Nomad, the restaurant at 1221 Tamm Avenue in Dogtown acclaimed for its pastrami sandwiches and smash burgers, has closed. The final service was Sunday (Oct. 6).
Owner Tommy Andrew announced the closure Monday on social media. Andrew said the restaurant was successful but had outgrown its space adjacent to Tamm Avenue Bar. "People would think it's crazy for somebody to close the successful business," Andrew said.
"I mean, we're making money. It's just, I need a bigger space. You know, I can't give the quality of service that I want to provide.
" Andrew said he also needs liquor sales. (Dine-in customers at Nomad bought beer and other alcohol from Tamm Avenue Bar.) Andrew said his immediate plans are to spend time with his family and to focus on his mental and physical health.
However, Andrew does intend to open another restaurant, though he does not know yet if it will simply be Nomad 2.0. "Pastrami will still be around, but I'm really looking (to open) a full-service restaurant," he said.
"I miss being a chef." Andrew, often known by his nickname Tommy Salami, opened Nomad in February 2020 in the space adjacent to Tamm Avenue Bar. The restaurant’s debut happened mere weeks before the pandemic.
A veteran of such upscale restaurants at the late Randolfi’s Italian Kitchen, Andrew focused on pastrami at Nomad. “I just wanted to be the pastrami guy,” he told the Post-Dispatch in October 2020. “Like, (you) come in, that’s what you get, the pastrami.
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