Photograph by Kevin A. Roberts
728 Lafayette
Soulard
314-436-7664
Lunch and dinner, Mon–Sat
What began as yet another Soulard bar and grill (like we really needed that) was recently transformed into the neighborhood’s freshest restaurant. Located in the shadow of the legendary farmers’ market, the revitalized Market Grill has a fresh-thinking new chef, Jonathan Olson, who’s crafting bread, pasta, bacon, and sausage—even his own cheese—while his friendship with Metro East farmers means less expensive produce and refreshingly low menu prices. That hanging sculpture of must-be-fake plants? More fresh thinking—it’s real. Century-old brick walls have been awakened by Craig Downs’ eyepopping oil paintings, but our preference is a $10 glass of Sonoma-Cutrer or something from the cocktail list, one with a fresh sense of humor: Consider a Dirty Cucumber martini, made with “veggies the way they should be.” Or Olson’s strawberry sorbet made with ghost peppers, as knee-slapping and holler-inducing as the Soulard Blues Band playing up the street.
