March opening planned for Café on the Park

Reggie Davis originally wanted to open her Café on the Park restaurant, at 7310 Manchester Road, in November last year. Now her goal is March 2014, and she insists she’ll make it.

She said last week that opening this business has involved “a lot of knee-bending to God,” in addition to “money, money, money.”

Anyone who stops in now, as she prepares to open, gets an earful of her ideas for food.

She plans on using coffee from La Cosecha and dark rye from Great Harvest Maplewood for her roast beef sandwiches. The pickles will come from Carnage’s in New York, “partial sour, full-on sour and Kosher,” and if someone local thinks they can do better, she’s happy to talk.

Her barbecue sauce, Freddie Lee’s American Gourmet sauce, will be made by a local husband and wife team.

“Get ready for a lot of baked goods with liquor in it,” she said. “We have a year-round fruit cake that’s made with whiskey-smoked currents, dried apricots and dried apples.” She’ll also toast it with butter and top it with gelato.

In the summer she plans floats with gelato from The Hill and Fitz’ Root Beer.

Davis was previously the salad bar manager at the Brentwood Schnucks for many years.