Late each month, dining editor George Mahe posts a much-anticipated list on Relish, the magazine’s dining blog. It appears in print several weeks later, beside the restaurant listings at the back of the book. To the untrained eye, “Ins, Outs & Almosts” is nothing fancy: a list of businesses, addresses, and dates. But to those in the know—critics, restaurateurs, and foodies—it’s a script for the conversation that will unfold in St. Louis over the next several months.
With each line, there’s always a deeper story: An eatery in a one-time funeral home temporarily defies death, months after filing for bankruptcy. A pizzeria moves from a burgeoning neighborhood to a booming one. A neighborhood staple closes its doors after more than four decades, marking the end of an era.
With each ending, there’s often a new beginning: A Belgian-inspired eatery replaces one that was inspired by a firehouse. A steak-and-whiskey restaurant opens where a fine-dining establishment once sat. A new concept moves into an old building, transforming the space and the neighborhood around it.
And so the revolving restaurant door goes ever round. As it spins, though, some places make a more lasting impression than others. This month’s cover story highlights just a handful, newcomers that opened in the past two years. These are restaurants whose owners have grand aspirations: to turn a gas station into a fine-dining station, a bank into a brunch spot, an antiques
shop into a modern taqueria. The restaurateurs identified a niche—gourmet burgers, communal dining, multiconcept food stations—and executed the concept with precision.
Watching these restaurants evolve from a line of type on Mahe’s list to bustling hot spots, where line cooks sizzle, servers shine, and the bar’s never short on cocktails or conversation, can be almost as rewarding as the meal itself.
