By Alexi Zentner
Lester Miller, the new owner of Busch’s Grove, spent a reported $11 million gutting and rehabbing the venerable St. Louis institution, and, as they say in the movie business, the money is all on the screen. The restaurant is stunning.
Prices on the menu are steep, with a third of the main courses in the $30 region, but everything will be prepared perfectly. You will not find anything truly adventurous on the menu, but if you are in the mood for filet mignon and grilled salmon done right, you’re in the right place.
Although the restaurant features a sushi bar, most of the menu sticks to the tried-and-true. Appetizers include French onion soup ($7), lump-crab cakes ($11.50) and jumbo shrimp cocktail ($14), as well as a raw bar offering bluepoint and Malapaque oysters. Seafood lovers will find live Maine lobster, Alaskan king crab and jumbo South African lobster tail, plus herb-and-pepper–crusted tuna, seared Chilean sea bass, Norwegian salmon and swordfish. You might also choose from a half-dozen beef dishes; herb-marinated lamb chops with goat-cheese polenta, ratatouille and roast-garlic rosemary sauce ($33.50); and
a slow-roasted half chicken with mashed potatoes, asparagus, fig compote and a truffled Madeira sauce ($16.50).
Busch’s Grove is not the place to go if you are seeking a wild culinary escape, but it’s definitely in the running for the top spot in St. Louis for special-occasion dining.
9160 Clayton, 314-993-0011, www.buschsgrove.com, 11:15 a.m.–2 p.m. & 5:15–11 p.m. Mon–Sat.
