Photograph by Kevin A. Roberts
1730 S. EIghth, Soulard
314-932-1280
What may sound like a children’s card game or a clothing store for tweens is more accurately—in the spirit of grog shops like Big Daddy’s, the Cat’s Meow, and Nadine’s Gin Joint—the newest saloon in Soulard. But that’s a short pour: The subtitle reads “Dining Tavern,” and although those are perhaps separate terms, we opt to put them together. Chef/owner Andrew Ladlie has devised a classic neighborhood eating-and-drinking establishment—a destination, not a destination restaurant—where the food is good and the booze is affordable. Take a seat on one of the “sanitarium benches” (banquettes with backs allegedly made from doors reclaimed from the old St. Louis County Lunatic Asylum) and diagnose the spare, Southern-but-not-Cajun menu. Ladlie knows muffulettas are popular; how about a muffuletta salad? Club sandwiches also sell; here’s one made with oven-dried andouille. Now punctuate the experience with house-pickled fried pickles. Oh yes, and that name… It’s an acronym for Ladlie’s family—Jen, Andrew, and their daughter, Claira—two of whom, we’re told, are sassy. We’ll let you make that call.
