About Us/Press

Creating a New Legend While Continuing a Dream

 If you’ve ever been to any location of Talayna’s Italian Restaurants, you have had the opportunity to experience the renowned creations of Mr. Mike “Talayna” Faille. Whether it was through his celebrated cuisine, such as his pizzas and salads, or his distinctive style of décor, Mike Faille’s establishments have produced many successes! Frontenac Grill is his newest and final creation, as Mr. Faille’s life was unfortunately cut short the night before his ultimate project opened. However, Mike’s dream of creating a new legend lives on through Frontenac Grill.

 Mike Faille was best known for his Talayna’s Italian Restaurant at Skinker Boulevard and Forest Park Parkway, which he ran for 21 years until 1997. He had numerous other restaurants, including the Jukebox Party Club and Fast Big Hearted Mikey T’s, and had franchised his nickname to Talayna’s Juke Box Diners in the St. Louis area. He earned his nickname playing handball for decades at the Forest Park courts, where some of the Jewish players called him “the Talayna,” the Yiddish word for Italian.

 Mike Faille opened his first pizza parlor in 1964 in the 300^th block of DeBaliviere Avenue before moving to Skinker in 1966. His restaurant became popular for his many styles of pizza, the stained-glass windows he had collected from old churches and an array of other artistic items.  In an interview with the Post-Dispatch in 1979, Mike Faille said he had been wild as a young man. He called himself “a pure animal…. I’m a natural-high guy. I get drunk on music and life.” He took part in jitterbug contests and even made it to a national dance competition in Las Vegas. Just as Mike was a big fan of dancing, he certainly favored Frank Sinatra and other members of the Rat Pack Era, as Frontenac Grill has a variety of music and photos of Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr. and others.  

 As we continue Mike’s dream to create a new legend, Frontenac Grill not only has a distinguished cuisine including “Talayna’s” pizzas and salads, among others, but it also is a place for fantastic music and dancing. So, if you enjoy great food and groovy music, this is the place for you!