click to enlarge PHOTO BY SARAH FENSKE

Baiku Sushi reopened last week in Midtown's Hotel Ignacio.

Closings

Openings

St. Louis native T.S. Eliot may have dubbed April the cruelest month, but that was hardly the case in 2016 — with both glorious spring weather and nothing but blue skies on the restaurant front. The only closures had either been previously announced (Revel Kitchen) or really more a case of a transition than a business leaving the city ( Mama Josephine's ). And the openings were many and delicious.Not only did Baiku Sushi reopen its doors last week after a construction-related closure, once again providing top-notch sushi in the city's center, but beloved Pint Size Bakery completed its move to a bigger, better space right in its same neighborhood . Talk about a win-win! For vegetarians, Fred & Ricky's opened its first grab-n-go shop, and for hot salami lovers, Gioia's is now open downtown. Even the construction-plagued Loop saw a net gain — losing not a single business and opening McArthur's Bakery & Cafe in the old Bread Co. spot . Cinnamon rolls for breakfast? Yes, please!