It’s easy to eat local in St. Louis, where there’s a Farmer’s Market on seemingly every street corner. Starting this evening, The Gardens at Malmaison in St. Albans, a host of its own Farmers Market every Sunday, will be offering a choice of three or five courses of local eats every Friday and Saturday night.
On the inaugural Farm2Table menu: a poached farm egg with bacon lardons and asparagus (below left) and a smoked Missouri trout caprese salad (below right).
Find the best food in St. Louis
Subscribe to the St. Louis Dining In and Dining Out newsletters to stay up-to-date on the local restaurant and culinary scene.
One of the main courses is a free range duo of chicken (above left)—including a pan-seared breast and braised leg–and for dessert, strawberry rhubarb panna cotta (above right).
After establishing a farmer’s market, owner Datra Herzog said she was eager to launch a weekend menu that celebrated St. Louis’ homegrown fare. With the new event, The Gardens at Malmaison, which has been primarily an event venue, is reinforcing its role in the local foods movement, a movement that Herzog says is ripe, yet still growing.
“The [local foods movement] is gaining strength,” Herzog said. “…I think the more you can to spend money at home, the stronger your community will be.” Beyond its new Farm2Table meals, The Gardens is also now featuring a lunch menu including wood-fired pizza, quiche and more. To further encourage its neighbors to support the locavore movement, it’s offering a weekly Community Agriculture Sustainability Basket for $16. This week, the basket contains meatballs and tomato sauce from Circle B Ranch, romaine lettuce from Seven Gables Farm, fresh radishes and Missouri tomatoes.
Herzog said she was inspired by street-side produce carts along the East Coast to put together a weekly package of her own city’s delights. To get a taste of The Gardens at Malmaison’s latest efforts in locally grown and produced food, stop by the farmers market between 12 p.m. and 4 p.m. every Sunday, or reserve a spot at the Farm2Table feast any Friday or Saturday night. The meal is $45 for three courses or $75 for five courses. Reservation information is below.
The Gardens at Malmaison
3519 St. Albans Rd.
St. Albans, MO
636-458-0131
