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All Roads Lead to 612

Devin Graham lives in a house that was one of the oldest bars in Kirkwood. Now, he owns a bar in Kirkwood.

"I grew up in a restaurant family by chance," stated Devin Graham, owner of 612 Kitchen and Cocktails. Devin's parents, Dan and Pam, met while working in a restaurant. Dan went into real estate and eventually ended up listing the building that was at the time The Loop Lounge. 

Itching to get back into the restaurant industry, Dan bought the building and opened Graham's Grill.

"This restaurant was my parents' place for 17 years," said Devin. "I started working here when I was …. well, under Chinese labor laws, I'm sure it was fine."

After college, Devin ran Graham's Grill for three years and then moved on to other things. When his dad decided to retire from Graham’s Grill, Devin's sister Alison went to Devin with her idea to buy the restaurant and rebrand it.

Devin remembered their transition to the new restaurant. "The first two years, between Alison and I, we kicked my dad out of the restaurant about a dozen times," Devin said. "We couldn't do anything right. It was funny because my dad wanted to let go, but couldn't."

It took a while for Devin and his dad to find a middle ground. "Once we broke our stubborn molds, we became pretty cohesive," Devin said. "As a father now, I recognize that to follow in your father's footsteps is the highest form of praise."

Devin and his sister Alison concepted the idea for 612 Kitchen and Cocktails based on wanting to offer 1920's vintage prohibition-style cocktails in an upscale gastropub environment.

"We wanted a place where people could come to relax and enjoy cool, crazy cocktails and let us take care of you.”

When Alison, unfortunately, passed away, Devin rearranged his life to run the restaurant full time.  About a year and a half ago, Devin asked his friend Matt Ahearn, a veteran chef with 22 years in the industry, to join the restaurant.

Matt brings his love of Asian-infused flavors to the menu. While the brisket risotto remains a customer favorite, Matt's Asian-Hawaiian-infused pork chop is also a popular dish.

There's something for everyone on the menu; bar food, plated dinners, gluten-free, vegetarian, or vegan. "I recently brought in a sweet potato flatbread that's gluten-free, vegetarian, and vegan. We offer a variety of options for every palate," stated Matt.

Also new to the menu is the Sashimi Tuna. “Seared in a cast-iron skillet and served with Asian slaw, pickled ginger, made from scratch ponzu sauce and edible flowers - it's fire,” exclaimed Devin. “It’s one of my favorite things on the menu.”

Devin said, "Every night that we come to work, our job is to throw a party. And that's a pretty cool job description." 

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