Pietro says early customer favorites from the menu include the blue crab deviled eggs, the roasted cauliflower and the Nashville-style hot cod.

Where 6108 Shoger Drive, Suite B, Edwardsville • More info 618-650-9003; bluevioletedwardsville.com • Hours Dinner Wednesday-Saturday

The term flexitarian, Kwan explains, describes someone whose diet is mostly, but not exclusively, plant-based. They might also eat beef or chicken or dairy.

“I think more and more people that kind of live that lifestyle, rather than (saying), ‘Oh, I'm vegan,’ rather than saying they’re something, they'll say they're flexitarian so they don't get any slack,” she says.

So in addition to a vegan burger, a “brisket” sandwich featuring housemade jackfruit seitan and flatbreads with cashew “cheese,” Station No. 3 also serves a smoked-turkey sandwich and its Mean Ass Turkey Burger.

Kwan is especially excited for the fried food at Station No. 3 — she has never really fried food in her restaurants until recently; "I am mesmerized by it," she says — which includes such throwback comfort items as vegan mozzarella sticks and potato skins.

Where 1956 Utah Street • More info 314-925-8883; station3stl.com • Hours Dinner Tuesday-Saturday, lunch Thursday-Saturday (closed Sunday-Monday)

Bonito Bar, projected opening: summer

Meanwhile, Kwan and Roloff have temporarily closed Frida’s storefront while they convert the former alterations shop between that restaurant and Diego’s into the new Bonito Bar.

Bonito Bar will function as both Frida’s bar and its own entity. Kwan says she and her husband are still determining whether Bonito Bar will have a separate menu, but it marks a shift for Frida’s from a plant-based menu to a flexitarian selection, including seafood.

Kwan has been eating seafood for about 15 years, she says, “and I noticed, just talking to customers, like, you know, almost all of our customers are pescatarian or flexitarian.”

While Frida’s dining room at 622 North and South Road is closed, the restaurant’s lunch menu is available Tuesday-Saturday at Diego’s at 630 North and South.

Oscar calls Fariñas Kitchen + Bar an “open-concept” kitchen. There will be some Argentinian fare, he says, “but that doesn’t mean that it’s going to be an Argentinian restaurant.”

The centerpiece of Fariñas Kitchen + Bar is its stone grill, which cooks steaks directly atop hot stone without any additional oils or fats.

Fariñas Kitchen + Bar plans to offer a full bar, but the restaurant is still in the process of obtaining its liquor license. It opens this week without alcoholic beverages available.

Where 1001 Washington Avenue • More info farinasrestaurantstl.com • Hours Dinner Tuesday-Saturday (closed Sunday-Monday)

Aaron Martinez, elevated earlier this spring from Vicia executive chef to become a partner with Take Root founders Tara and Michael Gallina and the group’s culinary director, is leading Taqueria Morita. For this new venture, he draws on his Mexican heritage and the Mexican food he experienced growing up in southern California.

More recently, during its pandemic pivoting, Vicia itself offered tacos. “And we're like, ‘Oh my god, this is awesome. I'd love to do this, you know, eventually, at some point,’” Martinez says. “And it kind of just (happened) like, ‘OK, why don't we just do it now?’”

Taqueria Morita will feature some fare in Vicia's vegetable-forward vein. The press release about its debut mentions oyster mushroom tacos with peanut salsa macha as an example. Martinez doesn’t want the restaurant pigeonholed as vegetable-focused, though. Diners can also expect carne asada, pork and seafood, among other dishes.

The restaurant takes its name from the morita chile. “It's spicy,” Martinez says, “but it's not, like, over-the-top, and it's got a nice, deep kind of sweet kind of smokiness to it that I really, really like and…gravitate towards.”

Taqueria Morita is counter-service. As an outdoor operation, the restaurant recommends checking its Instagram account for updates during inclement weather.

Meanwhile, as previously reported, the Take Root team has taken over the Bar Les Frères space in Clayton. They will reopen the space under a new name, Bistro La Floraison, with some familiar Bar Les Frères fare (gougeres, French 75 cocktails) as well as chilled seafood, charcuterie and caviar service. Bistro La Floraison is slated to open July 13 at 7637 Wydown Boulevard.

Where 4260 Forest Park Avenue • More info 314-553-9239; taqueriamorita.com • Hours 5-9 p.m. Thursday-Saturday (closed Sunday-Wednesday)

Natasha Bahrami, owner of the Gin Room and the daughter of Cafe Natasha co-founder Hamishe Bahrami, will open Salve Osteria with Grand Spirits Bottle Co. owner Michael Fricker and local chef Matt Wynn.

The concept, described as "years in the making" in a release, will breathe new life into 3200 South Grand Boulevard, the former home of Cafe Natasha. Salve Osteria will serve a "harvest-centric" menu inspired by the cuisines of Italy, Spain and the Mediterranean. The seasonal, shareable and sustainably sourced menu will feature vegetable dishes, pastas and roasted meats, "substantial in flavor and aesthetics," the release noted.

Read Miller’s full report on Salve Osteria here. This item has been updated with a revised official opening date.

Where 3200 South Grand Boulevard • More info 314-771-3411; salveosteria.com

Marc Del Pietro doesn’t call Cleaver & Cocktail a steakhouse, per se. However, he says, “we’re going to concentrate a lot on dry-aged beef.”

Expect rib-eyes and New York strips to feature among the dry-aged options, with some wet-aged steaks also available. Pork, chicken, seafood and vegetarian dishes will round out the menu.

As for the space, Del Pietro notes Cleaver & Cocktail’s walk-down bar, which seats diners at table-height rather than bar-height, and its outdoor dining.

“There's just a really pretty, whisper-quiet patio that overlooks this great water feature and stuff like that,” he says. “So we're really excited for it.”

Where 13360 Clayton Road, Town and Country • More info facebook.com/cleavercocktail

“You know, we're gonna have a smash burger on the menu,” he says. “So it's not just going to be geared towards straight Italian flair. But that is our fundamental.”

Vangel teases steak frites as well as chicken Parm and baked lasagna. An updated version of his grandfather’s beloved veal cutlets with broccoli will substitute broccolini, he says, “because broccoli florets are kind of boring, and broccolini is kind of a cool, sexy, like, better thing, in my opinion.”

More than anything, Vangel intends his restaurant to be an approachable modern neighborhood establishment, from the food to the wine list and cocktails.

Where 10017 Manchester Road, Warson Woods • More info vangelsrestaurant.com

Now the 9 Mile Garden team of managing partner Brian Hardesty and Larry Chapman of Seneca Commercial Real Estate have partnered with Jeff and David Kolb of Kolb Grading, Tom Mohan of Chapman Ventures and Michael and Kate Reiter of Cottleville Ventures to bring a similar experience to Cottleville with Frankie Martin’s Garden.

Similar, but not identical. Frankie Martin’s Garden, named for a late fixture of the Cottleville community, will feature food trucks, of course, as well as pickleball courts, an outdoor beer pavilion and a bar with wine and an extensive selection of whiskey.

“We want to have each one of these (venues) that we do have alternate things to do and different features so people have reasons to visit all of them,” Hardesty told the Post-Dispatch in February.

Where 5372 St. Charles Street • More info frankiemartinsgarden.com

Kingside Express will feature a wide array of Kingside's breakfast and lunch fare (with some "exciting" additions, Teitelbaums says). The focus is takeout and delivery, but the Loop storefront will also feature seating for 20 inside and another 20 outside.

Teitelbaum says Kingside Express’ smaller scale means “we can bring this concept into neighborhoods that I wouldn't bring a full Kingside into, or in (specific) locations that I wouldn't bring a full Kingside concept into for cost reasons or footprint size, all those things.”

Teitelbaum is already planning a second Kingside Express in Cortex in the Central West End (exact whereabouts yet to be announced) as well as a third location about which he can say nothing — though, he says, “it will be exciting when it happens.”

Where 6170 Delmar Boulevard • More info kingsidediner.com

The Lucky Accomplice, Shift’s successor, is looser and more playful — you can sit at the bar for a snack or share plates among friends — but Ely’s cooking there is no less remarkable or, for that matter, any easier to summarize. (Get the pork collar, however he is preparing it.)

Ely’s next venture, Press, promises to be his most casual yet. Located on the same Fox Park block as the Lucky Accomplice, Press will feature what he is calling smash pizza: “a cross between a pizza and a calzone and a sandwich,” he described it in November. As always with Ely, expect the unexpected.

Where 2509 South Jefferson Avenue • More info instagram.com/press_stl

By January 2020, however, both Jackson and Sampson had left Bait. The duo in business and life kept cooking, though — literally at pop-up dinners under their Culture Food Group brand and also as they plotted their own restaurant. That venture, Nexus Cultural Cuisine & Craft Cocktails, will open on Locust Street just west of North Jefferson in midtown.

Jackson and Sampson told the Post-Dispatch last August to expect a wide range of influences, from Mediterranean to Asian to Creole cuisines.

“We pride ourselves on making familiar things, (but) kind of reinventing them," Sampson said. “Or (making) things you’re comfortable with and kind of upping it a level….”

Where 2704 Locust Street More info nexusstl.com

Even an incomplete accounting of his work should tell you it is a big deal that Nguyen has returned to St. Louis with his wife (and fellow chef), Jessica, to open a restaurant. Their venture, Snō, will occupy the former VP Square space on Juniata Street just west of South Grand Boulevard in Tower Grove South.

Named for Nguyen’s mother, Snō will feature a wide array of dishes, from rib-eyes cooked on hot lava rocks and whole dover sole to kimchi-cauliflower fried rice and a rotating selection of dim sum items, with each dim sum dish priced under $10.

“And we love using Asian noodles with European techniques and ingredients,” Nguyen writes in a text message. “(Imagine fresh wonton egg noodles with a carrot Bolognese/ragu or fresh ramen cacio y pepe.)”

Where 3611 Juniata Street • More info snostl.com