Photography by Kevin A. Roberts
The Kitchen Sink is more than just American entrepreneurship at work. The small storefront, just north of the Forest Park MetroLink stop, is a simple order-at-the-counter operation. But one look at the menu indicates that things are way beyond the expected.
The takeout menu says almost everything is made from scratch, the meats are fresh, the bread is local, and a St. Charles County farm supplies most of the produce. The kitchen puts out falafel, étouffée, burgers, and breakfast—an eclectic mix.
Owner Anthony Ellerson Jr. is often a one-man band, and things are cooked to order, so it’s not fast food—but it’s good food. Of the menu’s nine burgers, our wonderfully, messily moist Tejas burger contained roasted jalapeños and bacon, accessorized by tomato, avocado, cilantro, fried jalapeño bits, and a drizzle of queso fresco sauce. Fries are hand-cut, but the almost-delicate onion rings surpass them. Thai chicken wings are cooked to a crisp, and the sweet, sticky sauce contains garlicky, fruity notes. The Pat Say Jack sandwich is a take on the Cuban, with roast pork joined by bacon, grilled andouille, cheese, pickles, and banana peppers. It’s not shockingly spicy at all, just nicely warm, with good texture contrast, the sort of sandwich that makes you mutter, “I’ve gotta go back and get another.”
On the Creole front, the étouffée is bright and full of tomatoes, with chunks of vegetables and chicken in sauce over rice. For the jambalaya, the rice is cooked with tasso ham, chicken, andouille, and Cajun seasonings—comfort food for the Rampart Street soul. Red beans and rice show off properly creamy cooked beans, the traditional Monday dish of New Orleans (because Momma could cook them while she did the wash), with more andouille and rice. In case these dishes all sound similar, trust us: They don’t taste that way.
On the breakfast menu, a crab-cake Benedict’s also influenced by The City That Care Forgot. There’s no English muffin, just a good-sized house-made crab cake topped with a poached egg and garnished with flash-fried spinach. (The Creole hollandaise is a mere drizzle, more for looks than flavor, but the crab cakes are so delicious that more sauce would be superfluous.) Other breakfast offerings are mostly pan-American, with chicken and waffles, biscuits and gravy, steak and eggs, a quesadilla, and PB&J on toast.
There’s plenty to look at while you wait for your meal; the walls are covered with memorabilia and pictures. Cans and bottles are kept in a cooler case. Customers range from business professionals to neighborhood regulars to parents with tots. The atmosphere’s very family-oriented: On one visit, a pleasant woman asked how my food was. She turned out to be Ellerson’s mother.
The Bottom Line: It’s a simple spot serving zingy food that’s worth the wait.
280 DeBaliviere
DeBaliviere Place
314-261-4455
Breakfast, lunch, and dinner Mon–Fri; lunch and dinner Sat
