Katy O'Ferrell's undergoes facelift

It's been a few months since Katy O'Ferrell's Publick House moved to town, but owner Mark Dirnberger said feedback has been positive for the only Irish pub in Cape Girardeau.

"[People] like the Irish fare, because no one around here has that kind of stuff ... it's kind of uplifting," Dirnberger said. "It's not fine dining anymore, it's an Irish pub with nice food."

The pub opened March 1, after the building sat vacant for four years. The previous business, N'Orleans restaurant, closed in June 2009, and was owned before that by a company called Culinary Arts Specialties LLC.

The building was constructed in 1868 and since then has been an opera house, a meeting place for German immigrants, a Masonic temple, a grocery store and a production facility for the Daily Republican, which later became the Southeast Missourian.

The building was originally a three-story structure, but after a fire about 25 years ago the building was restored to two stories.

"The top floor sits empty. ... The fire took out the third floor, so it's just one large open atrium, so to speak," Dirnberger said. "The top two floors are open. [Repair would be] pretty extensive. There's nothing up there now; it's just a warehouse."

Recently Katy's underwent a paint touch-up as well as window repairs, to prepare for the grand opening that Dirnberger said he hopes will take place Sept. 1.

"The paint job was just to give it a new look. ... So we have always wanted to paint the outside and bring it up to speed. I think it really cleaned it up and made it look nice. The rest of the building will stay just the way it is," he said.

Dirnberger said most of the restaurant's structure stayed the same from its previous owners, but he painted some, added a fireplace, some wall "snugs" for a more intimate setting, as well as a completely renovated kitchen. He said there are currently no plans in the works for the upstairs, but it's not out of the question.

This is the second business Dirnberger has purchased, the first being Bella Italia on Spanish Street. He is also the partial owner of D'Ladiums at 1127 Broadway.

When asked whether Dirnberger was interested in acquiring more businesses, he replied, "not at this time, not until Katy's starts flying."

Katy's is open from 4 to 11 p.m. Monday through Thursday and from 4 p.m. to 1 a.m. Friday and Saturday. For more information, visit katyoferrells.com.

smaue@semissourian.com

388-3644

Pertinent Addresses:

300 Broadway

20 N. Spanish St.

1127 Broadway