St. Louis Restaurants: Reviews & Recommendations

[kendix]

If pizza's not off your list & you do find selves in Clayton, I'll recommend Il Vicino.  This is decidedly NOT St. Louis-style pizza (Google "provel cheese" for an education in that); rather, it's as close to true Italian pizza as you're likely to find in the Heartland, and to my taste it's better than 90% of New York's pizzerias.

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Il Vicino is good but it's also a chain, as is the excellent Dewey's.

I'd also throw in Blackthorn. If you go there, make sure you get there early and don't mind waiting an hour or more for your pizza.

[rlibkind]

Update on Cafe Brasil, my sister reports it was wonderful. She had the the feijoada (stew of beans and meats), her dining compansion a light fish/seafood stew made with a touch of coconut milk. Both were also on the buffet, which you could order separately without having to order the churrasco, she said.

She very highly recommends Harvest, which offers seasonal food, including a spa menu option. Once again, though, not very accessible via public transit; it's near Washington U.

[Shmily]

Update on Cafe Brasil, my sister reports it was wonderful. She had the the feijoada (stew of beans and meats), her dining compansion a light fish/seafood stew made with a touch of coconut milk. Both were also on the buffet, which you could order separately without having to order the churrasco, she said.

She very highly recommends Harvest, which offers seasonal food, including a spa menu option. Once again, though, not very accessible via public transit; it's near Washington U.

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thanks again for the new info..we will report back on what we end up doing...today is the day to get airline tickets for me...

[sheriffblalock]

Alas, Craig, Red Moon is no more.

St. Louis is pretty limited for great food, but you do happen to be staying in one of the best areas in town to eat. One of my new favorite places is a crepe place called Rooster, which is a breakfast/lunch spot at 1104 Locust, about four blocks away. 10th Street Italian is a good pasta place (also, mostly a lunch spot) that makes their own sauces. For dinner, I'd recommend Mosiac on Washington, or if you want to go all out, An American Place in the Renaissance Grand Hotel. A very nice menu in the best restaurant space I have ever seen.

[Shmily]

Alas, Craig, Red Moon is no more. 

St. Louis is pretty limited for great food, but you do happen to be staying in one of the best areas in town to eat.  One of my new favorite places is a crepe place called Rooster, which is a breakfast/lunch spot at 1104 Locust, about four blocks away. 10th Street Italian is a good pasta place (also, mostly a lunch spot) that makes their own sauces.  For dinner, I'd recommend Mosiac on Washington, or if you want to go all out, An American Place in the Renaissance Grand Hotel.  A very nice menu in the best restaurant space I have ever seen.

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Thank you so much for the great info...slight change of plans..we are staying at the Hilton Ballpark but we have a room with breakfast included. How far is that from Rooster and is it safe for me to walk it?? Will also look into your other suggestions...thanks again...

[ghostrider]

We'll be landing in StL on Thursday afternoon & will be looking for someplace to dine that night. Just wondering if anyone knows, from experience or observation, of places that will be open.

We did this once before & found most of where we were staying (Clayton) shuttered up tight. It was pretty depressing.

We're not necessarily looking for a traditional Thanksgiving dinner; a good Indian or Greek place, or even a pizza or burger, would be welcome.

I've got a list of my fave places & will be calling them, but since they weren't open last time I don't have much hope that things will have changed.

Thanks.

[sheriffblalock]

I know the food section in the Post-Dispatch will have a list of restaurants open on Thanksgiving Day. There's a list available at http://www.stltoday.com/entertainment/dining.

Harvest in Richmond Heights Thanksgiving Day dinner comes highly recommended.

[ghostrider]

Thanks for that link! I have StL Today bookmarked but it never occurred to me that they might have such a list.

Harvest sounds great, but City Diner is probably more our speed, & definitely more attuned to our schedule. Either way, it's nice to have the prospect of some solid comfort food at the end of our travel day. Much appreciated.

[ghostrider]

Before this memory fades into Christmas, I've got to give a nod to City Diner for what they did on Thanksgiving. It's a fun, bustling, hip place on what seems to be a newly thriving strip in one of StL's old old neighborhoods.

They were serving a $15.95 / all-you-can-eat Thanksgiving special, & quite a few tables of very big guys were taking full advantage of that. We weren't in the mood for turkey. I got the smoked pork loin with cornbread stuffing. Pork a bit dry but very tasty, stuffing excellent. The killer touch was the side dish, simply described as "green beans," in reality beans that were still green & crunchy sauteed with onions, butter & bacon. Really fine.

My SO had the pot roast. Huge portion & I was still famished from our travels so I ate about 1/3 of it, along with the mashed potatoes, all first-rate. Nice big chunks of carrot, celery & onion in the accompanying gravy.

Not fine dining, but well prepared, thoughtfully constructed diner food. We were very glad that they were there for us that night & wouldn't hesitate to go back.

[Zeemanb]

Just a quick head's up..... this week's episode of FN's "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives" includes a piece on Iron Barley. It is a pretty good overview of the history, the owner, the food...... and it made me want to get back to St. Louis, I do love me some Iron Barley.

[gfron1]

I'm visiting family in St.L next week so is there anything new or evolved that's worth the visit? No limits on cuisine or price (I like it all), and is anyone doing anything fun with desserts? (Ted Drews is not what I consider fun, but of course I'll wait in line at least one night.)

[gfron1]

Come on! St. Louis is not all that bad. I always have good meals when I'm there. Here are some newer places that I haven't been to yet that I'm going to check out:

Aya Sofia Turkish

Zen Sushi

Mango Peruvian

From Sauce Magazine Best of 2007:

Overall restaurant

1. Eleven Eleven Mississippi

2. Sidney Street Café - this looks interesting to me

3. Harvest Seasonal Market Cuisine

4. Niche

5. Chain: The Cheesecake Factory

New restaurant (these all look boring to me)

1. Franco hearty French

2. Roxane

3. Wapango

4. Rooster Crêpe Sandwich Café

[gfron1]

Last night we went to Aya Sofia and today we're going to Mango for lunch and Niche for dinner.

I was pretty disappointed in Aya Sofia. Having heard all of the positive feedback about AS and seeing their wall of reviews when you walk in the entrance, I expected it to be an outstanding meal. Having the meal that I had be in so much contrast to the reviews may be the reason that no one is offering suggestions for dining in StL. Local expectations are formed by experiences and if the experiences are just average, then anyone above average gets the highest rating. Just a theory I'm working on.

Here are the reviews from their website:

    *  Sauce Magazine Reader’s Choice 2007 for Favorite Mediterranean 2nd Place Favorite Middle Eastern, 3rd Place Favorite 1st Date Place, Honorable Mention Favorite Eastern European.

    * Best Mediterranean Restaurant, Alive Magazine Hot List Winner 2007

    * Best New Restaurant, Riverfront Times Best of St. Louis Winner 2006

    * Best Place for a Date, St. Louis Magazine A-List Winner 2006

    * Named 1 of the 3 Most Romantic Restaurants by Sauce Magazine

    * Concierge Preferred Business 2007

    * Winner: 2006 Sauce Magazine Reader's Choice Awards; 2nd Place: Favorite Mediterranean; 3rd Place: Favorite Middle Eastern/Persian; Honorable Mention Tie: Favorite New Restaurant.

    * Winner: 2006 Riverfront Times Reader's Poll; 4th Place: Favorite Business Lunch; 4th Place: Favorite New Restaurant

    * Named 1 of the Best New Bars of 2005 by The Post Dispatch

    * Named Top Five Restaurants to try under the Greek/Mediterranean category in the Post Dispatch Article "Cuisines: Five to try in each category"

So, I did enjoy my dinner, don't get me wrong, but this was Turkish food - its a cheap meal! For drinks we had Domaine de la Janesse (Grenache, Syrah), Cotes du Rhone 2003 and an Argentinian Chardonnay. Neither was exceptional, but both were adequate.

We opted away from the entrees and filled up on their extensive "small plate" and mezze options.

1. Two orders of beet and goat cheese. This was our favorite dish of the night. The beets were fine but the goat cheese really was exceptional. ($7)

2. Next was Aya Sofia Meze Plate [humus (pureed chickpeas), sigara boregi (fried feta cheese), sarma (stuffed grape leaves), and tabuli (parsley salad)] ($19)

3. Anatolian Meze Plate [feta and goat cheeses with Mediterranean olives, sliced tomatoes, and cucumbers] $9

4. Bohca [seasoned ground beef, onions, and pine nuts baked in a flaky filo crust] ($6) This was very good

We had a couple of other things but nothing that I remember. It was all fine. the dolmas were really good. We also like the humus - good flavor and texture. My gripe is price to quality did not match. You have a sense of what we paid, and if you dropped each item's price by about 1/3 then you're more aligned with reality.

For dessert we had the special which was a Mocha Mousse. This was an embarrassment. I have no doubt that it was a powdered custard mix with instant coffee added topped with canned whipped cream.

Finally, we had the wrong server. A young Bulgarian woman was all work and showed no personality. Contrary to this negative review, we were in a great mood - it was a family reunion of sorts, and our sense was that she just wanted us out. The other server seemed to be having a much better time with her tables.

Okay - with this nasty write-up you would think that I didn't enjoy my meal. I did. But, for what we paid, and for all the write-ups, its just an average Turkish restaurant. Please do go, but go with lower expectations.

[gfron1]

Today we started off at Soulard Farmer's Market. Its interesting that I lived the first 18 years of life in StL and had never been to the farmer's market. Being a Wednesday, half of the booths were closed, but it was still fun to see the old building.

One odd/interesting site was a meat shop. Notice the great meat selection, then look at the sign in the bottom right of the window

Next we drove around in anticipation of lunch. We decided to push Mango to tomorrow. Instead we opted for some rooftop dining at Vin de Set. I had a Mojito and French Mediterranean Salad (Confit, goat cheese, curry dressing).

All of our lunches were good, but could all use a bit more freshness. My mango was straight out of a jar and flavorless. But, look at the mound of confit! It was very good.

We turned down a dessert tray in anticipation of an afternoon of sweets. Our first sweet stop was at The Chocolate Bar which was closed. Its more a night spot, so we probably won't have a chance to get back.

But, next door is a coffee shop that is known for having 64 varieties of St. Louis' signature sweet - Gooey Butter Cake. Today they had a half dozen varieties. We had a traditional, a blueberry, white chocolate raspberry and a few others that just got lost in the over-indulgefest.

Our dinner tonight is at Niche and their pastry chef also runs a little pastry shop next door - Veruca. We stopped by and bought their candy bar and a red velvet cake.

A good food day so far...Niche in just a bit!

[Pille]

How did you like your meal at Niche?

I was in St Louis earlier this month, visiting Alanna of A Veggie Venture food blog. She took me and a couple of her friends for a meal at Niche. Although it was a Tuesday night, the place was packed and very lively (read: bordering at noisy). We had mixed opinions about the food, but my cold cold buttermilk soup with beetroot ravioli was extremely delicious, and I did enjoy my roasted rabbit with orange-carrot risotto as well. For dessert I chose S'Mores ice cream, and it was great, but I cannot really judge, as it was the first S'Mores of mine

For other starters, the fried pigs head with spiced pear looked and tasted great, but the mixed salad (highly recommended by our waiter) received mixed reviews.

The service was friendly. I was rather surprised that for a restaurant at that price range and reputation, there were no amuse bouche to start with. Not even a simple basket of bread. We did have to wait for our starters for a while (and were very peckish), but once the food started coming, all courses arrived in good time.

Another place I really enjoyed it St Louis was Pappy's Smokehouse - we had their pulled pork sandwich, which was really, I mean really-really, delicious. (Plus we got a tour of the kitchen and saw Walter, their BBQ. Sometimes it pays off to tell the owner that you've travelled from far-far away Estonia )

[gfron1]

Pille - your experience was similar to mine. Niche is certainly one of the better restaurants in St. Louis, and one that I would highly recommend. Like some of my previous comments about StL dining, however, its charging big boy prices without backing it up with a big boy experience.

And you are absolutely correct that with an on-site pastry chef, I certainly would have offered a bread service. We passed on the cheese options which were minimal at best (Stilton, Maytag, St. Andre).

Enough of the negative, here's the positive:

We had the Chef's Tasting Menu with Wine Pairings. That started with a glass of Nino Franco Rustico Prosecco followed by "Parsnip consomme, bacon, grapefruit, brown butter foam." This was the weakest of the courses. The bacon and grapefruit were sodium alginate caviar and were over cooked (over chemically processed?). But it was a nice flavor combination albeit a bit non-distinctive.

Next was a glass of Josef Ehmoser Gruner Veltiner, 2006 and "Fried brandade, arugula, egg and ramps." Salt cod and potatoes formed into a cake and fried, an over easy egg with sauted vegetables. This dish received mixed reviews. I enjoyed it, the other two did not so much. One said it was too fishy, the other too potatoey. I like it just fine. I would however, have fixed the presentation by poaching the egg or at least cooking the egg in a way that it did connect with the other eggs, leaving torn edges. For the price - make my egg pretty, please.

The pours were full glass which (I hang my head in shame as I type this) were too much. I would rather they had dropped the pours to 1/2 glass (along with the price). It was difficult to keep up with the amount of liquor being thrown in front of me.

But ploughing ahead (as I was getting ploughed) we had M. Chapoutier Cotes du Rhone, 2006 with "Reuben - rye gnocchi, pickled mustard seeds & horseradish." This was the one dish that I wanted to emulate. The rye gnocchi had an outstanding taste, the mustard seeds were great texture, and the meat - corned pig tongue - while an odd choice for a rueben - was superb. This really tasted exactly like a rueben and was very playful. Again, mixed reviews from the table as some thought it was too strong, and the gnocchi to mushy. I disagree - gnocci is what it is and chef did a good job on these, and yes, ruebens are strong flavored.

An off-menu palate cleanser was then brought to us (good choice and the only one we received) which was a carrot lime sorbet. I can't wait to get home to throw lime in my carrot cake frosting - this was a very, very good taste.

Another full pour of Torii Mor Pinot Noir, 2006 served with "Lamb, rhubarb, hummus & white chocolate." This was, in my opinion, the only innovative course. I had not seen white chocolate used in hummus before and it really worked well. We argued for quite some time about whether a dark or milk chocolate might have been better, but I don't think so. White chocolate has a roundness, and yet a flavor snap that brown/real chocolate just don't have. The lamb chops were prepared properly and the rhubarb sauce added a nice twang. I believe the foam was a fresh garlic foam, but I can't remember.

Finally was the dessert - the course that I cared most about. Noble One Botrytis Semillon, 2005 (a wine I had never had before) with "Coconut kulfi, passion fruit glazed pineapple, granola." First, I find kulfis to be lazy/convenient desserts. I made one recently in my ice cream class because I knew I wouldn't have time to make enough ice creams for the participants, but the tradeoff to convenience is texture. Kulfis are hard. In my restaurant universe, I would have zapped the kulfi in the microwave for 10 seconds on power 1 and softened it just a bit. Other than that, it was a wonderful dessert. Kulfi creaminess with an intense coconut flavor, paired well with the slight acidity and zing from the pineapple.

The tasting menu cost $65 and the wine $35. This was the least expensive of the tasting menus that I have done, but as far as quality and innovation, it was proportionate. That said, it was a very good meal and one I would do again.

[gfron1]

Run, don't walk, to the brand spanking new Friar Tucks in Crestwood (9053 Watson). They boast 4000 wines, 600 beers and every spirit imagineable! Here are a few I bought for tonight:

[ulterior epicure]

Looking for a good to great Sunday brunch in St. Louis. I see from above that snekse recommends Nadoz Cafe. Any others?

[emilymarie]

Will be in St. Louis for long weekend in June. Heard that Revival is closing. Sad about that.

Are there any new restaurants around to try?

Anyone been to Hubert Keller's place?

I've already got my reservation at Niche, which I love and am excited to revisit?

Anything new?

Any thoughts much appreciated! Thanks so much, Emily

[Merridith]

Will be in St. Louis for long weekend in June. Heard that Revival is closing. Sad about that.

Are there any new restaurants around to try?

Anyone been to Hubert Keller's place?

I've already got my reservation at Niche, which I love and am excited to revisit?

Anything new?

Any thoughts much appreciated! Thanks so much, Emily

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We are, many of us, very sad about Revival. It is a problem location - King Louie was there for so many years and it had a great old school following. But Revival suffered from the closing of the freeway (I64 is being rebuilt on that end of things and won't re open until December 09) and they just could not hang on apparently.

Here is a restaurant suggestion for you. RUN don't walk to Erato on Main. It is in Edwardsville, Il. outside St. Louis (takes me 35 minutes from west county). This place is exceptional - chef Kevin Willmann is innovative and very picky. He is very serious about slow food concepts and everything you eat is fresh, fresh and more fresh. Prices are absurdly low for what you get - I always feel guilty when I pay my check - and service is very professional. The restaurant is in a wine bar and their offerings receive great reviews.

Another possiblity for you would be Monarch. Chef Josh Galliano, formerly of An American Place, makes his own charcuterie among other things and he sources the best of the best local ingredients. This place is, however, pretty expensive so be forewarned.

Neither of these places are "new" but they are worth the visit.

[Alex]

Ms. Alex will be at a conference in downtown St. Louis next month, at the Hyatt Regency near The Arch. My preliminary research, including earlier posts here, yielded some promising names -- Niche, Sidney St. Cafe, 1111 Mississippi, Modesto, Mango Peru -- but none of them, with the possible exception of Mango, is within walking distance of the hotel. The other four places don't appear to be too terribly long a cab ride, but it would nice to have some options within walking distance. Any recommendations? Also, what is your current opinion of the above-mentioned places, and are there other places within a short cab ride (or train ride of any distance) that are exceptionally worthwhile? Any price range or type of cuisine would be fine, although when dining out while traveling she tends to avoid Japanese, Chinese, B-B-Q, and steak houses. Thanks!

[prasantrin]

I stayed in the dt area last summer (at the Renaissance, not too far from the Hyatt), and that whole area is pretty dead. Roosters was good, but it's a breakfast/lunch place. There's also Nadoz which is open later than Roosters, but it still closes pretty early (around 8?).

Niche was good.

ETA: The Enterprise Car Rental place is right at the Hyatt. In the long run, it might be cheaper for her to rent a car than to take taxis. We took a taxi out to Niche from the Renaissance, but I can't remember how much it was--$15 one way including tip? That's almost the price of a car rental if you get a good deal.

Edited September 9, 2010 by prasantrin (log)

[Alex]

I stayed in the dt area last summer (at the Renaissance, not too far from the Hyatt), and that whole area is pretty dead. Roosters was good, but it's a breakfast/lunch place. There's also Nadoz which is open later than Roosters, but it still closes pretty early (around 8?).

Niche was good.

ETA: The Enterprise Car Rental place is right at the Hyatt. In the long run, it might be cheaper for her to rent a car than to take taxis. We took a taxi out to Niche from the Renaissance, but I can't remember how much it was--$15 one way including tip? That's almost the price of a car rental if you get a good deal.

Thanks for the info and suggestions, Rona. I did discover Nadoz's web site, but the closer-in Coronado location closes at 5 Mon-Fri, 4 Sat. Too bad, as Ms. A will be going to the symphony one night, and Nadoz isn't far from there.

Sounds like she's going to have to find some dinner companions to split cab fare. Me, I'd take a bus and walk, but that's not her style most of the time.

[prasantrin]

We had planned to bus it, but the bus we had planned to take never came. Never did figure out why. I think they might reduce service to the dt area at night, too, because it's so dead.

About St. Louis, I think most of the decent places to eat are in the suburbs, or at least far from the dt area. When I look at my Google Map of St. Louis, everything is pretty far from downtown--like Pi (it's just pizza, but it's sort of well-known pizza). Crown Candy Kitchen is not so far, but it's diner-like, and I'm not sure if it's in a great area of town (we never made it there). Someone told me to try Adriana's for St. Louis-style Italian (Sicilian), but we never made it there, either. Or to Hodak's (sort of near Niche, famous for fried chicken, I think).

There were a lot of nice-looking restaurants near Bissinger's at Maryland Plaza. It's not close to downtown, either, but it's near a famous church (for sightseeing purposes), and it would have a lot of clean-looking options. And then she could go to Bissinger's! (I thought their chocolates were over-rated, but it's a nice store.)

[Alex]

Ms. Alex will be at a conference in downtown St. Louis next month, at the Hyatt Regency near The Arch. My preliminary research, including earlier posts here, yielded some promising names -- Niche, Sidney St. Cafe, 1111 Mississippi, Modesto, Mango Peru -- but none of them, with the possible exception of Mango, is within walking distance of the hotel. The other four places don't appear to be too terribly long a cab ride, but it would nice to have some options within walking distance. Any recommendations? Also, what is your current opinion of the above-mentioned places, and are there other places within a short cab ride (or train ride of any distance) that are exceptionally worthwhile? Any price range or type of cuisine would be fine, although when dining out while traveling she tends to avoid Japanese, Chinese, B-B-Q, and steak houses. Thanks!

I also just "discovered" the web sites for three downtown places with decent-to-good reviews elsewhere: the old-school Tony's, Larry Forgione's An American Place, and the lunch buffet Indian restaurant Mr. Currys. Any thoughts on these?