In the year Modesto opened its doors and introduced diners on the Hill to tapas, Food & Wine was touting heirloom beans and trash fish as some of the year's hottest culinary trends. Bubble tea was new to the U.S., and seemed utterly foreign. Rachael Ray made her first appearance on the Food Network.

That was 2001. Which meant that by 2016, it had come time for Modesto to close. In a business where all too many new restaurants go under before reaching their first anniversary, fifteen years is a shockingly long run. That Modesto was able to thrive for so many years is impressive. Still, denizens of the St. Louis dining scene let out an audible gasp last August when Brendan Marsden broke the news that he would be closing the beloved Spanish eatery.